From our first visit here in 1985, and through a couple of others since, this has always been one of our favourite countries – and one of the countries in the world that we admire most.
Had not thought of castles in Switzerland but passed this one near Martigny on the way in from France.We were also surprised by what looked like terraced vineyards in the area – wine, from Switzerland ?
This visit we had a few specific goals – drive some of Switzerland’s great mountain passes, explore regions we had missed before ( in the south and south east ), revisit a couple of our favourite places, and finally, visit some old friends we had last seen a few years back at an Overlander camp in Buenos Aires.
First, the road trip. From the very beginning of our retirement travels ( back in 2019 when we created the OneEndlessRoad website ), our primary goal was simply to drive some of the worlds great roads. In the years since we’ve been working our way through many of them ( the full Pan Am, the “full lap” of Australia, to name but a few, and of course, countless legendary national road trips within these long national and international routes – Chile’s Carretera Austral, Argentina’s Route 40, Australia’s Gibb River Rd and Cape York Track being among the more memorable). Switzerland, while not offering any such lengthy road trips of note, does offer some world-renowned high mountain passes (one of which was even featured in a classic James Bond movie). While sadly not doing it in an iconic Aston Martin DB5, we still managed to drive the famous Furka Pass ( featured in Goldfinger ), and nearby Grimsel Pass, the even more stunning “Paso de Stelvio” ( Stelvio Pass ) connecting Switzerland with Italy , and the Fluela Pass ( connecting Davos to the Stelvio Pass road ). These, in addition to the impressive back roads we took across Crans Montana and the Appenzell region made for an incredibly memorable driving week in Switzerland – it’s just that kind of postcard-like country in which every direction you look, you see something of stunning beauty. Equally impressive was to see the range of truly exotic and iconic European sports cars traversing these routes, along with a couple of old British classic cars as well. Seems we were not the only car ( or, in our case, ‘van’ ) buffs on the road in Switzerland that week.
Swiss countryside in the way to Furka Pass.First view of Furka’s famous switchbacks.The view down over Furka from above.A tedious, slow climb but made it to the top. Here the elevation is 2,429 metres.You might recognize this famous ( but now closed ) hotel from the car chase scene in the James Bond classic movie “Goldfinger”. It was built into the inside of a very tight hairpin bend. Still attracting tourists over 50 years after the movie made it famous.Hotel Belvedere, Furka Pass.Tacky tourist shot !From the Furka Pass to the almost equally challenging Grimsel Pass.Traditional Swiss scene at the bottom of the Grimsel Pass.
In between all these particular mountain pass roads, time was made time for revisits to Interlaken and Lucerne, two of Switzerlands prettier attractions which fell conveniently within our path across the south of the country. Both offered exceptionally clear and sunny days making for memorable return visits.
Brienz, near Interlaken.Downtown in beautiful Interlaken.View from Interlaken.A street scene, Interlaken. Not sure which city started this “inverted umbrella the” thing, but we have now seen it in at least half a dozen other places.Mountain road en route to Lucerne.Our prettiest camp spot in Switzerland- just across the lake from Lungern. We woke up to this view.Lucerne city – one of Switzerland prettiest.Selfie time.
Great road trips and scenic cities are always highlights when you are on the road but so too is the opportunity to catch up with old friends. We had kept in contact with Peter and Nicole over the past 3 years since last meeting them at a campground in Buenos Aires as we wrapped up the PanAm. We enjoyed a few wonderful days together there and went out for dinner in the city on a couple of occasions. They’ve spent many years traveling South America in their 4 x 4 VW and we have enjoyed following their overlanding adventures since we left them. Fortunately, this summer found them back in Switzerland for a few months R&R so it provided a great opportunity to stop by and see them in the picturesque community of Gonten where they live. It’s a stunningly beautiful place and close by is the city of Appenzell where we joined them to watch one of Switzerland’s seasonal “cow descent“ ( or Alpabfahrt ). A visit to the nearby Laderach chocolate plant gave us the opportunity to get involved in making some chocolate and to learn about just exactly what goes into making this legendary Swiss product. Sharing the time with them and their good friends Bruno and Regula ( just back from an overland trip to Georgia themselves ) and enjoying a traditional Raclette dinner with them was a real highlight of the trip so far – I don’t think we have had such an intense culinary and sensory experience in some time ! Thank you, Peter and Nicole !
