We enjoyed our time in Curzon and it was nice spending time with Jacqueline and Gil. We were sure we would catch up with them in their new home when we returned to Portugal later in the year. It was also good to be back on the road again, this time in a Peugeot – more economical than the Duster but smaller so it was plain to see how much stuff we had accumulated!
Lyon is a city we had not been to before. Probably drove through it, but we had heard it was worthy of a good visit so Lyon it was. The city is shaped by its two rivers, the Rhône River (to the East) and the Saône (to the West). Linda found us a nice hotel high on the hill between the two rivers. It’s all about location, location, location!
View from our room 
By the river!
The car park was tight but secure, so that’s where the car remained for the next three nights. It was more of a business hotel than a tourist hotel but it was very comfortable and an excellent base to explore Lyon. Our first day was a massive walk up to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere. We read somewhere that you’d be a fool not to go there- I think what they really meant was, that you’d be a fool to climb up there if you’re over sixty! It certainly got the heart beating but once we got there it all seemed worthwhile. It provides one of the best views of the entire city.
Basilica 
Basilica again 
And again!
Back down at river level we were appreciating the facades painted on the plain side of some of the buildings which Lyon is famous for. Artists have transformed some drab buildings with stunning 3D optical illusion murals. We also came across an Italian food festival with food vans set up in a square offering all sorts of Italian delicacies. We couldn’t help buying a selection of smoked meats and cheeses to take back to our hotel and indulge in.
Fabulous murals 
Book anyone? 
Great Art
The next day’s walk was on flatter ground, but we found ourselves so far out we decided to try the hire scooters that had become so popular in European cities. You activate them with an app on your phone and it hits your credit card for the time you use it. A bit like the oBike model in Melbourne that was abandoned due to so many bikes ending up in the Yarra River! Fortunately, people are a bit more respectful in Lyon and I’m pretty sure there are no scooters in the bottom of the Rhône. They are electrically propelled and move along quite fast. We were going to try and both get onto one scooter but wisely chose to get one each. There was potential of ending up in a Lyon hospital but the worst thing that happened was it nearly shook my fillings out on the cobblestone streets. Otherwise, it was a lot of fun.
View to Basilica 
Bridge over Saône 
Those stairs!!!
Lyon is a great city and we recommend it to anyone travelling through France. We needed to head for Zurich. Only a four hour drive but we wanted to take a look at Lausanne and Bern along the way, so we made lightning visits to both and arrived in Zurich the next day. Our new hosts Amanda and Will were a young American couple stationed in Zurich with their cute daughter Alexandria. They live in a fantastic apartment not far out of town, and on the lake. They were meeting relatives in ireland for a two week holiday so we were there to look after their dogs Ridley and Cooper and their cat Samus. The apartment was huge, split over two levels with a large terrace that had commanding views of the Zurichsee. Another house sit we were sure we were going to enjoy.
View from the apartment 
View the other way!
Cooper and Ridley were well behaved apartment dogs and enjoyed their morning walks, Samus looked after herself but was sure to let us know when it was feeding time. Once we had walked the dogs we were free to go into town and check it out. Zurich is a beautiful city and I have vague memories of when I last visited back in 1987.
Where are we? 
Are you sure I can drink this? 
Sit in the square
The first thing I notice about Switzerland is how expensive everything is. They still use their own currency, opting not to use the Euro. The price of coffee is my barometer of the cost of living in a city and I was bowled over when I calculated that the average cost for a cup of coffee was close to ten dollars Oz! So like Iceland, drinking coffee outside home was going to be limited.
On our first outing into town we were walking along and Linda needed to use the toilet. I suggested we go into the Tesla Dealership we were walking past, so in we went. We asked the salesman and he kindly obliged pointing Linda towards the ladies room upstairs. While we were waiting, he asked me if I’d like a rundown on the Tesla range. As I was unfamiliar with the product and my only knowledge was that they are expensive plug-in electric cars, I thought why not? I became even more interested when he asked the receptionist to make me a coffee!
By this time Linda had returned from upstairs and we received a thorough overview of the Model 3, the Model S, and the one that appealed to us most, the Model X SUV with the gull wing rear doors. It was actually quite interesting and we were impressed with the quality and high tech features but I do question how ‘green’ they actually are. One of the points he made was how many charge stations there are around Europe. When we were next traveling on the autobahn, I noticed a Tesla charging station at a service centre we had stopped at. Upon close inspection, I noticed a large Diesel generator nestled in the bushes nearby! “So that’s how they power their charging stations,” I thought. I knew from my experience in the industry, that emission controls for generators are nowhere near as stringent as they are for Diesel powered cars (just ask Volkswagen). Therefore, Tesla’s so called ‘green’ cars can be the dirtiest of all if charged at remote charging stations! The coffee by the way, was the best I had in Switzerland – and I didn’t have to pay for it.
Too many choices 
It goes so quickly
The city of Zurich is so picturesque, we walked around for hours. Linda found a chocolate shop, that I nearly couldn’t get her out of, and we walked around a few department stores and just laughed at the price tags. By the time we got back to the car park, our parking bill was quite expensive but it was still cheaper than coming into town on public transport, and that’s wrong! We have noticed this throughout Europe, and I think even Melbourne is guilty of it. They will never get more people using public transport if it’s cheaper to drive!
During our stay in Switzerland we did several day trips. One to Liechtenstein and Austria and another to Konstanz, just across the border into Germany to do some grocery shopping. The countryside and the alps are really like a storybook – absolutely stunning.
Leisurely drive 
Konstanz
I couldn’t resist going to Hinwil, a town not far from where we were staying. It’s where the Sauber Formula one team are based. I was hoping to do a factory tour but they no longer do them. They did encourage however, to visit their reception area where they had a display of memorabilia including trophies and a current F1 car. They also had an espresso machine and a lounge area where you could make yourself a coffee and sit to take it all in. While I was browsing at the trophies, Linda tried to get my attention as Kimi Raikkonen, their lead driver, was at the reception desk. I was amazed that she recognised him but by the time I got to the desk to pat him on the back he had disappeared out the door. I thanked the lady at reception for their hospitality and was eager to get out the door to see if I could catch Kimi when she called me back to give us a bag of Alfa Romeo branded sweets as a souvenir. Linda was convinced it was just a quick thinking ploy on the receptionist’s part to stop me annoying their star driver. Whatever the case, I enjoyed my visit to Alfa Romeo/Sauber in Hinwil.
G&T O’clock 
Where’s the track?
Amanda and Will returned from Ireland and we pointed our little Peugeot towards Lake Como in Italy to check it out before driving to Milan where we would be flying back to Malta for a week.
People ask us about how we get our house sits. This is the main website we use. https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF147238/
If you use the link above you will also get a discount on membership.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.
Enjoy.