Black Forest Wednesday 29 June 2011

A bit of a cloudy morning with the threat of rain imminent! Where has our sun gone?!
We are off to Switzerland today to visit Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls.
We are away at 09:00 (no early mornings on this trip!) and drive towards Titisee, around the lake with great views from the road high above, and on through Lenzkirch and Bonndorf to the German/Swiss border at Stuhlingen.
The skies are black around Titisee and we have a few spots of rain but seem to be going in the right direction and away from the worst of the weather.
Colin is once again serving drinks and Pat and Wendy are distributing them as well as the biscuits.
They are running short of cups and Colin asks where they are kept. I explain they are in the big box in the compartment under the drinks machine, which is reached by kneeling on the stairs and bending over to open the roller shutter that gives access to the compartment which is full of drinks and cups.
All of a sudden there are guffaws of laughter coming from the middle of the bus.
I can't see from where I am sat but I know exactly what has happened.
Colin has put his head into the compartment to fetch new cups and has all but disappeared with only his little legs and hairy arse showing!! A little further and he will be gone completely!
And then he shouts back there are no cups in the box!!
"The big box" There are only two, one small one big!
"There's none in here"
"The big box!"
I'm surprised I can hear him through the laughter and I think others are laughing at the people laughing without realising what is happening. It's making me grin!
Eventually coffee is served!
We arrive at the border and I have to visit the German office to pay tax on the mileage I have done in Germany and then to the Swiss office to pay their tax to drive in Switzerland today.
I am registered for, and pay, German tax to their office in Hannover but as we are entering, and later returning, from a non EU country I have to pay at the border. At least I can claim this back in three months time!
The Germans are a happy bunch here but then if they are taking your dough on a regualr basis they are bound to be happy!
We then drive the 20 minutes to Schaffhausen where the passengers have an hour and a half at leisure in this lovely old town on the banks of the Rhine.
I park in the small coach park by the river and go for a walk.
It is a beautiful spot here close to the old town and alongside the river with a railway bridge up above and a promenade below. We seem to have missed the worst of the weather but it is still very muggy.
A short drive away are the Rhine Falls and as we arrive it starts to rain though it is only a quick shower and is over before it has begun and doesn't take any of the closeness away.
The Rhine Falls are simply stunning and are somewhere I always enjoy visiting.
I had a bit of a problem at the ticket machine but on the third go it took €21 in coins and gave me a parking ticket for two hours longer than I wanted!
Our journey back is only punctuated with a visit to the happy Germans to pay them another €28 as we arrive back at the hotel by 17:30.
There is supposed to be an outdoor music event in the park opposite but the heavy rain has put paid to that. At least it has cooled down.