Namibia - October
For our main summer holiday in 2023 Jules and I headed to Namibia to meet up with Marion, and to see the country and the environment. We had a lovely time, and were pleasantly surprised with how well organised and smoothly everything went. The people were very friendly and we found the landscape and countryside was varied and stunning.
Overall we drove about 2,600km in a large loop, heading clockwise from Windhoek, south to Mariental, then west to Sossusvlei, then north vai Swakopmund and through Etosha before heading back to Windhoek. The car we rented was very well equiped with a roof top tent and fridge in the back. We eventually worked out that the fridge worked much better if plugged into a mains socket overnight, but it was useful to keep bottles of water which we frequently decanted to the front of the car.
We particularly enjoyed the coffee (from "Slowtown" in Swakopmund), and cooking over a wood fire (Braai) in the dessert with a cold drink was a happy place for yours truly. Our favourite pictures from the trip are here.
The days broke down as follows:
Sunday 15-Oct
We took an overnight flight via Frankfurt and arrived in Windhoek on Sunday morning. Jules struggled to sleep a bit in the turbulence, but I didn't find it so bad. We cleared customs quickly and efficiently and were met by Errol who took us to town to pick up our car. We saw our first animals en-route - a family of baboons, one carrying a very small baby. A good start!
After a useful demo on how to put up the tent on the car and a good briefing from Nikita & Carmen we set off. Our first leg wasn't very far - just to get petrol and to go to the wrong supermarket (never-mind) to pick up some food. Suitably victualled we headed south. The drive was pretty easy - good roads and very little traffic. We saw ostriches and dik-diks on the way in what seemed to us to be hot and hard landscape. It was a 4 hour drive to our first overnight stop in Kalahari Anib Lodge (part of the Gondwana collection), and we arrived just in time to rush for the sundowner tour, which was a very good choice. We saw loads of springbok, plus zebras and a mother and baby giraffe - which made Jules very happy. We also saw lots of birds, an Elan in the distance and we were lucky to see a wildcat. The actual sundowner was a good local beer which we enjoyed whilst chatting to the French group who we'd tagged along with. The drive back in the dark was quite eventful - we saw an oryx and a young skunk both on the road and started to understand why it's not safe to drive a night.
Dinner was an excellent kudo steak and plenty of vegetables (to our pleasant surprise). Unfortunately we missed the scorpion walk, but instead collapsed into bed to finish up an excellent first day.
Monday 16-Oct
After a good night's sleep - great beds, a nice temperature, and a long day previously - we enjoyed a lovely breakfast, and our first taste of Namibian Boerewors. Back in the room we were surprised by a herd of Eland at the waterhole outside our room. They arrived without us hearing and it was only when I glanced up that I saw them. Slightly reluctantly we said goodbye to Heny and set off south.
We saw a giraffe family just past Mariental, which made Jules very happy indeed. The road changed from "tar" (tarmac) to a dirt road past Maltahohe, which was a bit more technical, and not something we're very used to. It was hard to get the speed right - too fast and the car felt as though it was hydroplaning, which is not nice feeling! We took it fairly slow and steady and enjoyed looking out. We saw a couple of female kudo, lots of oryx and a wildebeest - Jules doing a great job as spotter.
It wasn't the warmest welcome at Desert Quiver Camp, but we went to a good dinner at Sossusvlei Lodge. It turns out that kudu are delicious! After dinner we relaxed in the lodge, and listed to the very loud geckos in the desert. Not quite sure what they were saying, but it was clearly important to get the message out.
Tuesday 17-Oct
We had an early start for the Namib dessert dune tour. Ably guided by Werner we headed into the national park
and world heritage site for sunrise. We first headed down to Deadvlei, where we took the middle route up (not
the full climb of big daddy), then loped down the dune to the lime pan. On the way up Werner spotted a scorpion
hole
and did his best to dig out the creature, but to no avail. We were all very surprised how deep the scorpions
make their nest holes - more than 40cm by our reckoning. We also saw beetles and a lizard in the dunes - the
dessert is definitely not dead. We loped (a funny half-run, almost like snow-shoeing) down the side of the dunes
to the plain where we took a few photos before heading back for a picnic breakfast where the Sossusvlei river
ends.
After lunch we headed back to Dune 45. We made it some of the way up, but not completely to the top - it was quite hard going in deep sand and quite a stiff breeze, but it was nice to see large birds soaring on the updrafts of the dunes.
We rested through the heat of the day in Dessert Quiver Camp, and then in the late afternoon we headed to Sesriem canyon. It's quite striking and pretty, with interesting forms carved by the river. We took a gentle stroll down the canyon and back, before exiting the park shortly before sundown.
