The covered bridge

Another gorgeous, sunny day as we followed the path along the river out of Schaffhausen.  On the other side of the river we could see Diessenhofen with its large city church. It could be reached via the Rhine Bridge – a covered bridge that once charged a toll to raise revenue to maintain the crossing. 

Having already spent time in Stein am Rhein, we headed directly to a bakery to pick up some pastries for morning tea and lunch.  Attempting to pay for our selection, we were  advised that they didn’t take card though they did at least accept Euros.  We enjoyed our morning coffee with rhubarb cake and apricot danish on a shaded bench on the edge of the river. 

Like the fountain, the manhole cover also featured St George and the dragon. It turns out that the town’s development was directly linked to the relocation of the St George’s Abbey by King Henry II in 1007 which helped turn the town into a prosperous trade centre. 

The route out of town took us past a poppy field with the river beyond. Then we veered away from the river and shared the path with lots of cyclists including many families and couples on e-bikes.  

We detoured back to the river at Horn which offered lovely views of the Rhine and the Untersee, the smaller of the two lakes that together form Lake Constance. Large fish were clearly visible in the shallow water and we watched a duck help build a nest for its mate, carefully carrying a blade of grass across the water. 

The path climbed away from the river and we continued inland to Moos and found a lovely lunch spot overlooking the water before taking the bike path to Bohlingen.  We checked into the Sternon Bohlingen Aparthotel and had time for a quick shower before Eggert and his partner Heinrich arrived.  It had been over 30 years since I had seen Eggert and it was lovely to have the chance to catch up again. Heinrich was keen to see the hotel room as it was newly renovated, and after a quick tour, we walked over to “their place”.  They were staying in the house of Heinrich’s nephew, Mauritz, whilst the family was away for a few days to celebrate his mother-in-law’s birthday.

We chatted over tea and cake, and later beer and wine, before heading out to Eckle’s restaurant for dinner. This was the third night in a row for Eggert and Heinrich so we were guided by their recommendations and ordered the daily specials – mine was pork and potato salad, whilst Simon enjoyed his sausage and potato salad.  We returned to the house for a nightcap before walking back to the hotel in the warm evening air.  

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