Tuesday 8 November 2011

Around Lake Zurich

I was looking high and low.  I was probably looking too high!  I was mesmerised by the crane's silhouette.

View from hotel room in the morning
Only the next day, the day after my wonderful bike ride around Lake Zurich, I looked down out of the hotel room window, and saw this!

Beehives on the rooftop (double click to enlarge)
Perfect!  This meant the bike rides qualified for a blog entry.  This is what was playing on my mind: how can I blog about a bike ride that is not an audax (or a FNRttC) and there isn't even anything about bees going on.  So the rule was conceived.  I thank myself for making my life that little bit harder.

Then I came across the 'Hive' poem by Carol Ann Duffy in the weekend's Financial Times.  The same edition with an article on Westvleteren.  I do like tenuous links.

I used the free bike hire scheme called ZuriRollt: no helmet, no puncture repair kit, not water bottle, no cleats, no cycling shorts, no time pressures, no map, no GPS, no brevet card .... and off I went all around the lake.



I was sooo excited that it all worked out.  It had happened before, where you follow an advert to hire a bike, only to find the scheme terminated, or they only have one bike and the tyres are flat.  Not here!  Loads of bikes in stock, the guy checked the bike over, I raised the seat, and off I went.

It didn't take long to see fantastic views over the lake.



There were other riders on the road.  Serious 'roadies' they looked like.  I wondered what Cancellara was up to.

My lunch stop at Rapperswil was great.  So much to look at: buildings, mountains, paintings, shops, trees, ....  I did miss out on the wooden bridge.  I just didn't know about it, hadn't come across it in the little research I did on Zurich and the lake.  Shame, but I will not complain. I had an excellent long weekend in the company of inspiring people.

The photos will tell you a fuller story: Rackstar Zurich

Other highlights during the weekend
  • Rackstar dinner
  • Seeing the amazing first ever showing of the Nahmad collection
  • Learning about Yves Tanguy
  • Permanent collection in the Kunsthaus also very impressive
  • Learning about Ferdinand Hodler
  • Service at Grossmunster
  • The sounds of the bells on Sunday morning
  • The price of a slice of bread!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heel interessant om je verslag te lezen. Zürich moet prachtig zijn.
Een fietstocht langs het meer en bijen op het dak van het hotel: dat voldoet zeker aan de normen van een geslaagde reis voor bengske.
Zo blij dat je het goed stelde.
De foto's die je nam zijn prachtig: bengske heeft een uitnemend oog voor details.
Tot binnenkort.
Meim en Peip xxx xxx

Kris said...

Zurich past niet goed bij zoete honing, Zuusich zou beter zijn...da meerke lijkt eerder een langs 2 kanten afgeknipte rivier van een kilometer breed!Tjonge , je hebt je kunnen uitleven, da's t "bij"zonderste van de welverdiende rackstartrip!!:) xxx