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Peak District 2012

Day 1 - Mam Tor

I really miss the mountains and the real great outdoors living on the small island of Malta where you are never very far from a road, so when the opportunity of a few days walking in the Peak district presented itself, it was a chance not to be missed.

So it was that I found myself walking out of Hope Station and off in the direction of Castleton for an ascent of Mam Tor, the local 'big mountain'. It stands at 517m and looks over the village at the one end of a long ridge. Hope is only a couple of miles from Castleton and there is a nice path through the fields to get there which nicely avoids the roads and made a good introduction to my weekends walking. Once in Castleton I located the path for the acent of the mountain. My ascent route took me through some fields accessed from the road leading to Winnatts pass. Already I had my waterproofs on as the rain was coming down in buckets, but it didn't matter, I was out in the countryside and had no plans to let rain spoil my day!

The path soon begins to ascend and crosses the now closed road from Castleton to Chapel en le Frith, which now uses the Winnats pass. As I crossed it, I remembered back to 1979 when part of the road collapsed. At the time, there was talk about repairs, but obviously none had been made and it is now the sole preserve of walkers and cyclists who can still use it. My plan was to take a more direct ascent to the summit and once across the road looked up towards the summit which was now in cloud and pressed on.

As I ascended I came to the Odin cave which was a small cave, so named because of the Odin mine adjacent to it; the oldest documented mine in Derbyshire and is thought to be one of the oldest lead mines in England - quite a history! It is big enough to walk in and shelter from the rain which I did for a few minutes whilst taking a drink and locating a 'goodie' bar from my pack. Soon enough I was on my way onward and upward towards the summit. As I walked up, I thought back many years to when this side of the mountain was closed due to erosion from so many walkers. It is now open and clearly testament to the decision made at the time to give the mountain time to recover which it seems to have done.

Soon enough the inclination eased off and the trig point came into view. It was a few easy steps to the summit stone which of course had to be both touched and photographed as proof of ascent. Deciding to press on, I turned right (almost North) and followed the ridge along and down to Hollins Cross where the footpath to Edale disappeared to my left (North West) and my descent to Castleton to the right.

The descent was easy along a good path and I soon came to the tarmac road which runs right into the centre of Castleton itself. Stopping briefly at the shops I picked up some provisions which consisted mainly of more 'goodie' bars and a map (OL1) which I would need for tomorrows ascent of Kinder Scout and headed out of town to the new Youth Hostel at Lose Hall. As I approached the turning to the Youth Hostel I couldn't help noticing the awful cement works chimney and buildings across the field - what an eyesore! The Youth Hostel is in huge grounds and once through the gate is still several minutes walk to the main reception. The last time I stayed in Castleton Youth Hostel it was in the middle of the town, it seems the old one closed during the last week of February so as I discovered on arrival, the new one had been open just one week.

At the hostel I checked in, paid the fees (£20 for the bed, £7.95 for dinner, £4.95 for breakfast and a further £4.75 for a packed lunch) then went to the dormitory to sort a bed, get a shower and organise my equipment for tomorrow. As I had plenty of time and it was still light, I took a walk around the extensive grounds to take a look at the new Hostel. That done, there was nothing more to be done but relax until dinner.

The evening meal at the hostel was excellent and well worth paying for, rather than having to use the members kitchen and cook for myself. Once fed and watered, the rest of the evening was spent exploring the hostel which is extensive and includes a small cinema, a library, a couple of common rooms and even a separate annex which can be hired in its' entirety for self-contained groups. I finished the evening by relaxing and looking at the map of tomorrows route. I decided on an early night as I had planned an early start and it would be a long day.

Page 2

Peak District 2012

Day 2 - Kinder Scout

After an early breakfast I set off from the hostel to walk into Castleton and pick up the road and path back up to Hollins Cross where I had descended yesterday. It is quite a pull up to the cross but the views were rewarding. Kinder Scout to the North West looked in great condition, not a cloud in the sky - this could be a good day! I started down towards Edale, aware of the biting wind that was blowing and thankful of the gloves and beanie I was wearing in addition to my thermal top and trusty Karrimor micro fleece jacket. My rucsac, now devoid of all of my belongings except that which I needed for the day out was a welcome back-warmer but hardly noticed with the much lighter weight.

Walking into Edale past the car park I was dismayed but not surprised to see dozens of cars already parked with their occupants either milling around or presumably having set off for the mountains. Well, it was Saturday so I shouldn't have been surprised really. Walking through the small village past the Information Centre I noticed the pubs now welcomed muddy boots, children and walkers; well they couldn't refuse really unless they want to go out of business. Approaching the famous Nags Head; the start or finish of the Pennine Way depending on your direction I followed the sign and turned left to skirt the base of the Kinder Plateau to ascend via Jacobs Ladder, the new preferred main Pennine Way route. In my day we had ascended directly up Grindsbrook Clough, onto the plateau and taken a bearing straight across! That was my return route and remained to be seen which would be preferable.

There is a short section between buildings before the path breaks out onto open ground. As I started across it was obvious this was going to be hard going; the wind was blowing directly into my face with some enthusiasm! In fact, it was so strong it was making my eyes water. This continued until I dropped over the ridge and started to head down to Upper Booth where the distant hills gave me some shelter. As I walked through the farm area my thoughts went back to previous visits to this farm and in particular the camp site. The first time was on the Aconcagua selection weekend, where I was chosen from many hopefuls, and the second time where I was leading a bivvy weekend with friends. Both times had taken me onto Kinder Scout and both times conditions had been good, so what lay ahead today?

From there I had a section of road to walk along before going into the Peak Estate and onto a rockier path. Now it was steadily upwards but not too steep until after a mile or so, the bottom of Jacobs Ladder comes into view in the shape of an old stone bridge. The first break of the day was here to drink, take some food and fire off a few snaps of the very photogenic bridge and stream. Finally it was time to begin the toughest climb of the day and off I set. Almost at the top I noticed a Raven sat on the grass sheltering from the wind. As I approached he clearly had no intentions of moving, if he had spread his wings he would have been over Edale without a single flap! I fired off a few snaps and managed to get quite close without disturbing him.

The path is quite an easy one underfoot - it is mostly flat stones made into a series of steps finally gaining an altitude of just over 500m. At the top of the rise, the path splits in two, the Pennine Way (and my route) turn North over Swines Back, Kinder Low and the summit trig point at 633m. Staying on the left along this section is sensible as the going is much easier than to the right of the trig point which is peat bogs underfoot. It was a glorious day, but the wind was blowing strongly so not warm. I could easily see my next destination; Kinder Downfall which is a waterfall taking the River Kinder eventually down to the Kinder Reservoir to the West. On arrival I noticed that the wind was so strong that the water was being blown back up the waterfall not down it and walkers crossing the river were getting wet from the spray. Calling it a river is somewhat over-stating it. At this time, it was little more than a small stream but given bad conditions it could be much bigger and stronger of course.

I decided to call a lunch stop here as the next part of the journey would see me walking back directly across the tops and it would be peat bogs all the way. I located a few rocks that would serve as shelter from the biting wind which if anything had picked up even stronger than earlier and huddled down as much as I could, using my rucsac as extra shelter. I ate my lunch quickly as I knew delaying too long would just result in me getting cold. Of course I would never condone drinking alcohol in such a place but I was a little sad that my trusty hip flask with my favourite 'JD' had been emptied at Malta Airport. A quick gulp of that would have warmed me nicely!

Keen to get started again, I finished my lunch, packed away the rubbish in a bag bought especially for the purpose - one of my pet hates is rubbish on the mountainside or anywhere in the countryside for that matter. If you can carry the containers full of drink or food, then surely it is not asking too much to take the empty container home with you? Taking a quick look at the map in the shelter of the rocks I noticed that the path goes North East for a short while then turns South East across the open land. Also that it follows the line of the river so I made a decision to follow the river, arguing that it might be a better route than straight across the peat groughs. The river meandered around the groughs which at points were more than 3m high above my head. I continued, checking my compass which confirmed that I was going in generally the right direction as there was no views of the surrounding countryside. It was quite spooky in places as I thought I could hear voices from time to time but had seen no-one since leaving the downfall. I had noticed footprints in the sand coming in the opposite direction so maintained my confidence that the route was a good one.

Eventually the stream petered out and I had no choice but to climb out and onto the peat. It is never easy doing this as the peat gives way at every step but the secret is to 'go for it' and not stop otherwise you simply slide back down again. On the top I looked across and could see the edge of the plateau within half a mile or so. Jumping from knoll to knoll trying to avoid dips I made my way across and was soon on much firmer ground. I had done it. Thinking back to the route choice at the Nags Head, this route would have been a baptism of fire for anyone walking the Pennine Way. Imagine that on Day one of a three week walking holiday! Mind you, I didn't need to imagine it, I just needed to cast my mind back all those years to when I walked it!

Following the edge of the plateau on an easy going path I made good progress and soon arrived at the top of Grindsbrook Clough. Descending this section is hard on the knees as there is no real path and the route follows the stream down over loose rocks dropping steeply for the first 100m of descent then easing off for the next 200m of descent crossing and recrossing the stream until breaking out onto a good path before a bridge and stile which marks the edge of the Peak Estate. From here it is an easy flagstone path to the final bridge and into Edale.

The route pops out at the Nags Head again and it is a strong willed chap that resists its call. Of course I am not a strong willed chap when a bar is presented at the end of a long walk and whilst I still had some miles to walk back to Castleton, I decided on a quick pint and the chance to warm up a little before completing the day so in I went. Needless to say the pub was filled with like-minded souls so it was rucsacs and boots everywhere. I was just another walker enjoying the hospitality.

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Peak District 2012

Day 3 - Lose Hill to Mam Tor

For my third and final days walking I decided on an ascent of Lose Hill, then to follow the ridge along to Mam Tor and then make a decision on the route back depending on the weather. As it turned out, the sun wasn't shining, but it wasn't raining and the strong winds of yesterday seemed to have died down. I could be lucky with the weather again today!

Setting off from the hostel I picked up the path which actually ran around the back of the grounds and soon had me climbing and too warm for my jacket which was quickly stowed in the rucsac. Lose Hill stands at 476m and provides excellent views all around. It was a clear day. Stopping for a brief rest and to put my jacket back on again I noticed a friendly sheep approaching. It was a little too friendly it seemed, taking a close interest in my camera as a potential source of food! A father and daughter appeared and told me that this sheep was well known for its thievery and begging talents and would happily take any food left unattended!

The entire ridge is a path of flagstones which I have a mixed feeling about. Yes it is good that further erosion is vastly reduced but that feeling of walking on grass or mud is taken away which for me, slightly spoils the experience of being out. Following the path down I came once again to Hollins Cross and looked across to Edale and the Kinder plateau that I had walked yesterday and couldn't help feeling slightly smug as I realised that the entire plateau was in the clouds. I had got my plans totally right! I could put it down to years of experience of course, but as we all know, it is simply the luck of the draw in many cases, this being one of those cases. Either way, I had good views, a nice day and plenty of time to enjoy the countryside and lose myself in my thoughts, or simply enjoy being out, not thinking of anything in particular.

Finally I came to the ascent of Mam Tor again, retracing my descent path from two days ago but this time in good visibility and no rain. Soon enough I was on the summit but only stayed long enough to take a couple of photos before descending as the wind had picked up a bit and made it quite cold, although nowhere near as cold as yesterday. Soon I was on the lee side and sheltered so stopped for my lunch, admiring the view across to Winnats pass and the rolling farm land beyond.

It was still quite early; about 12:30pm, the sun was doing it's best to shine and the wind had dropped so I decided to take the long route back to Castleton which would take me South to join the Limestone Way, then follow that for a while.

Lunch duly finished, I cleared up and set off. Clearly this was a popular area, especially on a Sunday afternoon and I saw plenty of other walkers around. Joining the Limestone Way I recalled back in 2000 this area had been part of the 'Polaris Challenge'; a two day mountain bike/orienteering event that I had entered with my good friend Adrian. Great fun! The Limestone Way starts in Castleton and runs for some fifty miles into Staffordshire. Now I have never done this walk but it looks like it could be fun over about three days or so. Anyway, I followed this for the final (or first) couple of miles into Cave Dale which I fully expected to be littered with interesting caves that could be explored - I had my head torch just in case! One or two looked like they might come to something but sadly no. One nice aspect of the Dale is the rear view of Peveril Castle which I had not seen before. As I came to the gate at the end, I noticed an information board and discovered how the Dale got its' name; it is on top of the huge 'Peak Cavern'; the largest natural cave system in the Peak District. Amusingly, it is now named 'The Devils Arse' or should I say renamed as it was originally called that but changed during a visit by Queen Victoria in 1880. I'm not sure when it was renamed back to the 'Devils Arse' but thinking back to when I came to this area as either a child or more recently ten years ago or so I'm pretty sure it was still 'Peak Cavern' but I stand corrected if anyone knows better!

Walking into Castleton, my plan was to head back to the Youth Hostel but passing a pub noticed that the rugby international was being shown and, if you dear reader, recall from yesterday, I am not a strong willed person, so decided that a fitting end to the day would be to watch Scotland give the French a lesson in rugby so in I went. As luck would have it, kick off had only been fifteen minutes ago, so I ordered a pint and settled down to watch the match. Those of you with good memories may recall that my desired outcome failed to materialise and France won. Oh well, it was a good match and a great way to end a most enjoyable walk.

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Peak District 2012

Castleton

Castleton village was mentioned as Pechesers in the Domesday Book in 1086 where "Arnbiorn and Hundingr held the land of William Peverel's castle in Castleton". This land and Peverel's castle were amongst the manors belonging to William Peverel that also included Bolsover and Glapwell. Castleton later prospered from lead mining; the Odin Mine, one of the oldest lead mines in the country, is situated 1.5 kilometres west of the village. This created and enlarged local caverns, four of which are now open to the public as Peak Cavern, Blue John Cavern, Speedwell Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern. A limited supply of Blue John is mined locally.

Castleton is situated between the gritstone plateau of the Dark Peak to the north and the gentler limestone scenery of the White Peak to the south. It lies at the western end of the Hope Valley and consequently is surrounded on three sides by hills. Most prominent is the ridge to the north. This is called the Great Ridge; it runs east from Mam Tor to Back Tor and Lose Hill, via the pass (hause) of Hollins Cross, where paths from many directions can be seen converging to cross over to Edale.

