Valence - Sulgen

During the day i spent in Valence my friend Hildegard went already on to Lion. So I started the next day alone. From Valence i followed first the ViaRhona along the Rhone river again with wind against me. After i left the Rhone to go to Hauterives and from there to les Abrets where I met Hildegard again. We enjoyed a very nice meal together and we slept at a four star camping :)

ViaRhona

Summerlook

Mmmhh

 

 

 

The next day, 14th of August, we started with a swim in the pool. After a coffee and a croissant we were ready to go on on our bikes. This evening we wanted to reach Geneva. First we continued along the ViaRhona. Cyclists we met on the road warned us that there is a tunnel in front of us were we can not pass and that we had to take another road. Despite all the warnings we kept on chatting and pedaling until we were in front of this tunnel where some maintenance work was done. There we talked to the engineers and after about ten minutes of persuading the men understood that for us it's very important to pass the 50m long tunnel and not to make a detour of 30 km. We were so happy as they said that we could pass :) Before reaching Geneva we first had to climb quite a tough mountain. Hildegard stopped in a Hotel just in front of the boarder and i continued to see a friend in Geneva.

On the ViaRhona

The tunnel we passed

fighting with the mountain

As my friend in Geneva had some time for me i decided to do another rest day. Unfortunately this also meant that Hildegard continued without me and that the common part of this travel was over. Thanks a lot for everything Hildegard!

In Geneva

On the 16th of August i cycled from Geneva to Lausanne. It was a wonderful day and i enjoyed a lot the landscape. In Lausanne i met friends from the University. We spent a wonderful evening together.

Lake Geneva

EPFL

On the next day Fabian accompanied me from Lausanne to Fribourg. The first part of the route was quite steep and also after it stayed hilly. Almost arrived in Fribourg we wanted to have a swim in the Sarine but i didn't dare to go into the water because it was pretty cold.

Lake Geneva

Between Lausanne and Fribourg

On Sunday the 18th of August i cycled without company from Fribourg to Langenthal. The stretch from Bern to Langenthal was amazing because it always went a bit down and moreover i had tailwind. In Burgdorf i passed through the area of the "Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest" without knowing that this takes place there. The night i spent in Langenthal in the house of a couple from warmshowers. It was another great experience.

Sarine

When i woke up on monday the weather was not good. It rained a little bit when i left Langenthal and in Araau i catched a heavy rainshower. As the cycle track passed a lot of times through forests i was as dirty as never before on this trip. Once i had to stop because an undercrossing was flooded so i had to look for another way. In Zürich i could spent the night in Stephis house. Was great to see her again!

Aare

Beaver tracks

dirty

It feels strange to know that it's my last day on my bike. Today on the 20th of August i want to arrive in Sulgen where my parents live.
I left Zürich around ten o'clock and the weather was fortunately better then yesterday. In Winterthur i met two friends and also in Weinfelden i did a stop to see friends.
At 19:30 i surprised my mum at her working place. My knees were a bit waggly when i saw her. Then we cycle the last 3km together. It was wonderful to arrive save at home after 3300km and 43 days on the road. Thanks a lot to all the people who supported me during this trip!

Almost at home

Bilbao - Valence

After three nights in Bilbao i could finally break away from this amazing city and its wonderful people. With only five hours of sleep i went on to Zarautz were i slept in an "albuerge" for pilgrims who are on the  Camino de Santiago de Compostela. 

On the way

On the next day, 2nd of August, i passed San Sebastian after climbing a huge mountain.

On the way to San Sebastian

San Sebastian

And then it was already time to cross the boarder with France. First i wanted to sleep in my tent somewhere in the forest but then i was so tired that i decided to go to the youthhostel in Anglet. They also had a Camping so i put my tent there.

The street was never as flat as on the next day. I followed the river Adour and it was just amazing! I slept again in a pilgrim hostel. 

The day after it was unfortunately finished with this nice flat roads and i had to cross a lot of little valleys with steep roads. But for the night i found a wonderful place to put my tent and everything was fine.

my bike with plenty of dirt :)

As i wanted to avoid as many mountains as possible i decided to take the canal du midi and then go up the rhone river to geneva. So my next stop was Toulouse where i had a wonderful flat on my on thanks to warmshowers. I didn't see much of the city but what i saw i liked a lot.

On the way to Toulouse

The cycle lane along the canal du midi was just perfect in the beginning but there were a lot of roots and gravel so it was less easy to move on. Once i decided to take the street but there was so much wind against me that i turned back to the canal du midi.

