It is over four weeks since our last confession (update that is), and lots of kilometres under the wheels since then. Summer continues for us – we’ve now had 6 weeks of sunshine and temperatures between 25oC and 32oC, with only a short thunder shower or three to cool things down and settle the dust. Whilst we are having such gorgeous weather in the south the northern parts of Europe (UK etc.) are still cool and unsettled.
We finished off our time on the French Riviera with visits to Antibes and St Paul de Vence, plus a return visit to Nice. Antibes is a real tourist town, but very nice for all that, especially in and around the old port. We counted 16 super-yachts moored off the port with another dozen in the marina, so together with the 36 private/executive jets we saw lined up at Nice airport, some of them as big as Boeing 767 and 737s, there seem to be no shortage of cash in this region.
Jan in Antibes old town
Some of the super-yachts anchored off Antibes
St Paul de Vence is a little walled village in the hills up behind Cagnes sur Mer, and is full of art galleries and cafes. We have been there twice before and also bought artwork on previous visits. This time we just enjoyed the atmosphere and a slow lunch at a little bistro. The bus trip up to the village was no treat though – packed in like sardines, standing up for 40 minutes on a windy mountain road, with no apparent air conditioning. So much for thinking a Saturday morning would be quieter!
St Paul de Vence centre ville
Typical St Paul de Vence street scene
Our last trip into Nice was to see some areas we hadn’t covered before – the ruins of the castle on the hill and the views over the old port to the east of the town, and the beaches to the west.
The reason for the name ‘Cote d’Azur’
Nice – old port from castle hill
Nice – old port from castle hill
“Ouch” – sculpture on Cagnes sur Mer promenade
Kiwi chef in action – Cagnes sur Mer
Cagnes sur Mer promenade
Thence on to the Italian Riviera, and a drive east along the coast on the auto-route, taking half the time we would have done on the coast road through all the towns and villages. This was an experience in itself with 75 tunnels and nearly as many viaducts over the valleys in 130km of road. A lot of the auto-route is built high up on the mountainsides so there are spectacular views around every bend as well.
One of 75 tunnels/viaducts on the auto-route to Italy
We stopped at a campsite on the beach near Savona on the Liguria coast, and just a 40 minute train ride from Genova. We explored both cities and much preferred the smaller Savona. Genova has a lot going for it with its busy waterfront, wonderful ornate buildings and birthplace of C. Columbus Esq., but we found it just too hectic – full of tourists off cruise ships, and endless noise and bustle.
Statue of Christopher Columbus in Genova
Genova waterfront
Genova waterfront
Genova waterfront – Palazzo/museum
By contrast Savona was more elegant, with lovely arcade shopping along the main streets, tree lined boulevards, and a pleasant waterfront dominated by a huge old castle/fortress.
Savona – old clock tower and new cruise ship
Savona – towers at entrance to old town
The original Cistine Chapel, part of Savona Cathedral, note decoration on the walls
The original Cistine Chapel, part of Savona Cathedral, note decoration on the walls, mostly painted on
Our next stop was Torino, north and inland over the mountains from the coast – famous for the Shroud of Turin (12thC fake), rice growing (for risotto) and Barolo wine etc. The only campsite near the city was up a very steep hill and a narrow road – not recommended for big rigs, and a somewhat shabby set-up in the grounds of an old mansion.
View of a main boulevard in Torino from campsite
Sunset over the Alps, Torino, from campsite
Morning coffee, silver service, at Torino’s original theatre cafe
Moulassano – 18thC theatre cafe, restored to original condition, Torino
Torino Museum of Cinema
Torino shopping arcades, all through the city centre
Dancing on the Bull of Torina for luck
Although the views form the campsite out over the city towards the Alps in the northwest were stunning, the rest of our experience of Torino was not quite so gratifying. Like Genova the city is full of beautiful ornate buildings and arcades, but it is quite grubby with graffiti everywhere you look – such a shame. Great tram service all around town, but only 3 shuttle buses to/from the campsite per day, so no evening trips out as there is no service home after 5pm.
We then headed for the Italian lakes, north of Milano to Lake Maggiore. Our campsite was on the lakeshore at Feriolo, near Stresa on the western shore. A beautiful setting with small islands offshore, each with small villages on them, complete with hotels and shops, cafes etc., and all set against a backdrop of high mountain peaks of the Italian Alps.
