A parallel world

When I started to cycle alone for the first day of my trip I almost immediately met people (mostly cycling people to be fair) on my way. 

I had a nice exchange with a local girl who said she was in a hurry on the way to her grandma but seemed to be very interested about my trip and told me a fairy tale about a deer who jumped across the mountains to escape a hunter. Then I met another local who was introducing his sister (who lived in another region of Germany) to what he considered to be the best ascent of the Schwarzwald. I could almost keep up with them ascending with my luggage (more than 30 kg whereas they had light racing bike with almost nothing on it) and I saw them at a hut at the top where I tried to keep myself warm after the ascent. I didn’t realise that climb (+900m in a row in steep laces) would be so hard and so cold. There were still lots of snow at the top of Felberg (highest peak of Black Forest)! But those nice encounters, smiles and conversations gave me more energy than a thousand chocolate bars. 

I considered the Black Forest and its first mountain stages as a good test before the Alps and the Dolomites. I coped with it but I also realised the efforts I had to consent for doing so. Let see if I will need to adjust a bit the journey accordingly in the coming days. I have still a long way until the Bosphorus Strait. 

While crossing Black Forest I passed by precise spots I had been to in other contexts with friends and it brings me back some nice memories. 

At night I was hosted by a super kind couple (Roland and Karen) who live in a renovated old farm house in Sommersau (means « summer meadow » in German), a small village lying along a stream and which counts probably more animals than inhabitants. It was my first experience ever with Warmshowers (kind of Couchsurfing for cyclists). We had nice talks about cycling, adventure in general and life. A complete deconnexion. I exposed them my conception of traveling by bike as getting into parallel world (I wouldn’t call it « underground » with all the outdoors that it implies). A world so close to us geographically just at hand but that stays out of reach in our everyday lives because it requires to really slow down to get into it. It implies a real attention to all the beauty around us, be it of natural or human origin. 

I had the pleasure to share the start of my third stage with my host Roland after joining him to feed the Icelandic horses living next to the house. 

The third cycling day in itself was supposed to be much easier than the day before but the wind and a super huge ascent (more than 15 % on 3 km) in the middle of it (it reminds me a bit of la Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges) made it quite challenging. 

I thought my legs deserved a dip into the cold water of Konstanz lake and I headed to the shore as soon as possible when I came around. This cryotherapy helped me to push on my legs and struggle against the wind to reach the final point of the stage: the lovely city of Konstanz where, after crossing the bridge linking the two parts of the lake, I was hosted by Alex, another cycling fan, with whom I shared a good meal and lots of cycling adventures. 

Once again I started my day with a small ride with my host, this time on Alex’s way to work. 

The banks of Konstanz lake were really cute from end to end. Little ports with lots of flowers. Peace and quiet. Only occasionally troubled by a train passing by on the bordering line making the turn of the lake.

I think I have crossed today the highest number of borders on a single day in my life, passing from Germany to Switzerland, and then each time I was crossing the Rhine, from Switzerland to Austria, from Austria to  Switzerland again, from Switzerland to Austria again and then to Liechtenstein, where I ended the longest stage of my trip so far (104 km).

If yesterday was much harder than expected today I had the contrary impression with very good weather conditions as I was getting always deeper into the Alps. I now realise I am surrounded by mountains on every side. I will have to find the exit to get to Italy no matter how in the coming days. But now it’s time for a beer! 

Greetings from Vaduz everyone!