Don't you just LOVE car hire companies........

OMG It has not stopped snowing – massive snow flakes still dumping down on Arosa – as one man at our hotel said a few days again they were complaining because there was no snow – not they are complaining because there is too much snow!!!  We are so lucky we got the train up to Arosa instead of driving.  The train was pushing through the snow on the way down and the view was incredible!!!

The day started at 2am with Nigel sorting something out at work….. and then Koji joins him for an early start to head for the slopes – there is powder everywhere and half the runs are now closed due to poor visibility and too much snow….. Explosions are going off everywhere through the valley to bring down avalanches from the build up.   They managed one run down and did a hell of a lot of walking as they were stopped from going down runs from yesterday……

AND SO THE GREAT CAR SAGA…….

All packed and trained back to Chur where we had to take on ‘Europcar’ in a big way.   Travelling through Europe we booked a Skoda Yeti – 4WD to be picked up in Brussels for 13 days and dropped back in Paris.   On arrival in Brussels we were told they in fact don’t have a yeti but upgraded us to a Mercedes Benz B180 – aka the door wedge.  Nigel was not happy at the time but we were assured it was a much better deal for no extra cost.   We advised them we were travelling through Switzerland, France, Germany and Belgium – all good they said.   Well after our horrific drive through Europes worst storm in 10 years on the Autobahn down to Switzerland from Germany – Dani & Marc looked at our tyres and said we should not be driving this car in winter in Europe – it has summer tyres.  It is way too dangerous.  They also reminded us if we are in accident in winter on summer tyres we are not covered by insurance -  we pay for absolutely everything.   We tried to talk to Europcar who said we could leave the car at their office in Chur and train up to the mountains to Arosa – so for 4 days we paid for a car hire we could not use – the alternative was to end our booking and make a new booking – extra costs as we were now in Switzerland, and would be hit up with one way fees twice – was going to be around $2,000.  We expressed our concern and disappointment but the girl was very friendly and we were glad she let us park there for free for 4 days and came in especially on a Sunday to meet us to get our keys.   So today before we leave Arosa I ring Europcar to tell them they really need to change the car – if the police saw us we would be put off the road here.  The Swiss office was terrible and said it’s too bad – you got the car in Belgium and they can do nothing.  I spoke to the Brussels office where we got the car and was told we should not have accepted the upgrade – not sure what else we were to do as this was all they could offer us!!!!  The laws are different in Belgium and they don’t need to provide winter tyres (winter and summer tyres over here are as close to life and death as anything can be in this type of weather) – We mentioned that is was snowing just across the border in Germany but it was our fault and there is nothing they can or will do.  I told them if we had an accident and anything happened to the two young children in this car I would sue their arses off (knowing full well they would be covered for that too!!!!)   Thanks guys – great service.   So we get to Chur at lunch time and the two people in the Europcar office have a look at the car and both say they would not drive this car anywhere.  It is way to dangerous.  They said they had a VW Passat for us to change to but upon ringing their supervisor were advised they could only give us the car if we cancelled our contract and started a new one.  So 2 x one way drop off fees of $400 plus a massive cost because we are now booking in Switzerland.  The girl at Europcar in Chur tried to give us every possible discount – to the point that we are in fact working in hotels in Switzerland if anyone asks – and we now have the car but can’t leave Switzerland so need to drop it off at the border and train across to Paris….. to save the $400 one way drop off fee.   The train from Zurich to Paris for all of us now is $311 anyway!!!!

So an extra $1,200 out of pocket now and very, very annoyed with Europcar – the lady in Chur is writing a letter for us as we advised we will try and take it up with Europcar when we get back….. she was on our side.

Anyway – we left Chur at 2.30pm – yes I lost my 1 hour shopping time!!!! – and hit the autobahn.  Nigel felt a lot better in this car BUT the snow was that thick and slushy on the roads all through town that just getting around a round about we had our tyres spinning trying to get traction to move….. 

We stopped at Marche on the highway for lunch (remember in Singapore Mum – upstairs at that shopping centre??) and as we came into lower ground the snow turned to rain and it poured constantly instead of snow.  This cleared the roads up no end and we could get up past 35km per hour.

We made it to Tufterswil (with a ‘T’ not a ‘P’ nigel keeps reminding me), in Lutisburg, Switzerland and have just booked into our hotel – Hotel Rossli Tufterswil.  It’s a decent size hotel and the room is gorgeous – little A-Frame, clean with a bunk bed in a 2^nd little room for the kids.

We are about to meet Trudy and Martin Eglauf for dinner which we are really looking forward to…. And then another good sleep we hope – we have huge pillows now but as per usual – flat as pancakes…….