Visited Laderach chocolate factory – hand a hand in making some for ourselves and enjoyed learning how the Swiss kits make it so well.The “blonde” chocolate fountain. I took a few extra tastes at this one – divine !Our creations on the conveyer for cooling.Lois’s finished map of Switzerland.…and mine.In the almost 4 month long hunt for Europe’s best hot chocolate, the search ended with this one from Laderach. No surprise then that one of the best chocolatiers should make the best hot chocolate !Wonderful reconnection with our dear Swiss friends, Peter and Nicole – we’d last seen each other in Buenos AiresHappened to stop by as Bruno and Regula were visiting while n route home to a Switzerland from Georgia – great tips gleaned about a possible trip through there.Nicole treated us to a traditional Swiss Rackette dinner. The BEST cheese !Shout out to Peter, whose impressive array of tools helped me with some maintenance on the van. High light of our stay in Gonten – the traditional Swiss “cow descent”, or Alpabfahrt.If we were not listening to church bells, then it was cow bells. Such a peaceful rural sound- the bells can be huge !
From Switzerland, the plan is to tour through Italy’s legendary Dolomites for a few days before heading to Slovenia through eastern Austria. Lots to see. I’ll close this week with a few shots of our last “drive” in Switzerland – from Gonten, south east to Davos and on through the Fluela Pass to Zernez and then to the Stelvio Pass on the Swiss / Italian border ( exhilarating, to say the least !).
Left Gonten for the Stelvio Pass – almost missed the fact that it cut through the bottom of Liechtenstein and this beautiful castle in Balzers.Scenery en route to Fluela and Stelvio passes.A couple of Lotus’s and a Porsche Boxster overtaking us on the way to Stelvio. We were overtaken…..a lot !Memorial at Stelvio pass marking a military battle in WW1.Camped for the night, atop the stunning Stelvio pass.Signs marking the options to go down. Stelvio sign in the middle.View down from the top is Stelvio. A spectacular drive with incredibly tight hairpins, some requiring 2 point turns in our 7m long rig.
Till next week…..
In Case You Wondered:
Q: How do you determine where to stay each night ?
A: We have been asked this one a lot. I have periodically been adding pics of camping/parking places ( to show what’s typical ) but it seems people are especially curious about this. While campgrounds are certainly available if one needs to use them, we are fully self-contained and hence generally avoid them. There is just no need, and in Europe they can sometimes be congested as well. They can also be expensive, especially in high season, and the popular ones require booking in advance – and we always avoid that !
In cities it’s very common to use 24hr parking stations ( these allow you to get right downtown, but you are “parking” and not “camping” in the strict sense of the word ). The term “camping” is probably used somewhat generously in some cases. In these situations, one does not put chairs or awnings out – but we are still very thankful and appreciative of the flexibility to stay so close to downtown areas ( we are very respectful and certainly “don’t bite the hand that feeds us” ! ). So far anyway it just seems much easier to do this in Europe. Park4Night ( an app ) is the “bible” of European van/RV travellers in this regard. The iOverlander app is good all over the world though not quite so strong in Europe. Both these apps show both free and payable locations where one can park/camp overnight. The options are numerous – we’ve never worried about finding a place, ever.
Personally when deciding where to stay ( though some would prioritize differently ) we focus on security first, convenience of location second, flat( or “flat’ish” at least !) third, with reasonable quietness next. Any other benefits are a complete bonus. We don’t hesitate to drive right downtown and have done so everywhere we have been, the advantage of having a rig that, while spacious, is still quite easy to manoeuvre.
