Some of the team on the peak of the Jungfrau: highest monutain in Europe

Sue and Ken with friends at the Jungfrau Ice Palace

We left Chur early to take on three more passes and to meet members of the Swiss MGA Club and Swiss MG Club at Glasen where they were all lined up in the local square.  They drove with us to the top of Klausen Pass where we were treated to morning tea by the club and given Swiss MG stick pins to add to the collection.  It was a great site to see fifteen plus MG’s driving up the pass in convoy.  There was an MG TC, a red TF, numerous MGA’s and an MGB.  Again this was bike riders heaven with riders coming from all over Europe to tackle the winding roads up and down the passes.

Members of the two Clubs joined us for the day and drove in the convoy through the beautiful  Susten and Grimsel Passes. The Klausen Pass is only open for about five months of the year and is just a superb drive.

As we continued on towards our overnight stop near Interlaken the drivers from Switzerland dropped off as they reached forks in the road which enabled them to return to their home bases.  Dominic from the MGA Club stayed with us and organised our accommodation at the Gasthaus Steinbeck 1797  at Wilderswil,  which is at the base of the Jungfrau Mountain – the highest mountain peak in Europe.  It is commonly known as the TOP OF EUROPE at 4158 metres.

 The following day we spent taking a train trip to the top.  The railway is an engineering feat in itself and the cost of $120 for a ticket was well worth the experience.  Ice tunnels and rooms have been carved   beneath the glacier and it is a strange feeling to be walking on ice with ice walls and ice roof. We were surprised to find  that  the Jungfrau Mountain has a sister mountain in China, the Huangshan Mountain which we climbed some two  months ago.

The scenery was spectacular with ginger bread houses, cows with huge cow bells grazing on buttercup meadows and a carpet of wild flowers including the Mountain Rose.

Astrid and Marcel from the MGA club spent the day with some of the group who didn’t take the mountain trip. Would you believe we declined dinner as we just can’t keep up with all the Swiss eating: big breakfast, cream cake morning tea, bratwurst and , rosti  for lunch, apple strudel afternoon tea and then a four course meal.

The convoy is getting bigger. Switzerland

Swiss friends:Switzerland

We followed that car:Switzerland

This is what we are driving through

Amazing Stelvio

Amazing Stelvio and our biker friends

Fabio, Italy

MG banner Italia

Stelvio Pass

Looking beyond the Stelvio Pass Italy

Things have only got better and better with lots of great surprises in store for us in Italy. Some of the MG team, drove down to Monza Race track, and two of the MGBGT drivers, Reg and Ian M had the   good fortune to get their cars on to the track and drive them, flat out I am told, for ten minutes. Sadly, the MGA drivers were not permitted to drive the track because their cars were open top and they had no crash helmets. There was great excitement with the drive and for the two drivers it seems it will be one of the highlights of the trip.

The Italian spirit emerged with “fabulous” Fabio, the long serving” il presidente” of the MG Car Club Italia, meeting the convoy. He could not have done more for us. He drove up to Brescia from Rome with Patricia, spent two nights with the team, liaised with the Lombardi chapter of the MG Car Club and they jointly hosted us at a wonderful restaurant in the alpine region of Brescia. It was a real Italian affair. We didn’t leave our hotel until 8:45pm and we were driven by bus to a family run restaurant where they produced all the food and wine. The establishment had been owned by one family for thirty years and had very sophisticated wine and olive oil producing plant. At one o’clock in the morning we were touring the cellars. The consequence of this was four hours sleep and on the road again next morning but there’s no gain without a bit less sleep!

The food was the best Italian meal,  absolutely everything was locally made and produced and although we access all of the food in Australia it was really  something to be eating a splendid meal with our Italian friends; Bruno, Emanuella, Giuliani, Pouci, Guidolfi and the others, one of whom had driven in from Zurich to spend time with us. It was a great night full of laughter and good cheer with Fabio presenting each car team with a boxed and engraved   bottle of locally produced spumante.

