Setting off from our apartment rental in the center Alkmaar, it was time to depart and start the trip south with our final destination Lake Orta Italy and the village of Orta San Giulio. Our first stop was to visit …
Europe 2018 – South X Sud – Part Two
The first part of our drive this day was entering France via highway and making our way toward an unusual roadside sculpture “The Woinic”. This metal pig stands over 30 feet tall, and almost 50 feet long and is an interesting …
Europe 2018 – South X Sud – Part Three
An early morning departure from our dull but air conditioned hotel and travel via the highway got us to our first stop rather quickly and thankfully ahead of the tour busses we noticed arriving when we left. The medieval city …
Europe 2018 – South X Sud – Part Four
In the morning Gap, France was just as ugly as the night before with the same people sleeping on the streets. Overnight there was a loud music concert in the park just to the south of the hotel and was …
Europe 2018 – South X Sud – Part Five
We departed our “brewery/restaurant” hotel and left the keys in the room as there was no one to see us off. A simple and inexpensive brioche and cappuccino at the local cafe saved us from an extra 10 euro per …
Europe 2018 – Italy – Lake Orta
Upon arriving in Italy the temperatures were quite high as they had been most of the drive south so far. Having the lake just outside the door was a help as were the lower temperatures at night. Within a few …
Europe 2018 – Italy – Lake Orta – Part Two
A days excursion took us up into the northern part of Pedimonte in the mountainous area along the Swiss border. The landscape, architecture and food are all drastically different up here. The roads become much more enjoyable to navigate as …
South via Sud – Day One
Departing Egmond aan zee and its gale force winds and crashing waves we started our trip south with the little AlfaSud. The navigation systems consisted of: main turn by turn navigation via WAZE. This app is most useful for avoiding …
South via Sud – Day Two
After an early morning walk in the mostly deserted French town of Dun-sur-Meuse we ended up at a BOULANGERIE for a croissant and coffee. The baked items on display were all postcard perfect – sadly modern technology invaded into the coffee preparation …
South via Sud – Day Three
Todays drive was all about the Alps and the Great St Bernard Pass that leads us to Italy. We traveled south with the towering mountains before us, past ugly Swiss industrial areas we wondered why Switzerland was thought of as …