I first came to Castleton in about 1972. In those days it was a major expedition from Birmingham. Nowadays it is considered as a 'day out'. I remember coming when there was snow on the ground and have memories of sitting in a bin bag half way up Winnats pass and sliding down totally out of control towards the road below. Great times! Can you imagine doing that these days? Or worse still, allowing a child in your care to do it, you'd be locked up! Back then we didn't worry too much and probably had a much better childhood as a result!

Castleton is famous for all the caves in the area and the fine walking countryside, the ridge of Mam Tor being visible on all but the worst days, Edale a couple of miles to the North West. The caving is great, some of the caves are open to the public such as Speedwell Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern, others for those of us prepared to get down and dirty. The last time I came to Castleton I was leading a bivvy weekend and we actually spent the night in one of the caves which was great apart from the fact that, like most Limestone caves, it dripped water most of the night!

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Archery and Palinka

Neither of us had ever been to Hungary and having been invited last year but unable to go, we were very keen to visit the home country of my good friend Attila who had invited us. We travelled via Air Malta to Vienna which is about 40 minutes drive from Attila's home city of Sopron (pronounced Shopron).

Attila was at the airport to collect us and in no time we were pulling up outside his parents apartment. Gizi and Laszlo greeted us warmly, although neither spoke any English and our Hungarian needs some work! Dropping off our gear we dined with them, then Attila forced us out for a beer or two at a couple of bars he knew - we were finally in Hungary!

Saturday morning saw us up and about fairly early. We took a walk into the old city, but because we had only planned to go out for milk I didn't have my camera with me which was a shame because the city is amazing, oh well, we are here for two weeks so there will be many other opportunities. Later on Attila took us to visit some friends of his where we could have a go at archery.

It was freezing cold whilst we were there, but to get us started we tasted our first 'palinka' which is Hungarian fire water and very successfully warms the insides! Bolstered by that we stepped outside where Laszlo (friend, not Dad) showed us how it was supposed to be done.

It was our turn.

Amazingly my first quiver of arrows went well, all arrows in the target and none too shabby. Attila then stepped up to the mark and fired off a quiver. It would be an interesting afternoon, it seemed that archery is in the Hungarian blood and his arrows all found their targets.

Adriana took a turn at the bow which of course, sent us all running for cover as she fired off the arrows - amazingly, they found their mark and we were all suitably impressed, nervous, but impressed!

Having had some practise and a couple of 'Soproni' lagers to help the aim, it was competition time. Inner ring worth five points, next four points and so on.

Laszlo had first turn and scored 31 points. Mick was next with 26 points and Attila trailed in third with 24 points but as you can see, his aim was a little off!

The competion continued with more lagers being drunk and ever increasing cold until we decided it was time to call it a day as it began to get dark. Plus, everyone else had vanished.

The Wine Cellar.

We discovered where everyone was - they have a wine cellar!

We wandered down for a chat and of course had to 'taste' the wine.

Now a Hungarian tasting session is somewhat different from a normal wine tasting experience!

Firstly, there is no spitting out, it has to be drunk, and secondly, the amount of taste wine pretty much fills the glass. This has several benefits; you get a proper taste, time to savour the wine, check and recheck to confirm your initial thoughts on the wine and secondly, you get very drunk! We lost count of how long we were in the cellar for but it was some considerable time and therefore some considerable tasting went on, including a special bottle that they opened just for us that had lain in the cellar several years - it was excellent. I now have a new respect for Hungarian wines, especially red.

Richard was our main host, who spent time explaining to us the methods he employs to make the wine, where he got the grapes from, how long it was stored there and so on. It was fascinating to listen to him talk about a subject that he is quite clearly passionate about, but sadly, the quantity of tasting meant that very little was retained in the grey matter so a return visit might be required just to confirm a few points!

Finally we climbed the stairs, which during the evening had got much steeper, said our farewells and headed home. If this is typical, this holiday could be a very long and tiring one!

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Picnic in the Park

Our first stop today was probably one of the most poignant images of Hungary that we would see on the entire holiday - although at the time we didn't realise it. This was the site of the Pan European Picnic.

In fact, it was anything but a picnic, it was the location of the breaking down of the wall between the East and the West. Standing in this park, it was hard to visualise that just over twenty years ago, walking along the road Westward would have got you shot!

Twenty years ago!

The concept just refused to set into my mind and as we walked around the park reading about the history, how people were oppressed, how driving through the gate required daily searches, permits, armed guards intimidating you as you went about your legitimate business, I couldn't help thinking just how different my life was twenty years ago. I could go anywhere I wanted, pretty much do anything I wanted without restriction. At the time I would have been thirty one years old enjoying running, cycling, walking, freedom! Yet here we were with our good friend Attila who experienced all this first hand. I gained a new respect for him and his family.

The main statue in the centre symbolises the breakdown of the wall and even features a small section of the Berlin wall as a reminder of all those hard years. At one side of the park near the road that crosses the border are some examples of the fences that were erected there. A scary prospect for anyone trying for their freedom in the West. More information about this can be found at Pan European Picnic

Walking around the park, there are boards showing the history of the area and explaining how the breaking down on the wall actually happened and what the implications of it were. Apparently one very humane act was that the guards were still under orders to shoot anyone trying to cross, but the commander at the time elected to ignore that order so that people could cross. Remember at that time, such an act would have been a court martial offence and almost certainly resulting in execution - brave man! As far as I know, he survived.

After that emotional visit, we then drove to Fertorakos to visit the lake there, which was very quiet at this time of year. There was a series of thatched cottages leading off a main promenade which would have been just fantastic in the summer. This was winter though so a little less exciting, although we would have been happy to be inside as it was quite cold with the wind blowing across the lake.

Some are privately owned, others owned by companies such as the military and the electricity board.

The lake, it turned out was quite shallow at just a couple of metres deep and very murky - not really a dive site, oh well!

Nowhere was open for lunch so we drove off to Fertorakos itself and found a small restaurant which looked like an English pub. Walking inside we were greeted my warm air, foody smells and a nice atmosphere - this would do!

Not knowing what to order, we left the choice in Attila's capable hands and he didn't disappoint! He had Goulash, I had a chicken soup which came in a huge container and provided three or four platefuls and Adriana had a soup contained in a huge loaf of bread which had been hollowed out and the top cut away. It was amazing! Of course we all had to try each others soups and could have quite easily swapped several times!

We took our time and enjoyed the food, chat and atmosphere until it was finally time to leave so, having experienced the cold, made sure we were well wrapped up before heading out.

Attila wanted to show us a real look-out tower that we could climb so we drove off down country lanes until we came across one. Parking up we walked down the very muddy track that lead to it, noticing a few workmen collecting reeds for, what we concluded must be for thatching roofs. We arrived at the tower after a few minutes but the way was barred with a no-entry sign.

Now I cannot read Hungarian so even though it was a red circle on a notice that was chained across the steps, I interpreted this as saying 'Please climb this tower'. Attila agreed with my translation so up we went. Adriana decided to stay on Terra Firma and take photos from below.

Once at the top, we had a fantastic view across the 'field', although to call it a field is something of an understatement as it stretched as far as the eye could see - which was a long way! We could also see the next tower some several hundred metres away, more evidence of occupation sadly.

Finally climbing down we walked back to the car passing the workmen who were obviously distinctly unconcerned by our climbing antics.

Driving on we crossed the border into Austria to come to a small town called Deutschkreutz which we were told was famous for its' natual spring water which is mildly sparkling. Finding this a strange concept, we went in search of a tap to taste the water and sure enough it is slightly fizzy with quite an acceptable taste, so if anyone tries to sell you a bottle of Deutschkreutz sparkling water, you can be assured that it is straight out of the ground with nothing added!

After that, it was back to Sopron for dinner and relaxing. An excellent day with a lot of images to process in the brain, a lot of information about a country with a very troubled history that has come out of if hopefully stronger and better able to deal with anything life can throw at it.

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Walking in the Forest

Let's clear one thing up straight away, there are no mountains around Sopron! There are a few hills but nothing high enough to claim the status of mountain. What there is in abundance is forest! There are miles and miles of it.

Our plan today was to go for a walk in the forest that surrounds Sopron. We drove to the edge of the forest, the donning our boots and warm gear headed off towards our first goal; the radio tower. As we approached it began to look higher and higher and standing at the foot it became quite intimidating.

When you have seen one radio tower you have seen them all, so we left and walked the short distance to the Karoly Tower. This tower, other than providing good views across Sopron and the surrounding land is also a museum to Mr Karoly who, amongst other things was something of a botanist it seems and the the rooms off the spiral staircase lead into exhibits and reports of his work. Like most places we would visit, it was totally in Hungarian so impossible to understand, but interesting nontheless. Attila translated the main points for us which was nice. Eventually we made our way to the top of the tower for the obligatory photos and look around at the world.

Returning to the ground, we first negotiated the use of the toilet which it seems was not really in use because of the chances of the water freezing, but we managed to gain access. Thus relieved, we set off into the forest and soon came to some signposts. Deciding to follow route '4' for no other reason than it seemed nice we soon found ourselves at a clearing where we could see in the distance a tower (The Varhelyi Tower).

Deciding it would make a good target to aim for, we set off in the general direction which clearly was not too popular on the grounds that there seemed to be a distinct lack of footpath. Never being one to worry about such things I led the charge through the woods getting ever closer to the tower. Unfortunately for us, we quickly realised that the tower was further away than we thought but we had started and therefore, the law states that we must finish so on we went. The direct route took us down into a valley which, as any schoolboy, or in this case, wife knows, to get to a tower on the top of a hill you have to go back up again. This was pointed out to me to which my response was presumably incorrect (it always seems to be when faced with such comments) when I stated that it wasn't too bad and we would soon be at the tower - not so!

Battling back up the other side of the valley we eventually came to a good solid footpath but the tower had disappeared from view which came as a surprise as it seemed very close. Some fifteen to twenty minutes later we finally arrived at the tower, tired but happy that we had arrived.

Of course, law two states that it must be climbed so up we went and were treated with an excellent view of the forest and the radio tower from where we had come, which now looked very small. The schoolboys amongst you will of course, immediately realise that this meant it was a long way away, a fact I was keen to avoid mentioning as the car was there too.

We decided on lunch at the foot of the tower to bring our strength back up again before heading off back to where we had started. Finally we were away, pausing a few minutes to try to locate the 'settlement' that had been described on the map. Failing in our attempts we wasted no further time and began walking back. To my relief it seemed mostly downhill. This was good for marital relations as wives, in my opinion are much happier going down than they ever are going up.

We continued down for what was clearly a lot longer than we had gone up, but Attila assured us he knew where we were. Now that sounds positive you would think, but knowing where you are and being where you want to be can often be a long time apart. So it was on this walk, but finally after much forest walking, route debating and consideration, we came back to a clearing that even we recognised which definitely meant we were close to the car. From the clearing it was, thankfully downhill all the way, apart from the flat bits so hearts were happy, legs were happy, wives were happy! We were even rewarded by the sight of a woodpecker on the way down!

We were soon at the car heading back to Attilas parents house for a well deserved shower and meal. The evening was spent relaxing and preparing for the next day and trying in vain to find a television channel that was in English other than CNN or BBC World news - we failed!

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Brennbergbanya and Table Footie

Today we had quite a drive up into the hills and forests to a small village called Brennbergbanya which in addition to being very hard to say, has the status as being the oldest mining village in Hungary. It had that air of sadness about it as if it had seen its fair share of hardship, which given that it was a mining village is almost certainly the case.

There is a small museum there which, given the time of year was closed, as was most of the village it seemed! One unusual aspect of the village was that there was a bar which was actually part of the church! Result all round and well thought out! In for prayers, then through the back for a pint or two.

We left there and drove to the nearby lake which was so quiet. We had a play on the felled trees and a short walk, then took the decision that it was lunchtime so drove off in search of food. Attila had decided that today we would try some traditional Hungarian food so took us to a 'Langos' (pronounced Langosh) cafe where we eagerly awaited the food. Langos seems to comprise of a pancake sized and shaped do-nut without the jam or sugar, probably about a million calories and comes with a variety of toppings. Adriana elected to have the mayo and I decided on the cheesy one. To counter this calorie overload we ordered diet cokes to go with them. As a food source they are great! Easy to eat, cheap and taste great!

Leaving the cafe, we waddled back to the car and decided that the only thing left would be some vigorous exercise so drove back to Sopron and went to play pool. Now the place we picked was interesting to say the least. They allowed smoking inside the building which was a bit naughty, but the most amazing part was the pool tables; the felt was completely worn away so the surface was really hard and the white ball had so many dents in it, when it came to rest it actually rocked backwards and forwards until it settled.

Of course I thrashed Attila as I always do - well, ok, I won but it was close. We then decided to play table football. Now it has been some years since I played the game so am a little rusty, but here is a bit of free advice - never challenge a Hungarian to Table Football unless you can tie at least one of his hands behind his back and ideally both of them! The first couple of games went ok, I lost but it was 6-4 so I felt I was holding my own. Then the next game was 8-2, then 9-1 and my goal was somewhat lucky. I decided after that it was time to run out of coins for another game as a whitewash would have been more than I could have borne! Adriana was somewhat surprised at the result - local turf, bad lighting, yadda, yadda, yadda. Either way I had a lesson in Table Footie!

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Sopron Old Town

Today we decided to stay local and spend the day looking around Sopron and visiting the old city, this time armed with a camera! Our first port of call was a park about twenty minutes walk away where Attila wanted to show us the 'Gumi' tree. Fascinated as to what this could be we set off in the general direction of the University and soon came to the park.

The 'Gumi' tree is big! It stood about 30m high with a broad base which in itself was not unusual. What was unusual was the bark - it was soft to the touch, almost rubbery in feel, quite unlike any bark I had felt before, and believe me, I've felt some bark in my time I can tell you! Suitably impressed we took some photos, then set off back towards the old town. On the way we were pleasantly surprised to spot a shop window with a PADI logo. Unable to resist a photo opportunity, we posed suitably!

