A Good Wrong Turn

Daily Miles: 35.6 | Total Miles: 15,735.56

I woke up with one tent door still open and the outside of the tent slightly damp, but it wasn’t cold at all. It was a perfect cool summer morning. Soft colors painted the sky, and at 5am it felt like I was the only one awake. I had a cold coffee, took down the tent, packed the buggy, and set off.

Because I had searched for several places on my navigation, I ended up running in the wrong direction. When I finally realized it, I turned around, ran back, and started from zero all over again. I lost about an hour, but I had beautiful views, a good warm-up in the cool morning air, and I noticed something that made me happy: how relaxed I stayed. Little mishaps like that don’t unsettle me much anymore. I seem to have settled into a calmer and kinder rhythm out here, and it felt good to notice that. So I simply gave myself a new start, a new try, with good mood and great weather.

Later I met Urs, a farmer, and once again I was reminded how much timing matters. Had I not taken that wrong turn earlier, we probably never would have met. Urs was curious about my run, called his wife over, and Remo, who works with him, was there too. We had a lovely exchange. And then Urs handed me something I hadn’t seen in a very long time: a Swiss 50-franc note. A green paper note. After more than 500 days on the road, I finally had Swiss cash in my hands again. That made me smile.

The route took me past hundreds of beautiful houses, flowers, and small bodies of water. I really enjoyed the day, even as it got hotter and hotter. Then I ran into Bern, and it felt good to arrive there on foot. It still feels special to run into certain cities, and Bern is definitely one of them. I made my way through busy shopping streets toward the Bundeshaus where barriers were set up and police officers were standing around. I asked one of them if something was happening, and he told me they were waiting for the Polish president.

From Bern I continued toward Laupen. There were a few hills to climb and then a long downhill toward the end with beautiful views opening up again and again. Everything looked so picturesque. I found myself thinking about all the people who would love to see a place like this and don’t have the opportunity to. That thought stayed with me for a while as I kept moving.

In Laupen, my cousin Andy was already waiting for me. We loaded the buggy into the car and drove back to his place. Even the drive itself was stunning, through beautiful countryside with wide panoramic views in every direction. When we arrived, Pia had just gotten there too. I showered, did laundry, and hung my tent out to dry. Then suddenly the door opened and in walked Sändy, Jürg, Yanis, and Enya.

We all had dinner together and spent the evening enjoying each other’s company. I appreciated our get-together so much. It felt like one of those full days where many small things happened, and somehow everything found its place—from the wrong turn in the morning to everyone gathering around the table in the evening.

Thank you.

Thanks for checking in, Andrea