14th – 15th August Wednesday
Our journey began on the 14th evening, driving to Dover, where we took an Irish Ferry to Calais. However we had an incident with our car and were forced to stay in Saint-Quentin as there was a public holiday and everything was closed. So we spend the rest of the day there.
16th August Friday (Saint-Quentin – Dijon)
After having breakfast downstairs in the Hotel Ibis Budget Saint-Quentin, we checked out (leaving the bags to pick up later) and spent the morning sorting our selves out. It took a while waiting for the AVIS rep at the train station and then the drive to the other side of the city. Anyway we opted for a bigger car then we had booked. Sorting out the rest it was around 12 before we picked up our bags and were en route to Dijon.
Dijon was around 3.5 hours away and we did it without much stopping in between. We got to Dijon and near our stay – the Residhome apartments, where we parked right outside to unload the car, before I moved it to street parking on a nearby side road. It was a nice apartment.
After freshening up we headed down and walked into the center, first to the central market – there was nothing there – and it had the odour of a fish market. From here we went to the Palais des Ducs et des États de Bourgogne, which apart from it being a old palace is also a art museum and has free entry. We left our bags with security and had a quick (ish) visit there, as it was not that entertaining for Airyen apart from technology exhibition at the top (though I thought that was limited).
After leaving (from a different exit and then having to get our bags), we made our way to the large square in front of the palace. Here we picked a cafe to sit and have a drink (in the warmth with the fountains). The waiter came over and told us if we want a drink only we would have to sit at the side as they were going to set up for people to have food. Bhavni was having none of this and told him that we would like to sit here and we were only having a drink each. He relented. It was quite a pleasant place to sit for a while although Airyen and Bhavni kept on getting disturbed with bees near their drinks – my beer was safe.
From here we had a little walk around seeing some of the shops as well. We bought some mustard – I tried to speak french they talked in English. For dinner we decided to have falafel at a vegetarian fast food place called Cigkoftem Dijon – they had a little out door seating. After our dinner we made our way to the “Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin”, where we walked around the food court and then had some proper ice cream at one of the shops – quite a nice place.
It was then back to apartments, I got some milk (they don’t do fresh just UHT). Then all off to sleep.
17th August Saturday (Dijon – Ulrichon – Swiss mountainside)
After we got up and ready we had breakfast in the room which was weatabix and the long life milk. I then brought the car outside the apartments to load up our bags, before we checked out to start our next leg of the journey. It was a 3 hour drive next going from the flattish lands here through slowly more hilly areas in France. Kalpesh phoned and we had a long conversation with him whist I drove. Eventually we got to the Swiss Border, with a bit of a queue as people got their moterway passes, but we got through without needing to stop. It was then a drive around Laussane and the lake with some nice views, though the weather got progressively more grey.
We stopped at Martigny just before 12.30 – for a rest stop and to get something quick to eat. In the end we did a longer stop and had soup for ourselves with pasta for Airyen – teas and a desert. There was a nice lake near this service station we could see from inside also. It was a really busy place (parking was a pain due to the weird one ways as well). Back on the road then it was a drive to Reid Brig, just over an hour away.
Here we we hoping to go up the cable car to Rosswald with some great walks but there was a lot of cloud and all the peaks were hidden. Even the operator said it was not worth it as it would be only a few m visibility. In the end he suggested a short walk to the church nearby – 20mins each way. Was quite peaceful – it drizzled a bit, we also got some outdoor activity area which Airyen enjoyed.
It was nearly 4.30 when we left, driving to the Bellevue Italian restaurant. The waiters did not speak English, but the owner did – it seemed full of locals – a good sign. We got a table inside near a window – so a bit of a look out. We enjoyed some pizza for us, pasta for Airyen as usual with a salad. Bhavni had a fruity drink while I had a local beer. After we got tempted and has a pistachio tiramisu. Not too bad a bill considering this is Switzerland.
Leaving we were about 5 minutes in, but had to turn back – Airyen needed a rest stop! Anyway back on the road we were driving when Bhavni spotted a bridge. We stopped turned around and found parking. It was a 100m walking bridge over the valley with the river running under it. We had a walk over and back – quite cool.
Back in the car we drove the rest of the way to Hotel Astoria, where we parked and checked in. I had booked the family rooms, which were over the garages – separate from the main hotel. The person at reception offered the choice of rooms in the main building. After investigating both (and the debate with it) we decided to go with the older but more spacious original rooms. We settled in for the night (after lugging the baggage in) – trying to convince Airyen to sleep in his bunk bed – as he liked this room.
