Day 4: Swiss Alps & Swiss Chocolate Factory

  

(Today we drive from the Swiss Alps to Lake Garda in Italy)

 

 Did I mention that the temperature has been dropping rapidly since Germany? We awake frigid with cold in 2 degree Celsius. We have really packed for warmer weather. I am up in the middle of the night and the sky is clear and crisp. I can see every star in the sky. It is breathtaking.

 We collect our fresh buns and croissants and head to the warming hut to eat our breakfast. Strangely the toilets are co-ed, but there are separate rooms for sinks for both men and women. Each sink is in a cubical with a curtain you can draw across. I assume a small washing is what is more the norm here as no one is using the showers. The showers cost a Swiss franc for 4 minutes.

 We set off into the Alps. We have two mountain passes to drive before we head into Northern Italy for the night. We notice everyone has a massive wood store and are very jealous! Our wood store is small in comparison.

 As we begin to climb towards the top of the tree line we notice how clean and fresh the air is. Despite it being cold, we drive with our windows open. Switzerland is known for its cleansing air and has long been a destination for those suffering from chest and lung troubles.

 When we stop there is a distinct sound to the Swiss countryside where we are. We can hear the wind blowing, but also cow bells in random fields all around us. This very much adds to the feeling of being in the land of Heidi.

 Switzerland is an expensive country compared to Germany and the Netherlands. But it is a small country so we don't go crazy here. Our costs are diesel, camping, and a tiny bit of groceries. We still have a lot from Germany.

 I like that Switzerland is independent from Europe. It still has a different currency and without a language of its own it has 4 official languages mostly from the surrounding countries.

 As we climb we are blown away by the scenery. it is by far both of our favourite country yet. We love it here. It reminds me of the Rockies in Canada. In the urban areas it reminds me of what I imagine Monaco to be like. It is a wealthy country and there is no shortage of people driving very fancy sports cars.

 The Swiss are very good at making tunnels.

 We continue to climb well above the tree line to 2437 metres above sea level. I have a strong urge to ski.

 There are a lot of motorists and a great number of them or motorcyclists. Here we see an American granny on the back of a bike. I can't imagine she was less than 85 years old. We were all stopped at the rest stop together.

 Me and the Alps. I put on my Canadian skin and am not feeling the cold that much. It is extremely bright up this high with the sun glaring off of the snow.

 Did I also mention just short of the peak we see many pedal bikes ascending the mountains! A bit lower down below the tree section we see groups of school age children all on mountain bikes heading off into the hills with their classes.

 Swiss top tip: McDonalds has free Wifi. Just park in their parking lot, use their bathroom, and pick up their wifi. You do need a Euro mobile to get onto the Wifi as they text you a code.

 It is so unreal at the top of the Alps that I feel like I am looking at a lunar landscape.

 A chalet marks the top.

 I am trying to scheme how I can come and do an art residency here.

 We begin our descent and the green returns.

 A lush valley.

 Our last stop near the Italy border is in the town of Caslano. There is a Willy Wonka style chocolate factory that you can tour for 3 Swiss Francs. We enter and are immediately given a sample of chocolate at the Alprose Chocolate Factory (see fountain above). I love Swiss chocolate!

 We are able to go into the factory itself.

 Nigel notes the pipes above us are carrying chocolate.

 This woman is quality control. Anything that doesn't make the grade goes into a bin by her side.

 There are may bins with chocolate rejects.

 More bins!

 When we come out of the factory we find a museum with old chocolate vending machines.

Followed by a chocolate store…with amazing deals (and samples on many of the piles).

 But best of all…all those chocolate rejects we saw on the factory floor are put into big bowls for "free degustation". Yes, that is Nigel nosing over to see what there is. yes, we did make ourselves a bit ill by the time we left! Having said that there is not a lot of chocolate you can eat in a small amount of time before you feel ill.

 Our last glimpse of Caslano which near the Italian border is very Italian and now a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. All the signs are now in Italian and it is the language spoken mostly by the Swiss in this region.

 We reach the Italian border and like all the other European borders there is no one there and we just drive through.

 We head past Milano and towards our goal of Lake Garda (but not after going through at least 3 motorway tolls). The sun is setting as we arrive.

 Above is the town outside the campsite. We are definitely in Italy now.

 We head down to the water for a quick dip as this is the first time it has been warm enough to swim on this summer holiday.

Tomorrow we head to Venice.

Day 3: Switzerland

 

 

 We awake at our campsite after a lie in and wonder if when the woman said 8am to pick up our bread at the front desk whether she meant from 8am or until 8am. It is now 9am. I wander over and pass the natural pool and briefly contemplate a dip. It is 10 degrees Celsius outside. Our bread is waiting for us.

 We wander into Salzburg the small town up the road.

 Meandering from shop to shop we find the two that we now look for in the mornings: the baker and grocer. Above: many a sausage, but nothing else.

 Salzburg has some great buildings.

 This includes someone cutting a hole in their roof and fitting an observatory.

 It really is a peaceful life in small town Germany.

 We pass a front garden with all sorts of garden ornaments and I think of my sister and her family in their VW camper van.

 We take lunch at a rest stop and pull out all the food that we bought. Custard pastry, fresh buns, some sort of chocolate yogurt we decided to try (turns out we think it is chocolate pudding), fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and of course CHOCOLATE!

 Then we head off for the Swiss border. We can see the Alps up ahead of us. Thankfully we have the Vignette sticker on our vehicle. This costs 40 Swiss Francs at the border but lasts for the year. One must have it to drive a car in Switzerland on the motorways.

 In Switzerland, as we enter Basel, we are almost immediately driven into a tunnel. I am  soon to learn that in a mountainous country like Switzerland, the Swiss have decided to burrow into mountains. There are tunnels everywhere. Tomorrow there is one 15km long on our route (although we skip it for the less direct more scenic route).

 We have driven into the centre of Switzerland rather quickly as it is a small country. Here we stop just outside of Lucerne and catch a glimpse of Lake Lucerne. Does this bear any relation to Lucerne dairy products in Canada? I don't know.

 Another item that comes with our van is a European parking timer. In Europe there is timed parking. One must buy a timed wheel (pictured above) and set the time one left the car.

 A second amazing feature that is allowing us to camp off-season on a whim every night is the Camping Card ACSI. We ordered a £13 membership from the Netherlands to the UK which lasts a whole year. It allows you to camp off season from 12-16 Euros a night across all of Europe. It is so easy to use as it comes with a map book of all the countries which is dotted with numbers that correspond to campsites that are in the ACSI program. Then you look up the number in the catalogue and read all about the site, what it offers, how much it is and a description of it along with directions. The cheapest season is the low season of September. October sees many campsites close.

 Nigel in front of Lake Lucerne.

 The country is beautiful. it is a series of mountains which are mostly forested with a lot of green patches where you see smatterings of Swiss style houses.

 In the distance you can always see the high alps with snow on them. It is getting colder by the day and we are told it is unusually cold for this time of year.

 We stop at Lake Lucerne from another direction (also called Vierwaldstättersee) and I take A LOT of pictures because it is so stunning.

 Heidi? Are you home?

 We finally hit the town of Meiringen within a stones throw from our next campsite.

 We notice half the town walking around in period garb.

 Then Nigel notices this sign: Sherlock Holmes Pilgrimage.

 We finally set up camp in a valley surrounded by mountains beside the village of Aareschelucht (with the campsite bearing the same name).

 Nigel cooks us a nice Risotto which we share with a fellow camper from Germany who arrived late on a motorbike.