tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25423533737332713172024-02-21T08:02:16.758+00:00Jess and Dunk's adventureJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-54094241670568330242010-01-18T21:29:00.005+00:002010-01-18T22:14:30.620+00:00Albatross, horses and dolphins. Oh my!So we left Queenstown and the rainy west coast for the not so rainy east coast. The first stop was Dunedin, known here as little Edinburgh. Dunedin was a cute student town and was nice for just wandering around. Dunk headed off to see the local wildlife. There are colonies of albatross, yellow eyed penguins, seals and sealions on the peninsula.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnt6tO4AOTerZKr_EQLbQkcaPmmimJ65A7xgaV1o5Mc9Rxdh60KUaeQvxDJB4liSIaEv_fJVmXiN266Xba2aRFjari6zI3B9E-cLj946TpC3Vx9B6gNlyh4NL_HWxqr8yy3kj1UVLg2c/s512/IMG_1247.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnt6tO4AOTerZKr_EQLbQkcaPmmimJ65A7xgaV1o5Mc9Rxdh60KUaeQvxDJB4liSIaEv_fJVmXiN266Xba2aRFjari6zI3B9E-cLj946TpC3Vx9B6gNlyh4NL_HWxqr8yy3kj1UVLg2c/s512/IMG_1247.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpaQ17EBryZ6pnmZe7JzPf3hMieSP7TarctlNmXEjY1T5isoWfioVPM_9UTdAY5-tMBCwzpKb81IGUlcQpTzWtjqvQL-5bCXTom-cY1ekDrSgqlNpXpbJAdBHwh9XvG21soa5EuxnHGI/s512/IMG_0517.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpaQ17EBryZ6pnmZe7JzPf3hMieSP7TarctlNmXEjY1T5isoWfioVPM_9UTdAY5-tMBCwzpKb81IGUlcQpTzWtjqvQL-5bCXTom-cY1ekDrSgqlNpXpbJAdBHwh9XvG21soa5EuxnHGI/s512/IMG_0517.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxMi4YgFlg7CUo8ujMUzRQ-UYtTEXF8ce7Fi_hMTX5dA45_VFGJORpq9cuFs_k-iukGBr_dmITyI_3f_rKhCv5Qs0TTGCxJtBwPU-csqDeZv1ZEK_pnhkqpH0lqI9rHX5pbC9SwzXqZ4/s640/IMG_0473.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxMi4YgFlg7CUo8ujMUzRQ-UYtTEXF8ce7Fi_hMTX5dA45_VFGJORpq9cuFs_k-iukGBr_dmITyI_3f_rKhCv5Qs0TTGCxJtBwPU-csqDeZv1ZEK_pnhkqpH0lqI9rHX5pbC9SwzXqZ4/s640/IMG_0473.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>After a short one night stay, the magic bus brought us to Lake Tekapo, an amazingly turquoise glacial lake (when the sun shines) close to Mount Cook. The bus brought us via a strange "tourist attraction", some spherical boulders on a beach which Duncan had some fun playing on! We chilled out on the lake for a couple of nights and I headed on a horse trek around the lake. The sun was shining which made a nice change but there was some extreme wind.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6HJowKYLDoyoz6tVHTVduaR5w5jjcMoB-nQrbSItlYY6z6LnHihp_QuIdqoCh-29Bn6J9tpprnZlgo-daKd-wNMevjRhyphenhyphenBIQ-Bub9_E2Uw2d-PJmxmNe5hapGISjV9za9JqgmbDx0jI/s640/IMG_0541.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6HJowKYLDoyoz6tVHTVduaR5w5jjcMoB-nQrbSItlYY6z6LnHihp_QuIdqoCh-29Bn6J9tpprnZlgo-daKd-wNMevjRhyphenhyphenBIQ-Bub9_E2Uw2d-PJmxmNe5hapGISjV9za9JqgmbDx0jI/s640/IMG_0541.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUkHFBAUwQSPXZfu5Zd2ZN4ppzFr_s5Hb2brzswzJFYLZKnN8evV1HUHQnwE_Pik8VA35svKqlMXnNHTtpO2B4IWXUGDV9ThIKTJ4JGvX0UlCYhsg_JvSz3qQVC7rnSYmYcqycqwBx14/s640/IMG_1254.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUkHFBAUwQSPXZfu5Zd2ZN4ppzFr_s5Hb2brzswzJFYLZKnN8evV1HUHQnwE_Pik8VA35svKqlMXnNHTtpO2B4IWXUGDV9ThIKTJ4JGvX0UlCYhsg_JvSz3qQVC7rnSYmYcqycqwBx14/s640/IMG_1254.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjb5952Eldhzy8T060pplSX-IUC9SGC1Z_5fIy8JDWLy4gjzIdEAy-AZznz3JPMXa7GUdvnzQPy3rUMa3EWOO9PKybrF5V-EtygGDst0gXOdgHzkc81DjRJwj9fsUaCv8VzSPz7LaCvSA/s640/IMG_1282.