18th August Sunday (Ulrichon – Constance)
Today was going to be another big travel day. After getting ready we headed for breakfast around 7:30 (after finishing packing). Breakfast was in the main building – a continental affair. After we finished loading the car. The clouds were a little higher today – you could see some of the peaks and snow fields.
We checked out and started our journey just before 9am driving east. Soon enough the roads scenery got even more rugged and we ended up at the Furkapass. This was such an experience – luckily as we were early there was not too much traffic and we were able to enjoy the views whilst climbing the pass – with the many switch backs and hairpins. We passed a couple of waterfalls on the way also. At the top (a bit past the famous hotel there) we stopped for a bit – it was cold as we had climbed quite a bit. We could see the path we had come up and some of the other mountain roads. We also had an amazing view of the path ahead of us at a stop a bit later. We also passed some of the resident cows that are famous here.
Soon enough we were descending and we eventually arrived at the area where they filmed a famous chase scene in Goldfinger, which was another point to stop for a bit (there were some people in quite sporty cars there).
It was then onto Andermatt then the No 2 road north. We passed the old Gathard Train Tunnel and entered a number of tunnels ourselves. This bit of the journey had quite sheer cliffs.
We were then passing some of the large lakes – first lake Lucerne with the drive along the eastern flank on the No 4 motorway. We then passed another lake before going into Zurich. It was interesting to see a bit of the capital – with the bonus of experiencing traffic and roadworks. Also you really have to be careful of the speed cameras – 30kph and unmarked.
Then it was the rest of the drive to the Rhine Falls. We crossed to the other side of the lake and parked in parking P3 (€5/car for 2h). It was a shortish walk to the falls along the road. The falls are was quite busy, with a couple of restaurants and tourist companies offering boat rides. We walked along to the end of the flags that were there, before making our way back. Airyen wanted to walk by the lake, so we took the lower path and then had to climb stairs in the woods back to the car park.
It was nearly 2pm when we left the area. It started raining soon after on our drive – we had a small stop at one of the services and had to go through a bit of a downpour. We were now in Germany and drove to Constance which was just around an hour away. Getting to our hotel – B&B Konstanz – I went to checkin which was all organised by the tour company. There was a bit of a queue. Getting temporary parking Bhavni parked the car and we transported our bags into our room on the second floor. There were quite a few people who were cycling and they did not look that happy as they were in full rainproofs and looked a little damp.
After sorting our selves out we went down and drove the short distance to Radweg-Reisen. This was where we picked up our bikes after I parked the car at their long term parking, testing them and having a bike fitting. Bhavnis and ours were 27 gear unisex hybrids – a fair bit larger than the ones at home. Airyen was given a 26″ junior bike. Ours had panniers and locks. They were very friendly and gave some treats to Airyen (and some drinks for us), whilst they explained a bit about our tour, and gave us our booklet with all our itinerary, city maps and vouchers – superbly organized.
We then cycled back to the hotel locked the bikes and then headed to the room. For dinner Bhavni booked Meera for 6pm. The hotel had given us 48hour vouchers for travel on public transport, so we caught the bus to the old city. It was good Bhavni had booked – they were turning others away.
We ordered a selection including sagg paneer for Airyen mostly. Not every one talked English well, but we got everything ordered and the food was nice.
After dinner we had a small walk and caught the bus back to the hotel – it was around 8pm, so we settled in for the night.
19th August Monday (Contance – Mainau – Wallhausen – Uberlingen – Uhldingen – Constance) 30km
Our first proper day for cycling. Today was a grey looking day (though not pouring) – so we took our light waterproofs today. We headed down for around 7.30 for breakfast. Again a continental breakfast – Airyen took a lot of chocolate spread and had with a bit of bread – probably not enough, but hard to convince him to eat.
We got on our bikes just after 8.30 and started our cycle. The route took us near the Rhine river , past the two bridges and then round the edge of the land, mostly on segregated cycle paths. We had a closed path, which meant that we had to backtrack a little around the park at the eastern end of Konstance. We also had a steep section near the ferry terminal area (probably as we had taken an improvised route). Soon enough it was flat again and we cycled towards Mainau Island.
Bhavni had been debating about doing this island later in the cycle day, but it made sense with our slightly slower pace to go now and have a break as it was 10am. We parked up our bikes and entered (using our included tickets), crossing the long bridge to the island proper.
The island is called the flower island and the flower mascot was one of the first things to see. Inside we saw some lovely displays before the small adventure bit where Airyen ran around a bit. He then tried his hand at some boats which you had to either pull a rope or pole across. All was going well until he stepped back and nearly had a dunk. He did not get wet but managed to cut his finger reasonably well but luckily it did not bleed much.
