Wash your troubles away, wash that man right out of your hair...whatever your needs, I got the water power to do it

I've been keeping something from you.  I didn't tell you everything that happened the day I got lost in Germany.

While I was on the train, there was this really cute guy in his late 20s-early 30s who was sitting across from me and he was wearing the T-shirt of the train crew. I asked him what his job was and he answered that he drove the train but he was on his way home for the day. 

We were traveling and chatting for a bit, and all of the sudden this magical scene came into view in the window across the train from us.  It was unbelievably beautiful and it filled the huge window.  I was speechless and watched in awe until it was out of sight.  Then I turned and asked him incredulously, "What was that?" He responded, "The Rhein Falls."  

He was laughing and enjoying my response to the experience.  I believe my jaw must have been hanging open.  I was dumbfounded.  Truly.  I didn't know what that meant, "Rhein Falls," but I made a mental note that I would find out. And, I would go back and see it.  For sure.

That's what I did today.

I did not know anything about the existence of these falls until I saw them from the train. I wonder how I missed them in the searches and websites and brochures and everything I have read about CH since I started planning my trip. I even re-checked Rick Steves' travel book about Switzerland.  There was not one mention of them.  Not anywhere in the book.  

That surprised me.

The sheer beauty of the falls was not a bit disappointing

However, the trip to find them was.  Some confusion was which city to go to and find the falls.  The reason being that one side of the falls is in one city and the other side of the falls is in another city across the river.   

By now I have learned to go inside the train station and talk to an agent for instructions.  So I did.  I told the train agent I wanted to get on the boat at the bottom of the falls and ride up to the falls.  She said get on bus #1.

I got on bus #1 and tried to clarify that I wanted the boat for the falls with the bus driver and he told me I didn't want his bus, I wanted bus #5.  Then he opened the bus door for me to leave.  But agent said bus #1....  

Really long story short because I don't want to re-live the TWO HOURS it took me to wander around riding bus #1 then bus #5 and then bus #1 again....Bus #1 was the right bus, but no one told me which stop to get off on.  So I got off on one kind of in the area and still wandered around for 30 minutes.  I conjecture that because the falls were not easy to find and there were no signs to guide the way, maybe it wasn't tourist-friendly and therefore it got left out of the travel book. 

I did see some really beautiful sights along the way:  A charming little tree whose leaves were turning a bright red; a fabulously interesting bridge; and I saw that the bridge ended in a tunnel that went right inside the mountain;  plus some overall pretty scenery.  

But no falls.  Yet. 
 
Finally a young girl was able to set my foot on the right path and I arrived at the falls.  At the side and the top.  I could see there was a rock out in the middle of the river and several people were out on that rock and the falls were crashing all around them.  That looked soooo cool!!!  I wanted to be there very badly.

So I walked all the way around the top of the falls on one side and then made my way down a long path to search for the boat at the bottom and I found it!  Notice the little boat headed out to the big rock.  I was on it. (Different boat, different trip...no one here to photograph me actually doing anything.)

And....on the top of the rock, there is the power of the river rushing past you, churning water, throwing up spray....

After climbing up a very steep and narrow set of steps, I made my way to the most spectacular top!  And looked down at the stairs I just climbed left me with a feeling of great accomplishment. 
And the last few steps to get to the top...


Can you believe I did this???

And the ever-patriotic Swiss have a flag planted at the top, naturally. 

Watching from the side while at the top you can see the power of the river.  The curious light green in the rushing water was fascinating.

Back down at the bottom, I wait for the boat to come back and retrieve us to return us to shore.

Following the adventures on the river, I am hungry and there is a lovely restaurant overlooking the falls which appears very inviting to me.  I acquiesce.

Who wouldn't?

I leave you with one final view of the water at the bottom.  It was a rainy day and there was mist from the river and the falls.  I should have been water-logged, but I was thrilled to see even more rain.  True Arizona desert rat. All that sunshine all the time makes clouds and rain very attractive.  :)
What I ordered and how it came
Being around all this water, I was very thirsty and ordered mineral wasser, no gas, and some ice, please.  They always bring it with a glass of ice cubes and a spoon. 


Naturally, I must have something chocolate to wrap up the dining experience and this chocolate torte fulfilled all my desires. (At that moment in time. lol)
 
I recycle, you recycle, but no one recycles like the Swiss


 I mentioned in a previous blog about the trash receptacles and wanted to take a moment to show them to you.

This is the basic trash bin.  Notice the top disposable area for the cigarette butts.

The there are always more than just this regular trash bin.  Right next to it is always the recycling bin.  The Swiss are huge about recycling.  This link will share with you some amazing percentages about Swiss recycling.



I learned something new after all these weeks riding trains

I have a seat companion named Heiko from Germany to thank for that.  We were sitting in the Silence Zone on a recent train journey, just random seatmates.  

In a grouping of four facing seats, Heiko was doing puzzles while I was working on the blog.  We began chatting and were shushed by the man in the seat just next to us.  We stepped out into the area between the train cars to chat.

What I learned was that there is a lap table which folds down on the outside seat.  See Heiko demonstrate. I never knew that tray was there prior to him using it and me observing him use it.  Thank You, Heiko! 


I am willing to bet that some of you have been thinking that I sure am finding a lot of young and attractive men to chat with on the trains.  You are right.  But I am not officially adopting "Cougar" status just yet.  I'm just a friendly old broad who is abroad....  That is ALL I will claim.  Draw your own conclusions.  lol