A very wet Zurich

Thurs 31 August

Woke to mist and rain. Unterägeri is a small town of about 8,500 in the canton of Zug on the shore of the Ägerisee.

We had a cruisey start: breakfast at 9 a.m. - we walked to Gilbert and Sabine's (Elodie had already walked to school at 8 a.m.).

We took bus then train with Gilbert into Zurich. Very wet today and predicted it will be so for the remainder of our stay. Gilbert is very disappointed about the weather but we are not bothered; we are not here to be tourists. We are here to catch up. Gilbert lived with us as an exchange student in 1990.

We exchanged my old Swiss money from many years ago for new/current money at one of the banks (UBS) with Gilbert's help.

A coffee before a visit to the Swiss National Museum - the Landesmuseum; then a city walking tour for 2 hours.

The museum is in a splendid French Renaissance building and has excellent collections including some marvellous interactive displays.

The walking tour was quite extensive and ended at the Grossmünster Romanesque-style Protestant church overlooking the Limmat River which flows through Zurich. According to legend, the Grossmünster was founded by Charlemagne, whose horse fell to its knees over the tombs of Felix and Regula, Zürich's patron saints. Huldrych Zwingli initiated the Swiss-German Reformation in Switzerland from his pastoral office at this church, starting in 1520. It has a large cycle of extraordinary stain glass windows by the great German artist Sigmar Polke (1941–2010), known as “the Alchemist” for his love of working with and combining unconventional materials.

It was a good plan for such a wet day, even if we got pretty wet feet. But the umbrellas kept us pretty dry.

Of interest historically is that during WWI, Lenin and his wife spent a year in exile in Zurich. A commemorative plaque on the house serves as a reminder. He finished his work "Imperialism as the Highest Stage of Capitalism" in Zurich. Whether Lenin visited the Cabaret Voltaire, the birthplace of Dadaism, is still unknown but has fuelled speculation as to whether Lenin was a secret Dadaist. When the Russian Revolution broke out in Russia in 1917, Lenin left his exile in Switzerland and returned to his homeland.

Not the best photo - the boys on the bus back home:

On our return to Unterägeri, we had showers, refreshed for an hour then walked up to have another wonderful dinner with Gilbert, Sabine and Elodie. Elodie greeted us at the door looking resplendent in her gymnastics outfit. Here she is with Milo.

We had a joke tonight that I refer to the boys as MF1 and MF2 in the blog, but that 'MF' could be misconstrued as Mein Fuehrer!!

Into Switzerland

Wed 30 Aug

Casual morning but still up early (funny, my auto spell checker made that word 'wearily' as if it had read my mind!) and MF1 and I went for a nice morning walk around Johannismarkt which is the neighbourhood where we are staying (named after the church St. Johann). Quiet still because main shops don't open until 10 a.m., except for cafes and, interestingly, the hairdressers or coiffeurs (of which there seem to be many!).

I did the same walk after breakfast with MF2 to show him around. It is a very pretty town.

Nice breakfast back at the hotel; the reception guy is a delight; he has just returned from living in Switzerland near the Italian border for 15 years.

We walk to the station, stopping to get sandwiches and water along the way. Great start to our journey is that our first train (albeit an hour earlier than originally planned) is now a TGV which would normally be much more expensive but we have had our ticket stamped 'gültig ohne Zugbindung'; I love the way the Germans put capital letters on words - in this case I think it is a pretty important word because basically I think this means we can journey as we please 'without tie' which means TGV or whatever - because of the problem of the track works at the border.

MF2 has his headphones on and eyes shut seemingly oblivious to our bonus TGV journey to our first stop at Mannheim!

We pass through towns, forests, lots of tunnels, even a station called Frachenstein😂!!

We have a 20 minute delay along the way (due to 'a vehicle in front of the train' so we miss our connection at Mannheim. The next train about 35 minutes later is then delayed 30 minutes - fortunately I was checking our info board on the platform and couldn't see it scheduled and got a wonderful station attendant fortunately (blonde, pretty and spoke perfect English) who explained that the train was delayed but that there was another due in a few minutes on another platform - so off to another platform very quickly (lugging suitcases up and down stairs between platforms)!! Chaos seems to be the order of the day!!