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjb5952Eldhzy8T060pplSX-IUC9SGC1Z_5fIy8JDWLy4gjzIdEAy-AZznz3JPMXa7GUdvnzQPy3rUMa3EWOO9PKybrF5V-EtygGDst0gXOdgHzkc81DjRJwj9fsUaCv8VzSPz7LaCvSA/s640/IMG_1282.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimt5FkH6xA2KuGM3w4590tJXJZLS0JrYtOdOL-dD3f4CHuj993u01jzgiYaFXVNSv5ZPiF08spQMvZQr6yfBASrMUaHQ8wyU8_SdwG6DKFHG_LJg8J4EdvYVq54nBIZx6WBQg2Rf03cA/s640/IMG_1291.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimt5FkH6xA2KuGM3w4590tJXJZLS0JrYtOdOL-dD3f4CHuj993u01jzgiYaFXVNSv5ZPiF08spQMvZQr6yfBASrMUaHQ8wyU8_SdwG6DKFHG_LJg8J4EdvYVq54nBIZx6WBQg2Rf03cA/s640/IMG_1291.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtNwZSnXIBmN7sp5yMicyY621tbCTkTn4eNEcsFEY9JDKbSODK_1dpEkLtDmIK0SxuQz9Rw8L8fGt1-nYinBLbSOtz_U0tzTnJSd9p-x6mFsvU4t8FvvlonbxBpdU90-omrfg-sN0XBY/s640/LakeTekapo.tif.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 602px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtNwZSnXIBmN7sp5yMicyY621tbCTkTn4eNEcsFEY9JDKbSODK_1dpEkLtDmIK0SxuQz9Rw8L8fGt1-nYinBLbSOtz_U0tzTnJSd9p-x6mFsvU4t8FvvlonbxBpdU90-omrfg-sN0XBY/s640/LakeTekapo.tif.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Next stop was a short pitstop in Christchurch. After spending some time in Auckland and Wellington, we had decided the cities aren't where New Zealand is at so only stopped for a night. However, the sun was shining and the garden city was really nice just to take a stroll around. We also took in the Cantebury Museum which was worth a look.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMz1oAyMCAawgEm6lSS_sv5H4GGzthSQncC93miWYEc39FvvngwWVRm25kYrMQ03iJkvgjLyDpcOESATvPje9X_HD96XWYEgmn4YxxHsEhE75f6HIul14cf2rCuSpZW80v6TJ7JeR7N4/s640/IMG_1294.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMz1oAyMCAawgEm6lSS_sv5H4GGzthSQncC93miWYEc39FvvngwWVRm25kYrMQ03iJkvgjLyDpcOESATvPje9X_HD96XWYEgmn4YxxHsEhE75f6HIul14cf2rCuSpZW80v6TJ7JeR7N4/s640/IMG_1294.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tAOg_Pv8kZpy_oIcmXEFDs6hlsuQ-cvBBg9D0w5dsJM8PV8tpXLLn2dtqTmaco5uZztnir43XeC7aOtlkFqrIIxTFMMiHbE2hBtamYTiPjmbZU-NvBBWmFlDLl80kcqyj5fO5Rv5iFc/s512/IMG_1295.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tAOg_Pv8kZpy_oIcmXEFDs6hlsuQ-cvBBg9D0w5dsJM8PV8tpXLLn2dtqTmaco5uZztnir43XeC7aOtlkFqrIIxTFMMiHbE2hBtamYTiPjmbZU-NvBBWmFlDLl80kcqyj5fO5Rv5iFc/s512/IMG_1295.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>The final magic bus stop for us was Kaikoura, about 200 km north of Christchurch, which is known for its seafood and sea wildlife. Myself and Dunk signed up to go swimming with the dusky dolphins which live just off the coast due to a rich food supply. It was a cold overcast morning as we set off and I was feeling dubious about jumping off the boat into the cold pacific despite the wetsuit but once I sucked it up, it was really cool. The boat dropped you into the pod and you swam along with a snorkel trying to "sing" to entertain the dolphins and encourage them to hang out with you! Afterwards, there was hot chocolate, ginger nuts and a chance to enjoy the acrobatics. There had been a 50% sea sickness rate so it meant plenty of hot chocolate and biscuits for myself and Dunk :) Apparently, the dusky dolphin is known as one of the most acrobatic and we saw some amazing somersaults and jumps although they proved difficult to capture on camera.