Day 13: Vaduz to Linthal

 

The morning found us back tracking along the Rhein, along the elevated bike path back towards Switzerland and Sargans, where we had originally intended to stay. Unlike the Swiss side, the Liechtenstein side is bordered on one side by the river and the other by fields and views of mountains, rather than the big noisy motorway. The flat riding up river didn't take long, and Liechtenstein isn't a big country anyway, so we quickly ended up past the Swiss border. Swiss bike paths are very well signed, so we quickly found the sign for Sargans.

From Tour of the German Speaking Alps 2010

The ride towards Wallensee from Sargans was surprisingly pretty, with views of tall mountains all around us, little streams, and shady roads that were a relief in the warm summer sun. In Wallenstadt the bike path suddenly petered out, but we wanted lunch anyway, so headed into town where we bought a grocery store lunch. I asked the information center, which was conveniently located right at the post office where an internet cafe was, since Lisa wanted to do some business on the internet. They pointed me at a Cafe which was right on the water of the Wallensee, and when we got there it looked like an ideal picnic spot, so Phil and I laid the bikes down and proceeded to lunch on the benches while watching the beautiful scenery.

From Tour of the German Speaking Alps 2010

It was an ideal spot for a nap as well, so once Lisa was done with internet and lunch we had a few quiet moments. During that time, I spotted that rarest of cyclists: the Independent Solo Woman Tourist. I walked up to her and asked if I could get a photo of her, and she told me that she had just started from Chur that morning, and had 8 weeks to ride her bike to Paris. As a school teacher, she had even more vacation than a typical European did. I asked her if she was camping, and she shook her head and said no, she would stay in hostels. Like all other true adventurers she had no idea where she was goning to stay each night. I wished her well.

From Tour of the German Speaking Alps 2010

We then rode along the Wallensee, something I had wanted to for a while. The main road has a bike path, but the real bike path was right along the lake on the other side of the train tracks on its own dedicated grade. It took us a while to find a way to get to it, but get to it we did. We got great views of the Wallensee, and the facilities were really amazing, including its own dedicated tunnel! People always wonder why I go all the way to Europe to ride my bike, and the willingness of a country to build dedicated facilities like this just shows you how different riding a bike is in Europe, versus riding one in the US. It takes that kind of switch in mentality before the majority of people consider cycling a valid form of transportation.

From Tour of the German Speaking Alps 2010

From Weesen I saw a sign for Molliers and Nafels, and so we took leave of the Wallensee and rode towards Linthal. The bike path was closed so we had to take the detour onto a few busy highways until we got to Netstal where we picked up the bike path to Glarus. At Glarus, we stopped at a supermarket for water melons, and I laid out the choices. We could stay in Glarus, continue to Linthal, or visit the Kolantarsee. Phil wanted to go to Linthal for an early start tomorrow, so we headed in that direction. The main road was really busy, though, and it didn't take long before we started searching for the bike path. We picked it up in Schen, tne then rode it into Linthal under the threat of impending rain.

From Tour of the German Speaking Alps 2010

Indeed, it started raining heavily in Linthal itself. We pulled into a bed and breakfast, the but beds looked so moth-eaten that I didn't even want to bother with a bed bug check. The train station had a hotel that was frequented by cyclists, but the room she wanted to give us had a bathroom that reeked, so we ended up on the other side of town at Hotel Adler.

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