Did you know that in Switerland, we have our own little "Niagara Falls"? Well... They are never as big as the Canadian original but still the largest waterfall in Europe. They can never count the same tourist numbers but still attract a loooot of tourists. They don't divide two countrys but two Swiss cantons. I'm talking about the "Rhine falls", located at the border between the Swiss cantons of Zurich and Schaffhausen.
I had seen the "Rhine falls" several times out of the train window and always wanted to visit them, but never did. But as a Swiss person, not having visited the Rhine falls is almost as tragic as not having seen the Matterhorn or having been on top of the Jungfraujoch. So last weekend, at one of the first warm, nice spring days, we decided to do a little trip and to visit the famous Rhine falls.
Once out of the train in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, we already saw the spectacular Rhine falls. The view was amazing and I was impressed! The roaring and vibrating of the water beneath my feet, a big rock that seemed to withstand the force of the water for centuries - how could it be that it took 28 years for me to see this natural wonder?!
We didn't do a boat trip, but enjoyed the view from a bit further away. As the weather was perfect, we were not the only ones there! :-)
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| The Rhine falls with "Schloss Laufen" in the background |
We decided to do a little hike to the beautiful city of Schaffhausen. It tooks us about 45 minutes and was really nice! Arriving in Schaffhausen, we saw a lot of people entering a big boat. It took about 10 seconds for us to decide spontaneously that we would take that boat as well and do a 1 hour-cruise to the town of Diessenhofen. The cruise was great - we enjoyed the sun and the views (and later a little sunburn...)!
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| View over Schaffhausen's skyline - with the famous Munot, a fortification and the city's landmark |
After arriving in Diessenhofen, we took a little stroll in this beautiful little town.
After this visit, we were just too much in the mood for exploring and the weather was much too nice to go home, so we decided again spontaneously to visit another beautiful town: Stein am Rhein.
We walked to the little Werd-Island, a very tiny island with a small monastery and a chapel.
We then walked back to the old town of Stein am Rhein. I fell in love with the beautiful, colorful houses!
What a fantastic day! Once again I had found out that the beautiful things sometimes are just in front of your door and that you don't always have to travel miles and miles to feel like holidays. Sometimes it's just great to be a tourist in your own country! :-)