Check the weather before driving
Easter is coming, every year we plan a little trip. 2 years ago we went to Nice and Monaco, last year we went to the Netherlands. Due to the pandemic we can't go far, but we have our motorcycle, a tent, and great friends so we plan something in Switzerland. With a little group we want to go to Geneva and stay there for the weekend. Kaylan, Elisa and Benjamin decide to join.
A few days before we start packing and realize we have a lot of stuff. We want to take everything with us that we would also need on our travel to Asia. It's a lot and but we manage to get it all on the 2 bikes. To our surprise it fits and we are ready to go. It's nice weather and we are happy that we got summer clothing. One month ago we got the Rev it tornado 3 jacket and pants and we are very happy with it. On the way we meet with our friends, make a little break and start our adventure.
We are driving half of the way on the highway. It's busy, a lot of people are going to the South of Switzerland. A few cars cut me off, I'm full with adrenaline. Things like that make me angry and scared. Are they really not seeing me? The other half we drive on land roads with a nice view. From then the time goes fast and before we know it we're in Orbe. We stay at TCS Camping Orbe. We get a nice spot. We're the only one camping with a tent. We set up our tents and relax, make an easy quick dinner and are ready for bed.
The night is cold but I'm warm. It was around 0 degrees celcius. The rest of the group was cold, so we plan some shopping to get warmer gear. It's saturday and we go to Geneva. It's an hour drive, and it was beautiful. Driving through little small towns, almost feels like we are driving through France. When we arrive in Geneva it's chaos. A lot of cars and it's starting to wind. In Geneva there are a lot of motorcycle parkings so it was not a problem to park. After walking around we searched for a toilet. All the public toilets are closed due to covid. We have to walk all the way to the trainstation, there the toilets are always open. Here we find a small decathlon, we search for some camping stuff but don't find anything because it's so small. We go back to the bikes and want to go to the bigger decathlon, 15 minutes away. From this point the chaos started. Everything is one way and the wind got really strong. We lose each other in the city. After stopping and calling the others, we decide to meet at decathlon. I drive via the highway and I am the first there. After 10 to 15 minutes Kim arrives too. We go in the shop and meet quickly with our friends. Everybody got lost all the time, I realise I was lucky that my navigation send me via the highway.
We find blankets, fleece jackets and inner liner for our sleeping bags. Luckily Kim could reserve the last good sleeping bag for Benjamin. Now nobody can get cold tonight. When we go out of the store we see it's already 5:55 PM. The shops close at 6 and we have no food. Our friends run to the closest supermarket and me and Kim pack the bikes. The way back to the camping is horrible. The wind is strong (65 to 90 km/h). Me and my bike are struggling. Kim drives in front and is leading the way. He goes faster and faster while I'm going slower. I'm now driving 80 km/h at the highway. The speed limit here is 120 km/h and all the cars are overtaking us. As soon as Kim dissapears I make a stop at the first parking area I see. Here I can explain to the others that I can't go faster and that Kim is gone. The others are also struggling and agree I should lead the way now. I go first, behind me is Elisa, Benjamin and last is Kaylan. It's the best like that, Kaylan can watch over us. He has no struggle with his big motorcycle.
The drive takes long and I have the feeling the wind is only getting stronger. Sometimes it feels like my bike is slipping away from the ground. Slowly I'm getting tired, I look in my mirror and only see Benjamin. Where are Elisa and Kaylan? I hope they're allright, if something would happen, Kaylan would call me. The last part is the worst, I fear for my life but we make it. At the camp ground we meet Kim. 10 minutes later Kaylan and Eli also arrive. Turns out they had to get gas and checked the tire pressure. I'm relieved nothing bad happened.
We make a fire to grill and everybody takes a nice long warm shower. We deserve it. We eat soup, bread and we grill. The wind is still strong, and we are happy the tents are still standing. We get ready for the night with our new camping gear and hope we won't freeze tonight. The wind is making us crazy, checking the weather forecast and we see that the wind is not gonna stop anytime soon. We decide to book an appartment for the next night. We get the cheapest we see in Montreux. We go quickly to bed and sleep like little angels.
Next morning we sleep long. Everybody was warm and cozy. The wind is still here. We are in a bit of a bad mood because of the strong wind. Before we went on this trip we checked the weather forecast, only look at the tempature and not at the wind. This is a learning point for all of us.
We're on our way to Montreux and got the wind in our backs. This is nice and we arrive fast. Entering Montreux the chaos started again. The road that we had to take was closed for a market or something. Our navigation failed hard because everything is a one way road. After some searching we find the appartment. We get in and make ourselves ready to roam around Montreux. This is a beautiful city, compared to Geneva. We regret that we went to Geneva, we could easily spend the whole weekend in Montreux. Kaylan goes for a swim in the ice cold lake. We get döner and falafel for dinner and eat at the lake promenade while the sun is going down. It's a beautiful evening and we're enjoying the view.
As soon as it gets dark we go back to the appartment. We drink some beer and find out this appartment is a little bit crappy and falling apart. That's why it was so cheap. It's no problem for us, we are already happy we are not sleeping in the wind. The next day we're ready to go home. The first part is easy, seems like the wind is gone. But as soon as we get closer to Bern, the wind comes back. Not as strong as the days before, but it's there. We call our friend Matija, he lives in Bern and works at a hotel. He invites us to have lunch with him and we can eat something in the hotel. After a nice break Elisa is already leaving us, she only got 15 minutes until she's home. We say goodbye and make ourselves ready for the last part driving. The wind is getting stronger again. After an hour we make a little break and Kaylan decides to go home too. He lives a bit further away then us so he decides to give some gas. Benjamin also leaves and in 20 minutes we're home. The wind got super strong and I'm again worried about Benjamin and Kaylan
We get home and hear everybody arrived save home. What an adventure. We didn't expect all of this to happen. It was a heavy but funny trip. A special thanks to Kaylan, Elisa and Benjamin. We had a lot of fun, next year again?