Roadtripper's Guide to the Galaxy - Part Deux

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ROAD-TRIPPING

1. When travelling through Germany, there are many great guesthouses/taverns which offer a good and very colourful option for overnight accomodation (& food). Pre-booking hotels is not necessary. This option is not so reliable in Italy & France.
2. Avoid exchanging currency at airports, rail stations etc. You'll get the extra special rip-off (on top of the usual one from banks, cambios). It's so bad, that drawing from an ATM at your destination is better value for money (in large-ish amounts).
3. Never ever go to the Casino at Monte Carlo in black/white tie. You will stand out -and look a bit sad. Smart casual/international playboy for gentlemen is just fine. Ladies dress sexy. Dress better only if dining at Louis XV across the street.
4. When crossing Switzerland do not forget to buy your vignette, the windshield sticker that shows that you have paid the road tax. It is around SFR40, can be bought at petrol stations at the borders. No one will ask you to buy it, but you'd better not cross the Swiss.
5. Speaking of the Swiss, do NOT speed in Switzerland. It is very much frowned upon (and fined). Everyone drives at the limit - no more, no less.
6. You are on a roadtrip, so drive. Avoid the highways wherever possible. Having said that, it is worth doing a stretch through a delimited autobahn, where vans speed at 180kmh. The higher in the pecking order you are, the faster you will have to go.
7. Cross the Apls by one of the many passes (not the tunnels/motorways)
8. Throw the guidebooks away. Follow the locals and discover things that will stand out to you at the specific moment. Do not re-live someone else's memories. Go a couple of streets deeper from the tourist front.
9. Speak (or try to) the local lingo.
   
10. Keep a tab on all these gelati!

Roadtripper's Guide to the Galaxy - Part Eins

Back home & trying to adjust to the new/old rules of the game. It's tough and fun at the same time. One of the side-effects of the trip is that we are rediscovering London. That makes coming back easier. London weather being uninspiring and 10 degrees lower than any of the places we visited, makes it harder. We're de-tanning fast!

Enough of that, though. Let's get back to it and give you some facts & tips that could be handy when you plan a roadtrip of your own.

This first part is all about Facts....

HARD FACTS (in no particular order)

1. Roadside stops in France -called Aires- are hands-down the best in the Continent; not only are they plentiful, but are trully restful (you could even spend the night under the stars there)
2. Sticking with France, the French have the worst attitude on the road. The more south you get, the worse it becomes. Beware.
3. Germans & Swiss speak English. French can but don't. Italians can't.
4. Every Italian tourist destination boasts a miniature tourist train. Bizarre.
5. In Italy scorpions climb up walls at night.
6. Cyclists will always be crossing a bridge over a motorway, as one drives under it. Honest.
   
7. There are 85 tunnels between Monaco & Lake Orta.
8. Greeks are everywhere; beware of greeks bearing gifts.
9. Lake water is not salty. Honest. You sink fast.
10. You cannot see Liechtenstein from the autoroute because of the trees. Pity.
11. German radio quality (from a technical standpoint) is unparalleled. Naturally.
12. Spritz & Spritz again. The mother of all apperitivos (with Aperol for the connoisseurs)
13. Everywhere from Lyon south, the sky is clear & the temperature around 30 degrees. Everyday. It's called Summer.

All Good Things (Come To An End)

Day:17
Miles: 2171/270
Coordinates: +51° 30' 2.86", -0° 5' 27.93"

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PS: As you see, we are back home

PS2: We crossed the 2k mile hurdle

PS3: Before we entered the Channel Tunnel, we bid farewell to the sun that had been burning us all last 17d, the smells of the countryside and the sea, the vistas and the drives, the speed, the gelati, the foreign radio stations, carefree people, common sense and spontaneity. Driving back on the badly-tarmacked and slow M20 didn't help. However, to our great surprise, our spirits were getting higher the closer to home we were getting. The sun possibly helped a bit-today was one of the hottest ever in London. But it was mainly due to the fact that we were coming back Home. Paraphrasing the song of the trailblazing LCD Soundsystem:

'London I love you
but you're bringing me down

But you're still the one pool
Where I'd happily drown'

Wii: This is not the last post! In the next few days, we will add 'best of' charts, bloopers, facts & tips. And of course, the soundtrack of the tour itself!

Last Supper

Day:16
Miles: 1901/245
Coordinates: +49° 15' 0.67", +3° 59' 36.08" (Reims)

This morning we strolled through the sun-drenched, serene and lush streets of Baden-Baden (Badn-Badn as Sofia perfectly calls it). It was the last precious hours before starting the long return journey and we felt a bit like prisoners on their daily court-break.