Dinner was our first own-cooked braai! We ordered the dinner pack from the lodge which turned out to be oryx (which is delicious), beef and boerewors, cooked over wood with the desert and mountains in the background and beer in hand. Yours truly was quite happy... We were sitting out in the dark when a herd of oryx came through the camp and quite close to our hut - they're very quiet when they move.
Wednesday 18-Oct
After a good nights sleep, and a relaxed start we checked out of Dessert Quiver Camp, had breakfast at the lodge and headed off north. We were expecting a long day on gravel roads, and it certainly turned out that way. We stopped for an excellent coffee at Solitare, and picked up some pastries from the bakery for the journey. It was quite heaving going on tough gravel roads, but Jules did an excellent job. We passed through very varied (but always hard) countryside including canyons, passes, harsh rock formations and wide open barren dessert. There was a little wildlife to see, some oryx, springbok and ostriches braving the environment.
We decided to take the coastal road, and to have our glimpse of the Atlantic ocean. We passed the busy port at Walvis bay, where we saw flamingos, but not the seals. We headed into Swakopmund in the late afternoon, quite tired having driven for nearly 7 hours, but made to feel very welcome by Marion, Ludwig, and Yuri.
Thursday 19-Oct
Happy not to be driving or travelling we enjoyed a gentle day in Swakopmund. We popped into town to do a bit of shopping and see the sights. We stopped in Slowtown, having enjoyed quite a few cups of their coffee on the trip so far. In the early afternoon we went for a walk in the moonscape dunes with Ludwig and Yuri (they did a bit more running than we did). In the late afternoon Jules and Marion went to see the horse, whilst I cooked a salmon quiche for dinner.
Friday 20-Oct
We had an early start for our "Living Dessert Tour", which turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.
The tour was a short drive out of Swakopmund and into the dessert. From there we did sections of walking and
observing, first in the low areas and then up into the higher dunes. It was really good to be out of the car and
able to see the environment up close. We were lucky enough to see a chameleon,
a Namib dune gecko, a cheetah gecko a skink (blindworm), beetles, a sand viper. Most interesting was to learn
about the ecosystem and the survival strategies for the creatures in a very dry dessert. All in all it was a
lovely tour and we'd thoroughly recommend it. We finished up in the high dunes, where the guides assured us that
everything we'd seen closer to town was also found, including the chameleons
In the afternoon I headed to the Namib Dunes Brewery to recuperate, whilst Jules and Marion popped into town. After an extensive on-site quality assurance check I can confirm that the beer is quite good.
Saturday 21-Oct
We had a fairly relaxing day on Saturday - trying to remember that it was also supposed to be a holiday for us! Jules and Marion went riding in the morning whilst I chilled out a little. In the evening we went to The Tug Restaurant for an excellent fish dinner. Juliane was particualrly pleased with her Kingklip, and my calamari was very good indeed.
Sunday 22-Oct
Slightly sad to say goodbye to Marion, Ludwig, and Yuri we headed off for the fairly long drive to Twyfelfontein. The roads started well, but about half way turned to fairly hard-going gravel. Despite this we made fairly good progress through the very varied countryside. We stopped at the pretty joy-less petrol station at Uis, and were fairly grateful that we did when we realised that there wasn't another one for quite a long time. We arrived at Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp to a very warm welcome and a very cute & practical tent. We had been told that this stop wasn't one of the best on the route, but we found it to be very friendly and well appointed.
We headed up to the top of the hill for a lovely sunset G&T looking out over the panorama as the sun set. Dinner was a braai, with very good elan. Pleasantly tired we headed back to the tent to find it filled with mosquitos. We remembered that we'd picked up a mosquito coil in Windhoek, which made the tent a bit smokey, but certainly got rid of all the mosquitoes. Neither of us got bitten in the night, which makes me wonder what was in the coil!
Monday 23-Oct
After a good night's sleep in the tent I headed out to take some early morning photos. We then had an excellent
breakfast, including some really lovely pastries of which the chef was justifiably proud. Refreshed we headed
off for the relatively short (2 hrs 30) drive to Grootberg lodge. We were rounding another corner on a gravel
road when we came across a family of giraffe
very close to the road, including a mother, father, and quite small baby. Lovely to see them outside a game
park.
We arrived at Grootberg lodge without seeing any elephants (despite intense spotting on the way up the hill). We declined to drive all the way up to the lodge and instead left the car at the lower car-park - probably a good plan since we didn't need to drive at all. The welcome was warm at the lodge and we were soon settled in and enjoying the views out across the valley. Jules decided to take a dip in the pool despite being dive-bombed by swallows trying to drink the water - we're not sure who was disturbing the other more!
