This year, I celebrated my birthday with my family and Jaja, our most frequent visitor, by visiting the magnificent Rhine Falls—the largest and most powerful waterfall in Europe—located in northern Switzerland, near Zurich. While the falls are not particularly tall, the sheer force of the cascading water is awe-inspiring. Visiting at the tail-end of summer meant we witnessed the water rushing with incredible speed and a thunderous roar.
From my research, I discovered that there are two main ways to experience the Rhine Falls—via the Northern or Southern Banks. On the Northern Banks, visitors can enjoy a scenic promenade and take in the view of the falls from a distance, free of charge. Meanwhile, the Southern Banks, where Schloss Laufen (Castle of Laufen) is situated, offer a closer, more immersive experience. For CHF 5, you gain access to several terraces that bring you close enough to feel the spray of the falls.
We opted for the Southern Banks, driving two hours to reach Schloss Laufen, where we parked in the expansive lot and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at the castle’s restaurant. After purchasing our tickets, we headed to the viewing decks. We were captivated by the sight of the foaming, rushing water, and we took plenty of photos from each terrace.
Wanting to enhance our experience, we decided to take a boat trip. There are four ways to explore the falls by boat: the Rock Experience, which takes you to the middle of the falls to climb the central rock; a 15-minute round trip that brings you close to the falls; a 30-minute audio-guided tour explaining the falls’ history; and a quick ferry service connecting the North and South banks. With two young children in tow, we chose the 15-minute round trip, which conveniently included the ferry ride. We were fortunate to board a boat with few tourists and a friendly guide, and we got close enough to the falls to feel the refreshing spray. Thankfully, it was a warm day, so we dried off quickly.
After our exciting day at the falls, we crossed the border into Germany, where we stayed overnight in a charming apartment. On our way home the next day, we made a detour to Stein am Rhein, a picturesque town known for its beautifully preserved medieval houses with painted facades. Situated along the Rhine River, it was a delight to witness locals enjoying the sunny weather, paddling boats and swimming in the river.
All in all, it was a wonderful birthday trip filled with natural beauty, family fun, and a little bit of adventure. But no birthday is complete without cake!! Before we embarked on our adventure to Rhine Falls, I blew out the candles on my birthday cake (that I made for myself this year as Tobi was on a business trip until just the day before!) and had a slice for breakfast!
FRENCH PISTACHIO CAKE
I got the recipe from the website, the view from great island and was quite happy with my choice!
Ingredients:
70 g shelled, unsalted pistachios, plus extra for topping (raw is preferred, but roasted works well too)
475 g heavy cream, cold
175g all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
3 large eggs
250 g sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract (or paste, if you’re fancy)
Powdered sugar for topping
1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line and butter a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Finely chop the pistachios – a food processor makes this quick and easy.
3. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, then set aside in the refrigerator.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and sea salt.
5. In a large bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer, if you have one), whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, until light and fluffy! In my stand mixer it took almost 8 minutes.
6. Fold in the flour mixture and pistachios.
7. Gently fold in the whipped cream until no streaks remain. Be gentle! Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.
8. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until puffed and brown. A skewer inserted should not have wet batter clinging to it, but some moist crumbs are fine. Let cool for around 10 minutes before releasing from the pan.
9. This cake can be enjoyed warm, room temperature, or chilled! Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with extra chopped pistachios before serving.*
