Day 11: Exploring Geneva
(15.3 miles, 279 ft of gain, Strava map)
The natural lighting poured into our room, and the song birds woke us up around 7:30 AM. The three of us casually made our way to the main house and had a light breakfast with Fred out on his back porch with some eggs, coffee, and sliced bread. We had nothing pressing to do this day besides explore Geneva, so we lounged around and caught up on digital things, including finding places to stay the next few days (and me writing this blog post). On our way out, we met Vera, one of the other artists of the house (don’t forget about the bagpiper in the Yurt, the professional guitar player, and Pascal who set precious stones into watches). She sculpts the human body out of stone, and her pieces take her weeks to months to finish. Check out her Instagram page! @verasculps
Biking into Geneva was quick, but it was very much like playing mini golf or pinball: a lot of bouncing around and taking many little turns on side streets for about 5 miles. We meandered into the heavy shopping district which was overcrowded with cars and people. A few of our chores were to go grocery shopping (a brief stop at a familiar favorite, ALDIs) and shop at Decathalon so Claire could get rain pants and fuel. Since they don’t use the euro here, we also withdrew some Swiss Francs (CHF) to use at the campsites.
The busy shopping areas were mentally exhausting to navigate, so we got the heck outta there ASAP, opting to explore the older part of town. Here, it felt more sleepy and quiet where the buildings were beautiful lumpy gray stone and the streets were cobblestone. On our way to the old town, we had a vertical climb up a hill with many stairs, but Europe actually cares about cycling infrastructure: there were metal tracks meant for wheeling our bikes over the stairs!
This area was sparse with people, and you could actually enjoy the trees rustling and the birds singing. We stopped at Saint Peter's cathedral (over 850 years old!) which was very beautiful with massive columns and arching ceilings; Uri and I enjoy admiring the diverse aesthetics of old churches during our travels.
Of course, the three of us couldn’t say no when we passed Gelatomania, and Uri and I indulged in our usual pistachio gelato flavor while Claire ordered a chunky salt and caramel one. We sat on the cobblestone by the nearby church eating our gelato before heading to our campsite. While we were excited for visiting Geneva, it didn’t exactly meet my expectations of being a beautiful, bikeable city, but maybe we just need to spend more time and explore more of it. For what I experienced of the inner part of the city, it was underwhelming (though where Fred lived was stunning!). However, Claire appreciated Geneva, it being the first city to welcome us into Europe and everyone being friendly and kind.
We routed to our campsite along Lake Geneva and paused to admire the giant water fountain which the city is known for. At 459 ft tall, the fountain has a water velocity of 124 miles/hour and pumps 132 gallons of water per second! We cycled around the fountain, passing by many popular lakeside swimming areas, and we took an incredible paved, cycleway up the east side of the lake to our resting place.
For the three of us and two tents (and a tourist tax!), it cost about $75, which we know isn’t sustainable for the whole trip. Besides their chocolate, Switzerland is known for being a little pricier. Since we’re right on the lake and can see the mountains, it’s hard to complain that much. Of course, we had to take a swim in Lake Geneva, and it was amazingly cool, refreshing, and tranquil. We pitched our tents, made dinner, and Claire and I enjoyed the sunset, mountains, and swans while Uri made some calls.
The weather today was sunny with big, puffy clouds and temperatures in the high 70s/low 80s. This perfect weather made the start of this trip feel like a proper vacation! Uri is also happy and relieved to have our company, and it’s really nice to experience these things together.
Day 12: Geneva to Ollon, Switzerland
(61 miles, 1700 ft of gain, Strava map)
The morning was a bustle of activity as all the other campers in their tents and cars began to pack up and get ready for the day, including a naked and screaming child that was running around. We departed around 9:00 AM and immediately beelined towards the nearest coffee shop, about 3 miles away.
Set in a cute little town with stone houses and a church steeple emerging from the terra-cotta roofs, our café was tucked on a corner with some outdoor seating. I ordered my usual latté, Uri a café avec de la crème (which was incredibly bitter without sugar and more cream), and Claire a tea. We enjoyed the relaxing, sunny morning next to a group of guys who were all having glasses of wine.
If there is one thing that I have noticed, it’s that there are way more song birds than I am used to at home. The campground sounded like an aviary. Fred’s house the previous night had 8 different birds singing at once (confirmed by the app Merlin). And, this coffee shop was full of loud treetop activity. It has been so delightful to listen to.
