We woke up relatively early and enjoyed breakfast in the train while packing our gear.
Once there we got our bikes through the usual process and proceeded to get ready for the road. There was some hiccup with the pairing of the Scalas but we soon solved it and were on our way by 8.30 am heading to our destination in Mugena (near Lugano / Switzerland).
We rode out of Austria then quickly in and out of Lichtenstein before entering Switzerland. Not long after we left the border I noticed at one point that I lost the pack. In fact they just decided it was time for breakfast but forgot to notify me and just thought that I’ll realise soon and will get back to the place they found.
Instead I headed into the next city – Chur – and sat at one of the cafes to have a breakfast along with a good coffee. While looking at the maps and checking the road that lay ahead a French couple started a conversation with me about the bike and the trip. They were also riding a 12GS and were roaming around Switzerland for two weeks. We chatted for about an hour before the others called to tell that they are on their way to meet me. We briefly discussed the itinerary and were soon on our way.
We rode through some magnificient scenery in the mountains and enjoyed every bit of the roads riding through the likes of Oberalppass and St Gothard pass…
It was time got head south as we still had to find our accommodation. We still had plenty of time and decided to avoid the motorway….in vain. As the “smarter” guys led the way we found ourselves rolling just on the Swiss autobanh… We stopped in the first petrol station and I quickly went in the shop to buy a sticker (yearly fee 40 CHF). The others still had the idea to find a way off the motorway and avoid the cost but soon realised it is a bad idea. A couple of British riders were parked in front of the station and looked quite annoyed. As they explained they just arrived to the station as a police car rolled in and noticed they do not have the compulsory sticker so they got fined 150 CHF each! That gave a big boost to my mates who in turn decided to get the sticker instead of a potential fine.
We took the highway then and rode the approximately 90 km monotone route in a 38 degrees heat.
Once off the motorway the road up to Mugena is just awesome. Note that at the top of the mountain the weather was significantly colder with 18 degrees and a slight rain. It was rather hard to find the exact address. Mugena is a small village perched on the top of the mountain and is criss-crossed by multiple steep alleys rather than streets most of which are one way. But once we found the house all was fine. It was a small two storey building just perfect for the purpose. We settled in, unpacked our gear and every one headed for the shower in turns.
Even though we arrived there at 6.00 pm it was only at 7.15 pm that we actually found our intended destination…
Once we opened the house and started unpacking Zsolt called his uncle – the owner of the house – who told him that we should actually park the bikes in front of the pizzeria in a public parking just to make sure we don’t bother the locals. That was bad news. Not only because we were worried about the safety of the bikes but also because the road to the parking lot was quite long and very steep.
Lucky enough as we were discussing the options in front of the house the neighbours arrived home… Father and son on two identical white Triumph Tigers. We introduced ourselves and started to chat about their bikes. I also brought up the issue of the parking namely that we were informed we would disturb the inhabitants of the village if we came and went every day from and to the house on our bikes. They just laughed and told us to leave the bikes there. it is a public spot and no one will mind. So that was done. We were all relieved and happy. We were also told that the shop closed at 6.00 pm so we decided to walk up to the only pizzeria to have some well deserved dinner and a couple of drinks. We went to bed after 11.00 pm as everyone was quite tired…