In the late afternoon we took a short walk around the plateau where we saw some oryx, springbok and a few birds. We headed back to the lodge in time for a beer at sunset and a good meal with freshly baked bread.
Tuesday 24-OCT
We had a very early start in the morning for rhino tracking. It was about 1hr 30 drive along a bumpy track sometimes following the dry river bed to the next water hole. Near to the waterhole we dropped off the tracker and ranger to follow what looked like fresh tracks whilst we continued on. We'd barely finished our breakfast coffee when the call came in to join other two - they had found a mother (Martadalla) and baby (not yet named) black rhino within a couple of kilometers of where they'd seen the tracks. It was a short walk for us to get within sight of them and to take some photos. When we first saw them they were lying down in the shade under a bush, but they were pretty quickly aware of us and stood up. They didn't seem to bothered by us - attentive rather than disturbed. We stayed for about 10 minutes and then left them alone. Everyone was very surprised at how quickly we'd found them - we might reasonably have expected to walk for a few hours to track them, if we'd even seen them at all. It was really lovely and special to see them - we were both very happy!
The day of wildlife spotting wasn't over though, on the way back we saw a black mongoose (travelling too fast for a photo), oryx and springbok, plus a dust bath used by zebra and hyena droppings - identifiable because they're white from the calcium the hyenas get from eating bones. Back at the lodge in the afternoon we chilled out, having used up our quota of luck for the day.
We settled down to sleep, but were awoken in the small hours of the morning by woodland door-mouse attacken! Actually the poor thing was probably marginally more scared than we were, and quickly headed back into the rafters of the hut.
Wednesday 25-Oct
We left Grootberg lodge slightly sad to be departing, and headed on north towards Etosha. We stopped at Outjo for lunch in the local bakery which was excellent. A toasted cheese sandwich was just perfect and the iced coffee was even better (if that's possible). Refreshed and re-victualled we carried on to Gondwana Etosha Safari Camp on good roads. We managed to get the tent up the second time (one pole slipped out), but no stress.
Dinner was home cooked Braai in the campsite, with a cold beer to accompany. The boerewors very good, but the goat was a bad choice - upon reflection I think it needed much less cooking, or much more. On the way to bed we noted quite a few dik-dik in the campsite, but during the night we were visited by zebra and even a giraffe which came within about 5 meters of the car, and was a little bit exciting.
Thursday 26-Oct
We packed up the tent before sunrise for an early start in Etosha. The overall plan for the day was to take a slow drive through the park, entering via Anderson gate (on the south side) and exiting via Von Lindequist gate to the east.
It was good advice to get an early start and there was hardly any queue at the entrance. We made
our way through the gate and saw a rhino nearly immediately! They're quite quick when they're moving, and I was
finding it difficult to get a good photograph, but it was lovely to see. A little way on we saw a hyena and some
banded mongoose out looking for breakfast. We drove to Okaukuejo to buy the day permit, and the lady at the
counter joked that the charge was extra if you've already seen a rhino, and laughed even more when I told her
I'd take that deal every time. We then headed south east where we saw more rhino - a mother and baby
quite close to the road, and fairly relaxed about us being there.
A little further on we saw our first elephants - what looked like two males in a staring match, but at a little
distance. Slightly further on we were treated to the sight of a whole herd of elephants who's path crossed the
road just a little way in front of us. Lovely to see them, and again quite surprised by how quickly and quietly
they move.
We also saw plenty of giraffe - they seem to be doing very well in the park - zebra (also looking very healthy) impala, black faced impala, a meerkat, and a group of male kudu. We saw a pair of lions in the distance in the shade of a tree near the Aus watering hole, and a herd of wildebeast who were acting as if there was a predator that we couldn't see - all staring in the same direction and making snorting noises.
Very pleased with our first day in Etosha we headed on to Tambochi camp in Onguma game reserve, which is a private game reserve just next to Etosha. After a very warm welcome at the camp we found our camping spot and were slightly more efficient getting the tent up this time - it really only took 5 minutes.
Dinner waa a braai pack from the lodge, but yours truly didn't do such a good job of the cooking. The fire was lacking in heat - probably because the grill stand had no sides, and a solid concrete base, so I had to resort to a frying pan on the embers. If only I'd remembered the grill mesh/rack in the car... Anyway, after a slightly delayed meal we settled down to a good night's sleep this time with no zebra or giraffes in the campsite!
