Our trip down the Rhine River continued with a short stop in Baden-Baden, Germany. It is a quaint town on the northern tip of the Black Forest. The pedestrian street is lined with shops and cafes. We arrived in the morning and most things were still closed. It is a nice town to visit for a few hours or stay a little longer and visit one of the 
many spas. The waters in the spa flow from a series of 12 twelve springs 2,000 meters below ground. We did not take time out for the spa but we were able to test the water from a natural fountain. The water was very hot!
Our next overnight spot was in Strasbourg, 
France. We rented a two bedroom flat for a few nights just outside of Strasbourg Old Town. It was very easy to get around as the city has an awesome park & ride system. Many of the tram stops offer a bundle price of 4 Euros for one day of parking and a tram pass for all passengers of the vehicle. We took advantage of this offer and rode the tram to Old Town.
The main attraction in the old city is the Strasbourg Cathedral also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg. The steeple towers above the other buildings in the area. As you approach the Cathedral the immense details of the outside it astounding. From 1647 to 1874 the Cathedral was the tallest building in the world. Over the centuries many churches have been built on the very same site. Remains of the previous buildings have been found at the site which date back to the 4th century A.D.
The current structure was first started in 1225 and took hundreds of years to complete. The gothic architecture carries inside of the Cathedral. Light streams in through beautiful stain glass windows.
Probably the most famous thing about 
the Strasbourg Cathedral is the Astronomical Clock. The first clock was built in the cathedral in 1352 but stopped working in the early 1600s. The clock that is on display today dates back to 1842. It was under renovation during our visit so we were not able to see it in action. The daily automatons occur at 12:30pm. The clock presents images of the stages of life; child, teenager, adult and old man. The passing of the old man is represented by the flapping of wing and call of a rooster at the top of the clock.
Following our lovely visit to Strasbourg we headed further south to Switzerland. We stayed near Lake Constance in a renovated barn. The area was beautiful and offers many options for water sports in the warmer months. Since it wasn’t quite swimming season, we opted for a visit to Rhine Falls.
E
urope’s largest waterfall does not compare to the “big ones” like Iguazu and Victoria Falls but it is worth a visit. Two of the things I love the most are waterfalls and castles. This site has them both. Sitting high on the cliff above the fall is Schloss Laufen. References to this castle date back to 858 A.D. While visiting the falls, we visited the inside of the castle on the same ticket. Today the main building of the castle is a museum about the falls and the history of the castle. Other areas are used as a restaurant and wedding venue.
From the castle on the cliff, we took an elevator down to a walkway over the water. There are several levels of platforms offering different viewpoints of the falls. We made sure to visit them all, except the island in the middle that is only reachable by boat.
Several boat trip options are available. 
Separate tickets can be purchased at the very bottom of the walkway. My mom overcame her motion sickness to take the short boat ride up to the falls. At the closest point to the falls, the mist was completely surrounding us. It was a fun day trip adventure from Lake Constance.
The weather wasn’t cooperating with us very well in the past week and it rained almost every day. We did our best to see as much as could despite the rain. Next we travel to the Austrian Alps. There are very few places as beautiful as the Alps in the spring…