28/08/08 - Mother comes to join.

Huh, quite road my a#€e! Not the best sleep, so we were up and on the
road relatively early as we have a bit of travelling to do today. Up
to the top of Simplon Pass (2,005), then down to the Italian border,
where there was such an obvious contrast between the Swiss Chalets on
one side of the border and the Italian stucco houses on the other. We
drove up a pretty forested valley, down around some very narrow blind
corners then back into Switzerland, complete with a stretch of
congested traffic, in 31° heat, adding another half an hour in our
very hot van. We then drove through the city of Lugano (which had such
an Ialian feel we had to check to see if we were still in
Switzerland), then back into the real Italy, finally reaching Menággio
and Lago di Como (Lake Como).

With its red terracotta roof tiles, brilliant green colour of the
lake, and steep surrounding hills - one can see how this area is such
a popular destination.

Unfortunately we couldn't relax yet - a ferry trip across to the town
of Bellágio, then up the hill to our camping ground where hopefully
life is going to slow down for a few days as we soak up the hot sun
and cool off in the lake!!

But there was no slowing down just yet!! We claimed our camp spot,
then off down the road to Milan airport to pick up Robyn - Marea's
mum, who is joining us for 4 days. Hopefully she will make sure we
take it easy :-)

Our timing at Milan airport was pretty much perfect, we, being delayed
by an infrequent ferry and Robyn by a fire alarm at Gatwick. Then back
to camp for a fantastic alfresco meal, champagne with our 'next door
neighbour' Ross, and a phone call home. Cheers Ross for sharing a
fantastic evening, soaking up the last of the Italian heat. I trust
your trip south is a good one, and your Harley behaves itself (even
though Marea suggested it was a Triumph!!).

27/08/08 - Matterhorn - majestic, marvelous, magnificent, magic, massive.

There are enough alliterative superlatives this time - Wow!! Our wish
has come true. A clear blue sky day when we need it most!!

We weren't about to trust that it would last though so we were up and
about, bright and early. We took the train up to Zermatt, then a
funicular, gondola, and finally a cable car to 3,103m.

In one word - magnificent!!! The Matterhorn is not actually the
highest peak around, but at 4,478 it's not far off. It sticks out
dramatically above the surrounding ridges, and the two faces on the
Swiss border side are just sheer cliffs reaching for the sky - it
really is an unbelievable peak!!

After giving the camera a good workout, and with the Matterhorn in
sight allmost all of the way, we began the long walk back down to
Zermatt. Our first port of call on the way was the Findelgletscher
glacier, where our track wound up to a steep ridgeline. At the top we
found ourselves peering straight down to this very clean glacier.
Then as we walked down along the ridge, we started to theorise about
what geographical events had shaped it as the glacier grew, retreated,
then grew again.

Leaving the glacier, behind we came to a hamlet of farmhouses sitting
on the side of the hill. After a drink in the sun, watching the
Matterhorn attracting a few clouds, we headed through the hamlet
where the only traffic on the 'streets' were walkers and sheep
sheltering from the sun.

Finally, after a wrong turn we made it back down to Zermatt. Zermatt
is surprising peaceful considering the number of tourist because there
are has no gas powered vehicles racing around, only electric buses
and service vehicles. Unfortunately these can be too quiet at times,
and one is often prompted to jump out of the way by a loud beep!!

We had a little problem as our time was ending in Switzerland. Far
too many Swiss Francs!!! We soon worked out how to get rid of some of
them - two haircuts later (definitely overdue - Marea would even agree
about that), another magnet, and a bit of food we were headed back
down the valley.

Once at the bottom we tried to use the rest of our money for gas, but
Pat must be such an efficient hill climber (not!), that we still had
money left. To top this off - every shop seemed to be closed (surely
this would normally count as a good problem don't you think?).

We began heading up the Shiplon pass road that connects Switzerland
with Italy. We were not sure how far we would get before finding a
parking spot - but then the decision was made for us. Somewhere up
ahead was closed, and we think all the warning signs were telling us
the border was only open between 08:00 & 20:00. Well at least that
should mean this road will be quiet during the night.

26/08/08 - The mysterious present.

Believe it or not, but Santa Claus showed up last night!!! A
supermarket bag fill of Asda canned food was sitting outside our van
when woke. Thank you very much to the two Newcastle bus drivers who
obviously rise a little earlier than us. I hope the long trip home
was a good one.

For us it was another day of up-down-up-down-up. First was
Oberalppass to 2,046m, this pass was a little different to all the
rest as instead of the train going through the mountain it went up and
over like the road - quite amazing really.

Then it was down and straight back up to Furkapass at 2,436m After a
bit of lunch at the top, while Marea rested, I took a walk to a
glacier and some very impressive jagged rocks sitting up above.

Finally, after dropping a long way down we reached Visp where we
turned up a valley for our final climb to the village of Tasch - our
launching pad to the vehicle-free town of Zermatt which lies at the
top of the valley. Above Zermatt - the mighty Matterhorn!!! Fingers
and toes crossed that the clouds that have been round today do a magic
disappearing act!!

25/08/08 - Little Liechtenstein.

After goodbyes the Annj and Bartli - Dankeshen (thank you very much),
we were off down the valley headed for Liechtenstein. Why??? (as Annj
and Bartli asked) - just because its a country of its own. Anyway,
what other capital city can you visit where finding you way to the
centre and getting park is so so easy!! That capital city is Vaduz -
population 5,000. On population, the country has 35,000 people, but
70,000 registered companies. Liechtenstein being something of a tax
haven.

Apart from watching a music video being filmed (the singer wasn't even
singing!!), and a walk up to the castle of Liechtenstein's royal
family (not open to the public) - there wasn't too much more to this
town. Nonetheless we took a quiet stroll about, brought our token
magnet and stocked up on groceries before heading back to Switzerland
and southwest, past Annj and Bartli's valley and on to Sedrun. We'd
just thought about parking for the night, when we came across another
campervan friendly place with fine views down the valley to boot :-)

24/08/08 - Real Swiss cheese.

