Euro Tour Day 13 to 19: Strasbourg to Munich
This week I crossed back and forth over the borders of France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. I continued from Strasbourg to Freiburg, Basel, visited the Rhine Falls, rode along Lake Constance, and then finally left the Rhine River and headed into the Bavarian Alps. When I reached Füssen, there was a lot of rain in the forecast for the next few days so I left the mountains and took a train from Munich to visit a Camino friend and take a rest day. Over the past 3 weeks, I have cycled 1000 miles (1600km).
With cycle touring, it’s easy to adjust plans according to weather, recommendations from locals and other cyclists, or wherever my heart takes me. There was plenty of route adjustments this past week. I met some wonderful people along the way, including 2 warmshowers hosts that I stayed with.
Day 13: Strasbourg to Freiburg, Germany, 80 km
There weren’t many cyclists on this section of the Rhine. Pictured is the only person I talked to all day, good listener. Took a detour off the Rhine to the university town of Freiburg as so many Germans have been recommending it for the past week.
Day 14: Freiburg to Altkirch, France, 82 km
I returned back to France today from Germany, instead of heading to Basel, Switzerland as originally planned. I’ve really enjoyed the open-ended nature of this tour so far, going where the wind takes me (sometimes literally). But I’ve reached a crossroad where I need to decide on a final destination. I’ve been pondering some options and plan to lock it down shortly (until I change it again ). The big question is if my legs are ready to go over huge mountain passes of the Alps with a fully-loaded bike. I didn’t take any pics today so recycling one along a nice canal from yesterday.
Day 15: Altkirch to Waldshut, Germany, 108 km
Today I rode from France to Switzerland to Germany in another scorching hot day. I entered Switzerland, my fifth country and rode into Basel. After an hour in Switzerland, decided to cross the Rhine and ride on the German side most of the day. Guess Germany is growing on me (and Switzerland is ridiculously expensive). Met some other cycle tourists at camp (most campsites have been mostly all camper vans).
Day 16: Waldshut to Stein am Rhein, Switzerland, 83 km
Today was my favorite day on this tour so far! It reminded me of how amazing cycle touring is. I cycled in Switzerland all day, surrounded by green valleys, serene forests, and amazing people. I rode with a Swiss cycle tourist who was on her first tour and we got lost on a couple trail closures. We visited the Rhine Falls, the largest volume waterfall in Europe. When we reached the beautiful town of Stein am Rhein, we met an elderly Swiss couple who invited us to join them for coffee and had a nice chat. Then I met my Warmshowers host, where I’m staying tonight. She did an EPIC 2+ year cycle trip from Switzerland to New Zealand. She cooked an amazing dinner and we chatted about cycling adventures. Oh, and the forecasted rain never came and the weather was much cooler. All in all, an absolutely wonderful day.
Day 17: Stein am Rhein to Lustenau, Austria, 86 km
Rode along the southern edge of Lake Constance in Switzerland for most of the day. I didn’t realize the route would be entering Austria today, the 6th country of the tour. It was so much cooler today, a welcome relief from the hot past 2 weeks. Rode last 10km in the rain before arriving at my Warmshowers host’s home. They are such a nice couple with a cute baby, and have such a beautiful worldly, healthy, and peaceful lifestyle. Feeling zen just being here.
Day 18: Lustenau to Alpsee, Germany, 88 km
After over 2 weeks along the Rhine River, I finally left the river and headed east into the hills of Bavaria, Germany on the Bodensee-Königsee cycle route. It was the first real day of climbing on this tour. My legs held up pretty well on the climbs. Immediately, the scenery changed and was spectacular all day, with bright green valleys, colorful wildflowers, and views of the Bavarian Alps. Tonight I’m camping next to a beautiful lake, where I saw this amazing sunset.
Day 19: Alpsee to Füssen, 84 km
A second climbing day in the Bavarian Alps with perfect cool sunny weather. Scenery wise it was the best day of the tour so far! It was a reflective and introspective day as I was in this same region long ago when life was very different. I thought about life as a journey, where we don’t know what the future holds, and can only live in the present moment. Once I reached Füssen, I got a glimpse of Neuschwanstein Castle from a distance and took a train to Munich to visit a Camino friend and take a rest day. Summer is quickly coming to a close, as the weather is changing for the next week with rain and lower temperatures. I have now ridden over 1000 miles (1600km) in ~3 weeks of riding.
