Freuchie to Basel then Waldshut Friday May 12th

The day finally arrived and Pauline dutifully dropped me at Ferry Toll at 5.30. I am writing this tucked up in my cosy tent at 22.00. It's been a long day but a good first day. Incredibly I walked up to a bag drop machine and dropped my bag with my EXTRA 9kgs in 2 minutes. I made my way upstairs where I walked straight through security and by 0615 I was in the queue for my usual cafe Nero fare - black americano and a pain au raisin. Even more incredibly my fellow row 18 passenger was Paul from Newcastle who is riding the Rhine back to Rotterdam then Amsterdam to Newcastle ferry. 

Geordie Paul and myself in Central Basel

There were four of us reassembling bikes in Basel airport. Helpfully the airport provided a place to leave bike boxes and a track pump for tyre inflation.The Swiss think of everything. Paul, the Geordie, was finished first but he said he would wait and we could ride together into Basel (about 5kms) We duly did and took a parting selfie as he set off down the Rhine and I set off up the Rhein for about 70 kms before I turn North to Donaueshingen (the source of the Danube or Donau in German) 

lunch beside the Rhine at Basel

 Although the route follows the Danube reasonably closely it was far from pancake flat. I had no recourse to gear 28 but I was in my granny gear a few times. Eventually I tired of using my bell to move pedestrians off the cycle way and the poor road surface and made much better progress on the B34 which was quite a fast road. I am camped for the night in Rhein -Camping, Waldshut which is quite an upscale campsite with excellent facilities for the princely sum of 19 euros.

My next door neighbour is Gerard, a French cycle tourer who is cycling the Danube all the way to the Black Sea. The on site restaurant was excellent and I am off to bed at the end of a long first day that has gone well. My bike arrived undamaged and I more or less remembered how to put it back together. The second checked bag with the greater than 32kgs belongings also arrive undamaged. It hasn't rained despite threatening for much of the day. I remembered how to put the tent up although it took me about half an hour (I used to take ten minutes.) I am camped within spitting distance of the river Rhein which is quite industrial but occasionally exceptionally pretty. 

                distance cycled so far:    69kms