Bumpy water and the world from on high

Thursday, 7 August 2008

European Adventure Travel Day 6
Part 1: Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Schaffhausen, Switzerland

Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Schaffhausen are both towns in northern Switzerland, near the Swiss-German border. Neuhausen, obviously, boasts the majestic waterfalls of the Rhine River. But you knew that. We followed the yellow feetprints painted on the street from the train station to this:

First look at the Rheinfall. We're about to go over...

...a huge waterfall, sharp rocks at the bottom...

Bring it on.

Believe it or not, a little tour boat pulls right up to that middle rock so people can get a real close look at the power of the water. As impressive and beautiful as the Rheinfall is, despite the churning and the rainbows, I just couldn't help but think of a certain General George S. Patton in connection with the infamy of the Rhine. :)

This weird girl kept getting in all the pictures.

We walked up to the bus stop so we wouldn't have to climb all the way up the very steep hill. That's not cheating. That's taking advantage of the amenities at our disposal. J asked a lady to direct us to the Roman ruins, and she looked very confused and pointed to the Munot.

The Munot is a very-definitely-not-ruined medieval fortress on top of a (very tall) hill. It's the town symbol; a large, round, stone fortification built in the 16th century. The Munot is surrounded by a deep trench that might once have been a moat, and said trench is now home to a baby red deer. It smelled a little funny, so we crossed the little drawbridge and entered. Just inside, the Munot is gloriously dungeon-y and reminiscient of the underground caverns of the Dwarves in Lord of the Rings.

The Munot, medieval fortress of Schaffhausen: outside

and inside

I couldn't take a picture of the front because there was a river in the way. To get to the top of the fortress, you walk up a cobbled ramp that winds around and around, but it wide enough to move wheeled cannons up and down. On top of the Munot, there is a giant screen for projected movies under the stars. And some cannons. I like artillery.

Schaffhausen from the Munot

The Swiss don't waste an inch... the entire hill is banked with vineyards. Excellent drainage, I'm told.

Some awesome building with a hole in it

In my completely unbiased opinion, the Rheinfall was one of the coolest things I saw in Switzerland.

Day 6 to be continued in Stein am Rhein (aka the fairytale town) and Liechtenstein. :)