On Monday morning Tom met us and we took a walking tour of the area along the Rhine. (His wife, Anna, had a business trip so we didn't see her today). We climbed the 277 steps to the Munot Fortress which overlooks the Old Town of Schaffhausen. It was built in the 16th century with forced labor by the citizens. The Fortress was never a residence and its short useful life means that it remains almost exactly as it was built! Its most distinctive features are the cavernous galleries in the foundation. Entering the castle from below we walked the winding stone path up the turret. Nowadays they hold concerts and programs at the top. The Munot guard who actually lives at the top of the "castle" rings the Munot bell by hand every evening at 9pm. We could hear it from our apartment!
There were beautiful views over the city and the river from the top of the Munot.
Around noon we picked up Tom's son, Oscar, from his tennis camp and spent the afternoon near the Bodensee in Konstanz, Germany. We walked and walked then stopped for lunch - then walked some more, we had such a great time!
At Seeburger Park we climbed the observation tower and had beautiful views of Germany and Switzerland at the same time.
The white line was the dividing line between Switzerland and Germany.
On our way back to Konstanz, we stopped to use one of the public restrooms in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. It was MUCH different than Africa! These are all stainless steel inside, with a handle that you use to pull the seat down (for women). On the left were buttons - one to flush, one to dispense soap, and one to dispense water to wash your hands. It was all very high-tech!
Back in town we made our way up the hill to a shop for afternoon treats.
Tobey and I shared this "little" ice cream treat!
Many of the buildings have frescos painted on them.
Tobey and Oscar spotted this interesting sight in the window. I hope it was a doctor's office!
We then headed back to Schaffhausen and spent time at their house. Tobey and I both had a chance to play with Oscar and Romy. It was fun! It was a busy day and we were definitely tired when we got back to our apartment!
Tuesday Tom had meetings in the morning so Tobey and I spent time wandering the streets in Old Town Schauffhausen. It was bright and sunny, but around lunch time the clouds rolled in. We had to race back in the rain to the apartment with our pizza for lunch!
In the afternoon, the sky cleared and Tom and Oscar picked us up and we headed to Stein am Rhein, Switzerland. The architecture is amazing and we had a great time having seven year old Oscar showing us around.
And yes, we did find a shop where we were able to get ice cream!
We headed back to their house around 6 and picked up his daughter. He has the best garage walls ... there were two cars painted on them as you pull in ... and at first glance, I thought they were real! Anna met us back in Old Town near our apartment where we had a wonderful dinner together. It was so fun spending time with them and we hated to say goodbye.
Wednesday morning Tom drove us to the Zurich airport for our flight back to the US. It was an great time getting to spend time with three of our exchange students and their families.
Coming home was long ... Zurich to Boston, then Boston to Denver. Our flight from Boston was late arriving in Denver so we missed our ground transportation back to Fort Collins. Not something you want to happen at midnight! United agreed to pay for Lyft home, so we finally got back about 2am! Needless to say, we were tired. It has been busy trying to catch up, but we were thrilled to be back and see our granddaughter! That's it for this adventure so until next time - travel safely!
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