Au Revoir France, Hallo Switzerland

Our last night in France for this part of our journey was in the town of St Gervais-les-Bains. We had left the Route des Grande Alpes at Cluses for a shot at the Col du Grand St Bernard beside Mont Blanc. It was a shock to the system to be confronted with heavy city traffic after the past week in the Alps. We had intended to drop our gear at the guesthouse and then get up the pass in the late afternoon but heavy traffic and a closed guesthouse (hostess was out) put paid to those plans.

Next morning, Saturday, we set out early for an 'easy' crossing into Switzerland and a climb up the Col in fine warm weather. Traffic was slow as we went through Chamonix Mont-Blanc and we were interested to see signs and runners advising of the Mont Blanc Marathon (Tony is a 'retired' Marathon runner). We started up a series of steep switchback turns outside Argentiere near the Swiss border and confronted traffic at a standstill. The road was very narrow and there was sporadic traffic coming down. Crawling past the traffic up this road on the fully laden Gray Ghost was hard work on the bike and rider. Now Switzerland is not part of the EU so we assumed that Border security or an accident was the problem. Not so. When we eventually worked our way to the front of the queue here were 2 young female Gendamerie stopping all of the traffic while some very, very slow Swiss 'Marathon runners' (walkers) made their way across the road at a snails pace. Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions. Ridiculous.

We got down to the border expecting a passport check  but were just waived through. At the first service station on the Swiss side we purchased our 12 month vignette (road tax) sticker that entitles us to use the network of National roads. At 40 francs it is a high cost as we are only here for a week but that is their system. It is a bit rude that the Gray Ghost is charged the same as all vehicles up to 3.5T. She may be a bit porky with her holiday load but nowhere near 3.5T.

Now in Switzerland and enjoying fine weather we begin the long climb up the Grand St Bernard Pass. The roads are magnificent due in part to the vignette contributions. This National Road 21 is a major passage between Italy and Switzerland via the St Bernard Tunnel. We divert from the 21 just before the tunnel and the road immediately gets tighter and deteriorates as we ascend the Col. This is the place for Bikers and there are plenty here. It is an exhilarating ride and a great introduction and expectation of what is to come over the next week. The pass itself has a lot more of interest than the mandatory photo at the Col summit sign. There is a Hospice and chapel that continues the work started by St Bernard in the 11th century to provide assistance to travelers. The St Bernard dog breed was created here in the 17th century and there is no shortage of stuffed replicas of all sizes at the gift shops. We ride the extra hundred metres from the hospice into Italy to complete three countries before morning coffee - France, Switzerland, Italy.
Back down to Martigny then up to Montreaux for our first look at a Swiss Lake, Lake Geneva, and a glimpse of the Chateau de Chillon on its Eastern shore. This Chateau is Switzerlands most visited Historic landmark but we have other plans. The roads are in top condition but the throttle hand must be kept in check - Switzerlands open road speed limit is 80kph apart from the E roads (motorways) and some limited (marked) sections of National roads that are 100kph.

Our home for the next week is a self-contained 'flat' in the small village of Brienzwiler about 30 minutes East of Interlaken. Our hosts, Angie & Mike, have invited us for dinner and also done some shopping for us so no need to rush. Their home is beautiful with views across the mountains and a waterfall - we couldn't have asked for more. Angie and Mike as long time Swiss residents and Bikers, are a font of information on the weather for the week and the best roads to ride. The first advice is that Sunday will be the worst day weather wise so an early decision is taken to have an easy day - shopping for groceries, washing, bike maintenance. A day like this is needed every so often on a long trip, as much for ourselves to rejuvinate as for the chores of life to be undertaken.Monday is still showery and the passes will be wet so we opt for a run up to Luzern to play tourists. It is a very 'pretty' city set on the shores of Lake Luzern (not the local name) and the Reuss River. The water in the Swiss Lakes is green, a magnificent deep green. One could spend hours just looking at them. Luzern treads a fine line between an old & modern city and maintaining a city character that does not fall irrevocably into a tourist trap. The buildings in the old city are diverse in style and character and they all have a life without being museum pieces. The Jesuit Church on the River bank has a stunning interior and the multiple pedestrian bridges across the Reuss add further character to the city. There is a large and modern Art Gallery on the lake shore and a dynamic central railway station. But what attracts most tourists to Luzern is its beautiful Lake and iconic paddle steamers. There is a steady stream of boats arriving and departing the multiple docks and we join the queue for a short trip on a very modern cruise launch. The commentary provides a brief history of the city as well as painting a picture of some of the characters and folklore surrounding the Lake and its shoreline.

