To Switzerland!

We left Calais about 11am local time and hit the French motorways, which are nice and empty on a Sunday on this side of the channel as heavy lorries appear to be banned from using them on this day, unless they are carrying a perishable load. It would be so nice to have a lorry free day in the UK sometimes!

The longest drive of the entire trip and Fred the Fiesta has coped admirably, eating up the motorway miles with the aplomb of the more massive car he ended up replacing. We just need a few more petrol stops to feed his smaller tank, that's all.

We travelled south, then east, heading towards Rheims, which we drove through part of on an urban motorway, through the countryside towards Strasbourg. I took over driving on some of the longer motorway stretches - my first bit of driving ever on non-UK soil taking place to the strains of Copacabana by Barry Manilow, would you believe!

Here's some photos from around Strasbourg, as you can see it's been a most gorgeous day here.

It's nice what they do with the trees here...

From Strasbourg it was due south down towards Basle in Switzerland, where we crossed the border. 


I expected to see mountains and cows and little chalets but the first impression of Switzerland is rather different: lots of industry and chimneys, flyovers and tunnels (they love their tunnels in this little country: under everything from mountains to cities!). Mercifully once off the motorways the mountains do start to appear and the scenery does improve.


We are overnighting in a lovely little town called Sarnen, all slopy roofs and shutters and little squares, lovely. We seem to be the only guests in the hotel as well, which is even better!


On to Sottomarina, near Venice, Italy, tomorrow, but before then, couldn't resist leaving you with a picture of what became known as the Bastard Bus as we followed it for a few miles out of Strasbourg:

I guess it means something else there!