On the way, we walked through another park which featured many statues and other memories to the various wars and conflicts that Hungary had been involved in, stopping for coffee at a really nice cafe situated right in the middle of the park, but almost underground. We sat there lazing over coffee, enjoying the relative warmth and atmosphere of the place before venturing back out and off to the Post Office where we wanted to buy some post cards and stamps. Now the Post Office was like stepping back into another world. It was set in an old building and walking in, you were transported back fifty years. There was wood everywhere until walking through a second set of doors into the post office itself. The counters were set in a u-shape which we presumed meant that you walked around until finding one free. Now being the 21st Century and in keeping with Post Offices world wide, most of the counters were unmanned, but a few had official looking people sat there waiting to decline whatever application you might wish to make. Attila decided that if we wanted postcards, it would be best to get them from the small shop in the foyer who would almost certainly sell us the requisite stamps as well, so we walked out and went to the shop

There was a limited selection of postcards available, but some looked like they had been there since before the war so we decided in the interests of authenticity, that those were the ones we wanted. Stamps to the UK and Malta worked out at just under one euro per stamp which we decided represented good value so made our purchases and left.

We headed in the general direction of the old town and soon arrived. From one street to another it is like going back 500 years. If it wasn't for the odd TV aerial you could almost expect Charles Dickens to walk down the street. (I know he was born only 200 years ago and didn't come from Sopron, but you get the idea!). I spent some time taking photos of just about everything - in full tourist mode! Eventually of course, Adriana and Attila tired of my exploits but as I pointed out to them, they would only complain if I didn't take any at all!

We decided it was lunchtime, so headed for a small restaurant right in the centre of the old town with a name that I am not even going to try to pronounce, but it is spelt; Gyogygodor. There are a couple of umlauts in there somewhere I think. Anyway, regardless of my ability to pronounce it, we went in. It was below ground which was cool and gave the impression of being in a cave, although it was quite warm. Today I fancied a Goulash, Adriana had saukraut and Attila had something that I can't remember even if I could, I doubt I could spell it, so just as well I can't. Anyway, it was all excellent as you might expect. Attila made us try another Palinka which went down a treat.

Full to the brim we headed out and made our way around to the really old part of the town, in fact the Roman remains. They are well preserved and show why Sopron came into being. Basically it was on the old Amber Road connecting the Baltic Sea with the Adriatic sea and provided a good stopping off point for traders to nip into the Gyogygodor for a Goulash and Palinka. The road itself runs almost North-South passing through Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and finally into Italy and was a very important trade route. It is possible to see part of the old road still preserved.

After that we headed back to Attila's parents via the supermarket to stock up on food - Adriana was planning to cook a Lasazne and a Rizotto so needed ingredients. My brief was to find some yoghurts and drinks while she and Attila did the grown up stuff. Once back at the apartment we spent a happy hour or so trying to tell Attila's Dad what we had been up to. The dictionary was well thumbed! I think he understood, but we may have equally explained that we picked tomatoes and put them in pickling vinegar, who knows, who cares, he was happy with the explanation and so were we and the important thing was that we were all trying to communicate. The meal was excellent, well cooked and we were all pretty stuffed at the end of it. Nothing more to do than to settle down and try to find an English speaking channel on TV which of course, we failed to do apart from CNN and BBC World News which by now were getting a little tiresome.

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Budapest Day 1

We had to catch an early train the Budapest so Attila's mom drove us to the train station. Tickets had to be purchased one way due to the current semi-privatisation of the rail network and the fact that some trains are owned by one company, some by another, some by the government etc. As it turned out, the single fare to Budapest was about twelve pounds sterling so that was ok in our view for a three hour train journey. One of Attila's mates; Peter was also joining us so once he arrived we were off. The trains were reasonably comfortable, nothing special and had no facilities for food and drink, so we purchased drinks at the station (mistake!) before getting on the train. As in the UK, railway station food and drink is much more expensive than that off the station, so something to remember.

The trip went reasonably quickly and we were soon pulling into Budapest. It reminded me of London a bit in that when you come into London, it seems ages going through the suburbs. Getting off at the right station is easy though - it is the end of the line! We then had to take the subway followed by the tram. It seems you have to buy tickets which are valid for one journey, normally about one euro or 280 Forints per trip. We also discovered that you are supposed to buy tickets for the tram, but most people just don't bother as the driver never checks and if an inspector gets on, you just get off!

Finally we had a bit of walking to get to Victor's apartment. It was just the most stereotypical apartment block - one straight out of a 70's spy movie - fantastic. His apartment was on the fourth floor but there was an ancient lift with gates and everything to take us up - cool! Victor was welcoming and showed us to our room which was very spacious, seemingly it was used as a classroom by his girlfriend who taught Japanese of all things. She, it turned out, was in Japan for six months learning more Japanese. We sorted our stuff and were soon back out for a walk around the local area. It seems we were on the 'Pest' side of the Danube with the other side, not surprisingly called 'Buda' - hence the name of the city. Pest is much flatter whereas Buda is basically built on a hillside. We walked along the Danube past the impressive Parliament buildings and stopped to look at a flag of Hungary which had a hole in it. This we were told was a symbol of the 1956 Revolution. Prior to this, the centre featured the Rakosi (Communist) coat of arms and the hole represents the removal of the Communist regime. We walked towards the 'Chain Bridge' and crossed to the Buda side, walking back along to the Margit Bridge where we recrossed to Pest.

Back at the apartment Victor had been kind enough to cook us a meal so we tucked into it, and very nice it was too. Later we were due to go out for a few beers, well, of course, being with Attila, it would be just one beer then home. Sadly this wasn't the case and we had several beers and a few Palinkas for good measure. We also met a couple more of Attila's friends; Tomas and Wendy, the latter of whom had the rather wonderful name of Vandibond but Wendy was easier! Tomas spoke good English and so did Wendy so Peakwoman and I were able to chat to people without Attila's constant assistance. They were a really nice couple and we chatted with them for most of the evening. We tried some local lagers, then it was suggested we tried a 'Red beer'. Of course we had to! It was nice, almost a UK bitter in taste.

Tomas and Wendy invited us back to their apartment for, guess what, more Palinka! It turned out that Tomas's father made his own so of course it would have been rude not to try it. It was amazing! Thankfully I had had a couple of beers beforehand to dull the senses a little because I think it would have blown my head off otherwise. 50% proof he proudly told us. Phew! We were then offered another from a clear bottle. Now I am old enough and wise enough to know that if anyone offers you a drink from a bottle that has a clear liquid inside and the outside of that bottle doesn't say '7-Up' then it is probably going to end badly! I still had enough willpower to decline but a couple had a go and by the looks of their barely hidden grimaces, it was strong! Eventually we left and made our way to the local bus stop and were home in about 30 minutes. Adriana went straight to bed and I sat up chatting with Attila and Victor explaining what a culture shock the last few days had been and how I hadn't expected the history of Hungary that I had been learning about. Shame on me really I should have done my homework, but I don't think it would have prepared me for listening to the experiences of people who had actually been there when it all happened.

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Budapest Day 2

We got up reasonably early considering the late night before and were soon out on the sightseeing trail. I had checked on the internet the location of the shoe memorial as I wanted to see that for sure. It was close to the Parliament building next to the water and reasonably easy to find if you walk towards the Chain bridge from the back of the Parliament buildings. It is a memorial to Jewish people who were shot by the Arrow Cross Militiamen (basically the Nazis) almost at the end of the second world war and then allowed to die by falling in the Danube, or were already dead and pushed in if they hadn't already fallen. Yet another tragic aspect of war. A very sad sight indeed and quite evocative. Whilst we were there, we saw the unusual sight of a bus floating down the river! It seems it was an aqua bus and designed to take passengers on tours along the Danube. We were told it was built in Malta - not sure if that is a good thing or not!

We then continued, retracing our steps to cross the Chain Bridge and take the funicular railway to the top of Buda. Considering the very short journey it was quite expensive at about 900 Forints (three euros) but it was fun and a nice way to see the ever increasing views across Pest as the train made its way to the top. At the top we walked out just in time to see the guards doing their thing outside the Presidents Palace. Apparently they perform the ritual marching every fifteen minutes although how they know it is fifteen minutes was never made clear. The march from their sentry boxes in that strange stride such soldiers seem to have, meet at the middle, cross bayonets, then return to their boxes and attempt to stare into space and ignore everyone around. Attila asked a policeman how they know when the fifteen minutes is up. He told us that they 'just do'

Onwards towards the main section of the castle at the Fishermans Bastion stopping for a coffee at a very nice cafe near to St Matthias Church, we could see and hear a Hungarian musician playing a traditional instrument that looked a bit like a hurdy gurdy and reminded me of the Robert Plant/Jimmy Page album 'No Quarter'. Suitably refreshed we headed out to the main Bastion which was clearly a major tourist attraction. There were just loads of photo opportunities over the entire city. We walked along the bastion, taking in the scene, then decided on a visit to the church. Again this was quite expensive at one thousand Forints but we paid and in we went. Sadly the inside is not nearly as impressive as the outside and in addition, there was a lot of restoration work going on so a good portion of the church was off limits to tourists and the majority of the rest covered in polythene to prevent damage! We spent about forty five minutes walking around it before deciding we had had enough and made our way out, although not before signing the visitors book for posterity. Back into the sunshine we started to make our way around the front and started the long walk back down to river level.

The next stop on our tour was to be Heroes Square which was some distance away so elected to take the subway. This involved several changes and seemed to take rather longer than I was expecting given the distance on the map - I assume the subway does not go direct and we had several changes to make before emerging at the square. Heroes Square is a shrine to previous kings and as we walked around we marvelled at the statues of these kings and other Hungarian warriors. I imagined how they would have appeared in their day - scary to say the least. If Attila the Hun had such warriors, it was no wonder he was as effective as he was. Whilst there, we got hassled by a guy asking for money. Attila told him to go away, then about five minutes later he approached us again as if it was the first time. Full marks for persistence but zero for intelligence.

From the square it is a short walk into the park where we saw a huge ice rink, complete with skaters of all types, some just having fun, some practising ice dance routines and others training for speed skating and quite a pace they were setting too! We watched for a while then walked into the park where we came to Vajdahunyad Castle and no, I have no idea how to pronounce it!. From here we walked around the park which would have made an excellent stop in the summer for a picnic, but at this time of year we decided to find a cafe for a coffee and cake stop before making our way back to the apartment. Near the park is the Deloite building which just so happens to have a coffee bar. In we went and ordered coffee, hot chocolate and beer with chocolate bars and cake to keep us going. We dawdled over the coffee until we were politely informed that they were closing. Whilst sat there I had noticed a couple of young girls walk in, spend about ten minutes removing all the warm layers of clothing, walk up to the counter, come back and dress up again before walking out. Obviously they had been told it was closing time too!

The walk back to the apartment was quite a long one but we soon came upon the shopping district so went in and out of a few shops on the way. None of us actually purchased anything but it was fun to see what sells in Hungary - to be honest, we could have been walking down Oxford Street in Central London if not for the foreign language. Shopping seems to be the same the world over. Eventually we arrived back at the apartment.

Tonight we had invited Tomas and Wendy for dinner which was being ably cooked by Attila and Tomas, so the rest of us chilled and tried to consume as much of the wine as possible. The meal was excellent and the chat convivial. Oddly enough the conversation turned to human anatomy and I ended up giving a fairly detailed explanation of a certain aspect of human biology - interesting!

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Budapest Day 3

Our plan today was to visit the 'House of Terror' which was a cross between a memorial and a museum detailing the troubled past of the Hungarian nation under the rule of, firstly the Nazis and secondly the Communists. It took us about twenty minutes to walk there. The 'house' occupies the corner of two streets and looks very imposing. On entry there is a place to deposit coats. Entry was 2000 Forints (seven euros) each. The museum is on several floors and a lift takes you up to the top to work down. It seems there is no photography allowed except on the ground floor which is basically the tank. Shame! The first thing that you see is a tank, the second thing is a wall completely filled by photographs of people. These were some of the victims of the House of Terror - there were literally hundreds of them. The first few rooms are devoted to the Nazi occupation of Hungary which happened quite late in the second world war, but obviously they made their presence known. Many Jews were persecuted in Hungary, reminding us of the memorial on the Danube we saw yesterday. There are films continually running showing scenes of Hitler giving speeches. You can say what you like about him, but he was passionate that's for sure! We then walked through a room called the changing room which was meant to symbolize the change from the Nazis to the Communists. There was a video running showing various people walking into the room and changing into the 'peasant' clothing typified by the Communist ideals.

From there and for the remainder of the visit, it concentrated on the Communist impact on Hungary. One room showed the typical advertisements and posters showing how wonderful the Communist ideals were. Very cheesy images of smiling people helping each other and looking like they were blissfully happy, but as we all know, the reality was somewhat different! Later on we discovered that everyone suspected everyone else of being some sort of collaborator in something to undermine the Communist ideals. No-one was safe, everyone from the Prime Minister at the time who was elected by the Communists to the head of the Terror House eventually got arrested, tortured and either jailed or executed. Some years ago I read a book called 'Gulag' in which it was explained that in Russia, each department of a city had a quota for arrests so if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time you could be arrested even though you were totally innocent. The same it seems happened here in Hungary with devastating effects.

As we made our way downstairs more of the activities of the occupants was revealed. Finally by the time we reached the basement, we were in the cells. They were at best, cold, dark dingy places, at worst they were low ceiling or small chambers that the prisoners could either not stand up in or not sit down in. In each of the cells were a few photographs of some of those arrested for real or imaginary crimes against the state, with their dates of birth and death. Many died very young, in their twenties or thirties. Either way it was a pretty awful place to be. Add to that the constant torture for imaginary crimes and you could see how desperate it was. We finally made our way back to ground level and left. The whole house took us about three hours to visit, but you could easily spend longer if you sat and read everything. Sadly much of it is in Hungarian although each section does have 'handouts' which is a description in English of the room or relevant information. Also, most of the videos where they are interviewing previous prisoners or employees there are English sub-titles. Still, it would be nice if there was a bit more in English so that it can be fully understood there and then. For example, one room is made from white blocks which we later found out were supposed to represent one kilo of pig fat. Why the room was made from this and what that represented was never explained. We felt that, whilst the house was interesting and informative, there could be a lot more done to bring home the reality of it all. More English of course, maybe more about typical living or working conditions at the time and even perhaps some more realism in the cell/torture area to bring home just what it was like. The only torture apparatus we saw was a single stool and light; somewhat stereotypical of torture - shining a bright light in the prisoners face. One would assume there was much more than that and maybe someway of conveying the feel of that would help to make it all seem real. It was called 'The House of Terror' after all! As it stands, it is more a museum devoted to the Nazi and Communist occupation of Hungary.

