an alcohol free day..........tomorrow!

11/6/09

Landed in Lucerne today.  Thank goodness for Swiss motorways. This journey was relatively painless – except for the 40 euros we paid for the motorway vignette.  I think we paid for a whole year instead of 5 days!! Doesn’t matter in the scheme of things, just pay off the credit card for a few years.  Lucerne is beautiful, could spend quite a few days here just looking – and everything I have read says give it a miss.   We have booked for 2 days in a campground right on Lake Lucerne, just a bus ride away from the city.  Spectacular.  I know, using that word a lot but there is nothing else to say about all these places.  Lots of Australian voices in Lucerne.  Not sure why, maybe those who have done the contiki thing might know.  Most we have heard so far by a mile.  Public holiday here today, so the only things open are the tacky souvenir shops and some bars.  So we bought a cow bell and had a beer.

This is the life!

Snot Boy - have you heard how Jordy is doing?  Make sure you let him know we are here if he needs a friendly face or two.  To the Wilson’s and the Williams’- how was Disneyland and the ole USA?  We hope you all had fun and it wasn’t too stressful, Jacqui.  Someone in our family needs his PSP time quite regularly!  Hayley, you owe Uncle Bruce some photos of you looking scared on rides.  Tracey yelled on the car ride at Legoland.  Loser!  Gards, when are you moving in?  Hopefully before we return so all the heavy work is done.  Did the crewmen give the company the reception they deserved when they visited? 

Adsar, can you please give Bradley John the SBS guide to the Tour de France and the July, August, September edition of Ride magazine to bring with him.  Thanks.  How come if Sarah does all the work at the shop and you sit at the computer wasting time, the company isn’t Sarad?  To the Richmond, supporters, Wallace was lucky to stay as long as he did.  Probably already signed for big money with 3AW.  First thing for Rawlings to do is sack Richo, Tambling, and the whole recruiting staff.  Spot the pies supporter whose team has won 3 on the trot.

How is the house going Max?  Our house looks like ferals have been living in it for the last 2 ½ years Bernie.  Hope they don’t get what they are asking coz it’s presented like sh--.  Who took those photos?  Not like when I did it!! Yours looks good – the timber floors make a difference.  Hope you get what you are asking.  Keep us up to date on proceedings. 

Most of this blog so far has been written after too much cheap German plonk.  Will bring back a bottle of French red for you Shazza. 

Went up Mt Pilatus today – 7000 feet up by cogwheel train, steepest railway in the world apparently.  Very enjoyable ride, save for a clingon on the starboard side (one ten year old).  Once we got going he enjoyed it and got over his supposed fear of heights.  It is a long way up and what a view (when the clouds weren’t swirling around the mountain) – all the way to the Black Forest and the Eiger and Jungfrau, where we are heading tomorrow.  Even higher up that one.  Cable car down was fantastic, not bumpy at all and not at all scary.  Though if you asked one of us it was petrifying.  Thought about texting you Andrew while eating lunch up there and watching a helicopter flying around our heads (but did it the next day from Lake Thun!).  Another relaxing afternoon of wine, cheese and salami for tea (and the CC’s, salsa and sour cream).

Dale and Mar – OH MY GOD!  How good is Camping Jungfrau?  We are right down the back near the fence at the end of the valley right up against the river.  What a place!  Words cannot do it justice.  I’m with you Mar, think this is my favourite place so far.  Here for 2 nights.   For everyone else, we are in Lauterbrunnen which is in the valley below the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains.  What a view, just mind boggling to know that these places even exist.  There is a small airport just behind us with the rescue choppers and tourist flights.  Lots of hang gliders jumping off every mountain you can see and waterfalls all along the valley walls.  It is THE most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.

Hey Cindy – hope you and Dean Junior are doing OK.  We are sorry we aren’t there while all your troubles are going on, we could have at least come to visit to alleviate your boredom.  We are looking forward to seeing you all and wetting the baby’s head  when we get home – that’s if we can get someone to cover for a weekend after 12 weeks off!   Sam Weatherly is doing ok but is still very confused and can’t really string a sentence together properly, hopefully heading home to Darwin in a couple of weeks.  Still same old Sam apparently, sense of humour still there.

Well, the superlatives must keep coming.  Today went up the Jungfraujoch, 2 hours up in the train so up at 5.45am to get the first train out at 7am.  Was just spectacular and cold, -4 or something silly like that, plus wind chill.  But well worth it, however by the time we got off the mountain at 11.30 it was 28 degrees.  Presented a dressing challenge I can tell you.  There is an ice cave and touristy dog sled rides etc but just looking at the glacier which is 23 km long is enough.  Once down we got a cable car up to Gimmelwald, a tiny car free village up another mountain.  There we had a beer with a view and a half and Sam played his PSP as usual.  There goes the idea of an AFD (alcohol free day).  Planning on having one of those soon.  The cable car down was quite a ride – our steepest one yet.  We bought some authentic hand made cheese and salami from an old guy sitting out the front of his barn on the side of the road – really good stuff. So cheese and salami again for dinner.  This is the life.