Talk Box Rock
an extended weekend in the Swiss countryside
On this weekend, I biked around the western part of Switzerland. It was hot and sunny each day, which was quite pleasant, but left me with a quite funny tanline.
On Thursday night, I took the train to Geneva, and rode across the French border to a the house where I was couchsurfing at. There, I met a lovely 20-something German couple who were traveling around Switzerland, and of course the guy I whose house I was couchsurfing at. The couple and I spent the majority of the day wandering around Geneva, scaling church towers, and relaxing near the lake.
on the train to Geneve 
on the chairs in one of the cathedrals
After we parted ways, I hit the road towards Lausanne. I learned quite quickly that the Swiss bike map makers really enjoy hills, and odd routes. Beautiful, but odd. Also, I learned how easy it is to miss the markers that denote that certain routes are in fact bike routes. (sometimes they’re gravel roads, cornfields, highways, driveways, dirt paths, forested trails, gigantic narrow roaded hills, etc.)
By the time I reached Lausanne, I was very unwilling to find nightlife (it happens when your hostel is at the top of a hill), so I wandered around the waterfront park near sunset, and then I grabbed some dinner. The first restaurant I stopped by was closing, but the waiter pointed me in the direction of another by the name of cafe milan. I ordered the steak tartare. Normally I wouldn’t have ordered half a pound of raw beef, but the previous week, the food came up in conversation at work, and my co-workers assured me it’s safe to eat. Plus, it’s Switzerland. All the beef is sourced from Switzerland, and this country keeps its standards on beef quite high.
at a park/playground in lausanne
The next day, I hoped I would be able to bike along lake neuchatel, but I had grossly underestimated the time it would take, given the non-linear fashion of said swiss bike routes. I feel obliged to mention that this portion of the bike ride took me through what must have been a national forest, complete with pot hole laden gravel roads, and on a dirt road behind a large warehouse for a grocery chain. I also must have gone off trail quite a few times given that the sign for the trail was often pointing opposite to my travel.
In other words, I cheated and took the train partways to my next destination.
But before cheating, I arrived in Yverdon les Bains, a small town at the south end of that lake. I headed towards the lake, and jumped into the warm pale waters, and mucked around in the soft sand. I then took the train towards Biel/Bienne, then biked the rest of the way to my next destination, Lengnau. I couchsurfed with a very nice couple in their house, which was previously a barn, and a very cool habitat. They were having a barbeque, talking, drinking, and having a good time. They were very very cool.
at one of the prettier middle-of-nowheres
The next day, I rode to Solothurn, then off to Basel. (I originally inteded on finishing in Zurich, but the ride to Basel looked more interesting.) I scaled the biggest hill I’ve ever ridden, and coasted down for 10 minutes.
from the top of said ginormous hill
some quite clever graffiti in Basel
