The heat just will not let up. Week after week, we wait for rain. Temperatures rarely drop below thirty degrees. We have had a record number of tropical nights. One heat wave follows the other. The shutters on our house had never been raised and lowered as often as they have this summer. The Flixbus ticket to Copenhagen is booked. Then we will finalize our plan. Ursula and Hans-Peter, our traveling friends, send their monthly report from their trip through Denmark. That changes our travel plans. We take advantage of the moderate temperatures and set out on our bikes one Thursday in late July, with all our gear. … Heading south. Tickets does not matter.
Dani and Matthias are hosting a farewell breakfast in Wenkbach. The first stage of our journey takes us to Offenbach. We pass the old Hoechst Cassella factory in Fechenheim. Warm regards to Oktay in Izmir!
The next day takes us through Darmstadt. A cup of coffee with Lennart, Sara, and sweet little Bela. He will be one month old tomorrow.
Temperatures are rising again. As we continue on our way, we pass a lot of industry—Mannheim, BASF—and not much in the way of scenic countryside, traveling somewhere through the Rhine Valley. We rarely see the Rhine, and that is not because of the water level. The Gutthomashof in North Speyer is where we stay tonight.
We meet a Dutch family who have been cycling through Germany for three weeks with their grandchild, a bike trailer, and a tent. Do you think we could take Bela on a trip like that sometime?
Before we realize it, we have crossed the German-French border. On the left bank of the Rhine, we are riding through Alsace. Border region, or is there a shortage of skilled workers? On Mondays, not only museums, bike shops, and bakeries are closed, but—hard to believe—also campgrounds.
At Camping Lac du Staedle, on the other hand, touring cyclists mingle with families on vacation with children and swimmers. Guests are greeted with half a liter of cooled l’Eau.
Near Neuf-Brisach, we find a nice, laid-back spot on the Rhine island with plenty of sports facilities, two chickens, a restaurant, and a French bread delivery service.
The Rhine and the adjacent EV15 take us east. A desert wind blows in our faces. The battle against the dry weather and high temperatures continues relentlessly. We no longer carry food with us. Milk turns sour. Butter and chocolate melt. The eggs get cooked while we are riding.
Our next stop is Unteruhldingen at Lake Constance. Tobias and Angie are hosting us. We are waiting out yet another heat wave this year. Short bike rides to the refreshing swimming spots at Lake Constance. Sightseeing and dinner in the Sportlerklause with Regine and Wilfried. It is a great place to be. Thank you so much, both of you, for the time we spent together!
After four days, we are heading toward Switzerland via Konstanz! We visit the ‘Imperia’ created by artist Peter Lenk. The statue commemorates the Council of Constance. The two little figures are the Pope and the Emperor. They think that they have the power.
The sculptor erected the statue in 1993 in a clandestine operation. It is based on a frivolous story by Honoré de Balzac from his Tale of a Madman. The churches in Konstanz and conservative city council members, in particular, protested against the erection of a monument honoring a prostitute. ‘Imperia’ has been a protected historic monument since 2024.
Our stay in Winterthur was highlighted by our hike along the Industry cycling path 205. Fifteen kilometers through the city, taking in the rope factory, locomotive shed, Nägli, spinning mill, photography museum, working-class neighborhood, and much more. By evening, our feet were completely worn out.
We continue our journey for the third day in a row, battling stormy, gusty winds. We arrive at Baumgartner’s estate near Bern, barely making it. We are welcomed with delicious food and drink and have good conversation. Thank you so much for the time we spent together as well as for your hospitality! We will see each other again.
The next day, there was still a strong, hot breeze. Head wind!
Just minutes before the heaven opens and a torrential downpour hits, we reach the farm campground above Lake Neuchâtel in the hamlet of Rovray. We would not have survived that on the open road.
Übrigens,
Wusstet ihr schon, dass in der Schweiz seit 2017 Reis angebaut wird, klimafreundlich und die Biodiversität unterstützend? Erntezeit ist im September/Oktober. Die Felder stehen in der Seenlandschaft, die wir passieren.
Bei uns ist alles echt. In unserem Blog verzichten wir auf Künstliche Intelligenz (KI, AI). Ihr könnt uns alles glauben, was wir erleben und schreiben.