The Rhine is the river that shaped my life. With its proximity to Freiburg, the city of my birth, or as the lifeline of the Rhine cities of Koblenz, Bonn and Düsseldorf, where I lived, this river has always been a part of me.

Just a few days ago I was at the source of this river. At this point, not far from Flims, the small stream of the Vorderrhein turns into a rushing whitewater in a picturesque setting.

Sara, Leon and I have grandmother Ethi and best friend Shima with us on this trip.

At Valendas/Sagogn a small train station offers a good start for a hike.

Looking at the kayakers brings back memories of my kayak tour with Uli in Siberia. How naive and crazy we were back then.

We could have practiced here. We hardly had a fraction of the safety equipment that the drivers here carry with us.

Here, it looks very wild, too, even though we are in the center of Europe. This is, what I like about Europe – culture, nature, everything is close together.

I have already ridden my motorcycle through the heart of Switzerland and the northern reaches of Italy. Now I’m taking on the Vorderrheintal and the route to Disentis. With this city I could have gone straight to Flims a few days ago, but I decided to take the detour around Ticino and Italy.

I also explore the heights and enjoy the view of the gorge from above.

A few days later I come back here again as part of my autumnal Alpine expedition on my motorbike.