The ride was beautiful with lake views next to vineyards and farm fields, reminiscent of our countless rides in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. Only the slightest differences reminded us we were in Switzerland. All the passerby’s would sing a melodic Bonjour! at each passing, for instance. I would then practice my own Bonjour, trying to swallow the ending like a true local. It never worked.
In the first 10 miles, we passed two medieval-looking towns. The first one, we did a hard U-turn as the beautiful flowers lining narrow cobblestone streets caught our gaze. While we were admiring the lake from here, a younger man with long brown hair who was smoking a cigar on a balcony noticed Claire’s Backroads cycling shorts. He was also a bike leader in this company and was leaving in an hour to go to Tanzania to lead some tours. They exchanged numbers- what a small world! Our second medieval town was the more touristy one. With shops and alleys along the lake and ivy coating the old buildings, we walked through, mesmerized and surprised that we would casually happen upon this place. I only wish we had more time to explore the shops.
The afternoon was hectic and yanked us from our medieval time travel back into reality. The route became less developed for cyclists, the traffic was speedy and loud, the roads were narrow, and the bike lanes nonexistent. We became mentally fatigued from the effort of coexisting in this more industrial part of the tour, particularly as we entered the French part of Switzerland. Here, I also had intense stomach pains, and we stopped in the shade by the lake to cool off before continuing.
The subsequent vistas stunned us and made me forget my gastro issues (who knew this was a cure??) The Alps appeared in view at the end of Lake Geneva, all spikey and jutting and vibrantly vegetated. The same mountains that were in the distance became closer, and then they were behind us. New mountains were in front now, and these ones had snow on them.
After a stop at COOP, one of the major grocery chains in the region, we arrived at our Warmshowers home for the night. It was set at the base of a mountain with unbelievable views of snowy mountains from the back porch. The quiet residential roads welcomed us, as did the inviting vining greenery around the entrance, lovely rose gardens, and 3 young children. Matilde was ~9, Timothé about 5, and Baptiste was 1.5 years. They warmed up to us eventually, even though none of us could communicate with each other without their parents as translators.
For dinner, we had hot dogs, which the kids had been excitedly waiting to have for weeks. Americans visiting was the perfect excuse to make these! In the evening, we had tea with herbs from their garden, and Eric (the dad, a news journalist) came out with a tower of different ice creams (at least 7 tubs!) We chatted with Eric and his wife, Virginie, until 11 PM. They were so helpful and kind with answering our questions about the route (also about Switzerland history and geography, which Virginie teaches at school) and giving us advice.
For being a family of 5, it is impressive to me that they have intentions of selling their car and only having bikes and train access as their mode of transportation. Importantly, they continue to find ways to adventure, like doing a long bike tour with their family and using bikes with trailers for their kids when needed. Most people tell us that when you have kids, everything changes and you can’t do the things you want to do anymore. Clearly, if you have the will, you will find a way. This family was inspired to join Warmshowers because of their other family friends: they took 6 months to bike from Switzerland to Russia with their own young kids!
Day 13: Ollon to Visp
(59.8 miles, 1,355 ft of gain, Strava map)
Breakfast in the morning was an experience. Typical Swiss Bread made from Virginie’s mother (who lived next door) was delivered the evening prior. We enjoyed this with fresh fruit, Gruyère cheese (we eat so much cheese everyday!), and at least a dozen bottles of a variety of jams and sauces. Eating breakfast outside in the sunlight with a cup of coffee (or tea for Claire) while admiring the mountains was an unbelievable experience. Not to mention, the generosity of strangers! We didn’t want to leave!
As we were strapping our bags back onto our bikes, the family was getting their bikes ready too. The kids wanted to bike us to the start of our bike trail a mile away. Eric even put baby Baptiste in a trailer, and it was so heartwarming to have this group send off. The kids didn’t understand our language and vice versa, but we were mutually bonded by bicycles. We waved goodbye and said our Mercis and Au Revoirs!
The majority of the day was spent on a pristine cycleway. It was perfectly paved and ran alongside the river for many miles. Every now and then, we would see castles, villages, and gardens built into the side of the mountains.
