Rheinschwimmen!

 It was hot again today in Basel so we did as the Baselers do and hopped in the Rhine River!  

The Rhine River is the second longest river in Central and Western Europe (the Danube is the longest) and begins in the southeastern Swiss Alps and flows to form the border between many countries and eventually ends in the Netherlands where it empties into the North Sea.

The Rhine in Basel is a whole entity in itself!  It's certainly a central part of Basel's identity, from the many bridges that cross the Rhine to which side you're located on. Still, it's also a bustling hub of activity and gathering, at least in summer.  

Today, we sought some fun in the sun and to cool off a bit, along with many, many others.  We don't have our Wickelfisch bags yet (something I will remedy this week as the temps remain high in the foreseeable future), so we decided to find a small dog-friendly 'beach' area, which proved to be a bit of a challenge and involved some walking.  We picked up some sandwiches and had a shady picnic along the way, and eventually found the perfect spot on the opposite side of the river where the floating happens.  

We enjoyed a few hours playing and relaxing, and even Rey got into the cooling waters.  Here are a few snaps of the day.  I did try to capture the brightly colored crowds floating down the river, but like many things, the photos don't do it justice.  

I also wanted to share something new-to-me.  For our picnic today, we picked up some chips that are popular here - paprika.  I didn't know what to expect, but they were excellent and tasted similar to BBQ lays, but a little less sweet.