The European Chronicles 2026.6 - The Circle Game
We're Captive On The Carousel Of Time
Furka - Grimsel - Susten clockwise...
I was seconds in front of this crowd descending on the Andermatt Shell. 😎 Mia's full and ready!
Furka Pass is at 2429 meters, 7969 feet, and is perhaps most well known for being featured in the James Bond classic, Goldfinger, including the iconic Aston Martin DB5 chase.
It is one of "those roads" you must do - combining dramatic switchbacks, glacier views and sweeping alpine landscapes.
Starting the climb...
Furka also has a very common "Alps guardrail"; those concrete pylons that line the edge. Not everywhere, but where there is some barrier, this is usually it on most passes. For some reason, whenever I see these, a line from Ricki Lee Jones' Chuck E's In Love pops in my head: "And every time, he don't stutter when he talks," mostly because "stutter" is EXACTLY the sound I imagine it would make if you hit them. You can hear it, I know you can. You're gonna hear it now every time you see them.
Assuming you hit them at all and don't just sail through the opening. It is best to think of them as a visual aide, I think. 😂
Sometimes they don't even bother...not that it makes any real difference. 😂
Just past the summit is the Hotel Belvedere, closed, sadly.
Cafe, because civilization. You can no longer walk into the glacier, because civilization.
Switzerland has THE most adorable military vehicles:
You work your way down...
Until here: turn right for Grimsel Pass, and immediately start climbing again.
Ass-sticker. 😎
Starting down.
See the dam in the upper right? You can tour the hydroelectric facility; next time. Grimsel has square posts that I'm sure also stutter.
Next up: Susten. Furka is close, but I think of the three, Susten is the Drama Queen.
Tunnels, there are always tunnels.
A Good Loop!
Relive 'Furka-Grimsel-Susten Clockwise'
Another triple, also clockwise. Why go backward when you can go forward? 😎
Oberalp is a stunning pass, starting right at the Andermatt roundabout.
At the top is the Red Lighthouse.
Heading down the other side is steeper.
And absolutely beautiful.
Passo del Lucomagno takes you into Italia.
At the top, looking toward Switzerland.
Towards Italia.
Heading back to Gotthard and La Tremola.
No Autostrada for me. 😂. Italia, where everything has style...
The Gotthard summit, where the cobblestone La Tremola meets the "new" pass road.
As always, it begins and ends at the Andermatt Shell. 😎
Relive 'Oberalp - Lucomagno - Gotthard'
Grazie mille, Joni.
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