Next day with prediction of further wet weather we head down to the tourist mecca of Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald and the Trummelbach Falls. People flock from all over the world here for the train or cablecar rides up the mountains for a look at the peak of JungfrauJoch Mountain. On this day with low cloud we stay at ground level but enjoy a ride in a vehnicular cable car through the centre of the mountain to witness the water plummeting through the Trummelbach Falls. This is loud, wet and thoroughly enjoyable. In the afternoon we head north in pursuit of some oil and a filter for the Gray Ghost from Angie & Mike's preferred BMW dealer at Ebnet. The 'interesting' way to get there is across the appropriately named Panoramastrasse. This narrow country road ascends a mountain peak that on this day is about 300 metres above cloudline. What a ride.

When we get to the dealer late in the day I pass across my hand written German note with what I require (isn't Google translation great). The young mechanic who reads my note can speak some English and kindly offers to do the oil & filter change while I wait as well as checking the torque on the wheels that had received their new tyres. Excellent service.Another very enjoyable day in Switzerland but still no Passes. Wednesday promises better weather and our best chance. Stay tuned.

 

North to Switzerland

Our run north towards Switzerland continues on the Route des Grandes Alpes. First pass of the day is the Col de Vars at 2109 metres. The very tight hairpin turns certainly get the day underway in a hurry. The scenery is magnificent and Jane's camera snaps away at the back to capture the moments. We descend into Briancon, a town we had passed through in 2010. In one of those 'would you believe' moments we see a red BMW with West Australian number plates entering a service station. It is Martin who had loaded his bike with us in Sydney back in March. We rejoin to a cafe to catch up with each others' travels and exchange war stories. We have had different experiences but the fun factor is common.

We push on to two of the Cols made famous by the Tour de France - du Lautaret and du Galibier which stand at 2058 and 2642 metres respectively. We cannot imagine what this place is like during le Tour as even on this mid-week day the road is littered with lycra clad cyclists, assistance vehicles, sports cameramen and painted messages of support from previous Tours. In amongst this melee are the motorcyclists with grins from ear to ear. The Col du Galibier is especially tight. Despite the mix everybody seems happy with their lot and there are no signs of road rage. There is still snow up here but the day remains pleasantly warm. We take our photos and push on to Valloire for a lunch break then onto the Col du Telegraphe. Martin has warned us about the descent from this Col and he was not exaggerating - the road has recently been resurfaced and is covered with loose bluemetal. Good fun on a fully laden bike with very tight descending hairpin turns.

Our hunger for more corners has us diverting from our northward trip up the Col du Mont Cenis at 2084 metres. The approach is more open and flowing with cleaner view lines through the hairpin turns. The reward at the top is a view over the Lake du Mont Cenis and the border with Italy. We turn around and descend back to the Route des Grandes Alpes and continue our journey on to the final major climb of the day, the Col de L'Iseran at 2770 metres. This is the highest paved pass in the Alps. We have an exhilarating descent to the Ski Village of Val d'Isere which is to be home for the night. Ski Villages in summer are a bit like beach resorts during a wet winter - in a state of hibernation and uncomfortable when there is no mass of tourists to feed and house. We are tired after a long day so are happy with an early night.

The next day starts with a descent through mountain tunnels past waterfalls and the beautiful Lake du Chevril. We are now running along a rich valley of thick pastures and contented cows. As we ascend the Cormet de Roselend we cross paths with a herd of bell clanging cattle and a mobile dairy. We have never seen anything like this in Australia but in this isolated high country it is logical to bring the dairy to the cattle. There is a road tanker pumping direct from the mobile dairy truck. It all looks very efficient. This Col is not one of the hardest to climb but it is one of the most beautiful with a lake just over the crest on the north side and a descent through pine forests. We cross the smaller Col des Saises before stopping for lunch at the pretentious sounding village of Notre Dame de Bellecombe. A note here about lunchtime for the French. They treat lunch very seriously. It is not unusual to see a group of manual workers sit down to a large lunch with a carafe or two of wine before returning to work - but not before 2pm. Do not be surprised either to see 'closed for lunch' signs at many businesses. We pass on the vin and enjoy a perrier with our sumptuous salads before remounting on another warm afternoon.

The second part of the day takes us over the Col des Aravis with its little roadside chapel to St Anne, the protector of travelers, and through to La Clusaz. The last of the famous Tour de France climbs, the Col de la Colombiere, is the most crowded of them all. We see more  motorcycles here than we have seen since leaving the Isle of Man, and the cyclists outnumber the motorcyclists. Lucky for us it is a week day. There are also spectators with their picnic lunches dotted across the hillsides which adds to a very carnival atmosphere. From here we start to catch our first glimpses of the snow capped Mont Blanc to the north-east. We have a fast descent from the Col before the country starts to flatten as the Route des Grandes Alpes makes its final march to the shore of Lake Geneva. We must part company however at Cluses to tackle one of the most famous passes,  the Grand St Bernard Pass, and our crossing into Switzerland.