If you missed part 1 of Shaun’s trip to Switzerland you can catch up here.
Furka Pass
Friday morning dawned and throwing open the shutters to be greeted by the Eiger, Jungfrau and other snow-capped peaks took your breath away. Rather than do any organised tours on these trips we tend to head off on our own mini adventures. As usual Staff’s famous ‘Staff Nav’ worked its magic and we ended up riding through four of the stunning Alps passes, including going up and down James Bond’s Strasse and through the Furka Pass.
Again it was brilliant to see so many Vespas from all nationalities mixing it with the motorbikes and sports cars on the twisty roads. The weather was scorching, although we did catch a couple of light showers when we were up high (2450m high), not enough to dampen the high spirits though.
If you are ever in that part of the world then you have to experience the roads winding through that amazing scenery, just remember to have a full tank, or a fuel can as garages are few and far between.
Vespa Village
We called into the Vespa Village, situated just on the outskirts of the town at the Jungfrau Park. As expected, the scooter parking area was very busy with all models and ages of Vespas and the odd Scomadi, Royal Alloy and Lambretta in the mix.
After a good walk around and chatting with other groups of Brits and a few other nationalities, there didn’t seem to be the usual buzz around the village this year. Maybe the expensive beer and food prices there didn’t help, but the village being so far away from everyone’s accommodation also played its part as it was a ride or taxi journey away for the majority. The whole weekend seemed to lack a focal point where the Brits and other nationalities would usually congregate and recount stories of their adventures getting there and generally partying.
Spot the mistake
In previous years we’ve clearly been spoilt and that included the goody bags which again just seemed a bit lacking in comparison to previous events. The official t-shirt didn’t even mention Vespa, nor Vespa World Days, which left a fair few a bit puzzled. Mentioning t-shirts there was one that did have Vespa on it and was a Vespa branded t-shirt that was either showing a very rare left-hand drive version or the engine was printed in reverse, even more puzzling considering it was official merchandise.
Bad show
There were several stalls and traders in the village, but most of them weren’t allowed to actually trade given the rules around selling goods outside of the EU and vice versa for the non-EU traders (which sadly was similar to the experience we had at the Euro Lambretta in Belgium last year). As a result there was virtually no chance of finding any “get you home” spares or bottles of oil, etc. Thankfully, again similar to Belgium, many Brits rallied around to help those in need where possible.
Engine braking
As you walked through the exhibition centre there was a display of Vespas throughout the years from the Piaggio Museum with some gems on display, along with some interesting Swiss Vespa Club stalls. One of these included a clever engine brake design developed in the 1950s to help Vespas when they were descending down the Alp’s steep, twisty roads and saving them from brake fade or failure. Using a decompression valve to create a vacuum as the piston moves in the cylinder results in a very effective engine brake apparently. Check out the photos for more details.
On the way back to the digs we joined the scooterist queue at Aldi and stocked up with some food and alcoholic beverages ahead of a great night of the usual scooterist humour, drinking, eating and generally being merry.
Ride around
Saturday morning and another glorious day, today was the day a lot of the Vespisti look forward to as it is the traditional main ride out, which can attract up to a thousand Vespas. However, due to Switzerland’s strict “you can’t ride together in a big group” law, the organisers borrowed the local airfield so they could all ride around slowly in a big circle. Each to their own, we headed into town for a mooch about, a few drinks and the hope of bumping into more Brits ahead of the Gala Dinner which was at another venue in the town centre.
Don’t forget your thermals
The afternoon was spent sitting outside a “traditional” Swiss Hooters bar, watching the parade of wide-framed original Vespas ridden by their owners in period outfits and including one couple in full wedding outfits who had tied the knot apparently. Above us, in the skies, there was a constant stream of paragliders circling as we were in a valley and apparently, the thermals are good in that area, in other words, it was windy.
