Around the Bodensee - Day 1

It was always going to be a very full day. It would have been a lot easier if our bikes could have been delivered to the hotel, but apparently that was not possible. Instead we had to make a 15 minute bus trip to the outskirts of Konstanz, find the bike company and then collect our bikes.

Actually it was not as bad as it sounds. The bus stop was directly across the road from our hotel, and the bus pulled in at exactly the same time that we reached the stop. We did make a slight error by riding one stop past where we should have got off, but we found the bike company without any difficulty.

Things got even better when we saw our bright red (and very new) ebikes all lined up and waiting for us. Since they were the same as the ones we had used on the Danube, we were very happy with what they had supplied. The friendly young girl even offered us a cup of coffee or an icecream to get us on our way.

After some time adjusting seat heights and test riding, we were on our way. First we had to navigate from the bike depot to the point where we could join the GPS track. Then we made our way out of the city and on to the bike path along the edge of the lake.

Since there was absolutely no wind, the lake was once again carpeted in a layer of fog. This made it impossible to see very far, but it also added extra atmosphere to the occasion.

A few km later we were riding past the entrance to Mainau Island. David immediately got very excited, thinking it was the ferry terminal. We had to explain to him that we still had some distance to go.

Unfortunately the GPS track that we had been supplied for this day did not take us to the correct ferry terminal. We were joined by several other, rather confused cyclists, who had all been given the wrong information. It took a local to explain that we still had to continue for a couple of extra km, before we would reach the correct place.

Once again our timing was perfect. We arrived at the correct location, just as the ferry was about to leave. We rolled our bikes onboard and were soon silently cruising to the opposite side of the lake. Although there was still some fog, it was starting to lift and reveal another superb day.

After getting off the ferry, it was time for lunch. Maggie and I enjoyed quite enormous pizzas, and would have quite easily settled down for an afternoon nap. Of course we still had another 35 km to ride, so any thought of a nap was out of the question.

The rest of the ride skirted the edge of the lake and rewarded us with glorious views. Of special mention were the lovely homes that had direct lake views. I could only imagine how sought after these places would be.

Although the bike path was quite crowded in places, we all managed to safely complete the ride to Friedrichshafen, the place where we had caught the ferry to Konstanz two days earlier.

After settling into our room, Maggie and I went for a stroll along the shore to the port area and found a lovely table by the waterside. Greg and Andrea joined us as we watched the sun slowly set in the west. We were also entertained by numerous fish jumping out of the water. Across the lake we could see the towering silhouettes of the snow capped Swiss Alps. It was a magical end to a wonderful day.Read more