I Can See France From My House (& Germany Too!)

Clarke was bemused by the fact that I can see France and Germany from my balcony.  He wanted to experience all three countries so one beautiful day in Basel, I took off work, rented Clarke a bike almost as awesome as my $100 children's mountain bike, and we pointed ourselves in the general direction of Germany.

Just like that, Germany – Clarke decided it was rather anticlimactic  

Around Basel, the Rhine River demarks the border between France and Germany and one of my co-workers mapped us a route along the river.  The river front area in Germany is industrial so we quickly decided to cross into France. 

We wound up on a long island in the middle and biked along for awhile wondering what country we were in.  The answer came in a gleeful chorus of “bonjours” from a passing group of school children.   

Check off country #3

Biking through the French countryside was a joy.  Church steeples dotted the faraway hills.  Fields of sunflowers intermixed with cornfields and both seemingly appeared around every corner.  We saw painted villages with picture perfect town squares and flower box bridges over bubbling streams.  In the spirit of France, we stopped off at a cafe for cappuccinos and croissants.         

Watch out Lance - here's your newest competition

3 countries, 70 kms, a few Lance Armstrong impersonations, and many a picture break later, we returned home sore but triumphantly as tri-country cyclists.