never pass a pisser, never trust a fart, never waste a stiffy.
A 5 week tour in the ‘Van’. Starting at Calais, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italian Lakes, Monaco, France Alps, Annecy and home again.
So opposite the campsite there were some moo-cows 🐄 and you could hear the tinkle of their cowbells… > > They apparently wear them to deter predators, do the herd is easier to locate – and some say that they find it soothing to know where their mates are – awww 🥰 💋💗 xxx
So here is a video showing the (shiny) workings of the engine…
We kept a constant check on the weather (as Interlaken has its own climate) and Saturday was supposed to be a complete washout all day.
So we had a lay-in but then it unexpectedly cleared up just before lunch so we hopped on the bikes and headed the opposite way to town – not really knowing where we’d end up.
We sort of followed the lakeside, went through a wood and suddenly came to a clearing where a paddle steamer was arriving.
We asked if we could bring the bikes on and they said yes but that it was going to cost 8 CHF (Swiss Francs – about £6.80) per bike if we left them “erect” but if we collapsed them – they would be free !!! It was mad because even after Dave collapsed them they took up just about the same amount of space !!!
The boat was built in 1906 (check out the date on the bell 🔔) and was kept pristine. Lovely polished decks, a waitered restaurant and bar and Dave particularly enjoyed the engine which was on display showing polished moving parts – short video to follow in next post…
It was about a half hour trip to Interlaken and then it ended up being totally free !!!
We did a little bit of shopping and then stopped off for a wee, a custard doughnut and a cup of tea at the Coop !!! 💋💗 xxx
So this a 7 second video that Dave took – in slo-mo mode – and he caught a lovely rainbow 🌈 halo (not sure of the technical term) which is almost ethereal… (hey – get me 😂😂😂 !!!) 💋💗 xxx
So here are 2 short clips – one in “normal” mode showing the viewing platform and the view just before we went to stand under the Waterfall – and the other in “slo-mo” mode showing the water dropping down… 💋💗 xxx
Friday dawned another beautiful day so we all hopped in The Van and Dave braved the switch-backs and drove us to Axalp (“a high alpine pasture on the northern slope of Axalphorn overlooking Lake Brienz”) to visit Giessbach Wasserfall 🇩🇪 !!!
I had sensibly worn my pretty pink trainers but believe me – with regards to traction – they weren’t enough !!!
Quite quickly we did an easy-ish climb to the main visitor bit where there is a platform built into the rock so you can stand under the waterfall and even cup your hands to take a drink, but…
My accompanying acquaintances (!!!) kept saying “Let’s go a bit higher”, I wasn’t happy and (just about) got UP to the top but there was NO WAY I could get down…
The photos below really do not convey my actual terror and those where I am smiling are when we are back down on terra firma the rest Dave snapped as I (silently) descended clutching onto Paul – who is a fireman, was wearing proper walking boots and was my absolute hero !!!
Terror aside, the waterfall was truly magnificent and we had a well-deserved beer & wine at the bottom in the beautiful Grandhotel Giessbach where we also stood in the frame for the obligatory tourist photo.
Videos to follow … 💋💗 xxx
So we got off the funicular and cycled back to camp then Paul & Sue hopped in The Van and Dave stoically got it up to this restaurant they recommended and we had the BEST apricot cake, cream washed down with a cup of tea with yet more spectacular 👏 😎views (and that’s us looking down on our campsite)💋💗 xxx
So Thursday we cycled into Interlaken then caught the funicular (train that goes up a mountain) up to Harder Kulm and the views were awesome 👏 😎 !!!
Interlaken, as its name suggests, means “between lakes” so up there you get a tremendous view of both Lake Thun and Lake Brienz and the waterways that connect them – topped off with a cracking view of the Eiger !!!
So you can see below a couple of photos of the track, My Dave in the train (!) and a couple of us on the viewing platform with Lake Brienz behind us, me with Lake Thun behind me, us having a well-deserved then we had an ice cream 🍦and The Eiger 🏔 – truly magnificent 😎💗💋 xxx
So after the storm ⛈ we got together in The Van with Dave’s brother, Paul and his new wife, Sue and had a lovely joint tea, a few drinks and played a game (Dave wanted to stick pins in his eyes as usual 😂😂😂).
The next day we knew was going to be rubbish weather (although still warm) so we mixed with the public and caught a bus 🚌 (here we are at the bus stop and look at the low cloud behind us) and met our in-laws at a flea-market – an old hotel with 7 floors – from clothes to a sauna and everything in between you could think of ! Dave bought himself a brand new music 🎵 stand for 10 CH (Swiss Francs) which is £8.40 – so he was happy 😊
Then we went into Interlaken and looked at the (very expensive) shops and every second shop was a watch shop (e.g. Tissot)…
Then we had a FAB curry, a few drinks, a chat and bed 🛌 xxx 💗😊
So we got to the campsite that Dave has visited many times before on motorcycle holidays and that Dave’s brother, Paul spends at least a month on – every year…
It was hot and we sat under the shade of a tree drinking tea out of china cups (Sue likes all of her home comforts around her…) and had a catch-up…
Then we bibbed off back to The Van and had a fruit 🍉 🍇 salad and went over to check in properly with Heidi, the owner. She had just about finished talking us through the free public transport, bus timetables, what discounts we could get with her free camping card, etc. when the MOTHER of all storms ⛈ broke – and it was so QUICK !!!
Dave ran off saying the canopy was out and literally started shouting for help and as the heavens opened and (more seriously) the wind whipped up (just like The Wizard of Oz !!!) I found him hanging onto the canopy for dear life shouting for me to wind it in !!!
We managed to get it sorted with no damage (just) but unfortunately not so for some of the other tents and awnings on site…
Here’s a piccie of us when we came back in and stripped off 😂😂😂 xxx 💗💋
