Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls

Rain has been in the forecast nearly every day for a few weeks now and the rivers and lakes are filled to capacity. Saturday started with another downpour as we set off for the Stettbach train station to catch an S-Bahn to Schaffhausen. We figured now was a good time to visit the famous waterfall on the Rhine, claimed to be the largest in Europe. This figure must be based on width and cubic volume of water because we certainly have seen taller waterfalls coming off the mountains.

In less than an hour we were in Schaffhausen, a town near the German border and lake Bodensee. We wandered through the farmer's market in the main city and ate brats and cervelats from a stand for lunch. The town has a castle perched on the hill above so we climbed the stairs to have a look inside. The rain started up again and by the time we left the castle, it was pouring so hard we had to stop at a Co-op store to buy 2 more umbrellas. Completely soaked, we hopped back on the train to go visit the falls.

In order to see the falls up close you can get on a boat that takes you across the river and then another one taking you to a viewing platform in the middle of the river. The roar of the water was pretty impressive from this vantage point! It was also a steep climb up several stairways to the top, where we decided it was too high and slippery to stand for long with the kids. The river was churning with its full load of water and Leif in particular was impressed that the boat could navigate through the waves.