During our summer break back in Canada ( but also at other points in our van travels ) we’ve been asked lots of questions about our somewhat extended “life on the road”, ranging from the technical, to the personal, to the financial, to the operational and various other aspects of it. Over time I’ve made a bit of a mental list of them and recently collated some of the more common ones – in the coming weeks I thought I’d add an addendum to the blog as a short “Q and A”. If some were asking it, we figured, likely others were thinking it ! We’ll kick it off at the bottom of this week’s edition ( feel free to send us any others that you would like answered ) 😊.
One of the toughest things about travelling in Europe is the simple fact that you are so spoilt for choice. We’re finding ourselves a little bit tormented in a way, and by moving on in the direction we are going we always seem to be passing up something else that we feel we really should be checking out – a nice problem to have though, I suppose. Seems each time we make a detour there is something else equally appealing if we could “just drive a little further on” ! So that’s kind of how we got where we are now ( south eastern France, exploring some of their historic villages and cities ) and we have absolutely no regrets. Why go straight south when there are so many great detours to distract us !
What could be more French – classic Citroen 2CV !
This past week the route took us further south in France, through the stunning castle village of Chateau Chateauneuf, the foodie haven of Dijon ( yes, home of the eponymous mustard ), a few other smaller villages and ultimately to Annecy ( sometimes known as the “Venice of the North” ) – one of France’s prettiest small cities where we spent a couple of days. The week wrapped up with a foray into the Alps at Chamonix, and while not quite the outcome we hoped for it was probably one we should have expected 🧐.
If Flavigny was impressive, Chateau Chateauneuf took it a notch higher. The same historic, original French stone buildings and cobblestone streets, but Chateauneuf also had the most imposing castle perched high atop a knoll with the most expansive views. Taking the self guided tour of it was well worthwhile – interesting to see how the nobility lived back in the day.
Entryway, Chateauneuf.The chateau.Chateau ChateauneufSuit of armour, inside the chateau.The village of Chateauneuf.
World-renowned Dijon was only 40 minutes away and with more to offer than just its famous mustard we enjoyed wandering its historic streets and parks. Sadly, it’s famous market was not open the day we visited but we had no problem finding other sights to enjoy and an excellent lunch to savour- a foodie haven so thought it a good spot to sample the local fare.
Cathedral, Dijon.The walking tour of Dijon is easy – follow the Owl’s route !Building from the 1400’s in Dijon. Made partially with wood and still in amazing shape.One is, unsurprisingly, spoilt for choice with varieties of Dijon’s eponymous mustard.
Close to Dijon was the smaller city of Besançon and, while we would not have made a special trip to see it, there was a very worthwhile reason for the detour there that we made. While the Mercedes dealer in Troyes couldn’t help us with the EGR part we needed, the Service Associate very thoughtfully arranged for it to be delivered to the nearby Besancon dealership – most conveniently they could also fit us in for the installation. With service appointments often needing to be booked weeks in advance, we were incredibly appreciative of the cooperation between the two dealers that made it possible for us to continue travelling with what ultimately amounted to a very minor interruption. Thank you, again Saber and Cédric !
Thank you to Cédric and team at Besancon Mercedes. Not only did they get the new EGR valve it was installed quickly and with out fuss.While waiting for parts to arrive the service guys were checking our route.Street scene, village of Poligny. Originally visited because there was a great spot to camp and then realized it was also a great little village to explore. Famous for Compte cheese ( we loved it ).We’ve become somewhat addicted to visiting cheese stores – here at a market in Poligny. The local specialty is Compte…delicious.
Annecy, a beautiful small city on Lake Annecy, and just a few hours further south, was effectively our last stop in France. We had read much about this place and seen quite a few pictures so were keen to get there and explore it for ourselves. It did not disappoint. With our van parked up right on the waterfront and just on the edge of downtown, it was one of the most convenient locations imaginable and gave us lots of opportunity to explore Annecy’s beautiful attractions. It’s popular, being just an hour or so south of Geneva in Switzerland, and being a weekend it was extra busy, however the crowd of visitors from all over the world simply added to the ambiance.
