A Happy Car

 

Soon we get our first glimpse of the mountains. There hasn’t been a lot of snow this year, but the peaks are stunning and there’s a bit of sun. On the early part of the Swiss roads, although efficient, with lots of tunnels and bridges and fast moving traffic, we were ploughing through heavy industrial landscape alongside the River Rhine, which forms the boundary between Switzerland and Germany. We were pleased when we had passed through this ugly area of smoking chimneys and dense building.

We looked for a lakeside spot to enjoy our lunch, but all attempts to get across railway lines failed us and we gave up until we got our first exciting glimpse of the mountains.

Aimile is a happy car. His bright yellow paintwork and cute chunky look have a feel-good factor, that is recognised by many people we meet along the way. As I’m freezing my fingers off trying to eat my tuna and salad roll, a couple of locals stroll over. I try to tell them where we’ve been – not sure they understand, but they take photos anyway. I’ve got laminated cards I give to anyone who takes an interest, with a picture and our blogsite. Maybe some of them will follow us.

Riding inside is a bit like being on a Ryanair flight. It’s noisy and very snug. Chris has left the rear seats behind in Syros, so he can accommodate a large, very heavy toolbox, he’s taking to his home in Greece and it’s wedged in by my chair. Various bags of clothes and ‘must haves’ take up most of the space – the mudguards are sinking over the wheels with all the extra weight. In the front, the seats are close together and as there’s no power steering and a large steering wheel, I have to move out of the way when heavy turning is required on sharp bends. But Chris has resprung the seats and it’s a comfortable ride. Bikers seem especially interested in us and toot and wave as they go past, maybe giving us a thumbs-up sign. Some passengers in other cars take photos as we’re driving along and many truck drivers wink their indicators at us or flash their lights. It’s quite an interactive ride. I have to hold on to something round the corners, so I don’t fall on top of Chris.

Whenever we stop, we attract attention – in gas stations, rest areas or parking lots. We usually look for an overnight stop that has some secure parking and here too word quickly spreads among the staff that there’s a photo opportunity outside.

We’ve been collecting country and other stickers as we go, so Aimile is now looking like quite a well-travelled car.