November 5, 2012

Konstanz-Milan

Switzerland is beautiful! I’m wondering why I would ride ride all the way to Singapore when it’s so pretty not far away from home. Oh yeah, I don’t have a home, or a job. I’m taking a detour to the Stelvio pass. Eloquently described by Jeremy Clarkson as ’15 miles of asphalt draped on an alp’.
I take the Umbrailstrasse from Switzerland to Italy. The Umbrailstrasse takes me to the second half of the Stelvio pass. The first half is closed because of the snow. But when I look down the second part I see it’s also covered with snow and ice! There are roadsigns with pictures of snow chains and other warnings. I park my bike along the road and think about what I’m going to do. Going back the Umbrailstrasse into Switzerland or just take the road down the Stelvio. Although it’s a big detour I decide to go back to Switzerland. I get on my bike again and try to get on the road but I’m stuck in the snow! A helpful Italian guy in a small car with his wife and kids sees me struggle and helps me out. He tells me there’s only 3 kilometers of snow on the Stelvio. He goes down there too without snow chains. If he can do it, I can do it too. What follows is a slippery ride which is better be told by a video.

I arrive in Milan at my friend Jurjen, his uncle Hendrik, a clothing designer and his roommate Angelo. They’re very generous and cook the best dinner!