Checked out of the Mozart Hotel after breakfast (a bit smaller than the big German ones but still substantial) this morning after having a tiny chat with an English couple who were on the same route. Then it was back to the Migros for some snacks for the ride.
Nothing too much of note on this side of the lake, a lot of farmland, lakeside restaurants, huge camping grounds (often permanent residents) and long runs beside the railroad (the commuter train passed me over and over again).
The clouds darkened and gathered in a similar fashion to what they did yesterday and, right on cue, about 13k East of Konstanz, it started to come down. I was out in an open area but I got all my gear on before the brunt of it hit. It cleared somewhat before I arrived back at Radweg-Reisen and returned the bike. They are so gracious. There's a seating area and they make you coffee while you unwind and get all your gear off the bike. Great company. They gave me a bag to hold all the stuff that was in the pannier and directed me to the nearest bus stop.
Of course, I was way early (just after 11) so checking in was out of the question and I did have a few errands I wanted to run.
First I bussed to the train station and used a machine to buy my ticket to Zurich Airport. I still had a voucher as part of the tour for entry to the Rosgarten Museum so I made a visit, then, using the GPS, I searched for a bicycle store to buy some souvenirs. My gloves had worn through so they were on the list and I've started a habit of buying a cycle jersey on each tour so that was also included.
The bike store was closed for lunch until 14:30 so I had to kill time. So what happened? The clouds darkened and the rain poured down. A quick snack in a hamburger joint, a few minutes hiding under various awnings and church entries, and finally I made it into the store and got some really nice gloves and jersey.
Then out into the rain again and over to a bus stop to wait for 15 minutes for the #4. It arrived packed to the gills with rowdy students who fortunately got off a few stops before mine. Now checked in, drying out, arranging packing and planning tomorrow morning's bus trip to the train station.
Side note: I had to learn a new greeting. I had encountered guten Morgen, Morgen, Grüß Gott and guten Tag, but people kept saying something new to me. Turns out it was Grüezi which I adopted as quickly as possible. It's a Swiss thing.
THE STATS
Total Distance on Bicycle: 324Km
Total Time Pedalling: 18 Hours
Average Speed: 16Kph
Maximum Speed: 36Kph
Estimated Calories Burned: 7700
The Photos:
Snack Stop
Interesting Bike Racks
Caught in the rain in Konstanz
The Movie
Jim
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