Today was a blue sky morning but very cool, only 6 or 7 degrees. Sion sits in a bowl surrounded by mountains and the temperature drops quickly in the evening.
Our start times are not improving and are actually going the wrong way. By 11 am the temperature was 10 degrees Celsius. We thought that this was a reasonable temperature and thus time, to begin our shorter ride to Brig! Talking to the hotel staff, Pat was told that we were now leaving the French speaking part and going to the German speaking part of Switzerland.
We both started the ride with an extra layer today! Departing Sion was super easy as we left from the back door via a pedestrian bridge over the Rhone and a tunnel below the main freeway. We then cycled a main road east for 5 kilometres which fortunately was not very busy on Sunday. We soon turned off and picked up the familiar route 1 and continued following the river.
Beautiful blue sky morning and our first Rhone crossing of the day. The terraced hills in the background are so steep but filled with vineyards.
Fruit stand where we bought some plums. This was handy as the grocery store in Sion was closed today (Sunday). We were riding the highway for a short stretch here, but it was all very well marked and designated as a cycling route.
Our lunch stop view. We wondered if anyone had taken a dip here. Nice beachy area but quick drop off and the current is quite strong. Bet the water is freezing cold, too!
It was not long into the ride that the extra layers were stored away. With the sun out it was warming up quickly to the forecasted high of 21 degrees. By after lunch Scott was down to a t-shirt but it was not uncommon to see riders in the other direction in down jackets.
The last few kilometres to Brig were unbelievably easy cycling! Brand new pavement and the strong wind to our backs - we barely had to pedal.
Although there are numerous signs marking the Rhone cycle route, it can still be easy to miss them; so today we primarily followed Scott`s prearranged routing. We were frequently on the cycle route but it was not unusual to find route 1 signs on both sides of the river and cycle paths in many locations. We were on every kind of surface from gravel paths to highways with separated bike lanes. Many sections of the ride were through small and larger industrial areas which, happily, were all quiet on Sunday.
Upon arriving in Brig we decided to check out the Autoverlad Simplon train system about one kilometre down the road. We are planning to take the train through the Alps tomorrow. It was easy to locate and checking with the lady at the gate, very straight forward to use. No reservations required, pay when you board, runs every 90 minutes for a short 20 minute crossing. We had thought about skipping a stay in Brig and heading over in the afternoon but decided there was no rush and Brig has a good reputation as a small town to see. We are glad we stayed.
We stopped at the pub Brittania for an afternoon beer. The people around us were all very amused with our ¨old school selfie¨ camera timer system. Our arms are just not long enough! The hotel we booked for the night (Schlosshotel) was a self serve check in. Not sure what to expect, we were a bit nervous. But the set up was brilliant and worked like a charm. We got a great room with a perfect view of Stockalper Palace.
We were having beer across the street from this wonderful building.
The self serve check-in system worked perfectly. Put our name in and it pulled up our reservation, told us what to pay, issued our room key and a receipt.
For dinner we walked the short distance back into town to find a restaurant. The town was quiet and getting a seat anywhere would not be a problem. We selected an Italian restaurant and shared a salad, a great lasagna and equally good tiramisu. We wandered back to the hotel, cutting through the Stockalper Palace grounds. Kind of spooky at night and there was even a black cat! Tomorrow we will be going to Italy!
Today's ride: 61 km (38 miles) Total: 268 km (166 miles)
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KAREN JONESWe were less than 6 hours (by car) away from you in Innsbruck! Glad your weather on the previous days was better than ours!! Reply to this comment 2 years ago
