Hello Switzerland, here I am again!

April 13, 2019

On Wednesday, I finally headed towards Switzerland. Almost 76 km in continuous rain. The ride along the Rhine was a real mud bath, but at least I was able to find out that I'm not the only one crazy enough to go on a bike tour in this weather. The first cyclist I met was a Frenchman on his way to Norway.

Arriving in Basel, I went to my first Warmshowers host Ann (a Dane who has been living in Switzerland for ages). Warmshowers is a similar platform to Couchsurfing, where people offer a couch or even a whole room for free accommodation. The difference with Couchsurfing is that Warmshowers is for like-minded cyclists and sometimes you even get food. It's based on the principle of reciprocity - meaning that it's expected that you also host guests. I think it's great that there are opportunities like this and it allows you to meet really interesting people. Ann welcomed me warmly. I arrived at her place quite wet and dirty, and she made me a cup of tea. While I was taking a shower, she prepared dinner - what a service. After dinner, we went to a travel lecture by a guy who traveled through Siberia in the deepest winter with a bike and a boat - hearing what others go through puts our own tour hardships into perspective. After the lecture, we talked until 1 am. The next day started with a hearty breakfast. After that, Ann showed me some of her photo books from her trips to Canada, the USA, and Norway - really impressive to see all the places she has already visited by bike. Around noon, I continued my journey - Ann accompanied me for the first 5 km. Then I continued alone to my Airbnb in Aarburg.