Day 9 – Wed 18 Jun 14, Buchs (Switzerland) to Lindau (Germany

Forecast: 8-23 deg C; Listed Distance: 57km; Distance travelled: 65km; Cumulative distance: 259km; Buchs: 22 deg C; Lindau: 24 deg C; Wind: NNE 11 km/h; Av speed: 16.2 km/h (a bit slow, but we did have a headwind); Ride time: 3h41m

We both felt a little better this morning, the sniffles and cough were very annoying but short lived, thanks mainly to the on-board pharmacist.

After a hearty Swiss brekky, including lashings of coffee, we got away about 8am and went directly onto the Rhine bike path which was billiard table smooth for all but 5km which was hard packed gravel/dirt and still very rideable. A slight breeze turned into a character building headwind for about 38km. That was soon forgotten when we got our first glimpse of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). The Rhine flows into and then out the other end of this lake. The shores are dotted with parks, gardens, marinas, cafés, restaurants and tourist stuff. The place is a Mecca for cyclists and 'normal' tourists. There are cycle paths right around it; all 273km. The lake is 63km X 14km (at max) 536km2 with a max depth of 254m. Germany, Switzerland and Austria share the shoreline. Over a 1,000 tonnes of fish are hauled out of the lake every year. 

Our first stop was in Bregenz and we stopped beside Lake Konstanz (Constance) for late mornos/early lunch which consisted of our rolls/sandwiches we made in Buchs. 

We rode around the shore of the Lake on our way to Lindau and soon enough we were at our accommodation – Das Mietwerk – Hostel Lindau. Greg did a marvellous job of navigating and we didn't get lost once!  We arrived very early at the hostel and Wendy volunteered to stay put and mind the bikes and gear as we couldn’t check-in until 3pm.  Wendy spent the time cleaning the bikes of the dust encountered on the gravel roads. Greg went for a walk first, then came back for his bike.
As the name of the accommodation suggests, it was a Hostel and we had originally booked a room with only a loo and wash basin, with the shared shower just down the hall.  However, when the guy (Aurel) found out we had been waiting for a while he gave us a choice of a room with a private shower as well, at no extra cost. The only catch was that it was below ground level with not such a nice view. As Wendy was doing the checking in today, she took the room with ensuite over the view. He didn't tell her that the beds were bunks, but that's OK as she probably would still have taken it.  Greg took the top bunk.

We unpacked, had a shower and a little nap and then walked to the city for dinner. And as we were sitting down for dinner with a beer in the mall the Aussies went 2-1 up in the World Cup against the Dutch (the final score was not in the Aussie’s favour though). Life doesn't get any better than this.  The actual city of Lindau is an island and very popular with the tourists. It is only a 2km walk from the hostel.  It was another relatively early night as we were both still not 100%.

Bike bridge over Rhine tributary

Sea Theatre in Bregenz



Our room

Bike jam in Lindau

Lindau harbour

Old Town Hall, Lindau

The Rhine cycleway

A Rhine tributary near Bregenz

Das Mietwerk

The breakfast spread

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