Lucerne to Zurich Airport

June 16, 2019

Days Like This Make Us Want to Keep Going

What a wonderful, wonderful final day. We couldn’t have asked for more in terms of weather, scenery and just plain fun. It will be tough to put the bikes in boxes tomorrow. We are certainly looking forward to our trip to Berlin though, so into the boxes they must go.

The Hotel Drei Könige in Lucerne was terrific. Such wonderful staff, a good breakfast and a quiet comfortable room in a great location. We really enjoyed it. They also had some of the little things that make life more convenient on the road, like USB plugs so you don’t have to mess with adaptors to plug your electronics in.

It was cloudy when we started out, but dry. The forecast for Lucerne was ‘showers around’ (I love that way of putting it) so we were ready for anything. The afternoon forecast for Zurich was sun. We were headed in the right direction.

We had the Goretex right on top. These skies didn’t look very promising.

The bike route was beautiful and traffic free. We followed Swiss Route 94 all the way to Zurich.

Well, the inevitable happened and it started to rain. Sprinkle actually, and it started precisely where the bike path paralleled the highway briefly...and where a highway rest station that had cappuccinos and chocolate was located. How lucky are we?

That was it for rain. We were sprinkled on for about fifteen minutes. Just enough to put on our jackets. We were taking them off in no time. By the time we were having our picnic lunch in Zug, the sun was shining.

A golf course! We had to check that out.

Nothing to do with bike touring, but if we had these couches at the driving range where we practice we might never be inspired to actually get up and hit a ball.

Then we had the pleasure of watching these horses canter.

We rolled through Cham which was really a lovely spot. I was starting to think about lunch and was a bit surprised when the CN rolled by some beautiful lakeside spots, but he was thinking Zug, and it was so close that was fine with me.

Keith stopped briefly to point out where we stayed in Zug last year. I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise, but suddenly I recognized everything. It was exciting to see familiar spots, and we rolled into the city park and enjoyed our lunch lakeside.

Our view at lunch. Zug is a beautiful spot.

We were on a dedicated bike path for quite some time after Zug, and the CN was finding the Sunday traffic was slowing him down. So many children on bicycles and strider bikes. We got such a kick out of it. What a great family thing to do on a sunny Sunday. The bike path is then on the highway for a brief time and Keith was so happy to be making tracks he flew by the turn, didn’t hear me whistling, didn’t see me waving and there I was at the intersection stopped and he sailed off into the distance. I waited for a bit, as I knew he would come back, but finally came to the conclusion I was going to have to chase him down. I found him about two km later, riding back up the hill, and we returned to the bike path.

You can see why the CN missed the turn. Bike lane, slightly downhill, low traffic. He was flying.

This was pretty amazing too though. Quiet and no traffic.

It was such a great ride into Zurich. The Swiss signage is so straightforward even I would have trouble getting lost. They do an amazing job. I was absolutely grateful for every moment of today’s ride.

We passed a truly huge youth soccer tournament. This is where we had lunch on our way from Zurich to Zug last year.

It was a beautiful, beautiful day. 26 degrees, which is right in my favourite temperature zone.

We stopped briefly in the main train station to reconnoiter and headed out, following last year’s track to the airport.

Then the most amazing thing happened. We were stopped while Keith considered which way to go and Jacques stopped to offer help. Christa and I were chatting, Keith and Jacques were chatting and they suggested we join them at their home to talk more about biking, and, helpfully, you can see the airport from their balcony. We had the time...it is close to the longest day of the year. What a wonderful visit we had. They have so much knowledge of the area and have done some of the same routes we have. It was just magical for us. Their kindness and hospitality was so appreciated. Jacques said something that resonated with both of us. When you travel, you can learn the history and the background. It is meeting the people and learning more about life where ever you are that is important.

It was so kind of them and so special. By the way, they have eleven bikes between them and no cars.

And then, before we knew it, we were there. It is such a bittersweet moment, the end of a tour. We have so much to look forward to at home. Our future daughter in law has arrived from Australia. We have missed our daughter in law and youngest son’s birthdays, so a celebration is due. The weather should be good at home (it does beat getting back in November). But still...it is hard to have it end. We are so grateful to have the health and ability to do this, and to have each other.

The Hotel Allegra Lodge is a fabulous place to stay and they keep their promises.

Tomorrow we pack the bikes and put everything we can think of in the bike boxes. Tuesday morning we fly to Berlin. There are some babies to meet and I can’t wait 😊. Even though we won’t be biking, I am going to keep blogging until we get home. We plan a very relaxed day tomorrow, starting of course, with breakfast.

Today's ride: 91 km (57 miles)
Total: 2,466 km (1,531 miles)

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David MathersThanks so much for sharing your amazing adventure with us. You guys are so positive and upbeat it is infectious. Looking forward to to seeing you back in Victoria. Safe travels.
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5 years ago

Kathleen JonesWhat a great tour. Thanks for taking us along.
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5 years ago

Kathleen ClassenTo David MathersWe are looking forward to seeing you too. We will have so many stories to share with each other!
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5 years ago

Kathleen ClassenTo Kathleen JonesThank you so much for reading. It is such a pleasure, this CycleBlaze community.
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5 years ago

Rachael AndersonGlad you had such a wonderful last day!
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5 years ago