Discovering my Neighbourhood: April 2020

(Post done on December 19, 2021)

Saturday April 4, 2020 -- As the COVID pandemic has now hit Europe, and the Governments aren't really sure how best to deal with this new situation, schools have been closed and people have been sent to work from home. Fresh air and exercise are encouraged, but recommended is to stay near your home.

Because this year is an unusually early and warm Spring, with day after day of wonderful weather, people are NOT going to keep themselves and their children indoors! Not having to go to work in an office means you can be outdoors more than usual! Near our home is a popular walking trail parallel to the new Lorze River, and currently almost impossible to travel on as it is overly congested with walkers, joggers, racing bikes with no consideration for pedestrians, and lots of moms with baby buggies, taking the opportunity to meet in groups... all things actually discouraged at this time.

We felt more endangered on this trail "near our home", so on this beautiful Saturday we decided on a bike ride, starting on the overfilled trail (we were respectful of the walkers) along the Lorze River and cutting over to the Lorzentobel in Baar, a section of the river which passes through a type of ravine, and also a popular bike trail. Considering that people were supposed to "stay at home", we were surprised that the forests and riverbanks were literally packed with families doing Saturday outdoor grills!

Our round loop was about 16 km (about 2 hours), and required pushing our bikes up the hill to get out of the ravine, followed by some welcome downhill! The highlight of the day came near the end, near the Lindenpark S-Bahn train station, where the most fantastic Japanese Cherry Trees were in full bloom. Absolutely marvelous.

Approx. 2-hour round-tour by bike along the Lorze River. About half of this tour is part of the themed trail "Lorze Industry Trail" which runs from Aegeri to Cham.

The Lorze River in the Lorzentobel (gorge). This is a popular biking trail near the city.

Stopped to take some photos of the river as we were riding our bikes along the bike trail.

A power plant below the Lorzentobel Bridges

The first bridge was built in 1910 to connect Zug to Menzingen. No longer used as a vehicle bridge, it is a pedestrian walkway, which we have yet to try out. The second bridge is the motorvehicle bridge from Zug to Aegeri.

From Aegeri to Cham is a really interesting themed trail called the "Lorze Industry Trail" with lots of very interesting information about the growth of industry in this region, using the power of the river. We have done most sections of this trail.

This wooden bridge dates from 1759. It was here that the first bridge over the Lorze River was built in the middle ages. Due to flooding, the original bridges were ripped away and rebuilt a few times!

The "railway" bridge, with five arches and a length of 187m, was built in 1910 of natural stone, in the style of the railway bridges at the time. The newer cement bridge was completed in 1985, as it was more cost-effective to build a new bridge than to repair the old one, which had started to show signs of wear. The old one is now a pedestrian bridge.