We've made it to Switzerland and what a trip it was.
New note to self: Don't travel the lovely scenic back roads of France or Switzerland on a Sunday or Monday if your gas tank isn't full. Sunday is a day of rest here and I guess they take Monday off to get over Sunday! Whatever the reason we had a lovely drive until we realized there were no gas stations open and the ones that took cards wouldn't take ours. Eventually (with less than 1/4 tank) we came to a town where we found someone who could help. The station they sent us to turned out to be a kind of farmer's supply place complete with animal feed and fertilizer. Still had trouble with the pumps before someone came to give us a hand. It isn't that we are just two helpless old ladies ... really.... the pump took our money and didn't put out. We're just not used to that kind of thing.
Well... with gas tank replenished we were now a good hour behind schedule. Had to meet the owner of the apartment we rented in Isenthal, Switzerland. No time to replenish our groceries we were on a mission. 
Set the GPS for the village and off we went.
Now you have to understand that in Switzerland are required to buy a pass to go on their major highways. Waste of time for us because a scenic tour was what we were after.
Another note to self: When you set a GPS co-ordinate for a village be very carefull. PG (our GPS) took us to the place we chose which happened to be on a major highway and about two thirds of the way through a 9.3km tunnel.
When the GPS says "arriving at your destination" and you are in a tunnel ou know you have some serious problems.
Well, no one caught us at the 'far' side so we turned around and headed back on a small road. I am just a little bit burnt out by this time and have no real idea where the village is. No address. No phone number. No patience.
PG told us to turn left and I thought I would faint. When the road begins with a hole in the rock and a memorial bouquet of flowers not far past that you know you have a challenge. This was a test.   A narrow twisty one lane road with (sort of ) pull outs which took us up to the most idyllic village I could imagine. What these people go through daily to live in such a place!!
Having little information and about as much Swiss German we managed to find our home for the week. What a surprise. Across from us is the village church (with bells... not loud, but bells) and across from that is a hillside with cows and sheep grazing. You just open up the window and listen to the bells. It is magic. Can't find Heidi but I'm sure she has relatives in these parts!
There is a small store with more cheese and meats than anything else. What more does a person need? Oh, I forgot to mention the chocolate. Yep, the store comes complete with chocolate, coffee and the odd vegetable.
So after a quiet night with Bessy on the hillside we woke refreshed and ready to explore...it was raining. So what do sisters do when it is raining.... they go shopping!   Worked for us! Off to Lucerne for the day. It was market day to boot (Tuesday and Saturday are market days in Lucerne). Yummy smelly cheese was the first thing on our list. If you have never tried basel infused (alpenkase - swiss mountain cheese) cheese you haven't lived. Popped that in the bag along with others and then a small loaf of good bread. If we were going to be here for longer we would have loaded up on such delicacies. In spite of the rain we had a great day. Dorothy's memories (from 40 years ago) came flooding back and my dusty grey cells from last year did OK too.
Next day we decided to take a road trip to Appenzell. Now this is a quaint little village that was, aparently, the last place in Switzerland to allow women to vote. (the vote was by a show of hands and the men said there wasnn't enough room in the town square to let the women have a say).
The drive here started out to be on the road Shane and I took last year. That is until the snow started falling and we decided to take a picture and turn back. Made for a long day driving as we had to follow the valley roads and avoid high passes. Worth it in the end. This is an amazing part of Switzerland. At the end of the day we had snow, sun, rain and cloud...even had the air conditioner on for a while.
Exhausted, we rolled in to bed after another amazing meal... my sister is a great cook. I'll stick to driving and leave the meals to her!!
Next day we drove to Brunnen and hopped a train to Zurich. Dorothy and her husband lived here 40 years ago... I can't imagine a more amazing place to begin your lives together as a young married couple. The city is rich with history... full of interesting places to walk....great food.... secret little banking hideaways (for preferred clientele only)... romantic waterways...and shopping! Now I didn't buy anything but the window shopping here is to die for. If I only had the 230 Swiss Francs for the cute little sweater I found for my grandson!!! Who has that kind of money? This is how the rich live I guess...
Dorth asked a couple of locals to recommend a place for lunch that didn't cater to tourists. Forty years ago she and Paul used to wander the Niederdorf area of Zurich and find quaint and unusual places for meals. The Guild Halls she remembers so vividly are no longer here but we did find a wonderful little restaurant with authentic meals... complete with the carved wood, history and atmosphere. It was where the Swiss author, Gottfreid Keller, came to write. Little of the interior had changed. The restaurant had been there for more than 200 years and the building from the 1300's.
How cool is that? And good food to boot!
So here we are in Isenthal enjoying the peace at the end of another busy day. We don't get back here until around dinner time which makes for a long day, especially after the road to our village.
Before I sign off I have to share a last little tid bit. We desparately need to do laundry. I've been using google translate and trying to get the message across. I was sure that laundry facilities were included in our rental but today I found the following note on our door:
"Hello
Subject: Was Unfortunately, it works together with our vote does not smile.
We reported today morning to you, and since they were already gone.
Pleas log in but if they are there.
Greetings"
Huh... we're still dirty. Will try to find a laundromat tomorrow if we can. Are trying for Interlaken. Will see if the pass is open.... or if we have to go the valley route.
What a beautiful country!
Before I go I have to tell you about the cows without back up lights. The hills are so steep here that, in one place, we saw a cow actually back up the hill because if he turned sideways he would have been ass over teakettle down the hill. Even his big bell wouldn't have helped him in that situation