Annecy.Pizza lunch.Selfie in front of Palais de I’lle, Annecy.Annecy.Coffee time, Annecy.Annecy.Thiou River, Annecy.Pont de Amours, Annecy.Annecy, waterfront. Long waterfront walks were necessary to burn off the calories consumed here !
At this stage, we planned to finally start heading east with our first stop being to visit some old friends in the east of Switzerland. East was also the logical direction we should’ve been heading ! Rather than scoot across the top of the industrial region of Italy as originally planned, we opted to cross the Alps and go straight up to Switzerland, but planned a route which would be all virgin territory to us. This gave us the opportunity to sneak in a visit to Chamonix, ( a skiing mecca and home to Mt Blanc ) just before leaving France. It was probably optimistic to think we could park anywhere near the place ( but thought we’d roll the dice ) – even a nice view of Mt Blanc alone would make a visit worthwhile and it lay right on our path to Switzerland anyway. See below – let’s just say it was fortunate we did not go too far out of our way !
Chamonix- bumper to bumper traffic, packed with tourists and impossible to park. It was the last Saturday of summer holidays on a gorgeous summer day – what were we thinking !!!Too cloudy to see Mt Blanc from Chamonix but got a good view of the glacier. A consolation prize of sorts 😊.
Q: Do you guys argue from time to time and isn’t it difficult living for extended periods in a ( relatively ) small space ?
A: A surprisingly common question ! Yes, we do, mostly about driving directions but sometimes about destinations, and routes as well. Made worse when one of us is sick, or something goes wrong with the vehicle ( the severed ABS brake cable issue in remote northern Norway in sub zero temperatures would be a good example ), or when the weather is bad ( “Jeff, remind me, again, why are we here in March ?” ) ! We actually don’t find the space “small” and we see MANY travellers in vehicles smaller and less well equipped than ours. We are very thankful for all the facilities and features our van has – helps minimize those arguments !
A typical “micro-camper” the likes of which we saw regularly during our time in Japan. As can be seen (compared to the standard Japanese sedan parked beside it), some of their campers are really small ! Very happy with the size and comforts of our van ( and having lived in Japan for 3 years we are used to small spaces ! ).
Memo to self – when you think it might be a good idea to break up an otherwise long flight from Kelowna to Amsterdam with a few stops en route, think again ! What could’ve been done in 12 hours stretched out to almost 20, meaning we arrived in Amsterdam absolutely exhausted. Lounge passes, we thought, would make things easier, but that of course assumes you can get into the airport lounge….not when they are full, you can’t ! We just should have known better – chalk that one up to a case of “seemed like a good idea at the time” 🙄.
While the return flight did not go so well, things did get better on arrival – initially. The good news was that when our van was collected it was as sparkling clean as we had left it, very well cared for, and started up immediately. May seem rather obvious but one does worry about that when the vehicle has been stored for over three months. Very happy with that. We then drove straight to the same campground we had stayed in just before leaving Holland, checked in and had a pretty good night’s sleep. So far, so good.
The van looked sparkling clean when we picked it up and started right away after 3 months of no use ( phew ! ).The Swallows Nest campground, Ter Aar, near Amsterdam.
The next day we had a previously scheduled appointment with Mercedes Benz Amsterdam to replace the front brake pads ( routine ) and to ( very likely ) replace the EGR – an emission component, under warranty, that has plagued us ( and thousands of other Sprinter owners around the world ) before and was acting up again. We’d planned all this before leaving Amsterdam in May and had asked that they ensure the parts would be available when we got back. Let’s just say it did not go as planned ( no parts on hand ) and cost us two unnecessarily wasted days. Worse, they found an unexpected ( and serious ) issue with the rear passenger side shock absorber – I’ll spare casual readers the blow by blow of what happened but for those more curious about mechanical malfunctions I’ve added relevant detail at the end of the blog; not what you want happening on your first days back in Europe !
