Rhine Falls, Switzerland

On our way back from Switzerland we decided to check out the Rhine Falls. It is Europe's biggest waterfall! On our way to Thun Drew saw signs about the Rhine Falls and kept saying he wanted to see it. Since we were on a spur of the moment trip, we decided to stop off at the falls on our way home. I wasn't sure if this should be it's own post, but it didn't seem to fit in with the Interlaken post. So it is its own post! 

Funny thing, although the Rhine Falls are technically in Switzerland, we had to cross back into Germany (biggest pain in the butt with pets, German law states that pets need to be either in a crate, or somehow strapped down to the seats, Seamus & Rylie wanted no part of that!), then cross back into Switzerland!

Pictures from the parking lot!

Theres a little ferry boat that takes you across the water.

The Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago, by erosion-resistant rocks narrowing the riverbed. The first glacial advances created today's landforms approximately 500,000 years ago. Up to the end of the Wolstonian Stage approximately 132,000 years ago, the Rhine flowed westwards from Schaffhausen past Klettgau. This earlier riverbed later filled up with gravel.

Schloss Worth, (Used to be a castle? now it's a restaurant)

 The Falls are 150 m (450 ft) wide and 23 m (75 ft) high. In the winter, the average water flow is 250 m³/s, while in the summer, the average water flow is 700 m³/s. The highest flow ever measured was 1,250 m³/s in 1965; and the lowest, 95 m³/s in 1921, fun fact the falls cannot be climbed by fish, but eels are able to worm their way up over the rocks.

Sidles' @ Rhine Falls, Oct 2014

We spent a couple hours at the falls, as soon as we got there it had started to rain and everyone ran under the little souvenir shop for cover. Seamus & Rylie were not happy. Luckily it only rained for about 10-minutes. At the Rhine Fall there is an path with elevator goes from Laufen Castle to the outlook platform. You are able to take a boat ride to the Rhine Falls basin, the rocks in the middle of the Rhine and downstream to the national border or farther to the Rheinau power plant. We didn't end up taking the boat ride because we had the dogs. I'm not sure if you could/couldn't take them. We just figured it was easier not to go. We had no planned on staying for very long. It was just a nice stop off point to stretch our legs and get out of the car. 

This used to be a castle!

We walked around the falls for a while, following the pathway that lead up to the top of the falls, it was an amazing site. I'm not on outdoors person, but I love seeing things that nature creates. After visiting the falls I read about it and it looks like on a nice day there is a lot to do. 

 Stopped off in the middle of the falls for a picture

We didn't come on a nice day, and we didn't have any rain gear. Plus I felt like we had a long weekend and all I wanted to do was be in my own bed. Unknowingly at the time we had a long night a head of us, this was the trip where we got rear-ended on our way back home! Thank god for ADAC (Europe;s version of AAA) though. 

The Rhine falls was a nice stop off point. The pictures we got were amazing and Drew was able to pick up a Switzerland Stein that had the all places we went to!

I enjoyed the Rhine Falls. I wouldn't make the drive just to check it out. But it something that was nice to see since we were in the area.