We were so comfortable in our big bed, that we didn't get up early
enough to say goodbye to Kirstin (sorry Kirstin, we look forward to
seeing you in New Zealand). After morgengessen (breakfast) we got on
quite well communicating with Annj and Bartli using all sorts of
different means (hands, pictures, maps, feet, dictionary). We were
then joined by friends/translators Susanne and Peter for the morning
trip, high up the other side of the valley to get the low-down on how
real Swiss Alp Käse (mountain cheese) is made. We also had the
pleasure of tasting Käse from the stereotypical large 5kg round
blocks.

This farm has around 60-70 milking cows to make cheese & butter from.
About 5 farmers, from around the valley, own up to 20 cows each.
During the 3 month summer window when the cows are milked, the cows
are moved up into the mountains into the one 'big' herd. The alpine
grasses and herbs give the Alp Kase a regionally distinctive flavour.
Meanwhile, down in the valley, the farmers cut the grass and store it
for feeding their cows over the winter. It was quite amazing seeing
some of the steep slopes they managed to cut grass from!!

We were treated to a symphony of cow bells as the cows were eating
from the mountain pastures - it made us question how the cows aren't
driven insane by the constant 'ding ding ding' everytime they move.
Believe this or not (I think someone's telling stories), but
apparently the Swiss cows are very proud of their bells, the bigger,
the better!

After a fantastic mittengessen (lunch - we certainly aren't going
hungry in any German speaking countries now :-), and goodbyes to
Susanne and Peter (we look forward to seeing you in NZ also) - we
headed up the valley for more wundaban (wonderful) views all around.
Then last, but not least, we visited the Salginatobel Bridge - voted
the most beautiful bridge of the 20th century and one of 47+
structures voted as World Monuments due to outstanding engineering
(thinking of you Dave). This group includes the Eiffel Tower, Statue
of Liberty, Panama Canal, and of course the Raurimu Railway Spiral
right at home in the central North Island.

The Salginatobel Bridge is a 132 metre structure spanning the small
Salgina brook 90 metres below. With huge cliffs on each side, the
bridge is very impresive, it spans the narrow gorge cliffs and makes
access to mountain farms on the other side so much easier.

More fantastic food, more charades during Arbengessen and we were done
for the day!!

23/08/08 - Becoming experts in Deutsch?

We awoke this morning to a chorus of church bells or so it seemed, a
quick glance out the window, and we saw 200 sheep, all wearing bells,
being herded right past our sleeping spot. Crazy!

After getting some good photos of that and 'little' red Pat sticking
out like a sore thumb amongst all the big flash white campervans, we
headed down the hill into Livigno. It is easy to see that not long
ago this would have been a sleepy little mountain village, now it is a
duty free oasis with flashy brands and their overpriced shoes,
clothes, perfume etc.

Then it was into a one laned tunnel, with an unexpected €15 toll,
straight through a mountain range and into Switzerland - where finally
we had to show our passport to someone!!

With not much idea of the exchange rate our first task was to find
that out, then figure out how many Swiss Francs we'll need for the
next 5 days.
The Info centre wasn't much help, as in Italy, everyone takes a
siesta between 12 and 2! After backtracking when we took a wrong turn
which would have got us on to a 'car train' we headed once again into
the hills.
Our destination is Buchen a little 'six house' village in the Prätigau
valley near the Swiss/Austria border. We have organised to say with
some more Verry family friends. When I say organised, this involved a
phone call to New Zealand (thank you very much Hans & Stephanie),
because our hosts Annj and Bartli don't speak English, and we don't
speak German! It will be an interesting experience:-)

We arrived in Buchan with directions to the house with the New
Zealand flag outside - easy!!! There we were greeted by a very
hospitable Annj and Kirstin. Kirstin had been invited for dinner, and
acted as translator for the evening. Luckily there were a number of
English/Deutsch dictionaries available and we spent the evening
cramming our heads with suitable German nouns and adjectives, which
would enable a level of communication, beyond charades, between our
hosts and us.

We had a most enjoyable evening playing with traditional Swiss
raclette. This involves preparing you own food on an electric hotplate
and grill which in located in the middle of the table. Alpkäse
(alpine cheese) from this region and the local speck (bacon) is
grilled then poured over baked potato. Yummy!

Towards the end of Arbengessen (dinner) Bartli arrived back from his
deer hunting reconnaissance, and joined us for homade cherry scnapps.
Again... yummy!

22/08/08 - A tax-free oasis!!

Our 'free' campervan friendly spot that we found on our first night at
Madonna di Campiglio turned out to have an overnight parking charge.
Still we got away with it the first night, so why not try again -
however come the morning, we weren't hangin' round... Just in case!!
Anyway, today is another driving day - so it was good to get away
early.

Note to the people who make the road maps, if you put 'no caravan'
icons on some roads - you positively invite us to go that way, because
it's bound to be exciting and give some great views, this seems to be
our philosophy anyway.
Up to the first of three mountain passes today - Passo Tonale at
1883m. Then, before we were hardly down again, straight up to Passo
Gavia at 2,652m. This one proved to be a bit of a handful. A couple
of hairpins into the climb, the road turned to single lane for large
parts of the trip up!!! This caused lots of fun (or havoc), with cars
having to back up or down to let others pass. It was probably a good
thing that the majority of vehicles were motorbikes, or very very keen
cyclists out for a 'bit' of a workout. There were photos in the
Chateau at the top, showing cycle races there whilst it was snowing,
it looked pretty amazing!!

