Neutral Territory

Cycling in the rain

along rough and muddy trails -

the green Rhine below.

We think the Swiss have discovered a way to remove sunshine from peoples lives. We entered Switzerland at Basel, in sunshine and by the time we left Stein am Rhein for Germany in the rain, it felt like we'd been under a cloud for four days.

Coming from France, where everyone says 'bon jour' to you, to being in a country where people will look at your bikes as you ride past but are determined not to look at you, let alone nod, smile or say 'hello' was very disconcerting. But it wasn't all that bad – we cycled through some lovely countryside and we did encounter four friendly local people.

On Saturday morning we left Mulhouse, France for Basel, Switzerland, riding mostly along the last section of the canal du Rhone au Rhin, to where it meets up with the Rhine river. The lovely sunny path ran along above the canal, flanked by masses of yellow and white wildflowers. We arrived in Basel at lunchtime, the pedestrian friendly centre of town teeming with people. 

Basel and the Rhine river.

Here we discovered that our French was useless (unless talking to French tourists) and that we had better hurry up and learn some German. Though many people do speak some English, we find it is much better to break the ice by trying to speak the local language – then you all have something to laugh about.

Having obtained directions to a bookshop with a decent English language department (Bider & Tanner, Aeschenvorstadt if anyone needs to know), we then stocked up on a few novels (only four – which won't last long – we are really regretting not getting Kindles before we left Dublin) and a Swiss velo map. Tried some local pastries – very nice, then headed out of town on the velo route.

Thought we were doing well through the labrynthine pathways until we came upon a sign pointing, in the direction we were heading, to Basel 4km (after having travelled 16km away from Basel). Whilst trying to work out where to go on our (very vague) map, we were rescued by a fellow cyclist, whose name unfortunately we did not get. A local, out for a Saturday afternoon ride, she lead us several kilometres through the outskirts of Basel to a place where we could easily follow the route. With her husband, she had ridden the velo route from Basel to the Black Sea last year and sympathised with lost cycle tourists. Getting in and out of cities is always the hard part.

Our tiny spot in the very busy Kaiseraugst campingplatz. 

We stayed that night in Kaiseraugst, near where the Roman garrison town of Augusta Raurica used to be located, in a very busy caravan park right on the bank of the Rhine river. A fierce storm awoke us before 6 the next morning with wild winds and heavy rain. The winds abated but the rain did not, so we had another soaking cycle on Sunday (how's that for alliteration, Lisha?). We passed through some lovely countryside, pastoral and forested, stopping at a Waldhaus (forest house) to cook ourselves a hot lunch and dry out for a bit. When we saw the river Rhine again later in the day we were amazed at it's colour – a vivid jade green, and very fast flowing.

Waldhaus, between Rheinfelden and Bad Sackingen.

I had thought to try the natural thermal mineral baths at Bad Zurzach, but by the time we arrived there I had really had enough of a soaking. The campground was the most expensive yet – 25 Swiss Francs (about €23) but we got our money's worth in their very nicely appointed hot showers.

From Bad Zurzach we headed over the Rhine and the border to Germany for the morning, sun and rain alternating throughout the day. The German cycle paths are extremely well sign posted, it was a very nice change from the haphazard signage in both Switzerland and France. We crossed back and forth between Switzerland and Germany, north of the Rhine, all afternoon, passing Kaiserstuhl, a lovely looking village, the southern end of the Schwartzwald, apple and walnut orchards, occasional fields of wheat and sunflowers as well as plenty of south facing grape vines (taller than the Burgundian ones and not as ferociously trimmed). 

Not sure if this was Germany or Switzerland - it's raining, so probably Switzerland.

 

Along the river we passed the Rhinefall where the river drops 20m just near the town of Schaffhausen, then on to the village of Stein am Rhein, with it's very well preserved medieval town centre, just before Lake Constance. We didn't go to Lake Constance, but we did spend an extra day in Stein am Rhein having a bit of a look around – and a break from touring because we'd been on the go for five days.

Rheinfall, with Schaffhausen in the background.

The sun came out for the couple of pleasant hours that we spent strolling around Stein am Rhein, having lunch on a picnic bench overlooking the busy river. Then it rained again in the afternoon. And the next day when we left for Donaueshingen in Germany.

Wonky house, Stein am Rhein.

Stein am Rhein, muralled walls.

Mural detail, Stein am Rhein

Stein am Rhein rathausplatz.

Neil and a modern wall mural, Stein am Rhein.

Yesterday's ride to Donaueschingen was a very long, wet, tiring, windy and hilly 70km. But it still beats working as a wage slave.

Unfortunately 20km from Donaueschingen, Neil's back wheel developed a funny noise and when we stopped to check it out, discovered that the rim of his back wheel had cracked. It had cracked and bulged out, the noise we heard was it hitting the brake pad on every revolution. Not good. So the wheel would turn freely he had to disconnect the back brake and he cycled the last 20km going carefully, avoiding bumps as much as possible. 

Lunch break after the first and the worst of the many hills.