We tried seeing some of the animals here (as they had a small petting zoo), but Airyen was not happy about his hand. In the end Bhavni went separately from Airyen and I, we made our way further inland with an aim to get to the first aid area. There is quite a hill in the middle so you can not directly get there, so making our way around the outside we saw lots of pretty areas. Bhavni met us at the top and we got a plaster put on for Airyen, by the nice medic there.
Now Airyen was taken care of we had much more fun looking at the sights and views including the old Mansion. We then entered the buttery house there – quite busy but still worth a look around. We then made our way around the northern end of the island, towards the entrance.
It was around 12 when we crossed over the bridge and there were so many people coming into the island and where we had parked out bikes was now really full as well.
We then got back on our bikes (a bit of snacks to keep us going) and then towards Wallhausen, which was quite a easy flat cycle. We arrived at around 1pm, for the last ferry at 13.20 before their lunch break, joining the small queue. It was good that we got there with some time as we saw others just a bit too late, having to go back.
It was a 25 minute ferry ride to the other side of the lake, at Uberlingen. At Uberlingen it was time to have lunch (as it was approaching 2pm). We walked around the waterfront, and stopped at a Greek restaurant – Mykonos. We were trying to indicate to a waiter whether we could sit at a table, but a random couple just ignored us and sat there. Luckily not much of a problem as we sat a bit further in. We had pasta for Airyen, chips and a Greek salad with drinks. Pretty good food.
It was then back on our bikes to Uhldingen, with a stops on the way to see the picturesque church above the vineyards.
At Uhldingen at around 3.30 we went to the Pile Dwelling museum – a museum about the stone age settlements over this lake. We got our introduction (audio visual in two rooms) in English, but when we got to the main area, the people with us said they speak German, so the person gave the talk in that. Well we just went and explored ourselves. There were lots of buildings each with displays in them, ranging from early stone age to bronze age, showcasing life there.
After 4.30 we left the museum and cycled to Meersburg. It was 5pm so I led us to the ferry port (before the town)- this was not Bhavnis plan as she thought it might be nice to explore now, but it was good we did not as it was getting late (and most places would be closed – though we were not to know). As its a main ferry port taking cars there was no problem getting a ferry. It took us to the Konstanz port.
I suggested rather than going around it would be much more direct to go up the main road. There was a hill, but it was much faster. En route also for a treat we stopped at Eisdiele Pampanin, for a late 6pm ice cream. Then we did the final leg to the hotel, (with a detour to Aldi over the foot crossing) locking up our bikes outside.
After getting ready, we took the bus and headed to the old town for dinner. We had not booked this time, but we had a plan to go to Restaurant Pizzeria Rossini, but there were lots of other choices if this did not work. It was around 8pm when we got there. Luckily there was room and we sat down.
We ordered drinks for ourselves. Then we waited…. and waited. I think the waitress just mucked up and did not put it through – or come back to take our food order (and Airyen was getting hangry). We talked to the main waiter there, and got it sorted, as well as our food order. Salad, a tomato pasta for Airyen, an agli oli and a baked pasta – which came with bread baked over it. Luckily the food was worth the wait and we enjoyed it.
After dinner we caught public transport back to the hotel getting back around 10pm. Time for bed!
20th August Tuesday (Constance – Uhldingen – Meersburg – near Friedrichshafen) 25km
Today was another cycle day – though it was a planned shorter cycle. We packed all the bags – as they would be transported for us and went for breakfast again at around 7.30, before leaving our bags and checking out. It was a less grey start to the day with clouds having some definition.
Bhavni did not really like the pannier on her bike so we put it on my bike – with the locks and some fruit in it. We then set off towards the ferry terminal taking the main road after the path near the river. We had to contend with the hill a bit, but all managed without much difficulty.
We got to the ferry terminal and I noticed that the extra pannier was not on my bike anymore! It must not have been attached correctly. After a bit of a think, I left the others and tried retracing my steps. I cycled quite far – pretty much half way back to the bridges – which was going to be before the bag had disappeared, but to no avail even when returning and keeping a lookout. I think I had missed 2 ferries in the time I was gone, but they were quite frequent, so with no options we boarded, and I phoned Radweg-Reisen and explained to them what happened. They said that they would get a new pannier to us with locks at the hotel tonight.
We got to the port near Meersburg and cycled the short distance to the city. At the base I went to a cycle shop and bought a cycle lock so we could at least leave the bikes.
Bhavni had found when having a quick look, a path to the top of the town. We went up there and had a look around at the shops – Airyen got some toy marbles and we also got some pastries from a bakery. We also went into the Neues Schloss castle grounds to see the views.
I got a call from Radweg-Reisen, they had found our bag and were arranging for it to get the the hotel – great news.