One must make the best of a bad situation ( always ) so we used the unexpected time in Amsterdam to further explore the city. Having hit the major tourist sites on two previous visits, this time we split our days between wandering the canals and sampling all the cheese and pancakes on offer ( when in Holland…..) as well as taking in the amazing sights of “Sail 2025” a 4 day expo of famous tall ships and other assorted marine vessels which happened to be on right when we were there. Made for a couple of extremely busy days ( the city was packed ) but certainly helped us take our mind off the delays with the vehicle. The entertainment was amazing !
The 2025 “Amsterdam Sail” event was in full swing while we visited – we went over two days. Have never seen so many tall ships in one place !“Sail 2025”The line for a public toilet in Amsterdam during Sail, 2025 !Amsterdam Central Station.Cheese stores everywhere in Amsterdam. It was fun to do the samples – some delicious cheeses !…..and bikes. Bikes everywhere!On a hugely busy day the Amsterdam canals were jam packed with tourists.Famous canal houses near Amsterdam station.
With only one of three vehicle tasks completed while in Amsterdam ( the shock absorber problem fortunately, as it was the most urgent) we pushed on from Amsterdam on our intended route south, first destination being the historic and beautifully maintained town of Troyes, in France. This took us through Belgium, via Antwerp but skirting Brussels, and on through the areas of France known as The Marne and Ardennes ( famous battle areas from WW1 and WW2 respectively – I can recall my grandfather, who fought in WW1, speaking about the Marne). As the day went on we passed monuments to those battles and many others, along with the very sad sight of thousands of white crosses marking the graves of young soldiers who died in the conflicts. Heartbreaking to see so many of them – their lives tragically cut so short.
Driving out of Mercedes Benz, Amsterdam. While the staff there were delightful we were quite sick of the place after visits which spanned three consecutive days due to a delay in getting parts and an unexpected power outage.
This time we passed through Belgium – no sightseeing but we did buy, what else, some chocolate !
As it turned out we never got to Troyes that day – between stop offs in Gouda and Breda ( Holland – for the cheese, of course ! ) and requisite stops at some French battlefields we only got as far as Vouziers where we stumbled on a great municipal camp site, and, purely by happenstance, the gravesite of Roland Garros – tennis fans will know him for his name adorning the stadium which hosts the French Open. Sadly, Garros, a fighter pilot, was shot down just one month before the Armistice was signed in November, 1918. He was famed for a revolutionary invention – the “through the propeller” machine gun which made him a legend at the time.
The grave of famous WW1 French airman, Roland Garros. His name lives on at the French Open tennis stadium.Sadly shot down just a month prior to the war’s end.Travel rural France and you will see lots of WW1 and WW2 cemeteries. It’s said that “Old men start wars, young men fight them”. Sadly, so very true – some of these still in their teens.A monument to a great battle fought in WW1 in Suippes. Over 10,000 soldiers are buried here.
Just a few hours further south is the small city of Troyes. While there was much damage in the surrounding area, Troyes escaped it during the two wars and as such its old town retains some of the best classical urban French architecture in the country. The cobbled streets, narrow alleys and colorful facades made for an enchanting visit. Not a place either of us knew about before but want to extend a big thanks to reader,Tjalle, for the tip – well worth the stopover !
Old town, Troyes.Old town, Troyes.Narrow alleys and buildings that are leaning. In some places they touch at the top.On the day we visited it was the 81st anniversary of a World War II battle near Troyes involving mostly US serviceman. Lots of American flags and a classic Willy’s Jeep.Troyes cathedral.Another beautiful Troyes church.So classically European. Troyes is a very beautiful town.
From Troyes we continued exploring some of the classic small, traditional French towns in the region. After the predominantly wood style buildings in Troyes, it was interesting to see the contrast with the almost exclusively stone buildings in historic Flavigny sur Ozerain. Flavigny sits up on a mountaintop with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Typically French and very picturesque, we look forward to exploring more places like it in the coming week.