Friday 27-Oct
Time for a cup of tea! I was quite grateful that the car came with a gas stove and a kettle, so first thing in the morning I sat out and enjoyed a brew. I had bush chickens to keep me company and they can get a bit shouty, but all part of the experience. We had a relaxed breakfast watching the kudu come to the watering hole. There was a steady processions of animals and birds coming to drink - it being the height of the dry season. In the late morning we relaxed by the pool, enjoying a little break before the safari drive in the afternoon.
We headed back into Etosha in the late afternoon, for what turned out to be a very successful safari drive. We
got off to a very good start when a passer-by stopped us to say there were a pair of cheetahs by the side of the
road further up, and they were still there when we arrived.
It was about the limit of my camera to take a photo - a proper telephoto lens would definitely have helped. They
seemed pretty relaxed, hanging out in the shade although we've got no idea how anyone spotted them in the first
place.
As the heat went out of the day we travelled to various watering holes to see what animals might be about. We hit the jackpot with Tsumcor where we saw a whole family of elephants arrive - the dominant female unceremoniously seeing off the two male elephants who were there to drink. We were all surprised by the arrival of a rhino, and that the elephants wouldn't let the rhino near the water until they were done. Very interesting to see the interactions.
We were heading back to the gate to exit the park before sunset when a lion stepped out onto the road in front of us, causing our guide to brake fairly sharply and giving the lady at the front left a very close up view. Clearly the lions have no concept of traffic safety! It was a lone, good-sized male and we followed him to the next watering hole for his evening drink.
We also saw a our very first warthog - which bullied a number of much larger animals away from the watering hole - they clearly deserve their reputation. We saw a goshawk perched on a tree very close to us, a small duiker which just wanted to be a long way away, as well as lots of giraffes, wildebeast and impala. All in all it was a very successful afternoon in Etosha....
Saturday 28-Oct
After a good breakfast and packing up the tent we headed off, slightly sad to be leaving Tamboti. We had a fairly long drive to Okonjima Plains Camp, and we were on a bit of a timeline since we had leopard tracking booked in the late afternoon. There was some relief in the 5 hour drive in the form of a family of warthogs eating grass at the side of the road. One using an "on-the-knees" optimisation technique.
We arrived at Okonjima to a warm welcome, and checked into the lovely room with stunning views across the veldt. We met our group and headed out leopard trekking ably guided by the very knowledgeable Felix. We drove around for quite a long time using the radio trackers without success and were starting to give up hope when a call came in saying that another group had found a leopard so we joined them. We spent about half an hour watching and following "Khaleesi" who was very pretty, and was believed to have a cub (although we didn't see them). Heading back to camp we heard that another group had also tracked a leopard so we joined them to watch "Vamos" stalking some bush grouse (without success), but very close indeed to the car.
We also spotted a brown hyena - Jules earning her reputation for having very good eyes - which was larger than we expected. We finished up the trekking with a nice G&T in the bush before heading back. We were all quite amused that Felix was using the indicators in the car at the junctions on the dirt roads. We rounded off a very satisfactory day with dinner overlooking the plains
Sunday 29-Oct
After a great night's sleep and a Bushman's omelette for breakfast (a great idea for a hotel restaurant) we headed off to Na'an Kuse to meet up with Marion for the last night. It was a fairly easy drive, mostly on tar roads, but it was still 4 hrs 20 for the journey. We arrived at the lodge and were slightly disappointed to find that all the activities had been booked by a large group and that we would have to make our own entertainment. We did go for a gentle walk around the lodge and saw some giraffes, baboons and lots of rock hyraxes in the small local canyon. Dinner was a good beef dish, with the surprise of some warthogs coming the eat the grass just outside the lodge house.
Monday 30-Oct
After a good night's sleep and breakfast we headed out for a guided walking tour around the lodge. It was very pleasant to get out and stretch our legs and we were able to get quite close to a family of giraffe who weren't that bothered by us, as long as we stayed a little way away. We also came across a herd of zebra and a small herd of impala, although both of these groups were much more nervous - the impala moving out almost as soon as they saw us.
We sadly said goodbye to Marion and headed into Windhoek to take up Nikita's advice from two weeks previously to visit the women's craft market. This turned out to be a really good option - the market was superbly stocked with interesting crafts, and the cafe was excellent. A perfect little break before heading to the airport for the journey home.
Visiting Tim & Charlene in France
Taking up Tim's kind offer to visit him and Charlene at the same time as Andy, I headed over to Mâcon in France to spend the weekend.
