August 25, 2024
To Zürich
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Rain and wind overnight have brought about the lower temperatures that my weather app had predicted. It's actually cold enough to wear an extra layer all day, the only time in over a month of touring. So there's no need to leave our comfy gästhaus too early in order to beat the heat.
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Today, the final day of our tour, is all about the numbers. 32 days, 1,554 km and 11,500 metres of climbing by the time we plant our bikes on the shores of Zürichsee this afternoon.
The ride itself is not really one for the books. There have been many more scenically memorable days and 'getting to Zürich' has taken over.
We begin by following the German right bank of the Rhine but soon cross over it at Albbruck, parting company with this great waterway for the final time. Now, the route takes us across rolling country and through that oh so familiar Swiss landscape to the river Aar, and later the Limmat, which will eventually bring us into Zürich.
It's Sunday morning so we're on high alert for any sign of life at bakeries or grocery stores. Church bells are pealing insistently. Where is everyone? We give up on hopes of caffeine and stop at a park bench for what turns out to be our final boil-up cuppa on the road before getting on with the business of getting to Zürich.
But wait. There's a scrum of people outside a bakery to our left and they're eating and drinking. Sunday prayers answered! With just 10 minutes to its midday closing time, the small bakery is doing a roaring trade. It's another 'last' milestone - this time, our last bakery coffee and treat.
On the road again, there are no more green spaces for cups of tea; the landscape is built up and industrial. We're on the Zürichstrasse now which leads us through Baden, then Dietikon. These are all just names on the map though; it seems that we're pedalling through one giant urban mass. It's a busy road but we generally have a separate path or an on-road painted yellow line that's respected by drivers.
At last, we glimpse a body of water straight ahead. It has to be the lake, doesn't it? We park our bikes right in front of the lakeshore, sit on a park bench and eat our scavenged lunch. High five!
We have a couple of days in Zürich and then a night at an airport hotel - a chance to organise bike boxes, catch up with friends and renew our acquaintance with one of our favourite cities. Because I like to close circles, I feel a strong need to finish our tour where it started - Zürich airport. I've been told this is a silly idea, but we'll see. Expect one more journal entry in a day or so.
Today's video clip is very short and very sweet: Zürichsee.
Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles)
Total: 1,554 km (965 miles)
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