Leaving the House we made our way back to the apartment. Adriana was suffering with a monster headache so when we got back she went to lie down for a while. We had planned to travel back to Sopron today and she agreed to try. For the return trip we had to buy two tickets, one for the train and one for the seat! It was a little more expensive this way at about 4,800 Forints and also it was not possible to pay with a credit card. It seems some journeys you can and some you can't. If using public transport, especially the trains it is advisable to have sufficient cash for the journey. We got back okay, but she slept, or rather tried to sleep on the train back, but that was difficult at best. With about an hour to go, a fellow traveller offered her some magic liquid to rub on her skin which smelt wonderful and seemed to help. We arrived in Sopron to be met by Attila's mom who took us straight to the apartment and Adriana went straight to bed. Tomorrow, we decided, would be a rest day for all of us, so agreed to meet Attila on Monday. That way, he could have some time with his girlfriend and not have to worry about us. We would do our own thing.

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Sopron Rest Day

Today we planned to do very little, so got up late, had an easy breakfast and then decided to go out for an easy walk. I'd wanted to visit the St Mihaly church in the town so we strolled in the general direction of it - we could see the spire so location wasn't too much of an issue (we thought). Playing safe I had bought along a map of Sopron just in case. Crossing the road we were amazed, as we had been every day so far, that traffic actually stops for you! Heaven help Hungarians when they come to Malta - no-one ever stops there unless they really have to. Eventually we found our way up to the street that I thought the church was on, but it seemed the spire was the wrong one! I opened the map to see where we actually were when a very helpful gentleman asked us in perfect English if we needed some help. As it happened there was a picture of the church on the map so we pointed and told him that was our destination. It seemed we were close, the church was at the end of the road so off we went and after a minor detour soon came to it. Of course it was closed! The grounds were nice though so we walked through and noticed a set of scenes from the crucifixion of Jesus and also a small chapel; St James Chapel which was also closed. Not our day, even though it was Sunday and you would think churches might be open on that day of all days.

From there we decided to walk up to the restaurant near where we had been for the archery on our first day as it seemed to be quite nice. There are good views across Sopron from here so a few photos were shot. The restaurant it seemed was full so no coffee stop for us, but we did notice some small characters for sale. Adriana decided she quite liked them so purchased one for just 250 Forints. A bargain! We set off, walking through the amphitheatre; another reminder that Sopron was around in Roman times. Finally we came down to the main town to discover that everywhere was closed. Walking into the old town we came upon a pizza restaurant that was open so went in for a coffee, neither of us being particularly hungry for a meal. We sat there for a while enjoying the atmosphere and being in no great hurry, took our time. Finally we left and walked around the old town a bit more before heading back, via the supermarket to the apartment. We decided we needed to change some more euros so came out later to do that. The exchange rate improves with quantity so for our 250 euros we got a better rate than we would have for less.

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Sumveg Castle

Today we were off to visit a real Hungarian Castle - the kind you see in films and read about in books. Attila's girlfriend Eva has kindly loaned us her car so off we went.

Now, living on Malta, nowhere is very far from anywhere else, so the prospect of driving for an hour an a half at a reasonably high speed was kind of weird. The landscape flew by, villages came and went and we noticed speed limits being enforced in the villages with police and radar traps. As throughout the world, the universally signalling system was in place, not that we did that of course, that is illegal!

All around us, the landscape was flat so the thought of a mountain top castle seemed hard to imagine. However, as we drove, we began to notice isolated hills around the valley and then, in front of us, looming up was a big one with a castle perched right on the top - they sure knew how to build in those days. We found a place to park and set off up the climb towards the castle. It was a cold day, but sunny without a cloud in the sky. I was a little surprised that even after that exertion I was not hot and I was wearing my blue rab jacket which normally makes me too hot even standing still.

It was proper cold today! As we walked up, we realised that the gates appeared to be closed. Attila asked some people who were also walking up and they informed us that the castle was closed! It seems that all museums and sites such as this close on a Monday and yes, today was in fact Monday! Attila made some remark in Hungarian that we didn't quite catch but I think a rough translation would be 'Oh dear, after all that driving, the castle is closed, what a great shame'. Nothing to be done of course except take a few external photos and walk back down.

At the bottom we found that the castle puts on jousting tournaments and other 'Knights of the Round Table' stuff. There was an arena given over to horse displays and another used for sword play. Further up seemed to be a small museum which contained a couple of sets of armour. The entire site looked well worth a visit in the summer time, just not on a Monday!

We walked back to the car and set off for our next stop - the Belaton Lake in the small village of Vonyarcvashegy which as everyone knows is impossible to pronounce unless you are Hungarian. Apparently there is a Hungarian radio show that has a feature where they phone someone in the UK and ask them to pronounce a Hungarian word. If they get it right, they win a prize. This village name was used - no-one won!

The lake was quite nice and we noticed that some of it was iced over. Of course we had to check to see just how frozen it was so Attila and I very gingerly made our way onto the ice. Hearing the ice start to crack we thought better of it and made our way off! Attila explained to us that in the depths of winter the entire lake freezes over and there are skating races across the width of the lake which is a couple of miles at least. Interesting, especially if it started to crack in the middle - you wouldn't want to be at the tail end.

Having exhausted the excitement of the lake we made our way back to the car and set off, stopping at a small cafe on the way for a warming coffee.

The drive home was uneventful apart from two things; firstly the amazing sunset and secondly that we saw (literally) hundreds of birds flying in perfect V formations across the fields and road presumably off to nest somewhere. None of us had ever seen anything like it and imagined the outcome had those birds been flying over Malta - most would have been shot - good old Malta, you can't beat it for cruel sports!

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Forest walk to Muck

Today we were supposed to be going to Austria to the mountains but unfortunately the car was not available so Adriana and I decided to do our own thing. An easy walk in the forest was decided so, armed with the Sopron map we took a short cut to the forest where we had parked the car the last time and began our walk up towards the radio tower again.

Once at the top, the forest is pretty flat all around so it was an easy walk along barely visible tracks in the direction of 'Muck' where we knew from the signposts that there would be a restaurant and therefore refreshments (we had a packed lunch as well). Signs in the forest are few and far between and the paths sometimes easily visible, sometimes non-existant but we persevered, arguing that if we kept near to the road we couldn't go wrong!

We had allowed ourselves two hours to walk to Muck and two hours back with an hour in hand before dark. Of course, the inevitable happened and we lost the path so walked in what we considered to be the best route and eventually spotted habitation - we had made it! Getting closer, we realised it was derelict buildings so took the decision to abandon the search and head back down the road that we had just come to. As luck would have it, we spotted a map which showed our location being almost on top of Muck and then Adriana spotted a signpost; Restaurant 200m. We marched briskly towards it, almost being able to taste the coffee. On arrival, the gates were closed with a sign in German stating that the restaurant was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays! It was not our week! Yesterday it was the castle, today the restaurant. Oh well, we walked back to the buildings we had seen earlier and decided on a lunch stop. It was a rapid affair as we realised just how cold we were getting sat still, so decided to eat and walk. The trip back was much quicker as we followed the road and we were soon back in Sopron on the hunt for a coffee shop which we found, had coffee, went to the supermarket and back to the apartment.

Holiday 2012 - Hungary - Sopron University

Another easy day around Sopron. Attila assured us there was still more to see.

First though, Adriana wanted to go back to the restaurant by the amphitheatre to buy some more little souvenirs, so off we went. We also bought a nice 'Palinka' glass for Andrea.

Purchases made we headed back down slowly into the town and over towards the University to walk around the grounds. It seems the University specialises in forestry, agriculture and all things outdoor so the grounds were quite extensive and interesting.

We came upon a frozen pond and realising it was properly frozen decided a game of ice hockey was called for.

Adriana of course was banned from stepping on the ice as a fall would have had pretty painful consequences for her already sore arms. We had no hockey sticks so a couple of branches sufficed. Mine was a little on the heavy side so every time I hit the puck I swung around with the momentum! The puck was some sort of pear type fruit which lasted about five minutes until we had to renew it with another one.

One fun thing was we found that the air bubbles had become frozen in the lake making interesting designs.

After exhausting that as a form of entertainment we walked back, stopping at the 'Sports Bar' for a couple of beers and Palinkas before heading to the apartment for an early dinner.

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Holiday 2012 - Hungary

Hot Baths at Balf

Today we went to the hot baths at Balf. We had a bit of a false start as we walked to the nearest bus stop at the plaza but soon discovered that the buses don't go there in the winter so it was back to the apartment for a coffee and off again to catch the bus from the main terminus. Balf is not too far away and the bus runs every hour, taking about 20-30 minutes to get there.

Once there we located the hotel and went in. Using the thermal baths was quite expensive, being about 1600 Forints (six euros) given that you are only allowed to be in there for about thirty minutes. To add to it, we had to wear bathing caps which of course made us all look like a bunch of numpties, but then so did everyone else so we fitted in nicely. The baths are very popular with the older generation and we seemed to be the youngest by some considerable margin!

The water was lovely and warm, whether it had any beneficial properties is debatable and unlikely for us given the time we were there for, but it was something different to do and quite relaxing. After we came out, there was the option of a swim in a proper swimming pool, so we paid the extra 500 Forints and off we went. Attila and Adriana managing a few lengths before taking to the sunbeds. Made of sterner stuff I completed sixty five lengths which was just over one mile and felt quite good about it, so I must have some fitness even at this time of the year. Changed and dressed we realised that the return bus would be coming very soon so quickly set off for the bus stop and were soon on our way back to Sopron.

After our exertions of the morning, we fancied Langos again, so Attila took us to a small cafe that he knew. It is surprisingly cheap for a meal, being about 900 Forints for a Langos and a drink. I had one with sausage on and Adriana and Attila took the mayonaise/cheese options. They were great! Of course we came out feeling very fat. Attila left us then, arranging to meet in the evening for drinks and pool. We made our way back to the apartment via the usual supermarket stop for essentials.

This evening we went out to play pool near the stadium. Attila's father Laszlo also came which was nice so it set us up for a UK vs Hungary pool tournament. I forget who won but it was probably us, or maybe them, I don't remember. What I do remember is that we had a great night, few beers, nice atmosphere and a great feeling of friendship. When we got back to the apartment I realised I had lost my gold chain! Attila's mom took us back in the car to look for it, but it was not to be found at the pool hall. I think I lost it at the pool when I was swimming. Oh well, someone has benefitted from my loss.

Holiday 2012 - Hungary - Final Day

Today was our final day in Hungary so we spent the morning buying gifts for Attila, his Mom and his Dad. Attila had warned us not to leave them any money towards our keep because it would be seen as almost an insult, so we bought flowers, wine and coffee (we had drunk a lot of both during our stay). About 2:30pm Attila came over and drove us to the airport which took about forty minutes. Saying our goodbyes we headed into the airport. Now Vienna airport is huge so we decided the best approach would be for Adriana to wait whilst I located the check in desk. Quickly done we were soon checked in and on our way home.

We'd like to thank Attila's parents for their excellent hospitality, allowing us to disrupt their home for two weeks, and Attila for being our wonderful guide for the time we were there. We are both certain that we would not have seen anything like the amount of things had we gone on our own. Also thanks to Laszlo and Gizzie for the wonderful book they bought for us. It was a guide and history of Sopron in English which will be a reminder of a fantastic holiday in an amazing country.

The End.

Page 1

Holiday 2010

Leaving Malta

On the start of our holiday, on the 17th of December I still went to work until 2.30pm leaving Mick to finish his packing and pack the car up.I just came home had some lunch, then we set off for the ferry at Valletta we had to be there for 4.30pm to leave at 6pm. so far so good. Fairly smooth crossing. Got to Sicily.

Sicily

We drove to Giarre which took about two hours, we took the toll roads. Athough it works out really expensive it takes about half the time than if we had gone on normal roads. It is expensive but worth it. That was on the Friday.

Total Cost €2.70, Total Mileage: 91 miles

Saturday morning got up about 8ish had breakfast and then started our journey again. We drove from Giarre to the ferry port where we caught the ferry to Reggio de Calabria in Italy. The ferry cost was €28 which is expensive when you think it is only a few miles but what choice do you have?

Italy

We drove across to Italy for another 9 hours or so to Caianello which is between Naples and Rome, to while away the travelling time we listened to talking books. If you get good ones you get so engrossed you don't notice the time, and Mick gets a bit of peace from me talking all the time. We stayed in a hotel with two real grumpy old people (sometimes you wonder how they get any business, bet they don't get repeat business) but the rooms are clean and warm I suppose thats the main thing and they let dogs in.

Total Cost €8.30, Total 383 miles (No tolls until past Naples)

Sunday: Up again not too early and on the road again. travelled for another 10 hours or so, very long day. We found a hotel in Alessandria called Hotel Keiko run by some very nice oriental ladies much to Micks great joy (have to say he was so tired from travelling all he wanted to do was have a shower, food and go to bed).

Total Cost €47.90, Total 493 miles

Monday: In the morning they said we could have breakfast at 8am but when we went down everything was closed, until 9am, never mind we had to have the dog done for ticks and Tapeworm 24 to 48 hours before we could enter the U.K. so we went in search of a vet. Mick used the Tom-Tom (Katie as she is to her friends) and we got dog done then had breakfast and headed off again. To drive to Dijon another very long day for the first two to three hours we had to drive quite slow going across the mountains. It was so expensive with all the tolls €47 plus €33 for the tunnel.

France

When we got to Dijon we found a B&B hotel; they are actually called B&Bs. They were all over France and cheap and very nice. We could park in a car park over night for only 20 cents per hour from 7pm-7am. We went out that night and we found a burger bar which looked really good. It looked fun and as we hadn't been out most evenings we decided to treat ourselves so went in but had to queue for a while and eventually got a seat. We ordered and while we weren't in a hurry, we were very disappointed and the time it took and the fact that the chips were cold, the lager worked out to be about €5.50 per pint and top it all, my food was cold but never mind, better luck next time. We walked back to the B&B looking at the Christmas lights which were so nice it made up for it.