Inevitably, we set off for Reims, our last stop before hitting London. Reims, the capital of champagne, is next door to our first stop at Dizy, albeit bigger, posher and with restaurants (for those with a good memory). As a matter of fact we had booked as a treat a hotel/restaurant with 2 Michelin stars, so as to eat and drink our woes away.

Malheuresement, having lost all count of days and dates, we didn't realise that Day 16 was a Tuesday, when the said resto is fermé. But thanks to the very helpful concierge there we had a wonderful dinner at a very French brasserie in downtown Reims, next to the main food market. Both food and champagne were delicious and served their purpose in lifting our spirits for the rest of the day.

Off to the last hotel bed of the grand tour...

Where eagles fly

Day:15
Miles: 1656/170
Coordinates:+48° 45' 37.72", +8° 14' 23.46" (Baden-Baden)

Going deeper into Germany. The main theme of today was the journey itself, driving through the Black Forest (Schwarzwald auf Deutsch). We will not lie to you. Getting there from Lindau was not fun. Probably it is not the best idea to drive around the German shore of Lake Kostanz in the middle of August. There were many moustachioed caravaners on the one-lane roads and we didn't like it. Doing 60kmh for hours is not fun - especially when your view is 2 bikes on the back of a caravan.

But once we hit Scharzwaldhochstrasse -a typically efficient german word that is much more innocent than it looks, meaning Black Forest High Street- all the day's misery evaporated. It is a cliche, but -as all cliches- it is true: no words can describe the scenery, the smells and the sounds. Rolling hills (up to 1,100m) of thick fir forests with colourful flora (all sort of berries) at the edges & eagles (yes, eagles!) circling and screeching overhead. Just drive through there and experience the serenity and awe that these surroundings transmit for yourselves. It is that good!

Many scenery-absorption-stops later we descended to Baden-Baden, at the edge of the forest. Calling B-B palatial is an understatement. It is utterly posh, well-heeled and -as you expect from a spa-resort - septuagenarian. Even the dogs that we saw at the park were of a considerable age, the poor fellas. Nevertheless, it is definetely relaxing, impressive and much better value than spas back home.

A little anecdote, for the close. There is a fine line between being posh and being rediculous. Playing polo (the horse-riding kind) is definetely posh. Being in your polo uniform at 11pm, sipping a glass of champagne outside a park-hotel's garden while on horseback, by yourself, is way past the line.

Auf wiedersehen

Surf & Turf

Day:14
Miles: 1656/170
Coordinates:+47° 33' 3.17", +9° 40' 50.21" (Lindau, Bodensee)

Today was one of the busiest days of the trip. We left Como and Italy, crossed into Switzerland, climbed the Alps, briefly passed through Austria and ended at Lindau on the shores of lake Konstanz. Not once, were we asked for a passport - should you ever need to make a descreet getaway, we recommend using a car!

Switzerland: the moment you cross the border it somehow feels different and it is not just us saying that. You get the feeling that everything is taken care of and you are not meant to worry about a thing. What is more we were heading north towards the Alps and that made the scenery simply spectacular; even the air smelt of sage. We decided to cross the Alps through the San Bernardino pass, an ancient pass said to exist since the Bronze age, relatively easy (on the passengers) but also probably one of the best drives we had ever done.

On the way up we were engulfed by towering mountain peaks while waterfalls were cascading all around. To crown this all (literally) when we reached the top at 2060m, we were welcomed by a majectic lake around which you could hike, sunbathe or even dip in. There is nothing like the Alpine atmoshere irrespective of the season. One thing we regretted is that because of our schedule we could not spend the night at the quaint, San Bernardino guest house there; we can only imagine the experience as night falls on this roof of the world without one electric light or human noise for hundreds of miles. But you can't do it all and it is good to have things on your to-do list.

On the lake Konstanze(Bodensee or even - thanks Kai - Schwabian See) via Austria. The lake is the natural frontier between Switzerland and Germany with Austria also claiming a small beach. Unlike the Italian ones this lake is very wide - it feels more like a sea - so the atmosphere is very different. That is not to say that it lacks romance or beauty; in fact the islet of Lindau, our destination, proved to be one of the most gorgeous towns we have visited so far. It is perfect almost in every way. It is like walking into a doll-house town, think of Heidi's Austria, but even cuter. It boasts a rich history, very polite and helpful locals, germanic efficiency and thoroughness. if you are thinking of a party town however, Lindau is not it. We wish we could spend one more day here but the show must go on!