It was around 12, when we carried on our cycle. Our next stop just about an hour away was Immenstaad, where we had a walk to the end of the pier (we also went to a shop called Kauf by Naturata, where we got an ice cream for Airyen, but then they were not particulary nice after).
After the rest, we carried on our cycle towards Fischbach, around 30 minuites further, where we got to the Hotel Waldhorn and checked in, leaving the cycles in the front. It was a little further out, from Friedrichshafen, but it was quite a nice room we got, with plenty of room. Our bags (and pannier) were here so we could unpack and get ready.
We again had the travel vouchers, so we went to the train station nearby and got the train (after a bit of fun figuring out which side to be on). It was now quite nice and sunny, so pleasant to be out.
The train took us right into Friedrichshafen quite quickly (save for 5 mins at the stop in between). It was around 3pm when we got there. There is a nice green park at the waterfront that we walked along. Getting to the east side we carried along past the restaurants to the Zeplin museum.
As it was still open and it was early enough we went in. Friedrichshafen used to be the biggest zeppelin building city so the museum here showed a whole history of them (mostly up to the second world war). There were some interactive displays also for Airyen (and us) to see how things worked. We also saw how luxurious the big zeppelins were inside.
There was also another exhibit of gaming (computer), that was where Airyen wanted to hang out – though most of the games were rubbish (or too complex).
At the end I showed Bhavni where they were showing a film just before closing – this was the first time she had seen the Hinderburg disaster.
After finishing we went to the park again, and this time to the steps down to the lake. This allowed Airyen to get his feet wet – we stayed for a bit before thinking about getting food.
Wanting something different, Bhavni looked up a restaurant called Veamo, which did poke bowls. We walked up to it (tunnel under the station), however they are only a take away service – no area to eat in even. After debating for a bit we decided to get it (as we could eat in the park). So we ordered and went for a short walk whilst they got 2 poke bowls ready.
We picked them up and headed to the park – Bhavni wanted to get some chips, so she went to investigate whilst we looked for a place to sit. Before we got anywhere she phoned – they (Lammgarten) did not take card for small amounts, so we had to go there and sort it out.
We looked for a bench near the water to sit – there was one with no one on it. We sent Airyen to sit. Then some one else sat on it. Bhavni still said to sit, but I was uncomfortable being close to this person, so we moved to the grass and had a picnic (with music from some buskers in the distance). Airyen thoroughly enjoyed his bowl (mango and satay).
After dinner we headed back to the hotel, catching a bus around 7.30 from closer to the zeplin museum. It dropped us near a supermarket, which gave us the opportunity to get some water and provisions for tomorrow. We then went back to the hotel and retired for the night. Though I moved the bikes into the underground parking one by one before sleeping.
21st August Wednesday (Ravensburger Spieleland)
Today was a rest day from cycling and one Airyen was looking forward to. We went for breakfast as usual around 7.30. This hotel catered to a slightly older crowd, but was quite nice, though similar to the other breakfasts.
At around 8.35 we left and got the train to the first stop towards Friedrichshafen. Here we got the bus from the stop just next to it, which took around 40mins to get to Ravensburger Spieleland. It went directly to the parking lots and just near the entrance.
We arrived around 9.40, before the park opened at 10am. We gathered with others at the entrance – forming unorderly queue. Bhavni asked about any shows which were in the afternoon.
I had told Bhavni not to worry about rain coats as it was going to be a good day. It at this time looked like it was going to drizzle and this was not going down well with Bhavni, however it did not materialise and at 10, the gates opened and we went in. The weather it turned out was very good and quite hot later.
We had made a rough plan on what to do initially – we headed for the car tracks. They were not quite ready, so Bhavni and Airyen did some shooting balls at target ride. They then did a change your car tyre challenge next.
After this, the car track was open, so Airyen went in for a briefing, before being let onto the tracks.
It was then my turn to do a ride – it was the pedalos on a lake (more exercise for me).
We spent the morning doing a few of these rides, as well as some ones we all could do – such as the boat tour and panoramic tower ride. I did the roller coaster with Airyen – but he did not want to go on the more advanced seats which did some extra upside down bits. We all got soaked on the flume ride – probably more than most people seemed to have.
For lunch, we had made some sandwiches, so we sat on the benches near the cafe and maze area in the shade.
It was then some more rides – the longest queue was the bullet car coaster. Airyen and Bhavni went together whilst I went alone. These was also the slides (with mats), that Airyen was apprehensive about and the pedal cars for Airyen.
At 3pm there was a show (Bhavni though magic but the info was slightly wrong), a circus act. A guy – speaking German entertained the children doing balancing acts with plates and throwing cloths, with interactions with the children.
