2012 - Greg's Cycle Tour Zurich to Amsterdam: DAY 12: MON 3 SEP - CONSTANCE, GERMANY TO SCHAFFHAUSEN, SWITZERLAND, 60km

Ride: 60km; total: 349km

Fine with grey skies max 20deg.

Another very easy ride on excellent bike paths, assisted by a steady tailwind. I kept my daily distances low on this part of the tour as it is a rather nice section of the Rhine. After a few days in Constance and Eurobike visit, it was back into Switzerland and to rejoin the path near the crystal-clear waters of the Rhine. It was flowing fairly quickly at that time due to the recent rain. The run into Basel from Constance is not only pretty, but it's easy due to a drop in elevation. Europe's largest waterfalls are on this stretch. Today was a mix of stunning scenery, (green hills so green they nearly hurt your eyes) quant villages, beautiful homes with lovely gardens and manicured farms of all descriptions. I even saw an Asian water buffalo farm. Their milk makes highly sort-after mozzarella cheese; however it was still a surprise to see a herd of them grazing in a Swiss paddock. In fact this type of buffalo is widely farmed in many parts of the world, including throughout Europe.

I passed through Stein am Rhine which is in Switzerland and is famous for its medieval painted buildings. It draws 1000s of tourists a day. For 100s of years the town folk have painted the outside of their buildings with murals and writing. The painted buildings are up to five floors high. There are plenty of examples of this practice throughout Germany, but it's more concentrated in S-a-R. Lucky I was there early and missed the hordes of tourists. The town is also home to a number of buildings that are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. There are three churches on the list; the former monastery church of St. George, the former Benedictine monastery church of St. Georgian and the Castle Church (Kirche auf Burg). Burg Hohenklingen above the town, an older late-Roman castle and the city walls are also included on the list. In the old city there are six houses or municipal buildings that are on the inventory. I could have certainly spent a day or so in this place, but had already booked into a so-called backpackers motel at Schaffhausen. However it turned out to be a lovely big twin room with a shower/toilet next door.

Schaffhausen is also a beaut city with an extensive mall that goes for 100s of metres. Hence it has a lovely relaxed alfresco dining atmosphere, with lots of people sitting outside in cafes and restaurants watching the world go by. After seeing the old canton fortress (castle) built in 1482, at the top of a rather steep hill, I walked through the streets of the old portion of the city admiring its many fine Renaissance era buildings decorated with exterior frescos and sculpture. My appetite then got the best of me so I helped myself to some of that alfresco dining stuff. A traditional meal of bratwurst and sauerkraut, very simple but nice.