We bid goodbye to Switzerland and hit the road to Lichtenstein, then on to Saint Avold France.
Tuesday 7/5/13
What a way to wake up. I jumped on line this morning to make a credit card payment and discovered that I'd been in Bangkok having a great time. So great that I have withdrawn nearly $2,000 from ATMs there. I know it was a great time because I can't remember ever being in Bangkok. Yes, our credit card has been hacked. After an hour on the phone talking to four different people (and a two hundred dollar phone call!) our card was cancelled. Problem solved. Now let's fill up the bike and get going. Oh oh, I can see a problem now...
Luckily we have a second card that we can use for a while.
Werner arrived to see us off and in usual Werner style said "If you need any money let me know and I'll organise it for you." I'll just clarify again that Werner has only known us for a few weeks and he's given us the keys to his apartment in Lisbon, and his apartment in Emmenbruke, and has now offered us money if we needed it. Werner, once again, thank you.
So, it was time to leave. We really don't wan't to leave Switzerland but "Swiss time is running out" and we need to move on. Switzerland is a wonderful place and definitely a place I'd like to come back to for a holiday. It's great.
We were ready to go but Werner had a couple of things that he wanted to show us. First was an art gallery just up the road. AB gallery has resident artists from overseas come and stay with the idea of improving international understanding while giving artists a chance to raise their profile and hold exhibitions if they want to.
Here are a few samples from the gallery...
Then we visited an artist, Monika, who has a studio next door. She was Polish and unfortunately spoke no English. Her work was very subtle with muted colours and tones. Again, there were a couple of pieces I would have loved to take home. You can see her work here:
http://albekant.com/
With our creative sides sated, it was time for a repeat of what is the worst part of our trip...saying goodbye. We have been so lucky meeting fantastic people on this trip, but Werner is special. Very special. I don't think he has a bad bone in his body. He is an incredibly kind and compassionate person. He has shown us amazing kindness and we've seen him interact with a lot of other people during our short time together. He is a true gentleman.
Werner, thank you so much, we are very proud to be able to call you our friend and hope to see you again soon.
Right, enough soppyness, lets go to Lichtenstein.
The "Avoid Motorways" button was pushed on the sat nav and we were off. The roads were very enjoyable and a lot of fun.
Then...
Oh wow. Mountains. Real mountains. Big mountains. Really big mountains. The mountains along the ride into Lichtenstein were mind boggling. I've never seen anything like it. At the risk of being repetitive...Wow!
We decided to keep going towards Villiers-Bretonneux in France, so it was onto the motorway to cover some serious miles in what remained of the day. We were making good time and travelling close to the speed limit through French farmlands. Then there was a bright flash from the side if the road. Damn! Speed camera. Add that to the credit card drama and the day wasn't going very well.
After 584 kilometres we found ourselves in Saint-Avold. We located a cheap hotel that offered good food and a comfortable bed, and made use of both by having a early night after a good feed.
Tomorrow's target is Villiers-Bretonneux, and the history it contains. We're near the end.
Tuesday 7/5/13
What a way to wake up. I jumped on line this morning to make a credit card payment and discovered that I'd been in Bangkok having a great time. So great that I have withdrawn nearly $2,000 from ATMs there. I know it was a great time because I can't remember ever being in Bangkok. Yes, our credit card has been hacked. After an hour on the phone talking to four different people (and a two hundred dollar phone call!) our card was cancelled. Problem solved. Now let's fill up the bike and get going. Oh oh, I can see a problem now...
Luckily we have a second card that we can use for a while.
Werner arrived to see us off and in usual Werner style said "If you need any money let me know and I'll organise it for you." I'll just clarify again that Werner has only known us for a few weeks and he's given us the keys to his apartment in Lisbon, and his apartment in Emmenbruke, and has now offered us money if we needed it. Werner, once again, thank you.
So, it was time to leave. We really don't wan't to leave Switzerland but "Swiss time is running out" and we need to move on. Switzerland is a wonderful place and definitely a place I'd like to come back to for a holiday. It's great.
We were ready to go but Werner had a couple of things that he wanted to show us. First was an art gallery just up the road. AB gallery has resident artists from overseas come and stay with the idea of improving international understanding while giving artists a chance to raise their profile and hold exhibitions if they want to.
Here are a few samples from the gallery...
This is a beaded curtain.
3D display.
Werner and Heidi, the curator, discuss a piece.
Suzanne and I both really liked this one.
Suzanne was taken by this.
This is such a cool idea. There was a range of pieces and I found them intriguing.
You can see AB Gallery on the web at www.ab-gallery.com
Then we visited an artist, Monika, who has a studio next door. She was Polish and unfortunately spoke no English. Her work was very subtle with muted colours and tones. Again, there were a couple of pieces I would have loved to take home. You can see her work here:
http://albekant.com/
With our creative sides sated, it was time for a repeat of what is the worst part of our trip...saying goodbye. We have been so lucky meeting fantastic people on this trip, but Werner is special. Very special. I don't think he has a bad bone in his body. He is an incredibly kind and compassionate person. He has shown us amazing kindness and we've seen him interact with a lot of other people during our short time together. He is a true gentleman.
Werner, thank you so much, we are very proud to be able to call you our friend and hope to see you again soon.
Right, enough soppyness, lets go to Lichtenstein.
The "Avoid Motorways" button was pushed on the sat nav and we were off. The roads were very enjoyable and a lot of fun.
Cool roads...
..and great scenery.
Oh wow. Mountains. Real mountains. Big mountains. Really big mountains. The mountains along the ride into Lichtenstein were mind boggling. I've never seen anything like it. At the risk of being repetitive...Wow!
More scenic roads through Swiss mountains. Ho hum.
Back on the road into Switzerland for a while and we were soon at the turn off into Vaduz. We trundled around for a while and had a look. It was nice, but I think we may have been spoiled by Emmenbrucke and Luzern.
We popped across the border into Lichtenstein for fuel and some lunch, and found this little place.
Cute little place to live.
Lichtenstein style.
Pretty cool.
Wooden bridge over the river.
More mountains.
And more.
With the odd lake thrown in.
We decided to keep going towards Villiers-Bretonneux in France, so it was onto the motorway to cover some serious miles in what remained of the day. We were making good time and travelling close to the speed limit through French farmlands. Then there was a bright flash from the side if the road. Damn! Speed camera. Add that to the credit card drama and the day wasn't going very well.
After 584 kilometres we found ourselves in Saint-Avold. We located a cheap hotel that offered good food and a comfortable bed, and made use of both by having a early night after a good feed.
Tomorrow's target is Villiers-Bretonneux, and the history it contains. We're near the end.
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