Finally, after passing through Bormio we headed up to Passo di
Foscagno, where at the top is a customs checkpoint - even though there
is one more valley of Italy left before we get to Switzerland?? After
driving past a number of perfume, tobacco and alcohol shops in the
middle of nowhere, it soon it became apparent that - the whole of the
valley we were driving into was a duty free area!!!
All of a sudden, Italy had gone from one of the most expensive
countries to fill up with gas (€1.40+), to one of the cheapest (€0.95)
- for you English, thats £0.75p/litre!!! It was like Christmas :-)

A bit of gas, wine, chocolate and cigarettes (for Marea's mum) later,
the next Christmas present we found was yet another designated free
campervan area with a fantastic view to boot!! And unlike Madonna di
Campiglio this one wasn't going to throw any parking charge surprises.

21/08/08 - Hanging off the end of cliffs.

Again we can thank our travel insurance company for putting the
previously unknown 'sport' of Via Ferrata into our heads, and because
we paid extra to be covered for Via Ferrata we absolutely have to make
sure we experience it!!

Referring back to the "07/06/08 - Ropes, ladders, glaciers and fiords"
blog - our previous experience of Via Ferrata was a little more
unofficial than this one. For a start we actually had a map that
described our track as a Via Ferrata trail, and secondly with the help
of a rental shop we were equipped with safety harness and carabiner
lines.

A quick trip up the Grosté gondola of the Madonna di Campiglio ski
resort, and we were in amongst the Brenta group of Dolomite peaks.
The only downer to yet another superb 360° view was a little misty
cloud just hovering about some of the peaks. Onwards then for the
track named Via Ferrata Alfredo Benini.

The initial part was just a mountain hike across terrain that reminded
us of The Burren in Ireland - a rocky, desolate but beautiful
landscape. We then got into the real stuff - traversing cliff ledges
that are only 30 cm wide in places. The idea of Via Ferrata is that
on these dangerous sections, cables are attached to the cliff so that
you can then attach your carabiner to the cable - then should you fall
the cable should catch you.

To be honest, while looking down was a bit daunting, the first half
was relatively stress free - we would have done this without the
safety gear I'm sure. Although to keep our mothers happy - we did
clip in (half the time). It was daunting to look back to where we had
been and trying to pick out our path - it just looked like a sheer
cliff, but somewhere out there was a ledge that was our path.

The second half was more exciting - firstly we had to deal with the
mist that came and out with a second notice. Once it was in, it could
be very hard to see where the track went (don't worry again mothers -
we weren't on a cliffs edge at that moment). Then near the end of our
vertigo adventure became a real need to clip in. This section of
cliff that we had to traverse didn't really have a ledge to walk
along. Instead we were stepping between little rocky footholds whilst
hugging the cliff, going down ladders that were somehow attached to
the cliff, and negotiating steep rocky paths. Great fun!! Although
unfortunately (or fortunately) nether of us managed to loose control
at anytime to test our harnesses.

The route back was not a Via Ferrata route, but it soon turned out we
were walking down a snow covered glacier!! Poor Marea might argue
that this was more difficult than clambering down cliffs. She then
worked out an easier way - just lose control and slide all the way
down on your bum - then expect me to catch her at the bottom!!!!

Once we were on firm ground it was a race past more fantastic scenery
(like a big rock garden with alpine plants popping up all over the
place) to get back to the gondola for our return trip - unfortunately
we arrived 10 minutes after closing. The attendant compromised and
let us ride to the midway station. From there it was a leisurely walk
down ski slopes and forests to home - pheeeew.

After all that, no one was about to cook, so we treated ourselves to
pizza. After all, we are in Italy aren't we :-)

20/08/08 - 80+ hairpins in 1 day

A short stroll from our sleeping spot, was a stone building that,
apart from being covered in scaffolding, looked to be of no particular
interest to us. However, come round the other side and there was an
entrance to a small museum that explained the mysteries of the
trenches above us and apparently every other mountain top around us.

Before the 1st World War, the whole area - the Südtirol (South Tirol)
province was part of the Austria-Hungary empire. Italy decided that
this was on their side of the Alps, hence the resulting battlefield,
that for a couple of years turned into a bit of a stalemate in the
mountains. There were some amazing stories such as miners digging
through the rock to plants mines under enemy positions, and the -30
degree winters where the poor watch guy had to sit motionless in the
cold for fear of snipers seeing him if he moved.

By the end of the war, Italy took control of the province in 1919 when
the Europe map was rewritten. It is interesting to note however, that
the majority of the Südtirol people prefer to use German as their
language of choice.

On the road, and down the other side of the Passo Vaporola - where had
we been a little more on to it. We would have started counting the
number of hairpins as today was a bit of a driving day, but a very
very scenic driving day at that. Just for the record it was about 15
hairpins down.

So down the Passo Vaporola road going from 2,199 to 1,506 metres
(1,506m was the altitude at the last hairpin, although we did drop
further). Then immediately it was back up 33 hairpins to Passo
Pordoi, sitting at 2,239m.

A bit a lunch and looking round the top, then 27 more hairpins down to
approximately 1,500 metres again. Another hours drive of down a
valley, then we were given some great (although a little hazy) views
of the large valley where the cities Bolzano and Trento lie. Apart
from a few villages and towns dotted about on the river plains below,
the rest of the valley was packed fill of vineyards while on the hills
that surrounded it where apple trees everywhere.

A couple more hairpins to add to the grand total and we were down to
the valley floor and vineyards, then up up the other side towards
Dimaro. Then finally one last climb and about 8 hairpins and we
reached our destination of Madonna di Campiglio just before dark. And
luck was definitely on our side as we seemed to come across yet
another campervan friendly parking area!!

19/08/08 - How many superlatives to describe the Dolomites.

