From Fussen we had three trains to Lindau (at the eastern end of Lake Bodensee), and then a boat to Konstanz at the western end. The first train from Fussen was easy: the train car was at the same level as the platform, so I wheeled the bike right on and there was plenty of room on the car.
At the next station we had to wheel the bike down and then up stairs to get to the other track, but with a ramp alongside the stairs it wasn't too difficult. The next rail segment was on a different rail line, with a much older car, and I had to lift the bike up several steps onto the car. Some assistance from one of the railroad employees made this a little more difficult, and I left an impressive chain imprint across my (one) pair of pants.
I'd practiced on the car how I would lift the bike for taking it off, and did this without trouble. Third segment was another roll on and off.
The train station in Lindau is right on the harbor, less than a block from the ferry landing, so we had plenty of time for a leisurely salad at a cafe on the water.
The ferry is passengers and bikes only, and there were more than twenty that boarded the same time as us. They all were directed to the back deck of the boat, but our tandem was directed just inside and right next to the door.
There was no place to tie it to the wall, and I was worried that the normal boat movement would knock it over (loaded with panniers and leaning on the kickstand it's not the most stable), but it was a very calm day and the bike stayed upright. The ferry made about eight stops at various towns along the lake, so it took over three hours for our trip and we didn't arrive until after 7 pm.
Lake Bodensee is beautiful. On this sunny Saturday it was full of sailboats, and the shoreline (we were mostly on the German side of the lake) lined with lovely homes and estates. We had wonderful conversation with a German woman (who now lives in Zurich) and her older mother who lives in Konstanz. It was only a few blocks from the ferry to the hotel we'd reserved in the old section of Konstanz.
Getting out of the city on the bike next morning was (as we've found typical in cities) a bit of a challenge, but after a few missed turns we found our path. Because the city sits on the border, by the time we left town we were in Switzerland. Among other things, this meant the signage for the bike route changed (different colors and route names), but we figured it out. We worked our way west along the south shore as the lake narrows slightly into the Rheinsee (the Rhein is so wide it's basically like a lake), through one scenic town after another. In scenic and historic Stein am Rhein (pics below) we crossed over to the north side of the Rhein and continued to the small (not especially historic) village of Gailingen. Shortly before arriving there our route climbed steeply on an unpaved path and we crossed back into a little corner of Germany which is completely surrounded by Switzerland.
We'd called ahead so had a room in a small gasthaus reserved, and arrived just before 2 pm. Stored the bike, showered and cleaned up, and went out to discover every restaurant in the village was closed between 2 and 5:30. It was hot, we were hungry, but after a little walking we found a dessert place which had some delicious cake. In the evening after dinner we walked more around the village. There is a nice monument where their synagogue stood (until 1940 when all the Jewish residents were taken away to the camps) and a listing of all the residents' names. So tragic, especially with a bridge across the border to Switzerland is a 20 minute walk from the village.
Next day we continued along the Rhein. After about 15 km we passed through Schaffhausen and shortly after stopped at the amazing Rheinfall, which is like a mini Niagara across the Rhein. The descent to the viewing area was a 14% grade (it's signed), and there were a couple of impressive climbs out the other side. There's an rock in the middle of the waterfall where tourists are deposited by boats from the downstream side and can climb to a viewing platform at the top.
From Schaffhausen to Basel our cycling book shows two alternative routes, along the north and south sides of the Rhein. Looking at the elevation profiles for the two routes sent us to the northern (less hilly) one. It's not flat by any means, but definitely less up and down. Not wanting to be caught out of phase for eating again, we stopped at the one open place in Liehheim for a delicious lunch: an omelette of fresh Chanterelles for Dan and roasted vegetables with Ricotta-stuffed croquettes for Ellen. After lunch we continued another 15 km or so to the small city of Waldshut. After a little hunting around we found a very nice hotel in the center of the small old town. Germany was playing Mexico in the world cup, so pretty much every restaurant or bar had a large tv set up outside with the game.
Today we had an easy ride from Waldshut to Rheinfelden.
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| Laufenburg |
We found a family-run hotel in the Bette und Bike network. The young man who greeted me at the desk gave me directions and a key to the bike parking, and when we showed back up with our bags he had small sandwiches and glasses of juice prepared: special treatment for cyclists. Ellen noticed a small Camino de Santiago item on the desk. Turns out his family are major pilgrims. In addition to the Camino de Santiago his parents have walked from Germany to Rome, and are currently on a three-month pilgrimage walking to Jerusalem
In the evening after dinner we walked across the Rhein to the Swiss side of Rheinfelden, which contains the old town center. Scenic, but pretty dead compared with the German side.
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