Day 85. 18.6.23.

Mettmensteten, Switzerland to Freiburg Im Breisgau via Zug

Up and out early this morning for the 10.10am train to Zug. We had asked the guys if there were any sausage festivals on (the Swiss like to celebrate the good things in life) while we were visiting, sadly not but there was a Yodelling festival in Zug all weekend .

It was very hot already, who knew that Switzerland swelters in the summer? The trains are very efficient and quiet which seemed to please Meg, as she curled herself up under a seat for the 20min journey.

Zug was awash with Yodellers. They were all dressed in the uniform of their canton (region), all bright and ornate, some with very intricate hats on too. The festival is held along the edge of the lake – Zugersee and is huge.

Walking in and out of the bars and stands you could hear them all Yodelling in their groups. Of course, they were whetting their whistles with cold beverages which I assume helped with the high notes . There were even young children yoddlers dressed in their finery. They all looked splendid and it was a real treat to be amongst them.

You could have a go at cherry pip spitting if you liked and walk around the big bird aviaries .

We also caught the Alp Horns being played. How do they do that? We’re not sure if there was a competition as there wasn’t a main stage but every now and then there was lots of cheering and clapping, so we think there was some sort of scoring system.

Whatever it was, we had a thoroughly enjoyable time with The Hunters at this lovely spot.

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I tried a huge kebab type snack which had a roll stuck to the end. Wasn’t sure if this was to eat or to protect myself and others from the spiked end . It was of course, flipping lovely, roll and all . We took a walk around Zug old town, with it’s cobbled streets granting us much needed shade.

After a stop for Gelato we made our way back to the train station, grabbing a mouthwatering hotdog to finish off our visit.

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After a very welcome iced water and lemon back at the Hunter ranch, we said our good-byes until next time. It’s so lovely to be able to pop in on family during our travels so thank you, Sinead, Darren, Rory and Rocco for having us….and of course thank you Sinead for doing our washing, you are a .

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Our next destination was Freiburg Im Breisgau, we were intending to visit the old town, but the heat of the day was too much, 38° outside which was far too much for us, let alone Meg.

We hid in the van at the Stellenplatz just outside the town – it’s actually the carpark for the football stadium, but has all the services for €13.

Tonight the temperature is due to drop to 22°! Hopefully we’ll get some sleep and get going tomorrow before it gets too hot again. It’s supposed to be hotter tomorrow .

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