Rhine Falls
And a return to exploring
A few weeks ago, we traveled to the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall), located about an hour north of Zürich. We had seen them a number of times, in passing, as they are close to the city of Schaffhausen, where Jody had her shoulder surgery over six months ago.
Geographically speaking, I find it interesting that Switzerland and Germany “interlock” in that area, as if jigsaw pieces. When traveling by train, I get notified that I am “roaming” as the train passes in and out of Germany. Okay, so maybe it isn’t really that interesting.
I am a broken record when it comes to public transit here, but I have to pause for a moment and reiterate that it was so easy to plan this trip. That morning, we opened the SBB app, entered our starting point and final destination, and selected the best option for us. The first picture shows information for the overall trip, including the expected occupancy of each leg (those little people). When I click on the “Change” button between the two legs of the trip, it displays the second photo. This shows exactly how to get from the arrival platform to the departure platform. There is so much more information to be obtained, but I think you get the idea. And, NO, I will not stop talking about it!
That makes it easy to have our pup with us, seen above just chilling on the train. She is almost one year old and has been raised to be a “city dog.” That is to say, with all the distractions, smells, and noises that accompany our life here, she is growing to understand and accept what that means. It is not without its challenges, but her growth has been extraordinary. I have to share that she does something hilarious whenever a specific event occurs.
The sirens (emergency vehicles) are different than those in the U.S., as you know, something I first learned from watching movies. Fast forward to our living here, and these sirens have become commonplace. I was at a tram platform months ago with baby Hazel, maybe one of her first trips on public transit, when a police car passed by with its siren on. She takes the position above and starts to “croon” at her loudest. I just laughed, having never seen this from her. The others on the tram platform all smiled and clapped afterward, in such a charming moment. I was filled with such positive emotion, although that would quickly be swept away, as minutes later, on the tram, she barfed.
One final note about trains: gasoline. We don’t have a car, although there are clearly moments when having one would make our lives so much easier, especially with the puppy. The picture above was taken a few weeks ago, showing the price of gas to be 2.099. Let’s perform some unit conversions: the price displayed is 2.099 CHF (Swiss Francs) per Liter, which translates to about $10.10 per gallon. Swiss trains are expensive, no doubt, but owning a car and using gas? That’s another level of expensive.
It was a beautiful day to travel, and we wore our amazing sun hats. It had been a while since we traveled, for a variety of reasons. Jody is finally at a point where her shoulder is regaining full mobility and is mostly pain-free. Hazel is older and can walk on a leash with less effort. Hazel is ONE STRONG DOG, and getting into a tug-of-war with her is not for the weak. And finally, the weather has turned to the point where spending time outdoors is less of a chore. [Cue the tiny violin orchestra - CA man discovers WINTER.]
As you can see in the photo above, the Rhine River plunges quite violently, making its way from Switzerland to the North Sea. It is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, but even that is only about 25% of the water flow across the Niagara Falls. There are companies that offer boat rides on the river below the falls, as seen in the lower left corner above. We passed on the boat ride.
It was a sunny Saturday, and there were quite a few people visiting, so we strolled along the path away from the falls, enjoying the greenery and views along the banks. An impatient Hazel was eager to run and sniff away in all of the places. We finally found a place by the river and she, of course, made the most of it.
I know, I know - Labradors are supposed to love water, yet her zeal for water diversion exceeds any expectation I had before she arrived. I’ve tried to learn as much about her as possible and support her best growth, yet this version of the breed is built for purpose, strength, and speed. Our training now looks more like teaching her to be calm and focused, rather than the high-speed romps in the park.
After seeing the falls up close and walking around the touristy area, we opted to walk into Schaffhausen, about 2 km upriver from the falls. There is a well-kept path (of course) which allowed access to the river at several points, and we passed many people picnicking and hanging out by the water.
Once arriving in Schaffhausen, we opted for an early-ish dinner and a proper beer to cap the day. You can’t really see it that well in this picture, yet we are in the “old town’ of Schaffhausen, in an outdoor seating area. The city of less than 40,00 people has preserved many of its Renaissance-era architectural structures, and it’s delightful to just stroll through the streets.
We have been exploring a bit lately, with renewed enthusiasm for getting to know this special place we live in. I mentioned our quest to my language teacher / dear friend Mike. He responded with a personalized checklist that must be completed before we are allowed to return to the US. Rules are rules, and so we have work to do!
