We were finishing our breakfast. It would soon be time to hit the road and start this trip we’d been planning for about four years. But there were two problems: 1) It was difficult to say goodby to the elegant dining room and the fantastic breakfast at the Hotel Halm and 2) It was raining outside. Oh . . . and 3) It was 39 ° Fahrenheit.
Eager as we were to saddle up, we each got another cup of coffee, another pastry, looked at the map, looked at the clock, looked at the free admission coupon we got from the bike tour company for the Rosgarten Museum a couple of blocks away . . . and the next thing we knew we were at the museum, warm and dry and talking about how we had all day to get to the town of Gailingen.
Dining Room, Hotel Halm. See if you can find Mrs. Date back in the corner in the center of the picture.
It was a great decision. The Rosgarten Museum is in a lovely old building that features art and the cultural history of Konstanz and the area around the lake. An exhibit about National Socialism (Nazi) in Konstanz was particularly well-done, and featured a wonderful documentary film about the Nazis and treatment of Jews in Konstanz before and during WWII.
We enjoyed our FREE coffee at the Rosegarten Museum Cafe
A final look at Konstanz as we set sail on our trip around the Bodensee.
We could have spent half of the day in the museum, but after a couple of hours, high noon had arrived and we needed to hop on the bikes and get going. It was still raining, it was still only in the mid-40s, but the longest journey starts with a single . . . spin of the wheel?
The countryside was beautiful, the trails were generally well-marked, the rain was now only on-and-off, the wind was . . . let’s be honest, it was pretty uncomfortable. We started weighing our options if the rain got worse. Teddy at the bike shop told us that the bike route around the lake follows the rail line and you are never more than about five miles from a rail station and it’s easy to take bikes on the trains to the next town. So we had that.
Karen was better equipped in general for this kind of day — modern, layered fabrics, gloves, and a really nice waterproof jacket. But the rain was coming through the holes in her helmet and that was getting to be a major annoyance for her (my $15 CostCo raincoat had a giant hood that cover my helmet.)
We got to the town of Berlingen, it was time to fix Mrs. Date’s wet head. When in Berlingen, do what the Berlingeners do . . . put a DSW Shoe Warehouse plastic bag from The Mall of America over your helmet, of course. It not only keeps the rain off, but looks fantastic!
Loop those handles under your helmet’s straps and off you go — the talk of every town you visit.
Things went pretty well for a while after that clothing design breakthrough. But eventually, the wet cold set in to other parts of our bodies and those parts were beginning to turn colors that didn’t seem quite right. It seemed that hypothermia might be just around every corner. And then, the town of Stein am Rhein appeared. It’s billed as the “Best preserved medieval town in Switzerland”, but all we needed was a warm place with a hot drink.
Here’s a short video I shot (no audio) while riding into Stein am Rhein.
Stein am Rhein - an amazingly beautiful medieval town in Switzerland.
This town is beautiful, no doubt about it. But that wasn’t the most important thing — River Bike Cafe was the big hit with Karen. Hot chocolate and a (belated) birthday present of a rain cover for her helmet made this day bearable for the one with hypothermia setting in.
Coffee, cocoa and wool lap blankets and bike stuff!
Barbara, one of the owners of River Bike Cafe was only too happy to sell us some gear. She was very friendly and had a great sense of humor.
We loved this place, but we still had about 6 miles to go and with the late start this morning, the day was getting away from us. So, on to Gailingen, where our bags would be waiting for us.
Because of the late start and the cold, wet weather, it seemed like a long day of biking. But in reality, we only covered 29.5 miles on this first day. But we were tired, and glad to be dry and warm and reunited with our bags in our room in Gailingen, with the hope of a sunny day tomorrow.
Was it the N/A beer or hypothermia that was causing me to hallucinate?
Equal opportunity waiting