Canal du midi

It was beautiful to cycle along the chanel and evidently it was all flat. In the evening a huge thunder storm came and i got wet because i put my tent to late.
On the next day i met Hildegard in Bezier. I lived with her daughter in Lisbon. Hildegard wanted to join me on my biketrip. So we went together to her sisters house were i could stay two nights. It was all great!
On my rest day we went to the mediterranean.

On the way to the beach

Mediterranean sea

After this rest day, Hildegard and me; we went along nice cycle lanes and sometimes along less nice big streets to Montpellier. There we could sleep again in a really nice house.
On the next day we get up really early to avoid the traffic and the heat. The road was really nice but we had to fight quite a lot against the north wind. We were really happy and tired when we found in the evening a hotel in Venejan.

On the road

Also this morning we got up early and again we had a lot of north wind along the rhone river.

Early in the morning

Rhone river

After a long day we arrived in Valence. This night we stayed in the house of a guy from warmshowers. By chance i also met a friend in Valence and so i decided to stay one day more in this beautiful city.

Santiago - Bilbao

I left Santiago in the afternoon to go to La Coruña. There i arrived around 8 in the evening and then i had to go out of the city to find a place where i could put my tent. It was not easy at all to find one and so it was already dark when i finally found a little forest.

In the morning i was quite happy that no one came to see me. I left to go to Ortigueira where i stayed another night with a family from warmshowers. Again it was a great experience! I had dinner with the family and after i went to have a beer with the son. 

Sunset in Ortigueira

In the morning i said goodbye to everyone and off i went to Ribadeo to sleep for the first time in pilgrim albergue. It was a nice albuerge but the problem was that i arrived late and the 12 beds were already occupied. A very friendly couple told me then that they can sleep in one bed so i could stay there. Ufff...

On the way to Ribadeo

As i woke up in the morning around 9:30 all the pilgrim have left the albuerge and i had it for my one. So i started my day rather late and i tried to do a pilgrim passport but unfortunately i couldn't get one. 

The next night i put my tent in a forest. I think i never set up a tent as badly as i did it that night but it was not possible to do it better due to a lack of space.

On the road

The next day i arrived in Xixón. It was the first day i had a little bit of rain. Xixón is a really lovely city.

Xixón

Xixón

On the next day the weather was even worse. It was drizzling the whole day. Luckily i new that i could stay in the house of Noemí in Llanes otherwise i wouldn't have the motivation to cycle in this weather.

At lunch

wet

just beautiful

The next day i slept in my second pilgrim albergue in Boo de Pielagos. Luckily i could get the pilgrim passport in Xixón. 

On the road to Boo de Pielagos

Pilgrims of the albuerge of Boo de Pielagos recommended me the one in Güemes and so i went there the next night. As in all the albuerges i met a lot of wonderful people. 

Sunrise in Güemes

The goal for the next day was to arrive in Bilbao. It was a wonderful day and i could stay in Bilbao in the house of Maite. A lovely spanish woman. Bilbao is a charming city! Yesterday i visited the Guggenheim museum, it was fantastic! I stayed three nights in the house of Maite and tomorrow i'll go on to attack the pyrenees. At the moment it's quite hot here, around 37 degrees so it will be not easy to cycle with this temperatures.

On the way to Bilbao

On the way to Bilbao

In front of the Guggenheim

Bilbao

Porto - Santiago

The first time without my friends i spent in the house of a guy from warmshowers, who lives in Povoa de Varzim. Warmshowers has a similar concept as Couchsurfing but is especially for cyclists. My first experience with it was just great!
On the next day i went on to go to Spain.

On this day i did a bit more then 100km and i was so tired in the evening. The place to sleep for this night was the best recompense for the strains of the day.

The weather was great on the next day and i cycled to Baiona. Galicia has such a nice landscape!!! Beautiful!

In Baiona a sailor couple invited me to stay one night on their sailing boat and i was in paradise :D

We went to the Islas Cies. It was just great! For me and my bike it was the first time on a sailing boat.

Tini and Peter were so nice and they told me a lot about their former sailing trips.

Islas Cies

They left me on the next day in a Ria a bit closer to Santiago and so i started cycling around 6 pm and i arrived in Santiago de Compostela at 10:30 pm. There Diego, a friend from Lisboa picked me up and i could stay one night in the house of his wonderful familiy. Then i spent another night in a hostel.

Santiago de Compostela