We left Schaffhausen by boat, a two-hour trip back to Stein am Rhein. The Rhine has a pretty strong current – I’d guess two to three knots. So we were surprised to see, along with half-timbered houses, modern homes with big balconies, and lots of waterfowl, these water creatures:
The river was not very wide at this point. They had a lot more faith than I would have that the boat’s crew would see them and not run them over. There also weren’t a lot of places to get up the bank. It could be a long walk home if you missed your planned exit. Obviously they are either more experienced or more adventurous (or both) than I am!
We biked past apple orchard after apple orchard, then many vineyards right on the slopes down to the lake – presumably taking advantage of the microclimate on the south-facing slopes. Little apple stands were everywhere – catering to all of us bikers. We bought some newly-harvested apples – they were delicious!
in Meersburg we saw grapes being harvested with a fancy machine (the tractor is on one side of the vines, the wafon is on the other) and then the grapes being processed at a cooperative right in the center of town – the tractors drove through the hordes of tourists.
We spent the next night at a schwanky hotel in Überlingen, but it was a struggle to get there. About two km away, my rear tire went flat. We pulled out the spare inner tube and toolkit, opened our travel info book to the repair page, and read that if had an e-bike (we did) or disc brakes (we did), it wasn’t recommended that we change the tire ourselves. Instead we should call one of the bike shops listed. We called the only one in our town … and it was out of business. After calls to the emergency help line and a visit to a nearby bike shop that did not inspire confidence, we walked the (heavy) bikes, mine with the flat, up, up, and up to the hotel. (This was, of course, the only night our hotel was not in the center of town.)
We checked in and went to our room – far away in another building, overlooking a parking lot, and reeking of cigarette smoke. Then the tide turned. When I called to request a non-reeking room, we got a gorgeous room with this view:
After a good dinner, things were definitely looking up. The next morning they brought me another bike, with nice new tires, and we were off again.
Who needs to bring tools anyway? Everything you needed to fix your bike was available at this station along the bike path. So long as you break down right here, you’re all set!
Taking your slide out into the lake is apparently a thing here…
We really enjoyed all the art and flowers we saw along the way. Not only were houses bedecked with windowboxes, but the public spaces in every town were full of flowers.
Beyond Our French Adventure 