Cyclist Paul's Travels: Meilen, Switzerland adopts bicycles

Leaving Zurich and following Lake Zurich for a dozen miles will bring you to the lakeside town of Meilen (population 12,000).

Local merchants have evidently adopted bikes. The bikes come in six flavors with merchants adding their own touches. This one is in front of a travel agency (note postcards in spokes). The top photo (yellow bike) sits in front of a hair salon (note the hair clips clipped on the bike).

This is in front of a shop selling fish. Note the fishing pole, net, tackle box and wine bottle

This posh-looking bike sits in front of an interior decorating business.

This is my favorite. It's in front of an optician's business. All those little balls you see glued on the bike frame are eyeballs.

This bike stands outside a woman's lingerie shop. Note what's strapped on the basket.

This is outside a restaurant and those three faces you see attached to the frame are either smiling sheep or cows.

This yellow bike looks ready to disappear in a jungle of foilage. It stands outside a garden center.

Yep, that's a yellow bike sharing space atop a bakery's shop with a giant-sized loaf of bread. There wasn't a map or brochure pointing out the locations of the various bikes so it was a matter of me cycling around town and hunting them down. I think I got 'em all--though I'm only showing you about half.

Meilen rises up and up along steep hillsides. High above the town lies Burg, a small village. I found this bike next to a barn.

This bike stands outside a woman's clothing boutique.

This bike stands next to the entrance of a bank. That blue bill you see poking out of the sprawling plant is an oversized 100 Swiss franc banknote--which is equal to about $95.

This white bike stands in front of a grocery store. Upon closer inspection I check out the business card attached to one of the pieces of wood and find out it's for a wood framing business located across the street (which has no space in front of its office to display the adopted bike.