840

Well, after 1350 kilometers (which sounds more impressive than 840 miles ;-) ), I made it to Zürich, Switzerland.

Finishing a bike tour alone in a foreign country is a little strange. Nobody knows what I just accomplished, or cares.

Not that I do it for people to be impressed, but it's a little anti-climactic to spend many, many days thinking of this moment, and then you get to your hostel and they're just like, "ok, here is your key."

Well *I* know what I did. And it was crazy. I have climbed SEVEN THOUSAND FEET in the past few days. I have descended almost the same amount, on steep, thrilling and terrifying downhills. My legs hurt from climbing. My hands hurt from braking. I don't have any Swiss money, so today I got by on some gas station coffee and snacks for 44 miles, since most small local places don't let you charge and grocery stores are closed on Sundays.

I am in Switzerland, so when I finally arrived and settled in, I ate cheese for dinner (specifically raclette - cheese melted over things) and had chocolate for dessert (ice cream) and I didn't really know what else to do with myself, so I went for a short bike ride to see the things. Of course.

Lake Zurich, it turns out, isn't just a Chicago suburb, but an actual Lake, in Zurich, Switzerland. There are lots of swans, and the snowy-peaked alps can be seen in the distance.

Tomorrow I take a train back to Germany to like, actually vacation for a few days before going back to work. I averaged 62 miles a day on this trip, carting my 100lb bike and gear. My body needs a break.

I'm going to be filling in everything from the past few hundred miles tonight. More beauty to come.En savoir plus