The following day Fabio lead the convoy through the Italian Alps to the Swiss border. The convoy now includes Vin from the UK driving a red MGA and Lou and Mike from South Africa driving MGBGT with V8 engine which they brought from London “sight unseen”. They had very significant over heating problems on the drive through the alpine passes but with some help from Peter it seems to have been addressed.

What can I say about the magnificent drive. Apparently the Top Gear guys say the Stelvio Pass is the best drive in the world, anyway a million European bikers must think so because it was like being on the most exhilarating and spectacular bike track with bikers flashing by and speeding around hair pin bend after bend ahead of us. Not many cars here but our fantastic little convoy made it, and dare I say it little Red Car did not miss a beat. Three of the other cars in the convoy reported brake problems and one car did a lot of back firing but they all made it. As Fabio said this is one of the most unique and challenging drives in the world and if we were not part of this convoy we would never do it. Thanks a million to Dave’s vision and planning with the inclusion of these real challenges in the drive.

Every couple of days on this trip I think this is “the best ever day ever” in terms of magnificent scenery and even   when I take off “my rose coloured glasses” everything is still pink and beautiful. Planet Earth is the most incredible place and the passes in the Italian and Swiss Alps are brilliant.

We drove through the Passo del Mortivolo and the Passo del Tonale reaching a height of 2,200 metres above sea level. This is real Sound of Music country. We passed through many tunnels and tiny villages surrounded by lush green countryside with flowers in full bloom. Hydrangeas, roses, impatiens, geraniums, petunias were everywhere in gardens and window boxes; so verdant and quite unlike our sunburnt country in the height of summer.

On to the famed Stelvio Pass at 2800 metres; this pass is unbelievable with one hair pin bend after another up the mountainside. The descent down was just as exciting and good brakes are the order of the day. Up the Ofen Pass at over 2,000 metres and into Switzerland and then the Pass dal Fuela at 2,149 metres. These passes are the part of the courses for many European rally circuits. It is “hang on” to your seats and watch out for the stream of bikers who roar past and take the bends almost horizontally. Brave guys.

Once into Switzerland we were met by Dominic Clancy from the Swiss MGA Car Club and as he led us through Dorf, Klosters and Landquart to our destination at Chur. Would you believe it his MGA limped into the hotel and had to be towed away next day. On the way up the mountain to meet us, a car had rammed his car causing quite a bit of damage. He had done a main or big end bearing. Just shows how tricky driving is but undaunted Dominic determined that the next day he would take a seat in Vin’s MGA and led the convoy.

Once again the kindness of people is just astounding, they take time off work, lead the convoy, organise functions, sightseeing and do everything in their power to make our stay memorable.

Gratie and Danhe Fabio and Dominic. Your generosity and passion for your countries is infectious and it has made our stay so memorable. It was “bellissimo” and”ist mega fein gsi”

Red Car up the Stelvio Pass

We are still taking wrong turns on the roads less travelled and as a group we generally loathe expressways. What do you see and where’s the adventure driving on an expressway…… not for us. There’s no accounting for what happens when you sit in a forty year old MGBGT for nearly 94 days.

We are now moving pretty rapidly and in the last few days all cars are speeding along. Fingers, toes and all other limbs crossed, please! This section is a bit of a “drive through” but we knew that when we signed on.

In Croatia the scenery was beautiful and we all enjoyed ourselves. High summer, 31 degrees all the flowers in bloom, the sky clear and blue, Adriatic just so warm for swimming, roads are fantastic, even  those less travelled, superb accommodation, can’t get much better we think as  it is predictably gorgeous  but it is starting to feel a bit shall I say it….easy in comparison to where we have come from.

On our drive from Split to Croatia we did take a wrong turn and then had to take a 30 minute ferry ride to get across an inlet. We did lose Reg and Mary or they lost us but with Tom-Tom and Mary’s navigation they made it to the ferry on time.

Now it is a breeze to drive across borders but something is missing. There are no black undercover cars trailing us, like in China, there are no officials policing the way we dress, there’s no possibility  our rooms are bugged, there’s no sense of will we get through the next unknown country  and what is in store for us.  The thing I most miss is, now we just drive along like every other car. From China to Iran we felt as if we were in a cavalcade of very special cars. It was unique for us and those we passed. Everyone tooted, waved, hung out windows and even the most retiring Nonnas smiled with a twinkle in their eye. We were making people laugh, even if it was only a ten second laugh, it was extraordinary.

