In the footsteps of great-grandpa

Today, it's time for a bike ride. A circular tour is planned. From Les Brenets, the narrow road steadily climbs towards Le Locle, the watchmaking town. One of my maternal great-grandfathers was a teacher at the watchmaking school here. So this is somewhat like diving into family history. Who knows, maybe he also took some time to relax up here?

It’s a rapid descent through meadows and thick forests down to the Lac de Moron reservoir. From there, the road follows the winding shore of Lac des Brenets back to the campsite.

There were again some delightful encounters today: in the morning, Carl (the guy who slept tough in a bivouac sack on the tent meadow) asks for tea water, which I gladly boil for him. An engaging conversation unfolds. Then, along the tour, I first meet a local biker who gives me a few tips for the rest of the journey, and lastly, I enjoy the last rays of sunlight high above Lac des Brenets next to an (even) older gentleman, improving my French in the process. And somewhere in the forest, a dumbfounded chamois crossed my path.

I conclude the tour with a small purchase at the tidiest little shop in the world. An engaging conversation develops with the two young operators there.

A well-deserved shower