Day 2 – Vianden, Luxembourg to Ettenheim, Germany
After staying in Vianden for the first night of our road trip (read Part 1 here), day 2 started with exploring more of Luxembourg. My husband sold his motorbike a few months prior (it didn’t make the cut for his upcoming move to the States!), so he wanted to relive his riding days and show me the nice roads they would drive on their yearly guys’ trips. Luckily there were beautiful castles, tunnels, and interesting rock formations along the way… and not just me learning about the good curves for riding! 😉
We decided to leave Luxembourg and drive toward the Moselle Valley in Germany. What a lovely drive along the river! This area is a well known white wine producing region with gorgeous views of the vineyards along the river banks. We couldn’t resist a stop in the picturesque village of Bern Kastle to stretch our legs and enjoy a lunch of crepes (maybe schnitzel would have been more appropriate!). Bern Kastle was bustling this day with quite a few river boats docked; as it’s a popular stop on many of the river cruises.
Since apparently this day wasn’t hot enough already (37 C), we drove on farther south. Breaking one of our road trip rules – we entered the autobahn, with Stefan asking how fast I’d ever gone in a car (ummm only the posted speed limit… officer 😉 ). Being an autobahn virgin –  he topped 200 km/h  just to make sure it was my record! Maybe it was a good thing we encountered our first traffic jam after that (most Europeans are on the move in July and August!). Tired of the heat and traffic, we found the quaint Gasthaus Ochsen to stay for the night (who can camp in 37 degree heat, right?! 😉 ) in the German village of Ettenheim. My description will not do this guest house experience justice…  From the moment we stepped through the front doors of this immaculately kept house (I’m not exaggerating – you could eat off the floor here!!) it was like a step back in time. The older German woman who greeted us in her “traditional” conservative attire (this wasn’t for us tourists) was the one of the most welcoming and sweetest woman I’ve ever met. She didn’t speak a word of English (luckily Stefan speaks German!) but wanted Stefan to translate every word to me she was saying. I wish I knew her first name or had a photo… but in my travels I’ve discovered some things are best left to only our memories.
Stefan and I spent our evening devouring tapas and warm German beer… and trying to figure out why this small village off the autobahn in southern Germany was so busy (we later learned that Europa Park – the 2nd busiest amusement park in Europe was 15 minutes away)!
Day 3 – Ettenheim, Germany to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
It was very difficult to leave the view of Ettenheim’s bell tower from our room! Also, this was one of the best breakfasts we had on our trip… partly because it was served by our sweet German hostess (on crisp white table linens in the Ochsen Gasthaus dining room). Perfectly poached eggs, home made bread with fresh jam/butter, and strong coffee (Stefan’s testimonial inserted here!) – I’m getting hungry writing this! I won’t forget the pride our hostess showed in sharing her family home with us and this day remains one of my favorite travel experiences!
For the start of day 3 our goal became traveling toward Basel and farther south into Switzerland. Getting back to our rules, we ventured on small roads to Basel… luckily the countryside on the back roads was so pretty to look at – we didn’t mind being lost for a “bit”. Finally making it into Basel, for the first time we encountered a check point in entering a new country! 🙂 We drive for days in the US and only enter new states with welcoming signs, so a passport stamp is always exciting! Leaving Basel and needing lunch, we experienced our first Swiss gas station meal! Fresh fruit, bread, sandwiches… I was in love. After leaving Basel we found a small road to take us farther toward the mountains (we had to stay on small roads in Switzerland, as one needs to purchase a toll pass to travel on their highways). I don’t know why I don’t have a photo (living in the moment I guess!) of this drive, as it’s one of my many post card memories in Europe… small villages, greener than green, goats/sheep in the pastures – special images I have engraved in my mind.
After driving a while (no keeping track of time on this trip!) we arrived at Lake Interlaken. What beautiful lakes with the snow capped peaks as a backdrop! After a dip of our toes and watching the lake activity, we headed into the mountains (pinch me – the Alps!) to camp for the evening
We really did try to camp, but no luck on finding a camp site with availability. Luckily, we got the last room at Hotel Oberland… a room with QUITE THE VIEW! Wow, I mean just wow…these photos don’t quite capture the waterfalls, sheer rock cliffs, flowers, swiss chalets… the greenness! I can never say it enough – I was dropped into another post card scene, it seemed so unreal. We wanted to stay a couple nights in the area to hike, ride the cable car up to visit the higher villages and take in the views from the Jungfrau at over 13,000 feet – but it wasn’t meant to be this trip. We arrived just in time to see the majestic Lauterbrunnen Valley and the peaks of the Bernese Alps before the weather started to not cooperate! We made the best of our 1 night stay with a delicious dinner at our hotel (take note – Switzerland is one of the most expensive European countries… dining out included) and took in the killer views with a stroll around the village. Ready for the road again…
Until the next adventure – bon voyage!
Kris
