Day 24 - Schaffhausen to Radolfzell

44.1 km - Total so far 1,328.00 km - Route pedalled.      Relive Video (with pictures)

Video of the day: Europe Day 24

We are safe and secure in Radolfzell, Germany.

Today was planned as a shorter, stop for coffee in a nice platz and relax bike ride. We pretty much accomplished what we set out to do except that of knowing which country we were in at any moment. Between our start point in Schaffhausen and Radolfzell, we crossed the Swiss/German borders 5 times. Turns out there is a small German island, Büsingen, inside Switzerland. See map below.

The white space on the map is Germany

To visit the town of Stein am Rhein, we had to walk our bicycles. We stopped at the River Bike & Cycling café and settled down for cappuccino and apple cake.

One of the other patrons at the café, heard us speak French and came over to chat. Turns out Julien and Cyrille both from France are on a quick cycling vacation and sleep in a tent. I purposely used 'quick' and not 'short' because they cycle 100+ km @ day and wild camp. They are young so sleeping in a tent is not a big deal!

What a fortuitous encounter. They are both well traveled cyclists and identified for us many must see sites in Eastern Europe. There were many but the one that readily comes to mind is the "Buzludzha Monument", a large saucer like monument in Bulgaria. We wish them safe travels and warmer evenings for wild camping.

In the comments a few days ago, an anonymous reader wanted to know how we find places to stay. For a stay during the week, we book a day ahead, for Friday's and Saturday's 2 days in advance.

Before leaving Canada, we had identified the following resources:

• Friends On Bikes (FOB). Dutch resource that has members in Netherlands, France and Germany. If you are on foot/cycle, for 25 Euros per person, you get a bed and breakfast. On occasions, we have asked to include supper. All our stays have been very positive. 
• Welcome to My Garden. You get to setup your tent in someone's yard for free with access to washroom and other services. We have not used as too cold to camp for us.
• For resources above, you can open a free account to get an understanding of how things work, what to expect, your responsibilities and where providers are located. With membership you get more information and the ability to communicate directly with provider.

When FOB resources do not correspond well with our route, we use Bookings.com to look for accommodations that are closer to our route. We have been very happy with the service they provide. Easy to use app on the phone and often discounts are offered vice what is asked for on hotel website. Stays can be in commercial or private accommodations both of which can be delivered with self-check-in service. Self-check-in means you get the code to a lock box or electronic lock on front and room doors.  Only had finger problems once at the first self-check-in but issue resolved quickly.  Bookings.com publishes honest reviews so choosing a place is made easier. They have the "Genius Levels".   After a number of bookings, you graduate to the next level and get better discounts, automatic upgrades and breakfast when available. We benefited from auto upgrades on a few occasions.

This is pretty much it for the blog today. Catch Hélène's video to experience some of our day. It was a mini-vacation.  

Tomorrow is also a shorter day, approximately 38 km with about 20 km of climbing and a number of punchy climbs.  On the video when you hear Hélène speaking French she is speaking to me on personal intercoms that are attached to our helmets. In urban settings they facilitate navigation and help with safety.