Running From the Sun

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We didn't really mean to run from the sun but that is what happened. We are at the point of having less than a month to go this time in mainland Europe so we needed to move out of Spain and try to cover a little more ground than we have been. A little reluctantly we left Spain and its sun behind, although, to be honest, it did provide just a taste of the rain the night before we left. Through France and into Switzerland with the intention of having a quick squiz at the Alps before a run up into Germany to visit Berlin. Spain is a likely contender for the Comeback List. There is a lot we missed and it would be good to return, but not till we have covered a lot of other country.

Avignon was the home of Papacy for a while. They built an edifice here, fortified it and set themselves up. At some point a bridge was built across the Rhone here. Over 20 spans we are told. The original was a wooden bridge. It was burnt a few times and replaced by a stone one that was either never finished or was partly destroyed. There are only a few spans of the stone one left now. Avignon is all well set up and nice to look at but I wasn't so interested in the place that I absorbed all of the history in any detail. I would note, just in passing, that it is really no wonder that the Popes shifted back to Rome. They have a much nicer place there than at Avignon, although the river view at Avignon is better than any view from the Vatican.

As is our practice, we just missed the annual Avignon Festival. This is quite an extravaganza with theatre productions, concerts and the like over a 2 week period. It finished 2 days before we arrived. Our camp was in a place in an island in the middle of the Rhone River. Not a bad camp but we were a little disappointed not to have been here a little earlier. At about 8.00pm we picked up the unmistakeable sound of a sound check being carried out, apparently very close by. Figured that it could be the last gasp of the Festival. Had some hopes that we would be treated to a nice free concert there in the campground. When they kicked off they sounded pretty rough at first but still vaguely familiar. Our first thought was that they were a local band doing covers. As they moved into their task though it became apparent that they were actually very good musicians. The songs sounded familiar too. We figured they must be songs from the 80s or 90s - not good periods for us in terms of identifying pop music. Then we heard a succession of songs that were definitely familiar and that were well done. We were forced to conclude that, if U2 were performing at Avignon they would have drawn a slightly larger crowd than seemed to be in attendance. Turns out they were a French band doing covers. Not bad though.

And there is apparently a well known French nursery rhyme about the bridge at Avignon. Me, never heard of it, and my lovely wife can only remember one line. Clearly, though, it is enough to encourage a lot of people to pay good money to walk across a bridge that only reaches half way across a very nice river. Better photos from the bank of the river or from the bridge up stream, that goes all the way across.

There is a rule on the motorways that the limit when it is raining drops to 110 km/h. Not an unreasonable rule in my view, particularly with 2 or 3 lanes of traffic and with one of those consisting of a queue of trucks. The difficulty may be definitional in that it may not be clear when it is actually raining and when it is not really raining. Whatever the problem, many drivers appear not to define rain as actually occurring even when their wipers need to be operated at maximum speed, they are sending up a rooster tail of major proportions and there is an ever present risk of a nice aquaplane across the traffic. Some slowed down to a reasonable speed but many considered that such a move was for wusses and maintained their pace. As a person who made full use of the open speed limits that existed in happier times in Australia's Northern Territory I don't mind moving along, but I was not at all comfortable in the pouring rain with some sitting on 140++ and the rest on their 110 or less. To make matters worse the traffic was heavy with a fair proportion of returning holiday makers on the road the day we were travelling to Switzerland. A fun day.

There are obviously many good times to visit Switzerland but, no matter what you are told, it is probably not the best time to see it if it is raining and there is low cloud. Mountains? What mountains? The glimpses we had were enough to convince us to come back, but they were really only glimpses.

The rain did force us to take an on-site caravan for the night at Lauterbrunnen near-ish to Interlaken. Or rather the pouring rain, the mud, the lack of identified tent camp sites in an already congested area and the presence in the campground of no less than 3 ConTiki buses. It was late, wet and we were tired so we stayed under tin that night and we were comfortable enough. The Con Tiki buses were no problem at all, although there did seem be a rather high proportion of young Australians present. We have nothing at all against our countrymen and women but, in large groups, they can be just a bit overpowering. Perhaps, though, it is just that we can understand what they are saying.

The mountains were comfortably covered in a nice warm blanket of cloud next day. It was moving around a little but there didn't seem much prospect that it would move enough to give us any chance of seeing much. Walking in the rain is OK but who wants to start out in the rain? We moved on to a camp closer to Luzern a bit further up the map, and without quite so much rain. Even with only glimpses of mountains it is still very pretty country.