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimldDLWrOHP1bwz6QtA0OUDP0oxziVRXnuzuRZMJsWCNNlsQSPxpZH2NSAIvAHXHgVERqv2h4LTl40hisuOAZ9tZNdCH09hwUOEL7EwERpmSGMLhUWjQYb6yGOOuqGTA_UJhgDgdCcghI/s640/IMG_0572.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimldDLWrOHP1bwz6QtA0OUDP0oxziVRXnuzuRZMJsWCNNlsQSPxpZH2NSAIvAHXHgVERqv2h4LTl40hisuOAZ9tZNdCH09hwUOEL7EwERpmSGMLhUWjQYb6yGOOuqGTA_UJhgDgdCcghI/s640/IMG_0572.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEbDdeGyDuWW7mmrNV44bcOCP4XA_aJpBw-4cbnJUzoyg3Xjgf4ZSgWGEj85BtWxQ-kEtBtrg6XAgY_FvpM4vOKBpxYM421mOyhzMuox1NQpH0cJW2hezibQqtpGDI8FzCwK7KKAhb9U/"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEbDdeGyDuWW7mmrNV44bcOCP4XA_aJpBw-4cbnJUzoyg3Xjgf4ZSgWGEj85BtWxQ-kEtBtrg6XAgY_FvpM4vOKBpxYM421mOyhzMuox1NQpH0cJW2hezibQqtpGDI8FzCwK7KKAhb9U/" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogi-r-4ipfw5Bvgu4Rz9DYAIS5_hwW1xQeP8Tbqe21FuPRkZu9WG-cp4kG8Z905D0G-0eSD7Mzi8X85QK24Q-wcEb2RSJmdGdpl-08OZwOef-biXRLHb8qjowewRk46OaLMabIuHLAKs/s512/IMG_0595.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhogi-r-4ipfw5Bvgu4Rz9DYAIS5_hwW1xQeP8Tbqe21FuPRkZu9WG-cp4kG8Z905D0G-0eSD7Mzi8X85QK24Q-wcEb2RSJmdGdpl-08OZwOef-biXRLHb8qjowewRk46OaLMabIuHLAKs/s512/IMG_0595.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>So anyway, today is Tuesday morning and we are sitting back in the hostel in Christchurch chilling out before heading to the airport and hopefully a sunny Thailand. We've enjoyed NZ, its amazing scenery and wildlife, but the weather has been a little too like home the last couple of weeks. With only 2 pairs of long trousers, I'm looking forward to a chance to wear shorts!</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-3972683280535446982010-01-12T06:52:00.010+00:002010-01-13T08:11:30.007+00:00Nelson to Queenstown.We sailed from Windy Wellington on Christmas Eve and hopped on the magic bus to Nelson. We checked into a lovely hostel called Accents on the Park (definitely recommended) for 4 nights over the Christmas period and met a few of the guys we'd gotten to know on the north island as well as lots of new and lovely friends. The hostel put on a Christmas dinner and despite a complete lack of Christmas feelings due to the sunshine and al fresco dining, it was a really lovely day. Unfortunately with skype being overloaded, I resorted to using my mobile to phone home and now have a disgustingly large phonebill. I just have to tell myself that its my Christmas present to myself! We hung around Nelson which is a really chilled out, sunny spot with lots of nice cafes for a few more days and walked to the centre of New Zealand, the beach, visited the cathedral etc.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NRnRfYs9UqCD68vrUjnrX8ZpsNGluq_2eWqy2XwV96AMCSoNV9mH6GdNPhtvECca0xh0b8YrFPQxoQglupeHRvUsSVBUDj-DTYRujuJCWZ7QBg0fwZ9TMPymKWUhSZbE3ttybTHOiSo/s640/IMG_0292.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NRnRfYs9UqCD68vrUjnrX8ZpsNGluq_2eWqy2XwV96AMCSoNV9mH6GdNPhtvECca0xh0b8YrFPQxoQglupeHRvUsSVBUDj-DTYRujuJCWZ7QBg0fwZ9TMPymKWUhSZbE3ttybTHOiSo/s640/IMG_0292.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsxN6wFEpdP3bMApt9yS8Gh6Aevn6JoHNyQbEBzz_wHGSR9EYVBGZ0QUQ5gBJxWsnOZ4KYkvtCbUF9j6G1Z2G78syitqaTKVURpU05JXczIiE600nkZnZMG-0_YWaZhI-Lpi2tsLzcZ0/s640/IMG_1071.