Today as we drove down the three lane expressway into Brescia, Italy, the cars just flew by. Porsches, Audis, BMWs and every shape and size Merc. Flash after  flash  as they speed past and we were sitting on 110 kms. I only caught one person’s eye in 430kms and she looked from her Audi convertible with a condescending glance. I reckon if she did give the convoy any thought, which is highly improbable, it would be those poor, silly people in those beat up, old cars but little did she know where these cars had come from.

If I was passenger in her car I would have slept from China to Italy….totally ” non compos mentis”. It would be so easy to sit back and sleep as I normally do on any long trip but I am smitten by MG travel as you simply can’t sleep, you have to be alert and you see and hear everything that’s going on around you.

Today two South Africans in a MGBGT and a Yorkshire man, in a MGA joined the group to drive through to the UK with us. Tomorrow we meet the people from the Italian MG Car Club and they will drive with us for half a day so they can be part of this adventure. Maybe there’s still some surprises in store. Good ones I hope, just as long as we all stay safe and get to the UK. That’s the name of the game.

Action Men,Croatia

Today was to be a relatively easy drive along the coast from Dubrovnik to Split in Croatia but things never quite go to plan. We headed off at 7:30 am and   six kilometres into the drive Red Car, our car, ceased on a downward incline. Ken knew it was the fuel pump and luckily for us we were able to pull off the road at a wayside stop overlooking the Adriatic. Guess if you are going to have to do running repairs it is great to have a view to die for, especially if you are the passenger.

Kerith and Peter in Yellow Car, which is going like a steam train I might add, were behind us and they pulled over. We radioed Dave and told him the problem. He did a rapid U turn and came back to check out our prospects. Peter insisted on staying to help and Ken suggested that the other four cars continue the drive as it is much easier to complete the necessary repairs when you don’t feel the need to rush as others are being held up. We would meet them in Split later.

Peter and Ken worked like the “bobsy twins” and once again everything was out of the boot, tyre off and Ken laying on his back under the car with Peter working from inside the car to fix the wiring. The power of two! It was fortunate Pete had given us a spare fuel pump two weeks ago when we had some earlier problems. Anyway forty minutes later we were good to go with a new fuel pump in place.

Yellow Car and Red Car were off. We followed the beautiful coast road stopping for coffee and lunch at Poice and Gradac. At Gradac both car drivers received 40 Euro parking fines. Who knows how we pay them?

Superb spots and no tourists; except for us. Lots of children and families; frolicking in the water, sailing, boating and just generally enjoying the summer break. The beaches consist of the tiniest and whitest pebbles and the two and three story houses are built right on the shoreline. Pink and cerise oleander and purple and red bougainvilleas make a beautiful contrast against the white buildings set so close to the sea with tiny sea craft  anchored in the shallows.

We passed what we thought was an inoperative road toll. We drove though without stopping and waved to the friendly official. Peter and Kerith following behind did likewise. We continued about twenty  kms and repeated the process. Us, slowing down, smiling and waving but failing to stop.

Some five minutes later Kerith on the CB announced ” I have just consulted the map and I think we have just driven through Bosnia- Herzegovina” Interesting as we didn’t even know we were going to traverse through this little country. It hadn’t been listed as one the countries we would pass through and it wasn’t on the side of the car.

There was great merriment about the fact that we had lost Macedonia, two days ago and found Bosnia- Herzegovina today. Did Dave know, we wondered.

Later Dave rang to see how we were going and he too was full of the Bosnia- Herzegovina story. It hadn’t been listed but guess what, he had a flag for that little country.

We now know that Bosnia- Herzegovina is landlocked except for 26 kms which borders the Adriatic Sea and divides Croatia into two parts and presumably gives the country sea access. The things you learn when you do a drive through!

