If you read yesterday’s blog, we had determined that the EV6 was on the German side of the Rhine. So we were surprised to start seeing EV6 signs posted with the Swiss #2 route. So this meant that we were still on the EV6, and we officially left it today, where the Aare river comes into the Rhine.
So this was the end of our longest journey in Europe on the same bicycle route. We started on the EuroVelo 6 in St. Brevine, at the mouth of the Loire, on the Atlantic Coast 3 weeks ago. It’s been a fantastic journey!
If you combine this tour with our past ones, we have covered all of the EV6 from the Coast to Vienna, with the one exception from the Bodensee to Kelheim Germany, essentially the upper Danube. Someday we hope to complete that section, but probably won’t attempt the final section from Vienna to the Black Sea. We’ve become less interested in truly “roughing it” touring, as we’ve gotten older.
A most enjoyable part of our day, was repeating our route from one year ago, and trying to reach back and feel what we were like then, having just arrived in our new country. So much has happened, and the year has been so full, that it was like watching an old movie, where you don’t remember the plot until it unfolds.
As we came around each bend, the memories returned: Here’s where we saw storks nesting! This is the horrible path when we first started to consider switching from the trailer to using panniers. And our favorite, here’s where we took the photo that was used in the Swiss Times article about our year-long exchange!
It will be fun to compare the two photos, the wide eyed newbees, with the seasoned expat tourists!
Oh, and what are the two new waters? Well, the Aare river of course – and then sweat! At the beginning of this trip temperatures were in the 13c/50f range. Today was our hottest day of the trip (we hope!), 35c/95f. Ouch! That’s the hottest it ever got all last summer. Is Switzerland trying to make up for the late spring?