Arriving at Luxembourg we were pleasantly surprised to find that the couriers had allocated two adjacent tents which is something Canvas cannot guarantee unless your stay is of three nights or more. Canvas do however give each family a complimentary bottle of wine on their first night, only for some reason none of our group received one. If you are wondering why we didn't ask the courier, it is because we assumed the wine must be given at our main site at Venezia. It wasn't until we arrived there that we were told it should have been Nommerlayen, so come on Canvas a nice bottle of Listel will do nicely thank you.

We parked next to the tents and began the process of unpacking the minimum requirements for an overnight stop. I commented to Colin how much further back the trailer wheels go when more weight is loaded into it. On closer inspection we found that the 4" box section to which the two indespension units were attached had been pulled back with force, possibly due to a speed ramp or one of the drainage gullies across the road at the site. This was a major setback and one that required immediate repair before our journey could continue.

We unloaded the trailer and tipped it on to its side to reveal that two of the 17mm bolts had been pulled part way through the 3/16 thick steel box section on each side of the trailer. It was decided that the main box section would have to be removed and the damaged steel around the bolt holes hammered back into shape then welded before re-fitting. We asked the couriers if they knew of a welder who would be willing to do ten minutes work at short notice, or even just the loan of some welding equipment as both Colin and I are qualified welders. The courier told us not to worry about arriving late at Interlaken and that he would inform the courier there of our predicament. Less than five minutes later the site owner arrived with his Portuguese assistant and together they came to the same conclusion as we had. Using sign language (we knew no Portuguese) it was arranged that if we removed the section and took it to the site workshop at 09:00 hrs the following morning then they would weld it for us.

As this was the main problem overcome we set to dismantling the trailer with determination. First we removed the hinged lid in order to turn the complete trailer upside down. Now the hardest and longest stage, removing one nut and bolt from each side using a hammer and screwdriver as the torn steel prevented spanner access. The remaining bolts however caused further problems as the only way to remove them was with a 17mm socket, a tool that was not part of our limited toolkit. All the English-speaking campers were questioned in turn in an attempt to locate one but to no avail. There was no alternative but to wait until morning and visit the local hardware store for the purchase of a socket set.
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Colin who was perhaps driving a little too fast and not expecting to be stopped had trouble pulling up before the line when the border guard jumped out in front of him. As we were witnessing the following moments from the car behind unable to hear what was being said, we could have a fairly good guess at the words due to the frantic gesticulations of the guard as he pointed to the white line. Yes Colin's Renault was definitely a good two inches inside Switzerland without permission. Fortunately the guard that attended to us was a little calmer as we were not a good two inches inside the back of Colin's trailer. However all the relevant questions were asked, (in French) "Do you have any alcohol?" "Do you have any tobacco?" "Do you intend using the motorways?" The answer no to this last question resulted in the guard returning to his hut to fetch a leaflet informing us of the consequences of using the motorway without a vignette. The cost incidentally is SFr.40-. required for cars and trailers, anyone driving a vehicle on a toll road without an affixed valid vignette is liable to a fine of SFr.100.- plus the compulsory vignette fee. Our route was planned to avoid the motorways and therefore see much more of the country.

Several road changes took us through Biel/Bienne, Bern and Thun and on to our destination Interlaken which lies between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. These two lakes themselves are nestled in the midst of some of the most spectacular mountain ranges but as the open gates to Camping Manor Farm came into sight at 22:00 hrs these fine views would have to wait until morning. The couriers tent was located and we were greeted by George, a tall lad who, when we apologised to him for our late arrival told us that he had received no message from the last couriers, "anyway" he said, "it's early at the moment, two in the morning is late". He showed us to our tents (ours was called Emma) which again were next to each other although Parking was difficult due to this particular group of tents being at the end of a cul-de-sac. One thing I have noticed about continental campsites is that tents are positioned very close together, too close for regulations covering English campsites.
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The drive south not using the motorways was hopefully going to be a scenic one and would include the St Gotthard Pass. It was this pass that I had done many searches for on the Internet and the one that I was looking forward to the most. As it turned out there were three passes worthy of mention, the first was the Grimsel Pass and by far the most spectacular and I think the longest if not the highest at 2165 metres. The road headed south as it ascended the mountain, sometimes going through long tunnels and at other times offering splendid views first from one side of the road and then the other. Nearing the top of the pass the road skirted around a lake in the middle of which, sitting atop a small island was the Grimsel Hotel. A few more bends and we were at the top where there were a few gift shops and a restaurant. The road then descended to the tiny village of Gletch where a left turn took us to the Furka Pass, an older road with frequent stretches of repair work being carried out, although that didn't seem to delay the traffic much.

The video camera that I had set up on a special dash bracket started to play up during the ascent of the first pass and after much swearing and banging I admitted defeat and resorted to the still camera.

More fine scenery passed us by as we continued south until we neared Chiasso and Como and into Italy. We changed course to the east towards Bergamo in order to bypass Milan and it's possibly heavy traffic. The intention was again to stay on the main roads rather than motorways with the option to join the motorway should lack of time dictate. It wasn't too long before that option was taken, traffic was just too slow and congested to be enjoyable so onto the motorway we went. A ticket was taken at the junction and from here to Mestre speed remained more or less at a constant 70mph although many cars were travelling at speeds far in excess of this.