This train took us to Rastatt where we required the bus. I have found more information now on the tunnel problem:
'On the 12th of August, a land slip at the construction site of the new 4.27 kilometer tunnel being built at Rastatt caused major damage to the construction site and adjacent railway track. A twenty kilometer stretch of railway from Rastatt to Karlsruhe on one side, and Rastatt to Basel on the other side, has become inaccessible for train traffic.'
I have been spending much of my time today on the internet (thank goodness the trains so far have had internet) planning timetables ahead as our schedule is now completely kaput!

The race by all mankind to get on the buses is like what I imagine station scenes during the war would have been like. Totally insane. Every man and his dog (and there WAS one!) trying to get on board. Buses without compartments for luggage! EVERYONE has luggage. People are sitting, standing, propping on their bags in the aisle. Bus after bus fills up. As I say, like a war zone. (And thank goodness we hired bikes; this would have been a nightmare if we had brought our own!).

So into Baden-Baden by bus we arrive and onto a train to Basel (Switzerland). The Milka chocolate I had been saving from being eaten by the MFs for the past week made a welcome appearance as an afternoon snack.

A hugely long tunnel before Basel. Train was fast and smooth BUT it slowed down just before arrival into Basel and of course it arrived a few minutes late and - so we missed our next connection AGAIN.

Next train to Zurich - by now we would arrive an hour later than scheduled. What a day. I was hot, sweaty, feeling desperately in need of a shower. Train was very crowded with little space for suitcases. To this point we should have had a pleasant trip on two trains; instead we had 4 plus a bus.

And we had yet another train to Zug - a total of 5.

It was one those days where the transfer times got narrower, the trains came in late and it reminded me of one of those nightmares where you have a ball rolling down the hill behind you: as you try running away, it gets faster and bigger threatening to run you over - then you wake in a sweat. Or am I thinking of a Road Runner cartoon?

Of course Zurich station is huge so it took more than a few minutes to work out where everything was - plus, just as we sighted the ticket machines, a long line of young Swiss Army cadets - all loaded up with sub-machine guns and dressed to the hilt in khaki - marched across the station concourse in front of us; we didn't dare to break rank (we didn't see anyone else do so either!) so we waited, and we waited.

Finally got to ticket machine (such an extraordinary price to pay to just go a relatively short way to Zug - we paid less to come all this way from Saarbrücken!). But this IS Switzerland!

AND OF COURSE WE MISSED OUR CONNECTION. So, another wait and then onto a very crowded train - we scrambled for seats (nowhere really for luggage - AGAIN) and half an hour later we were in Zug. What a day! Feeling very hot and bothered!

But how wonderful - there on the platform waiting was Gilbert, with a smile bigger than the Sydney Harbour Bridge. That smile made it all worthwhile. It was so wonderful to see him. Many hugs and handshaking (if you're a guy, that is!). He whisked us away and we stopped briefly to leave our luggage, get the keys and say a brief 'hi' to our AirBnB host - Mirjam is very nice.

Then dinner with Sabine and Gilbert and Elodie. Elodie is so tall! Six years since we've seen them last and she is now 9 with a very nice tortoise-shell cat called Milo.

We had a lovely evening - a late night ending with grappa. Walked back to our AirBnB - it is just 10 minutes away - and fell into bed.

Saarburg to Saarbrücken

Tues 29 Aug

Beautiful day - AND we had the luxury option of sleeping in although I didn't of course. But at least we could be relaxed - went for a very short walk along the river and through the town, then breakfast, then a walk around the shops. We also had the luxury of not having to check-out until 11am.

Hot walk to the station - why do suitcases seem to get bigger and heavier during the course of a trip? Over 30 deg C again today.

Took the train to Saarbrücken (which is the capital of the Saarland region - pop. over 178,000) and had long walk to hotel but it was directly along the busy Bahnhofstrasse so we had an interesting walk looking at the shop windows as we went😄! Have not seen (in Europe so far) so many people begging!

We were lucky to be able to check in about an hour early and had a short break before heading back to the station to take the train back a few stations to Völklingen.

