Having fled from the worlds weirdest hostel quite early I hit the road. My plan for the day was to visit the Rheinfall (The largest waterfall in Europe) and then head directly for Basel.
The weather was grey and overcast, slight spits of rain in the morning, but nothing too bad.
Even from half a mile up the road, you can hear the Rheinfall as the water tumbles over the rocks. The noise is incredible.
At the bottom of the waterfall are the usual things which accompany a European tourist attraction. Cafe’s and gift shops, boat trips etc. I stayed for about an hour, sipping coffee and just watching the water. It’s quite fascinating.
Eventually I decided I had to hit the road towards Basel. Almost as soon as I left, the rain started. I wasn’t heavy though so I ploughed on and made it to Basel without much incident. The bike was holding together well after the attentions of the German mechanic. Basel has a perculiar situation of being in three different countries at the same time Perched on the border between Switzerland, Germany and France. I picked the French side, just on the outskirts of the city, for my campsite for the night in Huningue.
As has been the case on previous cycling tours, days of the week and dates seem to disappear from my conscious so it wasn’t until I rocked up that I realised it was Bastile day in France. The only appropriate thing to do was procure a bottle of wine from the owners, who kindly provided a glass too!
The campsite was quite lively – most of the tents were cyclists – some beginning their tours in Basel, Some Ending, some just passing through. The conversation around the communal areas was mainly in German, but most people were happy to speak English and I had a long chat with a Dutch couple from The Hague, who were just finishing up a tour through Belgium and Luxembourg.