Rhena on the move – Part 7

From Buchberg, Kirche to Kaiserstuhl AG

I’m envious again. Very much so. I look up into the hills and see all that wine being grown. I can hear people talking about wine while drinking. They seem to be enjoying it. I’m bored too. I now know why the hiking route cuts across the hill. There is not much going on here.

I don’t have a choice so I try to find the fastest way to Eglisau and onwards. I’m not saying it’s not a nice area, it looks pretty enough. There just doesn’t seem to be too much happening here. Very very quiet. I guess that’s why people move here. Would make sense. What I suddenly start hearing are airplanes. We’re only about 12 km from the edge of the airport in Zurich. So that’s pretty close. I mean nothing is far in Switzerland anyway. Also note that there is a wheelchair accessible loop around the airport. Great for bird watching.

Source: Switzerland mobility.

The hike across the hill and through the vineyards must be absolutely stunning. There is a forest as well. And at some point a great view of the water down below. I’m glad when I reach that point too and can see the hiking route coming back down the hill.

There's the Rhine again!

Eglisau is a cute town, especially the older part on the right. I spot a sculpture. Looks like a young woman sitting there looking out over the water. Who said this was boring? We now have art! There is a really cool bridge that has separate parts for pedestrians, bikes and cars. It’s kind of an important bridge. It’s the last time that both sides of the river are in Switzerland. From now on the north side will always be Germany. Last chance to cross if you want to walk in Switzerland.

Now I see something really exciting in the distance. I was originally going to wait for a family to make it down to the water. I love tickling kids’ feet. But I just spotted the most beautiful bridge in the distance. This one is really high up. It looks to be about 50m (164 ft) and what do I see? There’s a train running across. It’s another rail bridge and what a beauty. It’s got the most stunning arches ever. I could sit here all day looking at it. It’s really old too. It was built from 1895 to 1897 and is now a protected monument of national importance. There are a few trains an hour that run across it. When you’re on the train you don’t really realize what a cool bridge you’re driving across.

Rail bridge Eglisau

Time to move on though, we’re trying to make it to Kaiserstuhl AG – for reasons. I like this area we’re in now a lot. It’s nice and calm and there are families of moor hens and swans. What a lovely place this is. I somehow get the feeling that this is the calm before the storm. Not sure why.

Oh boy, I can hear some Germans on their bikes. They are lost. It’s not that difficult to follow the bike route, I don’t think. They seem to be clearly marked. Ah, I see they followed the route the husband thought was correct, but it turns out it wasn’t. Well, I better move on. I’m not in the mood for a fight. Or listening to one. Germans tend to get loud. I mean they are loud at the best of times. Moving on!

Overview map - from Switzerland mobility

Oh no! I’m not falling for this again. Nope, that’s not going to happen. Stay calm! Move slowly! Listen for screams. The safest place to pass this power plant seems to be on the right where there’s a barrier but no building that could house turbines.

Okay, I’m going for it!

Yes! I played it right this time. and the hiking route comes back down to the water now. It was up by the railway. In this area you need to watch the weather – constantly. It’s also the last time you can see the weather all around you. After that there’s an embankment obstructing the view. So, a quick look up at the clouds is a good idea.

The rest of the way is this beautiful narrow path right by the water. I love floatimg along hikers. It’s such fun. Sometimes they are sending a few too many voice messages and listening to replies. Do they not realize that I can hear them? Not naming names here. I can also hear more and more airplanes overhead. Must be getting closer to the flight path. It feels kind of nice here. Still very quiet.

Ouch! What was that?

Great now I hit my head on the invisible border between the canton of Zurich and the canton of Aargau. Why did nobody warn me? Home soil for my travel companion. She’s probably not going to shut up about this. We reach Kaiserstuhl AG – the name of the town means Seat of the Emperor. It looks like a charming little town.

Unfortunately, a quick look at the public transport app makes for a quick exit, but I’m told there will be more pictures of picturesque Kaiserstuhl next time. I'm going to hang out here a bit. Somehow, I also feel more at home now that we've reached a new canton. We’re going to be in this one for a while.

Source: Google Maps

Looking at a map, I think we’re about halfway between Kreuzlingen and Basel (marked with red circles). The two green rectangles indicate the borders of the canton of Aargau. As I said before – it’s Germany across the river from now on.

I’m looking forward to this next stretch. I’ve also noticed just now that people speak a nicer dialect that where we started out in the morning. If it wasn’t for all the planes, I could totally see myself settling here. Watch the video here (I’m not in the first part, but hey, who’s keeping score).

See you soon.  

Notes:

https://schweizmobil.ch/de/wanderland/route-892

YouTube Video