At one of the service areas locals were once again treated to the now familiar sight of our party stopping for a tea break. Out came the portable stove and kettle for another round of Colin's most superb cups of tea while Angie and Hazel made sandwiches from the limited resources available. I took the opportunity while stopped to replace a rear sidelight bulb on the car that had decided to die the night before. It was after 09:00 when we eventually arrived at Ca'Savio and the courier, Danni showed us to our tents. Again they were together as expected but arranged in a manner that obviously had no thought behind it. One of the light bulbs was not working in our tent but with two other lights functioning it was no great hardship and Danni assured us it would be rectified in the morning.
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Two other pieces of information came to light today:

Tokens for the washing machines cost 6,000 Lira.
Make sure you bring your own toilet rolls.

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Phone Cards

The corner tab on these typical phone cards are to show they are unused and must be removed before inserting the card into the phone.

We shopped for jewellery and in particular silver at the Rialto Bridge After the purchase of some very nice bracelet charms, the shopkeper warned us of pick pockets operating in this area, although we are always aware of this in whatever country we are in, it is always handy to be reminded.

There were many stalls in the adjacent streets selling gifts and souvenirs. One nutter caught our attention having just bought a silly hat.

Conclusion:

Be prepared for lots of walking.
There was a large queue for the return ferry at 17:30 hrs.
Take your own food and drink (picnic) for a day trip.
Have some plan of action in case a party member becomes lost.

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Day 10 Venice
Thunder and lightening arrived during the night bringing heavy rain and we awoke to a dull morning. The neighbouring Eurocamp tents that were sited in a badly chosen position were in need of some mopping out and the occupying Portuguese were busy with mops and buckets. The plan for today was to make a second visit to Venice and be back in time to take the children to see the clown act which was part of the sites entertainment (20:30 hrs prompt).
We took the lunchtime ferry from Punta Sabbioni and arrived at Venice to find many more tourists than on our last visit.

It was at this point that Karl became lost. The search plan was well implemented, a base was declared outside the Museo Archeologico and then the adults and older children spread out in a search pattern. It was only five or ten minutes before I found him wandering around the columns of Mark and Todaro in the Piazzetta with tears streaming down his face. Incidentally, as executions were carried out between these columns long ago it is now considered bad luck to walk between them. This sort of incident should be allowed for before it actually happens as a six year old lost in a busy city full of strangers not speaking his tongue must be very frightening. The simplest of instructions were then given, "As soon as you notice you are lost, stay where you are" it is easier to find a lost child that is stationary than one that is walking around aimlessly.

All together again we headed for the Rialto Bridge, not a long way off but on well tired feet it was slow and arduous. Several photos of the bridge later we were in desperate need of liquid refreshment but perusal of bars with prices displayed outside revealed the high cost in this locale. We eventually entered a bar with no prices outside but looking a little less grand than all the others, it was assumed that the prices would also be less grand.

Around midnight when most of the camping guests had retired, loud bangs were heard coming from a part of the site not too distant from us. These bangs were very similar to gunshots but we assumed it was unruly teenagers with fireworks. We decided to investigate in that direction in the morning, after all, there was a security guard patrolling, wasn't there?
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2. Which disadvantage has upset you most?
Graffiti in the toilets
Unruly teenagers

Many nationalities were represented amongst the campers; mainly Portuguese, Italian and Dutch followed by German and Austrian then a few British and the odd Swiss. Now I normally hold the German people in high esteem but every incident of campsite rules being broken or a situation that occurred that was in total disregard for other campers peace and safety, then it was German speakers responsible. Surely people don't just use the German language when they are misbehaving or write on the back of toilet doors in German in order to damage that countries reputation? My wife and children were witness to an incident on the beach when a small group of German speaking adults were flinging beer from bottles and when the beer had gone the bottles themselves were thrown. Drunken German speaking teenagers were responsible for breaking glasses in the children's play area one evening. I informed the nearest campsite personnel in the adjacent bar but he told me it was not his position to do anything about it and that I should speak to security, it was 22:00 hrs and security did not start until 23:00 hrs.

One request made by the site was that children do not dig holes in the sandy pathways between groups of tents. Again it was German parents that sat and watched or even encouraged their children to dig holes or trenches where cars and people needed to pass. The reason for this rule became obvious when campers walking to the toilets at night fell or even twisted ankles as they fell foul to these mantraps in the dark.

3. What improvements would you like to suggest?
More night security

Something that made us feel more comfortable at our favourite site at Boucanet in France was the security guard. Each evening and all through the night he could be seen patrolling the site. Here at Ca'Savio we didn't see security at our end of the site during the whole period of our stay. On more than one occasion loud bangs were heard late at night (mentioned earlier) and obviously went unnoticed by 'security'. The questionnaire was duly handed in to reception but no present was forthcoming.

An unusual insect appeared this evening, about 100mm long, light green and designed to blend in with grasses and twigs. Not long enough for a stick insect but similar in proportion to a preying mantis. It eventually flew off revealing wings like a dragonfly.

