Last night's storm has cleared. We woke up to the sound of tent pegs hammering as neighbours made repairs.
There's water where there shouldn't be water. Even the panniers, sealed and locked but left on the bike overnight, had water inside them.
We skipped the morning showers, settled up (€35 per night!) and hit the road before it returned. It feels too early to do this but we need to start heading north. So we had an uneventful, cold but mainly dry, ride north through Switzerland. The run up the St Gotthardpass was fantastic. We came down the other side in freezing mist and fog. Andermatt looked typically grey, cold and wet. Switzerland was at it's most unwelcoming and it's still doing nothing to win Louby over.
We stopped in Brunnen, at a cafe on the waterfront, for a hot drink and a slice of cake. I had some Swiss francs that I was hoping to burn but it was so damn expensive I ended up breaking a 50f note and accumulating even more shrapnel.
We aimed for Waldshut, left Switzerland behind and gratefully crossed the border into Germany.
I'm done with Switzerland. The ride was long and monotonous. There were a few memorable moments, but not enough to justify the dullness of the remainder. I vowed to never venture over the Swiss border without a vignette again. 40f is crazy money for a short pass through, but the alternative tedium just isn't worth it.
I hit Germany full of excitement. The B500 Black Forest Highroad should have been the perfect antidote to a day of Swiss B roads. Unfortunately, and frustratingly, it was being resurfaced. In fact it was being resurfaced from Waldshut right up to the bit where I usually turn round to ride down again. The best bit. Don't get me wrong, they're doing a proper job and it will no doubt be beautifully fast and smooth when they're done, but why now?!?
They're was was still fun to be had after the roadworks though. With hot tyres and some serious unwinding to do, we caned it north to Lake Titisee. A brief stop at Lidl for provisions and then we were camping by 6pm. I was craving a beer and a pretzel, which we found at Lidl. The beer was cold and the pretzel still warm. Perfect.
It was cold but reasonably clear by the lake. Louby defrosted in a hot shower while I pulled out the wet tent.
We opened a bottle of red and drank by the lake before hitting the onsite restaurant. Louby really fancied steak and chips, but there was no steak left. I always arrive in Germany full of cravings. Usually beer and pretzel and spetzl and currywurst and black forest gateaux. Tonight I would satisfy three of the five. Tomorrow I hope for currywurst and BFG.
There's water where there shouldn't be water. Even the panniers, sealed and locked but left on the bike overnight, had water inside them.
We skipped the morning showers, settled up (€35 per night!) and hit the road before it returned. It feels too early to do this but we need to start heading north. So we had an uneventful, cold but mainly dry, ride north through Switzerland. The run up the St Gotthardpass was fantastic. We came down the other side in freezing mist and fog. Andermatt looked typically grey, cold and wet. Switzerland was at it's most unwelcoming and it's still doing nothing to win Louby over.
We stopped in Brunnen, at a cafe on the waterfront, for a hot drink and a slice of cake. I had some Swiss francs that I was hoping to burn but it was so damn expensive I ended up breaking a 50f note and accumulating even more shrapnel.
We aimed for Waldshut, left Switzerland behind and gratefully crossed the border into Germany.
I'm done with Switzerland. The ride was long and monotonous. There were a few memorable moments, but not enough to justify the dullness of the remainder. I vowed to never venture over the Swiss border without a vignette again. 40f is crazy money for a short pass through, but the alternative tedium just isn't worth it.
I hit Germany full of excitement. The B500 Black Forest Highroad should have been the perfect antidote to a day of Swiss B roads. Unfortunately, and frustratingly, it was being resurfaced. In fact it was being resurfaced from Waldshut right up to the bit where I usually turn round to ride down again. The best bit. Don't get me wrong, they're doing a proper job and it will no doubt be beautifully fast and smooth when they're done, but why now?!?
They're was was still fun to be had after the roadworks though. With hot tyres and some serious unwinding to do, we caned it north to Lake Titisee. A brief stop at Lidl for provisions and then we were camping by 6pm. I was craving a beer and a pretzel, which we found at Lidl. The beer was cold and the pretzel still warm. Perfect.
It was cold but reasonably clear by the lake. Louby defrosted in a hot shower while I pulled out the wet tent.
We opened a bottle of red and drank by the lake before hitting the onsite restaurant. Louby really fancied steak and chips, but there was no steak left. I always arrive in Germany full of cravings. Usually beer and pretzel and spetzl and currywurst and black forest gateaux. Tonight I would satisfy three of the five. Tomorrow I hope for currywurst and BFG.
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