Total Cost €47 + €33 tunnel, Total 400 miles

Tuesday: Had a good Breakfast next morning then set off on our travels again towards Calais We arrived at Calais and drove to the channel tunnel, intending to take the train. We joined a huge queue to get to the check in, edging slowly forward. We began to get slightly concerned when we noticed a number of cars leaving the queue and driving off. Adriana got out and went in search of information, returning shortly afterwards with the bad news that there had been a train break down and nothing was running! We decided to go to the ferry instead and managed to ease our way out and headed off. It seemed we weren't alone but were pleasantly surprised on arrival to be able to book onto the next ferry! It was quite expensive but we figured it was worth it to get across. Finally we boarded and were soon in the UK heading out of Dover, but our troubles weren't over! After about five minutes clearing customs, we got onto the dual carriageway that would take us to Folkestone, our destination, but then came to a halt. There we sat for two hours! It seems there was a crash involving several cars, including, sadly, a fatality. Finally about 9:30pm we got moving.

Part 2 - In the UK

Part 3 - The Skiing holiday in Germany

Part 4 - Back to Malta

Page 2

Holiday 2010

UK

We then had fun trying to find a hotel, we programmed our Tom Tom to find a hotel, she was very good and took us straight to one. All the signs were there so we looked around only for a little while (by this time we were very tired) and I then got out and asked a guy who was cleaning a shopping center near by. He looked at me a bit odd and said all the signs are up but the Hotel hadn't been built. At least it gave Mick and I a bit of a laugh and we couldn't even blame our Katie( the Tom-Tom). We then went in search of another hotel. We came to a hotel called the Holiday Inn Express, it looked very nice it was but quite expensive (£99 + £15 for dog) normally we would have gone in search for a cheaper one but it had been a long day and we were hungry and tired so we decided to stay. It was near where we were having our car MOT'd the next day.

Total Cost €45 + € 160 ferry, Total 460 miles

Wednesday:Mick had booked the car in about three weeks earlier asking them if we took it in as soon as it opened if they could do it first because we had to then drive another four and a half hours and the weather had been bad with the snow, and going very cold at night so the roads were quite bad. 'Yes no problem' they said (tosh) it took them ages from 8am till 4pm. (thanks guys) Luckily for us the people at the hotel were brillant, we had to be out of our rooms by mid day but we stayed in their reception area and they supplied us with coffee, let Mick use the phone, all free of charge. We started our jouney to Worcester about 4.30-5pm. Well the journey back to Worcester went with out a hitch. (Just as we were leaving the hotel some people came in, I went up to them and asked where they had just come from, as it happens they had just driven from Worcestershire, exactly the way we were going and said the motorway was fine, which put my mind at rest.) We arrived at mums about 8ish, which was quite good going. We were at mums for about 10 minutes and her house looked like a bomb had hit it, trouble is there is no room to swing a cat in her little bungalow, just nice for one person or maybe someone staying over night, not for a few days or more. We had something to eat, relaxed for a while then went to bed, (First day we didn't have to pay for anything, oh yes we did the MOT).

Total 230 miles

Thursday: (lots to fit in). Left mums about 10ish. First we had to go to the dentist at 11, as the roads looked a bit icy we went a bit earlier, but they were fine. It took about an hour. I them met up with Tom to do some Christmas shopping and Mick went for a walk up the Malvern Hills (something he really misses doing in Malta). We then met up back at mums, to get washed and changed. Then we went to look at our house in Malvern to check it out and to dump a few thing that we didn't need which were just clutttering up the place in Malta. Time now about 7pm, the day still goes on. We then drove over to Gloucester to have a meal, and stay the night with Jake and Gemma. We had a lovely meal and a fab evening as normal it all goes far to quick. Next day we are off again but not until Jake told us some wonderful news (can't say what yet in case this get into the wrong hands).

Friday: (Christmas Eve) Left Gems about 12ish after Gem and Jake cooked us a big breakfast yum. Then we went back to mums. Mick took the dog out. I spent the afternoon with mum and wrapped the rest of the presents up. Had a meal watched TV then went to bed to wait for Father Christmas, after we put a mince pie and a glass of milk out for him.

Saturday: Christmas day. Father Christmas had been. Matt, Maria and Tom were coming over for the day which I was looking forward to. But gone are the days when they get up at silly o'clock. We had to wait until about 12:30ish till they came over, before we could start opening our presents. Though mum started opening hers because she gets so many, from us; her four kids, then she has nine grand kids who all buy for her. The kids came over and we cooked a lovely lunch, tried to get the Christmas pudding to light but as always it never works, never mind try again next year! We tried to have a game of a charades but nobody wanted to. Matt, Maria and Tom went about 8 o'clock so once again we settled down to watch TV. We didn't dare go out other wise Mum would complain we didn't spend enough time with her.

Sunday Boxing day. Got up, left Mick in bed, made me and mum a cup of tea then spent about an hour on my own with mum just chatting. Woke Mick up and had some breakfast (all we seem to do is eat) Then left about midday to go and see Micks Mum, Dad and the rest of his family, in Birmingham, for dinner and tea. My Mum could have come but chose not to and spent Boxing Day on her own (her choice). Had a nice day though Micks sister came for tea, only but didn't arrive until gone six, by which time we were thinking of going as we had to drive to Worcester. We had a quick tea with them, then said our good byes and left. Probably won't see them again for another year. Came back to Mums spent the rest of the evening with her, then went to bed.

Page 3

Holiday 2010

France

Monday 27th Left Moms and drove to Dover where we crossed to Calais by P&O which was a lot cheaper than the cost of the trip in the other direction a few days ago. Fairly good crossing, I read, Mick was on his computer, so the crossing went quite quick. While we were on the on the ferry, it was quite funny while we were sat, me reading, Mick computing, we kept hearing a little man's voice who was serving food keep shouting 'who wants curry'. He was desperate to sell his curry! He said 'its not turkey so not to worry' (it being Christmas every one would be sick of it). We almost felt sorry for him and went and got some but we didn't Arrived at Calais. We then drove for a few hours to St Quentin

Total Cost Ferry:€59, Tolls €11.60 Total 350 miles

Germany

Tuesday 28th We left St Quentin fairly early for the long drive to the Apartment in Steibis The journey was long but we had our trusty talking books, which makes the long hours seem a lot quicker. Thing were going so well, until we got to about 3/4 of an hour to the apartment; the heavens open and the white stuff came down and didn't stop, and the car didn't like the snow. First we took a wrong turning which went up a hill and we got stuck, so we had to turn around which was scary but not as tricky as we thought. We then went back down the hill, and then went the wrong way again! With all the snow, and it was now slightly foggy, it was difficult to see so we turned around again this time we weren't on a hill so not as bad. We then started going the right way. Great not far to go (the worst was yet to come). We started driving on the last bit of the journey, but it took us up a long winding road. Once again the car wasn't happy it wouldn't get a grip on the roads, which amazed me because the car is big, and full of our stuff. Anyway it stopped! Mick said for me to drive and he would push but there was no way was I going to try and drive in this weather. He drove and I pushed and slipped, then pushed again he then drove a bit further and then stopped I then caught up and pushed again and so it went on for about one or so miles, and still snowing ,I looked like a snowman but have to say it was quite good fun! I was warm and there were no other cars on the road so it wasn't scary. We eventually got to the apartment in one piece, parked the car found the apartment and settled in. It's a very nice place.

Total Cost €33.70 Total : 530 miles

Wednesday 29th Today was a Chill out day. Up until now, every day has been either driving or visiting so we decided we would do as little as possible. In Peaky terms this means having a lie-in, a very leisurely breakfast and a slow wander into the metropolis of Steibis to look around (which took about 20 minutes). We then wandered back to the apartment, had a leisurely lunch, watched 'Jeeves and Wooster', read a bit, chilled some more, had a leisurely dinner and relaxed in the evening. It was a tough day, but we got through it

Thursday 30th Today we decided to drive into Oberstaufen to see what all the fuss was about. Katie knew the way and we were soon there. Parking of course proved to be a task in itself but we eventually found a spot on the far side of the town about 10 minutes walk. Being Germany, all the roads and pavements were snow free so walking was quite easy, even along narrow paths. The first thing we had to do was to find a place for coffee and buns which was achieved without drama. We even managed to make ourselves understood and got the coffee and cakes we wanted. Unfortunately there was no toilet so Adriana had to go in search. With a mixture of pointing and broken English the shopkeeper and various shoppers advised her of the location and off she went. I volunteered to remain in the shop and guard the cakes (cue evil laughter). Within a few minutes she was back, looking greatly relieved but then looked suspiciously at me and the remainder of her cake which appeared to have shrunk during her brief absence. I put on my most innocent face!

After coffee we went for a walk round the town which was really quite nice. We did a bit of shopping in the supermarket, a bit of sightseeing, then decided to drive back. Being ever confident we headed back to the car and managed to find it first go!

After lunch we felt sorry for the dog so took him for a walk towards Schindelberg along a really nice trail. It being quite late we decided to turn back at a bridge, but vowed to complete the walk another day. When we got back into Steibis, we decided to check out the ski shop in preparation for tomorrows big ski day

Friday 31st Mick had decided he wanted to go skiing for a day so we left the apartment about 9:30am to walk down to the ski shop to hire the skis and boots. The nice Scottish Gentleman was there so no problem with the language barrier. Soon enough Mick was walking out of the shop, skis and poles over the shoulder, big heavy ski boots on. Within a few minutes we were on the ski area so skis were put on and off he went to the drag lift to buy a pass. I waited at the bottom with the camera to capture the excitement. Mick was soon on the lift going to the top of the run.

Mick: Having not skied since Bulgaria, I wanted to take it easy, but the slope looked a lot steeper from the top than it did from the bottom, but hey ho, off I went! Trying to remember the snow plough technique I began to descend, not totally in control I have to say, but not totally out of control either and I managed to head towards Adriana waiting at the bottom. Cool, I'd done my first run without falling over! Off for a second go. Was it speed or over confidence? I'll never know but as I came down, pointing the skis together to slow I leaned far to far back and realised I was going down. Luckily for me, Adriana was looking the other way and the first she knew of it was when the dog trotted over to me wondering why I was lay on the floor!

Adriana: I stayed a little while, then decided to go back to the apartment. Mick gave me €10 all for me but before I even got back to the apartment I had lost it. I looked every where for it. I traced my steps but didn't find it. Oh well somebody could have a drink on us.

Mick: Not to be put off I went up again and this time the descent was much better, well, I didn't fall over! I decided I would head off for higher slopes so said goodbye to Adriana and headed up. At the top of the drag lift there is a bit of cross-country which is almost flat. As I made my way across it occured to me it would probably be easier and quicker to walk but I persevered and was soon at the next drag lift. Taking this I found myself at the top of a run back to where I started, or another to the main lift. Deciding to have a couple of goes down before going even higher I started on the run. I was alone on the run which was short but fun. Deciding on another couple of goes before the main run I soon found myself doing better turns, well, left turns anyway. Turning right seemed to be eluding me for some reason.

Finally I headed for the big-one. Ten minutes up on the lift saw bright sunshine and literally hundreds of people in bright ski wear either wandering around posing or heading off for the slopes. I decided to set off straight down so skiied into the main arena and followed the direction of what seemed to be 'down'. Some parts of it were quite easy and gentle so I could let go a bit, other parts narrowed and got steeper which were scary but I managed to stay upright which was something I was proud of. Because of the number of people and the fact that they seemed to stop at the narrowest parts I had more than my fair share of scary moments but finally got down. It was great! Off up again, down again, up again, down again until finally I decided I needed a rest. I spotted Adriana who had come up to see if I was around and we enjoyed a coffee together. It was about 1pm and I had been skiing for pretty much the whole time.

Adriana: I then went to meet Mick at the other end of the ski slope, and then I had to ask Mick if he would buy me a cup of coffee. He asked if I had a good morning and I had to tell him about my disapearing €10, he didn't seem to suprised.

Mick: I wanted another run or two so we arranged to meet at 3pm at the bottom ski run. This gave me time for a couple more long runs, then I decided to use the middle run for some turning practise which went quite well and finally a cross-country back to the lower slope which now seemed even steeper! The crowds had pretty much gone from this morning so I headed down quite quickly - too quickly actually and was horrified to see a big hole in the snow - no chance of missing it, but I tried, failed, and completed my final run on my arse! Oh well, that would do for the day

Mick: I walked back to the ski shop, handed in my skis, poles and boots, collected my own boots and walked out feeling very lightweight without the big ski boots on. The day had cost €12.50 for the ski hire and €25 for the lift pass and had been well worth it.

Adriana: He then carried on skiing for a while and we met back at the shop, went back to the apartment to chill out. We then had a nice meal, and decided to go out for a drink. Well we tried to go for a drink, but all the hotels were holding posh dinner and dances, we thought about gate crashing but we were a little under dressed, we didn't have tickets, and I don't think our German is up to arguing standards. We carried on walking for a while saw another few pubs but they were closed. Never mind we decided we would go back to the flat and have a few drinks on our own and see the new year in together, luckly we don't mind being on our own. We began to walk back, but we decided we would go up on the ski slope just to see if we could see any fire works; there were a few. We watched for a while, just as we were about to go back at about 11:45pm, a load of people started coming onto the ski slope. We waited and at midnight (about 50 or 60 people at this time had appeared) people started lighting fireworks and the sky lit up, it was amazing. There was a hotel behind where we were stood and they also had a fantastic display going on which must have gone on for at least half an hour, it was all incredible. A lady came up to us and gave Mick and me a sparkler. So from doing nothing it turn out to be an amazing evening we then went back to the flat and had champagne and orange juice to finish off the evening. Then two very drunk happy people, went to bed about 3am.

Next morning Saturday a very slow start. Had a late moning brunch then went out for a nice walk into Schindleberg in the snow. On the way there we passed a playground and we had a play I say we it was actually just me. I went down a long cold slide and over a rope bridge. We then carried on our walk, passed a very noisy donkey, then along a path, over a bridge and carried on walking for a while. Every where you seem to look people are skiing. We then came upon a cafe had a coffee, then walked back to the flat. We then chilled out and had dinner and a early night.