I took the route vai Basel, which was a long-ish drive but pleasantly uneventful. I arrived in glorious sunshine on Friday afternoon to see Andy diggering - not quite sure who saw fit to let him free on motorized equipment, but he seemed to be having fun. We chatted and hung out on Friday afternoon - enjoyed some Turbinenbrau beer and had a look around the grounds. In the evening we headed over to L’O de Vignes for dinner - a very pleasant evening, but perhaps a little refined for our tastes!
On Saturday morning we headed out for a cycle ride up the valley - saw the villages of Igé & Agé. We bought some sausages & bacon to go with the home made sauerkraut that I brought in a Choucroute garnie. In the afternoon we popped to the local supermarket and wine shop to stock up, and to prepare for a barbecue dinner.
On Sunday Andy and I chilled out whilst Tim & Charlene went to the markets. We cooked roast lamb & haloumi roast vegetable couscous for lunch. For dinner we cooked the Choucroute which we enjoyed with a glass of the local wine - all very pleasant and civilised.
On Monday we went for a quick cycle ride, including the monastery at Berzé before heading back to Verzé. I headed back home at lunchtime a little sad to be leaving but having enjoyed a lovely trip.
Walking Oberalppass to Vermiegel Hutte to Andermatt - August
Making good on a long-standing promise to do another two day walk, Jules and I headed down to Andermatt with Diana and Luis to do the route from the Oberalppass to Vermigelhütte and back to Andermatt.
We set out from Oberalppass in very good weather - bright and sunny, but a bit cooler owing to the altitude. From the railway station the route descends slightly before heading up the side of the valley to Lai da Tuma - a lovely looking lake that I would definitely have swum in had I not been carrying a nasty cut on my foot. Heading on from the lake the route continues up the valley eventually meeting up with and then following the valley floor as it climbs.
We heard lots of animal cries and there was much debate over whether these were birds or marmots, but we only saw small birds - something like sparrows and something like wagtails skimming the river, but never close enough or still enough to make a proper identification. We did see a kestrel hovering briefly near the top of the valley.
The final climb of the day was up and over the Pass Maighels and past a very beautiful, but unnamed lake. By this point I really did want to go for a swim! Must bring a costume next time we're in this part of the world. From there the path drops quite steeply down to Vermiegel hütte for a well earned cold drink. Overall we were walking for about 6 hours (including breaks) and covered 13.9km with 785m ascent and 815m descent. There was some debate over the grade, but we managed to agree on T2+.
The Vermiegelhütte was very well appointed, with hut shoes and a drying room complete with de-humidifier. We were treated to a very good dinner of soup, salad, spätzle & meat roll with broccoli and a lemon cream and berry desert.
After a bit of a mixed night sleep in the shared room, but with a good breakfast of muesli, yoghurt, fruit and cheese inside of us, and loaded up with the fruit tea provided by the hut for those departing (a great idea), we headed off down the Unteralp valley towards Andermatt.
The highlight of the day was seeing lots of marmots! They'd obviously found a well suited part of the mountain and were proudly proclaiming ownership of their areas. The grazing around seemed good for them, and they looked as though they were trying hard to fatten up for winter.
We made good progress on easy paths down to Andermatt, and arrived a bit before midday to finish off a lovely two days of walking with great views in a stunning and beautiful part of the world. The second day was shorter than the first - 9.0km with 150m ascent and 735m decent and T1 which took us 3 hours 10.
The journey back by train was slightly more full than usual, owing to the accident and closure of the Gotthard tunnel. A beer and a first-class ticket definitely helped with the sense of humour...
Lake District - July
In late July Jules and I headed to the Lake District to meet up with my family and celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a quiet and pleasant family time, some walking and sightseeing in the Lake District, combined with Jules and I catching up with some old friends who live in the area. The days broke down as follows:
Friday
We left Switzerland after work on Friday, and unfortunately had a slightly difficult journey to the Lake District. Our flight was delayed slightly, the first train we intended to take was cancelled (leaving just two more connections to Windermere that evening), and then problems on the main line meant that we were stationary at Preston for a little over an hour. We missed the last connection to Windermere and had to take a taxi provided by the train company. We finally arrived at the house well after midnight and somewhat exhausted. A beer did a good job of restoring a sense of humour, and a good night's sleep did the rest.
Saturday
We had a fairly gentle start on Saturday. We all strolled together down to Hawkshead for a look around the village. We had some excellent tea and scones in Minstrels Gallery and bought some goodies from the surprisingly good delicatessen at The Honey Pot. In the afternoon some of us strolled back to the house to relax, whilst others went for a swim in the lake.
Sunday
We wanted to spend the day together for my parent's wedding anniversary, and so we all went to Grizedale park for a sculpture walk. The kids also managed to get in some mountain biking and we had a picnic lunch. In the afternoon we went back to the house for an Anniversary dinner all together, and a relaxing evening.
