``    ```   Switzerland   

We crossed the Splügen Pass from Italy into Switzerland at 2117 metres, through snow and past an ice-covered lake. The Italian side here was derelict, abandoned houses and no trees, whereas the Swiss side became suddenly very pretty, immaculately clean and tidy. In Splügen we enjoyed coffee and a picnic lunch before slowly driving through magnificent mountain scenery to Trun, where we stayed at a B&B and explored the village. This is in the Romanisch-speaking area of Switzerland, an ancient, fascinating but sadly, dying language, close to Latin and Italian but without all the vowel word endings, making it a concise language. We then drove across the Oberalp Pass to Andermatt. from here we wanted to go to Interlaken, but we found the pass was closed by snow and blizzards, so we went to Lake Lucerne instead, and stayed at the Hotel Kröne in Gersau, right on the edge of the lake. We walked up the hill behind the village and through woods and fields with pretty views over Lake Lucerne and Gersau. Next day we drove to the next lakeside village, Viznau, again a picture-postcard spot. We then put our feet down and headed for Basel and out of Switzerland into South Eastern France.