Switzerland. In German: Schweiz, in French: Suisse, in Italian: Svizzera and in Romansh: Svizra. These are the four native languages spoken, depending on the geographical area. Officially the name is Swiss Confederation, in Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH. A land locked country in the European Alps, 15,950 sq mi and with a population […]
Google Map The weather was finally looking like Summertime, so we took advantage of it to make a little mini-tour of places we hadn’t seen for a long time and some we had never visited. Driving south, our first destination was the famous Gotthard Pass. Historically the St. Gotthard Pass has played a critical role […]
Following side roads, which we prefer to the more hectic autobahns, with their white-knuckle 250 km/h (155 mph) Audi A8s, (420 hp/0-100 in 5.8 sec), practicing for the Le Mans 24 Hour Race and the screaming bugs–in-their-teeth fat-tire Ducati crotch-rockets, we visited the town of Einsiedeln to see the beautiful Barock style church and monastery, […]
Between short trips to visit friends and relatives around Switzerland, we have spent much of our time in Monika’s hometown of Wiesendangen. Once a small farming village, founded between 600 and 650, Wiesendangen has become somewhat of a bedroom community for the nearby city of Winterthur. The original name Wisuntwangas, (first mentioned in a document […]
Finally! Finally we made it to Switzerland. In-between get-togethers with Monika’s family and friends, our first stop was Zürich to finalize the Special Visa we have been working on for six months. The bureaucracy of the Swiss Immigration Department, (and probably similar to every country in the world), is more like a 3-ring circus. In […]
On the road and looking for a good place for the night, the modern gas stations and truck stops in Germany are often ideal. They have clean restrooms but it will cost you a Euro to use them. If it’s a big truck stop, parking areas are large and easily accommodate small motorhomes like ours. […]
As we headed southwest, we saw a slight detour that would bring us to the town of Seiffen. The earliest record of the town is from 1324. It sits in the heart of the Erzgebirge, or the Ore Mountains, once rich with silver and tin deposits. Miners opened up the district 700 years ago, but […]
Google Map The excitement of the weekly market had disappeared as fast as it had appeared. Getting a leisurely start in the morning, Monika said, “Let’s go to Freital-Heinsberg”. I said “Gesundheit”. No, she said, “It’s the town with the Weisseritztalbahn.” I said, “Are you catching a cold?” She explained that the Weisseritztalbahn in the […]
Google Map Spending our last day in Dresden, against Gary’s better judgment, we even attended a modern ballet in the beautiful Semperoper. It was, –huh,–interesting. Strolling back to our camp in the park it was still light enough to sit outside and enjoy the evening. Around 3 o’clock in the morning we were suddenly awoken […]
Google Map Having seen the Volkswagen Transparent Factory, we found the perfect camping spot in a beautiful park nearby (€3 for 24 hours). The tram station was close but we walked into town and immediately were impressed by all the beautiful old buildings. Dating back to the 18th century when this was the capital of […]
