What Country are we in Anyway?: Stein Am Rhein to Konstanz to Meersburg
It is very embarrassing as a tourist to have to ask what country you are in, but if you look at the complicated border between Switzerland, Germany and Austria, you will understand. The tourist office actually has a special map to help you out. Yesterday we were in and out of Germany several times, and today was a repeat experience.
We awoke to a surprise. Clouds! Fortunately, they didn't rain on us, so all was well. I put on my rain jacket just in case but didn't need it. Leaving beautiful Stein Am Rhein we met an organized tour group headed for Konstanz. They were moving at a good pace, had a guide who knew exactly where he was going and we attached ourselves to the back of the group so there was no drama in the route finding today. We left them when they stopped for coffee as we wanted some time in Konstanz so had our break there. It wasn't a long ride today which gave us lots of time for sight seeing.
The ride was beautiful and Konstanz is a neat city. Again, lots of pedestrian and bike only zones. Tons and tons of bikes. We loved it. We had a super lunch at a little place where the server spoke English but she was new and didn't know the menu. We told her to surprise us, and we had two different, delicious sandwiches. Some more exploring, Keith bought another map (really, he did!) and we were on the 2:40 ferry to Meersburg.
What a super spot. But! Tourist Information is straight up a long steep hill. I saw the sign and let the CN know I was doing a quick loop to get into a lower gear and then on my way. Somehow he missed the message as he was staring at the GPS. I went up, and up, and up, thinking he was right behind me. Nope, he was at the bottom of the hill wondering where the heck I had disappeared to. We have a pact. If we lose each other we return to the last place we saw each other. I had to go back down the interminable steep hill to collect him. When he went up it with me he couldn't believe it. I earned my supper on that hill!
We are in the cutest little Gasthaus tonight with a simply lovely proprietor. We love the room and the location. We walked all over the town (yup, up the hill) and had a terrific time. Tomorrow we are not sure where we will stop as we cycle the Bodensee. It will be a stop and go kind of a day. There is so much to see.
Following our tour group, who happily adopted us, down the hill...
Bikes parked by our lunch spot. People don't lock their bikes to anything in these pedestrian zones, they just lock the wheel to the frame. Almost everyone has a kickstand so it makes parking them easy. This is a designated bike parking area.
We ate outside here. The only downside to eating outdoors in Germany is the smokers, and France is worse. It really bothers me to see so many people doing something so detrimental to their health.
We got a kick out of this school group who are on a week long tour. Keith asked one girl if she was having a good time and she gave him an emphatic no! They negotiated the same hill to get to the youth hostel. We had a good laugh.
Our Hund of the Day. He is named after a Norwegian prince, but Keith and I, despite many attempts by his human, couldn't really catch what the name was. Another great conversation though, and this time the Hund contributed with a few deep barks of his own.
