Rhena on the move – Part 1

From Kreuzlingen to Ermatingen

Hi everybody, I’m Rhena. I’m going to take you along down the River Rhine. We’re going to start off in Kreuzlingen on Lake Constance (German: Bodensee). Let’s get a bit of geography out of the way. I’ve included some maps for those of you less familiar with the area.

The Rhine enters Lake Constance in Austria (close to Bregenz). That’s actually the only stretch of the river that is in Austria; before that the Rhine makes up the border between Switzerland and Austria or Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The north shore of the lake is in Germany and for most of the journey to Basel the Rhine makes up the border between Switzerland and Germany (more on that later).

Source: Google Maps

What does that mean for me? Well, I had heard from some ancestors that were hanging around the Austrian-Swiss border that there was a shortcut into the lake that followed the country border and meant I didn’t have to go into Austria. On this occasion I decided to listen to them. It was nice and quiet. And by taking this shortcut I could make sure that I didn’t float too far north. I really didn’t feel like being stuck in Germany. I also wanted to stay away from the party towns of Friedrichshafen and Lindau. Many of my friends were looking forward to those and are probably still partying. I got places to go, so I made sure I kept as much to the left as possible.

It took me a while to reach Kreuzlingen. There were thunderstorms and you wouldn’t believe how many boats are on this lake. I kept getting distracted and whirled around. And you know how much fun it is to splash people on boats? Loads! I’m telling you.

Now that we’re all in Kreuzlingen and ready – let’s go!

This first bit is really tricky. There’s no way to avoid crossing into Germany. There’s a small, but beautiful part of Konstanz that is south of the Rhine. You wouldn’t know it’s in Germany as it is full of Swiss people - or should I say Swiss shoppers? What you wanna do here is to make sure you’re as streamlined as possible so you can flow around this bend and back into Swiss waters really quickly. If you’re Swiss that is.

From here it’s an easy flow towards Gottlieben. You pass two public bathing spots and that’s why it’s important to get your timing right here. Early in the morning on a weekday is best. There won’t be any people in the water and definitely no kids who can’t make it to the public restrooms. It was a very quiet morning when I passed through.

Gottlieben was a nice surprise. It’s a very small town (founded in 1251) with a boat stop and some restaurants right by the water. The boats run during the summer months and I was able to dive under one heading downstream towards Stein am Rhein. Some of my friends have told me about people sitting on the pier putting their smelly feet in the water. Lucky escape for me. The morning crowd were retired locals who all kept their shoes on.

Just a little past the restaurants there is a café where they make the famous Gottlieber Hüppen. If you’re lucky somebody eats them on the patio right by the water and you get to taste some of the crumbs. There are many local specialities along the first stages of our journey and I’m not responsible for any purchases made in this online shop.

Gottlieben & bunker in Triboltingen

Shortly after Gottlieben there’s a nature reserve and access to the water is limited. This is were everybody can relax a bit and maybe go tickle one of the many swans that are still asleep on the lake. It’s very peaceful here. I real haven for water fowl. The peaceful atmosphere is rudely interrupted by the first WWII bunker we pass in Triboltingen. It’s a little bit away from the water and was part of a larger defense line. There’s going to be many more of those and I’m told the tension between the two sides of the Rhine will increase downstream. I’m not looking forward to that.

Source: Google Maps

Sometimes I wish I could get out of the Rhine and go on a different adventure. As things stand, I’ll leave it up to Evelyne to share pictures and videos of what we all look like flowing along from above.

So, while the hiking route goes up into the hills, where you have a lovely view of the Untersee, I decide to float out into the lake and away from the shore for a bit. The water is cooler there and I’m meeting a friend for a chat close to the island of Reichenau. The area has a really nice vibe to it. I might hang out here for a bit. There isn’t much of a current so hanging out is easy. I had found Lake Constance to be very hectic. Time for a little rest.

Hope to see you again soon when we continue our adventure in Ermatingen.

 

Notes:

https://www.gottlieber.ch/en/

YouTube Video