Week 55: The Alps
- Sep 18, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 19, 2022
Our stops this week:
1 night at Reussbrucke Camping (Ottenbach in Switzerland)
2 nights at Camping Pradafenz (Churwalden in Switzerland)
1 night at Camping St Moritz (St Moritz in Switzerland)
1 night at Camping Prutz (Prutz in Austria)
2 nights at Camping Eichenwald (Stams in Austria)
On Monday morning it was time to pack up to leave Germany and head for Switzerland, we knew that it was going to be expensive so we decided to hit the local Lidl and stock-up, this wasn't quite as simple as it sounds... for a small town we managed to find every closed road and roadwork possible, so after a couple of three point turns on busy roads, Yvette decided I wasn't in the best frame of mind for shopping, so she went in alone and left me and Bear to plan the next stage of the trip!
We'd heard that the French government is still subsidising fuel prices, so we thought as we were so close to the border we'd cross over and find a petrol station... after a quick check on google we found a petrol station a few miles away in France and with the added bonus of a 24/7 outdoor laundry! The laundry was successful but the petrol station had a low canopy (the exact same height as the van), so we headed for another petrol station just down the road. Strangely this petrol station was closed, so we headed back to the main road and found another one, this time it was open and had a normal height canopy but diesel was really expensive €2.48 a litre, so I just popped into buy a vignette for Switzerland and left the diesel.
As we neared the Swiss border we had one final French town to look for fuel without driving more than a few extra miles, this time the first two petrol stations were closed... very odd! We finally stumbled across a supermarket with an open and working petrol station, no height barriers and about 7 or 8 cars queueing at each pump... the price for diesel was €1.77 and the penny dropped, the others had all sold out because the neighbouring German and Swiss drivers were crossing over to fill-up on cheap fuel courtesy of the French tax-payer!
After what felt like a few false starts we eventually hit the border near Basel, I've been to Switzerland a few times before for walking trips in the Alps but it was Yvette's first time and after all my stories of incredible mountains, lakes and beautiful scenery, we were both left a bit underwhelmed! The road from Basel down towards Zurich was a busy and slightly chaotic motorway, mainly with views of concrete tunnels! We picked a small town for our first overnight stop in-between Zurich and Lucerne and it was fine for a quick stop-over, the town was pleasant but the chain smoking neighbour was a little annoying.
Bear's first dip in a Swiss lake...
After a disappointing first day in Switzerland, we set-off early the next morning in search of Switzerland proper, some mountains and clean fresh air... and we found all of this and more in the town of Churwalden. The campsite was great, right at the foot of the mountain and next door to a ski-lift and literally underneath a gondola, with stunning views in all directions. The town was small but had a great sporty active atmosphere, with just enough bars and cafes, alongside ski and mountain bike shops. The town is also home to Europe's longest luge ride, just like the one in the Black Forest but over two miles long and with an eye-watering price! We decided the gondola would be much better value, so the next morning the three of us took the gondola up to the top of the mountain and enjoyed a three hour walk, making our way back down the valley to the campsite, dodging the occasional speeding mountain bike! The downhill cyclists are incredibly skilful and either very brave, or just a bit daft, either way it was entertaining watching them navigating the path that we could just about manage to walk down!
Cloudy skies, mountains and lakes... and of course Swiss cows!
Another lake side stop for lunch...
Bear's first ride in a proper gondola...
And the walk back down (the penultimate pic is part of the 2 mile luge ride)
The view from our door at Churwalden campsite... it took Bear a while to get used to the carriages going overhead!
Next stop the legendary ski resort of St Moritz... the drive there was incredible! The road wound its way through and over the mountains, with long series of twisty hairpin bends and majestic views around each turn. Yvette wasn't so impressed by the road but did take an occasional glimpse between her fingers, meanwhile Bear was in his travel crate with his front paws spread out wide, leaning into the turns like a professional on a skeleton bobsled!
Some ugly flats in St Moritz, some more flats being built... and a private lift down into a hidden hill-side house... Yvette really wanted to sneak in for a look around!
St Moritz does have a pretty side...
The weather was a bit mixed, mainly overcast with a few sunny spells and the odd shower, we definitely felt the temperature dropping overnight, especially higher up, the night in St Moritz we camped at 1813 meters... we even had a few blasts of heating in the van.
The town of St Moritz felt a bit sad, we were expecting a cool chic vibe, like Monaco in the mountains... the mountains were spectacular but the town itself felt a bit sleepy and boring. Maybe you need to stay inside one of the posh hotels and drink in some of the exclusive bars to experience the 'real' St Moritz... oh well not for us, but still good to see the place.
The next day we set off for Austria, we'd only planned to spend a few days in Switzerland mainly because of the expense... campsites cost around twice the price of Germany and Austria and fuel and food was also a lot more expensive. Yvette spotted a supermarket promoting a special offer on toilet rolls... 20 rolls for 15 Swiss Francs, that's about £13!!!! Good job we had enough toilet rolls onboard.
Our first stop in Austria was high up in the Tyrol, at a very quiet campsite next to a river and on the edge of a small town called Prutz. We had a look round the sleepy little town and took Bear for a walk before settling in for an early night, ready to hit the road again first thing in the morning to our final stop for this week. Yvette was a little concerned the next morning, when the tops of the mountains turned white... I have to admit I was surprised that it was snowing so early in the year but the white peaks were around 1km higher than us, so the roads and the campsite just got rain and remained well above freezing.
Our pitch and views in Stams...
Our final campsite this week was in another sleepy Tyrolian town called Stams... we chose to stay here because it had a train station with a regular service directly into the city of Innsbruck. We arrived around 10am, pitched up and after checking out the competition at the neighbouring (all year) ski jump, we caught the train in to Innsbruck to explore and get some lunch.
Innsbruck is the capital of the Tyrol and for a large town (maybe small city?) it's incredibly peaceful and calm, I think the 360 views of mountains and the old streets with pastel coloured houses and cobbled streets help to slow everything down. At one point on a busy shopping street, Yvette stopped and said "listen".... it was so quiet, it was like everyone was in a library, whispering to each other!
Waiting for the train to arrive... and a very happy Bear on the train!
Views of and from Innsbruck... plus our very tasty vegan burgers, Yvette sunbathing in the park (after complaining she was cold all day) and a very tired dog after a day exploring a new city.
Despite some colder and wetter weather we've had great week and enjoyed some long walks in the mountains... although I have to say (as a entirely non-biased 1/4 Austrian!) the Austrian mountains are much better than the Swiss!
Watch very closely for the flying skier!
Some metal work that caught Yvette's eye...
Twists and turns through the mountains...
Bear hunting for the end of the rainbow!!
All of our stops in Europe are up to date on the maps page... if you want to have a look it's here: https://www.sandybear.rocks/map-europe
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