Continuing alone the Drau valley, it was time to say goodbye to
Austria and head into Italy. With the already impressive Dolomites
towering above us, our first town was that of Toblach, where we were
finally able to spent some time on the internet and catch up on all
New Zealand's Olympic stories, and send our blog stories.

With that out of the way, it was up a side valley where we stopped by
a small lake to take a decent look at the numerous pinnacle rocks
jutting out all over the place, and have a long overdue (according to
Marea) wash in the lake.

However before we could leave the van, we were approached by a very
friendly policeman who - due to our UK registered van wanted to check
on all our details, van documents and our planned travel whilst in
Italy. Considering we didn't really have a plan, he seemed quite
envious of our holiday. He gave us a few hints on where we should go
and sent us on our way.

A freezing cold swim later and walk round the lake we continued on
through Cortina d' Ampezzo and up, up, up to the mountain pass Passo
Vaporola - sitting at 2,199m above sea level (they get it exact round
here don't they!!).

The whole drive was interrupted with frequent stops to take in the
unbelievable views of the rocky outcrops above us. It was near the
top that we started looking for a quiet hidden spot to park up. We
thought we may have trouble finding legal camping spot, as the signs
all the way up were definitely not campervan friendly. However, like
an oasis coming over the horizon, right at the top of the pass was a
large car park with about 10 campervans dotted all around, and no
signs to say they couldn't be there!! We claimed our spot, and stared
gobsmacked up to the last of the sun lighting up the rocky peaks and
sheer cliffs. It was a stunning sight!!

Keen to make the most of remaining daylight, I headed up to the summit
of the peak next to us - called Sasso di Stria. Part way up the rocky
slope, a series of trenches started to appear. First thought was that
they were naturally cut by the numerous people walking all over the
mountain over the years. But that couldn't be possible as the whole
place was just hard rock. They had to be war time trenches. Further
and further up the trenches turned into a complete maze that I managed
to get lost in a few times before finally making it to the top, where
apart from an amazing view, there was a cross and a plaque with the
date 18 October 1915. As we were to find out tomorrow, this was the
front line of the Austrian-Hungary troops as they defended their
empire against the Italians in WW1.

18/08/08 - A shy mountain.

If only we had taken photos of Gloßglockner yesterday, as while every
other peak around us is beautifully clear - a little bit of cloud is
just sticking to the highest peak!!!

Still, it is a fantastic sunny day for venturing up into the mountains
and enjoying the stunning views. Starting at Lucknerhaus, the first
leg was up the valley to Lucknerhütte - where Marea who hasn't been
feeling 100% decided that this was high enough. While I continued up
to the next hut - the Stüdlhütte, sitting at 2,801 metres above sea
level.

As I got higher and higher, the green meadows and wild flowers that we
clinging to the steep sides slowly became petered out until the rocks
and the last of the recent snow took over - it made me feel as if I
was right up at the top of the world. Of course, all it took was a
look up into the cloud covered peak to realise we weren't going to be
at the top at any time soon!!!

With a bit of energy left, I wasn't quite satisfied with 2,800 metres
- I just had to go that little bit higher to see what was over the
brow of the next hill. The reward was a glacier bending over the edge
of a cliff off to the left, while straight in front was the still
cloud covered Gloßglockner. It was so frustrating for the fact that
everywhere else was beautifully clear.

20 minutes of sitting at the highest point of my trek, willing the
clouds to part just for one photo!!! Then it was time to return,
looking over my shoulder every minute 'just in case'. At one point,
one side of the peak showed itself just to give a brief glimpse and a
reminder of how high it does go.

Back to Marea and the van, then down to the bottom of the valley and
onwards to Leinz and some food shopping. Then up the Drau valley
towards Italy where we found a great view point for a sleeping spot.
Our side of the valley was your typical Austrian farming villages
(about 5 houses per 'village'), while across the valley was our first
glimpse of the rugged, rocky Dolomites.

17/08/08 - Crazy road tolls.

Finally we started to leave the Zell am See area as we drove towards
the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße road - a major tourist road that goes
over the Hohe Tauern Range. We stopped and took a 'one hour' walk for
2.5 hours up a very steep hill. It would be fair to say we had no
idea where we were going and that the walk's description of where we'd
wanted to go, was woefully inaccurate. Oh well we did get some
spectacular views across the valley to a waterfall and glacier. After
it took us just over an hour to negotiate down our very steep hill, we
turned Pat around and went back the way we'd come. The truth is we
were horrified by the €28 toll charge, and we only had €23 on us,
though we may have been able to pay by card, I guess. Unfortunately
none of our information sources mentioned there was a toll let alone
such an exorbitant one. Another excuse - the clouds were hovering
around the mountain tops, so we wouldn't have got the best views
either.

A quick trip down to the next valley to the Felbertauren - the next
tourist road that cuts through the 3000+ metre peaks. This toll was
only €10, thats more like it we thought, although the view on the
previous road was probably better as this one went through a tunnel
instead of going over the peaks. Not to worry, we have found a road
(although another €9 toll) that leads high into a side valley that
sits right under Austria's highest mountain - Gloßglockner at 3798
metres. The clouds even cleared away to give us a glimpse of this
monster towering above!!!

16/08/08 - Freshies in August?!?

It was another beautiful morning of rain, rain, and more rain!! Very
cozy when you are snuggled up in bed listening to the rain come down
on the roof, with no guilt at all about not getting out and doing
stuff :-)

In saying that, our temperamental lap top decided it was going to work
today - so finally I have got around to updating my CV!!! I'm afraid
we can't live out of the real world forever.

The rain sub-sided by the afternoon, so we made a quick hop down the
road to the village of Kaprun. A quick stroll round town included an
unsuccessful search for a pub that might be showing Tri-nations rugby
(a small village in Austria - I guess we were dreaming). Then, not
venturing too high into the cloud covered mountains we took a walk
around the lowest of a number of hydro lakes that exist up the valley.
Slowly, but surely, the clouds above began to clear, giving much more to view. It soon became apparent that the rain we had down the bottom was snow at the tops!!! Cool.

