Day 16 – A bike ride and a chapel


An interesting house lakeside at Schmerikon
It was our last day in Lachen.  Finally the weather cleared and we had some sun.  The clouds dissipated and we could clearly  see the mountains that surround Lachan and frame the southern part of  Lake Zürich.  The forecast had predicted fine weather with a top temperature of 20 degrees, but it was in single figures when we set out for our ride, despite the sun shining.   The ride took us out into the countryside which is very close to Lachen.  It is very green and lush and dotted with lots of wild flowers.  Not only that, there are cows in the fields, unlike France.  Not a huge number but little groups of light brown cows.  We travelled along paths dedicated to cyclists and  infrequently  on single lane back roads which occasionally had a car on it, however they were very mindful of cyclists.  Cyclists with a wide range of abilities were on the paths -  the recreational cyclist as well as the more serious.  Our destination was a town call Schmerikon which is on the other side of the lake from Lachen. 
Amongst cows, mountains and lush grass

The views we had were wonderful.  It was a 40 kilometre ride but we took our time and stopped for me to take photos and to simply enjoy the scenery and experience. 

After the ride, Bev and I went for a walk to a chapel that sits prominently on a ridge above Lachen and visible from Mary and William’s place. On the way there we discovered another Lindt chocolate factory so we detoured for a little look.  The path to the chapel took us through fields where there were both cows and sheep.  It is quite a noisy but nice experience with the sound of the cow bells coupled with the higher pitched ones of the sheep. 

The chapel was simple and beautiful.  Further up the ridge was a restaurant where we stopped to have a beer.  It was very peaceful other than the unique sound of the bells from the cows and sheep in the background.  It was warm and we had a wonderful view out over Lachen, the lake and toward Zürich. 

It was a nice walk back down the hill to William and Mary’s for our final dinner together out on their balcony as the sun set in the background.  



Mostly a bike path

Sheep with their bells
A model of the Chapel

Beauty in simplicity

Lambach from the restaurant near the chapel

A well earned beer
Nearby town to Lachan
Cows following a farmer
The chapel from the balcony of our friends apartment

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