Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls



Schaffhausen- a word I could never forget. My father owned a schaffhausen watch , which was considered expensive and hard to obtain. One day it was stolen from him and that made him terribly sad. No hugs and promises of a new watch could make him overcome his bad mood. ( I'm afraid I have inherited this trait of character ; whenever I lose an item I can go sad for days , which is of course stupid. One shouldn't get so attached to things; it's only people that matter.).

Later on, I learned that Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland with a long tradition of fine watchmaking. The IWC (International Watch Co) , a high-end Swiss watch manufacturer, is located in Schaffhausen.
However, the main attraction in Schaffhausen is not the watch industry or the city itself with its medieval car-free old town, but the Rhine Falls (3 km distance from the city).

I came to Schaffhausen with the ticking of my father's stolen watch in my mind, and I ended my tour with the thundering of the Rhine Falls in my ears. I could have composed a piece of music starting with ticking, and ending with thundering, and in the middle of it, the various noises made by the tourists ( if I were a composer).

Anyway, near Schaffhausen, the river Rhine offers a spectacular show (especially on a sunny day) of the waterfalls - the largest waterfalls in Europe (150mW, 23mH). It is possible to reach the Falls walking along the banks of the river , or by bus.

Once on the spot, one has to try and change positions to find a good angle to best see the roaring falls and take good pictures.
One can also catch a boat ride to a rock in the middle of the cascading waters which enables a closer view of them (if one doesn't mind to get wet by the gushing waters, of course)
Close by, on a cliff, proudly overlooking the Falls, is the old castle Schloss Laufen, which serves as a complex, housing: a restaurant, a hotel, a youth hostel and a gift shop.

A visit to the Rhine Falls is great fun; it offers amazing sights and sounds.

30 comments:

  1. What a beautiful story of your papa's watch and the place it was manufactured. Rhine Falls sounds like a perfect place to visit. Sweetie, it's not too late for you to compose the beautiful song of the ticking and rush of the power of the falls, it sounds most classical.

    God bless and have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

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  2. How sad about the lost watch, I certainly can understand how one would feel sad about it. I was thinking the Rhine Falls sound somewhat like our Niagara Falls. And as Nezzy mentioned, its not too late to compose!

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  3. That sounds so wonderful! I love seeing these places through your eyes. You have a unique and beautifully artistic perspective.

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  4. I love the way you did the picture with the watch. Such and interesting story as always from you. I'm still in Florida helping with my mom, but we brought her home yesterday and I now have a few minutes for blogging. I've missed it so much!

    Sue

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  5. Do you have pictures of the falls? I'd love to see them. Great story. And, we do get too attached to things sometimes. I know I do, too. Just have to let them go. Thanks for the word pictures.

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  6. You have such a wonderful way of describing the sights and sounds of your travels....I can visualize them so easily. Such a shame about your dad's watch though. I think you should compose that song! :)

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  7. That photo pulls me back into the history of your father and his watch. Love that you went to Schauffhausen with him in mind. I think that composition would be very intriguing!

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  8. beautiful story... so sorry about the watch): looks like a pretty place to see...love the way the first picture on your post was taken... very neat~

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  9. Thank you for the story Duta. Sounds like a wonderful place.

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  10. What a lovely place, Duta. Thankyou for sharing.

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  11. That was beautiful read! :) I love waterfalls, the view of them alone is thrilling & serene at the same time to me.

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  12. How I long to travel. Thanks for taking me on your trip.

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  13. Nezzy,

    I wish I were a composer, but Im not. I think, maybe someone has already composed some piece of music under the influence of this place. I know that the english poet Wordsworth wrote a poem after a visit to the Rhine Falls.

    Cheryl,

    The Rhine Falls are not considered as high and powerful as the Niagara Falls but still they look mighty and the waters provide stunning visual and audible effects.

    Autumnforest,

    Thank you very much.
    I'm very flattered by your kind words.

    Sue( Someone's Mom),

    I'm glad to hear your Mom is at home; she's your priority now. Under the circumstances, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment on my post.

    Janie B,

    There are three Falls. In the pictures I have, one sees mainly the big white cloud (as in the first picture) produced by the cascading waters.
    If You google 'Rhine Falls' you could get pictures of the Falls captured from many angles.

    Kathy,

    I'm pleased you can easily visualize this place from my description of the sights and sounds offerd by the cascading waters.

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  14. Ronda Laveen,

    Schaffhausen was the big name when it came to quality watches. So,my father got heartbroken when his precious watch was stolen, and we, the family suffered seeing him sad and in pain. So, I had to see the place where these watches came from when given the chance to go there.

    Donatella,

    Welcome and thanks for the comment! What a lovely first name you have! The Rhine Falls are indeed an awsome place to visit.

    Jennifer D,

    Thanks for stopping by. The place is indeed wonderful and... full of tourists.