We rejoined the group thanks to Ian M’s excellent spotting skills. He was sitting at a beach side cafe looking up at the road which winds down the mountainside to the town and he sighted two little MGBGTs. A phone call from Dave and we rejoined the group and made our way into Split. Hard to get accommodation here as the Split Festival starts tomorrow, anyway after a lot of wheeling dealing, and that’s another story, we had a place to sleep.

Croatia

Seashore,Croatia

In bloom,Croatia

Little charmer,Croatia

Albanian flag flies high at Rozafa Fortress

Shkodra, Albania

Ladies on their way to church, Albania

And the fellows eat and drink Albania

Blue Car and Orange Car with no room to move. Albania

Just when we thought we were in to the easy bit of the drive we hit the narrow, steep, pot hole filled roads of Albania. A real challenge for the drivers. With Albanian drivers who knew no boundaries or ordered direction and every car an old, diesel Mercedes speeding along the narrow, mountainous roads with the flimsiest protection barriers imaginable, it was quite a hair raising experience. Two of the cars reported near misses on the “S” bends and one unnamed, and usually calm and composed passenger, alighted from her car clearly shaken and not happy with the drive.

The roads were consistently worse than anything we had encountered elsewhere because when we hit poor roads in China or The Stans there seemed to be a sense of an unmade section road for x kilometres which was in the process of being developed. Here it was just roads which were neglected, poorly positioned and constructed with no sense that anything, apart from filling the pot holes, could or would improve them.

Like The Stans countries, livestock, donkey carts and in some places bikes are a hazard. We saw one lady, dressed in a grey skirt, floral blouse, white head scarf and carrying a black bag, herding her milkers down the middle of the road in a main town. Around Lake Ohrid young lads, selling fish stood on the side of the road waving eels and their freshly caught catch at the passing motorists.

Roadside memorials complete with inlayed photographs of the deceased and flowers punctuate the roadside boundaries of the Skanderbauf Mountains, a grim reminder of those who had met a sad end.

On our drive out of Shkodra, as last car in the convoy, we were stopped at traffic lights and an old Merc ran into the back of us. Thud, but nothing as bad as the hot air balloon landing. We hopped out and the guy drove off. The result is that the car has a slight indentation in the rear and the back mud guard is very tight.  Ian M joked the reduced size of Red Car   will make it easier to fit three MGBGTs in one container to transport back to Australia.

A Sunday morning coffee break in a small town was a real eye opener. All the women and girls were making their way to the church while the men, and hundreds of them, stood on the side walk or sat in cafes eating and drinking coffee or beer and watching the world go by.

In one section of the journey hoses a bit like shower heads were spilling water on to the road  everywhere. We worked out that they were for a quick, roadside, car wash but the water waste was something very foreign to the “water wise” Aussies.

Albania seems to be a land with a conflicted past and many contradictions. We saw some children begging and many of the buildings were neglected. Our hotel served crème caramel as one of the breakfast offerings and yes it was good. Dotted through  the fields were enormous concrete bunkers built as protection against the Russians. The country has run the full political gaunlet and aligned itself with all the major superpowers at some stage in its recent past.

The drive to Montenegro with Yellow Car in the lead had lots of diversions and asking for directions. Orange Car’s driver said this part of the drive was “beyond his wildest dreams” and Yellow Car’s navigator said it was  “the best scenic drive they had ever driven”

We followed a tight, winding road into Podgorica and then after lunch at a beachside cafe we drove the narrowest road, almost  a one way road  around the villages and towns of the  coastal inlets. As we climbed to over 1500 metres we looked back a saw the most spectacular sight. Huge mountains surrounded the inlets, the sky was a brilliant blue and the stone houses with their red tiled roofs were such a contrast to the grandeur of the natural environment.

We finished our drive in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We have spent the last two nights here. Very nice, but for most of us, too many tourists and much too commercial after the unspoilt magnificence of Montenegro its neighbour.

White Car on the road in Montenegro

Beautiful Montenegro

Cherry Car is behind. Montenegro

Montenegro

Dave and Laurel consult a map

The road less travelled and there's a little donkey under that load of hay. Albania

The role of lead car has been rotated which is great and a bit of fun. Mary and Reg had done a sterling job with some  help from their Tom-Tom. Leaving Edessa, Greece, it was Dave and Laurel who said they would do a turn as lead car for the drive into Macedonia and then on to Albania.

