05 Sep 2011

Basel, Switzerland to Staufen, Germany (60 Km)

Switzerland to Germany.  Germany to Switzerland.  Switzerland to Germany.  We are like a ping pong ball in a table tennis match, bouncing back and forth between countries.  It’s a little sad that there’s no one at the borders, checking our credentials, stamping our passports.  But then again, it’s nice to avoid such bureaucracy and simply focus on the scenery.  Scenery that started out on the industrial, boring, straight-along-the-river route that eventually turned cute and quaint and into, as Gina calls it, the Perfect Day.

The Perfect Day on a bike tour involves stopping early in a picturesque town, authentic buildings surrounding a town square, one’s room being super cute in a slightly-off-the-beaten-path location (so no one sees you unloading all your stuff or where you leave your bike), and the day being young enough still that you can window shop before it’s time for chores.  The Perfect Day includes a market in the heart of the village, ripe apple with blue cheese for the evening’s appetizer, mozzarella and tomato for the evening’s salad, and a 2 Euro bottle of wine accompanying both.  The Perfect Day includes going to bed at 9 pm with that new good book, reading until your eyelids grow heavy and your heart light, the street sounds dimming with the setting sun, images of the day’s passing scenery lulling you into a peaceful sleep.  By Gina’s definition, today was a Perfect Day.  I’d have to agree.