July 14, 2016
Mulhouse to Basel
Almost exactly one month after disembarking in Roscoff, we leave France for Switzerland.
July 14 Thursday 41kms
Mulhouse to Basel
Almost exactly one month after disembarking in Roscoff, we leave France for Switzerland.
Starting the day with a goal to reach Basel bahnhoff, we decamp in showery and cool weather. Unable to give Mulhouse the going over she surely deserves, we follow the slightly complicated route out of town. A pain au raisin from the local artisan boulangerie raises our spirits and soon we reach the canal.
The sight of a mother Ragondin and her two offspring is the delight of the morning. She appears to be quite tame, unlike all of the others we have seen on route, and walks to within a metre of me. Her webbed feet are clear to see as she sits grooming.
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The remainder of the route is pretty much of a sameness and before long we are passing out of France and into Switzerland although somehow we turn down a side street and end up back in France.
A Pretty perfunctory departure from the country of rivers, canals, chateaux, cathedrals, camembert, croissants, bagettes and boulangeries. So much to miss- Municipal Camping- it’s partout, and their showers always on a push button timer, the super U that is always just 3 minutes down the road even if in reality it’s 10, the wonderfully tolerant drivers, the beautiful women, the endlessly optimistic pecheurs, the shops and toilets that have always just closed either because it’s Lundi or if not, there is some other reason everything is closed like for example, it’s lunchtime. No EU regimentation will ever change France – thank goodness.
In Basle we find the Bridge of three countries, though with no border checks, we miss the drama a little. At the train station we buy our tickets for Bern which are 100 Swiss francs plus 36 for our bikes. The station has very good lifts which makes changing platforms with bikes very painless and soon we are on our way. We eat a swept up lunch of bananas and baguette on the train.
Bern station is equally modern looking and very soon we are on our way through streets of the most beautiful old buildings to 48 Munsterstrasse. We lock our bikes up outside and go in to meet Sarah and Christian and little Luis. Their apartment is on the 5th floor and has a small terrace. The apartment also has a mezzanine floor with beautiful big dormer windows under a tiled roof, making the interior light and airy. After a delicious lasagna we go out for an evening stroll around the local streets
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Today's ride: 41 km (25 miles)
Total: 1,651 km (1,025 miles)
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