Airyen wanted to do the car driving experience again – there was a bit of a queue and he needed to do the briefing again, so I was wondering if we would catch the bus back, as they were only hourly. So after his last ride we left. Bhavni for some reason though that the bus would be from the car park – but we were catching the 45 – which required a walk of around 10mins to get to the stop.
The bus was a little delayed so we had no issue getting it, back to Friedrichshafen station.
As we had some time we had another walk along the promenade before going back to Veamo at around 5.30 to get 2 bowls with some extra tofu for a take away as we all had enjoyed it yesterday. This time we waited in the restaurant.
With the take away in hand we went to the station and got a train back to the hotel, having dinner in the room. Again very nice.
After Airyen was asleep we did some packing.
22nd August Thursday (Friedrichshafen – Lindau) 30km
The next day for cycling. As usual we went for breakfast around 7.30. We took a little more of a leisurely pace today, so by the time we went to our bikes, after leaving our bags for transfer and checking out it was 9am. We had a chat with some other couple who were cycling as well, though with electric bikes.
We set out a bit later, getting into Friedrichshafen. We stopped at the Zeppelin museum so that Bhavni with Airyen could get get some keyrings (for gifts) whilst I waited a bit with the bikes.
We then were back on our way. We first cycled to Langenargen, for our next rest stop. We stopped near the waterfront havning a look across the lake and being able to see castle on the hill here.
Just outside of town as the road went inland a bit we crossed one of the oldest suspension bridges in Germany “Hängebrücke über die Argen”, which apparently was an inspiration for Brooklyn bridge.
We then cycled past Kressbronn before getting to Nonnenhorn, where we took another break where we walked along the pier there. There were some interesting statues there near the start of the pier.
It was then the next cycle, where we cycled past Wasserburg, then towards Lindau. We were going to be staying on the island there, so when we go to the town we had to cross over on the main bridge, which also had train lines on it. After the bridge we then followed the train tracks (as much as the roads allowed) nearly to the edge of the island to the Hotel Vis-A-Vis. The cafe area seemed quite busy here so it was not as quiet as the last hotel.
At reception we were directed to the storage room for the bikes (behind the hotel), with a key they gave us. We then returned and checked in – our bags were already there, so we took them up. It was a long way to walk inside. After the last room this one was much smaller – still fine though for the location, but not AC, so it was a bit on the warm side.
We got ourselves ready and then went out to see the place. It was lunch time so that was in our minds of where to go (as well as a plan for Airyen to let of steam later). So we headed first to the port area, quite nice with a lovely view before we headed around the station area to the western part of the island, some interesting sights including a car themed club. In the end there was a busy street cafe serving food near here, it had some veg options listed on the board and before it got too late we thought we better eat. We bought to Lindou special sandwiches – basically toasted sandwiches – and fries. We then sat there on the benches in the hot sun – the food was quite good.
After the food we continued around the western bit of the island to the beach area in the north – it was quite a nice walk, with some sight such as the peace wheel there as well as the water views all the way. When we got to the water area, there was some seating on the concrete stadium seating area where we set up whilst Airyen went and got him self wet in the water. It was a rocky beach, and Airyen liked to throw rocks into the water to get a splash. It was nice sitting in the sun, though I had to go in the water at my sons insistence. It was also interesting to keep spotting the Zeppelin flying around.
From here we headed back towards the hotel, taking the inland route which we had cycled along earlier, taking a quick stop at the supermarket to get some more water and supplies.
After getting ready it was time to head out again. This time we went to the old part of the city on the island. It was nice wondering through the cobbled streets and seeing the old buildings. The old town hall was quite cool with the painted building and the stairs leading to painted doors. By the time we saw the two churches in the centre Airyen was no longer believing my excuse of getting back to the hotel, so we actually started walking back.
For dinner we thought that Italian would be a safe bet here – i had been looking at a few options, some probably a bit too specialist for us. In the end I chose to have dinner at Pizzeria & Eiscafé Piccola, which was near the hotel and a proper local place. We were there at a good time which was great as we got one of the 3 tables outside. The menu was in German and the owners did not speak any English – google translate was great for this. We chose some pizzas and they were quite good and reasonably priced.
From here we walked to the harbour, where we bought ice cream for Airyen and Bhavni and admired the view. As it was nearly sunset time we thought it would be good to see it on the western side of the island. So we walked around and eventually found a nice location to stand and see it.
With the sun down, the insects started coming out, so we made our way back to the hotel, where we retired for the night.