I may have mentioned in previous posts that we enjoyed Italy and Spain. Part of what we enjoyed was the way they accepted that it is silly to run around in the middle of vey hot days, or even slightly mild days for that matter. Why not get up when you feel the need? Have a nice lunch, have a little kip afterward and not bother too much with dinner until you feel like it. If you feel the need to eat at 9.00, 10.00 or even at midnight, don't worry about it. Spain, or southern Spain, to be more precise, was into this in a big way. We slipped into the arrangement very easily and, thus, we were a little taken aback when we arrived in a large and very well organised camping ground full of holidaying Swiss near Luzern. The place was a hive of activity for all waking hours. You were asked, very nicely, to not make noise between 2200 and 0730. Everyone seemed to be running, bicycling, skate boarding, scooter riding, badminton playing, swimming or just generally exercising a lot of the time. The Swiss impress as very fit, active people who get the most out of life just as the Spanish do, but differently.

The place and the people are very pleasant. There are times, driving through, that you wonder whether you have inadvertently wandered into a theme park, but this is actually how and where people live. It is no pose. We walked around some of the lake where we were camped. On a midweek day there were people everywhere, walking, riding and just enjoying the sparse sun. People say hello, or the Swiss equivalent (that I could not master). They nod and smile. All very pleasant and civilised. We were welcomed to our camp in what sounded like pretty good French, by a man passing by. He immediately switched to excellent English when we explained that, number plates on the car notwithstanding, we in fact can't understand much French at all, and can speak even less of it. At least three languages and all very well handled and that, it seems, is pretty typical. They are an accomplished and fit lot these Swiss.

The rain caught us again after a couple of days so we packed a soaking wet tent and headed north again. This time it was a really shitty day on the autobahn and, when we ventured off, even through the villages on the secondary roads. Arrived at Bayreuth and decided to check in to a pub to be told that 'Bayreuth is full'. A festival to celebrate the music of Wagner. Not every Wagner fan had arrived though and we found a room. Expensive but very luxurious and not at all wet. Neither was Berlin. Or rather, it was still raining but not in the studio apartment we had taken.

The guide books tell us that Berlin is too large to walk around. We decided that we would start out walking and get on a bus when we felt the need. We ended up walking for just on 20 km. There were another 5 or 6 on a bus but, if you were just a little fitter than us, you could have walked the whole way without too much problem. It is an easy city to wander around and there is a bit to see. Kufurstendamm Strasse was not far from our apartment. It is apparently Berlin's major shopping street. There are definitely shops aplenty but they seem to the more high priced ones to me. Although I shouldn't complain. I picked up a new pair of sandals for just over half their normal price. We did a few kms down this street and eventually made it to the Tiergarten near the zoo. A very nice park in the middle of the city. The Museum Island is impressive with a group of museums gathered together on an island in the middle of the river.

Berlin is pleasant. It struck us as an easy place to live and, if there is a major event on that you would like to see, an excellent place to visit. Beyond the key sights, Brandenburg Gate, the Tiergarten, Reichstag and the museums, there is not a lot more of dramatic spectacle. Some talk the night life. We didn't get into that but had a great time anyway relaxing and watching the passing parades from pleasant bars and cafes.

And now we have an appointment to keep in Belgium. Given the numbers of Belgian cars on the road we are wondering why it is so difficult to find decent and cheap accommodation but we are on our way anyway. There is always the tent.

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Photos

Not All Good Stuff is in Museums
They must have let it stand a bit long

Colourful Bridge
A reasonably common sight here and one that should be copied by bridge people everywhere

Avignon
The castle and the town

For Adam
how have the mighty fallen.

Hay
Nicely stacked and ready for the bloke with the forks

If You Look Closely
You will pick up a Swiss flag about 2/3 up on the left

Bee Hives
And even they look neat and tidy

Sempacher
Old Town

Comments

[adamasao]

que lástima
A Ché thermometer? And you didn't buy it? Oh well.

[alex]

fabulous stuff
Excellent stuff (as ever). Particularly liked turning up in beyreuth during wagner week; am gobsmacked they let you in. Also the French motorways. I remember driving at 129 behind a police car in the inside lane when two beautiful cars overtook us at 180 with no more than two metres between them. The cop in the passanger seat pointed and applauded. Do try and visit ieper when in belguim.