Sunday Mick went for another walk up the mountain, he asked me to go, but I didn't feel like going, so I stayed at the flat, and had some excitment by myself, cleaning the flat and washing the sheets and things. Made dinner, then did some reading, till Mick came back.

Sun 2nd:Climb to Falcon hut - A report by Mick

The mountains had been calling me for some time and today was the day I was going to walk up to the Falcom Hut and maybe onto the main ridge. As always with plans for mountain walks, the weather decided against me, being cloudy high up, but I decided to go anyway. The first part of the walk was up to the lower ski area where I had been skiing and falling a couple of days ago. From there a path winds its way up to the top lift - something that took about ten minutes by lift - which took about 45 minutes. I was pleased with my progress as the guide time was an hour. Once there I walked through the forest following the numerous signs for the hut. I'd taken the precaution of bringing a map just in case but it is not really needed. There was some flat and then some downhill which is always depressing when you are climbing a mountain as you are losing height which you just know you have to gain again.

I walked past another hut and another drag lift still descending. What a cruel trick to play on walkers! Soon enough though I was heading back up again and this time it was relentless. As I walked I saw fewer and fewer people on the trail and skiing which was nice - I much prefer the solitude of the mountains to having people milling around. Onwards and upwards past another hut. I saw another couple who asked me something in German - I tried to explain I spoke no German and I think they got the idea, then headed off into the forest, completely off-track! As I gained height I moved into the clouds - no summit view for me, in fact, probably no summit, but the hut would be my new target.

The track thinned out then swung around and began to descend again, before a final climb and the hut appeared, much sooner than I expected. In fact, I double checked the sign to confirm I had arrived - indeed I had. Two and a half hours from leaving the apartment and I was walking into the hut for a well earned coffee. The hut is clearly a popular place to be and there were people milling around, including a group of school children who thought Josh to be wonderful and tried to engage me in conversation about him. I also noticed other adults clearly talking about me in German. Obviously I couldn't understand them but imagined they hadn't seen an Englishman in these parts for many years and were discussing the declining standards that had led to me being allowed there at all!

After my coffee I decided to leave as it was getting towards 2pm and I wanted to get back down before it started to get dark. I set off down at a good pace but of course the downhills on the way up now became uphills on the way down! It became easier and easier as I descended and soon found myself at the top lift. I had thought of jumping on the lift for the final descent but decided to man-up and walk down. It was a good decision as there were numerous photo opportunities to be had on the way down and I clearly had plenty of daylight time.

I arrived back at the apartment in good time, ahead of the scheduled arrival time which I had made deliberately generous to avoid concern by the Base Camp Manager (wife). The evening meal tasted so much nicer after the day out as it always does.

Page 4

Holiday 2010

Italy

Monday 3rd. We Planned to leave the flat in Germany about 10ish after we packed up, but first we had to get the car from where we had parked it, which was just down a small slope, by the flat, sounds easy!! it took us about half an hour the car wasn't going anywhere. The wheels just wouldn't get a grip so I pushed and pushed all the while Mick's 'saying you drive and I will push', in the end I had to get in the drivers seat, almost closed my eyes and Mick pushed. As it happened it was fine and it went straight up the small hill and I managed not to hit anything! Last look around the flat and we were off. We drove to Florence fairly slowly; it was very icy and cold. It took a while when we got there to find a hotel. As always the first one was full, then the next one was just up the road but we couldn't find it so after searching for a hotel which was just a 100 yards up the road we found it. It was an ok room, we went and had a meal in their little resturant. The meal was nice and quite cheap, but I think the lager was about €5 a pint. We then went and watched a Star Trek, of which, we had loads; Mick had downloaded some for us to watch in the evenings, then had a early night.

Total 430 miles. Tolls €38.

Tuesday 4th. Next morning we had an early start but with our trusted books to listen to, the day went quite quickly. We had planned to visit the Montecassino monastery on the way to Pompeii so pulled off the motorway at the town. The monastery is at the top of a huge mountain which took us about twenty minutes of uphill driving, twisting and turning until we finally arrived at the car park. We discovered that the monastery was closed for a couple of hours so took the opportunity of having lunch while waiting for it to open. The monastery is huge, but the part open to the public, quite small so we were only there for an hour or so. There is a really nice courtyard with views over the mountains in the distance, this leads to the church, which like most churches was amazingly well decorated inside. We also had a quick look in the gift shop and saw one of the monks, who looked very miserable so didn't bother to talk to him. It is free to enter but the car park is €2. After we left it was downhill back to the motorway, then on to Pompeii where we quickly located the Hotel Diana. The receptionist was very pleasant and helpful and gave us maps and information to visit the ruins. We booked into the hotel for two nights, as the next day we wanted to go to see the old ruins of Pompeii.We had a meal out that night at a small cafe in the town square. The food was nice and the service quite quick, although we did shame ourselves when we came to leave as Mick managed to launch a glass across the floor!

Total 340 miles. Tolls €31.60

Wednesday 5th. We went to see the old ruins. We thought it would take only a few hours but we stayed all day. It was amazing to see all the different buildings, and the side streets, which had cafes outside like our modern day ones. Not a lot has changed, just got more modern and a lot more expensive. We went and saw the arena where all the fighting took place. You could almost see it happening. If anyone reads this it is really worth going to see it. A whole day out for just €11 each entrance fee. There are lots of pictures on our Photography page. Follow the link from the main menu to 'On Land', then select 'Pompeii' from the left menu. On our wa back to the hotel, we decided to stop for a coffee and bun, but the first cafe we went in told us their coffee machine was broken so we moved to a second one. With the dog, we sat outside under an awning as it was raining. Despite several people who looked like waiters, actually getting a coffee and cake was something of an effort, but it was well worth it as the cake was wonderful.

Thursday 6th. Left earlyish drove to Reggio Calabria. On the way we decided to visit Vesuvius so followed Katie as she lead us onward and upward. We finally arrived at what seemed to be a tourist area and followed the road up to a huge gate. We were informed that this gate was closed until March and that if we wanted to climb the mountain we should drive to the other side! We headed off and after a number of false starts, finally found the road that headed upwards. It reminded us of the Montecassino road being, if anything, longer and steeper. On the way up, we passed numerous cyclists in various stages of exhaustion as they battled there way up. As we neared the end, it began to rain and the cloud came in. Finally driving into the car park, we were directed to park - which is always a worry! The guy then explained to us that, because of bad weather, the mountain was closed! Somewhat disappointed, we got back in the car and drove a little way down where we had noticed an entrance into the park. Thinking there may be a way in, Mick went in search but was disappointed. The mountain is well sewn up with huge fences to prevent anyone getting on to it and where you can get through the fence, the undergrowth would hinder progress to the point that it would be impossible to gain the summit. We gave up and drove back down to get onto the motorway for Reggio and our last night on Italian soil. Again another long day as by now, the Italian roads had deteriorated into single lanes as there was so much work going on - well, the lanes were blocked with cones and there was equipment there, but no much in the way of activity.

We finally arrived at our destination and programmed Katie to take us to a hotel. This she did, but it was really expensive, totally out of the way, didn't serve breakfast and clearly had a lot of building work going on. We decided to try elsewhere and eventually found a nice hotel on the front. One of the employees of the hotel came in the car with us to show us the car park which was behind the hotel but took us through a maze of side streets to get to. Finally in our room we could relax. The room was really nice, very big, but the TV was in such a bad place as to make it almost impossible to see. We showered and went in search of a restaurant. We had a nice walk along the front and past the shops, then found a small restaurant who greeted us warmly. The food and drink were very nice, the service excellent and quite reasonably priced so we walked back to the hotel feeling very pleased with our choice.

Total 348 miles. Tolls €2

Sicily

Friday:7th. It was a short drive to the ferry terminal and on arrival were ushered to a parking spot by a guy who then asked what ticket we wanted and seemed very helpful. As it turned out, too helpful! He then proceeded to ask for money for helping me, which took him all of thirty seconds and something I could have quite easily done myself, but I gave him a little change. Of course, he then asked for more, which I refused. To top it all, his mate who had washed my windows also asked for money! Not a chance!

The crossing to Sicily took about thirty minutes and we were soon off for Pozallo. The drive went quickly and easily and we decided that, as he had plenty of time, would stop off in Catania to have a look around. We soon regretted the decision! It was crazy! Finding no-where to park we started to head out of the town, but then spied a Chicken take-away so pulled in to get some lunch. Mick was quite nervous about leaving the car but it was parked in view of the shop so we could keep an eye on it. No sooner were we in the shop than the alarm went off, so Mick went back to check. It seemed he had set the alarm without thinking and Josh had moved setting it off! Adriana soon came back with the food which we devoured, then headed off to the motorway to continue our journey southwards. We were soon driving in to Pozallo. With several hours to kill before loading began, we took the dog for a walk on the beach, located a shop selling drinks, then went to park up at the car park. Mick amused himself taking sunset photos which were just amazing, but almost got himself eaten by a guard dog as he wandered into a secure area, not noticing the signs as he was too absorbed with the amazing sunset. Finally we boarded and were off to Malta and home.

Total 168 miles. Tolls €31.

Page 1

Malta to UK 2012

Travelling home from Malta to the UK, this time using the ferries a bit more.

Sunday 2nd December - Day 1 - Malta to Sicily

6:45am Ferry from Valletta to Pozallo arrive 8:30am. Drive to Etna, check it out.

Well the journey home has started, on the road for the next ten days which meant that the cold coming and an upset stomach was not good timing for Day One :-( I got the ferry a day early, having had a phone call on Saturday, saying due to bad weather the ferry was cancelled on Monday and that I had to go Sunday instead! It was not a problem as I was ready to go-ish just had to pack the car! The ferry trip was fine ( I think the ferry was cancelled because not enough people were going both days to make it worth their while.

I arrived in Pozallo about 8.30am and drove through the little village until I hit the motorway, then carried on for about two hours towards Cantania, stopping on the way for a quick wee break, and amazingly got told off for letting Josh wee on the garden!

My next destination was towards Fiumerfredo, then Linguaglossa. The farm was on the Mareneve Rd out of Linguaglossa in the direction of Etna. Eventually I arrived at the place I was staying at; Agriturismo Kikajon where I tried to explain to the owners why I had come a day early, requiring much use of my little Italian booklet out. I think I did okay and was shown to the room which wasn't quite ready; lovely big room two double beds and a bunk beds. Of course I soon made a mess!

That done I was off to check Etna out, which I am climbing tomorrow all being well.

I parked at the car park at the bottom where it was very cold and windy and I walked up for about another half an hour before turning round, satisfied it was the correct way and all would be well for tomorrow.

On the way back I stopped at a little village called Sant'Alfio - I were not impressed so didn't stay long. In fact, as soon as I arrived, I was approached by a beggar asking for money!

I drove back to the farm; it seems everywhere is closed on a Sunday night so I stayed in the room and had cold chicken and pizza (something I prepared earlier) followed by chocolate and peanuts which was all very nice. As I was up at 4am I was in bed and asleep by 9pm and slept very well; no dogs barking all night, no cars going up and down the road all night like there was where I lived in Malta.

Estimated Mileage/Time: 106 miles/2:10 Actual Total Mileage: 169 miles/4:00 including stops.

Toll Charges: €1.10

Ferry costs: €206

Hotel charges: €60 Bed and Breakfast

Page 2

Malta to UK 2012

Monday 3rd December - Day 2 - Climb Etna

From the farmhouse, it was an easy drive up. I noticed the odd patch of snow which worried me slightly as the Chrysler is not the best car in the snow, in fact probably one of the worst!

As I drove further up the snow became more apparent until I reached a point where the car refused to go any further and I had to roll back down, slipping and sliding until I could find a flat section to turn. Already Etna was trying to tell me something.

I drove back down a short way and stopped the car, planning to park there but quickly realised that if the snow continued then this would be a bad place to be later on (as it turned out I was right!), so continued down until I came to some trees and below the snow line.

Dressing quickly Josh and I set off to walk back up where we had just come from, so now the summit was even further away. The snow thickened, beginning to settle on the roads and the high winds made visibility limited. Eventually the road vanished under the snow but amazingly we were passed by a couple of cars heading for who knows where.Finally we rounded a bend and the car park came into view, along with the teeth of the blizzard so I made the first of two executive decisions; on with the glacier glasses so that I could actually see where I was going. We pushed on a little further until we came to the car park which, according to the sign we saw yesterday is at 1800m.

Looking up I could see nothing but white, so made the second executive decision; sod this! The mountain would have to wait for another day. I took shelter for a drink and a goodie bar and despite wearing leggings, trousers, a thermal top, warm shirt, jacket and waterproofs plus my Russian hat, a couple of minutes stopping and I could feel the cold. Moving was fine so I quickly packed up and off we went back down the hill. I'd packed my Blue Rab jacket more for absolute emergency than anything else, but I think I could have easily worn it. The walk down of course seemed much easier - as they always are and we soon came back to the car. Jumping in, I decided to leave my warm clothes on as stripping off would only get me wet anyway.

We set off down the road and I was pleased to see almost no snow on the road. As I drove down I spotted a restaurant so decided to check it out for a coffee; 'chiuso' (closed). I then spotted a map on an information board which showed a forest walk to the 1923 lava flow. This might be worth investigating, so off we went and were treated to a pleasant forest walk for about 30 minutes until we came to a clearing where the lava flow had cut a huge swath through the forest. With no tree shelter, the snow and biting wind dropped the temperature several degrees, so pausing briefly to take a few photos, we turned about and headed back to the car. The drive back down to the farm was uneventful as we were now below the snow line and the temperature was rising all the time (from a low of 31 degree to about 37 degrees - wind chill not included!).

The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing until I decided to drive into Linguaglossa for a coffee and a wander around the town. Of course, the first thing I had to do was to locate the nearest coffee bar which I duly did, electing to have hot chocolate to drink and a couple of small biscuits.

Thus fortified, I headed out to explore. Maybe it is the time of year, but everywhere seemed to be closed, apart from the various souvenir shops selling cystal based ornaments, mostly with no prices attached which is always a worry. The town itself has obviously benefited from the proximity of Etna and there are various murals around painted on the walls showing Etna in all her glory.

It was pretty windy as I walked around the town and at one point I noticed a water fountain where the water was being blown a couple of metres down the road due to the wind. Finally tiring of the town I drove back to the farm.