15/08/08 - Enforced relaxation

This is going to be the easiest blog to write from our whole trip.
Today it rained and we did nothing!!!!!!! It was a fantastic break
from being a tourist :-)

Well almost nothing - a bit of reading, a bit of CIMA study, and a
walk around Zell am See. Here we found a cafe where we watched some Olympics, it helped us feel that we are not completely isolated from the world.

14/08/08 - Hitler's mountain paradise.

Poor Pat had driven up such a steep hill from last night, we couldn't
just drive back down it this morning without exploring the mountains
above us!! With no clue whether there were any walking tracks on our
road, we continued along it for another couple of km's before we found
a small car park. With a few cars already there, it was a good sign
that there were walking tracks - not that we had any idea where it
would lead.

Our tracked climbed for an hour until it met a road, that can only be
described as a feat of engineering. It snaked in close to the
Cliffside burrowing through them when necessary. Every few minutes we
met a convoy of buses going up or down and we would scramble to get
away from the very hot exhaust fumes. They were obviously working to a
schedule because there was no way two buses could pass each other
halfway.

With all these bus loads of people, there must be something worth
seeing at the top - so onwards we went, now getting above the forest
our view of the valley below and the mountains across the valley gave
a great excuse for plenty of photo stops.

Finally we made it to the bus parking area, perched on the side of our
mountain with hundreds of tourists who had taken the easy way up. It
was only now we were able to find out what we had walked up for (apart
from the view of course) - perched on the peak above us was Hitler's
"Eagles Nest". A building built for him in 1937/38 as a present from
a local official.

The view from top was amazing - looking down onto both Germany and
Austria, among other things we could see Salzburg to the north, while
every other direction was filled with huge peaks rising up above us! 5
or 6 paragliders completed this unbelievable setting.

A leisurely afternoon taking it all in before we returned to the van
(this time we'd had to keep him in the shade all day long:-), and
headed back to Austria and the lakeside town of Zell am See.

13/08/08 - Mozart and Mountains.

It was a good thing we had a wash and swim in the lake yesterday
because we awoke to a very overcast day, though the low mist over the
lake was very romantic. We forgo visiting what was sure to be a very
picturesque Halstaff for the bright lights of Salzburg. A mistake as
it turns out because whilst we thought this little town wouldn't rate
a mention in our lonely planet, it is apparently a 4000 year old
UNESCO world heritage site with a church housing skulls and ice caves
high in the cliffs. Woops!
Onwards then to Salzburg, traffic from hell and no suitable parking.
It took an hour just to recover from that, and after a birthday call
to Philip we were off to explore this Austrian City of Kitsch as our
lonely planet describes it, a little harshly. With a huge Romanesque
fortress towering out of the rocks above the city, Baroque cathedrals
and a meandering river, Salzburg makes a very pretty picture. The
narrow main street selling Mozart and 'The Sound of Music' from almost
every shop was suitably kitsch and we wandered about for a bit.
Lacking funds until a money machine was found, we did not visit the
fortress, though we did hike up the hill to get a closer look.
Not succumbing to the lure of kitch, Salzburg enjoyed no more of our
patronage than 10mins at an internet cafe where much needed funds were
redistributed, though we also purchased our standard souvenir; a
magnet, this one declaring "No kangaroos in Austria."

Walking back to our van, the traffic seemed worse than when we drove
in this morning. However by some miracle, no one else seemed to want
to take the way out of town that we did?? Was this possibly because
our destination for the night was actually the Bavarian Alps in a
'whole other country' - Germany??

With the main town of Berchtesgarden far too popular for us to find a
nice quiet park, we headed into the hills above it where poor Pat had
to rely on 1st gear to make it up!! (A 24% gradient when the steepest
we got in Norway was 12%). However, it was all worth it as our view
to the valley below was quite spectacular!!!!

12/08/08 - Taking the easy way up

More walking and taking in the fresh mountain air was on the agenda
today. However, we weren't about to take it too far - why walk up the
mountain when you can take a funicular up, then enjoy a less tiring
walk high up where everything just seems so much more peaceful :-)

How to describe our scenery ..... photos might do a better job, but
I'll try. 1300 metres above sea level at the top of the funicular (of
the Wurzeralm ski area) was what the information brochure described as
the highest moor in Europe - we thought a moor was a wet swampy area,
this flat basin was full of lush green grass, resulting in some very
fat and friendly Austrian cows. Above the 'moor' the peaks rose up
dramatically to about 2000 metres. The geological lines of rock on
these peaks were amazing as they were so even and could clearly be
seen from our view point down below.

We took a nice easy walk around the 'moor', that doubles as a
cross-country trail during winter. The walk was named "2 million
years in 2 hours" - giving reference to the information boards
describing the geological history of the area. Unfortunately we are
none the wiser as it was all in German.

Plenty of rests on the way to take in the stunning scenery, an ice
cream at the end, then the walk down a ski slope back to the van -
where despite our best guess regarding where the shade from the trees
is going to move during the day, poor Pat was left sitting right out
in the sun, so was a pretty good sauna on our return.

Onward then to Hallstat, and a very pretty lake that we hoped would
give us some options for parking up overnight. We found the perfect
spot, but not before the beauty of this lake enticed us to jump in -
where we were quickly reminded that this is a glacial lake that is
filled with melted snow - brrrrrr!!!

11/08/08 - Our first view of the Alps.

A very pretty morning greeted us on the banks of the Danube. I got
the Blue Danube song in my head as I watched the murky gray waters
flow past. I wonder how many years it has been since the Danube has
actually looked even remotely blue??