Not something you really want to see - Neil's bike, again.

So, today we are in Donaueschingen still, resting our legs after yesterday's epic, having had Neil's bike fixed this morning (and we thought we might as well put mine in for a quick service while we were there). We picked up a few bits and pieces for the bikes (extra brake pads, chain oil etc) and light and airy new helmets – our old ones bought in Dublin were a bit hot and heavy on the warmer days. After only one day in the country we are finding the German people much friendlier than the Swiss. And most things much cheaper.

The source of the Danube, as recognised by Tiberius in 15AD.

Statue at the source - Mother Baar pointing the young maiden Danube to the east.

Storks storking their prey...(sorry Neil made me do it).

We made our obligatory visit to see the official source of the Donau (Danube) river – the Donauquelle – since we will be following the river down it's 2800 odd kilometre length to the Black Sea. Tomorrow, we start on the Danube leg of our journey...

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French Revolutions

Mid stream, heron waits,

grey and white, tall and graceful -

flies with raucous squawk.

Since arriving in France at the end of March, we have cycled through seven regions and many departments – Manche, Calvados, Eure, Yvelines, Yonne, Essone, Seine-et-Marne (where we stayed for two months) and now, Loiret, Nievre, Allier, Saone-et-Loire, Cote-d'Or, Jura, Doubs, Territoire-de-Belfort and Haut-Rhin. Less than 50km before we leave France for Switzerland, we have cycled 1804km from Dublin.

In the last week we have come from the relatively flat centre of the country, where wheat and sunflower fields predominate, through the rows and rows of green vines of the Cote-d'Or vineyards nestled between limestone ridges, to riding along the Doubs river with the Jurassic hills pressing closer and closer, mineworks and dairy cattle occasionally visible.

Since arriving in Santenay like two drowned rats last Thursday, we stayed there Friday as well, spending the sunny day drying out our gear, cleaning the muck off our bikes and having a bit of a look around. 

An empty shed just for wet cyclists!

Nothing like a bowl of pasta to warm you up after a soaking ride.

Morning mist lifting, Santenay.

Home-made coffee filter - a recycled quiche pan.

Drying out the gear, Santenay.

Santenay village is home to approximately 30 vignerons, all of whom have their own cellar door tastings and sales. The most impressive was the Chateau de Santenay, a thirteenth century limestone (along the hillsides are limestone cliffs - there is climbing here as well) building with towers and a moat, roofed with coloured tiles arranged in a knot pattern. We are seeing more and more of this sort of roof on important buildings like churches, chateaux and hotels de ville as we head further east.

Santenay Chateau.

Unfortunately there was no point in us visiting any of the cellars because we could neither afford the wines nor fit any bottles in our panniers. In Santenay we met a couple of Scottish climbers, Iain and Shirley, who told us, among other things, that last Tuesday, the day we cycled 94km, had been 39 degrees all day – we'd thought it was hot, but not that hot!

From Santenay we took a side route off the main Euro Velo 6 and followed the 'Route des Vignes' through the vineyards of the Cotes du Beaune to the town of Beaune. Surrounded by stone walls and entered through ornate stone and wrought iron gates, the vineyards filled the valley around pale stone villages, giving it a timeless air – things really didn't look like they had changed much since Roman times. Well, except for the really cool mini tractors that chugged along astride each row of vines, trimming the tops, looking more like a rough draft of Dr Octopus from Spiderman than anything else.

Route des Vignes, Cotes du Beaune.

Rest area, French style.

The 'Route des Vignes' is much patronised and there were plenty of shaded rest areas and even a map showing which villages to go for a boulangerie. Unfortunately the route stopped abruptly in the centre of Beaune and we had fun trying to find bicycle friendly roads out to the countryside. We ended up having to get off and push along the footpath, the busy one way streets too confusing. After Beaune we ended up on the wrong road, the D20 instead of the D20F, eventually finding it without the help of our map, which had neither the D20A, D20G or D20H marked on it either.

Naturally it started to rain about then, so we meandered on toward the vines of the Cotes du Nuits-St-Georges then decided to call it a day in Primeaux-Prissey. The rain continued through Sunday morning as we made our way out of the hills of Burgundy, through the forest around Citeaux Abbey, to join the Euro Velo trail again at the Saone river. And thence into Jura along the Canal du Rhone au Rhin.

After lunch the rain cleared and by the time we came into Dole mid afternoon, the sun had emerged. Dole looks an interesting town, with it's old buildings of golden brown stone overlooking the entwined Doubs river and Rhone au Rhin canal - but we didn't stop to investigate.

Campsite at Dole, overlooking the Doubs river.

Neil by the Rhone au Rhin canal.

Rochefort-sur-Nenon.

 

Gabby mixing with local wildlife.

Heron by a barrage before Besancon.

Hilly countryside coming into Besancon.

Instead we continued on, on Monday to Besancon where we stayed for three nights. One day of relaxation with a bit of washing and cleaning and one day of tourism and errands in town. Well, that was the plan anyway. To get to the campsite which is several kilometres northeast of the city, we followed the canal through a tunnel excavated in the bedrock of Besancon, under it's tall citadel.

