Greetings from a broad
“Swiss people each have a tiny policeman inside them” said my friend, Francois V. who is a great cyclist and an impressive cartoonist-artist (his idea of a fun home movie was a fictional, improvised work that employed his two teen boys and his wife Micheline Ogi…a story called Le Vol (“The Theft”) that managed to touch on all the great themes… dishonesty, shame, karmic retribution, and social commentary …while being hilarious.
They spent three days making it, and even did an out-take loop –like all the comercial dvd’s have…and managed to just use up the battery (they were in Mallorca).
When I rode around the Three Lakes Tour (Lac de Neuchatel, Lac de Morat, and Lac de Bienne) we discussed a few things, hammering it into me that spontaneous lake plunges are not acceptable in this land …just as well… the water was about 5 degrees…pretty turquoise though. Very inviting.
Except for all those Swiss with their telephone, ready to either call the cops or just have their inner cop glare threateningly in my direction.
Funny. Disturbing the peace (silently) has been a sideline of mine, and I never really gave it much thought. Chree-Shtoff S. has put it to me in no uncertain terms. You either ask permission and cope with the answer or go ahead, and deal with the consequences of not asking in advance.
This has had an impressively inhibitory effect on my inner Flagrant Nyad.
Gonna see what the Germans think in a couple days.
Oh, you wnder about Switzerland, right? Well, Neuchatel seems to have been left off the Grand Tour, so this means cycle tourists can enjoy a garden-rich, bicycle friendly town–which is perched on a steep slope on a huge lake that lies like a blue mirror along a mountain range called the Jura.
The lake was once very big but some 19th century swiss engineers decided to end flooding and drained it, dammed it, canaled it (and along these canals are fine bicycle paths) and created more land (mostly public!) for museums and harbors and stuff.
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Jacquie Phelan's Weblog 
So weird to see our area thru your eyes… I like it!
Hi Jacquie! Glad the euro-posts are starting to come in. I’m pedaling along with you vicariously (which is a lot easier than really doing it, but not as much fun). Sending you love from the home front.
Fairfax , CA. tomorrow 100 degrees farenheit…… wish you were here.
Jacquie, in 1989 I was at Altenrhein, on Lake Constance, for the World Road Racing Championships. That was the year that Greg LeMond won, solo on the last lap. Wonderful race. During the amateur races a couple of days earlier I was at the side of the road with thousands of other spectators. It began to rain, and the woman next to me dug into her bag and hauled out a rain coat, put it on, then dug in for another one and gave it to me. Vielen Dank! Later, at the end of the race the rain stopped and the crowd began to disperse. I took off the jacket to give back to the woman and she told me “no. keep it. And in the future, think well of the Swiss!” Say hello to her for me.