Then it was on the road, up and out of the Danube Valley and into
beautiful fertile green rolling countryside with our first amazing
view of the Alps. With this scenery we would be stupid to speed along
on the Autobahn, so with no real idea where we were headed, we took
the country roads for the hills.

Once surrounded by stunningly green mountain pastures, we made a quick
stop at a non-manned information place where unfortunately we couldn't
find one piece of information in English?!? But we did find a map of
a National Park that looked to get us out into the hills.

Feeling the heat of this very sunny day, we came across a choice - go
for a swim in a crowded water park, or paddle about in a freezing cold
mountain stream. The tranquility of the crystal clear stream had to
beat hundreds of screaming kids!!

Then it was into the heart of the national park we'd chanced upon: the
Kalkalpen National Park. We found some smaller walks around
Windischgarsten that lead us up to some pretty outcrops of chalet
style houses, with geranium filled window boxes, sitting in the
hillsides. With the odd cow bell jingling in the distance (and yes
Mum, I thought of you and your rugby team), freshly cut grass, the sun
dropping down closer and closer to the mountains that surrounded us,
and Marea's enjoyment at taking photo's at the little (actually large)
green grasshopper that took a fancy to me - it was a very pleasant
evening just taking in the sterotypical Austrian vista.

10/08/08 - Mass in a 900 year old Gothic Cathedral.

Rise and shine at 07:15 today because we are off to church. High Mass
in fact at Saint Stephen's Cathedral in the centre of Vienna. I am
very excited because it is a full Haydn mass with a orchestra and
choir. We arrived half an hour early whilst the musicians were warming
up and the sound of this huge Gothic Cathedral filled with music, just
as it was written 300 years ago, was magic. It was fortunate we
arrived so early as we have almost front row seats for this a
experience of a lifetime, so I hope Daniel appreciates it too.

(Daniel takes over now) - My appreciation wasn't quite up with Marea's
enthusiasm - the choir was definitely good, but at the end of the day
it was a church service and it did drag a bit - still, I made it to
the end, and didn't even resort to blog writing ;-)

Once this was over we experienced another Vienna institution - the
coffee house (although we didn't order coffee). But we did get to
watch a bit of Olympics - the only problem was that in each event that
we happened to see, a British athlete won!?!? Boohoo (yeah I'm a sore
loser).

Then it was back to our 24 hour hop on - hop off ticket, where I can
finally claim to being ahead of Marea on a bit of artistic knowledge -
our commentary was talking about the modern architect Hunderswassen.
Marea looked at me as though I was barking mad when I said that he was
the guy who designed the famous Kawakawa toilets in Northland, NZ.
The look soon left her when the next bit of commentary talked about
his links with New Zealand - ha ha :-)

A break between hop on - hop off tours, we strolled around the
Stadtpark - home of many of many memorial statues of famous composers
who graced Vienna, including Straus and Schubert. Then it was back on
the bus and out to the Schloss Schonbrunn. This 1440 room mansion was
the summer palace to the mighty Habsberg dynasty and where a six year
old Mozart made his debut. Too cheap to go inside, we were happy to
be out in the hot sunshine, enjoying the extremely large gardens and
views of Vienna.

Feeling we had given Vienna a pretty good go (although like all the
other cities - you could be here for a week and still find new stuff
to visit). We headed out of town and into the Austrian countryside.
Being careful not to be without a camp spot before dark, we found a
nice little parking area right on the Danube!! Perfect, except when
the huge barges came rumbling past at 2 in the morning.

09/08/08 - A day to remember in Vienna.

Our 7th capital city in 7 countries - Vienna!! (and to think we tell
people we rather stick to nature). We'd heard so much that I was
disappointed by my first impressions. This was not helped much by
arriving in a rainstorm, and that Vienna is just so big! But Vienna
must be a city that grows on you and I am glad that we purchased
tickets for the hop on hop off bus, because from that perspective I
gained a far greater appreciation of Vienna's charms.
After toying with sushi in Prague and inspired by Piotrek and Ania's
tale of all you can eat sushi for €10, would you believe it we
actually stumbled across the same place, we stuffed ourselves silly,
though the price had risen to €11. Not exactly traditional fare, so we
thought we better take in something more cultural.
Unfortunately we have arrived in this city of music during the holiday
months when Vienna sleeps, but we did purchase tickets to a very low
brow Mozart and Strauss concert. There was one Beethoven solo violin
piece to keep me happy and the program was short and varied enough to
even entertain Daniel. We were certainly not disappointed by the
program or caliber of the performances. All the musicians were regular
members of the world renown Vienna Philharmonic and there was a
variety of 1st class arias, duets and ballet interludes. The compere
was entertaining and amused us all with a virtuoso if comedic violin
solo. The venue was the Beethoven Haus and it looked 'just like Harry
Potter's school' it was intimate enough that we could see the
performers well, though unfortunate for the poor ballet dancer who
suffered a 'wardrobe malfunction'. Our complimentary half time glass
of champagne washed down a lovely day.

08/08/08 - One last reminder of Communism.

We got out of our dodgy parking area before breakfast, and headed down
the hill to the Dyje River which borders the Czech Republic and
Austria. Once we'd eaten, we left the van on the Czech side and
walked over the pedestrian bridge to check out 'the smallest town in
Austria' - the very pretty town with the unfortunate name of Hardegg.
This town definitely has a castle that fits the perfect stereotype -
its high stone walls rising up like an extension of the rocky outcrop
sitting above the town.

We strolled around for couple of hours taking in the town and
surrounding forest, before returning to the Czech side. While Marea
rested, I attempted to scale the cliffs above the river to take in one
last view of the castle. I made it to the view point, but only after
a roundabout 30 minute walk, when the more direct return trip only
took 10 minutes!!