The Völklingen Hütte (Ironworks) are the world's only surviving smelting works from the Golden Age of the iron and steel industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1986 these gigantic ironworks - covering an area of 60 ha - were closed and in 1994 they became the first industrial monument to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The blasting hall with its colossal machines, the smelting works with its six huge blast furnaces, and the world's only inclined ore lift are regarded as some of the finest feats of early 20th century engineering, along with the charging platform – standing just under 30 metres in height – where the coke and ore were poured into the blast furnaces. There is a well-signposted circular tour which runs for around 6 kms and is utterly fascinating.

For some years now, the site has also provided a venue for cultural events and today there was the UrbanArt Bienniale 2017. I liked this one.

We spent a couple of hours here at least - could have spent longer. A fast walk back to the station and we lucked on a fast (non-stop) train back to Saarbrücken followed by a slow amble back to our hotel - but not before I went to the Deutsche Bahn information service at the station. Now here hangs a tale!

I had been concerned that our train tomorrow to Zurich, which has a change of train at Mannheim, involved a short 10-minute transfer there. Now the fellow at the info service said we had to travel on the service to Mannheim that we were ticketed for, but there must have been something 'lost in translation' because he conceded towards the end of our conversation that I could in fact change the ticket at the ticket office. Fortunately the DBahn ticket office was not busy and the first person to serve me quickly flicked me off to her colleague who she reckoned had better English. He showed expressions of doubt in this newly-thrust upon prowess, but he did in fact have more-than-adequate English, although he was thrown by the translation of beschädigten - which he relayed as 'track works'. In fact the DBahn website in English simply says that rail services at the Swiss border 'have been suspended until further notice'; the German version is more informative, indicating that tunnels there have been damaged. So he was right.

The upshot of all this, is that prior to my visit to the DBahn office, I knew nothing of this; nor did the guy at the information kiosk mention it either! So lucky thing that: 1) I was a worry-wart about the transfer time; 2) that I asked; 3) that I persisted.

We now have an entirely NEW schedule tomorrow - new departure time, a bus at the border and a total of 5 trains. Tomorrow will be interesting.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at Puntopasta of the most beautiful hand-made fresh pasta just down the street from our great little central hotel (we stayed here in 2013) when we did the Neckar cycle ride. And then finished off with a yummy yummy icecream from Henrys across from our hotel where I had seen people lining up all day.

Last night in Germany!

Last day of cycling: Ralingen to Trier; then train to Saarburg

Mon 28 Aug

Woke to a big fog. Needed lots of anti-inflam gel this morning...

Breakfast of our cereal and milk and crossed back over the river into Luxembourg. Nice riding. Lovely as the mist cleared and the sun came out quite strongly.

Somehow we missed the Ralingen tunnel. Not sure what happened there! Between Wintersdorf and Metzdorf (added to the 3 'dorfs' yesterday, I was trying to get to 7 - but alas, ran out of 'dorfs'), the track is mounted on stilts in order to protect the valuable wetland underneath. By the way, dorf = village.

Beautiful ride all the way to the Moselle river to Wasserbillig where we crossed on the ferry back to Germany and turned left to Trier. The ferry plies its way back and forth across the river all day long - only takes about 5 minutes.

At Konz we climbed the off-ramp to take the bridge over the point where the Saar River joins the Moselle, the blood pumping in my chest and my knees groaning and my brain saying 'no more of this!'. This is where we got our first puncture on the way to meeting Erika and Knud on their barge all those weeks ago. Better weather this time round!

In Trier we aimed straight for the waschsalon (laundromat). Clean clothes - hooray!

Trier was busy, a zillion people. It's an incredibly pretty place but I would prefer to be here when it is quieter (?).

We picked up the suitcases from the radgarage near the Porta Nigra - still there after all this time thankfully. (The suitcases I mean).

Then to the station to drop off the bikes and clamber on board the next train out; with just 4 minutes to spare, we were on our way to Mettlach, arriving there in hot afternoon sun (over 30 degC today, our hottest day so far this trip) just after 3 p.m. (Jenny: David has been smiling for you!!)

Mettlach is a shopper's paradise: lots of outlet shops, starting with the Villeroy and Boch. How wonderful it would be to have one of these at home: IKEA on steroids. The building is beautiful.

