Rheinfalls and Genovia, I mean, Liechtenstein

We left Leysin at 7 a.m. this morning, headed towards Heidelberg with stops at Rheinfalls and Liechtenstein along the way.

We stopped for gas, and the kids and I needed to use the restroom while we were there.  The restrooms were in these metal port-a-pot like structures out in the middle of the parking lot.  I went in to get coffee first, and I could see Claire walking around the outside of the port-a-pot with a confused look on her face.  She stood there looking in one of the open doors like she was trying to figure out what to do.  I figured it must be dirty, although I found that hard to believe because the restrooms in Europe were all so clean.  Finally she went in and everything seemed fine when she got back to the car.  Once I went over to use the restroom, I understood what the confusion was all about.

I have never seen a restroom like this one.  The structure had 6 individual stalls, all made of what looked to be stainless steel.  They were not dirty.  In fact, there was a lady scrubbing the heck out of the stall next to me.  She had a bucket of sudsy water and a broom, and she was digging in the corners and behind the toilet like there was no tomorrow.  She had a hose and was spraying out the suds.  Water was flying everywhere.

But that wasn't the confusing part.  What was confusing was what we saw when we went inside.  There was a huge bowl on one side of the stall, almost the width of it.  Folded up along the back of the wall was this huge, weird seat that you had to pull down if you wanted to sit.  Then when you were finished with your business, you lifted the seat back up along the wall.  To wash your hands, you pushed a button on the other wall and got the soap.  Then finally, you pushed another button and water squirted out in an arc into the bowl you just peed into.  It was really weird.  I took a picture.

The spout on top is for soap, and the button underneath is for water.  The water squirts
out in an arc from the bottom button.  Weirdest restroom I've ever seen!

We pulled into Rheinfalls and, you guessed it, had lunch out of the car!  After we ate, we got out and walked around.  Rheinfalls is the largest waterfall in Europe.  There are castles on each side if the Rhein River at the falls, and an island in the middle.  We walked down and were so close that we could almost touch the water.  It is not as dramatic as Niagra, but it is beautiful in its own way.

The kids really wanted to see Liechtenstein for some reason, and since it was not too far out of our way, we decided to stop in for a bit.  That sounds funny, doesn't it?  "Yes, I think I'll stop in for a short visit in Liechtenstein..." but really, a short visit is all you need.

Liechtenstein is pretty, but it seemed to be the little brother of the rest of Europe.  The kids kept referring to it as "Genovia."  It was fairly underwhelming.  The castle sits up on a hill overlooking the valley and city below.

The castle overlooking Vaduz, Liechtenstein

It is several hundred years old, and the royal family still lives in it.  There are no gates or guards to keep you from wandering around the castle itself, only a sign telling you it's off limits.  We spent about an hour walking down a hill to see it and then looking around.

I guess the castle walls are so thick, nobody worries about intruders.

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Then we went into the town of Vaduz to get some groceries for the rest of the trip.  The one good thing I can say about Liechtenstein is that they had a grocery open on a Sunday.

While I was shopping, Kirk and the kids got an ice-cream and sat on the square listening to an oompah band play pop songs.  It was kind of jarring to hear the Rolling Stones played as a polka!

Enjoying ice cream and the oompah band

After finishing our ice cream cones, we got back in the car and made our way to Bammental, Germany, just outside of Heidelberg.  We stayed in a nice hotel, with the kids in one room and us across the hall.  I still can't get used to that.  The problem is that most of the time to lock the door, you have to do it with the key from the inside, so we can't get in the room if we need to.  The kids sleep so soundly that it's hard to wake them up by knocking on the door loud enough to not wake up everybody else.  I don't want to take the key from them and leave them locked in their room in case there is an emergency and they need to get out.   It's been a struggle.  Thankfully, Emily has been the one who is easiest to wake up, but it's still a challenge.

We were hungry for a hot meal, and it was late on a Sunday night.  Our inn keeper recommended this German restaurant down the street a bit.  We decided to try it.  We were woefully underdressed, but the hostess welcomed us in and gave us a nice table.  The waiter was delightful and with the guys' German and his English, we had a nice conversation.  The girls and I ordered the cheese spaetzel, and it was magnificent!  SO, so good!  The salad was very tasty, and the guys loved their schnitzel and noodles.  It was the meal we had been searching for the whole trip.  We complimented the food and met the owner, and felt truly welcome.  A few minutes later, the waiter came out with a complimentary plate of various kinds of mousse and home made ice cream for us to share.  What a way to end the evening!

But it was not over...Kirk went to pay, and the credit card machine was down.  It was 9 pm, and he had to leave to go get cash.  So the girls and I sat there in the restaurant as collateral, the only people besides the owner and the waiter, until Kirk and Kyle returned.  Awkward!

Back in the hotel, we broke out the bag of popcorn I had purchased in Vaduz and pulled up Guardians of the Galaxy on the laptop.  All of us crowded around the computer screen for some family movie time.  It was a really good day!