Traviajero

It's always a pain having to pack and organise everything for a trip without forgetting anything important, we left Tunbridge Wells just after our planned departure time and reached the eurotunnel in plenty of time. I must admit i had a bit of a shiver down my spine to the tought of being let loose in a strange land, driving on the other side of the road and not wanting to mess anything up. This feeling was soon eased down and i was able to relax.

The roads were beautiful; mostly empty, at times it felt like i was on my own private motorway heading East. Words can't describe the freedom of suddenly being on the same landmass as most of the world and knowing that borders were the only thing separating me from faraway destinations such as Siberia or China. The car drove like a champ and even though it's just a few bits of metal joined together i felt it come alive and enjoy the drive as much as i did. We drove on through the evening and night. Due to the higher speed limits of 130kmph or 80 mph i was able to open the throttle up just that little bit more than in the UK. It gave a further feeling of freedom and cruising at just under 3000 revolutions/minute the Fiesta took us ever Eastwards until morning. The sun rose just after 5am to what seemed like a very instant dawn and soon we were once again driving in the daylight. The scenery grew stronger and soon we were in the Swiss mountains. Plowing through the miles at now 75mph i was engulfed in the powerful and mystical views from the farway valleys; snowcapped mountains that were much higher and meaner than anything i had previously experienced before, it made me want to be up there on the solid rock attatched to the rope, living.

It has now passed a week and although we only went on one hike, i have been able to relax like never before, the sunshine has been amazing and we spent most days by the pool catching the rays, which for us "brits" is no a common experience. Tomorrow morning we will be setting off back home and aim to reach Calais' tunnel terminal in just over 10 hours. I am as always very excited about the long drive and can't wait to see the look on my friends' faces as we turn up to Karina's 21st birthday party. A spontaneous thought decided that instead of taking two days to drive back we will do it all tomorrow and therefore be able to attend their much antisipated gathering which we would otherwise miss.

That's all for now, cheeeerss!

Santiago.