RV Life: Final Stop at Lake Geneva

This will be the final post about our RV Around Europe trip. (I think.)
After we left the Italian town of Savona, we headed North through Torino and on to Lake Geneva.
We ended up in Excenevex, France and camped for the night, along the lake.

At the first sight of the Alps, we pulled into the next rest area to eat lunch and take in the view.

Lake Geneva is stunning.

The campground had an amazing pool, and we spent lots of time here and also swimming in the lake.

Next we drove to Geneva, Switzerland, which in my opinion is one of the cleanest and classiest cities I’ve ever visited.  This was my third time here, and yet again, it didn’t disappoint.  I would not, I repeat, WOULD NOT be upset if Shawn was asked to do an expat assignment in Geneva.

This is the Jet d’Eau, which is one of the largest fountains in the world.  We didn’t get to see it at night – all lit up – but I’ve heard it’s spectacular.

From Geneva, it was time to head back to La-La-Luxembourg.  We left Geneva late in the afternoon and arrived home at one o’clock in the morning.  This family likes to squeeze every single last minute out of a vacation.  We carried the kids in, put them in their beds and Shawn and I spent the next three hours unloading and cleaning the RV because it had to be back in Frankfurt (a two hour drive from Luxembourg) the next morning at 10.
At 4:00 in the morning, we finally got into bed.
Shawn woke up at 6:30 and took the RV back.  We were all sad to see it go.

When he returned home, we spent the rest of the day like this:

So.
Some final thoughts on THE BIG RV ADVENTURE AROUND EUROPE:
1. It’s a lota lota work.  The planning, the packing, the organizing, the grocery shopping.  I could go on, but it’s not the kind of trip that you can just set off on all willy-nilly. 
2.  It’s the perfect way to see a lot of places in one trip.  In fact, here’s a map of our route and all the places we stopped along the way. 

3.  You must have a sense of humor to travel this way.  When you’re operating and maneuvering a 29 foot vehicle in and through foreign countries, something’s bound to go wrong or slow you down or cause you to darn near lose your fool head.
4.  It’s the perfect way to travel with kids.  Ya know, a lot of people thought we were kinda crazy for taking a nearly 5 month old baby in an RV, but I’ll tell you what – it was no big deal, a pleasure even, to take a baby on this kind of trip.  There was no hauling stuff into hotels, everything was right there and we could put him down for a nap or to bed and the rest of us were free to sit outside, watch TV (because it wasn’t that kind of camping, you understand) and play games while he slept.
Now.  That’s not to say that I didn’t over pack and bring every single baby gadget that we own.  Because I did.  I even brought along his swing.  And when there wasn’t enough floor space for it to swing wide and free, Shawn did some re-engineering and whathaveyou to make it fit into the small confines of the RV.  I wish I had a picture to show you, but since I don’t I can only tell you that the modifications he made to the My Little Lamb Platinum Edition Cradle ‘N Swing were neither what Fisher Price nor the good Lord intended.
5.  This was truly the trip of a lifetime.  I will never, for as long as I live, forget the memories we made in these 15 days.  Finley, of course, won’t remember a thing, but Hannah certainly will.  I hope she takes these precious memories with her into adulthood. 

Okay, I think that’s it for the RV posts.
I can’t end this without saying how much I appreciate Shawn for everything he did for this trip.  He took care of all the details and made everything so convenient and easy for me.  He thought of everything. No detail was overlooked, down to the special GPS that he ordered in which we entered the dimensions of the RV and it made sure to take us on routes where we’d fit and not tear the top of the vehicle off going under a bridge or something. 
Despite all the crazy things like the Italian guy trying to scam us for the equivalent of THIRTEEN AMERICAN DOLLARS, a man answering the door in his underwear, and the RV getting stuck on a narrow, windy road in Corsica, we laughed.  Oh, did we laugh.  And we made it back in one piece, under budget and with no insurance claims. 

I’d say it was a pretty successful vacation.
(And we’re planning to do it again next summer.) 

RV Life: Zurich, Switzerland

On y va!
That’s French for HERE WE GO!

After weeks of planning and hours of packing and organizing, we were finally on our way. 
This kind of trip takes a lot of preparations, but more on that later.
The kids were so excited to get on the road.

Our plan was to drive to Zurich, Switzerland, which is about 5 hours from Luxembourg.  We traveled South through Luxembourg, across the Alsace region of France and then on to Switzerland.  It took us about 7 hours total because we had to stop to feed Finley, stop for the rest of us to eat lunch and then a stop at the Swiss border to get a special registration that is required of all vehicles.

Shawn is truly giddy about driving us around in an RV and he’s really good at maneuvering, reversing and pulling into narrow spaces. 

Hannah: Is Mommy going to drive the RV?
Me: Probably not. 
Hannah: Yea, you might break it and then we’d have to sleep in a broken RV.
(She’s right.)

Paying tolls at automated machines is a bit tricky.
We’re bigger than a car, but smaller than a semi truck.

When we arrived, Shawn set up the RV and I took the kids on a walk to the lake.
I think I’ve said it before, but I think Switzerland is one of my favorite places in Europe.  It’s clean, safe and the people are just so friendly.  And also – one of my favorite people that I’ve become friends with in Luxembourg is Swiss.

At the marina on Lake Zurich

The next morning we ate breakfast and headed into the city.
We took a bus and then a train way up in the Uetliberg mountain, which is 2850 feet above sea level.
Then we hiked about thirty minutes to the most beautiful view.

Finley thinks his dad is terribly funny.

Ok, that’s it from Switzerland.
We’ll be passing through again on our way home.
Next stop…Northern Italy.

Swiss Miss

The third and final stop on our little holiday was Geneva, Switzerland.
This was the second time Shawn and I’ve been to Switzerland and once again, we were not disappointed.

Neither was this little girl.

I think that the Swiss are a dee-lightful people.
They were kind and friendly and eager to speak to me in English upon figuring out that I’m American, which is basically as soon as I open my mouth.  I’m sure they’d rather speak English than listen to me louse up the beautiful French language.

One thing that I didn’t know (or remember) was that Switzerland doesn’t use the standard European electrical outlets.  They call it a “Type J Swiss,” I later learned.  

So in the hotel the night before, I was all This outlet is different so I don’t think I’m gonna be able to charge the camera battery.
And then Shawn was all Oh,  I have a Type J Swiss extension cord and adaptor in my bag. 
And I was all Wha? What in the world?  How did you…?  Where did you…? 

This is just one of the reasons I love traveling with my husband. 
The guy is always prepared.

The next morning we headed to Lake Geneva. 
Beautiful area, it is.
Oh, and remember when I said that Shawn and I are convinced that no matter where in the world you are, there’s a Michael Bolton or Phil Collins song playing on the radio?
Yep, Phil Collins lives on this very lake. 
We simply can’t avoid either of them. 

We didn’t have a lot of time because we had a five hour drive home and didn’t want to get in late.  So we stopped for one final family picture with a fully charged camera, thanks to Shawn and his Type J Swiss cord.

We’re back in Luxembourg and our normal routine.
Shawn’s back at work and Hannah went back to school. 

And next week?  Next week I’m starting French classes.
(It’s been a very long time since I’ve been in school.)

So, here’s to a successful first European holiday.
And many more to come.