Replete
with fresh goodies and wine from a nearby Italian supermarket – Italian
supermarkets have such fabulous produce - we headed north towards the Alps and
our destination for a short stay – the Interlaken area – which we had planned
to stop by on the way to Croatia but had been stymied by bad weather. Not this
time though, as we set off under blue skies and a hot sun!
We’d opted to drive via the
St Gotthard pass first, having read that the views were spectacular, and
indeed, as we stopped for lunch over the Swiss border the mountains started to
look bigger and more dramatic as we neared the Alps proper. The border crossing
was a breeze – oddly without any document checks, and our properly filled in
Swiss paperwork to allow us on the roads and motorways was left languishing in
its folder.
As we approached the
junction where we could have taken the tunnel rather than the mountain pass at
St Gotthard, we gulped and wondered whether we had made a wise choice as the
Alps loomed larger than life. Also, we seemed to be the only people other than
bikers and cyclists heading for the pass. Yes – that’s pushbikes – hardcore
road cyclists for sure!
And so we settled into a
routine for the next hour or so as we climbed slowly but steadily towards the
peak of 2,106 metres, being overtaken by bikers and overtaking cyclists on
their amazing ascent (us, at a slightly faster pace in the camper, but not by
much!).
The drive was amazing for
the continuous series of breathtaking views, as well as the joy of climbing such
a switchback route with its sinuous and graceful bends that went out into thin
air on a number of occasions, supported by tall and elegant concrete columns.
We paused at the top of the
pass to take in the views and the fresh mountain air, before descending and
then climbing our next challenge, the Susten pass, higher still at 2,260m. This
direct route to Interlaken only opened at the end of WW2, was a quarter of the
distance compared to the motorway, but would take as least as long!
The wisdom of taking on two
Alpine passes successively was soon called into doubt, as we hit some major
roadworks – and the van’s ABS warning light came on as the temperature outside
rose to 34 degrees and under the bonnet (where our external weather sensor is)
reached 50 degrees… The road works, whilst spread out over a number of
kilometres, were soon passed, as our descending traffic seemed to have priority,
and as we passed a very, very long queue waiting to go the other way, we were
glad that we were leaving the Susten pass behind. The ABS warning light was
still on though, and although the brakes had been fine, it was with a huge sigh
of relief that we found our campsite (Alpencamping at Meiringen) and turned the
engine off.
Arriving in bright sunshine
and with stunning mountain views all around, a quick look in the direction we
had just come from, showed us that whilst the journey had been a challenge, at
least it wasn’t in the storm that was now settling into the higher reaches of
the pass…
Luckily, the storm stayed in
the mountains and by sunset, the skies had cleared and we awoke next day to a
clear sky. What a difference a few hours can make!
We also woke to a strangely
warm fridge, and a quick inspection showed us that the fridge was making more
ice than is good for it and it had got into a ‘continuous run’ cycle –
something we now realise we could have avoided with regular defrosting – a
lesson learned! Luckily, the freezer compartment was still frozen, so we
stashed the contents of the fridge in our coolbag, put the stuff from the
freezer on top and set to an emergency defrost whilst crossing fingers that we
wouldn’t have to throw too much of our lovely fresh produce away.
The fridge gods must have
been smiling though, as it was soon back to normal after a thorough clean and
defrost, and even Mr B’s stash of Croatian ice creams survived! As you can see
in the photo below, we went the extra distance in fridge worship as we nursed
it back to health, and put up a parasol just to keep its intake vent cooler as
the sun blazed down under a clear Alpine sky.
Not minded to head straight
off for a third day of driving, we set off to explore the nearby town of Meiringen,
home of meringues, and where Mrs B got to meet Sherlock Holmes. The connection
with Meiringen is linked to Holmes’ apparent death at the hands of Moriarty at
the nearby Reichenbach falls.
Returning to the campsite
for our last night before heading off to France, we couldn’t resist a quick dip
in what has to be one the quirkiest campsite pools we’ve come across.
As we set off on the free
motorway past Interlaken and onwards to France (without the ABS light on, phew –
probably a fault on a sensor), we really couldn’t decide what we thought about
the ‘Confederation Helvetia’ as a country (we’d always wondered what CH stood
for on the number plates!). Its curious amalgam of languages and cantons,
stunning scenery, tidiness yet lots of graffiti, the obvious wealth, and no
coastline, left us realising that we really were islanders at heart. Surrounded
by majestic and at times overpowering mountains we clearly needed a line of
sight to a coast not far away!
As we had free run of the
motorway network having already paid our HGV fee on entry, we set our sights
for an exit into France that would take us close to the German border and into
a part of France we’d not visited – Lorraine and Alsace…
S&J.
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