Through a mix of headwinds and tailwinds, we returned to COOP to buy more groceries, knowing that tomorrow would be Sunday and most stores would be closed. Leading up to the store, the sun was beating down, and we had some false flats, fatiguing us and sapping our excitement for 15 more miles of riding. But, after fueling the tanks with calories, Powerade, and sunscreen, we were rejuvenated!
As we biked, the language on the town signs turned from French to German, and about 10 miles from the end of our day, everything was written entirely German. Now, we understood what people meant by the French Switzerland and German Switzerland. It very much felt like being in two different countries.
Our goal was to bike to Visp for a 63+ mile day, but a woman sitting on the cycleway looking at her horses in a pasture drove us to a halt. We asked her if she owned the property and if we could camp there. While she said she didn’t, she invited us to stay in her pasture just right next door. We couldn’t say no! Camping for free was nearly always better than paying $50+ to sleep on the ground at a campground. Later, Nadine and her husband stopped by to gift us some bread, and they enthusiastically discussed our route with us, giving us some more pointers and advice. Particularly, they told us to avoid the main route for tomorrow and do 5 more miles and 700 ft more of climbing. While this might sound like a dumb alternative, it was mainly to avoid traffic and have amazing views. We disregarded this, at first.
While setting up camp in the horse pasture, Uri and I heard music that was coming from the town we had just passed. After washing up under an outdoor faucet and having a snack, we returned to town to find an open air concert and beer garden. The music sounded much like Christian rock/reggae, some songs in German and some in English, but we didn’t mind. We drank a beer and enjoyed the set until re-joining Claire at camp. A super random surprise!
One of my favorite things about biking in Switzerland so far has been the flora. There are so many types of wildflowers! Mixed together are beautiful purple, yellow, white, and red species. I wish I knew what they were. The ones that excite me the most are the poppies, all vibrant and fat and bouncing in the wind along the roadsides.
Day 14: Visp to Ulrichen
(39.13 miles, 3,280 ft of gain, Strava map)
The horses woke us up in the morning by tossing their food bins around (we were keeping them from their early breakfast). Claire, the horse whisperer, sweet talked them for a little bit before disengaging the electric fence so we could pass through and be on our way. We said goodbye to our new hooved friends and were once again back on the cycleway. Four miles later, we were having one-to-two word exchanges with a bar shop owner that went something like this:
“Sprichst du Englisch??”
“Nein”
“Uhhh… coffee?”
“Kaffee, ja”
“Tea?”
“Tee, ja”
Grateful for essential words that are basically the same across languages. Also, toilet = toiletten.
For the first 8 miles, we had wonderful buttery pavement and shared the route with many cyclists, walkers, and joggers. We passed through towns where a sport tournament was ongoing, accompanied by a lot of alcohol first thing in the morning. Leaving this event was a group of men in lederhosen and who were carrying flags, playing music, and drinking beer. We gave each other a little cheer.
Then, the ascent began, foreshadowed by a sign saying 19% grade over 12 km (though we believe it was much less than this since we could actually bike it). This was the detour that the couple from the previous night recommended which we chose to go with. The switchbacks were perfectly manageable the entire time, and we stopped periodically to catch our breath and cool down. During these rests, many people, especially older folks, would zip by us on their e-bikes, reminding us how slow yet how capable we were to be powering ourselves up the hills using only our legs. Along the way, we passed sheep, goats and cows, all jingling their bells out in the fields on the mountain sides, intermixed with periodic church bells. We didn’t listen to music at all during this time, even though the uphill was a total grind. The bells were the only melody we needed while looking out into the expansive, mountainous Switzerland landscape. These hills were alive with the sound of music.
After a short break towards the top of the tallest elevation point, we stopped at an old church with water running into an open trough and had a funny conversation with a German man on an e-bike who was going the opposite direction. The whole time we assumed that he didn’t know any English, but he would periodically drop complicated English words that insinuated that he was pretending to not understand what we were saying. But, he was fun and good humored; with a lot of handwaving and gestures, we bonded about the difficult uphill ride and the upcoming downhills.
After our pavement switchbacks, we had really hard, chunky gravel riding with steep downhills and even steeper uphills that required a lot of hike-a-biking. On our map, the route was red, instead of black, indicating impossible bikeable elevation grades. After the gravel parts, we were pummeled with endless rollers that failed to give us a decent break. This was the rest of the way to the campground, and the end couldn’t come soon enough.