At the the Villeroy and Boch Museum we watched a wonderful film about the establishment of the ceramic factory - narrated by Peter Ustinov. What a joy! Thanks for the tip, Erika!!!!! Could have spent longer here!

We walked away from the river to find the Aldi to get water - very hot even at 5:30 p.m. David met up with a young Syrian guy who showed us the way. Turned out he is a doctor, only been here a week; he speaks Arabic, German and a little English. Lovely fellow. Terrible what is happening in his homeland. He is working here for a year, then ... who knows?

Nice walk back through town, past the wonderful Villeroy and Boch building that dominates the river here. Along with the WWF, they have set up a wonderful mosaic-themed art installation in their grounds. It also turns out, that the renovation of the wonderful mozaic floor at the Roman villa that we visited at Nennig when we stopped at Remich for a couple of nights on the barge with Erika and Knud almost 3 weeks ago, had been entrusted to Villeroy and Boch.

Drinks on the way back through town.

Yummy dinner at the hotel. The boys are definitely working their way through the local beers. MF2 LOVES this one:

Lovely sky as the sun went down - on the bridge over the river Saar.

Ride: All up about 30 kms today.

Sauer Valley Cycle Route

Sun 27 Aug

Woke to everything shrouded in mist - the houses, the river, the surrounding hills.

We got away early after wonderful breakfast at the hotel. Aiming to avoid the main road, we took the N27 on other the side of the river. Sensational road even if first climb was a nasty one straight up. We had climbed up 206 m by the 18 km mark. There were a couple of cruel hills which tested our by now quite tired legs.

Despite the bumpy ride it was just lovely following the Haute-Sûre valley, the river bubbling along either next to us or down below depending on whether we had ascended or descended. Very picturesque.

After 25 kms, we reached the turnoff for Ettelbrück and I got to pay my respects to U.S. Third Army General George S. Patton who led a liberating US force into town on Christmas Day 1944. I like this famous quote of his:
'No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his'. Yep.

Lucked on finding the start of the cycle route here that we will now follow for the rest of today and tomorrow - the Sauer Valley Cycle Route (from Ettelbrück to Wasserbillig) which runs along a disused railway trail. Our destination was Ralingen 52 kms away.

We stopped along the way at Diekirch for a very nice pizza and the local beer.

Here also is the National Museum of Military History - Musée National d'Histoire Militaire (MNHM). It focusses on the most significant events of the Battle of the Bulge 1944-1945. Is meant to be very good. I sent the boys in. I had plenty of weaponry outside to keep me occupied.

This photo of the tank also has the steel and concrete 'dragon's teeth' or Höcker fortifications built by the Germans as anti-tank obstacles - particularly along the 'Westwall' (also known as the Siegfried Line: a 630 km long defensive line constructed along the German-Swiss border to the border with the Netherlands; construction began in 1936).

Probably spent an hour here at Diekirch including the ancient Église St-Laurent which dates originally from the 6th and 8th centuries.

We set off through town back to the bike trail. We had to pass 3 'dorf' towns: Reisdorf, Wallendorf, Bollendorf.

We had a stop for coffee at caravan park at Reisdorf. We've never done that before; I had seen several caravan parks as we'd ridden along that had cafes, even restaurants. It was good. (MF1 went to the Damen instead of the Herren WC).

There was this oddity constructed from hay bales along the way; and the strong smell of silage that accompanies us much of the way is a reminder of the rural way of life here.

The riding continued to be just lovely. I don't think I've ever ridden such a pretty bike route. Bollendorf Castle, built in 1619, soared over the river on the other side.

Echternach was very busy: people everywhere. Very pretty gardens.

About 5:30 p.m. we wheeled across the bridge over the river into Ralingen (and into Germany) - my knees were just about done; it has been a long day. David shouted dinner at the hotel (he enjoyed a Wiener Schnitzel).

It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed sitting out on the verandah overlooking the river.

One more day of riding to go. Tomorrow we complete the last 15 kms of the Sauer Valley Cycle Trail and at Wasserbillig we meet the Moselle River where we will turn north to return to Trier.

Ride: 76 kms: climbed 386 m; descended 495 m.