My Trip To Switzerland

My Trip To Switzerland by TIO MTP

I took Margaret and Trevor and Cassie to Switzerland in May of this year and I am rather proud of myself. This was my first adventure travelling across the water and the trip was enjoyed by all – most of all, I think, by Cassie the Cocker Spaniel. It all started at a campsite in Sandwich, Kent where I had a grandstand seat watching the large Auto-Trail coachbuilt opposite being towed off their pitch. The muddy site was not a problem for me but I would not have been quite so smug if I had known it was going to happen to me later in the year at the Malvern Show! It was only a short drive to the ferry and I did not complain when I was sandwiched between huge lorries on the ferry nor being left alone with the dog for the ferry crossing.  I dealt with the heavy rain through France, Belgium and into Germany and another muddy campsite before we found the sun and dry roads in Switzerland. I was ready for a 3 night stop and a rest at Lausanne on the banks of Lake Geneva whilst Margaret, Trevor and Cassie explored Lausanne via the lakeside path in sunshine and the inevitable rain on one day.  (Why did that dog have to go into the lake at every opportunity?) The scenery was breathtaking even from my pitch but they enjoyed the boat trip to Montreaux, home of the Jazz festival, and where Freddie Mercury lived and died. I would see many of the vineyards on the next step of the journey but I would have liked to see them from the lake with mountains all around. I loved the journey to Raron, a ski resort, as the scenery was wonderful all the way with views of mountains and lakes and was easy driving. I followed my mate TIO RJK (The Kenworthys) and we did a detour up miles of very narrow, blind, zigzag bends towards the Grande Dixence Dam but had to abort the journey to the very top because of an avalanche. The Dam is the tallest gravity dam in the world and is at the head of the Val d’ Herens in Valais. It is 285 m high and holds 6,000,000 m3 of water. It was a big disappointment we did not experience the views from the top but the picnic stop was great with the photographers going mad over mountain streams, wild crocuses, gentian and snowy mountains and my mate and I also featured in the photos. A coach built following us chickened out and turned back but I kept my cool going up and down these mountain roads, although I admit, it was a bit hairy at times and I was glad to get to a quiet campsite and settle in for a 4 night stop. That dog did not miss out at any time and was taken up ski lifts to mountain villages,  train rides to the nearby towns of Brigg and Meiringen the home of Meringues. It was even taken through the Aare Gorge to see the torrents of water thundering through 1.4 kms of a gorge which is up to 180 m deep. The pesky cocker was taken on long walks up on the ski slopes and had, of course, to go through every stream. Lucky for me it was very hot and sunny and the dog was dry by the time it got back to me and did not impregnate my insides with that wet dog smell. I do not like to think too much about the next stage of the journey. Going up to the Simplon Pass to the Italian Border was memorable and a piece of cake and I like the photo of me with snow all around. Rather late in the day it was noted that the Grimsell Pass was still closed but Jane Kenworthy had done her research to learn that we could avoid a long detour by going on the Lotschberg Railway. I did not appreciate the indignity of being loaded onto a narrow open railway container – (my wing mirror was knocked again!) and hurtling through a dark narrow tunnel at 60 miles per hour for 20 minutes. It was wonderful to see daylight again and head for Brienz. Here I had the very best view of the whole trip from the edge of the lake looking towards Interlaken in one direction and mountains all around. We were here for four nights and my passengers went exploring the lovely town of Brienz via a lakeside path. One of the highlights of the trip for them was a cogwheel train ride up the Rothorn to walk in a foot of virgin snow and eat a skier’s breakfast of rosti, ham and egg and apple tart. The oh so happy dog ran in the snow with her equally mad doggy friends and it was still a saturated fur ball when it returned and jumped exhauste into my clean interior and would not move for the rest of the day. I was a little offended after my unquestioning loyalty when Trevor, Margaret and even the creature went off in a coachbuilt for the day to Lauterbrunnen. They went higher in a mountain train to Wengen and raved about the 72 waterfalls, (one plunging 300 meters), mountain scenery, pretty wooden mountain chalets, meadows of wild flowers and apple strudel. It was now time to start the homeward journey and enroute to Dahn in Germany we did an unscheduled lunchtime stop in Luxembourg where apparently a good lunch was served in the main square by a dog loving waiter. Humph!!!! If that stopover was not enough, Margaret and Trevor went off the planned route to Wizembourg, a fortified town on the French/German border. Much to Trevor’s disgust, Margaret persuaded him to go on a ‘pensioners’ road train for 20 minutes which took 1 1⁄2 hours and took them round every nook and cranny of the town twice but they saw the Benedictine Abbey, 13th century fortifications and many 15th/16th century timber framed houses. Then the train took them up through a housing estate to the vineyards beyond. Here Trevor nearly got left behind when he thought he had time to get off the train and explore the goods on offer. It looks as though we will be going back to explore Wizembourg again as they loved it so much. Givet, a French town near the Belgian border, was a great stopover at the Municipal site before heading for the ferry except there was another lake which the dog just had to swim in – I’ll never get used to the smell of wet dog.

There was a choice o  riverside restaurants, a river walk, 17th century fortifications with a castle and watch tower standing guard over the boats offering river trips along the river Meuse. I can see another return trip here before too long. The trip ended as it began with heavy rain and the added misery of thick fog but I kept going and did all that was asked of me so we got to the ferry in plenty of time. My reward was a good valetting to make me spick and span and best of all to remove all traces of the Cocker

(until the next time!).
TIO MTP

Extract from November 2012 News Letter