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsxN6wFEpdP3bMApt9yS8Gh6Aevn6JoHNyQbEBzz_wHGSR9EYVBGZ0QUQ5gBJxWsnOZ4KYkvtCbUF9j6G1Z2G78syitqaTKVURpU05JXczIiE600nkZnZMG-0_YWaZhI-Lpi2tsLzcZ0/s640/IMG_1071.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>On 28/Dec, we said goodbye to all the lovely people, jumped in a hire car and headed for Golden Bay which is in the northwest of the south island. We stayed in Annie's Nirvana Lodge in Takaka (also recommended!) for another 4 nights. Takaka is a small hippyish town. We got a couple of days climbing in at Payne's Ford which was just down the road. It was a nice enough spot although I think we've been spoiled these last months in Europe because it didn't compete with the European crags. We spent New Year's Eve kayaking in the Abel Tasman national park which we thoroughly enjoyed before coming back to lots of drunken Kiwis and visited the Nelson Lakes National Park on New Years day (nice enough but probably wouldn't go out of my way again).</div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pETeOu7S-B8g_wrHR7s50O1h6UC5pa6QqTWgJVIF2b00dSEEaNWaa4Tt2s2n4dINwmax6pBWX_y4hYovYaLuKxDJBBUuo4hkehUAc8eyBP_VUQ0ZfHp2q2t4-PKg5IjRslT0e0HyvYw/s512/IMG_0318.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pETeOu7S-B8g_wrHR7s50O1h6UC5pa6QqTWgJVIF2b00dSEEaNWaa4Tt2s2n4dINwmax6pBWX_y4hYovYaLuKxDJBBUuo4hkehUAc8eyBP_VUQ0ZfHp2q2t4-PKg5IjRslT0e0HyvYw/s512/IMG_0318.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0LsbIG_k0SR-O7x_pExQPASgxeeqseliVEsNlTcURw1eqklRRJ8yx85UuDV2FpI6DSKFtCtfRc2hkuLGRP1HQB8fU_88X2-Z34Jyn_aq6KW65wGru-hus53S5RCvIzh4bbVToyjS4aMY/s640/IMG_1142.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0LsbIG_k0SR-O7x_pExQPASgxeeqseliVEsNlTcURw1eqklRRJ8yx85UuDV2FpI6DSKFtCtfRc2hkuLGRP1HQB8fU_88X2-Z34Jyn_aq6KW65wGru-hus53S5RCvIzh4bbVToyjS4aMY/s640/IMG_1142.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwohy41MYbdsfqUoepQxx5tr4jh9l3yKFAkHWI8N6L705rKfR_sWgy3EMqmNIcS7q54eyf_QXbIXbIU-vbP1S1o7sd3FgG3u-4ZERY67xIIkb_IiEjTRLJd-ebD-s9ShFimCncJA95po/s640/IMG_1104.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwohy41MYbdsfqUoepQxx5tr4jh9l3yKFAkHWI8N6L705rKfR_sWgy3EMqmNIcS7q54eyf_QXbIXbIU-vbP1S1o7sd3FgG3u-4ZERY67xIIkb_IiEjTRLJd-ebD-s9ShFimCncJA95po/s640/IMG_1104.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>After the holiday period, we left sunny Nelson and Golden Bay behind and headed for Greymouth which lived up to its name. It started raining in Greymouth and kept going for 10 days! Its just like an Irish summer. From Greymouth we headed up to the hostel in Arthur's Pass which had some lovely 3 bedroomed cottages. Each evening we had great chats with the other occupants who were all really sound. We also did some hiking up Avalanche Peak in the rain and seriously gusty winds. After Dunk got blown off his feet and the hail started we decided not to bother with the last ridge to the summit. There were some amazing views of glaciers, waterfalls and the valleys that made it worthwhile. We also got to meet the cheeky kea (a big kiwi parrot) who tried to make off with our bag.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzSCIPu6eueqNhXjASxevIK77shB5WVK4RO2TA7u8l-hzkELYGq3tg48noYpV7QyXxMJ_sX7iOuj-m1fmFe7lKToOyaATXvVicvc7fUdBq6U9WOTaQUqZuKuzOJpooUKb8JUna33kybA/s640/IMG_1182.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzSCIPu6eueqNhXjASxevIK77shB5WVK4RO2TA7u8l-hzkELYGq3tg48noYpV7QyXxMJ_sX7iOuj-m1fmFe7lKToOyaATXvVicvc7fUdBq6U9WOTaQUqZuKuzOJpooUKb8JUna33kybA/s640/IMG_1182.