Saturday June 18, 2016 --
The Rhine
Falls are the largest falls in Europe, measuring 150m in width and 23m in height, with
an average of 600m3 per second of water plunging over the falls in summer.
(At the time of this hike in June of 2016, after so much
rain this spring, the volume of water going over the falls increased by 50% to
875m3 per second! )
This was a pleasant and non-strenuous 3.5-hour hike starting in the
very pretty old town of Schaffhausen with its
signature benches and the Munot
Tower (Castle).
From here we hiked along the Rhine River (at some places the river overflowing onto the trail) reaching the magnificent falls in just one hour. Under normal circumstances, tourists can take a boat to the huge boulder in the center of the falls, and climb the stairs to the top, but at this time there was simply too much water and the boats could not dock there.
From the falls we continued for another two hours (total 14 km) always following the River or parallel to it (the Rhine River forms the border of Switzerland and Germany) until our destination of Rheinau, which lies in a bend of the Rhine River and boasts a historical former Benedictine Monastery located on an island in the river. The church with its magnificent interior is an impressive
example of Baroque architecture and one of Switzerland’s most significant
religious structures.
Unfortunately we got caught in a flash rainstorm as we approached our destination, and got soaked before we had a chance to get our umbrellas out! We did consider ourselves lucky to have had an entire morning without rain!
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Here are some pictures of this hike:
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Typical painted houses in the old town Schaffhausen |
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There are all these great benches all over the old town, from various donors and with all kinds of themes. |
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There are all these great benches all over the old town, from various donors and with all kinds of themes. |
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The Castle "Munot" is a well-known landmark in Schaffhausen. |
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Our 14-km hike took us along the Rhine River from Schaffhausen to Rheinau, mostly along the border between Switzerland and Germany. We followed the themed trail no.60: "Via Rhenana" |
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Across the river in the community called Flurlingen, the houses nearest the river are in danger of having their gardens flooded |
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There was so much rain this spring, that the Rhine River has overflowed its banks. |
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