Having cycled in Holland, Germany, and France, we were now headed to Switerzland. The cycle route as we came into Basel had a gritty feel that I'd label upscale dérélicte. Funky cafes with patios sprouted along the industrial riverside, where patrons surrounded by graffiti and cement silos sipped expensive cappuccino as they gazed onto the Rhine.
This introduction to Switzerland, heralded first with an inauspicious border crossing underneath the highway,
quickly morphed into the expected classical elegance, with beautiful historic buildings
and an elaborately painted Rathaus at Basel's centre.
For the final time we bumped into our friends from Portland,
and exchanged stories since our parting in Strasbourg, wishing them all the best on their way as our paths diverged - Karen and Mike heading to the south of France, us to the east.
We spent that evening at a farm high in the hills above Bad Sackingen. There was a small patch where passing cyclists could pitch a tent,
and just picked cherries were set out next to freshly laid eggs at a little honour system stall where we could help ourselves and pay later. Inside one of the farm buildings was a cozy kitchen with long dining tables, where we had a great dinner and later took cover in during an unexpected but immense thunder and lightning storm.
Kyra had another dental issue that needed attending - a baby root canal performed before the trip had turned into an abscess - so we had asked for an appointment with a dentist known by Paul's family in Diessenhofen. We planned to spend the night before at a couchsurfing family's place in Klettgau, 40 km inland from Diessenhofen. The cycle there was beautiful and we loved the smooth, traffic free country path.
En route we passed through Lautenberg, preceded by a massive rail tunnel built into the mountain,
and admired the two villages, one Swiss, one German competing for title of most picturesque.
Upon arriving in Klettgau we checked our email and discovered the dental appointment had been rescheduled for 10:30 am, so after a rejuvenating pizza dinner (and an email apology to our putative host) we hopped back on our bikes to cycle as close to Diessenhofen as possible that night. The sunny skies and clear paths made the ride easy.
The next morning Paul, Tom and Kyra left our camping spot in Schaffhausen early to ride the last 10 km to the dentist, and Jacob and I packed up the tent then relaxed a bit before heading into town. We celebrated the problem free removal of Kyra's tooth (this one a baby tooth) with a family lunch with Paul's parents and Uncle John, who we were all delighted to see after many months apart.
We stayed in a small campground just outside of town, in a quiet spot right next to the river.
Paul's parents were staying on the Hauptstrasse, reached by cyling through the archway under the town's Siegelturm. 
Their flat was right next to the former home of Paul's grandfather, Jacob's namesake, where Paul and Kate had spent many happy summer vacations. More great family memories were created during our time there.
One day Rico and Ulla, longtime family friends - and Ulla was briefly Paul and Kate's nanny - hosted the five of us and another friend for a meal at their ancestral family home which is now a museum. It was a delicious lunch of wine and cheese,
made all the more remarkable for the gorgeous surroundings.
The kids enjoyed the library
and the workshop, which housed old pharmaceutical lab equipment and a collection of remedies and curious powders housed in carefully labelled jars,
one of which mysteriously purported to contain dried mummy powder.
Another day Paul's parents had organized a family reunion with cousins Paul had not seen in many years, and we all enjoyed lunch together
after walking through the town
to the riverside for some soccer and swimming.
Kate, Wim and the kids had made it down for the trip too. We had another treasured adult evening with them, starting with a walk across the bridge
where we could look back at Diessenhofen from Germany on the other side.
Up the hillside we went,
to a shaded terrace for dinner of noodles and beer. It was still sunny when we walked home,
so we were able to scoop up the kids and bike back to the campground before it was completely dark.
Besides great food and time with the family we absolutely loved the swimming in Diessenhofen. The river runs swiftly, dark green and still cold at the beginning of summer, a perfect antidote to the hot days. Since Paul and Kate were kids and even before, the municipality has had an incredible bathing area - cement docks built right into the river, nice surfaces for sunbathing
and high diving boards so that kids can leap in
but then scramble up the stone steps on the opposite side before the river sweeps them too far away. Floating down the Rhine to these steps is a popular pastime, so one morning while Kate and the kids walked into town from our campsite
I hopped in the water to be carried by the current two km into town, floating past small whirling eddies and the occasional duck.
While in Diessenhofen we made a side trip with the kids to Schaffhausen, where the water thundered over the Rheinfalls, the kids marvelling at the volume and speed of the rapids, so close they could almost touch them.
(I had a stunt double stand in for me in this picture)
Paul and I were able to cycle for an afternoon on our own around the small neighbouring towns, fields and forests,
while Rosemary and Peter took the kids on a boat ride along the Rhine.
It was such a wonderful time that we prolonged our stay by an extra day, spending the morning at the badenstahl with Kate and Wim and the kids,
then saying goodbye as they hopped on the train back to Brussels.
We were all sad to leave but happy to have had such an amazing time. Thank you Peter and Rosemary for bringing us all together!
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