We were then back on the road again, but before we left the old
'eastern bloc' of Soviet influenced countries, we came across a final
piece of Communist history. A couple of kilometres from the border
lies the last remains of the Czechoslovakian section of the 'Iron
Curtain' - a barbed fence that used to separate the the entire eastern
bloc from their more democratic western neighbours. Often there where
two fences, with a strip of poisoned soil in between. The number of
people who attempted to escape communism through fences like this has
never been published, nor has the number shot whilst trying.

After taking in that bit of history we drove via Znojmo, and through
the now almost non-existant border controls and into Austria.

07/08/08 - Guess who got caught speeding??

After yesterdays exploits we were in no hurry to rush, but come
lunchtime we were back on the road in search of some cooking gas -
which we finally found as the temperature crept up and up. Feeling
the effects of no air-conditioning in van, the consensus was that an
afternoon at the movies was best!! Given we were in a English non
speaking country our options were limited but we settled on a 15:00
showing of Mama-Mia. Marea was happy as a pig in muck since it
starred not one but two of her leading men: Pierce Brosnan and Colin
Firth!!

The temperature was not alot better, and rush hour traffic was in full
swing by the time we left Prague - however, we made it into the
countryside and was able to get some air flowing through as we headed
south for the Podyji National Park - right on the border with Austria,
near the Czech town of Znojmo (don't ask how to pronounce that one).
Poor Marea took a driving stint part way through, then only 5 minutes
later she got flashed by a speed camera :-) It will be interesting to
see what reciprocal agreements are in place, and whether a Czech speed
camera fine will make its way to the UK??

After being spoilt by the 24 hour light of Scandinavia, we are still
getting used to the fact that it can be very very hard to find a safe,
flat camping spot once it is dark. We got caught tonight, but did
find a parking sign in the forest - this parking area seemed very
weird as it was just a 10 metre single lane track with two ends
adjoining the main road. So if more than three cars parked the middle
one would be stuck!?? Never mind, it is unlikely that any more cars
will join us in the night.

06/08/08 - Our big day in Prague.

It was back on the tram into the town centre of Prague at about 9.30
for a full days sightseeing around 'the City of a Thousand Spires'.
The morning was taken up with a 'free' walking tour of the east bank
of the Vltava River where the old and 'new' towns are.

We appreciated the different eras of Prague's architectural styles:
Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism, Neo-Classicism, Neo-Gothic,
Art Nouveau, Art Deco.... right up the unique Czech Cubist style. Any
architect interested in the time-line of different building styles
would definitely have field day here.

Again, like all of the other eastern bloc countries, Communism played
a huge role after World War 2. Although compared to the Baltic
countries, Russia did not take over what was then Czechoslovakia, but
through funding of the local Communist Party and later, using tanks in
1968 averting a potential uprising, they definitely played their part.
Our guide was 18 in 1989 when communism finally fell, so he was able
to share his own experiences of that time. They were certainly not
able to travel freely like we do today, only being able to obtain
visas to other eastern bloc countries. Also due to the small range of
food and goods that was available - if there ever was a queue on the
street, they didn't find out what the queue was for, they just joined
it. It was certain to be for a good that didn't often make it into the
country e.g. Tropical fruit only came 4 times a year.

By the end of the tour we were starting feel it a little in our legs,
so took a leisurely hour and a half lunch (in a Korean restaurant in
Prague?? Marea was hangin out for sushi) - then headed over the river
to the two western towns or districts. These being Hradcany where
the Prague Castle looks over the city, and Malá Strana (Little
Quarter). It wasn't until the 18th century that the four towns
amalgamated politically into the one Prague.

Prague Castle is not the type of old stone castle that you normally
picture when thinking of a castle sitting up on top of a hill, instead
it is a very grand 'modern' (i.e. approx 200 years old) series of
buildings. I guess one of the reasons for this is that this castle is
still a fully functioning, living castle - as the President of Czech
Republic currently resides in the castle.

With the legs hurting we parked ourselves on an island in the middle
of the river to rest up and watch the tourists in their paddle boats
quietly float about. Our comfort didn't last long though, as we were
told to move cause the island was about to turn into a movie theatre -
with a big sheet hanging between the trees for the screen.

Off then to find some dinner, and finally at about 11.30pm we were
'home' - 14 hours of 'doing the tourist thing', of which over 10 hours
was spent on our feet in the hot sunshine. I think its fair to say we
were completely buggered!!

05/08/08 - A 14th century 'new' town!!

With a little more energy than yesterday we drove across some very
pretty rolling countryside, tree-lined roads, and little Czech
villages before making it to the big city of Prague.

First site when entering the out-skirts was hundreds of rather ugly
1970's style apartment buildings that dominated the skyline. Not the
best introduction to the city that we have been told by many that you
absolutely cannot miss!! Anyway, undeterred we headed in and found
the suburb of Trojir where after 4 months of free camping we are going
to break with tradition and splash out a camp ground for two nights.

Our camping ground was not too busy but we decided to mark our
territory by erecting our gazebo that we inherited with the van which
thus far had failed to make an outing. It proved a bit of a mission
until we found another bag of connectors along with the instructions.
But we now have ourselves a beaifully set up gazebo which will get
absolutely no use as we will spend most of our time in Prague town!

A speedy trip into the town centre by tram and we soon found the
reason that this place is a 'must see' place. Almost unscathed from
World War 2 (it did get a little damaged when the Allied bombers
mis-took Prague for Dresden in Germany), you could spend days here
just lapping up the atmosphere and history of this town.
Unfortunately it seemed like every other tourist in Europe was doing
the same thing!!

