# Ride around Lake Constance (Bodensee) through Germany, Austria and Switzerland



## Solomon76 (Jun 27, 2009)




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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Oh great, one more place to add to our list! :mad2:


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## Kurious Oranj (Oct 11, 2009)

Great report. Love the pic of the mermaid water fountain. Here in the US someone would have requested the mermaids dress up properly...


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

Lovely ride report!

And since you asked...
The statue of the rider with skates held up by mermaids was sculpted by Peter Lenk and refers to a poem by Gustav Schwab - Der Reiter und der Bodensee, written in the early 19th century.

In the poem, the rider intends to cross the Bodensee by ferry, but, since it is winter time and the lake is frozen, he mistakes the lake for a barren stretch of land, misses the ferry and unintentionally crosses. Having reached the other shore, people congratulate him on his feat. However, realizing the danger he unwittingly put himself into, he faints, falls off his horse and dies. 

In German, a "Ride across Lake Constance" is since used to refer to a daring adventure the great risks of which become aware to the hero only after its completion.


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## jd3 (Oct 8, 2004)

Wow!!! I can't believe how much of that ride is on MUTs.


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## Solomon76 (Jun 27, 2009)

jd3 said:


> Wow!!! I can't believe how much of that ride is on MUTs.


Those types of trails are all over Germany. That is one of things I'm going to miss most about being in Germany.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Wow, sacrificing a camera for a ride report. That's hardcore.

Very nice report.


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## Solomon76 (Jun 27, 2009)

Ridgetop, thankfully the camera started working again once it dried out.


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