Germany - Leichenstein- Switzerland

 

Valbella, Switzerland 

Heidelberg – Wildberg, Germany: 80 miles

Germany – Switzerland – Liechtenstein – St. Moritz, Switzerland: 230 miles

We followed the blue and the green. The red was the original, east.

It always takes a day or two to get into the rhythm of things when you're on the road. We'd left with the bikes in a hurry, and everything was disorganised and packed into the panniers wherever we could find space.

A weary traveller awaiting a mars bar

Today had been an early 3:30am start and, by 1pm the same day, we were plopped out of the public transport system and into a foreign land.

Stefan, from Stefan Knopf Tours in Germany, the absolute legend that he is, allowed us to keep the bikes here for free and even offered us free accommodation for the evening. But the lure of the open road was calling, so we threw our weary legs over the iron horses and set off.

Given the early start, we managed 80 miles to a forest campsite called Camping Carpe Diem, somewhere near the Black Forest.

Exhausted, but in good spirits. The campsite is green and private, the hosts friendly and willing to cook. Pizza and local Helles beer tonight. Bingo!

Camping Carpe Diem

The following morning, we were up early to break camp and break fast. We've been watching the weather, addicted to rain and snow patterns, and it doesn't look good for our chosen route.

Road side stop:  German  chicken and sauerkraut potato salad and tent drying.

Horizontal Rainbow 🌈 

Storms are forecast across the eastern Alps, Bavaria, Slovenia and parts of Croatia, so we've changed plans in search of a warmer climate. South rather than a wet east. After last year's misery in freezing cold rain, neither of us wanted to tackle Austria and bad weather again. Grossglockner will have to wait once more.

Launch at leichenstein. Posh nosh

The lake at Valbella

The change of plan meant that today we saw Germany, Switzerland, then Liechtenstein, before crossing back into Switzerland. The ebb and flow of the free-moving Schengen Area blurring borders and culture.

Germany is memorable for its fast-moving forest roads and excellent roadside food.

Switzerland is as pretty as a picture and every bit as captivating as you imagine.

Liechtenstein was somewhere I'd barely heard of, yet it has dramatic landscapes that reminded me of Thailand, with sharp rock cliffs erupting like giant stalagmites throughout the land.

A picture says a thousand words??

Our highest pass today 🙌 

Crossing the Alps at the opposite end to where we would originally have done means I've done very little planning, and every corner and col brings a new wonder.

Tonight we're staying at Camping Silvaplana, a site on the edge of a windy lake that caters for windsurfers. The facilities are first class, as we've come to expect from most of Switzerland.

Camp dinner. Life is as good as the view.

This chap is Bash, or @bash.bikes on Instagram, a young English fella riding his bike from Turkey to England. He has an easy-going, affable character and is full of adventurous stories and smiles. Great to meet him, and we wish him well.

The clouds coming over our lake this evening. Looks cold and wet. Eek.