Lake Constance . . .

. . . is a beuatiful place. (They call it the Bodensee in German.) Parts of it are quite touristy, as there has been a tourist industry here in some places for more than one hundred years.

Bodensee by day

On our first day out, we crossed the upper arm of the Bodensee by ferry to shorten the distance we bicycled. Every town has a small harbor, so we wondered about the possibility of chartering a sailboat to circumnavigate the lake. Except for my seasickness problem, and the fact that we don't know how to sail, it sounds like a winning plan!

Bodensee by night

This is a historic steamship that is over one hundred years old. I'm not sure when it was renovated, but it was fun to watch arrive at the pier after an elegant supper cruise. All of the lighthouses on the lake were flashing, which we were told is a signal that a storm is coming and you should get off of the lake. The faster they flash, the quicker you should move toward a safe harbor.

Today it is cold and rainy, so I may not take so many photos. On the other hand, we will bicycle through a small part of Austria, ending in Switzerland this evening, probaably needing dry clothes and a hot shower. We will also cross the Rhein river where it enters the Bodensee, so it's possible there will be many photo opportunities.