Monday
The somewhat inclement weather unfortunately put paid to my father's desire to climb Skiddaw, and instead we decided to head up Conniston Old Man - that being the better option in terms of protection from the weather on the ascent/descent and the travel required. The boys headed off for that walk, whilst the girls went for a hack, booked through a (fairly) local stables.
The walk up Conniston Old Man started fairly well - cloudy, but dry as we headed of - but which turned to proper rain at about the YHA hostel. We took a bit of an unintended detour, but one which made the walk a nice loop, rather than simply out and back. We made our way steadily up the hill, generally OK, but not quite properly equipped. Joseph in particular could have used some waterproof trousers, and I should have swapped my shorts for waterproof trousers at the hostel, rather than continuing on wet. It was a good reminder that the weather in the UK can be quite unforgiving, and care and attention is most definitely required. The summit was in cloud and very windy and wet so we didn't hang around after the obligatory photo at the trig point (to add to my growing collection of grey and wet Lake District summits, anonymous in the clouds). However the other walkers we met were all in good and robust spirits despite or perhaps because of the weather, and a big slice of anniversary cake each certainly helped with the mood. Overall the walk was 10.9km with 1150m of ascent/descent and took us 4 hours 25 minutes. If we'd been in Switzerland, I'd have rated it a T1+, with just the last 100 vertical metres of steeper steps. Dinner was a rather good venison dish courtesy of Len
Tuesday, Wednesday
After a relaxing morning, Jules travelled to Buxton to meet up with Helen and Adam, and I headed to Manchester to meet up with Slick. We met in the Alchemist for a drink and then headed to El Gato Negro Tapas for rather good tapas. I stayed in the very pleasant Dakota hotel, which was conveniently near the train station and the centre of town. On Wednesday I did a bit of shopping in town before meeting up with Slick for lunch. In the afternoon I visited Manchester Cathedral, and the John Rylands Library before retiring to the Alchemist for dinner.
Thursday
Jules and I met in Manchester and after a little more shopping we headed to Piccolino for a rather good lunch. We set off in good time to the airport, only to find that our flight was delayed, and our bags also held up once we arrived [sighs]. We ran for the last train out of Zürich airport and were home a lot later than we'd expected. It was a lovely trip, except for the travel, which wasn't as easy as we would have liked.
Seville - April
For the week after Easter, Jules and I headed to Seville for a city break. We had high hopes, and we certainly weren't disappointed by the city with its lovely colours, pretty ceramics, and excellent food and drink. We stayed for four nights, which was about the right length of time to see the city. The weather was very kind to us - about 30 degrees during the day but cool at night. We stayed right in the old town and walked everywhere enjoying the pretty courtyards, narrow streets and tapas bars. We took along a book and map of self-guided tours, which was a good option for us because it allowed us to go at our own pace and to see the particular parts that interested us.
The days broke down as follows:
Sunday
We flew to Seville airport and then took a taxi to town because the bus seemed a bit of a faff. We found the hotel H10 Casa de la Plata easily enough, but it was good to have the maps. After a very warm welcome at check-in and unpacking we headed out for a wander around to get the feel of the place. The old town was very pretty and with lots of life - small shops were open and well frequented despite being late on a Sunday afternoon. We found the river and decided to go to Restaurant Salas where Jules had a very good grilled Dorado and I tried the Jamon. Pleasantly tired we headed back to the hotel, not even tempted by the Churros y Patatas restaurant, and figuring out that it wasn't a good idea to try to navigate by Ale-Hop shops.
Monday
After a good night sleep on a great bed, and a really excellent breakfast, we headed out on our first walking tour - # 5 from "A guide to Seville" by P. S. Quick. We strolled to the start at Puente San Telmo and followed the route through the Triana area. We wandered through the old town admiring the historic churches and buildings. We found the ceramics street, but unfortunately not replacements for our yellow bowls. We stopped at the busiest bar in the area for a great cortado, although the staff were very stressed - it looked like they'd had a busy breakfast service. We went to the Mercado de Triana, and picked up some bits and bobs including of course some Pimentón. We continued on to the towers, noting that the Schindler’s tower looked a bit out of place - almost brutalist amongst the more classic Moorish designs, the navigation museum, plus the modern art museum. For lunch we went back to Centro Commercial Torre Seville for some surprisingly good tapas at La Industrial Cerveceria - very good Boquerones.
