For some reason I had not slept particularly well and my friend, Aramis and I took our time to get up and get moving again.
On an average day, Aramis would be very eager to wake me up and convince me to take him for a walk. But today he was a very sleepy pup and even though he came over for some morning cuddles, he soon returned to the spot where he had chosen to sleep and started snoozing again.
When we set off at about half 9, we went past a car washing station en route to the motorway. I asked my friend whether we could stop and if I could give poor Gudrun Paco a wash. He had become very grubby and was desperate for a bath.
Now here’s a secret: I have not owned Gudrun Paco for very long (he’s only been in my possession for a little more than a year) and he has been in the garage for repair work so often, that I never had to take him to a car washing station, as he always got a good clean there. When I felt that he needed a wash outside his (all too) frequent holidays at the garage, I would just use a hose. As my parents never owned a car, I had absolutely no idea how car washing stations worked. All I knew was that they existed, but was completely and utterly ignorant as to how to operate one.
So I was rather glad that my friend was there. Not that she was an expert, but at least we would make the wrong decisions together and as a nice side effect, I could put half the blame for everything that was going to happen on her. Yes, that’s the kind of friend I am. (I hope not. See below.)
I paid, chose the programme and as we were smugly watching the brushes take care of Gudrun Paco it occurred to us that it might have been a good idea to remove the dog from the car before giving it a wash. Hoping that Aramis would not suffer too much of a trauma, we watched him giving us reproachful, disapproving looks through the rear window and layers of foam and water. To my unspeakable surprise we left the facilities without causing any damage and a very clean car.
What followed was a very long and monotonous journey across France. For hours and hours, the landscape hardly changed at all. Do not get me wrong, the countryside is very beautiful, but after so many hours of staring at a ramrod straight road, a blue sky with a few clouds dotted here and there and golden fields of wheat, the scenery does become a bit repetitive after all.
We treated ourselves to a large Pain au Chocolat. We paid péage. We listened to the Ken Follett audiobook. We paid more péage. Chatted for a bit. Listened to some more Ken Follett. Filled up on fuel. Paid péage. Got to Strasbourg. When the first sign announced Basel, we cheered.
After almost five hours on the road, we finally arrived in Basel. Both my friend and I had lived there and still have a lot of friends in this beautiful city. Our spirits lifted. Only a few minutes to go now!
We arrived in Rheinfelden just after half three and were very cordially welcomed by my friend’s mum. My friend grew up in the most wonderful house, surrounded with a huge, lush garden, right next to the Rhine. Unlike in the UK, where due to health and safety concerns nobody in their right mind would go for a swim anywhere, unless it was officially allowed and encouraged, swimming in public waters is the done thing in Switzerland. All of us put on our swimwear, walked a short bit up the Rhine and got into the fresh, cool water. The river shore was packed with other swimmers as summer is still in full swing on the Continent.
I kept Aramis on the lead as I wanted him to stay close and swim with me. It took a bit of encouragement to make him follow us in, but after a while he decided that it was safe. It was wonderful and so refreshing! I was so proud of seeing my furry little boy happily swim with us. This was the same dog who, when I got him, was so afraid of water he would not even drink in my presence.
After some ice cream and many farewells, I set off for Aarau, where my parents live. I stayed with them for a couple of hours and then tackled the final leg of my journey, a 1.5 hour drive to Saint Gallen. There was an interesting programme on friendship on the radio. I truly could not think of anything more fitting after this amazing adventure in which voluntary, supportive and positive human relationships played the most important part.
One of the most telling moments during this journey was probably the ruler ruler incident, which I have not yet mentioned here. One of my aims during this trip was to acquire a ruler ruler, i.e. a ruler which has the names of all British rulers on it. I had made a number of efforts to find one, but had never been successful. One day, just after I had returned from a strenuous trip, somebody told me that I might find such a ruler at the Richard III museum in York. I was exhausted and it was late, so I texted my friend who works nearby, saying that I was very sorry to bother her with this, but that I would love to own a ruler ruler, that I had been looking for one for a while and if she would consider going to the museum to have a look out for one.
That evening, she brought back a ruler ruler and presented it to me. I cannot quite figure out why this gesture – and the ruler ruler – mean so much to me. All I can say is that they do. Perhaps it is because somebody was happy to help me out. Perhaps it is because they were prepared to go out of their way to find an item which may mean nothing to them, but a lot to their friend. It may mean so much not despite, but precisely because the ruler ruler’s worth is almost solely emotional rather than material. Perhaps it moves me because I see it as a powerful symbol of friendship. Just as this one friend realised how important the ruler ruler was to me, so have other people I met during this journey decided to show Aramis and me so many acts of generosity and kindness: they agreed to spend their time with us when I told them that we were coming to England. They turned around when I bumped into them by sheer chance. They let me and my dog stay in their houses, shared their food with me (and on occasion, with the dog also), and, most important of all, they confirmed time and again what faithful, fabulous, fantastic people I am privileged to call my friends. I am so blessed, thank you all.
I hope with all my heart that, one day, I can go and get that ruler ruler for you too.
The Adventures of Aramis 