Starting off with a BANG!

We're hitting Zurich at a beautiful time of year.  It's hot and sometimes humid.  And sometimes rainy.  We are staying in a centrally located and very spacious 3-bedroom apartment with a view of the mountains and a 5-minute walk to ETH, the technical university where Miles goes daily.  He'll be doing his own research as well as teaching a short course.

After only 2 days in town to get settled (we are somewhat familiar with Zurich after our 4-month stay here in 2010), we took the train to the charming town of Schaffhausen (45 minutes away) where we spent the weekend with our friends Klaus and Esther Heiduschke.

Our first big adventure was on Sat. when we went to the Rhine River and rented a weidling boat.  This is a flat-bottomed boat traditionally constructed from solid wood and propelled by a standing crew member either with a trident-shaped pole or paddle.  Esther and Klaus are well-trained crew members and poling is a lot harder than it looks.  Miles succeeded in using the trident-pole, but failed with the paddle which propels the weidling and needs to be used as a rudder simultaneously to keep it going straight.  I just laid back and enjoyed the scenery!

The Rhine River and our weidling boat

Me, Esther and Klaus beginning our day 

We sailed down the river for a couple of hours and then had a picnic lunch on the shore and played a Viking game called Kubb. The objective is to knock over wooden blocks by throwing wooden batons at them. Kubb can be described as a combination of bowling and horseshoes.  Unfortunately, we didn't take a picture of our game, but this is what the blocks look like (thanks, Internet!)





Kubb Official U.S. Tournament Size Kubbspel Classic Natural (Made in Italy) 19.8 lbs.

Miles emerging from a refreshing dip in the Rhine

Miles and Klaus with the mandatory beer

Happy and tired, we had a delicious dinner at Esther and Klaus' house--this is the view from their
porch at night.


The next day, we were off on bikes to ride along the Rhine to Stein am Rhein, about an hour away.

Along our bike ride we saw the ferry boats navigating the river in a special way.  Because the currants are so strong, the boats must turn in a slalom-like pattern according to little signs on the poles and pass along the green side of the sign.




We saw this quaint mural in Gailingen of a menorah and Noah's Ark which struck us as a bit out of place.  According to Klaus, the town was very remorseful about the loss of the Jews during the Holocaust and painted this mural to pay homage.



Once we arrived at Stein am Rhein, we parked our bikes and hiked up to Hohenklingen Castle (built in 1200) to have lunch at their restaurant and enjoy the magnificent views.


Hohenklingen Castle


Beautiful flowers and vineyards along the trail

 Amazing view from the castle--Lake Constance

Once rested and full, we hiked back down and explored the beautiful town of Stein am Rhein west of Lake Constance. It’s known for its preserved, half-timbered medieval houses with painted facades.


Beautiful painted walls


Manhole cover showing St. George slaying a dragon

We expected rain and decided to take a ferry back (with our bikes) to Schaffhausen. Thank goodness!  I was already exhausted and wasn't prepared to bike another 20 kilometers back!


Looming clouds and our ferry (left side)

And the day wasn't finished!  Once back in Schaffhausen, Klaus suggested we visit the Munot, a circular 16th century fortification in the center the city.  So up we climbed, walking our bikes.  Spectacular!  And we made it home before it rained!

View of Schaffhausen from the Munot
 

Remember:  you can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them once






Comments

  1. Miri and LarryAugust 16, 2017 at 10:02 AM

    Oh my; what an ambitious, full day. It must have been exhilarating; boating, biking, hiking and all. That view of Schaffhausen from the Munot is lovely. Gorgeous charming vistas in that part of the world, eh?

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