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuYrtr8xuPzcyQjADZVMM8uLV3odDimn_ccqM6c7Tzr9VleR5wRPwVCdooJQ1eZZG3lwUunLyy_xN9TDAEwh-sHL1d8AGX2n04Hj5HxwWXhXLmsRgTHTx1MQ86JZHLwHBjx2r4f-k64c/s640/IMG_0344.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuYrtr8xuPzcyQjADZVMM8uLV3odDimn_ccqM6c7Tzr9VleR5wRPwVCdooJQ1eZZG3lwUunLyy_xN9TDAEwh-sHL1d8AGX2n04Hj5HxwWXhXLmsRgTHTx1MQ86JZHLwHBjx2r4f-k64c/s640/IMG_0344.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3r7iKfUX0q9e1EHcRQqBELoiVGKU26y4dqAmJIVz8w0t4oa_jDj-MicrXjFwl37-D010gWPC8nXu61YZiUdu9ExJ_sQvnBU6CX_OuloAhJY9pw8qHe9ekKCTtKaB8xd33vL-0WinyaP4/s640/IMG_0383.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3r7iKfUX0q9e1EHcRQqBELoiVGKU26y4dqAmJIVz8w0t4oa_jDj-MicrXjFwl37-D010gWPC8nXu61YZiUdu9ExJ_sQvnBU6CX_OuloAhJY9pw8qHe9ekKCTtKaB8xd33vL-0WinyaP4/s640/IMG_0383.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After the Greymouth/Arthur's Pass trip, we headed on to the Franz Josef glacier. We booked onto an ice climbing trip but the fates were against us. The evening before the trip, the heavens opened and it poured rain for 24 hours. All glacier trips were cancelled due to flooding and adverse weather and with them unlikely to go ahead the next day we had to concede defeat and head to Queenstown. We did catch up with Ingrid, our Dutch friend from Nelson, though and once the rain had eased in the afternoon took a walk up to get some views of the glacier. A few days later we bumped into a couple we had met in Franz and who had waited 3 days to get up on the glacier so I think we made the right decision. I'm sure it wasn't as nice as the Alps anyway!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGokaeooTA5IrUXH2ONk6V2ORf8KQMw0bPZmXoBpVSVbmA8OllPe-sQtKqcNikpv3F3idREgI18C25EO2jP2zZJYtOIlYkdcY6j4Xypcor3K8OZJaWrJxLoeqd2ut2u2yH8x-Yp5r0qk/s640/IMG_1209.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGokaeooTA5IrUXH2ONk6V2ORf8KQMw0bPZmXoBpVSVbmA8OllPe-sQtKqcNikpv3F3idREgI18C25EO2jP2zZJYtOIlYkdcY6j4Xypcor3K8OZJaWrJxLoeqd2ut2u2yH8x-Yp5r0qk/s640/IMG_1209.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0SjwBKmnQi-jJ95yXKUphlJBtPxziaC_XEH6AIxmdShfmsHiui6o9nyoTebmLh8d4sPYtZmmC9WLpA2xw9AW5wMCZdwRKWfloQggM-rm1sFWhyH61JMcpYVVNYs2qNLrzZJuVWjWivM/s640/IMG_0404.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0SjwBKmnQi-jJ95yXKUphlJBtPxziaC_XEH6AIxmdShfmsHiui6o9nyoTebmLh8d4sPYtZmmC9WLpA2xw9AW5wMCZdwRKWfloQggM-rm1sFWhyH61JMcpYVVNYs2qNLrzZJuVWjWivM/s640/IMG_0404.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>We arrived into Queenstown on 8/Jan, still plagued by the rain. We had 4 nights booked and the original plan was to spend a couple of days climbing and potter around for the other day. We were thwarted by the pesky rain yet again although we did manage to go mountain biking in Skipper's canyon which was really good fun but extremely muddy. The clothes had to go in the shower before they could go in the washing machine when we got back! We spent another day hiking up Ben Lomond with Ingrid which allegedly has "amazing panoramic 360 degree" views. We could see 360 degrees of clouds! but it was nice to get out. On the way back down we made a pitstop to play on the luge which was good craic. The other must do in Queenstown was the "Fergburger", basically