Through these endless ups and downs, we went through extraordinarily quiet and empty towns. The buildings were all wood, and the wood looked slightly charred. Some of the houses had flowers out front, but many looked empty. We aren't sure what is going on or if they are occupied, but it was both haunting and beautiful to bike through the towns with these wooden structures in the countryside.
We were so relieved to finally get to the campground that we immediately celebrated with some icecream at the reception desk. The older man there also didn’t speak any English, and we had to use Google translate to communicate the few questions that we had. He was a crusty, grumpy, squat man, but you could also tell that he was a little sassy and had some humor behind his eyes. We were quite fond of him.
That evening, we pitched our tents next to all the motorcycles that were also parked and camping there as well. We ate our dinner, called our families, showered, and planned our route over the Furka pass, which was the next day. This was THE pass. The big kahuna that would be our main push over the Alps, and one that we had been talking about for months. Both beautiful and steep, this road would take us in between snow-covered mountain peaks into little villages tucked in the nooks of the passes. We were excited but wary; our day today was exhausting and tomorrow would supposedly be steeper and harder. Yikes.
Even more, the radar showed that there was going to be a pop-up thunderstorm as we would be passing through, so we wanted to wake up extra early to get off of the pass before the rain/lightning. Fingers crossed we make it out in time!
Day 15: Ulrichen to Andermatt
(27 miles, 3,376 ft gain, Strava map)
The alarms went off at 5:30 in the morning, and we were on our bikes to the grocery store after seven. After loading up on many calorie-dense snacks, and I will admit a Red Bull, we were ready to tackle the Furka pass. After a few miles on the flat cycleway, the grade began to increase, and the rest of the morning was endless switchbacks. From an aerial view, it looked much like a corset, the switchbacks zigzagging their way across very steep, very luscious green peaks with periodic waterfalls cascading down the sides. The elevation of the switchbacks was surprisingly manageable, and we could keep up a steady pace as we climbed our way up 3000+ feet over the course of 2.5 hours.
Then, we finally got to the point that I was waiting for this whole day! The Grand Belvédère is a stunning hotel that overlooks the whole valley and sits on the corner of one of the last switchbacks of the Furka pass. Slowly approaching it during the climb was increasingly exciting. This was a place that we only saw in pictures, and now it was here! It was a great sense of accomplishment having reached it, and it made for an ideal place to stop, lunch, and admire the views before pushing the last 1.8 miles to the top.
Then, the downhill! 3,000 ft of descent through switchbacks on the northern side of the pass. The air was cold as we sped down the mountain, passing cyclists struggling on their way up. Soon they would also know the euphoria of flying! The turns were effortless, zigzagging past cows and valleys and snow. It took us 40 mins to get down the mountain, stopping briefly only to stretch our fingers which were working hard at breaking.
Getting to town was one of the simplest things we have done. The rest of the way was flat and slightly downhill, so we cruised into the cute village of Andermatt, nestled between the two passes. A campground welcomed us upon entry (just an open field next to town with cows jiggling bells on the hillside above us). We picked up more groceries at COOP, and Uri and I stopped by the local Café, Bäckerei Café Oberalp, for coffee and quiche. Ahhh the cheese was delicious! The rainstorm that we missed on the peak landed on us in town, but we were delightfully dry in the café (and Claire at camp). Upon rejoining Claire, we had dinner and continued route planning and journaling. Tomorrow, we go over one more pass before the Alps are in our rearview mirror.
Day 16: Andermatt to Ilanz
(38 miles, 2,556 ft of gain, Strava map)
I was worried about my sleeping system not being warm enough at the higher elevations, but layering up thankfully had me very comfy and toasty. Claire and I slept very well this night, though Uri had a rough time sleeping through the nighttime rain. Interestingly, we shared the campsite with at least 6 other tents, and no one made a single noise after 9 PM. This has been our experience at all the campgrounds so far, everyone is incredibly respectful and quiet in the evenings, even the motorcyclists from the previous night! No drinking or nighttime parties at these campgrounds (that we've been to).
The three of us are trying to figure out a packing up system that works as a group. Claire and I typically wake up around the same time, but Claire likes to do yoga and ease into the morning first. I generally wake up and pack up, doing my stretching and relaxing after the tasks are done. Uri operates like Claire, but at a slower pace. So usually, Claire and I are ready to go well before Uri is, and it has him feeling rushed. I’m sure we will figure out a system that works eventually.
