Balsthal to Bern

August 13, 2016

We were in a valley surrounded by mountains, it seemed, yet it was supposed to be a relatively flat day. 36 miles and about 1900 feet of climbing. You call this Switzerland? Yes. The Swiss mostly occupy the valleys between the mountains, and the roads tend to follow those valleys and, of course, only cross the mountains at passes. But then, that was in the old days. With modern highways, we can bridge or tunnel a lot more, but we aren't riding on those kinds of roads . . . much.

Today's ride to Bern.

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It was another bright day and warm by the time we pushed off from our hotel in Balsthal. And flat. We headed down the valley in a southwest direction, but I saw on my Garmin that the route turned southeast, and I could see a pass in the distance. Hmmmm, I wondered, "We can get through that without a climb?"

Headed southwest out of Balsthal. Shortly up ahead, we turn left!

As it turned out, yes, you can. Somehow nature devised a plan to route the Dünnern River between two mountains, creating a flat passage through. At one time, this was probably an important passage. There was a stronghold on the mountain to our left, Alt-Falkenstein, flying the Swiss flag. The Swiss are (were) known for protecting important passageways into their country, and no doubt this would have been one of them.

It was rolling terrain but mostly headed downhill. Downhill to the Dünnern, then a right to head for Solothurn, also on a river, the Aare. So it was easy morning cycling. Except for the construction activity, which seems to be everywhere (but not really). Yesterday we must have gone through four or five work sites, with the most significant one being on the climb to Passwang. The first one today was a piece of cake, but I stopped to translate the warning signs nonetheless. Just being careful. I hate being turned around. But no luck there; Google Translate did not cooperate. So we pushed on. If you have read my other blogs, you'll know I always push on. Better to ask for forgiveness than to try a detour! I have found that most times you can get through (sometimes with a little persuasion).

Repaving a road, which included this circle.

And we made the right choice, although some sidewalk riding was required. They were only repaving this section of road so passage was easy. So note to self: Due to the weather, Switzerland has a short construction season. Expect a lot of activity in the summer months!

And on we pressed. Through many small villages and towns, making use of bike trails along Swiss Route 5 when they were available (which was most of the time). We eventually arrived in Solothurn, a beautiful city on the previously mentioned Aare River.

On one of the many bike trails to Solothurn.

The Solothurn waterfront and Aare River. I could spend a day here . . .

Along the way, we had our first sighting of the Alps. Far in the distance (but not so far really). At first, I took it to be just clouds on the horizon. Then we stopped, and Mark pointed them out. Amazing. Big. Not so far away. Intimidated? A little.

But first, on to Solothurn (one problem at a time). From there, while I did not recognize it at the time (I typically only do a cursory review of the route in advance), it was all uphill. But it was slight except around MP 20 and 25. I was still feeling yesterday's climb. Stopping at MP 17 for a leisurely lunch did not help, as I cooled down a bit and needed to get back into action on the climb that followed.

For lunch, we finally had to break down and get some cash in CHF. It seems many small places do not accept credit cards.

The countryside on the way to Bern. This was in the rolling, hilly section after lunch.

Another great bike trail. This one, along the railroad. All the local towns have stations.

But the best part was still ahead of us. We were barely breaking 900 vertical feet or so, and we were only several miles outside of Bern. So we still had some serious hills to knock out. Three, in fact, just to get us across the river into the old town center!

Finally, arrival in Bern. A bike trail down into the valley after crossing some good hills.

Bern sits on a beautiful curve in the Aare River, which means all that climbing was just to get over the drainage divide! It was also the most direct route!

And then those wonderful cobblestones. Fortunately, there was a covered drainage grate down the middle of the road that was wide enough to ride comfortably and limited our bumpy experience.

The main drag in Bern . . . at least for the tourist.

The drainage grate in the center of the street came in handy. Just watch out for the streetcars (trams).

The city was crowded with tourists. Plus, Monday is a national holiday (Assumption Day), so there was a lot of activity everywhere, and it was even more so later that night. It was also a Saturday! Fun for all!

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 592 miles (953 km)

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