Erlen, Thurgau, Switzerland
Although we aimed for an 8am departure, it was closer to 8:45am when Astrid, Michael and I finally finished loading the car. (Micha had left for work somewhere else in the country before we were even out of bed.) We couldn’t have fitted much more in the car— Michael was certainly very cosy in the back seat! We had about 4.5 hours of driving get to do to get us to Ernen in Switzerland.
The trip went well — no traffic jams, other than a small section where we had to slow down for a few kilometres. We had one toilet stop and also stopped to buy some fresh apricots from a road-side stall. At first, the landscape was fairly flat, with some hilly areas in the distance (the south end of the Black Forest). Eventually, the high mountains of the Swiss Alps came into view. It is a little exciting to see snow on the distant high mountain caps!
The most intriguing part of the trip was when we drove on to a train that then transported us and many other cars through a long tunnel. We had to stay in the car for the entire 10- to 15-minute journey.
We drove through some fairly majestic valleys, eventually arriving at about 2pm in the small village of Ernen, the location of our apartment for the next 5 nights. The key was waiting for us in an envelope stuck to the reception door. (It was Sunday, and the office closed at 11:30am.) The holiday village consists of many apartments that are obviously booked out by skiers in the winter months. We found our apartment and moved in. Everything seemed satisfactory, except for the fact that we don’t seem to have internet access! I know that we rejected some other properties for not having wifi, and so I’m not sure what has gone wrong with this booking. Other apartment numbers come up on the wifi list, but not ours! :-(
Surprisingly, the weather was really hot — so much for all the winter gear I brought for hiking in the Alps! I even had to take an umbrella me to provide a little extra protection from the sun on our walk into the village and a little further on to a huge swinging bridge that crosses the valley and the river below.
We marvelled at the old houses in the village —all made of wooden logs stacked together like a Jenga puzzle. In the distance, we could see a number of huge sprinklers watering the slopes — who would have thought they would have to water their farmland in this area of the world!
On our way back through the village, we bought some supplies from the local store, still not certain of the exchange rate between the Australian dollar and the Swiss Franc. (We later found out that 1 Swiss Franc = A$1.36, and so all we have to do is add about 1/3 to the price of everything.)
Back at our apartment, Astrid prepared us a delicious soup with bread which we drank with a nice bottle of sparkling wine, sitting out on the balcony overlooking the valley below and the majestic mountains above. Dinner finished and dishes done, it was about 9:30pm — time for us to head to bed for some much needed sleep.
Ian
2018-08-04
The photos you have already taken of Erlen suggest that I am very glad that we are going to stay here for a few days in this part of Switzerland. Please give my kind regards to Astrid and Micha.
Jo
2018-08-04
Hi Merrilly, finally caught up with all your recent adventures. What a fantastic time you are and Michael are having. Your photos and comments are so interesting it is really wonderful being able to travel with you, thank you for sharing your trip. XxxJo
Tracy
2018-08-04
It must have been quite strange sitting in the car while on the train - so different hrom most travel like a ferry where you must be out of the vehicle
melandmic
2018-08-06
Yes, it is nice to stay put for a few days, Dad. Thank you for your comments too, Jo & Tracy. xxx