Rhine Falls

We live in a place that others choose for their holidays. We used to go to the Rhine Falls almost every day for a walk as it's just about 10 minutes from our home. Eventually, we got fed up with the crowds and went down there only from time to time or when we had visitors. We started to go to a nearby forest instead because it isn't that interesting for tourists.

However, no tourists are allowed to enter Switzerland now and the hiking trails around the Rhine Falls are deserted. This is the best time for us to enjoy this magical place again. We have lockdown in Switzerland and people are encouraged to stay at home but walks in nature are recommended as long as we practice the social distancing rules.

We went for a walk early in the morning as it was supposed to be a warm day and we knew that there would be many people outside later in the afternoon.

We planned our route in advance and wanted to walk on the right side of the river for a couple of kilometres, then cross a bridge and walk back on the other side of the river. The bridge is on the right side of the photo behind that curve.

As we live on a hill we first had to walk down to the Schlossli Worth - it is a small castle that seems to be built on the river. I have mentioned this castle in my previous post already. It is one of the three castles in the Rhine Falls area.

Then we continued along the river to this place...

If you look closely you will see the bridge that we wanted to cross in the back of the photo. Unfortunately, we learned that there was a path maintenance and the path was closed.

We could have continued even though it was closed as I assumed that there would be no controls on Easter Monday but there was a sign stating that if you choose to continue down the path and something will happen your treatment won't be covered by your insurance. Knowing the prices of the healthcare in Switzerland we decided to turn around and don't risk it.

This is the other side from where we were standing...

We had to change our plans, and therefore we walked back to the Rhine Falls and continued in the opposite direction from where we wanted to go initially.

Here we can see another castle which is called Schloss Laufen. It's bigger than Schlossli Worth and it's used for various celebrations all year around. There is a restaurant, souvenir shop, small church and playground for kids as well.

Now we will walk up the stairs that you can see on the left to get closer to the water.

You can get very close, so close that you can feel the drops on your skin when it's windy!

There is a lot of water in the river now and it means that the snow in the Alps started to melt. The waterfall is spectacular in April-June because there is more water than in other months. If you come in winter you will see that it's much smaller.

There is a German border just a couple of kilometres away from the Rhine Falls and the bridge on the other side belongs to the German railways.

The third castle from the Rhine Falls area is on that side too!

Now we are behind the waterfalls already...

The current here is very strong and it is forbidden to go in the water.

I have always wondered how these trees in the river can survive the strong current. They grow on the rocks (or so it seems) but I remember that the water was higher than the rocks and they still survived. Tough cookies!

This bridge is right above the Rhine Falls!

The water doesn't look wild from here but the perspective is different when you're standing on the bridge!

I haven't seen this path empty before. It was a good day! 😊

The water in the river reminds me of the sea - it's crystal clear and turquoise. It might be more green than turquoise on the photo but it depends on the light.

The path on the other side has been recently renovated. It was closed for several years and we didn't even realize that it was finished already. We just saw some people walking there yesterday. We will check it out in the coming days too!

And the last photo before going back home. I am so grateful that we can still go out and enjoy spring this year. I know that many people don't have this opportunity and I hope that we all will be able to live normal lives soon again!

Thank you for visiting!

Cheers!
Martina