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Published: August 8th 2011
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Last night we enjoyed one of our most enjoyable meals yet in Switzerland -- stuffed baked potatoes. Because Swiss food is so expensive, we have really have to watch our francs. But our host, Antti, took us to a restaurant that serves only baked potatoes -- about 50 varieties. I got mine with cheese, tuna, mushrooms, and garlic sauce -- delicious. Bill’s had much more stuff on it and was smothered in barbecue sauce. These suckers were huge!!! With an ice cream cone for dessert, we were nicely satiated.
In order to work up an appetite (as if biking 60 kms were not enough), we walked up to the castle, which has been a fortress since the mid-fourteenth century. We met and talked with the man who, with his wife, lives in the top of the castle now. He’s kind of a custodian/tour guide and is distantly related to our host’s girlfriend, Selma.
After dinner, before the rain set in, we walked over to the monastery that boasts an extensive herb garden. People are actually encouraged to touch the plants, pull off a leaf or two and enjoy the taste or aroma.
By the time we arrived
back at the apartment, it was beginning to rain. Lady and the Tramp were tucked safely away in the basement. Selma was spending some time with friends in Zurich, so we caught up on emails and the blog and hit the sack before 10 p.m.
However, I think we were the only ones sleeping in Schaufhausen at 10 p.m. Everyone else was partying in the streets just below the apartment window. Though the laughter and the rain woke me several times throughout the night (it never did get totally quiet), I was able to go back to sleep quite easily.
We had eaten breakfast and were ready to go by 8. The weather, however, was not cooperative, so we waited until the rain abated and left around 10, knowing we were going just 50 kms or so -- no rush.
Two bits of good news -- One, we stayed dry. No rain until we were already set up in the campground. Two, we got lost just once, and it wasn’t our fault. There was construction at a railroad bridge and we got “misplaced” for a km or two, but were able to retrace our steps and get
back on the bike trail. I’d like to think we’re better at finding the right trails, but it’s more likely that the trail is just better marked through this area.
The border between Switzerland and Germany has got to be the most confusing border in the world. You’d think it would be defined by the river, but it’s not. Sections of the Switzerland are actually surrounded by Germany and vice versa. We stayed on the north side of the river but still found ourselves crossing between the two countries several times throughout the day.
Probably the highlight scenery-wise of today’s ride was the Rheinfall, the largest waterfall in Europe. Though not nearly as high as Niagra Falls, the volume of water is tremendous. The rest of the day we were on paved bike paths that took us through several small villages which were Sunday-quiet.
Our destination this evening was the campground near Waldshut; there isn’t another campground for at least 40 kms and we are due to be in Basel, Switzerland, tomorrow evening. That will make for a long day tomorrow, but we know that we have friends and a warm bed there.
This campground is quite nice and relatively inexpensive as it's in Germany. In fact, we splurged on dinner at the restaurant, getting a real meal and even dessert -- strawberry cheesecake and apple strudel with ice cream. Of course, once we got here and washed up our clothes, it began to rain. And it has rained off and on all afternoon and evening. No problem though -- the campground actually has covered bicycle parking and a nice enclosed room for us cyclists to hang out in, playing cards, eating dinner, or even writing our blogs.
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