The Mont Blanc Tunnel turned out to be an absolute horror for us. I guess when this tunnel was built they had no idea by how much traffic would increase, and especially how much these big trucks would pollute the air. I reckon these days they make sure that ventilation remains okay. Certainly they would not any more build a tunnel with only one lane in each direction. The Mont Blanc Tunnel goes for 11 kilometres without any interruptions!! We had liked it in France and in Switzerland but we were happy when we finally arrived in Italy. Our beautiful 2CV had made it!
The following I copied from a Google page.
Tin snail, or timely saviour? The Citroen 2CV was mocked by many in its 40-year lifespan, but in the impact it had on cheap personal transportation it ranks alongside other greats like the Mini, Beetle and Land Rover.
The last ‘official’ 2CVs were built by Citroen in 1990, but now, against a background of rigorously policed speeds and closely scrutinised running costs, restored versions of the four-seat convertible are once again being built – in Wiltshire. And they’re finding a ready market among drivers looking for character, fun and an escape from depreciation.

We stayed in different hotels during our trip through Italy. In Rome we found a very reasonably priced hotel close to the Vatican.

We spent a lovely day in Venice, we also had a look at the leaning tower of Pisa. But I have no picture of it. Here is another picture with Caroline and me in Venice.
From Italy we went to Austria and from there for a trip to Bayrischzell along the Alpenstrasse. On the way we had a look at Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart. On the Alpenstrasse we were caught in a blizzard. After a stay over at Bayrischzell we tried to reach the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. But it was bad weather. This is why the cable cars to the top of the Zugspitze were not in operation.
Here is what I Wikipedia says about the cable cars:
“Three cable cars run to the top of the Zugspitze. The first, the Tyrolean Zugspitze Cable Car, was built in 1926 and terminated on an arête below the summit before the terminus was moved to the actual summit in 1991. A rack railway, the Bavarian Zugspitze Railway, runs inside the northern flank of the mountain and ends on the Zugspitzplatt, from where a second cable car takes passengers to the top. The rack railway and the Eibsee Cable Car, the third cableway, transport an average of 500,000 people to the summit each year. In winter, nine ski lifts cover the ski area on the Zugspitzplatt. The weather station, opened in 1900, and the research station in the Schneefernerhaus are mainly used to conduct climate research.”
We made it to Neuschwanstein Castle just a few minutes before they were about to close. O our way back to Austria we stayed near Ober-Ammergau. We had accommodation in a pleasant hotel. When we woke up in the morning, our car was covered in snow.
Then back to Windischgarsten where Peter’s sister Eva lives with Harald, her husband. Harald built this house all on his own:

We stayed with Eva and Harald over Easter. Peter’s other sister, Ilse, had come also with husband Klaus and sons Daniel and Stefan. Ilse and her family live in Berlin. They all still live there. After Easter we travelled to Berlin. My Mum lived in a seniors’ home unit at the time. We took her in our 2CV to the Brandenburg Gate which was being restored after the Fall of the Wall a few months earlier.
24 years ago Mum was 79, about the same age that I am now!

After returning our car in Paris we spent a few great days exploring the city, staying in a lovely old hotel.



As I mentioned in the first Part, we spent three days in Anaheim to visit Disneyland. Here is just a sample of some Disneyland photos.
