A stop in Switzerland

The sat nav said our journey would be 6 hours today, but we knew it’d take longer in Molly Moho, and because we’d need some breaks. The first stop was to eat our breakfast in one of the pretty rural roadside aires and the second was for fuel. I checked on Google and discovered that fuel is far more expensive in Switzerland than in most of Europe and the UK. I, therefore, downloaded an app to locate a fuel station and was pleased to find a supermarket with cheap diesel, just off the motorway, avoiding high motorway prices.

Our next stop was at a bigger serviced motorway aire, more like UK services. We drove round and round it, both getting grumpy because, struggling to find our way into the parking, we ended up among dozens of huge lorries. We finally went through the fuel station and parked up in the picnic area to eat our lunch. It was amusing watching several storks begging for food. We’re more used to seagulls begging and didn’t expect to see storks here!

The journey mostly went smoothly, with the landscape around us getting hiller and more scenic as we drove south, with lots of tunnels through mountains once we reached Switzerland. We enjoyed seeing castles perched on hilltops, churches nestling in the the valleys, and birds of prey searching for meals in the fields and woods. Our first delay was in Basel where, having crossed the border between France and Switzerland, we crawled through tunnels under the city and along bridges over the mighty Rhine. Then Zürich wasn’t much better. We definitely need to avoid going that way in future!

Our last stop was at a pretty little lake called Huttnersee. We had a little time to spare before heading to Feusisberg where we’re staying tonight. A swim and a beer in the sunshine was a welcome way to fill that time.

We’d been asked not to get to the restaurant until after 6 because there was a funeral gathering. It was still busy at that time so we drove and found a lay-by to wait a bit longer. The plan was to have a shower but unfortunately I hadn’t put the water heater on the right setting so the water was cold, and we were on a slope so I nearly flooded the bathroom! Instead, I sat for a while enjoying the view over Lake Zürich.

Back at the restaurant, they found us a space in the car park, we showered and climbed the steps to our table on the balcony. The food was delicious. We both had rosti meals followed by ice cream sundaes before having another early night. Travelling is tiring!