After a brief stop at our favorite store, COOP, we got back on tour. Without even a second of a warmup, our first move was to take an uphill switchback out of town. Heading southeast on the switchbacks, we fought a headwind. Heading northwest on the switchbacks, we were shoved by a tailwind. Next to us, the familiar red and white electric Swiss train would buzz by, quietly and efficiently like a dream from town to town. We sped through two tunnels and admired the Gütsch Express, carrying passengers by cable over the treetops to the tops of the peaks.
The views were magnificent. It was as if a sheet of bright green silk was draped over the landscape, displaying the softest of curves and rippling movements. Sheep and cows roamed the hillsides, their bells the only sounds chiming (besides the passing cars).
The top of Oberalppass came quicker than we expected, after our much longer ascent to Furka pass the previous day. A red lighthouse welcomed us; the highest lighthouse in the world and the beginning of the Rhine River! Though, it wasn’t functional for boats or was on an ocean. There were a lot of motorcyclists at the top, taking pictures with the pass sign. We snacked and enjoyed the views, prolonging our final descent out of the Alps.
Going downhill was a long and exciting adventure, one that we enjoyed today more than yesterday. There were some initial switchbacks on our way down, but we loved the fast yet straight descents where we could just look out into the horizon endlessly without worrying about taking any turns. Also, there were far fewer cars compared to the Furka Pass, and even after we entered the first town, we continued going downhill. Multiple towns blurred by, and we were still coasting nonstop. It was effortless and exhilarating! Bells chiming from multiple directions. Beautiful, conical pine tree forests interspersed in the grazed hillsides. Adorable little towns with wooden houses, flowers, and white church steeples. We paused periodically simply to not rush through this beautiful moment.
Around lunchtime we took a break and re-snacked at Volg, another chain grocery store. At this point, all of our faces were bright red and burning, likely from the wind and chilly air from the Alps. We were nearly falling asleep on a town bench when we demanded caffeine from a nearby hotel/restaurant. It wasn’t great coffee, but it did its job.
We had one more large climb out of town before we hit the gravel sections. A mix of single track and double track gravel roads had us doing speedy rollers through the woods. It was jiggly and bumpy and amazing. There were no cars and only a few other bikes, so you could really enjoy zipping around on the backroads. Unfortunately, my little worry doll that I carried with me across the US last year jostled out of my bag during this gravel ride. I’m trying to not be too upset about losing a material item, but it is horribly disappointing. I miss the comfort of having her.
As we neared the end of the ride to Ilanz, we tried to find camping that we didn’t have to pay for. A couple redirected us to town when we asked to camp in an open space, and the campground we were aiming for required a permit. Accidentally, we passed a quiet public park on the Rhine River that was just off of our gravel road. There were picnic tables, and a nook for tents. So, we set up here! The water was too cold to take a swim, but we relaxed by the shore before eating dinner, sending more messages to Warmshowers hosts, and settling into our tents for the night. Finally, we didn’t have to pay over $50 for a campsite!
Over the past few days, there have been some things that we have noticed about Switzerland:
Air conditioning is hit or miss in establishments. We appreciate how environmentally conscious this country is.
We have yet to see litter anywhere on the roads, no matter where we go. It just isn’t there.
Finding places to throw away trash is actually a little difficult. When you do find a place, there are also assorted recycling containers, separated by plastic, glass, and cardboard. Sometime, there are compost containers.
Everyone speaks multiple languages. It might not always be English, but it’s so impressive to see people switching as needed. Our hosts Eric and Virginie knew at least three (English, French, and German). It has been very inspiring, if nothing else.
A lot of the small towns we passed through felt very empty and quiet. It’s a little spooky. No one is outside or milling about or sitting on their porches. There is just no one there. So, while quaint and cute, it gives ghost town vibes.
There are so many cyclists everywhere. E-bikes are wildly popular, and a lot of people use them to commute or travel around. Given this, there are way more bike tourers that I’ve seen compared to the United States. And most of them are over the age of 60. It is a much more inclusive activity, and the country is equipped to handle all the cyclists with well developed cycling lanes bike trails.
There is Christianity influence everywhere. Along the route, there are many shrines, crucifixes, and statues of the holy family. This is paired with all of the churches that we see in every town, no matter how small the town may be.
Switzerland has been good to us so far.
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