Writing about my adventures goes almost as quick as my time on the road back then. It’s been great to reflect on what was a truly inspiring trip. We are not done yet, though. The scenery enriched locations continue to provide life-long memories and thrills. In this post, we will delve into Switzerland’s mountain passes as well as rural Germany and its out-of-this-world order.
It is the 19th July 2019 and you find me at the Italian-Swiss border being pulled over by an elderly lady in a high-vis vest. What could possibly go wrong? Not to mention, that I still carry my frustration from the bitterly expensive tank of fuel from down Milan way. Anyway, said lady requests €40 in exchange for a Vignette. I was going to spend a few hours in Switzerland but never mind, this sticker is valid for a whole year. To be honest, I got my money’s worth, road surface was pretty perfect. As a destination I had something you would never guess, well I can help, an outdoor swimming pool/lido in the lovely city of Bellinzona. This place was suggested by my family who had visited it previously, so I decided to give it a go. Yes, I know I haven’t said anything about lake Como, I just drove past it, I knew I would spend too much time looking at.. water, so I skipped it. I can describe Bellinzona as an incredibly peaceful city with clean streets, cheap fuel and expensive sandwiches – pick your priorities. Swimming pool splash done, quick lunch done and tourist bits. Oh, and in typical Swiss fashion – a robotic lawn mower does its job in an enclosed residential area. Fun.
This is where the situation started to involve some sweaty palms and a face of worry. Do you remember the lumpy Megane, when I was leaving Lyon? I see you nodding your head, yes, as I was ready to set off to Gotthard Pass in the mountains of Switzerland, the dreaded uneven idle came back. Not sure if it didn’t like the fuel or the injectors were playing up, it wasn’t right and I took it easy on the way up the Alps. Not for long, though. You just cannot ignore the perfect main course meal you’ve been served, the right combination of ingredients for the occasion. Those constant switchbacks, hair pins and long straights are still in my mind, lost for words – again. I stopped at the summit to admire the view and take some photographs, then out of nowhere, Porsche 911s, Aston Martins and the sort kept passing by. Nothing to see here – an overly excited guy with his orange French car, I’ll be like you one day guys, promise.
Next stop – Bad Herrenalb, Germany. My choice for an overnight stay, situated close to the French border and south of Karlsruhe. It was 4 and a half hours from Bellinzona, I will be lying if I said I wasn’t tired. The German Autobahn is where adrenaline came back in full force and I took advantage of the 245 French horses under my right foot. Until I approached stand still traffic.. An observation worth sharing is that, I am amazed (or not) by the way Germans obey their speed limits. No speed limit – they drive as fast as they can; indicated speed limit – they get grumpy if you try to overtake them doing 10km over the limit. Mind-blown. My expectations were so far met greatly, with more to come. Coming off the motorway to what was, I’m not exaggerating, glass-like asphalt. It’s hard to put into words, because in the UK we hear the road noise more than our cars. In Germany and particularly where I was, on a mountain road just before my destination, all I could hear was the exhaust and brakes squeaking from getting hot.
Bad Herrenalb – a quintessentially German village. Let’s try and explain this. Imagine a village that has just been built up, everything is new, untouched, unmolested. It felt like there’s no population whatsoever, absolutely spotless, you can have your bratwursts off the pavements. Following a quick walk around I found a restaurant and to everyone’s surprise, I had a schnitzel and a pint of beer. It was divine, is all I can say.
This marked the last full today on the roads. Sad right! Join me for my next post, in which I will be talking about driving back up north with more Autobahn action, torrential rain in Belgium and truffles. On a serious note, I’d like to thank everyone who’s been supportive of my posts! Keeps me motivated to write more!
Chao
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