Squeeze in
Another highlight of these events for a lot of people is the Gala Dinner, I certainly don’t envy the organisers trying to find a venue big enough to cater for the couple of thousand hungry Vespa lovers that attend it. However, they tried to squeeze all of those people in through a single door causing a long delay for many people. Then once inside they had been forced to use five different rooms splitting everyone up again, it was an impressive and ornate venue, but this only compounded the disjointed feeling and meant we missed the usual opportunity for the national clubs to all get together to eat, drink and sing which again didn’t help the atmosphere. That said the food was very good and seemed plentiful in our room and there were smiles all round.
Stick ’em up
One thing that was certainly up to its usual manic standard was the frenzy after the dinner to swap national and club stickers, patches, banners, t-shirts, etc. which is always good to watch. There were many happy people walking away carrying bags full of goodies so all ended well.
We wandered around the dining rooms and tracked down some of the other Brit groups, arranging to meet up at a bar in town for the last night of VWD. Once there we sat outside the bar drinking and chatting until it started dawning on people that we all had to be up to ride home (or on to further adventures for a lucky few) in the morning and so the VWD Interlaken merriment and experience was coming to a close.
On a positive note
I don’t want it to feel like this is a negative write-up as the organisers can only make the most of what they have available to them and there will always be challenges given the numbers attending and the geography.
Everyone I spoke to had a great time, however, we will always benchmark it against previous events that may be found an extra spark. If VWD Switzerland was lacking anything though it was more than made up for in bucketloads by the stunning location, the weather and having a laugh with good mates. The ride there and back are also key parts of these European jaunts and that is something we always try to treat as an adventure, looking to discover new sights and pleasures.
Au revoir
In the morning we said ‘goodbye’ and ‘bon voyage’ to Staff and Helen who were heading south over the Alps to Italy for a holiday, whilst I led the remainder of our group, Jamie, Julie, Pete and Narna uphill towards home.
We rode out towards Thun to explore a different part of the Swiss landscape, meandering our way north avoiding motorways again. I was having a nightmare as my sat nav was playing up, meaning I was tossing a coin every time we came to a junction. That said, it found some amazing roads including cutting through a series of gorges across the Jura mountain range up to the Swiss border and back into France.
Grand Prix
Booking.com is our friend on these trips, especially when there is a group of us as it’s easier to find a house or apartment that will accommodate us and our scooters. Sunday night we found a house in a small French village as we were shattered after the ride in 35-degree heat. We woke to a bit of drizzle which was actually needed to cool things down a bit. We all needed to get back on Tuesday so we decided to push on for home and after another 50 miles or so on the French D roads, we jumped on to their N Roads (equivalent to our A roads) to get a few miles under our belts as the temperature started climbing again. We called into the old Grand Prix circuit on the outskirt of Reims for a few photos and found an amazing apartment in the next village that was proper posh having just been completed. A few drinks, pizzas and patisserie as it was our last night together before the last leg to the Chunnel in the morning.
We decided to blast through northern France again so jumped on the motorway for the last 175 miles or so. Riding through a torrential downpour that was over as quickly as it started, we arrived at the Chunnel early and managed to get on an earlier crossing. We bumped into Alistair there who had set off a bit earlier from VWD to do his own adventure riding the long way home through several other countries. It is amazing how often you hear of people bumping into each other in the middle of nowhere on these trips, it all adds to the fun.
As we left the Chunnel I said goodbye to the rest of the group as I had another 155 miles to do to get home. Back to reality with a bump as I had work the next morning.
Another excellent Vespa World Days adventure was completed and great memories were created. Thanks to the Swiss Vespa Club for organising what may be the last one for a couple of years.
Vespa World Days 2024?
The worrying talk all weekend was when or where the next one would be held. VWD 2024 was originally due to be held in Canada and that would usually mean an alternative Euro Vespa would be held to allow the European Vespisti to ride. Sadly Canada has been cancelled and there is no Euro planned, so currently there is no event planned for 2024 and even more concerning is there is also nothing on the radar for 2025.
Let’s hope the national clubs can work together to organise something, we have been spoilt with an excuse to ride across Europe to visit some amazing places, maybe for the next two years, we will be doing similar but without the organisation of a big event, although Vespa Alp Days 2024 does sound tempting!
Ride safe all.
Words and photos: Shaun