I happened to comment to Dave that we didn’t have Macedonia named as a country on the side of the cars. His response was it must have been an oversight as he had planned the route via Macedonia. Dave has done an amazing job planning and coordinating this drive and he has spent countless hours making contacts wherever it is possible to highlight the MG marquee. And it is all coming together for him.

We had a great drive and another unbelievably easy border crossing, just a quick stamp in our passports. Shortly into the drive and after the border crossing  we were all a bit confused as the lake on the map was showing up on the wrong side of the road. Still not to worry.

We stopped at a restaurant by the lake for lunch and Dave proceeded to sort through his national flags so he could hoist the flag on to his car as he drove through Macedonia. After a brief consultation, the waiter pointed to the national flag flying near the restaurant and  it became apparent we were in Albania, not Macedonia. Laughter all around.

We had taken a slight deviation and missed Macedonia all together. Not a problem as it was one less border crossing, the trout lunch was delicious and we had chosen to take the roads less travelled with no sign posting so we could see the real sights.

The following morning Dave was heard to say on the CB to the new lead car “don’t worry if we take a wrong turn as we are all here to enjoy the drive and yesterday I missed a country”

True Dave and we are all very relaxed and enjoying ourselves. It is great to have the freedom we didn’t have in China and the Stans where we couldn’t deviate from the nominated route. Plus the list of countries on the side of the car is exactly the way we have driven but Dave wont live this one down!

Friendly officials at the border and they will even let you take a photo. Greece

Our new friend Mary

The border crossing from Turkey into Greece was notable because of the ease, efficiency and friendliness of the police and customs officers. Only slight hiccup was the validation of our third party insurance policy which was sorted out quickly. No five plus hour crossing but the officials were still armed because it is the major entry point for illegal aliens into the EU; but they were smiling and charming. No sweat here.

The drive through northern Greece was pleasant with lots of picture post card shots one associates with Greece and good freeways. The cars were running well and after lunch we decided the highways were too boring, so we headed off down some secondary roads and through some smaller towns with Reg and Mary in the lead car role.

Our first night was spent at Kavala at Hotel Philomena overlooking a sweeping valley with views down to the port and inlet. We appeared to be the only guests at the hotel until we met Mary, a fifty eight year old lady from Athens. She came into the lounge area and started chatting in broken English. She told me her husband George was in their room watching the football on television and she wanted to socialise. I asked her if she would like to sit with us for dinner and she readily accepted but she explained that she had had dinner earlier.

Mary loved to talk, in that Greek way, lots of gestures, eye rolls and facial movements especially when she was expressing her apparent frustration with George.  She engaged Ken, Peter, Dave and I in conversation or should I say a lot of listening. For someone with broken English she was very competent at expressing herself. By the end of the evening she was telling me how much she loved me and the group. “I love you, I love you, my little one, my little one” as she blew air kisses around and tears welled up in her eyes. She was enthused that we were driving as a group and that we would go home “full up with things we had seen” furthermore in her view it was important to travel as “soon you are no more” She loved “Australies” because George  had six cousins living in Sydney.    She insisted that in the morning we should visit a nearby archaeological site, Fillippos which was constructed in the third century BC and was also linked to Saint Paul’s ministry.

Next morning at seven o’clock breakfast there was Mary all dressed and ready to go. George was in tow. We explained that we would be making a brief visit there as we had a long drive ahead. When we arrived at the site and Mary and George were in the car park. Again we explained we would be doing a quick walk through. Mary was an ambler. She said “don’t worry George don’t want to come here but I told him he have to come here because my people are coming”

We did a rapid run through, and we “her people” farewelled Mary and George with kisses and handshakes, leaving them with Aussie flags and koala bear key rings with Mary,  her hand on her hand on her heart, continuing to declare her love for all of us.  Presumably George could now spend the day as he wished.

