SWITZERLAND

Location - Western Europe; Capital - Berne; Population - 8 million; Currency - Swiss Franc MORE SWITZERLAND

An overnight sleeper train from Aachen in Germany to Switzerland in search of more enclaves. Switzerland is greedy, it has two of the five enclaves in western Europe. I arrived in the Swiss city of Schaffhausen near the German border to seek out the German enclave of Busingen - April 2014.

20 Swiss Francs

The Metzgerbrunnen (Butcher's Fountain) statue stands in Fronwagplatz - Schaffhausen

Fronwagplatz is the heart of Schaffhausen, with several cafes from which you can watch the world go by

A short walk from Fronwagplatz is St Johann's Church in Kirchhofplatz - Schaffhausen

One of the narrow alleys in the Alstadt (Old Town) - Schaffhausen

Climbing the steps between the vineyards to Munot, a 16th century fortress - Schaffhausen

The Munot is a great place to get a bird eye's view of Schaffhausen. Allerheiligen Munster's spire (All Saints Cathedral) is on the left with St Johann's on the right

There's also excellent views of the Rhine River from Munot - Schaffhausen

The 15th century Haus zum Ritter is famous for its vivid frescoes - Schaffhausen

In the courtyard of the 12th century Allerheiligen Munster (All Saints Cathedral) - Schaffhausen

A market occupies the square at Herrenacker - Schaffhausen

Centuries ago the Vorstadt was the home of the wealthy - Schaffhausen

It's now one of the main shopping streets - Schaffhausen

Vorstadt is also known for its oriel bay windows and ancient frescoes - Schaffhausen

Guterhof is easily the best place for an evening out. It's an inviting bar and restaurant on the banks of the Rhine - Schaffhausen

The waters of the Rhine on the way to the Rheinfall, a superb attraction on the outskirts of Schaffhausen

The Rhine Falls are the largest falls in Europe - Schaffhausen

The medieval Schloss Laufen overlooks the 23m high Rheinfall - Schaffhausen

Take a boat trip for a closer look - Schaffhausen

..Or head for this viewpoint on the Schloss Laufen side of the falls - Schaffhausen

Up close and personal at the Rheinfall - Schaffhausen

Just half-an-hour away from Schaffhausen is the quaint riverside town of Stein am Rhein

Hohenklingen Castle sits on the hill above Stein am Rhein

The Rathaus (Town Hall, left) heads the lovely Rathausplatz - Stein am Rhein

The Rathausplatz really is beautiful - Stein am Rhein

16th century houses surround the Town Hall and the Rathausplatz - Stein am Rhein

More ancient frescoes. And oriel bay windows of course - Stein am Rhein

Plenty of cafes and restaurants line the square - Stein am Rhein

The town is a small network of cobbled streets and alleyways - Stein am Rhein

And lots of souvenir shops - Stein am Rhein

The courtyard of St George's Monastery on the Rhine - Stein am Rhein

Diessenhofen is a Swiss town also on the banks of the Rhine between Stein am Rhein and Schaffhausen

A customs sign at the entrance to the bridge crossing the Rhine from Switzerland to Germany - Diessenhofen

Another attractive riverside view - Diessenhofen

Vineyards in the German town of Gailingen, opposite Diessenhofen

The Rhine looks serene on the walk to the German enclave of Busingen am Hochrhein - Schaffhausen

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LINKS

www.myswitzerland.com - Swiss tourist office

www.sbb.ch - Switzerland train website

www.youthhostel.ch - youth hostels in Switzerland

www.swisstravelsystem.com - info on Swiss public transport

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