The day started early and with a growling stomach. Back home, we had already imagined how we would stumble into a boulangerie in France first thing in the morning, our noses following the smell of fresh pastries. Croissants here we come! The theory: open from 7am. The practice: we were standing in front of a closed door at 8 o’clock. Welcome to France 😅.

At least we found another bakery a little later, a patisserie to be precise – and what a patisserie! The croissants were a dream, fluffy, buttery, simply 10/10. The coffee, on the other hand, was rather average – 3 out of 5 cups on the Pawtrail coffee scale.

Thus fortified, we picked up speed until we came across a rather unusual “street scene”: A car was lying in the middle of a cornfield – on its roof. We turned around to see if help was needed. But it turned out to be an old accident, cordoned off with tape. In Germany it would have been cleared away long ago, here it was just lying around in the field.

A little later, our Vitara spoke up: the battery light came on. Shortly afterwards, a jolt – and the light was off again. Perhaps a little joke from the generator to keep us awake. We take it sportingly: a little adventure is allowed – the main thing is that it stays with us for a while longer. Hopefully this has put an end to the “light on the Vitara” issue.

There had already been enough breakdowns in France (see Tour of the Alps 2025) – so roaming off and off to Switzerland. The border crossing was quite unspectacular – but the scenery became increasingly beautiful: first gentle hills, then increasingly steep climbs. At the Col du Chasseral in Switzerland, we reached our highest point of the day at 1,526 meters. At the top is a huge transmitter station with antennas, which Regine tongue-in-cheek referred to as a “rocket base” – in reference to the Transalpina, where she named a similar station. There were no rockets to be seen, but the view of the Alps was magnificent!

Later, the route took us past a large lake – with a town on the shore that almost looked Italian: Évian-les-Bains. From here, it wasn’t far to the Mont Blanc massif. We crossed the border back into France without any problems, even receiving a smile from the border police.

And then it came: the first view of Mont Blanc. At first we weren’t sure – is that really that huge white peak back there? Yes, it was. Impressive, the way it towers between all the touristy places. The perfect end to a long day full of contrasts.

☕ Coffee statistics day 2

• Bakery-café in the morning: 3/5 (croissants 10/10!)

• Rest stop coffee on the road: 3.5/5

Conclusion: Today had it all: culinary highlights with divine croissants, a Vitara with its own sense of drama, winding roads up to an altitude of 1,526 m and finally the majestic view of Mont Blanc. A day full of contrasts, small thrills and big moments – exactly what a road trip is all about. Tomorrow will be just as varied, perhaps with a bit of off-roading. 🚙⛰️