    Vera,

    The sharing is my pleasure!

    Pink Panthress,

    I think you've got waterfalls in Germany too due to the same Rhine river which flows there too. You're right - the view of the Falls is both excitng and calming.

    @ Thank you for the comment.

    Sandy aka Doris the Great,

    Thanks for stopping by. I can understand your longing and wish you lots of travel. Anyway, Canada and its big neighbour USA are vast countries, so I imagine you've got a lot of new places to travel to.

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  15. it's interesting to visit places connected to our parents isn't it? This is a lovely vignette you've written...thank you!

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  16. A lovely story from you again Duta and as always some interesting information about the makers of your fathers watch.
    Yes,I agree people are more important than "things" but it is heart breaking when you lose something that you are fond of.I lost something that was worth nothing,but the sentimental value,to me was priceless,it took me ages to get over it's loss.
    The description of the waterfalls sounds fantastic,I love waterfalls,there is something so powerful and awsome about them.

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  17. Did you lose any other thing? You look so sad in the pictures!! :):) Enjoy your weekend dear Duta!

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  18. Duta,

    I always look forward to your posts so that I can sit back, relax and allow you to take me on a journey to places I will never see. You never disappoint. Have a wonderful day and thank you.

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  19. Letherton,

    Hi, and Welcome! I'll sure check out your blog. Thanks for the info.

    Susan,

    True. There's an additional value to a place if we can connect it to someone or something in our background.

    matron,

    I'm also like that. If I loose something, it hurts, regardless of its money value.
    You're right about waterfalls; they inspire power and awesomeness.

    Phivos Nicolaides,

    Sad? really? Well, I usually don't look good in pictures. Have a blessed weekend!

    C Hummel Kornell a/k/a C Hummel Wilson,

    Never say never. How could you be so sure you'll never visit some specific place?
    Anyway, you always make my day with your kind, warm words. Thanks, and have a wonderful weekend!

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  20. I will keep that in mind in case I ever return to Europe. I wonder if the Rhine Falls are larger than Niagara? I haven't been there, either, but hope to see them one day soon.

    Some objects to which we have attached sentiments and a sense of time and place, are especially hard to let go of. Did your father ever get another watch he loved as much?

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  21. A sad but beautiful story. I too have found it odd to recall things stolen from my dad. He always reacted in what I thought was a strage way to such things. Or better said, didn't react. Later in life I see now that he knew things are just things and life is life.

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  22. Hi Duta,

    Once again, you have not disappoint. A lovely story of your dad's lost possession. You definitely have a flare for writing, which I have missed in the past few weeks. I've been busy, but am rewarded whenever I return to your blog.

    Cheers, : )

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  23. Lynda Lehmann,

    Well, as far as I know the Rhine Falls are a smaller version of the Niagara Falls (I haven't been at the Niagara either).

    As for my father, he wanted a plain, simple watch and not a quality watch like the stolen one. He was afraid he might again get attached to a good watch and then, who knows, suffer if stolen or lost.

    @ eloh,

    I like your comment's concluding line "..things are things and life is life". Indeed so.


    Angelina,

    Good to hear from you! Thanks for your warm words!

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  24. Duta~ I have been to the Rhine Falls!! It was in 1990, when my mother, two aunts, my grandparents & a cousin & I did a bus tour of Europe. (What a hoot that trip was! A story for another day.)

    These Falls are magnificent, I'm guessing you're right - quite a bit 'smaller' than Niagra. No less impressive, though. I had almost forgotten about the adventure my cousin & I had, having crossed a bridge to 'the other side,' & almost didn't make it back in time to get the bus as it was leaving!!

    Gorgeous! I can hear the roaring, if I close my eyes & just listen to my memory. Thanks for taking me back there.

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  25. Yes, I want to hear that composition!

    What fun to hear your stories, like music, which always takes me to far away places. And this one was special because it included your father.

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  26. Yes, I can almost hear the music...
    I have found that the things I am most attached to are the one that break or are stolen. I think the lesson is as you say: not to become attached to things because it is the people that matter.

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  27. The way you've described everything Duta, I can almost hear the falls. It's funny how we become so attached to objects isn't it? I too have lost items that made me sad.

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  28. Susannah,

    I'm glad you've been there. It's quite an experience! In your case - a family experience.

    Dorraine,

    The variety of sounds heard at the spot made music to our ears; a composer would have "polished" it and turned it into some musical symphony.

    Dimple,

    I'm glad you agree with me; it's better to try not to get too attached to things.

    Alicia,

    Yes, it's common phenomenon losing items, but when it happens it hurts. We work hard to be able to buy things.

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  29. Duta, Something must be wrong, your new post is not showing up? Just thought you would want to know.

    until next time... nel

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  30. Nel,

    I know, that's because I've deleted it. Thank you for noticing and for notifying me.

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