23rd August Friday (Lindau – Breganz / Pfänder – Rorschach) 35/45km – Anniversary
Waking at our usual time we got ready any made our way downstairs for breakfast taking our two bags with us for collection. The breakfast area was really busy. We did manager to find a place to sit, and ate the usual continental breakfast. Airyen however managed to drop lots of milk on himself, so we had to to a bit of a clean up / change clothes operation.
After this cuffuffle we went to check out, the only thing left was the tourist tax. They did not take card payments (we had some cash anyway). The receptionists told us that hardly anywhere in Germany takes card….. obviously they dont get out of the city. We got out bikes out of the storage area and returned the keys then strapped the wet clothes to the back to dry, before starting off.
To get out of Lindau, we cycled through town over the bumpy roads. It was still quiet as it was around 9am and many people had not left yet – though there were groups getting their bikes ready. We headed over the eastern bridge of the island and onto the mainland, where we started our cycle around the eastern part of the lake. There were great views over the expanse of the lake as we cycled with a many opportunities to stop and look – though we selectively did them.
At some point we crossed over into Austria, though there was not much to mark the transition.
Carrying on we cycled to Breganz, which was our next stop – the cable car to the mountain. There was a bit of a hill to get to the cable car station and coupled with my finding the route (Bhavni saw the entrance first) – it was nice to arrive, just around 9.40. After locking the bikes up in the semi limited room, we went to join the queue, which was pretty big and seemed to be more of a random crowding then a queue. While I waited in the main queue, Bhavni exchanged the vouchers for tickets. The way it worked was a ticket is valid for a return trip or a trip up with a bike. Nearly everyone was taking a bike – but for us it would not be that safe with Airyen and we liked cable cars. Following the press, we swiped in through the barriers and took the crowded cable car to Pfänder Mountain at around 10. Even with not having a great position to look out, the views were still great as the car ascended up high.
Exiting the lift, there were some lockers that we could put our extra bags into, just requiring a coin. We then had a quick look around before deciding to do the nature walk first. The walk was a circular circuit, with a few animals (most from the area) behind fenced areas. Some were a bit hard to spot in their large fields, whilst the domesticated ones were in small areas so easy to find. Half way along there was a slide, which we convinced Airyen to have a go on – lots of other children were having fun on it. Airyen did one go then said he did not like it much. As we went around the end of the walk, it was quite a bit uphill, not a problem for us but Bhavni went and helped a person with pushchair.
After our walk we then went to the lookout point overlooking the lake. Here they had the brass carvings of the nearby ranges with the peaks marked, so we had to see if we could spot some of them, most were not that big, but there were a few towering ones. It did not show the Matterhorn I think. From here we headed to the top of the building where there was another area to observe from. All in all plenty of great views.
After this we gave Airyen some time to play on the children’s playground, though as it had got busy he was a bit reluctant to try things. So with some hand holding and snacks, we whiled away around half an hour.
It was time to head out – so we collected our stuff from the locker and headed to the cable car. There were lots of people now coming up the car, and the place was busy – it was good we got there early. However even the cable car down was busy enough that we could not get to the front of it for the best views down.
At the bottom we got the bikes then carried on our cycle. The cycle again was very pretty, with us passing a few rivers, as well as going over a decent suspension bridge. There was one area where I went wrong way – Bhavni game me and Airyen a phone to let us know – only 100m or so. We soon had cycled to Fußach, it was soon going to be time for food. My thoughts were to get to a slightly larger place to give us a good choice, so I led the cycle to Hochst. Bhavni got quite worried as we had to follow a fast road with the cycle lane, and keeping reminding Airyen to keep to the side.
Arriving in the town just after 1pm, we spotted the Cafe Konditorei Schallert (which was still in Austria) just after 1pm, where we decided to stop. We took a nice table outside towards the front, having a bit of shadow. The place was a bit busy, mostly locals. It took a bit but after getting the menu and then asking for veg options (the main waiter could talk in English), we got a nice salad with 2 mozzarella and pesto toasties. The food was pretty good and even the side of bread was nice. Airyen and Bhavni had a little trouble with bees flying to their drinks though.
We left the restaurant nearly at 2.30 to continue our cycle to Rorschach – we were now back in Switzerland. We had to cycle a little non direct as we had to cross the river and motorway, so it was nearly at Rorschach by the time we were near the lake.
We cycled in the town until we got to our destination – Hotel Mozart – just a bit before 4pm. We checked in – we had to put our bikes into the underground parking here, with access by a circular staircase. We took our bags to our room, talk about a certain style – old school and red with Toblerone on the pillows. Anyway we chilled for a bit but then got ourselves ready, though Airyen wanted to sit there all day as trains kept on going past all the time with a train crossing just outside.
