#42 - 8/22 - The Alps

I've cycled three days in the Alps of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. I learned to my dismay that the Disney castle of King Ludwig II (Neuschwanstein) wasn't near Salzburg, but was only 20km off Odyssey's route to Braz, Austria. I don't have the legs to pedal a 180km day with 6000ft of climbing to get in a long line of tourists, so I settled for 140km and 4650ft along blue rivers, green lakes and numerous ski resorts. I would like to return and take a relaxed non-itinerary paced tour of his four castles, and see parts of the Alps I won't see from my bicycle seat.

I'd also like to see the Alps a little earlier in the year when there's snow left on the peaks and the thick haze of August doesn't distract from the views. The sky has been blue while riding all three days, with afternoon temperatures in the 80's. The last two nights, there has been a thunderstorm to drench tents and anybody out at the wrong time. Storms don't last much more than a half hour before passing to another valley. Then the skies clear and only the wet streets reflect the recent downpour.

The Alps are rugged mountains with sharp peaks above the tree line. Sometimes one side of an uplifted peak is a rock climber's paradise while the more gentle slope has a green pasture all the way to the top. Houses can be found much too far up the slopes for me to envision people living there in the winter. One town I passed through that was like that was in Switzerland. Just 6km from the Liechtenstein border, past the military tank training grounds, Maienfeld is the home of the fictional children's character Heidi. The Heidi store is closed on Mondays. Drat!

Chur, Switzerland, farther down the road, is an ugly modern city that even has a metal and glass pyramid McDonald's. The winter alpine resort towns are much more appealing. TK&A changed Odyssey's itinerary so there would be a layover day in one such town, Flims, Switzerland. I am ever so thankful to have a rest day for my poor body to recover. I've got clean clothes, a dry tent, massaged legs, and a few Swiss francs in my wallet. I'm off in the avid pursuit of Swiss chocolate!

Happy Trails,
Bruce