Another warm day has dawned and we figured that a little cool is in order. The Trummelbach Falls are inside a mountain and we know they are really cool and impressive so would be a good choice for today. We caught the bus down to the station, got the train to Zweilutschenen, changed to the Lauterbrunnen train and walked from there to the Falls. It's an easy walk of a few kilometres but certainly not comfortable in the heat. We stopped at a shaded picnic table by a stream for lunch and then headed off to the Falls. First we got a lift up inside the mountain (like a funicular going up steep stairs). From there we walked up several levels of falls each thundering and splurging at an enormous velocity as the water was forced ... read more

It is another stunning, clear and warm day. Our main mission today was to visit the Transport Museum which by anyone's standard would not seem exciting. We had visited here before a few years back and remembered it as something special. We headed off down to the lake and boarded a paddle steamer which would let us off at the first stop. The view from the boat is superb with the mountains standing out in the background, Mt Pilatus standing alone in a different direction and the lake clear and calm with Lucern lining the fringes. Arriving at the Museum we bought tickets to the Chocolate Factory and the Main Museum. The Main Museum was free because it is covered by the Swiss Pass. Our Chocolate Factory trip took us through a journey of chocolate from ... read more

Yesterday was spent with our Swiss friends Bruno and Gertrud at Konstanz. We spent time looking at some of the historic landmarks in Konstanz and hearing the associated stories. Our first stop was at the fountain on Markstatte which had interesting bronze models surrounding it like a rabbit with huge ears, an eight legged horse and a many headed peacock. Bruno did not know the interpretation of the symbols. The main part of the fountain is obviously earlier than these symbolic objects. Our next visit was to the Munster which is mainly gothic with some very impressive wood carved doors and also wood and stone inside. We were looking for a grave of John Hus who had transgressed by being a threat to the church and been burnt alive for his efforts in 1415. It was ... read more

We were happy to leave the closed in yacht harbour from our overnight stay and head straight into the country and back along the shore through Kressbronn, Nonnenhorn and on to Wasserburg where we stopped to view an old castle down by the harbour on the headland. It is now mainly an hotel but behind it is the St George church with a large painting of St George slaying a dragon. A pretty spot. From Wasserburg we passed through orchards and vineyards until we reached Lindau, the largest town in the area. The Old Town dating back to 1220 sits on an island joined by rail and road causeways. It has a lovely enclosed harbour watched over by a tower (with Rapunzel's plait hanging out the window!) and the harbour entrance built in 1812 guarded by ... read more

I forgot in previous days to mention bikes. Bikes are here by the thousands. Everywhere is geared up for bikes. Streets have dashed off areas separate from cars, some streets are cycle only and the cycle trails are fantastic. Mostly they are hot mix, smooth, the width of half a road and extensive. Bikes have their own parking areas crammed with a variety of machines. Konstanz, a university town has bikes everywhere. Out on the trails there are the speedsters on their road bikes, tourists on their tourist bikes and the locals on all sorts. Today we cycled back to Konstanz but on the south side of the Rhine. It was a lovely bike ride practically alone in the morning through lovely scenic countryside. Sometimes it was urban, sometimes through medieval villages, along the lakeshore, then ... read more