5/11/24
We actually did wake up in time to see Yvonne in the morning. It was great to talk to her again and we all felt like we could have spoken longer. The night before we’d discussed the Swiss referendums that they’re famous for. They get to vote on almost everything, though despite the expected higher political engagement, a lot of people just vote with the government. One of the most hilarious referenda was on increasing the size of their motorways to relieve traffic, because no one’s tried that before.
Once Yvonne left we set about having a coffee from another excellent machine that the Swiss are used to. The taps in the bathroom were wooden balls, like a joystick. After our coffee and some bread with jam we headed to the waterfall that was literally two minutes from the house. It was absolutely stunning. This was actually paradise.
We had to leave paradise from whence we came. Down an extremely steep slope, hanging on to the brakes for dear life while avoiding the people milling wood in the middle of the road. Yvonne had explained that they chop their wood to a specific length for each fireplace. Firewood is definitely life here, and they stockpile it like it’s gold.
We blurred through Sargens and back to the Rhein. We weren’t going far today. It was time for a proper rest. We would do about 20 miles and then have two nights in a house on a hillside, dreamy.
We’d also decided that not having a computer wasn’t going to be feasible forever. We wanted to bring a laptop but it weighed over 2 kilograms, with the charger. We found a tablet computer called a Surface Go only weighed 500 grams and promptly searched Facebook marketplace. A responsive seller was found in a village en route and the stars aligned.
The route today took us back to the Rhein initially. As we were once again gliding on the slick tarmac bank we heard shouting from below. There is often a gravel track close to the river and a woman was down there shouting to us in German. Being English and not thinking we do the inevitable and just say the word “English”. She can of course converse in more than one language and tells us she lost her car key way back at the bridge we are heading towards. “Can we look for it?”
She’s very panicked and Jonathan pounds towards the bridge which looks close but it takes a while to get there. There’s no easy way down to the track so you have to go past the bridge and backtrack. It wasn’t hard to spot the Suzuki key. Once delivered to the very happy lady she throws her arms round Jonathan and proclaims him her hero. It was nice to do something for someone to make their day.
We crossed the bridge and were now heading into some pretty villages. The roads were hilly as they made their way through the vineyards. There were several steep climbs to overcome and fortunately our laptop/tablet sales person needed to meet us a bit later. We also needed some Francs. We hadn’t laid our hands on any yet and so located a cash machine in Malans. We also visited the shop, Volg, it was all extortionately priced. For example, 5 Francs for a simple sandwich. A cucumber was 1.80. They’d lost the plot clearly.
We bought nothing and had a dry(ish) lunch of bread and tofu. We hoped the prices would be cheaper in the larger shops. We then headed to our meet, but the address was a primary school? We messaged him and he confirmed it was indeed the right place. He was on the estates team there.
We kept him waiting for a short while as we confirmed the machine was to our liking. It seemed decent, the touchscreen was responsive which was a little surprise. It had Windows 10 so a full OS, but in tablet form. As the weirdly pleasant school chimes sounded for the end of lunch, we paid him 160 Francs and continued down the hill to Landquart.
We went shopping at the Migros first, then the Lidl Schweiss. We looked up the cheapest supermarket online, which was the Lidl apparently. We were pleasantly surprised that it was actually affordable to eat in Switzerland. We bought way too much, but we wanted to be comfortable for our stay. Oats, flour, jam, milk, fruits and vegetables.
We had wanted to arrive early at our accommodation but this was a pipe dream. We hurtled along the road back to the river and were soon in Trimmis. It was all a bit of a blur. We’d anticipated a bit of a climb to the village of Says. It was several hundred metres up. There were switchbacks though, so how hard could it be?
When we’d booked on Sunday, we searched for a bus. All the buses can take bikes here, they have a rack on the back. There was nothing. We’d have to cycle. After we got to the top of Trimmis, a huge climb in itself we saw the immense challenge ahead of us. We tried to cycle but it wasn’t possible. We started walking and importantly, pushing the shopping laden bikes, up the hill.
It was soul destroying. Gone was any sort of rest this afternoon. The road was slick and easy but impossibly steep. We saw dozens of cars sailing up and down. Often on the phone or with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths. It was funny really. They had no idea just how much energy they were using to carry 2 tonne lumps of metal, with a 3 piece suite inside, up 600m of elevation.
It was at the third switchback or so that we saw it. The No. 25 bus. Complete with bike racks. It can’t be. We checked. On a Sunday remember. We both had the same thought without saying it. We could go back down but what if another doesn’t come and we have to start again? We continued.
The road was so steep in places we had to repeatedly stop to regain our strength and then push a little further. We must have looked crazy or worse, idiotic. But we all make mistakes. The bus came back down and then back up again. Of course it did. The driver smiling politely. Eventually we reached some houses and grew hopeful. But we were only halfway according to the directions.
There was a small downhill to a bridge then a relentless uphill again. At least 20% in places. Frankie slowed considerably. It was too much. Jonathan continued on, he would get there and then come back down. Managing to actually get on his bike was a feat. Shortly there was a bus stop, we hadn’t seen the others. Frankie waited there and Jonathan pushed through, the slight taste of blood emerging from breathing the cold alpine air.
Arriving at the house, over an hour and a half from when we started, there were children having a little party outside. The mood was nice and a stark contrast to our bitter battle. The bus would be up soon and Frankie with it. The driver, still smiling, unloaded the bike effortlessly from the back. Simone, the lady running the Airbnb, rustled up some ginger beer and some crisps as a welcome. We laughed. The whole thing was ridiculous now and we’d forget soon enough.
The house was in Obersays. 1095m above sea level. Views extended up and down the valley and the Sun lit the mountain tops in a glorious yellow glow. This would be a great place to stay. We immediately asked Simone if we could stay an extra night. We felt like we’d lost the rest that we needed from our ordeal.
We made pizza, but with plain flour because we bought the wrong type. It was still delicious. It was a little later than we’d have liked but nice to once again have some independence and a day, hopefully two, to recoup after the Schwarzwald. We watched The Lincoln Lawyer on our little tablet, ate chocolate, and forgot everything for a moment.
Surly They Won't Make It 