Dawn had barely broken when two of us quietly took the wheel and resumed the drive while the rest of the crew remained fast asleep in their bunks. There was still a long stretch ahead—roughly 760 kilometres to Lauterbrunnen.
Around 7:00 a.m., we stopped at a rest area for a much-needed break. Nothing beats a cup of hot masala chai and theplas with achar to jumpstart a morning on the road. By lunchtime, we stopped again to stretch, eat, and soak in the Alpine scenery beginning to appear on the horizon.
To drive on Swiss motorways, one must have a vignette—a sticker denoting paid road tax. We had wisely purchased ours in the UK for 30 Swiss Francs (around 15 pounds) and placed it proudly on the front windscreen. The fine for not displaying one is steep, so it’s best not to take chances.
Without even realising we had crossed into Switzerland, we rolled into the stunning Lauterbrunnen valley by 5:00 p.m., arriving at Camping Jungfrau, our home for the next two nights. The campsite was idyllic—nestled beside a beautifully maintained cemetery, with towering cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and colourful paragliders swooping through the skies. A whitewater stream gushed nearby, adding to the postcard-like charm.
We parked up, hooked up the electrics, extended the awning, and brought out our chairs and tables. After freshening up, we lit two disposable barbecues—one vegetarian, one non-vegetarian—and tucked into grilled potatoes and chicken with glasses of wine and chilled beer. As dusk settled over the mountains, we basked in the peaceful serenity of the Alps.
