August 23

August 23rd (sunny)
Woke up in our “own” campground to a beautiful morning with warm air hitting us from over the mountains, probably from Italy. Looking forward to our drive to Graz, but noticed a rattling sound emanating from the speedometer. Along with the blinking red oil pressure light, it was a bit unnerving.
Our drive consisted of switch-back mountain and valley roads. Stopped at the side of a river to have lunch and Georg took a nosedive down the hill. Speedometer cable stopped working and the interior lights and water pump also stopped. We tried the first VW dealership we came across, but they were too busy to help us. Continued on to Graz and the oil pressure gauge light was blinking steadily now. At that point, Georg said “enough is enough! This is getting too aggravating.”
Before Graz we entered the longest tunnel we have experienced to date, (at least 8 kms long). Needless to say, we were a little nervous that the van would conk out in it. Found the campsite with a fabulous “lake” swimming pool. Georg took a swim and immediately realized just how out of shape he is. I probably would have drowned.
As we have decided to terminate our trip, Georg called Bubi to see if he is still interested in the van even if there is a possibility of problems. He replied that he was and would like to have his mechanic look at it so we have arranged to meet with him in Nurnberg on Monday. We will take Susi in for the “once over” at the VW dealership first thing tomorrow morning to see if she is roadworthy enough to get to Nurnberg or back to Utrecht for an early departure.
Georg decided to further investigate the interior light problem and by chance, again found a “short” in the circuit. This time, he used a bigger screw and more torsion and “Voila!”, the sink water pump, the interior lights and the battery component of the refrigerator are all working at 100%.