Ups and downs

Geneva

We're still going! Since I last wrote Steve and I have been through another 5 countries - Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein (look it up), Italy and France. We've also driven over 5 alpine passes and covered about 500 miles. Driving in the Alps is awesome - as good as, if not better than, driving in California back in April (was it really 5 months ago!?). The roads are immaculate, and the engineering matches the jaw-dropping scenery.

On Monday we left Munich in the morning and went down to Lake Konstanz for lunch in Lindau. We passed through a corner of Austria into Switzerland, and then about 30km later, into the so-called country of Liechtenstein. I say so-called, because there aren't any border controls or even an announcement that you cross it! Only the sign saying 'Vaduz' gives a clue, because Vaduz is the city in Liechtenstein...

We made a slightly spontaneous decision later on at the top of the Splügenpass to carry on into Italy. It was a good one, because we ended up at a really nice campsite by Lake Como. On Tuesday morning we re-entered Switzerland at Lugano, and headed north over the St. Gotthard pass - amazing - and the Sustenpass - also amazing - to Interlaken. We saw the north face of the Eiger at Grindelwald and I had a very brief swim in one of the lakes. Glacial lakes are cold.

On Tuesday night we camped at Zweisimmen, and this morning left to go west to Martigny, and then south over the Gt. St. Bernard pass into Italy (again!). After that one we turned back towards France, and drove through the Mt Blanc tunnel... it's pretty boring really. After an afternoon stop in Chamonix we ended up here in Geneva!

Phew... I don't have much time to write. Tomorrow we hope to end up in Strasbourg, and the day after, at home.