A picturesque riverside setting in Mussy sur Seine where we stopped for lunch.Traditional French street scene in Flavigny Sur Ozerain Another. They do such an amazing job keeping/restoring old buildings in France. Flavigny is one of the more famous towns in the region.
Till next week…….
Appendix 1: The Dealership Visit Fiasco:
The brake pad check and EGR inspection revealed exactly what we had expected ( no surprise there ), but then things went totally pear shaped – not only were the parts NOT on hand, they could not give a firm date for when they would be available. Incredibly frustrating, but it got worse. While doing a quick visual inspection of the van they noticed that the passenger side rear shock absorber had sheered off from its top mount and was ( literally ) dangling loose from the other end in the wheel well. This was bad enough news but on closer inspection the bolt had not just come loose and fallen off, it had actually snapped inside the chassis rail and could be ( we were advised ) very difficult to remove. Yes, this is when you hear yourself saying, “For the love of god, why my van !”.
The intended one day dealership visit ( “and it should all be done” ) notion turned into three consecutive days of visits ( a power outage in the area causing additional delays ) with the only positive outcome being that the bolt was successfully drilled out from the chassis rail and the new bolts were ordered and installed ( as a preventative measure I asked that the other side bolt also be replaced figuring it may soon succumb to the same metal fatigue that did its partner in ). Bolts, of course, are cheap – Mercedes hourly rates in Holland, are not; $710 ( CAD ) later, we had the van back and the rear shocks, at least, were now all good. Brake pad replacement and EGR install would need to be done elsewhere due to parts availability ( or should I say, lack of ). Apparently, according to my Canadian installer/supplier, the shock bolt snapping is not uncommon ( yes, I was assured, it can and does happen even though one has upgraded suspension to handle the extra weight ). At this point, after three days in and out of the dealer, we decided to move on. Never a dull moment on the road. I will provide an update on both the brakes and EGR matter when they are dealt with.
The bolt, visible on the top of the driver side shock absorber, sheered off completely on the passenger side. It left half the bolt stuck inside the chassis requiring a special tool and much expense ( and stress ! ) to remove…😟.The passenger side shock absorber. While in the dealer for routine brake pad replacement they noticed the passenger side shock absorber had broken free of the chassis mount. The sheered off remains of the mounting bolt are visible in the green circle. Result of simple metal fatigue after thousands of kms of severely corrugated roads in Australia and just eventually collapsed they suspected.
By the time this blog appears in your email we should be back in Europe and ready to return to the road (where did the last three months go ?). A bit of a “one off” blog in that it’s mostly about our time away from the road so if you’re expecting exotic pictures and tales from Europe you’d best wait till next week. That said, we’ve had the most wonderful summer and managed to catch up with many ( but certainly not all ) of our friends and ( Canadian ) family. What follows are some highlights of our time back in Kelowna – more a “friends and family” update this time as opposed to our normal travel journal, but we’ll be back to the Europe pics and stories next week.
First up, lots of time with our granddaughter!
A friend’s retirement party provided a rare opportunity to catch up with dozens of old colleagues – all at once ( thanks Laura ! ). We have reconnected with other old friends and we’ve also done some travel within BC, taking an opportunity to visit Lois’s brother, Mark ( and his wife ) in beautiful Comox on Vancouver Island. All in all, a wonderful time with everyone – more boats, bars, bikes and beaches than we can remember ! Here is a selection of pics:
Canada Day festivities.Neighbourhood block party.Kelowna Golf Club with old colleagues, Dale and Ernie and their wives.An evening with good friends, Sue and Darrell at their cabin in Vernon.Lois, Mark, Dawn on the pier in Campbell River, Vancouver Island.A sunset on Vancouver island.Lois taking the helm.Lois reeled in the biggest fish of a successful day – this ( almost 20 lb ) Chinook salmon…!Caught up with old friend, Norm, while visiting family on Vancouver island. He and his family had relocated to “the island” a few years ago.