Feriolo, Lake Maggiore – campsite along the shore on the right
Feriolo village, market along the promenade under the trees
Jan at Feriolo after food shopping at the market
We spent 5 nights here relaxing, plus visiting the towns and villages around, and a one day round trip by train north to Domodossala, then mountain railway east to Locarno, further up the lake in Switzerland, and back to Stresa by lake steamer.
Locarno, Switzerland, on Lake Maggiore
A Pole we met in Locarno
On then to Vitznau in Switzerland on Lake Lucerne, via the St Gothard pass. The auto-route reduces from 3 lanes each way to one lane each way to go through the St Gothard tunnel. On a hot sunny Sunday the traffic jam at both ends of the tunnel was horrendous. D’Hobby performed well and managed not to overheat although some other vehicles succumbed to steaming radiators along the way. Once at the tunnel mouth traffic lights control the number of vehicles entering at once – clusters of about 8 or 10 vehicles are released, and controlled to 80kph through the 17km of tunnel – takes about 20 minutes and it was quite hot inside. It actually felt cool coming out the other end into another hot sunny day about 30oC.
Traffic queue lining up for St Gothard tunnel
We only stayed in Vitznau two nights as it was very expensive. They are now charging high season rates, and CHF 53 (€42.50) per night is a bit rich for us. Switzerland is the most expensive country we’ve visited so far (except maybe Norway).
Vitznau, Lake Lucerne
Vitznau campsite
Anyway we spent a very nice day out on a round trip up the mountain railway from Vitznau to the top of The Rigi – the mountain peak behind the town with spectacular views of the surrounding peaks (on a clear day), and down the other side to Goldau, followed by regular train into Lucerne, then lake steamer back to Vitznau in the late afternoon. Unfortunately the Rigi was shrouded in mist on the way up at 9.15am, and although we were in sunshine at the top at 1797 m, we only got glimpses of the surrounding peaks in the gaps of the passing clouds and mist. Undeterred we had our customary coffee at the hotel café, then carried on the mountain railway down the other side to Goldau and onwards to Lucerne for lunch.
Jan looking out for the peaks in the mist – The Rigi
Top of the Rigi (Kulm) station & hotel
The Rigi Kulm – red train to Vitznau, blue train to Goldau
Rigi Kulm – Mike found a new best friend (doesn’t argue)
Lucerne river/water front
Lucerne – the Old Chapel Bridge
Our lake steamer on Lake Lucerne
Vitznau from the lake
We left Vitznau on Tuesday (9/7), and backtracked 3km to Gersau to catch the ferry across the lake to Beckenried – this saves about 90 minutes driving around the lake through Lucerne. As we arrived at the ferry at 11.00am it had just pulled out of the berth, but the ferry master very kindly backed up and let us on, otherwise we would have had to wait another hour for the next ferry. As we drove on he called out “Special treatment for British!” – what a nice fella !
On the ferry Gersau to Beckenried
The only time Jan gets to drive – on the ferry!
We are now in Thun at the end of Lake Thunersee. It’s a lovely old town built on an island in the River Aare, and spreading out over both banks of the river, with fabulous views of the snow covered mountain ranges and peaks around such as the Eiger, Munch and Jungfrau visible to the south, most well over 4,000 m high. Our campsite is on the lakeshore, and again very expensive at CHF 59 (€47) per night, so we are only staying 3 nights before heading north to Basel and the Rhine. We had the most expensive coffee ever this morning at a nearby café – single espresso CHF 3.80 (€3), double espresso CHF 7.00 (€5.60) – near enough NZ$20 for 2 coffees!
Thun view from the Schloss tower
Thun Schloss, above the town
Thun Schloss, first photo taken from the top of this tower
Thun Schloss from the Rathousplatz (Town Hall Square)
Mountain range views from Thun campsite, includes the Eiger, Munch and Jungfrau
Great cycling in the Thun area. Everyone seems to use their bikes for getting around. There are cycle lanes plus a special purpose walkway/cycleway around lake edge. It was an easy cycle ride from our campsite at Gwatt into Thun centre going on the cycleway through parks and a sport centre.
We are heading north tomorrow to Basel, then plan to follow the Rhine all the way up through Germany to Holland.
Auf weidersein!
Travels with d'Hobby 