Chuss!

Arrivederci Italia

Day:13
Miles: 1486/36 (lazy day)
Coordinates:+45° 48' 48.83", +9° 4' 51.14 (Como)

Today was a lazy day. It was the 15th of August after all (Ferragosto) and most of Como was closed for the day. The ferries were operating a very reduced service -3 return connections.

Having planned to visit Bellagio today we had no options but to take the Valkyrie. The 18 miles from Como to Bellagio are a beautiful stretch of country road-not unlike the Corniches in France. But the spectacle can only be enjoyed by the passengers. There are a few dozen of spots on SS583 that the road works mostly on goodwill: wide enough for just one vehicle and with very limited visibility, the engineers have relied on statistics -it is not the most crowded of roads- to make this work.

After an adrenalin-fuelled drive we eventually reached Bellagio (intact) only to find that there are about 3x more cars than parking spaces..Bellagio is definetely a bijoux town and it trully is the prettiest on Lago di Como. But it has been 'cursed' with hoardes of tourists of all ages arriving -on a normal day- every 30 minutes and crowding its small streets. The best way to experience Bellagio is to get accommodation there - Villa Serbelloni is always the best choice if you want to break the bank- and live the vibe of the town throughout the day -rather than get a tinned 2-3h fix as a passer-by.

Returning from Bellagio at -a very quiet because of the Ferragosto- Como, we had a very pleasant & cosmopolitan lunch. We met with some good friends of ours from London who were driving from Germany to Tuscany and made a pit- stop at Como. What a small world, indeed! Buone vacanze Kai, Britta, Anna, Tom & Max (getting souvenirs is definetely out the questions the way you have packed your car..)!

The rest of the day was spent in quite a lazy fashion, having Spritz apperitivi, strolling around the old town and doing nothing much.

We have to get ready for resuming our driving adventures after all - crossing the Alps heading to beautiful Lindau on the shores of Lake Costanz, at the Swiss/German borders.

We are leaving Italia and the Laghi with saturated senses from the natural beauty of the region, the spirit of the locals and fond memories -perhaps a pound or two extra from the gelati, as well. Our top tip has to be-surprisingly perhaps- Cannobio on the shore of Laco Maggiore and the balcony of room 204 at Cannobio Hotel to be precise. The laid back atmosphere, unspoilt vistas and summer--carefree-ness that reminded us of our childhood holidays, have stood out head and shoulders above all others!

Arrivederci Italia

Clooney Spotting

Day:12
Miles: 1450/40 (nautical miles)
Coordinates:+45° 48' 48.83", +9° 4' 51.14 (Como)

Today was fun! We made the most of the lake by zig-zagging to its many villages on our speedboat (not pedalling these time :) - a proper mean flying machine).

We started our day in Moltrasio. The 1st point of interest was Laglio, where George Clooney allegedly spends most of his time nowadays at his villa. Although there is no full-blown Clooney-mania, the locals are definetely very proud of their illustrious new citizen (GC has been given the keys to Como). We cannot be 100% sure that we did spot his villa, but there was a secluded one with a small army of Italian beauties sunbathing on a small pier next to it.

Our next POI was the slightly over-the-top but beautiful nevertheless, Villa Carlotta, a gardener's paradise with a glorious royal past. What is more, there is a very secluded bay by the villa which is a 1st class swimming spot.

On to Bellagio, the jewel of Como. As you approach it from the water it definetely looks cuter than the other villages and perfectly formed. It is a sight for sore eyes, with the small village climbing up a densely wooded hill. We will agree with the guides, that Bellagio is as idyllic as you get in Lago di Como.

In general, we would say that Lago di Como offers the most dramatic setting when compared to the other lakes, its western leg in particular, up to Bellagio. The reason being that it is much more narrow than the other lakes, surrounded by majestic tree-covered mountains dropping into the water. And one more tip. The best way to experience the lake is from the water, be it a boat of the Navigazione Laghi or a private one.

We finished our day by taking the Funicolare up to Brunate, a hilltop overlooking Como. Back in Como, we had what according to Niko is the best pizza in the world at Riva. Riva made Niko an impression for alltogether different thing as well. Its restrooms are illuminated by a 'lazy' photo-sensor. It's lazy, because the occupant needs to keep waving arms, etc every 15sec or so, for the light to remain on - what makes for a unique and technically challenging visit.

The day ended on a colourful gelati note -surprise surprise!

A domani