Direct night train (Nightjet) to and from.

To visit the following:

Art Basel

Volta Basel

Photo Basel

Liste Basel

And while there:

Zoo Basel

Kunsthalle Basel

Kunstmuseum Basel

Travel and day one

After a surreal start to the journey, involving an almost four-hour trip from home to the central station (which normally takes about 30 to 45 minutes by public transport), being shunted from S-Bahn to regional train, standing like sardines in a tin for over an hour in one of them, being fed completely wrong information by the train driver (probably not his fault – he was fed the wrong information by someone else). Due to the “Zelensky meeting” (and good for Berlin to host it – don’t get me wrong), the story was that the police kept stopping all traffic to and from, and into and out of, the central station, and that people should not even attempt to walk there. Taxis also were not allowed through. One train driver told me that it was unlikely that my night train would even be allowed to arrive at the station, let alone depart again on time or even that night.

When I finally left the station, debating with myself what to do, a taxi stopped miraculously almost in front of me and the driver said that of course he could take me to the central station. I of course imagined a massive police presence around the central station, but as it turned out, getting there was no problem at all, and there was virtually no police there – as in: even less than on normal days, neither around nor inside the station. Inside the station, all signs were like frozen in time with departures being announced like between one and two hours earlier, but when I got to the platform previously announced for my nighttrain, imagine my surprise when it arrived just then, and departed punctually.

The whole thing was very strange, but the bottom line was that I could have taken a taxi or even walked from Friedrichstraße station and had plenty of time to get something to eat at the central station before starting the overnight train ride. I guess we’ll never know who fucked up the most badly.

I still have no idea who misinformed whom and why. But anyway, I was finally on my way. For some reason, perhaps, perhaps not related to the chaos in Berlin, there was a lengthy delay in Leipzig where I took the first photos, and then a couple more on the way.

Day one, arrival, walkabout, a word about hotel prices during the art fairs (just like in Kassel during Dokumenta, they crank them up to absurd levels), and Volta Basel. Also a couple of photos of the view from my hotel room – probably not the last.

Day two Art Basel

I had forgotten how big that art fair is, or perhaps it IS bigger than last time I was here, or perhaps I just don’t have the stamina I used to have :-).

Note to self: if you ever visit again, get a multi-entry ticket and set aside one more day in order to be able to take more of it in.

There are food trucks between the two main halls of the fair, and plenty of food and drink to be had inside one of the halls.

Day three Basel Zoo

Took a break from contemporary art.

And finally, an amusing encounter with what seemed to be a horse that likes to strike a pose for the camera. I swear – when I appeared and raised my camera, he/she came trotting forward, placed him/herself in that position, and after I took the photo and lowered my camera – walked away. This is not the first time I have had similar experiences with animals who have seemingly been conditioned to pose for the camera, so I no longer think I am just imagining things :-).

Day four – Photo Basel and Liste Basel

Unfortunately, at Photo Basel, they used those lamps that create thick black stripes when taking photos of the photos, so that is fairly redundant.

But first, some more photos of the view from my hotel room. It changes all the time.

And elsewhere in Basel: Art is everywhere all the time:

Day five – Kunsthalle Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, walkabout, and the Nightjet back to Berlin