A lovely day - sun shining and 4 degrees. A short drive saw us arrive at the very tiny village of Blumenfeld. We visited the old Blumenfeld Castle which has been converted to an Old People's Home. From Blumenfeld we drove through another small village - Immendingen. Here we saw a small Christmas Market in full swing and walked around. After listening to the local band playing in the park, a delicious Hot Cherry Gluewein with lots of floating cherries, a big sugar cinammon crepe and the checking out of many little stalls we drove on. We finally ended up at Tuttlingen- a larger town. Walked around for a couple hours through the AltStadt and park- and after a lovely day exploring in the weak but welcome sun - came home.  Buying some hot Cherry Wine YumYum!!
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After a nice easy drive of about 1 1/2 hrs - we arrived at the historical Swiss city of St Gallen. This city owes its name to the wandering Irish Monk Gallus who came to the area around 612. There are many beautiful sites to see amongst the winding alleys & streets- including the magnificent Cathedral, & municipal Church of St Laurence. Unfortunately the Abbey Library - a UNESCO listed building was closed (during 3 weeks in November)- definitely by all accounts a must to view some other time. The City Lounge- where art is underfoot- all is painted red. This area is illuminated by huge stone shaped lamps suspended above the the red lounge. A drink of hot chocolate at Chocolaterie and a great walk of about 3 hours- again a must to return. We then drove along the shores of Lake Konstanz to Altenrhein to view the last building designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. - the Altenrhein Marktplatz. Colouful ceramic columns, tiles & brilliant colours characterise his architecture Love all his buildings - viewed them first in Vienna last year. Unfortunately the Aviation Museum in Altenrhein was closed for the winter.       This morning was very exciting- was presented with our free holiday to Rhodes Island by the bank manager in Büsingen. Photos were taken to appear in the local newspaper & bank newsletter. yahooo!!!!! This afternoon saw us drive to Waldshut townsite - a village that lies at the edge of the Black Forest on the Rhine River right by the German-Swiss border. Here we partook (again) of coffee and delicious strawberry cake. Arriving home around 6pm - definitely a glass of Gluhwein was in order.      The sun shone through and the mist lifted today. A lovely walk along the Rhine into Schaffhausen and then a climb up many steps to visit Schaffhausen's famous landmark-Munot. The Munot is a circular 16th century fortification which stands free on all sides. It is surrounded by a moat which is now home to several deer. Set among vineyards it serves as the city's symbol. The ring-shaped fortress was built 1564 - 1589 under compulsory labour and due to its circular design served as an ideal all-round defense bastion. Today, it is a tourist attraction and hosts various events.- last June we watched a wonderful fireworks show lit from the top of the Munot. This afternoon we went with Jan & Gitta to a small village in Switzerland called Diessenhofen for afternoon tea. Very lively, with markets in the streets, and music in the cafe!     Caught the train into Bern this morning. In 1983 Bern's Old Town was included on UNESCO's World Heritage Site List. Cold again but today the sun managed to peer through the clouds. Walked along the main street-passing many sights of interest. These included fountains - Bagpiper, Ogre & Moses Fountains, Churches (of course!) the famous 16 century Clock Tower (Zytglogge) - the city's first gate, Einstein Haus and the Bear Park situated along the River Aare. Einstein Haus situated at Kramgasse 49, was where Albert Einstein lived for 2 years and developed his "Theory of Relativity". very interesting time here reading up on Einstein's life. The Bear Park houses 4 brown bears which were impressive to watch as they swam and played. We walked along the Spittalgasse / Marktgasse- very long shopping promenade under covered arcades. The Town Hall (das Rathaus)-late Gothic building is still used 5 times a year for public hearings Berner Münster - late Gothic building - with 234 coloured depictions of the last judgement on the portal This city is definitely worth another visit- much more to see. Arrived back in Busingen Thursday10th November. Quite cool now. Walked along our favourite path beside the Rhine - the vivid colours of Autumn confronting us at every step. Hot soup, cheeses, smoked salmon & trout, rye bread and good coffee- we are back!!      | Author
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