Pontarlier, Jura- FRANCE
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The hall showers and toilets were a real buzz this morning, especially because the door mysteriously locked after you exit, a red light then glows above the door and like something from the space age they clean themselves! It was still snowing outside when we left and had to dig the van out of the snow with only our feet. The road was then covered with at least three inches of fresh powder that had fallen after the ploughs had been through. The weather was truly amazing and now I was shuddering to think what the alps had in store for 2 crazy Australians. Last night we called a Servas host in Bern who could take us tonight and tomorrow night so we headed south-east and in to Switzerland. The Jura ended just across the Border and we meandered downhill behind a truck to the plains of Switzerland and around beautiful Lake Neuchatel. Bern too was absolutely covered in snow and the branches of trees were drooping with overweight snowfalls. Driving through a busy capital city over banks of snow, dodging cars and hoping that the lights would not turn red was a new experience for us both. Immediately we found the nearest car park, had a bite to eat in the back of the van and head for the tourist info centre to find out where the Egyptian embassy was located. In an efficient Swiss manner the lady over the counter gave me a listing of every single embassy in Bern as well as all the other information you're dying to find out about, but don't usually get told. Like opening hours and how to get there. We then trudged through wet mushy snow and pools of water underneath the covered arches of medieval Bern in contrast to our last visit. Two hours later we emerged back out into the weather with our colourful guides to Egypt, Jordan and Syria and like a bat out of hell made it through the peak hour traffic to Frank and Bettina's. Their apartment was located by the river, not far from the rose garden. Frank came out to help us park in the banks of snow and we then retired to the kitchen for a welcome beer and chatter. Frank's a Climatologist just finishing off a PHD, who has a great sense of humour and speaks better English than ourselves. He said that he taught himself too!! Unfortunately his girlfriend Bettina lived in Zurich during the week so that made just the three of us. He cooked a gourmet meal of pasta Italian style and we sat down with a good bottle of red getting to know each other. By 8pm Frank left for sexy salsa classes and we spent some time talking to Cathy his part time flatmate, who lives in Lausanne, but works as a lawyer for the Swiss Government in Bern. She certainly had some tales to tell and gave us an insight to the running of the country.The travel-books on the Middle East then soaked up our time until 11pm, when I went to bed watching the icicles form on the lamp outside and the snow softly make its way down to the ground. |