Going out, we visited the hotel roof garden, just off our floor. Sitting for a bit we checked out the menu – if it was an option. Then we carnied on out of the hotel to see Rorschach. It was amusing as there was a beach volleyball tournament being played – They had set up stands and a court with a lot of sand. Sitting in the stands for a little while, we watched a match, though it was a little hot to stay here.
After the match we had a walk along the water front the up to Toro Mexicano, where we checked out the menu and asked to reserve us a table for 6.45. We then walked back to hotel along the city roads looking at some of the old buildings.
Back at hotel we had a little bit of time to chill before we got ready for dinner. We walked to the restaurant directly where we got a place on the veranda outside. For the dinner we ordered a few things including tacos and salad. The food was quite nice. In the end we treated our selves to charros for desert.
Dinner eaten it was back towards the hotel, but instead of going in, we headed towards the harbour and had a walk along the pier at around 8pm, which was nice (a few teenagers hanging out there also).
Back at hotel instead of going to the room we went to the roof garden – which was lucky as I had left a charger there from earlier. A group had just left from a table overlooking the front, so we sat and ordered a (mo)coctail each, though it took a bit of time to order and come as there was only one person there. I stayed on a bit longer finishing my drink whilst Airyen and Bhavni went back to room.
24th August Saturday (Rorschach – Constance) 40km
Getting ready we were down for breakfast at the normal time. The place was a bit different a setup as it was partial self service with teas and coffees served to us. There were some cyclists who must have been doing a longer cycle as they did a take away breakfast.
We checked out, leaving our bags and got to our bikes in the parking garage. Today was the longest official cycle leg.
We started our cycle towards Constance. Just a little bit out as we were cycling I had to turn back a bit, what I thought were statues were sand sculptures, which Bhavni had seen so we had a quick look around at them. It was then onto Arbon, where we had a brief stop.
We then had a steady cycle ahead of us all the way, with a few stops here and there, for example to admire the Ramanshorn waterwheel, (we had a longer stop at Badeweise to sort some things out). Most of the route here was near the train tracks with views of the lake often. Near constance we crossed over into Germany, again not much to mark it.
Entering Konstance, we had to go to the sea life centre there (again part of the trip). It was a bit confusing how to get there as it was on the other side of the train tracks from the Lago shopping centre, but there were crossings at only certain places. We parked the bikes nearer the entrance and climbed the ramp to it, just a little before our allocated time of 1.30. It had been a really hot day so it was nice to get into the cooler building, which also allowed us to freshen up. We spent around 1h there looking at the exhibits, Airyen had really been looking forward to this bit so was in his element, though Bhavni also asked quite a few questions to the staff.
From here we got our bikes and decided to have lunch in the Lago shopping centre. Airyen and I went directly there, but Bhavni took a different route to us (following car traffic) so she took a bit of time. Its amazing how geared up parts of Europe are for cycling – there were hundreds of bikes parked outside the mall, we found a place to park the bikes and waited for her before locking them up.
Walking into the mall we had a look for a place to eat, deciding to have some sushi for Airyen and a noodle dish with salad for us – it was so so. After we had a little look around the shops, there was not anything unusual for us to buy, however there were quite a few interesting sculptures to look at.
We had decided to go to Pizzeria Rossini for dinner, so we walked that way. There was a guy outside who we asked if we could book for dinner. He was adamant that there were no bookings at the restaurant and we could just come and wait for a bit. I then saw the main waiter there, so approaching him I asked, and he said that it would be no problem to book for 7.30.
As it was early still we walked to the port area nearby (Stadtgarten) and chilled around there for a bit looking over the lake and other scenery in the heat. It was quire relaxing and Airyen again got a chance to get his feet wet.
At around 4.30 we picked up our bikes and cycled to B&B Konstanz, where we checked in again. This time we were given a room on the 4th floor, Airyen was disappointed as there was no bunk bed, so took a bit of calming down. We showered and chilled for a bit before getting ready and taking the bus back to old city.
At the restaurant we were given a reserved table outside which was a nice place. For a treat we ordered 3 pasta mains between us (including the baked pasta with bread on top and aglio oli), which was a lot of food, but we got through it.
After dinner we went to the station area. Bhavni was contemplating having a walk near the pier even though it was a bit late. However as we were discussing it a person on a bike crashed into me! luckily everyone was ok, but after that we took the bus back to the hotel getting there around 10, where after Airyen was asleep we did our final packing.
25th August Sunday (Constance – London)
We came down for breakfast at our usual time, the place was a little quieter today than the last time we had been here – ending of the main season. The weather outside had turned and it was raining.
