Switzerland Part 2 - France Part 12. A Story, Not A World Cup Score!

I started to write this on the 19th of June, the same day as my previous post, as I was looking up at the Eggberge cable car from our campsite, which I must mention. It is Camping Remo in Altdorf, and Barbara and her husband run a lovely little site for nearly half the price of the one in Bellinzona. It is another ‘quirky’ little site with some 12/15 pitches, but there is so much attention to detail it deserves a mention; take a look at some photos. It even has toothpaste and a hair dryer in the toilets in case you forget yours. How about washing-up liquid and other accessories you might need?

We didn’t get that at £61 per night! Barbara is ever so friendly and helpful and, like so many in this sector, seems to be able to speak about 4 different languages. When things are good, people need to know, and this was good. The downside is it’s right beside a busy main road, which is even busy at 6:00am! I’d suggest earplugs, as they might help. Unlike me, who did wake for a short period with road traffic but didn’t even hear our next-door neighbour hitch his car to the caravan at whatever o’clock this morning and drive off, sweet dreams and all that!

One of the biggest differences we have noticed on our travels is the types of statics that you get on sites in Europe. Many in the UK are very similar styles, to the extent my sister and hubby and two close friends bought a static some three hundred miles apart during the same week, but theirs are quite similar in style, and my cycling buddy also has one pretty much the same, but here are the ones on this site!

I think it’s a static?

Enough of that; the Eggberge cable car is another experience that I recommend. Unfortunately, again, it's not the cheapest, but bear with me on this one because once again we have been restricted by the dogs!

It cost us about €60 return later in the day, so it was a touch cooler for the mutts, and another thing that surprised me was that it was as hot at 1,450m as it was down below on the campsite. Had we not had the dogs with us, we would have bought a single ticket, taken a packed lunch, and walked – or hiked back down; that would have reduced the costs to €24 for the two of us, so there are options. We couldn’t have done that, as the dogs would have been out in the heat too long, and our old boy Duke is starting to struggle with the heat.

There are pathways signposted at the top, though I’m not sure it would be too difficult to find your way down anyway; just keep going downhill and you’d get to the bottom. Which, by the way, I am not recommending, as you will see how thick some parts of the forest are as you ascend in the cable car – maximum 15 people. On our ascent we had the car to ourselves, meaning we could see all around us without getting in people's way or theirs in ours, another win for us!

That aside, it was absolutely beautiful at the top, and the views are amazing, as you can see. That to me makes it worthwhile; better still, there is a bar where you can sit and look out onto the lake. We only stayed at the top for about 90 minutes, but it was enough to take in the wonderful views. I also tried my hand at wildlife photography but failed miserably!

After deciding to stay another night, yesterday, we decided to jump on the train and go to Brunnen. No specific reason, but to have a day out, and we did some research, and it is supposed to be one of the prettiest towns in Switzerland, although I can only say that must be for the views, as personally I couldn’t find anything that stood out, though I wish I was here on the 26th - 28th.

We didn’t find anything overly interesting in the town, but again, the walk along the lakeside made it worthwhile. Not so sure about the miserable café owner where we decided to eat, and after ordering the drinks I nearly paid and walked out (after drinking them, of course,) but that is something that I find quite annoying.

I am sure in hospitality, it can be very frustrating and annoying dealing with rude, horrible customers, but we are never like that. No, we’re not perfect, but I appreciate what these people do for a living; if it’s good I will always tip, (just don’t put a service charge on, or I will ask you to take it off.) You shouldn’t rely on a service charge to get more money; maybe another story for another time.

But the way I look at it is this. You are taking my money from me, yes, I am getting something in return from you, but my money is helping your business or paying your wage, so be reasonably nice and polite to me. If I’m a pig to you, then be a pig to me; I deserve it, but when it comes to people looking after me and helping me enjoy myself, whether it is in Shropshire or Switzerland, I will be nice to you, unless, of course, you’re miserable, which is one story I may tell in time, about a young lady who couldn’t smile and took offense to a simple comment!

The food, like the service, was only okay, and I wish I had taken the name of the café/bar to let you all know, but it is pretty much beside the Rutli Bar, sits a little bit back from the pavement, and has dark grey seats and tables and is run by a woman with long dark hair – that’s her! And here’s why the 26th - 28th might be interesting

Anyway, enough of that and back to Switzerland. The stories are correct; it is a bit more expensive, and that is a reason we are heading back to France tomorrow up past Basel.

And here we are ‘up past Basel’ in a small French town called Mandeure, and a lovely journey it was too. We decided on motorways, as it was nearly 1.5 hours quicker from Altdorf, and sometimes you just need to get there, and on a journey of nearly 150 miles, speed was more of the essence. Plus, we didn’t think we would gain too much scenery-wise going on class-style roads.

But before I go any further to drive in Switzerland it is probably a good idea to get a ‘Swiss Vignette.’ This is a certificate that can last almost two years, though it gets backdated from December of the year you bought it until the 31st of January the following year. I didn’t think it would mean too much to us as we were only in Switzerland for 4 days, and in one respect, I was right.

However, this certificate lets you go anywhere on any motorway, and if you don’t have one, you could get fined. It just cuts out the guessing and planning game, and at a cost of about £40, it’s worthwhile; it’s not a lot compared to some of the fines you can get! But a word of warning. Be careful where you buy it, as when you start looking, you can be directed to other sites charging more and taking their cut. We got ours at the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS,) the official site.

We had a lovely journey up the dual carriageway, very scenic and free-flowing; however, before we got to Basel, we went through one tunnel that was as long, if not longer, than the Mont Blanc tunnel. Remember, that cost us €73; this one cost us nothing as we had bought the certificate beforehand, so in my opinion, it was well worth doing.

We met a Dutch couple on the site yesterday, who told us that when they drove south passing Basel, it was very busy, and it was the same going north, and I would say it was as bad, if not worse than, the M6 through Birmingham at rush hour time, and we were travelling at about 11:00am, but we weren’t in a rush, so we chilled in a traffic jam, the first time I’ve done that in about 45 years of driving. But the roads in Italy and Switzerland are definitely busier than France, and guess what - they are still pretty much pothole-free. Unbelievable! UK, take note - again!

And the site we are on is another ‘Camping Car Park’ site where we have stayed before, and which I may have told you to avoid, as I did on our very first site. But this one is so different; we have lovely big grass pitches, electricity hookups (EHU,) toilets, showers, and washing-up facilities with hot water, and it’s a nice site, and I cannot complain. Unfortunately, it also has a bouncy castle, and we believe it may belong to a private party that is going on at the small bar at the entrance, and of course the kids have flocked to the bouncy castle, and tonight it has confirmed something I have pretty much known for the last few years, just as I was hoping for a quiet night!

Children nowadays cannot seem to play and enjoy themselves without screaming at full volume. In one respect it's better hearing that than the silence of headphones and tablets or phones as they submerge themselves in a video screen. But I can’t remember myself and my pals doing that. Yes, we shouted and balled at each other as we played, but we didn’t scream at the top of our voices all the time!

I may have had an holler at getting thrown about 500m up in the air with a sheet between me and the lake but it was only for about 15 seconds. Not the two hours that some young kid has been on the bouncy castle for on full volume.

And just remember as I finish this, we all know the story of the boy that cried wolf!

Thanks for reading

DJ