I had arranged to have dinner at the farm so at 7pm went into the dining area where I was treated to an excellent dinner. The first course was a dish of various salad and cooked vegetables including a large mushroom filled with breadcrumbs which was really nice. I then had the pasta course followed by a meat course comprising small burgers and spicy sausages. Finally some hard cake and oranges for dessert. All of this was washed down with a bottle of six year old local produced red wine! All for twenty euros. At the end of the meal I realised I was being encouraged to leave, so picked up the remainder of the wine and went to the room where I spent the remainder of the evening relaxing watching various television series on the laptop.

The room was nice, although quite cold until I put the heaters on full power for an hour or two. The hot water didn't seem to work initially but after running it for ages, it finally provided enough for a shower

The food was excellent and lots of it and although no-one spoke any English, I managed to communicate and they were all friendly

The views all around were amazing.

Would we stay there again? Definitely

Hotel:

Farm House Agriturismo Kikajon

95015 Linguaglossa Contrada Sciaramanica S/N.

Tel. 333 1859588.

www.kikajon.it / kikajon@kikajon.it

Total Mileage: 30 miles.

Hotel charges: €100 Bed, Breakfast and evening meal

Page 3

Malta to UK 2012

Tuesday 4th December - Day 3 - Visit Taormina and drive to Palermo

Etna was having a laugh at my expense! Today was a perfect day for climing; barely a cloud in the sky and no wind! How frustrating is that? Oh well, maybe next year when we come back this way.

After a nice breakfast I prepared to leave but couldn't find the guy to pay him! There were a couple of other people around, neither of whom seemed interested in helping us to locate my quarry, nor take my money. I waited around for a while and was just on the verge of giving up when he arrived. Paying my dues, I said goodbye and headed off towards the first destination of the day; Castiglione di Sicilia, a pleasant small village some ten or so miles distant.

I parked easily enough and went off in exploration, remarking how quiet the town was - an ideal retreat with amazing views all around. Unfortunately as with most of Sicily, everywhere seemed to be closed for business.

The back streets were amazing, every now and again I would emerge to an incredible view of the world around, sometimes Etna, sometimes the foothills. There were other small villages perched on the tops of other mountains - Sicily is obviously not a place for vertigo sufferers! On my way down the hill, I spotted a vehicle that would be ideal; it looked like something out of an old Pink Panther film - awesome.

Also just at the end of my tour, I discovered the tourist information centre who gave me a map of the town and carefully explained that everywhere was closed - or at least when I asked him about each place, he replied 'Chiuso'. Finally I returned to the car and set off for Taormina twenty miles away.

Taormina

Taormina is built on the side of a hill so on leaving the motorway it is an uphill drive to the town itself. I had been told there was a car park but I either missed it or it was somewhere else. Either way, I drove through the town ever uphill, finally finding a space near the top. After a drink and a biscuit I walked back down in search of the main town. After a couple of false starts I found the main shopping area; about half way up where the road widens slightly, there is an arch - the town is through the arch. Keen for a coffee I looked around for a suitable cafe and quickly found one that boasted free internet - perfect!

Now my phone is not the best when it comes to signal discovery so I found myself having to sit inside just to get a signal. It proved a profitable experience as one of the emails was notifying me that I had been offered a contract at GE for six months, so was well pleased with that. Emails completed I paid the bill and left, noting to myself that the internet there is far from free as the coffee was over three euros a cup! Still, money well spent.

Taormina is really nice with lots of pedestrian walk ways and little shops, mostly selling souvenirs, but also some clothes and other shops. There is a Greek theatre on one side of the town but it charged eight euros per person to visit so I decided against it. The town must be heaving in the summer. We noticed the temperature starting to drop so headed out of the town and on the way back to the car. I came to some steps I had noticed earlier leading up to the castle at the top - a challenge that could not be ignored, so up I went.

As I climbed higher and higher the views became more and more impressive and the theatre came into view which was pretty amazing. Finally I reached the first summit, but the castle was still above me. Locating some more steps, up I went again only to discover it was closed! What a surprise! Walking back down I spied our car parked below me so was boosted by the fact that to get to it would be all downhill from here. Pausing to take a few photos, I headed down and soon came to the car. More drinks and biscuits and I was off for the three hour drive to Palermo.

The motorway initially heads South which is not the way we wanted to go - Palermo is West of Taormina - but it swings around the base of Etna and soon enough heads in the right direction. Night soon came and I spent the majority of the drive in the dark which is always a shame as the world just flashes by as dark shapes. With less than an hours driving to go, I stopped for coffee and a break and I noticed that one of my tyres looked a little low. Checking with the air line confirmed my thoughts - oh dear, do I have a leak? Time will tell.

The remainder of the journey went well enough until I hit Palermo. Katy of course knew nothing about the port so I were on my own. I managed to locate signs for the 'porto' which I followed, finally noticing signs for GNV and Genova leading into a large car park. A disinterested attendant pointed to a small queue of card which we joined and began the very long wait. Almost immediately we were approached by an old guy selling photos of the Madonna who took some convincing that I wasn't interested before finally leaving me alone.

I had been told to arrive two hours before departure - I had arrived about 7:30pm for an 11:00pm departure. There was no ship so obviously boarding early wasn't going to happen. 8:00pm, 8:30pm, and finally at 9:00pm the ferry arrived, although it wasn't the 'La Splendida' that I was expecting, but the Dimonios which looked more like 'La Crappa'. I was a little less confident now, but I figured that there weren't going to be two ferries at the same port for the same destination so it must be mine. I watched in amazement as first of all they couldn't lower the exit ramps, then having finally achieved that, spent the next two hours unloading with container after container being driven off, followed eventually by dozens of cars and other vehicles. Eventually about 11:30pm it came to a finish, but then they decided they had to repair the ramps before we could be allowed on. It was around about now that a guy came around checking tickets. I showed him mine which he obviously wasn't impressed with and managed to explain that I needed to check in, pointing in some random direction. Great! Off I went to locate the office and eventually presented my ticket - there was one guy in front of me who was clearly in no hurry whatsoever. My ticket was examined and I was given several others as boarding tickets and I raced back to the car - no change, I was still waiting.

Finally we started to board. I was directed to an upper deck, but my car was having none of it, stopping about half way up refusing to go further so I had to reverse back down to be directed to a lower deck - they wanted me to go down but I managed to convince them that I would have the same problem getting back up again tomorrow so I was parked on the ground level deck which was fine.

I grabbed my belongings and headed in, being given keys to the room and a cage for Josh was a quickly completed and I was soon in the small cabin - it was 12:30am and we hadn't yet left the port! I read for a few minutes then off to sleep, being woken through the night by the ship rocking back and forth - it could be a long night!

Estimated Mileage/Time: 162miles/2:45 Actual Total Mileage: 196 miles.

Toll Charges: €2.30

Food and drink: €18

Page 4

Malta to UK 2012

Wednesday 5th December - Day 4 - Ferry from Sicily to Genoa

I didn't have a particularly good nights sleep, being frequently woken by noises from the ship rocking and rolling around. Being in an inside cabin, there was no light to let me know the time, which was fine. After showering and dressing I decided to go in search of some breakfast and let the dog out, although with the ship heaving from side to side, a full English was probably not going to happen!

Josh, of course, was overjoyed at seeing me and barked himself stupid. With him happy, I went inside to locate the breakfast bar and discovered that a coffee, a tea and one croissant was €4.70 I also decided that it would be unlikely that I would eat on the ship either! Most of the day was spent either in the room reading, modifying the website or letting the dog out. At one point I sat in the lounge but if anything, it felt more uncomfortable than the cabin. As it happens, it was a good thing as I was approached by a guy initially asking whether I had an internet connection (I did not) then proceeded to tell me that the ship would not reach Genoa until 7am tomorrow morning! It was supposed to dock at 8pm tonight so it is well late! This was doubly annoying because firstly the boat is a dump and not the one I thought I would be on (a letter of complaint will be composed at the earliest opportunity) and secondly, I have a hotel reservation which is booked and paid for for tonight so I will lose that money. Okay, I get a nights sleep, but the ship and cabin are a poor substitute for a hotel with carpets, a mini bar and a world that doesn't move about!

Ferry costs: €372

Ferry: Grand Navi Veloci : Dimonios

Hotel: Columbus Sea Hotel: €81 (I didn't stay at this hotel so no comments)

Food and drink: €4.70

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Malta to UK 2012

Thursday 6th December - Day 5 - Genoa to Chamonix via Venaria Reale

Finally after far too many hours at sea I arrived at Genoa. Rather irritatingly the cabin crew then tried to usher me out of the room. Look mate, we are 10 hours late arriving, surely another five minutes isn't going to upset the system too much? I packed my kit and went out to wait somewhere else until it was our time to go to the car and disembark. I were one of the first off so was pleased with that, having seen the time they took to unload when we boarded at Sicily felt pleased with myself. It was short-lived as I soon joined a long queue of traffic, being held up by striking construction workers! Great!

Finally I got on my way out of Genoa but decided that the first stop I found would be a breakfast stop. I was soon tucking into an 'Alpino', which for those not in the know is basically a cheese and ham sandwich warmed up.

Thus fortified I started the two hour journey to Venaria Reale which went without a hitch apart from discovering that I do have a leaky rear tyre so it means I will have to regularly check it and top it up - something more for the MOT!

Venaria is a nice town with a central paved area which is almost pedestrianised but cars do seem to drive up and down - including me as I managed to get lost. I found a place to park and walked into the centre. I enquired about the 'castle' which is not really a castle, more a big stately home. I wasn't bothered about looking round, so I walked through the town slowly, discovering on the way that the Giro (Italian professional cycle race) came here one year which was impressive. I made my way back to the car which as luck would have it, was parked outside a cafe. Depositing the dog, in I went for a lunch. I was hungry, probably a catch up from yesterday when I didn't eat much, so had chicken and beans which was excellent. That along with coffee and diet coke came to less than €10 so it was a good deal too. I tried in vain to connect to the internet, even being given the password didn't help.

Next stop was Passy near Chamonix which is a beautiful drive up the Aosta valley and through the Mont Blanc tunnel, although I soon started to haemorrhage money on the various tolls. Today proved the most expensive day so far by a long way, especially as I had to put another €100 worth of fuel in, but I can't complain, the car is doing just shy of 40 miles to the gallon.

Emerging from the tunnel I had the long drive down towards Chamonix, then about ten miles further on to Passy. My hotel was well above Passy so I had to reprogram Katy with the exact address. On arrival, the hotel seemed distinctly closed but eventually I located the owner and checked in. On the face of it, booking ahead seemed like a good idea, but in reality, not so much. First of all, I lost a night last night which I had paid for and secondly I would not have driven to this hotel in the snowy conditions as it is a long way up small roads so there is the worry of snow and freezing water, instead I would have stayed as low as possible in Chamonix. On the upside I had a guaranteed hotel, no driving around at the end of a long day looking for somewhere that takes dogs, so it is a toss up which is best.

I decided to have a walk around the town in what remained of the daylight and visit the Information Centre to check out a Vets for Josh as I need to get him treated for Tapeworm prior to returning to the UK. A side benefit of that was that they had free Wi-Fi so I could download all of my emails and check progress with various projects. That done, I walked back, spying a restaurant that would do nicely for dinner and then spying a patisserie that sold excellent looking cakes. Of course they were irresistible so I bought one and scoffed it on the way back to the hotel.

It turned out that the restaurant was excellent. I had a steak which was excellent. I decided on a crepe so had one with banana and chocolate which was probably about a thousand calories, but excellent. All this was washed down with a nice bottle of wine and it was a full traveller that walked back to the hotel that night!

Estimated Mileage: 116 miles to Venaria, then 106 miles to Chamonix. Actual Total Mileage: 248 miles.

Toll Charges: €73

Fuel: €102

Food and Drink €90

Hotel charges: €57.80 Bed and Breakfast

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Malta to UK 2012

Friday 7th December - Day 6 - Climb Brevent and sightseeing in Chamonix

After a reasonable nights sleep and the usual continental breakfast I were off to Chamonix for climbing and sightseeing. As I set off I noticed the snow falling ever so slightly but was unconcerned.

When I arrived in Chamonix it was a different story, it was snowing quite a bit harder but I was still okay with it as I 'knew' they would clear the roads and all would be well. I found a car park and was deciding whether or not to park there when I spotted a vet. Now I needed to get Josh seen to either today or at the latest tomorrow and given that it was a Friday today, it seemed like the best chance so in I went. It turned out to be the vet I had emailed from Malta which was a coincidence. No problem, back at 3:30 which would give me time to walk up Brevent, or at least a good way up.

I decided that the car should be moved so found a convenient (but expensive) car park nearby and off we set. It was hard going and the snow was falling more and more making it very tough in places where I sank through the snow. I envied those on skis! Eventually I decided I had walked up enough, there was no view, it was snowing and I had no idea how much further up it was - probably a long way, so made the decision to turn around.

As with most mountains, the down but is way faster than the up bit and I was soon back in Chamonix. I took the decision to go to the vet and see if I could get an earlier appointment on the grounds that the snow was getting worse and the hotel was at the top of a big hill. Luckily they saw me earlier so after a quick examination, a couple of tablets and almost €50 lighter I started the long drive back to the hotel

It started badly as getting out of Chamonix proved tough as several roads were closed but eventually I got onto the motorway and headed off at a slow speed in second or third gear all the way. Finally exiting the motorway, the fun really began as I had a long drive up. Now the Chrysler is not exactly known for its' ability in the snow, in fact it is the worst car I have ever driven in snow. I slipped and slid my way up! Finally I reached a small incline and I could go no further so had to reverse back and turn around. The main road was no better and I slipped and slid my way up that, barely managing, but managing to keep going right to the top and into the village. The final section through the town proved the worst bit as turning down the final road, the car took on its own direction and there was nothing I could do except try to slow it down. I ended up sideways across the road! Luckily a guy got out of his car to help and I managed to get the car pointing the right way down so I continued the final few metres to the hotel and car park, then breathed a huge sigh of relief as I parked the car.

It had taken me two hours to drive the 20 miles from Chamonix, I was both physically and mentally exhausted but glad to be back at the hotel.