After our breakfast, whilst Airyen and Bhavni went back up, I took the bike to the Radweg-Reisen building, luckily the rain had abated somewhat. There was only one person there who was repairing some bikes. I asked him about picking up my car, which was not a problem as the car park was open. So I left the bike there, got the car and drove to the hotel (had asked whether I could park to load up before). I brought the bag we had left in the car upstairs, so Bhavni could do the final packing. I loaded up some items then I returned the car again to Radweg, walked to the cycle place and then cycled back (a little more drizzle).
We finished all the packing then left the bags by the door whilst we all went down to the cycles. We all cycled to Radweg-Reisen, with just a light drizzle. There was only one more person there now, but we left the bikes and took some last photos. Airyen did manage to get some sweets for his journey. We then all got in the car and headed to the hotel, where we parked, loaded up our bags and checked out, for the start of the journey home.
Our route back was to drive towards Strasbourg which was on the border between Germany and France, before heading past Metz towards Calais. The weather was drizzly as we left, but as we crossed the first of the smaller ranges the weather improved and we were driving past nice scenery, including quaint villages and farmland. Then there was another hilly range we had to cross, which was a lovely drive, there were also a lot of wind turbines here.
We then got to Strasbourg, crossing the river Rhine into France. We drove to the center area of the city, then had to find where to park, which Bhavni tried to do. A couple of places were closed or difficult to get to, but eventually we found a parking garage to the south of the old town at Parcus Parking Saint-Nicolas – quite reasonable prices also.
This was in other historic area and we had to pass a city gate as we continued to the bridge over the river and to the center, where we found the tourist crowds. As it was lunch time, Bhavni had been looking for a bakery, and we found one she had read the reviews about and ordered a bit of pastries – croissants and cinnamon rolls. We then went to the cathedral area – really nice cathedral – and found a place to sit near there and watch the crowds.
After the food, we walked back to the parking garage taking in the scenery and photos and headed out for the next leg. This took us past lots of farmland around Metz and onto Reims.
It was close to 5.30 when we parked in Reims as it was a obvious choice to stop for dinner. We parked on the street next to Les Hautes Promenades (after a bit of debate about the parking and meters – it was free). To make sure we were all fed and wartered we went to IT – Italian Trattoria Reims, ordering a couple of pizzas and some pasta for Airyen. The guys behind the counter were quite helpful and just told us to pay after we had finished. Bhavni also got a large bin bag for transporting the child seat for later.
We then had a wonder – first to Place Drouet d’Erlon up the street and then I walked us all to the Cathedral around 6.30. The cathedral was impressive and it was still open so we ventured inside and had a look and a sit down (as well as light some candles). After this we made our way to the car for the final push.
Now it was a drive towards Calais, with the sun setting as we drove. We passed Saint-Quentin and then to Calais Fréthun – where we filled up the car and then went to the Railway station, where the AVIS car drop of was.
The drop off was a question of finding a parking with all the badly parked cars and then rushing to get our stuff out (putting the seat in the bag etc), then making our way to the building, where we could drop of keys and get the train that was due to leave soon to Calais central. Well the train was not working – and after Bhavni tried to question the one staff member here we found there was a bus replacement. So we got on, with only one other onboard.
The bus left and drove towards Calais. The driver abruptly stated “terminus”, so we ended up disembarking on a dark road. Bhavni quickly made us go to the lit station that was just ahead. Here we called a XL Uber to take us the rest of the way. The uber driver arrived and said that the items would not fit and we would have to call another uber. Bhavni however said that we only had one phone to call an uber and could she try to put it in the car. The guy was impressed it all fitted!
So it was onto the ferry terminal – a nce looking building in the middle of nothing. Now we had a 3h wait, so we went to the only seats we could see free – next to a person who looked to be sleeping rough, but as it turned out was a backpacker from uk. Here we camped down and somehow got Airyen to sleep with his complaint of comfort.
At around 2am we saw the bus had arrived and we made our way ferrying our items (and Airyen). The people on board had spread themselves out a bit, but the students at the back made us some room.
Now the emigration. In a car its simple here … they gathered everyone’s passport, we waited in a side road while they were initially checked. Then they were given back. Then we had to disembark and go through security joining a line to see border security – quick for us some others not that quick. Then it was back onto the coach. (You know when you here a guard telling someone that they are going to be here for a long time).
Finally we were on the move again and boarded an Irish Ferry – Airyen was asleep again at least. We got to go on board and find a place to sit for the hour. Its a bit hard to sleep for us as you are looking after stuff – the lights are bright and there is lots of noise. As we were docking in the UK we made our way to the coach – we were nearly the last. It soon disembarked and drove to the coach station in London.
When we arrived we were greeted by Akshey who had come to pick us up.