After lunch we strolled back through town to the hotel for a Siesta before heading out shopping in the evening. We managed to find Jules some replacement sandals - never an easy task! We tried to go to Morales bar for a sherry, but unfortunately it was closed. We headed instead to Les Terasses for a nice cold sherry and good Boquerones. We wandered up to the mushroom and Los Alcazares bar for more good sherry and tapas. We declined the walk up to the top of the mushroom because we felt it was a bit steep at €15 per person
Tuesday
After another good night's sleep and great breakfast we headed out to see the cathedral. We walked around the outside, but didn't go in owing to the queues. We had a slightly frustrating experience buying tickets online for the Alcázar, but Jules figured it out before Stuart lost his temper with the website. We wandered through the backstreets to the Murillo gardens, past the Christopher Columbus monument and on to the Plaza España where we saw a small amount of Flamenco. We managed to find the spot where Jules & Robert took their photo years ago and got another shot of the Malaga province. We had a light lunch in a cool locals bar then a wander through the botanical gardens - very pleasant and very green. Lots of cool benches covered in the local tiles. In the early afternoon we headed back to the centre and El Corte Ingles to pick up some bits & pieces and for Jules to go jeans shopping, whilst yours truly took refuge in bar El Patio with the Jamon and funky seats.
In the evening we headed to El Rinconcillo, but it was closed. We had a cold sherry in the bar opposite, then headed up to the Macarena area for drinks and dinner. We found the Avenida de Hercules without any particular trouble, but there was a bit of confusion about the columns which definitely looked like lions. We ate at Las Columnas on the Avenida, which was perfectly acceptable, but a bit touristy. We wandered back to see if El Rinconcillo was open (it wasn't), so went to the rooftop bar for a nightcap overlooking the city.
Wednesday
We finally got round to trying the Churros bar just near the hotel, and it was excellent! Superb atmosphere, mostly locals, with good coffee and Churros. After second breakfast we headed up to the Macarena Arch taking in the Alameda de Hércules and the Torre de los Perdigones and the Andalusia Parliament building. We lunched on the way to Alcázar - an excellent paella at Bar Gonzalo. In the early afternoon we went into the Real Alcázar, which was very impressive. A very interesting combination of lovely Moorish and Christian architecture, colourful and very well-kept. We wandered around the palace and gardens for a good few hours and then returned to Bar Gonzales for a refreshment. For a last stretch of the legs we walked down to the bull ring and the Torro Oro for a bit more sightseeing and one last round of tapas before heading back to the hotel to relax for the evening. and finishing off a lovely holiday.
Skiing Lech - January
For the main skiing holiday of my season, Giley and I headed over to Lech to meet up with Ali, Johnathon and Gordon for a week at the lovely Hotel Roggal. We were very lucky with the snow conditions, a good dump just before we arrived, and then snowfall overnight on a few nights during the stay. There were almost no lift queues the entire time we were there, which made for easy and full days. We ended up in the Rud-Alpe bar at the end of most days, enjoying the atmosphere and a refreshing beer.
It was a fairly full week skiing wise. We managed 218.5km and 36,500m descent over 99 runs and 6 days. The days broke down as follows:
Tuesday
We set off early from Zürich in fairly good conditions. The snow started to fall more heavily as we entered Austria, and conditions became a bit more treacherous as we started the climb a Steuben. However, we arrived safe and sound at the ever welcoming Hotel Roggal, grateful that there was lots of fresh snow, and good conditions.
Keen to get going, Giley and I got suited up and headed up to the slopes above Lech. We spent the morning there, off to the sides - in my case trying to remember how to ski, this being my first time for the season. We stopped for a very pleasant lunch in Kriegeralpe restaurant just below the top of Hasensprung lift. It was the first time I've been inside the restaurant (normally we'd sit outside in the sun), and it's much bigger and more pleasant that I expected. Giley had the goulash soup and I had the Rinds bullion with Knödel - and we were both pleased with the choices.
After lunch we headed over to Warth for a bit of a change of scenery. Giley managed to lose a ski on an un-marked piste (he claims marmots ambushed him, but no-one else is convinced), but eventually recovered his ski from the deep snow. On the way back to Lech we made the mistake of following a group of good ski-tourers down a lovely powder field. This was great fun until Giley found a stream and couldn't resist going for a paddle. Not the best idea with electrically heated boots...
With the sun coming out we managed a couple of excellent runs including the off-piste area under Hasensprung, and Nord Hang down off the top - all great fun in great snow conditions. We finished up at Rud Alpe for a well deserved refreshment before heading down. It was a somewhat technical descent after one too many, and a long walk back after making exactly the same navigational mistake as last year! For dinner, we went to Don Enzo's in town before collapsing into bed early after a long but great day.
