Winter Wonderland Saturday 05 March

I am picked up by Richard Graver at 05:00 and taken to Gatwick for my 08:15 flight to Basle.
The plan is that Brian should be driving past the airport at about midday and it is only a very short distance from the motorway so he can pick me up. I am due to land at 10:50.
My flight is early and Brian a little late so I have an hour and a half to wait in the sun. At 12:30 I am on the bus heading to Austria.
We rejoin the motorway from the airport and immediately join a long queue to the border. This is much busier than normal as it is unusual to have any kind of queue here. The problem is simply sheer weight of traffic with many people heading for the slopes.
At the border we have to purchase a tax form which allows us to drive in Switzerland. You can pay different amounts depending on how many times you will be in the country and the type of vehicle. We buy a yearly tax that allows us 10 days in Switzerland over the next twelve months. The cost is CHF165 which is about £125.00. I put my visa card in the machine and after a long wait it spits it out with a big red cross on the screen! It won’t work when it should work! In the end Brian and I have to pool our resources and pay €140 in cash.
I call Wendy and ask her to pop along to the bank to make sure my card is valid to use in Europe (it has never been a problem before) and then ring me back.
We are driving out of Basle when Brian’s phone rings and it is Wendy calling me back exasperated that I am not picking up my phone. I haven’t heard it ring. When we stop I have 12 missed calls! I check the ringer volume and realise I have it on silent mode!
I call the bank and try and sort out this mess.
After lunch we continue on our way arriving in Landeck at 18:00.
We are staying at the Hotel Sonne in Landeck. I would normally check out each hotel we use but was unable to do that here although I know other people who have enjoyed their stay here.
The first impression is not a good one! It looks very old and not very welcoming!
We hand the keys out and everybody disappears to their rooms followed shortly afterwards by Brian and I.
The hotel owner bears an uncanny resemblance to Peter Sellers!
My room is ok with modern furniture and an old fashioned bathroom that has a lovely shower. Brian’s is a bit smaller and has his wash basin in the room as there is only just enough room in the bathroom for his shower and toilet!
The only problem I have is the room is cold. A problem I soon find out is affecting a few of the passengers.
Colin and Pat Langrish and Wendy McMullen have rooms close together and their heating is not working at all. They have spoken to Peter Sellers (his real name is Karl) and he has said he will deal with it.
Dinner is nice as is the room we are eating in. Between the bar and the dining room is a smaller room with a lovely warm open fire that is throwing out a lot of heat.
After dinner Colin, Pat and Wendy go back to their rooms to find a small electric heater has been put in each room. You switch the heater on to the first level and warm air comes out, switch it to level to and the lights go out!
I think they had a bit of fun and games with the maintenance man who went out into the hallway and checked the fuses in the fuse box which is hidden behind a picture on the wall. Now Colin knows where the fuse box is he can sort his own repairs out!
I do offer to move them but they are happy to stay where they are and seem to be finding the whole episode hilarious.We do need to change a couple of rooms and this poses no problems.