Arras to Mulhouse

Day 2 April 2^nd Arras to Metz. Mileage 202

We waved Catherine goodbye and then set off for the nearest petrol station (travelling on the final fumes left in the tank!) Our journey was uneventful, nice open roads and very little traffic. We stopped a few times for refreshments and leg stretches, arriving in Metz around 7pm.

Jane found a lovely hotel about a 20 min walk from the town centre. The hotel owner recommended an excellent restaurant by the stunning cathedral. Metz is a beautiful city and very old, parts of it date back 3000 yrs.

It had been another long day but both of us, though tired, were feeling ok. Tony's helmet was giving him a bit of gyp on his forehead. When he investigated there was a bit inside, proud of the rest. The Swiss army knife came to the rescue!

Day 3 April 3^rd Metz to Mulhouse. Mileage 151

click for map

The weather was still being kind to us. No rain at all yet, and with the first two thirds of the journey on dual carriageway we really motored. I did wonder at one point what the M25 was like at that moment as there was no traffic in front, behind or even on the other side of the road!

We stopped at a roadside truck stop for a snack then carried on into the foothills of the Alps. At one point we were pretty high and passing large piles of snow, a forerunner of days to come. We got to Mulhouse around 3pm and found a hotel called the St Bernard. When I went in to enquire if they had a room, I was met by a St Bernard dog about the same size as the scooter!

We decided to stay 2 nights as we'd covered a fifth of the mileage (499) and wanted to catch up on emails and washing, as well as visiting the Schlumpf Museum. We have also decided (for those who are following the journey plan) to extend the Dalmation Coast by 3 days, so we aim to get the next ferry to Bari. The ferry only goes every 3 days, and we are aiming at the 15th, so we have time in hand. Last night we ate in a Tunisian restaurant. Delicious!

Day 4 April 4^th Mulhouse

After a coffee and pain au chocolate for breakfast, we went off to Schlumpf Museum (click for link). It was breath-taking with many, many cars representing the last 100 years of motoring. The Bugatti Royal was stunning! Only six were built and two are in the museum. It was originally a private collection of the Schlumpf brothers who ran the old woollen mill the collection is in. When they ran into financial problems in the 70's the museum was confiscated and opened to the public in the early 80's. Their original love was Bugatti's (of which there are many, having been lovingly restored) and all the original cars, whatever their make, were in working order. The collection has been added to over the years with one section now devoted to racing from the 30's to present day.

Tomorrow we head off to Switzerland and I'm hoping to find a wonderful place I visited 30 years ago on the eastern end of Lake Zurich. If we find it I'll tell you all about it next time.
Alison