Leaving Strasbourg was not as difficult as other mornings. We would be cycling along the canal and later the river. The sun was shining and it should be a good ride and it was for the whole morning. The van and cyclists meet up regularly. Early afternoon the heavens opened and the cyclists rode for a good half hour in the pouring rain. They have learned to keep rain gear very handy. Just as quickly as the rain came, it quit again. The sun came out and it was a nice weather again.
If rain wasn’t enough for the cyclists, there was also a very strong head wind – the stronger cyclists drafted the others for long stretches of time making it easier for them. By the time the cyclists arrived at the Y their clothes were dry again.
Getting to the final destination today worked well for all of us. The cyclists beat the van to the YMCA in Basel. Since supper wasn’t available at the Y, we all made our way to downtown via street car and enjoyed a meal downtown.
Switzerland does not use Euros like the rest of Europe so it can get a bit complicated at times since we do not want to buy Swiss Francs which can only be used in Switzerland. Some places do not accept Euros either, others do but you get your change in Francs. We have also discovered that Visa/MasterCard is not as readily accepted as what we are used to. When we eat out as a group, the tab comes as one complete transaction. The waiter will ask each person what they had, they will add it up on paper and you can pay individually. Asking for separate bills just does not seem to work and it takes forever before everyone has paid. Maybe we as Canadians always want things done quickly…..people are definitely more relaxed in Europe except when it comes to driving.
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| Peter is not sure he knows what he is eating - it's supposed to be soup |
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| McDonalds for dessert - a sundae is a sundae only lot more expensive |
Flowers make the scenery here in Europe – no matter what country we have been in – the houses and buildings have flower boxes - even two and three stories high and they are all filled to overflowing with colour – very pretty……
Last night there were 8 of us that shared a room….lots of smelly cycling shoes, wet socks, etc. etc. Every night the sleeping arrangements are different – we don’t always have to share rooms but that’s not an issue either and we know by now who snores the loudest. I came into the room at 11:00 – all was quiet – never heard a thing but this morning others said they heard snoring, now I’m wondering who the culprit is?
Distance cycled 120 km. Flats 0 Total Flats 14
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