I decided to go to the same restaurant as last night for dinner as I had enjoyed it so much and they didn't disappoint me. I had the steak again, although I didn't fancy dessert as I was now full. My thoughts during the evening centred around how I were going to solve the problem of getting the car safely down the hill in the morning. The final decision was that if the snow was still on the ground, and there was a 99.9% chance it would be, then I would either take a bus, a taxi or even walk down and buy some snow chains. Satisfied with that I walked back to the hotel to relax with some TV.

Given the time of year, I would have been better down in the valley as the hotel is high up on the Plateua d'Assy. The room was not that warm and with just one small radiator never quite managed to get warm enough, although during the night it became stuffy but opening a window would have made it cold so I couldn't win really.

Breakfast was a typically continental affair but plentiful and tasty so that was good. The owner was pleasant although she spoke far too fast for me to understand much of what she said, we managed to communicate adequately and when it came to digging the car out of the snow, they did the car park and my car which was a nice touch.

Hotel:

Hotel le Tourisme

6 rue d'Anterne, Passy, 74190

Actual Total Mileage to/from Chamonix): 30 miles.

Parking Charges: €12.50

Vet: €49.80

Food and Drink €20

Hotel charges: €57.80 Bed and Breakfast

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Malta to UK 2012

Saturday 8th December - Day 7 - Drive to Dijon via Baume Les Messiers

I woke to a white world this morning. Clearly I would be going nowhere fast. I went down for breakfast and enquired about the possibility of public transport to the village below to purchase chains when a guy sat on the next table came across and offered to drive me down! Fantastic. An hour later we were headed down to the village. It turned out he was a freelance software engineer and scuba diver so we had plenty in common. Sadly he had no interest in the Tour de France but hey, you can't have everything I suppose.

Soon enough we were back and the chains were fitted and seemed fine. They cost about €45 which was money well spent in my view and we made short work of the drive down. As coincidence would have it, a lot of the snow had melted so I think we might have made it without the chains, but then again, the car could have slipped into a ditch and cost hundreds to put right.

I set off on the three hour drive to Baume with no further incident. I had a stop for the tyre but that was about all. Baume is a small village commune deep in the French countryside with an Abbey as its' centre piece. Clearly in December it is closed to tourists as there were no cafes open, nobody about and the abbey itself closed to visitors. We had a walk around but it was bitterly cold but I decided to tough it out to take some photos.

Eventually I set off again, this time to Dijon just an hour or so away and soon arrived in the town to join the evening traffic. Finally via some very dodgy driving down a bus lane, the wrong way, then across a pavement, I came to the car park and parked the car. The hotel had vacancies and I was soon in the room chilling.

Tonight I fancied a McDonalds, which as it turned out was just across the road so off I went for a burger and chips. Thus full, I strolled around the centre looking at the lights which got a universal thumbs down. I am planning a report to the local council when we return!

I had stayed in the B&B before so knew what to expect and was not disappointed. The staff were friendly, the room big and warm and the shower hot. The bed was comfortable and the breakfast more than adequate with continental plus eggs and bacon available. All that for under €60.

Hotel:

B&B

Rue Du Chateau

Dijon

Estimated Mileage: 162 miles to Baume, then 61 miles to Dijon. Actual Total Mileage: 232 miles.

Toll Charges: €24.30

Chains: €45.60

Food and Drink €10.90

Hotel charges: €57.80 Bed and Breakfast

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Malta to UK 2012

Sunday 9th December - Day 8 - Dijon to Dover via Calais

I had a long drive today to Calais, in fact the longest drive of the entire journey so got away by 9am. I was soon on the Peage and on my way. I had decided to listen to a couple of talking books which is a great way to soak up the time.

Being a Peage and Sunday, the motorway was pretty quiet so I bowled along at 75mph or so, stopping just twice, once for fuel and once for a coffee until I finally came into Calais Port.

Presenting myself to the first passport control I was checked and sent on to the P&O check in where I was met by the most rude Frenchman I have met in a long time. He wanted the booking number and then told me I had not booked the dog (I was pretty sure I had) sent me off to book him in, not bothering to tell me where to go other than to follow a car in the distance. I located the booking office where I was met by the rudest Frenchwoman I have met in a long time who was similarly rude and unprofessional so of course, me being me, got the same rude attitude back!

Returning to the car I drove around again, firstly being met by a UK Passport control who, being British, was very friendly, then by a French woman who was also quite nice - seems there are some! She told me the ferry was on time (which was correct) whereas the Frenchman had told us it was 40 minutes late!

I soon boarded and went hungrily to the cafe to get food and use up some of my remaining Euros.

The trip went quickly enough and I was soon off and on the way to the hotel for the night. I had booked a meal deal so went to the restaurant for dinner which was excellent; steak, chicken, profiteroles, lager etc - fantastic!

While taking the dog out I thought I had better check the tyre - it was well down so I decided to drive down to the local garage to pump it up otherwise I figured by the time the morning came it would be totally flat.

Estimated Mileage: 354 miles to Calais Actual Total Mileage: 374 miles.

Toll Charges: €45.70

Fuel: €85.97

Car Park: €5.20

Food and Drink: €9.50

Ferry: €18.49 + €48

Hotel charges: €67.40 Bed and Breakfast

Page 9

Malta to UK 2012

Monday 10th December - Day 9 - Car MOT and drive to Worcester

The hotel was fine, no problems with a nice shower, nice comfortable bed and an English TV, all you would expect from a Premier Inn really.

Apart from the fact that I had to have two new tyres, the car passed the MOT which was a great, if surprising relief. On the way back to the hotel I stopped off at a post office to get the tax. The Post Office had been described to me by the garage but it turned out the one they sent me to had closed a couple of years ago, so I had a hike over to the next nearest one. Half of Dover must have been in there as well so it took some time but eventually I was out and back to the hotel.

When I got back, I discivered that Premier Inns don't take dogs! A bit late really.

The drive back to Malvern went without a hitch and after about 3 1/2 hours, found myself pulling into the drive - job done!

Hotel:

Premier Inn

Dover

Estimated Mileage: 220 miles Actual Total Mileage: 240 miles.

Fuel: £93

Food and Drink: £8.50

Premier Inn Hotel: £84.98

Page 1

Tenerife 2014

Leaving on a Jet Plane

The plan looked something like this:

Flight leaves - 7:15am

Arrive at airport check in - 5:45am

Arrive at car park - 5:00am

Leave home - 3:45am

Alarm - 3:00am

The plan worked perfectly and second breakfast was soon being had in the airport Costa!

Having pre booked my seat meant there was no rush to get on the plane so a relaxed approach was taken. The flight went quickly punctuated by coffee, reading and watching the cloudy world go by. Soon enough the Canary Islands were spotted and Tenerife picked out as it was possible to see the huge volcano that dominated the island.

Once through customs, next stop was the baggage collection but mine being bright yellow presented no problems with identification. Reunited, next stop was to collect the hire car from Auto Reisin who had offices in the airport- another painless experience. This was easy!

The hire car park was a couple of minutes walk and soon the car was loaded up. Now the fun would begin - other side of the road with a left hand drive car. The Sat nav was programmed and a cautious exit on to the motorway. At least that would be an easy introduction o driving on the wrong side.

With just a couple of wrong turns, the Palm Mar estate was soon reached and finding the apartment was straightforward although the guide said it was the last roundabout but how would you know it was the last one? Unloaded, the next stop was the supermarket to stock up for a few days.

Dinner was at Pearls Pantry, a couple of minutes walk from the apartment which was a really nice steak - well it was steak night for 10 Euros so it would have been rude not to.

Getting my bearings

Day 2 was the day to find the dive school (Atlantic Divers) which took some finding but eventually it was located and a couple of dives booked in for Friday. After that, a drive up to Arona to climb Roque del Conde which was a nice walk and not too steep apart from the last little bit. It was a bit of a late start at about 4:00pm, but the summit was reached for 6:15 then back to car about 7:30pm. Not too steep and a good path with nice views. Dusk at this time of year is about 7:45pm so good timing.

Getting around

Santa Cruz was just under two hours along the motorway at a nice steady pace which made for a nice day out. Parking is a bit of a problem, as with any Capital City and the car was parked up on the outskirts of the town which made for a nice walk along the sea front into the main town. The city is not massively impressive overall but there were some nice parts including the market place, the opera house which is reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House and also features boulders by the sea with paintings of every well known musician from Beethoven through BB King, Keith Richards and everyone in between although I did notice that Kylie was missing which was somewhat disappointing to say the least. Also worth seeing is a small museum underground near a pool with flower covered buildings which tells the story of Tenerife invasions especially by Admiral Nelson who it seemed lost his arm in the battle - bit careless I thought. Lunch was in the bus station cafe not far from the opera house. Nice roll and coffee for 4 Euros.

Masca Gorge Walk

Since researching things to do on Tenerife, this was a 'must do' walk given how good it seemed to be. Whilst on a day out to Las Americas, a tour agency was spotted offering the tour so checked it out. The price varies enormously so it is worth shopping around but expect to pay about 30 Euros for the day which is excellent value.

The coach picks up at Los Cristianos at 8:00am from outside a hotel which seemed to be a common pick-up point for tours so it was important to get the right one! No problem with that, the guide had a list of names so could confirm all passengers. The drive took some time as there was a lot of pick ups plus we stopped for coffee and toilets in Tianamo. The drive down to the village was very impressive and the coach had to reverse several times to get around the bends. They were kind enough to stop at the top to allow photos to be taken which was a nice touch I thought.

The village is tiny and, after disembarking and being given lunch and water supplies we soon left it for the gorge itself, having been divided into smaller more manageable groups based, it seemed more on Nationality than anything. It is really impressive with loads to see especially if you are into Geology. We stopped several times to be told something about the area or the flora and fauna which was very informative. The guide had to tell us in English and German so it took a while but we were in no hurry.

Basically the gorge is 5 miles of downhill walking with the odd little uphill bit. Along the way there was plenty of time for photos and we even had a lunch stop which was pleasant. We had left Masca just after 11:00am and arrived at the beach about 4:00pm. We had been promised a swim but only had 10 minutes until the boat arrived and we were off so no time for that sadly. They thoughtfully provided beers for everyone on the boat which was a nice touch. The boat trip was about 20 minutes and with a short walk to the coach we were on our way by 4:45pm and back at our car for 5:30pm.

It was an excellent day out and one I would definitely repeat. It gives a nice walk without the hassle of either climbing back up or having to negotiate a boat at the bottom - no doubt being expensive as they have a captive audience! The tour company was called Sun Tours.

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Tenerife 2014

Scuba Diving

A couple of days diving had to be done and Atlantic Divers had been chosen as the dive school. The first day was the same the world over; arrive, find kit that fits, get happy and familiar with it, load cylinders and away. The school was a bit surprised that I only needed a couple of kilos of weight but as they had discovered I was a Master Instructor, kind of figured I might know what I was doing! as it turned out, I managed to get down to a half kilo, but the first dive is always best slightly overweight to make sure all is well - it is easier to control being slightly heavy, much more difficult to control being too light!

The first dive was a nice steady dive at a location called 'Mushrooms' which gave just over 30m with plenty of fish and other life to look at and was a pleasant way to get back into the water - having not dived for some time.

After a nice surface interval, the second dive was into 'Sharks Cave' where the first Atlantic Ray was spotted and it was huge! Oh Yes! Lots of photos later, emerged happy with the days diving.

The following day, I dived again. This time it was the 'Steps' and 'Stingray World' again both excellent dives and I managed an hour for each dive to 25m and 21m respectively. In addition to the swarm of Sting Rays - who know it is feeding time, Dan took me to a small wreck to have a look around. Excellent day out.

That evening, everyone met up with the Instructors and diving buddies for an evening meal in Costa Del Silencio which was an excellent end to a great days diving.

A second days diving followed, this time to 'Yellow Mountain' and a return to the 'Stingray World' for another look at these amazing creature and enjoy them a second time - happy with that! A 46 minute dive in total which went in the blink of an eye!

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Tenerife 2014

Teide Caldera

The Teide Park takes just over an hour to drive to from Palm Mar and is uphill all the way.

El Portillio visitor centre was visited first which is really interesting. Advice was not to try walking up any of the mountains! Seemingly it was too windy. Never mind it was a recee visit anyway. A short walk from the visitor centre confirmed their advice as it was so cold - should have bought warm clothes! Even when it is really warm down by the coast, it can be quite cold up in the park, so it is always worth bringing something warm to wear, never mind, nothing a trip to the local souvenir shop couldn't solve!

The Roques Dr Garcia is well worth a visit if only for the tourist climb and walk out past the rock towers which were very impressive and had great views of Teide. A rock was spotted that would make a great photo and then I noticed a huge rock formation so decided to walk down to it and then right to the bottom which made the rocks look huge! On the way back up I decided to investigate some interesting rock formations. I took some photos and then made my way back to the top and the car.

The entire Teide Park is so amazing, everywhere you look it is just awesome!

Teide

There is a report of my climb on Teide itself here

Montana Blanca

Up by 6:00am to drive up to Teide, arriving at the car park just after 7:30am but it was already full! Luckily a space was spotted at the end and being in a small car managed to squeeze in. It is silly having a car park for just 12 cars at the start of the main mountain ascent start but hey ho.

Daylight came about 8:00am and depature time was about 8:10am. It was a lot warmer than last time so it was possible to start in shorts and a hoodie but once the sun was up a bit higher, the hoodie could be removed.

Good time was made, getting to the summit of Montana Blanca by 10:00am where a stop for photos and a swig of JD was called for - it is a mountain law.

The walk back down was easy enough and plenty of walkers were passed heading up presumably to climb Teide which would be in perfect condition today - mildly frustrating for me but it didn't matter because I reached the highest point I could without a permit anyway. There were also some fenced off areas which prompted speculation, deciding they were either for seismic or conservation reasons.

Lunch was had at the car but as it was only about 11:15am only really counted as a mid morning snack.

Back to the visitor centre again, but this time it could taken at a more leisurely pace as it was a lot warmer. It was discovered that the fenced areas on the mountain were for conservation as there is a rabbit and sheep (Mouflon) problem, which also explained why there were a lot of vehicles on the mountain - they were hunters! Mind you, the thought of sheep hunters amused me! The centre shows a really interesting video about the formation of the island group which is well worth watching.