Sunday 9th August
Day seven of our European motorhome adventure started with a bit of wildlife drama, and we hadn't even left the pitch!
As we started the morning, a fox casually ran across the field in front of us. It stopped, looked straight at us for a moment, and then scarpered off towards the trees. Not a bad way to start the day!
And then there were the cowbells.
Lots and lots of cowbells.
One of the things I had asked ChatGPT about before setting off on this trip was wanting to experience the "authentic Switzerland", rather than simply sticking to the obvious tourist routes. Well, I think we've definitely managed that.
We crossed into Switzerland from France via a much quieter route rather than coming through Basel or Geneva. The road eventually brought us towards Lac de Joux, and what a beautiful part of the world it turned out to be.
We stopped at the lake, where Suzanne had a paddle and the dogs' had a swim in the warm water. What's slightly strange is that, right beside us, there was a ski lift and everything was already set up for the winter season. In the middle of summer, the place looked almost like a ghost town.
There were plenty of walkers around, though, and we took the opportunity to have a good walk with Frankie and Tilley. The girls even got themselves a swim. They have travelled incredibly well so far, and by now we'd covered around 750 miles – possibly a little more.
The Wrong Turn That Turned Out Right
Now, this is where the day's navigation skills came into question.
Somebody – who shall remain nameless – took a wrong turn.
That somebody was me.
Despite the navigator (also me) saying we should be heading north, I somehow managed to head south on the D25. Suzanne eventually pointed out that none of the places on the map seemed to be appearing, which was probably a fairly big clue!
We pulled into a lay-by, checked the map book and, yep… we'd gone the wrong way, sometimes getting lost isn't such a bad thing.
The detour took us through some absolutely stunning scenery, with traditional Swiss-style houses and beautiful lodge-style buildings scattered across the countryside and pastures. It was one of those journeys where you can't really complain about getting lost because the views were spectacular. Eventually we looped back around and got ourselves back on the correct route.
From Thunderstorms to 39 Degrees
The weather had looked a little dodgy when we got up. We had planned to get out on the paddleboard and have a play on the river before setting off, but the clouds were building and thunderstorms were threatening.
So, rather than waste the day waiting around, we decided to hit the road.
And what a change!
Only around ten miles from where we'd started, the weather completely transformed. The clouds disappeared, the skies turned bright blue and the temperature climbed to around 39°C.
It was absolutely roasting.
Not exactly the weather you expect when you're travelling through Switzerland with ski lifts and cowbells in the background!
A Very Un-Swiss Lunch
After travelling for a few hours, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch, and by "treat", we mean McDonald's.
We don't normally eat it, and neither of us could remember the last time we'd had one – Suzanne reckoned it had been nearly two years.
Let's just say it wasn't exactly the highlight of Swiss cuisine! Especially when, not long afterwards, we passed a lovely-looking bar and restaurant with people sitting outside enjoying drinks and food in the sunshine. We definitely felt like we'd made the wrong lunch decision at that point!
Our First Night in Switzerland
Finding somewhere to stop for the night proved interesting.
Switzerland isn't exactly famous for being cheap, and we quickly discovered that free overnight stops aren't particularly easy to come by. We ended up using a public car park next to the road and paid for the night. It's not glamorous, but sometimes that's motorhoming!
We got the girls settled, cooked sausages on the barbecue and enjoyed a couple of drinks before settling down for the evening.
And then there was the sound of the cowbells. They seemed to be everywhere. As we sat outside, the bells provided a rather unusual soundtrack to the evening. We're not entirely sure how well we're going to sleep with them going all night, but it's certainly an experience!
A Drone Flight Over the Lake
Before calling it a night, I also got the drone out and flew it over the lake.
The timing was pretty much perfect, with the sun beginning to go down and the light looking fantastic across the water.
Unfortunately, the drone decided to tell me that obstacle avoidance was unavailable, and I have absolutely no idea why. Flying the drone over water always makes me a little nervous anyway, because that's generally when you get the best shots. Getting warning signs / messages is not exactly what you want when there's a very expensive drone involved! Still, the footage looked promising, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we captured.
Tomorrow: Montreux & Freddie Mercury
So that's day seven done, and we're officially in Switzerland.
Tomorrow we're hoping to head down towards Montreux, where we're planning to see the famous Freddie Mercury statue and explore a little of the area around Lake Geneva.
According to Meta AI, it's only about an hour and a half away.
Which probably means it'll take us about three hours!
We're looking forward to it, and hopefully we'll find somewhere nice for lunch or dinner along the way.
For now, though, we're going to sit back, recharge everything, listen to the cowbells and enjoy our first proper night in Switzerland.
Day seven complete. 🇨🇭🚐
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