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I am going to say this very quietly for fear of tempting fate, but once again the promised storms didn't appear. Yes it was drizzling when we left the hotel, but that soon dried up. Climbing into the mountains of the Alsace was cool, sometimes misty, but always spectacular. It was the perfect practice grounds for the Alps to come.
We retraced some of the routes from previous trips in the region and, I think, the better ones. With quite a long ride ahead we didn't have time to spend in some of the beauty spots and at the war memorial, which was a shame. The roads, towns and villages were however beautiful. I am not a religious person myself but I do appreciate a good church and in this part of Europe they know how to build a good church.
We were soon out of the Alsace, crossing the flat plain and over the Swiss boarder. From there we mixed up fast highways with very rural single track route through farm lands. We stopped at a supermarket / garden centre for a spot of lunch and coffee. The shop had a fascinating mix of wares, from groceries to
pizza ovens, bicycles to swimming pools, motorcycle attire to horse grooming clippers. Odd for Southampton, perfect for rural Switzerland. Funny though, I can't imagine ASDA in the New Forrest selling horse blankets.
As we were in the neighbourhood we swung over to the Ace Cafe in Lucerne for another coffee and a Kodak moment. Note to self, plan an Ace Cafe tour, or at the very least visit the one in the UK.
The ride through Lucerne itself is not one of my favourites. Its a busy city with far to many traffic lights, staggered junctions and some very confusing road layouts. Still, tomorrow when we head back that way we should have the hang of it.
One thing that always gets me thinking in rural areas and small villages, is, what does everyone do for a living? Not so in this area, there are huge factories or facilities all over. With saw mills a-plenty, the air is heady with the scent of fresh cut timber (and cow poo!). It's nice to see the countryside maintaining the population, and not everyone has had to leave for the city.
And now tonights hotel. Its a classic Swiss
building with lots of wood panelling everywhere on the main road into the town of Innertkirchen. Its in a valley, surrounded by steep granite rocks faces. We are in Switzerland, of course it is. After a modest meal and a decadent ice-cream dessert its off for an early night. Sadly the mountain Gods have not seen fit to clear the passes we planned to ride tomorrow and we have to make a detour. Back tracking a little, and with the risk of a motorway, we are having to go north to go south. In this part of the world, when a road is closed the detour can be a bitch.
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