Never mind, a quick walk into Staré Mêsto (Old Town) which was built
in around the 13 century, then onto Nové Mêsto (New Town) - which was
built in the 14 century!!! Pretty old new town if you ask me ;-)

Happy just to wander and take it all in - we soon found a large crowd
staring up at the town's astronomical clock. Like good tourists we
joined the crowd to see what was going on - then on the hour the
skeleton standing beside the clock started ringing the bell, while
above the clock - the 12 apostles all pare out the window to view us
silly tourists all lapping it up! Apparently the three greedy looking
men standing by the skeleton should be shaking their heads as to say
'no we are not going die', while skeleton nods his head to point out
'yes they are'. Anyway, that part of the show was broken -
understandable really considering the clock was built in 1410.

After walking over the famous Charles Bridge - with all its 18th
century statues decorating its sides, we came across a canal that
wound its way between the houses. Our first thought was that we have
magically made it to Venice. Instead, according to the guide book we
had found Little Venice - very cool.

To finish our evening, we joined a 'goast and beer' tour. We got to
hear the Prague legends such as the well, where if you look down into
it you can see your future. One day a man looked down into the well
and saw that he was going to die!! He got such a fright that he
slipped and fell down into the well and drowned!!!!

04/08/08 - Getting in amongst the Teplice Rocks.

Still in a far too relaxed state of mind (or should it be lazy), we
headed for the Czech Republic and the town of Broumov. With no
advance planning, the first task was to find out what the exchange
rate was before we could get any Czech money out - you can't expect us
to remember from being here 3 years ago.

With that sorted, some compulsory yellow reflector vests purchased,
and information for the nearby Teplice Rocks Nature Reserve acquired -
we were off to the nature reserve to see the sights and climb in
amongst the Teplice rocks. These amazing rock outcrops, tower above
the valley floor and our 3 hours walking track. One's neck can get
quite sore, and the potential for tripping quite high as you are
continually looking up at the rock formations above. At one point a
side track/staircase took us up into the rocks where apparently there
once stood the 13th century Strmen castle. How they managed to find
enough room on the tops of these rocks is beyond me, but it would
definitely be a very good spot to defend!!

Not happy just to follow the main tourist path back to our van, we
used our fantastic map orienteering skills and took a lesser known
path, still seeing more rocks balanced precariously on top of each
other, plus with no fellow tourists to watch out for, it was very
peaceful!!!

03/08/08 - Bye bye to luxury, back to the campervan.

Finally we couldn't be waited on and spoilt by Ania and Piotrek any
longer. As hard as it was to leave, there is still far too much to
see in the 2 remaining months of our travels.

In saying that, we still didn't get to leave until we had filled
ourselves up on lunch - thank you very very much Ania and Piotrek ;-)
Then it was on the road heading west sort of parallel with the Czech
border, although we stayed on the Polish side.

We stopped at a little medieval town called Paczków. With almost a
complete wall around the town centre, a large town square, and many
old buildings - this little town could have alot going for it - all it
needs now is a little bit of paint to bring it back to life!!

At this stage we were both feeling so tired you would have thought we
both had been running round like mad men/women for the last few days.
I guess when your body starts to rest and relax like we did at
Bielsko-Biala, it takes a while to get out of the habit? Any how,
after finding a little side road in a forest, we had found our
sleeping spot and were out for the count.

02/08/08 - A Gondola over Bielsko

We were having such a lovely time catching up with Ania and Piotrek that we extended our stay by another day. With Ania off to work for a few hours Piotrek played guide and took us to Szyndzielnia where we took the gondola up the steep mountain walked to Klimczok.

We enjoyed some beautifully hot weather and wonderful views over Biesko but with another thunderstorm threatening we didn't stray too far.

After taking in the views of Bielsko-Biala and surrounding countryside we headed back down the sauna-like gondola and made it home safely before the thunder, lightning and rain - it was perfect to be able to rest and relax inside while listening to the summer rain come down!!

On Ania's return home we were treated with even more fantastic Polish food and a DVD to finish a very relaxful day.

Thank you very much Ania and Piotrek :-)

01/08/08 - Fun up High

We had timed our visit because Ania, an air traffic controller, had a day off and as Piotrek works from home he was able to take a day off and they had a big trip planned for us. We took a drive into the mountains near Ustron to Park Linowy where you have a big playground to get into and enjoy the mountain air. Piotrek, Marea and I took to the trees on an Areial Trekking Course. With the help of a harness and a safety line we got to play like monkeys, and with us anywhere between 5 and 15 metres off the ground we went from tree to tree with zip lines (flying fox), hanging/swingling logs, monkey bars, rope swings, cargo nets etc etc. It sort of felt like you were on Fear Factor or one of those reality type shows. Of course Marea was the best monkey as she led the way through the trees.

It was fantastic fun and after two hours we were utterly exhausted. It had been forecast to rain all day but we were very lucky because apart from a thunderstorm before we'd even gotten started, the rain stayed away until we were safely esconched under the balcony of a mountain restaurant. Safe, being the operative word as the heavens opened and hailstones the size of grapes rained down. All was good though - within 15 minutes the sun was out, and a very cool mist started rising out of the ground as we walked back to the car.

A scenic tour through the mountains later, we were back in Bielsko-Biala for a well deserved rest before more fantastic food for our bellies'!!!!

31/07/08 - Biesko Biela

After driving all day in the very hot sun we finally made it to Bielsko-Biała, where we are visiting with Ania and Piotrek. Daniel met Ania on a trek America tour around Mexico in 2003, and we caught up with them in 2005 when we visited Kracow but now we are visiting them in their own home town. Bielsko-Biała is a city in southern Poland with 180,307 inhabitants (1999). Charmingly spread at the foot of Beskid Mountains, the town is one of the the most interesting in the south of Poland and is known as "little Vienna", because of the town's architecture, but also the fascinating landscapes of the surrounding mountains.

After being fed some yummy Spag Bol and just chilling out and catching up we when with Ania and Piotrek to check out the 'downtown' of this 'small town'.