Considering the fact that we have done minimal planning for our route, yesterday went like clockwork – which is appropriate because we made it to Switzerland in the early evening. We had stopped for lunch in Luxembourg, and before setting off we phoned ahead and booked a night in the local Youth Hostel in Basel.
They said that there was space for all of us in one dormitory, but would we mind sharing with one other bloke. Fine by us, but we felt sorry for the other guy having to share with seven rowdy lads. We turned up at around 8.00pm, and went straight out for a few beers in Basel, which started off fairly sedately and culminated in – amongst other things - a conversation with a couple of transvestites, an ejection from a bar, and a jump in the town fountain.
This morning we got up at reasonable time, had a breakfast of cereal with hot milk (!) and set off through Switzerland headed for lunch in Leichtenstein, but had a bit of a mechanical problem en route. To date, the biggest problems we’ve had are a broken glove box in the Jag, a leak from the van which turned out to be the water bottle fallen over in the back, and a gas problem in the BMW (although this is more of a problem with the occupants than the car itself).
Today we had our first real breakdown. Quent came on the radio saying he was losing voltage (i.e. the battery wasn’t being charged). Despite a potential loss of power, he of course insisted on keeping the stereo on. Things were looking ok until the van reported a ‘strange sound’ coming from the engine. We pulled over in Zurich and popped the hood to take a look.
The water in the engine was overheating severely, and the strange noise was the header tank banging against the side of the engine bay with the ferocity of the boiling water inside it. It took about 10 minutes to stop, in which time we discovered the fan belt had snapped which was the cause of all the problems.
While Quent got under the van to replace the fan belt (miracle that he brought one), James got the stove out and brewed up a cuppa. John even produced a box of Milk Tray to make the whole event very civilized.
Back on the road now, should be able to stop for lunch in the mountains, before heading on to who knows where.
They said that there was space for all of us in one dormitory, but would we mind sharing with one other bloke. Fine by us, but we felt sorry for the other guy having to share with seven rowdy lads. We turned up at around 8.00pm, and went straight out for a few beers in Basel, which started off fairly sedately and culminated in – amongst other things - a conversation with a couple of transvestites, an ejection from a bar, and a jump in the town fountain.
This morning we got up at reasonable time, had a breakfast of cereal with hot milk (!) and set off through Switzerland headed for lunch in Leichtenstein, but had a bit of a mechanical problem en route. To date, the biggest problems we’ve had are a broken glove box in the Jag, a leak from the van which turned out to be the water bottle fallen over in the back, and a gas problem in the BMW (although this is more of a problem with the occupants than the car itself).
Today we had our first real breakdown. Quent came on the radio saying he was losing voltage (i.e. the battery wasn’t being charged). Despite a potential loss of power, he of course insisted on keeping the stereo on. Things were looking ok until the van reported a ‘strange sound’ coming from the engine. We pulled over in Zurich and popped the hood to take a look.
The water in the engine was overheating severely, and the strange noise was the header tank banging against the side of the engine bay with the ferocity of the boiling water inside it. It took about 10 minutes to stop, in which time we discovered the fan belt had snapped which was the cause of all the problems.
While Quent got under the van to replace the fan belt (miracle that he brought one), James got the stove out and brewed up a cuppa. John even produced a box of Milk Tray to make the whole event very civilized.
Back on the road now, should be able to stop for lunch in the mountains, before heading on to who knows where.
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