Final day of cycling today. It is 37k’s to our final destination of Bregenz in Austria. We actually achieved our goal of cycling across Switzerland when we crossed into Lichtenstein yesterday. So we now have bragging rites of trans-Swiss cyclists.
We were to have an early start so as to arrive in Bregenz about 1.00pm to meet up with our friend Gayle from Calgary who is currently traipsing her way around Europe – remind you of some other people?
We headed out at 8.00am but unfortunately Di couldn’t continue past a few kilometres as an IT band injury she has been nursing for the past few days decided it was not going to respond to any more of her TLC so she had to abort and travel the remaining distance by rail. Fras meantime continued on after making sure Di was safely ensconced on the train heading to Bregenz.
He went back into Switzerland briefly and visited the little town of Altstatten which was very picturesque.
He had time for a coffee to use the remaining CHF and a few other camera shots.
We have been seeing the poster below a lot and thinking it was promoting e-bikes but after a closer look we discover that it is requesting that people on e-bikes to stop acting like cowboys and slow down. We thought it was quite effective.
We have frequently been passed by e-bikes zooming by and of course not wearing helmets and often people in their senior years. We of course feel very envious of them as we struggle up the hills. Being purists like we are we can go around beating our chests but we are beginning to become converts as we can see their advantage especially keeping you more mobile and fit as you get older. Our next car might not be a boring ugly Subaru but a pair of e-bikes!!!
So this is the border going back into Austria and marks the final exit of Switzerland after 8 days of spectacular scenery. The border is hardly what you would call substantial. Can you imagine what it would have been like during the war period.
Meantime, Di sorted out the accommodation in Bregenz and waited for Gayle to arrive from Innsbruck. She has been visiting Portugal and Imst Austria with a girlfriend for the last couple of weeks and is on her way to Australia tomorrow for a little while before returning to Canada in August.
Whilst awaiting Fraser’s arrival into Bregenz they decided to go out for a cuppa but just as they left the hotel Fraser arrived. – excellent timing. We all found a very satisfactory coffee stop down on the lake front of Bodensee.
Each year they hold an opera on the lake shore and they create these most amazing stages in the lake. This year it was for Carmen with a modern them. We watched a bit of a rehearsal and they were all hanging off abseiling ropes. This would make for a very interesting opera. Unfortunately, it does not start until the 17th July so we won’t be able to see it this time or when we come back through in about ten days.
If you look closely at the photo you can see the actors standing high up on the cards. Gayle and Di were trying to work out how the performance was going to be done – eg: are they just actors and lip synching or were they actors who were going to sing at the same time as swing around on ropes. If the latter is the case, this tells us that today if you are a singer you also need to be very multi-talented.
We then wandered around the beautiful foreshore and then caught a cable car up one of the local hills for a good view as the weather was great.
After our rather rapid journey back down we found a nice spot for dinner where five different fishes from the lake were tried. Gayle and Fraser conferred that it was perfectly satisfactory. Di just stuck to salad and chips as not a big fish fan.
We took Gayle back to the train station and saw her off to Zurich where she will stay the night prior to flying out tomorrow.
So it is the last day of Stage 6 today. We have a few days rest back at Aschaffenburg with Horst and Elfi before taking off for Stage 7 which will be in Old South Wales on a canal boat with Wolfgang and Marlene. Probably will not blog for a few days as will be getting ready for the next adventure.
Adieu, adios, chow, see ya later mate!!
Rowkin Rovings Blog 