After much debate we decided it was best to stay in Lindau and get Keith's bike some hoped for TLC. Lindau is the origin of our finding the expression 'fully booked' so funny. When we were here last year we didn't get much of a chance to see the town itself, so we decided to stay another day. Keith went down to inquire about staying and the very eccentric hotelier barked "fully booked" at Keith, at full volume and in a strong German accent. We carried on! So today we will explore Lindau. I admit, I had itchy feet, and was ready to ride, but Keith isn't feeling 100% yet, so a little TLC for him won't hurt either.
We enjoyed our breakfast in the cute little Hotel Viktoria and set out in search of a bike shop. We found three, two of which were unable to help us. They dealt pretty much strictly in e bikes. The third was great, but unfortunately the problem with Keith's bike involves a part which he didn't have. He assured Keith that he should be good for the five hundred or so kilometres to Frankfurt. We hope he is right!
The Hotel Viktoria. We love our room on the top floor with the roof angles. It just feels so cosy. The young woman who runs the place couldn't be more helpful and speaks excellent English.
At the second bike shop. Victoria e bikes. Beautiful machines. They really are. The sales rep was very interesting to talk to. These are only sold in Austria and Germany. We told him he should start selling them in Victoria!
I debated about including this. Note the chief photographer's thumb! The sales rep was so nice though, I decided to overlook the bright yellow in the foreground.
This product is very interesting. He told us to YouTube it to see how it works. Our internet is so slow we haven't done that yet. His description of a German comedian demonstrating it is enough to make me want to though. Hilarious.
We returned the bikes to the hotel and spent the majority of the day walking. It is a beautiful old town, and we enjoyed having the time to poke around, in and out of the shops, and to explore the waterfront on foot. We stopped for coffee at a lovely cafe and discussed tomorrow and next year's tour.
This fountain was gorgeous. They were tearing up the cobblestones in front of it. Some kind of infrastructure repair. It was very interesting to watch how they relaid the cobblestones. I may have already mentioned it, but cobblestones are a pain in the butt on a bike. Literally. It is no wonder so many European bikes have suspension.
We have decided (I think!) to cycle the south side of the lake tomorrow, and are back in the room, gathering strength to go out for dinner, and poring over maps. We did this side of the lake last year, so the south will be all new, but it is still hard to decide, because this side is so gorgeous. I wish we had time to do both.
Back from dinner. Chinese food! There is a surprise, and it was fantastic Chinese food. We were on our way to a completely different spot, smelled the Chinese food and in we went. I had one of the best wonton soups I have ever had. Switzerland it is tomorrow, and we are looking forward to it. Keith is still hacking away, but he says he feels better on the bike, so we are heading towards Konstanz on the Swiss side. We will be in three countries tomorrow!
Today's ride: 8 km (5 miles) Total: 2,035 km (1,264 miles)
