Lovely Laufenburg

As charming as the Rebstock is, I did not spend my entire afternoon sitting in the hotel.  After I got unpacked and settled in, I bundled up and headed back outside to move the car and wander around town.

There is free public parking right on the river bank just a short walk from the hotel.  The walk is along a gravel path and right by the river.  Going up from the river to the main street level of the hotel requires climbing about 4 stories of stairs.  Thus, parking in the free lot from the get go is not the best way to get luggage to your room :)

It was so calm and peaceful along the path.  It was chilly (around 30 degrees F), but with no wind at all not overly cold.  And it was wonderfully quiet, the sound of gravel crunching under my feet was about all there was to hear.  The occasional snowflake floats down to add to the idyllic atmosphere 

Would you like to join me on a walk through Laufenburg?

Meander along the path for about five minutes; stop to marvel that even as the snow continues to fall little springtime flowers are already blooming on bushes:

Soon, you come to the river side of the Rebstock:

You could turn into the gate, cross through the garden and head up the stairs and to your warm room.  But, the peaceful beauty of the path lures you on and you and you pass the gate and continue to enjoy the tranquil little path.  So much so that when the path ends at the footbridge, you climb up to the main street and then, rather than crossing the bridge just yet, or heading back down the street to the Rebstock's main entrance  you cross over the high area and go right back down to the riverside path which picks up again just after the bridge.  From this section you enjoy more views of the Swiss side houses:

And a lovely little waterfall which feed the Rhine with near frozen spring run off (the train platform is just above this):

and you keep going until eventually your path comes to an end.

Heading back up the path and then up the hill by the bridge, you are still enjoying the calmness and beauty too much to give in to the chill and head for the hotel. Instead, you are drawn across the bridge and into Switzerland, where you are content to wander the maze of little streets and just soak in the details:

You might eventually head up to the white church and crumbling tower that are so clearly visible from the opposite bank.  If you do, and you are very lucky, perhaps the organist will be practicing and you can sit on one of the benches right out front and just listen to the music and stare out at the browns and reds and oranges of the jagged rooftops with their funny little chimneys sprinkled here and there:  

When the tips of your ears finally start to be too cold to allow you to really enjoy any more out of doors, head back down towards the bridge, for a nice look at where you came from and are returning to: 

And then cross over and head up the street and back to your toasty room in the Rebstock where you can curl up with a good book, or a laptop, under a down comforter.

It's pretty nice, isn't it?  That's is how I spent my afternoon.  Two hours of wandering and thoroughly enjoying myself.  By the time I was thawed again ti was time to go pick David up from work.  We had a couple glasses of wine, then headed to dinner, not in the hotel (though their food is excellent) but about three doors down to a fabulous little Thai restaurant   I am at a complete loss to explain how it is that the best Thai food Dave or I have ever had is in a little town on the Swiss German border--but it is.  

Here's wishing you a tranquil walk somewhere lovely in the near future.

--Hadley