Stein am Rhein, Switzerland

I got up this morning to sunshine, warm temps and a gorgeous day to help put away my jet lag for good. My base town of Konstanz, Germany, was already hopping as I hiked to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station).

As I mentioned, Konstanz occupies a corner of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) just to the north of the border with Switzerland. I decided to follow the Rhine and explore Swiss towns to the west.

At the train station, I checked the yellow schedule for my train and the proper Gleis (platform) to board. Europe uses the 24-hour clock so no AM or PM here. A 3:00 p.m. departure back home would be 15:00.

There was my train: the S8 departing from platform 3 at 11:16 for Schaffhausen (the town of Stein am Rhein was a stop along the way). Better hurry, Deutsche Bahn doesn’t wait for anyone.

I crossed the border into Switzerland as my train followed the south side of the Bodensee and then the Rhine. Little towns flashed by along the route until our Zug (train) pulled up to the station for Stein am Rhein.

Switzerland occupied both sides of the river at this point and I hiked a bridge north into town. Incredibly-preserved medieval buildings jammed the main square. The woodwork and colorful frescoes swirled in every direction.

I found an empty table in the sun and ordered a tall beer to take it all in.

Once I drained by Hefeweizen, I paid my server in the Swiss francs that I’d cleverly retrieved from an ATM earlier in my journey. Ever-neutral Switzerland isn’t a part of the European Union and prints its own money rather than using the Euro. The Swiss have rather lovely money…

St. George’s Abbey occupied a prominent corner of the old town (since the year 1007, mind you). I took my time exploring the abbey and examined the little creations hidden on the walls, ceilings, doors and floors. The industrious monks of St. George’s obviously had time on their hands.

Remember the legend of Saint George? He slayed a fire-breathing dragon and saved the sacrificial princess. The heroic scene was depicted in countless forms throughout the namesake abbey.

But there’s always one (monk) in every bunch. Whoever created this depiction gave the dragon a bit more credit. I laughed at the expression on George’s face in this one when he realized what he’d gotten himself into.

In addition to a bit of humor, the monks were also masters of the wine press. Look at the huge beams of lumber required to create this monster. The massive barrels were lovingly decorated with ornate carvings of grape vines.

Artistic expression surrounded you in Stein am Rhein. Back on the main square, I zoomed in and focused on smaller scenes in the frescoes.

Another form of art hung above your head as you walked past busy shops. The vast majority of medieval citizens couldn’t read the written word. Creative signage helped lure would-be customers through the door.

Of course, more modern interpretations still did the trick.

I inspected a chocolate shop which was lined from floor to ceiling in more varieties than I could count. There’s a reason Switzerland is synonymous with it. There’s milk chocolate here like we’re familiar with back in the States but I’ve learned most sweets in Europe tend to be more mild. There’s not quite the sugar jolt. Flavors are more nuanced.

My next stop was the Swiss town of Schaffhausen right at the top of the country. Church spires pointed upwards at the old canton fortress on the hilltop which I promptly climbed. The vineyards lining the stairs reminded me of Esslingen along the Neckar further north in Baden-Württemberg.

I noticed the signage on the building in Schaffhausen with the blue and white shutters. American bombers accidentally targeted the city in April 1944 thinking they were over the German city of Ludwigshafen am Rhein.

A more direct reference to the USA was this “American-Mexican” restaurant I passed. The authentic “Tex-Mex” menu featured a hamburger with fries and a Coke. I guessed you didn’t get chips and salsa as you waited for your order.

On my train ride back to Konstanz, I hopped off at the Swiss village of Diessenhofen just because it looked interesting. The border between Germany and Switzerland is in the middle of the Rhine at this point of the river.

I hiked across the river on a covered wooden bridge completed in 1816. The Swiss entrance featured one of those border gates you see the Germans violating in World War II movies. Traffic carefully observed the “zipper” rule: first one side, then the other crossed using the single lane.

In the very middle of the bridge I stood with my left foot in independent Switzerland and my right foot in Germany and the European Union. This must be how Brexit feels to our British friends right about now.

I was amused at the contrast between the borders. On the German side, the black and gold Bundesadler (Federal eagle) flexed for visitors as the black-red-gold flag fluttered aside the blue and gold flag of the EU.

On the Swiss side, more restraint was obvious. And more regulations…

I noticed a steel gate under the canopy of the Swiss side of the bridge ever-ready to swing down and block the border if the Germans got too full of themselves. An old-school reminder of Switzerland’s defensive nature.

Here’s me right before I almost stumbled backward into the Rhine…

I love looking at old cars and I spotted several during the day. Now that the European Union license plates integrate the country abbreviation in blue to the left of the numbers, the vintage oval “D-for-Deutschland” plate is sadly not required. I miss these.

Speaking of cars, Cade and Mason were convinced my rental would look something like this:

Don’t laugh. I pick it up Monday. This may be close to the truth!

……….

Thanks for coming along on the trip. If you have questions or suggestions, tweet @JasonRMatheson. Missed an entry? Click here.