Tuesday 20 August 2024

Landau to Kaiserstuhl

The forecast during the night hadn't occurred when I woke at 5.30am.  Better to pack when it's dry so I was up and on the road by 6:15.

With no planned destination for the day I started to enjoy the scenery and then the rain came.  The cheap rain jacket was donned and I pressed on between showers.  The jacket doesn't breath so I'm not sure what got me more wet?  The rain or sweating inside the jacket.   By 10am I reached the ferry terminal and boarded the waiting ferry to make the crossing to Constanz.  The fare cost 6.50 euro, one way with the bike.

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After making my way out of Constanz (there were several detours as I missed some signs) I found myself riding through countryside.  I'm back in Switzerland!

After cycling beside the lake for some time I crossed the Rhine at Stein am Rhein.  It is a small town west of Lake Constance (Bodensee), in north-eastern Switzerland. It’s known for its preserved, half-timbered medieval houses with painted facades, clustered around Rathausplatz in the old town.

The town looked very attractive and I dismounted to walk the bike down the main street with the 360deg camera recording. 

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The next section of the EV15 had me riding on the north bank of the Rhine, but still in Switzerland.

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It was at this location I noticed a man and woman swimming down the river towing their gear.  

The old covered timber bridge is still used by light vehicles.

I'm not sure what the building in this next photo was used for but it looked interesting.

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By now I was starting to think abound accommodation.  I'm wet and don't particularly want to erect the tent when the forecast is for more rain.  Looking at the route on my phone I noticed a very reasonably priced (for Switzerland) hotel in the small town of Kaiserstuhl.  Tomorrow is Sunday and almost everything will be shut.  I've planned that Sunday's will be my rest days and I decided to book into the hotel for two nights.

According to Google Maps it's 2½ hours to the hotel and I cycled on trying to conserve the battery as my legs are starting to feel dead.  All I've eaten is a banana for breakfast.

The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful.  They could provide breakfast on Sunday morning but the hotel kitchen was closed on Monday.  I'll look for a supermarket.

That evening I had an enjoyable meal.  Pork is the cheap meat option and I had a pork steak filled with cheese.

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You would think that with the lack of food over the past week I would have eaten everything on the plate.  However my stomach appears to have shrunk!

In the last two days I've cycled 250km and am sightly ahead of schedule.  My next stop is probably going to be Basel but I will try and stay on the German side of the Rhine as it's cheaper.

 

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