Wednesday 11-Jan
After a good breakfast in Hotel Roggal we headed over to St. Anton. I wasn't feeling great - probably a few too many beers over the last couple of days - and it was a bit slow-going in the morning. The lifts were pretty empty - we barely waited in a queue all day, and the snow was very good higher up, albeit a tiny bit refrozen lower down. We made good progress over to the St Anton side, although quite a few of the usual runs were closed or not even marked - we thought perhaps a bit early in the season, given relatively little snow.
We stopped for a skiwasser and cappuccino in Ulmer Hutte before heading over to the Nasserine side. The runs there were being set up for the women’s downhill race, but we made it through the tunnel (added just for the race) to the far side. We didn't stop at the re-branded Thony's, but instead headed back up Nasserine for a good lunch of Tiroller Gröstl in Gampen, which went a long way to sorting me out.
After lunch we started the journey back to Lech. We detoured slightly to see St Christoph, and went up to the top of Trittkopf (rather than take the ski route from mid-station), but otherwise went the usual route. My legs were pretty tired by the time we reached Zurs, but we pressed on along ski route 170 to loop back via Balmalpbahn into Lech. Obviously we stopped at Rud-Alpe for a brief refreshment!
For dinner we went to Ambrosia restaurant in town. I had a very good chicken Caesar salad, and Giley had an excellent plate of ribs. I missed Ali, Gordon, & Johnathon arriving because I was fast asleep...
Thursday
We met the others at breakfast, and after the usual faff renting equipment we headed up to the slopes above Lech. We managed to lose Johnathon on the first run (accidentally, we promise), but caught up again under Hasensprung. We did a few runs above Lech, then headed over to Warth. By mid-morning Gordon was feeling a little Goulash soup-less, but that was swiftly rectified in Punsch hutte. We skied around a little and ended up in Kriegeralpe for a very good Rösti all round for lunch.
After lunch, we skied gently above Lech before heading down Nord Hang, which was good fun. We finished the day back in Rud-Alpe for a quick beer. For dinner, we headed to Café Fritz in town. The food was good, but the service wasn't so great.
Friday
Feeling up for a bit of a tour, we headed over to Rendl. We were under slight time constraints because we were booked into Rud-Alpe at 3:30. We made good progress - taking the first lift out of Lech, and down into Zurs. The light a bit flat, but the slopes were pretty empty, and we made good progress cruising. There were almost no queues over the Flexenbahn and we quickly headed down into St Anton.
The sky cleared as we arrived in Rendl, and we were treated to blue skies and great snow. Ali, Giley and I went to the top of Riffelbahn-II and had a great time on the ski route from the top. The snow was fantastic, but we only had time for a few runs before we had to head back.
There was a bit of a disaster on the journey back when we realised that the Zugerbahn lift back to Balmalp above Lech was closed, owing to string winds. Rather than take the closed ski-route we headed down anyway, and miraculously the lift started running again, just in time to take us back to Lech and to arrive in time at Rud Alpe. In the end the band wasn't playing, but we had a beer to commiserate. We skied down with the piste-bashers again - we need to not make this a habit... For dinner, we headed to Olympia Café for a good pizza, but rather expensive wine.
Saturday
With a good dump of snow overnight and lovely conditions, it was time to get out the powder skis and go playing in the fields above Zürs. We took the first lift up in slightly flat light, but much improved by the time we arrived. We did a few good runs down the centre of the area, and a couple of awesome runs down far left areas cutting back to the pistes just above the Zürsersee lift. We also did an awesome run down off the Muggengratbahn, taking Ali's advice and staying skier's right along the ridge just below the hut - perfect conditions for fat skis.
For lunch we headed over to Trittalpe. The burgers were reported as being very good, and my baked potato was OK, but a bit undercooked and too much sour cream. In the afternoon we took a gentle ski back via Madlochbahn and route 173. We stopped for a quick glühwein in Balmalp and tried to stop in Rud-Alpe, but they were closed for a special event. For dinner, we headed back to Ambrosius. I tried the ribs this time, and I can confirm they're as good as Giley reported. I'm not so sure about the pine-cone schnapps though...
Sunday
Slightly sad that it was the last day, we packed our bags and headed out for a gentle cruise around Lech and Warth. We tried a few routes that had opened for the weekend. It was nice & gentle skiing on-piste in good conditions. We departed Warth when the weather started to close in and headed back to Lech for a last couple of runs to finish early on the last day. We took advantage of hte excellent checkout facilities in Hotel Roggal and picked up a sandwich from the Backstube in Lech for the journey back. It was quite wet for most of the drive, but otherwise thankfully uneventful.