On ward to meet the guys: Elias, Thomas and Max from the MG Car Club of Greece at Edessa north of Thessalonica. They had driven in their MGBs some  500 kms from Athens to meet us. The original plan was to have lunch with them and then drive on to Macedonia  but a fantastic traditional Greek lunch at the beautiful waterfall restaurant turned into a mellow event and everyone agreed we should join Elias, Max and Thomas and spend the night at Edessa. Great to have a flexible itinerary. Elias made some quick phone calls and we were all booked in to traditional hotel in gorgeous old stone buildings overlooking the stunning valley. Sitting on the terraced deck watching the sunset and then the full moon rise we knew we were on holiday and doing the social bit of the journey.

The guys were” bon vivants”, proudly Greek and had lots of hearty historical tales and political observations spiced  with much robust laughter; and they didn’t always default back to car talk. They are working to build up their club and have made good international contacts. We are all invited to return to Greece anytime and just contact them. They tell us that roads in Albania and Macedonia are not good and very dangerous……..so we will see.

Our stay at Edessa 89 kms west of Thessalonica was delightful and a place we would all love to return to. Situated on a plateau between the Vermio and Vora  Mountains in the province of Pella once the home to the Macedonian kings: Phillip and Alexander with a population of 25,000 people  and the remains of ancient buildings from the fourth century BC  and with a human presence which dates back to the Copper Age. 

Our small boutique hotel was enchanting and our hostess Anastasia made us so welcome with bowls of the biggest and plumpest cherries I have even eaten, the size of plums and a traditional breakfast with Greek pastries filled with cheese and fish spread. The pleasant rooms had brass beds, beautiful antique linen and of course the picture of Our Lord above the bed.

The people we talked with   tell us that although the Greek government is bankrupt  some people are still doing OK just like in the state of California, where the state is in trouble but some private citizens have their own ways to manage . People are concerned with high levels of unemployment and the effect this has on their country. Some of the economic issues have been exacerbated by the EU framework whereby countries are virtually told what to produce and this has impacted severely in the agriculture sector.

The drive from Edessa  was according to Kerith, Targa standard (for those like me who didn’t know what a Targa is…it is an annual race around Tasmania where cars go at unimaginable speeds). We traversed up to 1500 metres and around sweeping bends, through the what would be the winter  snowfields and down again.

 The idyllic trance was broken when we pulled up for petrol and Ian M went to the WC behind the petrol station and was viciously bitten on the leg by an Alsatian cross  on a long chain.   He has nasty gashes and is on a course of penicillin but being a real trooper he was soon making jokes about the welfare of the dog. Not good and you don’t expect something like this at a petrol fill.

PS: Yellow Car yet again another new fan belt…….how many will it take to get to the UK? Peter is still prone to leave the convoy with a CB call “will catch up” We know he is just checking out the auto stores for another, you guessed it………..

Elias, Max, Thomas with the ladies from the Aussie Team

Moonshine, Greece

Edessa,Greece

Just how many fan belts does Peter have?

Another new fan belt

Yellow Car has had recurring problems with the fan belt due in part to some modifications which were made to enhance the cars performance. The old adage of never modify a car seems to be working here. I reckon the mechanic and air conditioning installer could be in for an earful on Peter’s return to Mornington.

 Peter has spent hours trying to remedy this issue. He has toured many spare part areas looking for the right size fan belt and even had one made to order back in Tianjin, China. It is not unusual for him to be off in a taxi to see a man about a part. He usually returns with some new bits to enhance his cars performance, a good story and some local knowledge.

Very frustrating as Peter is always one to want things running smoothly. The bonnet and boot of Yellow Car is often open as Peter adjusts and tampers with something.

Yesterday the fan belt broke. So Action Man went into over drive. All the tools were out on the side of the highway and out came the supply of fan belts. Not one or two but there must have been twenty or more. With some help from his friends the job was done and Yellow Car was up and running again.

The funniest thing is watching the speed and method of execution. Peter goes into over drive. His purposeful walk becomes a run and the  swing of the arms reminds one of a ferret on amphetamines. Nothing gets in his way. He has a job to do and he’s lovin it. He’ll beat this machine into submission so it purrs ! Then he’s packed up and off again, pleased with the result and on the CB saying “let’s get on with it”

The question is : how many fanbelts does Yellow Car really  need to get to London?