Tuesday was our day for visitiing Besancon. Monday evening, after another hot and humid day, a huge electrical storm broke over the river valley. It rained heavily overnight then began to clear in the morning. Until we prepared to leave on the bikes.

Then the heavens opened again. We sheltered under a tree for a couple of minutes, hoping it would pass quickly, then moved into the tent. Three hours later we started getting a little cabin fever. Four hours later we made a break to the shop for food then hunkered down in the tent again.

We never did make it into Besancon.

Thursday, the French National day, elsewhere called Bastille Day, dawned misty but without rain. Once the mist cleared we had patchy blue skies, a bit cooler than previous. It was a lovely day of cycling along the river Doubs with hills and cliffs rising steeply from the river. Only 65km to L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs, but it was the only campground between Besancon and Mulhouse. Firecrackers were being set off all over the place but we were fast asleep, lulled by the fast flowing Doubs, by the time of the evening fireworks.

Peaceful stretch along Doubs river.

Sharing the road.

Today again was cloudy and slightly cool after the mist cleared – perfect cycling weather. We followed the Doubs river again until Montbéliard where it turned south and we continued east on the Canal du Rhone au Rhin. As we cycled along today we saw many eagles gliding around in the thermals and even saw one eagle swoop to catch a fish right next to us. We have also had our first glimpse of the Jura mountains, blue in the distance. 

Smooth downhill following a series of canal locks, mountains in the distance.

During the day we picked up the name of Madame et Monsieur Australie from a French woman we were speaking with last night and this morning at the camp ground – we kept passing each other today on the cycle path. They are heading for the Black Sea as well so no doubt we'll see more of them in the future.

Tomorrow we'll actually be on the Rhine river. We are camped tonight in Mulhouse for our last night in France. Tomorrow – Basel and beyond.

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Back in the saddle

Rippling and sparkling,

canal waters hide many fish -

eagle flies by, hoping.

It came as a pleasant surprise to us that, after a two month hiatus from cycle touring, it wasn't as hard as it had been when we started our journey back in March. Totally unfit, when we left Dublin we were struggling to cover 40km each day but in the last 7 days of riding we have averaged roughly 60km per day. We even managed a very respectable 94km on Tuesday, a stinking hot day. And today, 83km in the pouring rain.

Leaving Noisy-sur-École on a beautiful summers morning.

And slipping into our old routine has been just as easy. Though the warmer weather has wrought a few changes to our routine. It is much easier to get out of bed when there's no frost on the ground. We don't feel the need for a warm breakfast or a cup of tea before we start in the morning, which is a good thing because we need to head off earlier to get more ground covered before the heat of the afternoon (with long European summer days the hottest part of the day is between 3 and 7pm, the sun not setting until 10). 

Good organisation is the key to any good campsite !

The arrival icecream has become an integral part of our afternoon.

We have seen some changes in landscape as we've headed south, but not a huge amount. The countryside is still undulating rather than flat or hilly. Sometimes we've followed the Loire river or the Loire canal quite closely on the flat, sometimes we've traversed across the hills above the river valley (though we're steering clear of too many big hills until we get a little stronger). We're seeing more sunflowers and corn, still plenty of wheat, which is currently being harvested and fields of mown hay, dotted with their big squat cylinders of bales.

Bellegarde Donjon, 1376.

Sunflower field, Loire valley.

Riding amongst wild flowers, near the Loire River.

Not having seen cows since the west of Ile de France, the last couple of days we have seen more and more fields of white cows, often with calves. There were grape vines decking the hills around Sancerre and now we are coming into the southern vines of the Burgundy region. We took hardly any photos today though because bucketing rain and cameras don't mix well.

After following the Loire for about 250km (from Gien to Digoin), we are now following the Canal du Centre to the river Saone (though we'll probably succumb to the lure of the grape and head up into Burgundy for a brief sojourn). There is an extensive network of canals throughout the country and nowadays they are used primarily by pleasure craft. Yesterday we even saw a houseboat flying the Australian flag going through a lock. The most bizarre thing though, is the way the canals cross rivers on bridges!

Fully loaded next to the Loire river.

Pont canal - a canal on a bridge over the Loire river.

Bike path along the Loire river south of Briare.

South from Noisy-sur-École to Gien we cycled on smaller roads and at Gien we joined up with the Euro Velo 6 route to the Black Sea. The route is sometimes signposted, sometimes not but we have maps to follow and make our own decisions about which way we want to go. Some of the route, like the last couple of days, has been on well paved canal paths. Some has been on atrociously surfaced small country roads and some has been gravel. Some times we cycle on regular roads (generally nothing too busy). 

The weather has been great up until today - sun shining, sometimes a little cloud cover to cool things down, only a couple of really hot days (one we rested and the other we rode as far as we could). But today we've had storms all day, thunder and lightening and absolutely soaking rain. Never a dull moment!

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words Gabby, images Neil