Rhine bike tour day 2

Our goal for the second day is Chur, which is 593 meters above sea level and 857 meters lower than our starting point. Expecting a rapid descent, without much effort and a new record time on the planned 78km, we set off. We zoom down the lightly traveled highway at a high speed as planned. But soon the true nature of this route becomes apparent. To make a long story short: the laws of nature once again do not conform to our expectations: it goes up and down in alternating fashion, and at the end of the day, we have almost as many meters of elevation gain as descent. And once again, we learn that going downhill with headwind means you have to pedal hard to move forward.

But one thing is clear: every meter is worth it! The initially small Rhine is fed by streams and brooks along the entire route and quickly grows into a real river. Nestled in beautiful countryside and surrounded by magnificent mountains, some of which are covered in snow, it snakes its way further and further. We ride in brilliant sunshine and enjoy magnificent views, the smell of sun on pine forests, and happy cows in the meadows. There is a traffic jam on the bike path because a farmer is moving his goats to a new pasture. We are surprised at the few other cyclists on this route. We enjoy being alone on the road for miles and miles. Often, the Rhine, train tracks, and bike path lie directly next to each other. It is impressive that we are following the same route as the famous Glacier Express and the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway. A lunch break, lying on the banks of the Rhine - this is how you enjoy Sunday!

In the afternoon, we arrive in Chur and take a leisurely stroll through the beautiful old town of Switzerland's oldest city. Settlements already existed here in 800 BC and now we are here!

In one of the narrow alleys, we discover a nice restaurant that serves Swiss cheese fondue, which we are happy to continue our series of country-specific cuisine with.