Brescia or Bust 2022 Wow...that was easy! Technology makes navigation and booking last minute an absolute piece of cake. After we left home on the Friday evening for Eurotunnel I became so immersed in this trip that 2 days later it seemed like we'd been away a week. Having arrived back home after 2 weeks it feels like we've been away for months: superb! We soon realised one day driving/one day not driving (2 nights at most places) worked best for us. Eurotunnel to Calais then Basel; Zug; Simplon pass; Lakes Maggiore, Como, Garda and Iseo; Stelvio pass; Flüela pass; Lucerne; Stuttgart; Black Forest (B500); Calais and Eurotunnel home. 2,500 miles in total. Phew! Memorable Moments Continual unplanned exploration. Basel - drinking beer in the sunshine cruising along the Rhine, then discovering an excellent WW2 river-side crane converted into a bar, playing pumping House music. Delicious pastries and coffees for breakfast. Camping on the shore of Lake Zug and watching the kite-foilers whilst we snorkelled and cooked evening dinner with a bottle of wine. Stunning scenery and twisty roads to Andermatt & Simplon pass. Blasting past numerous German executive saloons during the twilight evening rush hour on an Italian motorway heading into a lightning storm, only to be chased down by a builder's Fiat van. The beautiful and charming Stresa, by Lake Maggiore and discovering the 2022 Geneva-Cannes classic rally participants, whilst out for a sunrise blat. Improbably glamourous Bellagio, by Lake Como. Italian hospitality and enthusiasm for the "pretty car". We felt like celebs, being papped wherever we went. The addition of our small, cute dog was more than some could cope with. The quaint and absorbing Mille Miglia museum in Brescia. Discovering its supercar festival and being invited on their police-escorted blat around the lakes and mountains. If only I'd refuelled that morning.... :-( ....but perhaps I'd have just ended-up scratching the top of my roll cage. Getting lost in the narrow twistiness approaching the Stelvio pass, summitting the pass and being reminded just how refreshing 0°C really is, among spectacular cliffs and peaks. Coffee with 4 bikers from Aylesbury and Watford at the Flüela pass. Beautiful Lucerne. The Mercedes museum in Stuttgart. Impressive, full of social history and a complete contrast to the tiny Mille Miglia museum. You don't get a discount by showing your C&L7 Club membership card, but you do get a priceless look of distain ("Wot is this?"). The smiles, greetings and hospitality of everyone who saw the car. What went well. The car: 2018 270S SV was comfortable and reliable, with just enough space for 2 weeks including tent and limited camping gear. A 4-year service a month beforehand uncovered some potential holiday-stoppers that were fixed before departure. The dog: Tiny Tim was an entertaining companion and conversation-starter. 2 week's supply of his own dog food ensured no tummy upsets. Pre-departure and return health checks were easily organised. Earplugs and seatbelt harness kept him comfortable and safe. A thick inflatable mattress with mini-compressor, rather than closed-cell foam or thin self-inflating mat. Pillows, too. Lessons learned. Switzerland is expensive, especially Lucerne. Camping in Switzerland was the same price as B&Bs in France and Italy where proper accommodation is plentiful and cheap. Circumnavigating Lake Garda is mostly pretty, but a chore as it's 50km/h virtually all the way round, prone to traffic jams and the southern shore is an industrial estate. Old Fiat Pandas are the 4x4 of choice in Italy. Take fewer clothes, although we did feel compelled to dress stylishly in Italy. It is possible to sleep in a 7 when your sleepy "other half" locks you out of the B&B during a 2am dog walk on the first night of the holiday, but not ideal. Thanks for all of your suggestions and advice. See you at Beaulieu :-)
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