In addition to all the visiting, we were also delighted to receive a visit from Kym and Lyn Bolton, an Australian couple who have overlanded much of the world, most recently shipping their Fuso 4×4 from Australia to North America where they will travel for 12 months before shipping on to Europe. It was delightful to have them with us – Kym had been a big part of the inspiration for us taking our van to Japan, a country they had travelled to with theirs just a few months before us. Kym builds overlanding vehicles in Australia ( https://aav4x4.com.au/ ) – they make a great product and quite a few of our neighbours were admiring their rig parked in our driveway.
Kym and Lyn Bolton, Aussie Overlanders who stopped over with us.Like I said, they’ve done most corners of the globe !We met Kym at a camping show back in Australia.
On a slightly different note we were delighted to be introduced to Alex and Nadja, a couple that met us through a mutual friend and who are very keen to get into overlanding in future. A wonderful evening was spent sharing all our tips and answering many questions; what vehicle, diesel or gasoline, which route, how to insure, the intricacies of shipping, need for carnets, and so forth. Wonderful to be able to share what we have learned and to reciprocate with others the information that we sought when we started this lifestyle back in May, 2019 ( oh my god – 6 years already ! )
Alex and Nadja, picking our overlanding brains while out for dinner in Kelowna.
Continuing the info sharing theme, good friends, Charlie and Penny introduced us to Kevin and Mandy (their neighbours) who are part way through a van build themselves and wanted some perspective and opinion on our own experience – again, a wonderful afternoon spent sharing tips and advice. Not sure we’ll ever be able to repay the many folks who similarly guided us but we feel we are getting there !
Mandy and Kev’s Sprinter. Beginning the conversion process.With Mandy and Kevin.
Two birthdays were celebrated – our granddaughter, Hadley’s 2nd and my 64th ( yes, Lois and the kids took very good care of me ). Also picked up a few parts required for some minor repairs in the van ( unsurprisingly, imperial fittings are scarce in metric Europe ) and made arrangements to have our brakes done on arrival in Amsterdam – 102,000kms on the original pads, pretty good, I thought, all things considered. News wise, we’ve been as gripped as any by the unfolding events in the Middle East – perhaps more so, in fact, since it’s one overland route we are considering after southern Europe. Encouraged to see some semblance of normality returning in the past 2 months after a violent June. Let’s hope the peace holds 🙏.
Biking around Wood Lake with good friends, Sue and Darrell. First long ride on an E-bike ( so much fun !).Wrapped up our last week in Kelowna with Mike and Aurora and family – on a gorgeous Okanagan day.Ditto.One last day at the lake….we will miss it !
In the last few days of our time at home it’s been busy; cleaning house, packing and, of course, some preliminary planning. Vehicle insurance has been reactivated , medical insurance re-started and so forth. There’s also been some preliminary route planning – I say preliminary because we are always flexible and often change our plans . Just the way we roll…! There’s a little trepidation at returning while it’s still high season in Europe, we know it’s extremely busy in quite a few places- our plan is simply to avoid major tourist locations until September.
Fussen itself is picturesque but the big draw at the south end of the Romantic Road is unquestionably the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein. Absolutely stunning, and well worth going out of our way to see it. The story behind it is fascinating, along with the tragedy of the king that built it. I’ll leave the following pictures to document our route north on the ”Romantische Strasse” ( as it’s known in Germany ) but a few favourite spots on the route ( to the surprise of no one who has travelled it ) would include Dinklesbuhl, Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Wurzburg itself. If you ever imagined what it would have been like to live, and/or travel through the Germany of centuries past, this road is a must. I’ll confess to originally thinking that it was a bit of a kitschy tourist gimmick, but it absolutely is not; rather, it’s a well connected route which pulls together some of Germany’s most beautiful and historic sights in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. It’s world class and Bavaria is just beautiful everywhere you look – we were so glad to have taken this detour for a few days on our way out of Germany.
