The Autobahn

So the German autobahn is not the ideal road to find yourself stranded on with the cars and lorries hurtling past at unknown speeds.  However, Ivan threw a paddy when we left Stuttgart and decided we should visit the hard shoulder for most of the evening. Having left Stuttgart on a complete high and totally relaxed, we popped in to pick up some shopping, and to buy copious amounts of recommended beers. So fed and stocked up we began a 3 ½ hour journey to Frankenjura. We predicted we would make it at half 6 at the latest, with a rest stop half way for a snack and a widdle. About an hour into the journey we were pottering along the autobahn at our usual 60 mile an hour pace (slow and steady wins the race) whilst chatting to Paul I was concentrating on taking a cool pic of the setting sun through the wing mirror…

Autumn Colours

When Switzerland skipped Autumn and went straight to Winter, we didn’t expect to find the vivid colours of Autumn just across the border in Germany. We only explored a small part of Southern Germany, rich with forests, quaint little villages and rolling meadows. Our first stop was the Black Forest, we hopped between villages and enjoyed a few walks, some cake, and a browse round a picturesque town, here are some of the highlights..

Triberg and its crazy cuckoo clocks, every clock was hand carved with fantastic detail, but i think we nearly choked when we read a price tag that said 11,000 euros!  Triberg also had Germany’s largest waterfall, and for an extra euro you can purchase monkey nuts to feed the squirrels. Only we couldn’t find any squirrels to feed (probably the rains fault), but for most of our walk you could see and hear these very noisy black birds. Turning to Paul i was asking “do you think this bird will want the nut?” Paul only got the words “I doubt” out before the bird swooped down and nearly took my fingers with it! Turns out these birds are nutcracker birds, and it didn’t take long until they had demolished my little bag of nuts.

Cuckoo Clock Crazy

Cuckoo Clock Crazy

Largest German Waterfall, Triberg

Largest German Waterfall, Triberg

Largest German Waterfall, Triberg

Feeding the Nutcracker Birds… by accident!

Oi thats for the squirrels

Black Forest in colour

 

Seriously Switzerland!

This is our second attempt to climb in Chironico and Cresciano this trip. First time = +30 degrees with insect infestations (rookie error, arriving in summer), second time = -4 degrees with wet slushy snow!

But the weather has been impromptu, and we are slightly frustrated with our lack of climbing, the last couple of weeks has been littered with thunder storms, extensive rain during the night, and when you wake in the morning the rain has turned to snow and we are sat in a beautifully cold and wet winter wonderland… beautiful but not ideal for climbing.

Our Brief Stay in Austria

Paul recently wrote a blog post regarding Austria, it can be found on his blog Paultheclimber titled “And So we Venture to Austria” and is a very good read, if you havn’t already read it 🙂 it detailed his climbing success in Silver Park (Silvretta) and the dismal weather in Zillertal hence our very brief stay in Austria.

I therefore don’t want to repeat him too badly so prepare yourselves for lots of photographs….

Austria

The Cloud Line in Silvretta

Recent Road Trip Highlights…

Just some stuff thats really made us smile recently ….

Van Pie – We were having pie withdrawls

Mad Austrian Internet Mushrooms

Aufwiedersehen Switzerland

Climbing in the Snow Gottardo

We have spent over a month now in Magic wood, and we quickly slipped into a lazy routine. Up at mid-day, a bit a sunbathing, wash/swim in the river then climb till dark. Perfect and I think this is the cleanest I have been for the whole trip so far. We have had some brilliant laughs, our friends Mauritz and Matthew kept us entertained for hours with their minstrel sized guitar and hilarious on the spot motivation songs about climbs. There is nothing as funny as climbing a problem with Mauritz providing a live backing track and singing about your effort. However, our musical inspiration has left for home now and we have spent the last week trying to wrap up all our outstanding projects (with little success) it’s too difficult to avoid getting distracted by other climbs. In the last week we also had a lovely treat in the form of a couple of mates popping out to see us; they arrived bearing most of ASDA as a care package, courtesy of the mother ship.

Creepy Crawlies

Sorry it’s been a while, we do have another post in the pipeline about our stay in Switzerland, but in the mean time we have this treat for you all..

Since we left the UK and found some sunny weather, we have been plagued with insects, and like most girls I spent the first month being terrified of the majority of things that lived/landed on or near me. But its seriously hard work being that scitish/frightened all the time, and I soon got too lazy to care. So now we’ve become like insect paparazzi and we snap most of the weird/wonderful and sometimes pretty things that land on us before it bites or flys away. So we have found some disgusting looking insects and between us (inc Jase and Claire) we have managed to photograph the majority. So check out the photos and we challenge anyone to try and identify them!

Arrivederci Val Masino

Balancing Act – Preda Rosso

Well it’s that time already, and it has been a week of goodbyes. Having waved Hannah and Andy off on a one way trip to England (for now), we are now moving on from this beautiful place too. We have spent the last three weeks climbing, lazing in the sun and socialising, and we will definitely miss some of our new friends. The weather has just become too hot to climb, so we are heading for higher ground at Val Daone.

Party Italian Style

Bagni di Masino

I can do a pull up! Only one though so I can’t get too excited yet; I have become so obsessed with trying that I stop at every overhanging ledge to practice, I must look ridiculous to passers-by.

Val Masino Round Two

Veiw from the Van

After chilling out in Ceriola (mainly in the rain) we sadly ended our two week road trip with the Sinclairs and they returned to ‘sunny’ England. The day they left we also left Ceriola and returned to Val Masino for round two of granite climbing in the beautiful valley…. or as it turns out the wet valley.

The first 8 or 9 days in the valley we became hermits hiding from the torrential rain in Ivan and constantly checking forecasts for a dryer hotter place to be, but the weather seemed dull everywhere so we stuck it out. Eventually the weather started to ease and we jumped on the first chance to climb for half an hour before the rain started again.

Gap in the Rain.

Donkey Spotter