The usual evening drink outside the tent was brought to an early end about 00:30 hrs as the threatened rain arrived.
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Two cappuccinos from the site bar later we returned to watch the second half of the field change from running to cycles. Feeling exhausted from all this activity we returned to the tent for lunch and a sit down. My earlier prophecy was proved wrong when the rain returned in the late afternoon but fortunately not until we completed our shopping at the local 'Super A&U' supermarket.

The evening discussion in next doors tent turned to past years with Canvas and in particular one site with toads the size of house bricks, one of the main memories believe it or not, but, for the moment the site name eludes us all. The group trip to the toilet block took place by torchlight and then we retired for the night.
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Around midday I decided to power up the portable television with the intention of watching the Italian Grand Prix at Monza (this is a continental T.V. most British portable T.V.'s will receive a picture but no sound). Several channels were found including MTV, 2 news, shopping, cartoon, sports (rowing), film, and a couple of general entertainment channels but no Grand Prix. With about 5 or 6 minutes before the start we made the brisk walk to the bar where a large crowd had already gathered. I just managed to gain a viewing position as the lights on the grid changed and the two Mclarens sped into the lead. I won't go into detail but the results were 1st M.Schumacher 2nd E.Irvine and 3rd R.Schumacher. While the race was going on Karl and Zoe were having their last chance to enjoy the pool.

Early evening and dark clouds were appearing, even so another visit to Jesolo was decided on. A walk along the many shops resulted in more purchases, both presents for the family and bargains for us.

One sight we hadn't planned on seeing were the ladies of the night doing a day shift along this stretch of road, presumably offering some light relief to truckers who were in the same traffic queue as us. A guessing game then followed whereby we had to guess the cost of each of the examples we past, although many varying guestimates were put forward, nobody was willing to get out and obtain the correct answers.

Eventually we reached Como and then the border town of Chiasso. After being waved through the border without stopping we were glad to leave Italy behind us and enter Switzerland where drivers stop at pedestrian crossings and drive nearer to the speed limit. It should have been a simple route from here onwards, along road 2 through Lugano and Bellinzona and then across the St Gotthard and Susten passes into the Interlaken valley. As on the outward journey we were not using the motorway but this time it was getting dark.

Day turned into night and all was going well until we passed Piotta when we were confronted with a road closure, no warning or explanation, just barriers across the road. We stopped and stared in disbelief. The odd car came our way and either turned around and returned in the direction it came from, or turned off to a side road towards a place that was on none of our maps.
We decided on retreat as the better option and so returned several kilometres down the road, but no suitable alternatives could be found. Plan B was to explore the uncharted minor road and so returned to the point of road closure and took a right to god knows where. The sign said max width 2.3 metres as we ascended into darkness and after 7 kilometres we came across 3 houses and a farm, after which another sign informed us of a max width of 1.6 metres. I ventured along this precipice for 100 metres before admitting defeat. So once again a return to Piotta and a re-assessment of the situation was required.

There was no plan C, it just didn't exist. We were left with no alternative but to use the motorway without the required vignette. Retreating even further in the wrong direction to Faido we joined the motorway with great trepidation. The Gotthard tunnel went on for miles and as soon as we emerged from this we got off the motorway with a certain amount of relief. Now all that stood in our way was the Susten pass and an hour driving. Already very late but at least we would arrive at our destination by midnight. The signs now pointed towards Interlaken so it would be 'plain sailing' as we climbed the east side of the pass.

Then we saw it. Barriers across the road, I stopped and stared, I counted to ten. The strain of the last 350 miles was starting to show and my headache was now a pulsating pain. I just could not believe it, why was this happening to us? Colin's voice came over the radio "what now?" I replied that I would need a moment to recover from the shock. I stared into the inky darkness and thought of sleep, I thought of cups of tea, I thought what's all that white stuff falling out of the sky? Yes snow, and lots of it.

Hazel developed plan C, "let's sleep in the cars until morning" but like I said plan C didn't exist or at least the drivers didn't consider it an option. No, there was no choice now, in for a penny as they say, we regained the motorway a drove north towards Zurich, through the Seelisburg tunnel, west past Luzern and then south to our tent and a cup of tea at Interlaken.

We arrived at 02:00 hrs in the morning, 412 miles and 15 hours after leaving Venice.
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The remainder of the day was spent relaxing and recovering from yesterday's exploits.

A little over 100 miles brought us to the French border but before leaving Switzerland I took the opportunity to fill the tank with cheaper petrol that would last until the next cheap fill-up in Luxembourg.

The 180 or so miles through France with no toll motorways soon passed and then we were back at Nommerlayen, our first nights site, also our last, a total of 342 miles for the day.

An early night was called for, as tomorrow's journey would be nearly 500 miles with shopping and the tunnel in-between .

Next stop was Cite Europe, an extremely large shopping centre where last minute purchases were made before catching the train back to the homeland.
We entered the train and drove down about a dozen carriages before stopping, interestingly the clang-clang noise that accompanied us when boarding for the outbound journey did not occur this time, it must have been because I removed the roof antenna this time :-)