Fussen, GermanyEn route to the Romantic Road.First stop, Neuschwanstein Castle.Up close ! The guided tour took about an hour but no pictures were allowed inside 🙁The castle, in all its glory.Great views of Bavaria from the castle, including another castle ( just over Lois’s shoulder ).One can’t get lost on the Romantic Road, just follow the signs !Dinklelsbuhl.Dinkelsbuhl.So tough to resist this….it’s everywhere !Rothenburg o d Tauber.Rothenburg is famous for its Christmas items. Selection is huge !Rothenburg.Rothenburg.Fortress Marienberg, Wurzburg.Beautiful Wurzburg, the northern end of the Romantic Road.For some reason everyone was on the main bridge drinking wine when we visited – like, everyone ! Wurzburg.Wurzburg Residenz.
The last place we wanted to see ( and had time for ) in Germany was Nuremberg. Just slightly off the Romantic Road (so not too far off our path) this city has a long history and ( sadly for Nurembergers ) was heavily associated with the Nazi era. It was here that many of Hitler’s largest rallies were held, that some of the classic Nazi films were shot, and perhaps appropriately, was the scene of the famous Nuremberg Trials, where, between 1946 and 1949 top Nazi leaders were prosecuted. As a World War II buff, I simply could not pass up this opportunity, especially to see the very scene of the Nuremberg Trials.
The wonderful city of Nuremberg provides secure, flat, convenient campervan parking close to the city. Three days, free of charge. Predictably it’s often full !Sebalduskirche ( church ), Nuremberg.Covered bridge, Nuremberg.
It was moving to actually stand today in the very courtroom where the scales of justice were applied to such hideous crimes committed by such truly evil leaders. It’s very well laid out with intricate and graphic detail telling the whole history of the trials and the court. One thing I learned that I did not know – why this particular courtroom, number 600, chosen for the trials ? Apparently, this was the very room where Hitler conducted sham trials for political opponents and other undesirables during the 1930’s. Perhaps fitting then, that some victor‘s justice might be meted out in the very same room.
Nuremberg Trials court, Nuremberg.“The” courtroom ( 600 ), where surviving senior Nazi’s were tried and sentenced ( many to hang ).A picture ( of a picture ) of senior Nazi’s on the defendants bench during the trial.
Of course, there is lots of other history, famous food, and some beautiful architecture in Nurenberg, which we explored. It’s a tradition to try Nuremberg sausages and bratwurst – delicious I might add !
From Nuremburg, one long day along the autobahn got us to the outskirts of Amsterdam. Here we found a wonderful rural campsite where we could relax, do some overdue van cleaning and preparation before putting the vehicle in storage nearby. This all worked out well and we felt fortunate to find what seems like excellent storage in a secure covered facility just outside the city.
Just outside Wurzburg we overnighted in probably the best camping spot we’d stayed at in Germany. A small inn offered up its flat gravel parking lot, and use of facilities for the princely sum of 5€ ( less than $6 US ). Baumhof Tenne, Marktheidenfeld.Rural camping, just outside Amsterdam, gave us the chance to clean and pack before storing the van. A delightful spot.All packed, all cleaned, the van was put into storage here just outside Amsterdam. We were very fortunate to get affordable, secure, covered parking so close to a major city ( from which we could fly home ).
We will explore Amsterdam in more detail upon our return, but for now we have an airport to run to, a flight to catch, our kids to reunite with and of course, a very special granddaughter that we have not seen for almost 4 months . If you’ve been with us for the past few months, thanks for tagging along, we enjoy sharing the experience with those who are interested in the region and those who we know are contemplating bringing a vehicle to Europe. Hopefully the information we’ve provided along the way has been of some help. If you have any specific questions in that regard, feel free to send me a note via the website, I’ll have plenty of time to answer in the months ahead.
In the meantime enjoy your summer and we will connect again in late August !
The PanAm completed in April, 2022 and with the truck camper sold, we shipped our new Sprinter van to Australia in late 2022. We travelled there through all of 2023 and into 2024 before shipping it up to North East Asia where we travelled for 4 months between Korea and Japan, before shipping it back to North America. It’s our plan to continue exploring the world in 2025.
