Oldy timey with the oldy people

We went to Stein am Rhein because I thought it would be fast and easy.  It wasn't fast. And the old town section that we wanted to see was a lot smaller than I thought it would be.  What was there was pretty and interesting, but I wouldn't recommend the place to people with kids.  There just wasn't enough.  Old people on the other hand seem to love it there.  It's easy to see everything, everything is cute, it is cool and pretty by the river, no big hills to climb.

That is something I have noticed here.  Each town seems to have its own tourist demographic.  Grindelwald had so many Japanese tourists that they had their own special tourist office.  Stein am Rhein is an elderly hot spot.  I've seem women wearing abayas and veils in Luzern but not in Zurich or Bern. Bern has some group I can't identify that seems eastern or southern European.  Maybe this is all just my imagination?



Anyway, the Stein am Rhein old town is fairy tale cute, with the added interest of almost all the houses on the main street being painted with scenes.  I will have to put in pictures, because I will never be able to describe them well. Remember, you can click my pictures to enlarge them!

I think this is done by a special process, not painting. But it still must be awful to touch-up!

I thought T would like it, since he had seem a picture of another town in a book and asked, "Is that Mickey Mouse town?"  I realize now that was backwards thinking.  T thinks these towns are imitations of Disney World, not the other way around.  R seemed interested, though, and liked the fountains. S was somewhat interested after we got some pizza.  I do recommend the pizza place.

Speaking of the fountains, they are all over the place, and so pretty.  I have read that they all have drinkable water and you can fill your water bottle pretty much anywhere.  Usually I see locals filling watering cans, so the jury is out.  We've been filling our bottles, but I am skeptical every time. I don't even like to drink from a bubbler.

would you fill your water bottle here?

EDIT: It occurred to me that people might not know what a bubbler is.  I did a quick google search to see what would come up and found bongs.  I'd definitely not like to drink from that, either, but I was talking about a Rhode Island bubbla.