Anticipation was high as we headed towards the Swiss Alps. I had driven through there last fall, but when you're riding a motorcycle, it all becomes new again. Once the Alps enveloped us and we began our ascent, the sun began to disappear and the clouds soon rolled in. The temperature dropped and then I felt a drop of rain...and then another one...and then another one. Having lived in Portland for the past 10 years, rain is hardly a threatening thing.
I shook my fist at the sky and shouted fearlessly, "I laugh in the face of rain!"
Shortly thereafter, the sky replied with a series of thunder and lightning demonstrations and an increase in rainfall. We ended up having to pull over and seek shelter because it was too dangerous to continue. Ooh, the irony. Apparently, mother nature didn't like my arrogance.
We pulled over near a little mountain restaurant/pub. There was a big storage area in the back where we unloaded our bags and stayed there to wait out the storm. We were joined by an Italian bicyclist named Frederico who was from Venice. He was on vacation and was riding his bicycle up the mountain pass and through the Alps. (Can we say crazy?!) The owner soon came out and joined us as well. He was a 91 year old man who had lived there for nearly 50 years. He had my comrades engrossed with his stories about his life and experiences.I didn't understand what he was saying, but I was entertained anyways by how much of a character he was.
He noticed that I didn't speak the language and asked if I knew any German at all. I told him a little.
He said to the guys, "Does she know German well enough to know the phrase 'It's time to go to bed?'"
Laughter ensued and I asked for the translation. Apparently, even in the Alps, you can find a dirty old man. I should've been insulted and said something to him, but he was kind enough to give us a place out of the rain and I was just too entertained by him.
Because his hearing wasn't that great, he talked really loudly. I ended up taking a short video:
Giving him my camera, we asked him if he'd take a picture of us and this is how it turned out.
After about a half hour and many thunder/lightning performances, the sky simmered down a little and we decided it was safe enough to continue. We bid the old man farewell, but not before we pulled out some whiskey to toast one another. :)
As we geared up to leave, I quickly ran across the street to take a video of the incredible view:
The further up we went, the more the fog rolled in and the temperature dropped. Thank goodness for the leather I was wearing. It really keeps you warm. But after a while, the cold began to seep in. We had heard that there was a really great restaurant at the top of one of the mountains and it was about that time to eat anyhow. As soon as we saw it, we parked the bikes and went on in.
It was exactly what was needed! There was a roaring fire going and I didn't realize how cold I was until I stood right in front of it. We sat down to order and to my delightful surprise, they had steak available for a very reasonable price! I ordered it and watched as they cooked it over the fire. It's probably the best steak I've had in Switzerland to date. My mouth waters just thinking about it. :)
A little while later, the waitress told us that road we had just come up was completely closed down. There was a sudden avalanche and no one could get through. Talk about timing! Also, the storm had grown increasingly worse...it was raining pretty hard and the fog was in full throttle. We ended up staying at that restaurant for a long time just waiting, eating, drinking hot chocolate, warming up and playing a bunch of card games. It was nice to relax.
Later on in the evening, the weather cleared and it was decided that we would continue on to Brunnig.
As we began our descent, the view became spectacular. There were glaciers slowly melting into rivers and waterfalls at nearly every winding corner. Not another soul was around.
We pulled over so I could take this picture. It was so quiet and beautiful.
After another couple hours, I started to get stiff and numb from being on the bike. Thinking again about that documentary "Long Way Round" where they rode around the world on motorcycles gave me a new admiration for Ewan McGregor and Charley Mooring. I don't know how they could ride their bikes for 10-12 hours day after day after day.
Finally...around 9pm, we reached Brunnig and the festivities were in complete motion.
There were fireworks happening.
We headed to a big circus sized tent where there were friends, skits, concerts, food and drink.
The celebration went into the wee hours of the morning, but around 1am I was completely wiped out and ready for some shut eye. I had no trouble getting to sleep by then.