its a restuarant doing gourmet style burgers. Dunk went with the traditional fergburger while I opted for the cockadoodle oink and Ingrid ate little bambi (she'd eat anything, that one!). I have to say I was disappointed. Give me a Macaris from Inchicore any day. Queenstown itself though is beautifully situated even in the rain. Its on a lake with snow capped peaks in the distance. The lake has a bizarre rhythm. The level of the lake rises and falls by about 20 cm every 6 to 7 minutes. We never managed to find out why but its quite odd.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeNUNwu_KZ4wNC9lJInjSnJ5-CNTsHZpp6z5DrmAo9d_7kpK8-YJlC1hWehBAmHvLyQ6Y1I5VL-7RjuvPnvW4-cUMpv2gPW7CqL1lfYZ-d1Bdqv5-h8XIKEDlRdjRq-9jiNUfQ9iQ8UY/s640/IMG_0410.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeNUNwu_KZ4wNC9lJInjSnJ5-CNTsHZpp6z5DrmAo9d_7kpK8-YJlC1hWehBAmHvLyQ6Y1I5VL-7RjuvPnvW4-cUMpv2gPW7CqL1lfYZ-d1Bdqv5-h8XIKEDlRdjRq-9jiNUfQ9iQ8UY/s640/IMG_0410.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvLqQNHXskq1y8VYTHrld_kyLNlLxfmvv2kcWRrmXHhWK3wEUs5499Nhe7RYQgevkxjlLL9rKAlKkohG7Ha9fznPwDavp23fJqx7JakB6PFqP96NDbRHQzLSslfv-ZMxn8tvlE90vvmk/s640/IMG_0427.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvLqQNHXskq1y8VYTHrld_kyLNlLxfmvv2kcWRrmXHhWK3wEUs5499Nhe7RYQgevkxjlLL9rKAlKkohG7Ha9fznPwDavp23fJqx7JakB6PFqP96NDbRHQzLSslfv-ZMxn8tvlE90vvmk/s640/IMG_0427.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMXF8yTfN0qrKGYQ_pxwKhl1ucl7yAEWIjoCab9kCyYvxDiJxlp-oNrLFX40xsdRXsZVxtx96D8O808LXcPlfi2mCE4QEuYHNMc8xvJp5IsTEMFSOOzmoLnq-QDci4u5SWyCnOD-yElY/s640/IMG_0447.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMXF8yTfN0qrKGYQ_pxwKhl1ucl7yAEWIjoCab9kCyYvxDiJxlp-oNrLFX40xsdRXsZVxtx96D8O808LXcPlfi2mCE4QEuYHNMc8xvJp5IsTEMFSOOzmoLnq-QDci4u5SWyCnOD-yElY/s640/IMG_0447.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiE_A00I2smFyV1ljD0ZcE4WvBKD3wc-vtiFTW7ni5Qa6c_O20_oZYs7vtxWodTG8NQ1G6y82s1k3X3xux6EzO3z0VD8bETkanTKl1o-wDivR1fKsFcGBljruzqFJ22Lp_McXM_D_Zio/s512/IMG_0420.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiE_A00I2smFyV1ljD0ZcE4WvBKD3wc-vtiFTW7ni5Qa6c_O20_oZYs7vtxWodTG8NQ1G6y82s1k3X3xux6EzO3z0VD8bETkanTKl1o-wDivR1fKsFcGBljruzqFJ22Lp_McXM_D_Zio/s512/IMG_0420.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>We said goodbye to Queenstown and Ingrid this morning and jumped on the magic bus for Dunedin and the east coast. Keep your fingers crossed for us the weather improves :)</div></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-72762136832727428052009-12-23T03:44:00.005+00:002010-01-02T22:04:55.748+00:00Dear DiarySo we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on the 9th of December. While it has everything you need in a city (including a whole bunch of volcanoes) there was not much for us to do there so we jumped on out Magic Bus (tour bus) bound for Rotaroua.<br />The Magic Bus is actually quite good fun. Certainly more sociable than the camper van. Our driver Thumper on the first day (and again a week and a bit later) was good at getting everyone up and going.<br /><br />Rotaroua is built on more volcanoes. More active ones this time so everything smells of sulphur and hot streams bubble up everywhere.<br />It kind of smells like a giant egg sandwich.<br />Or farts. You could describe it as smelling of farts too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75QLzjxit0qYB00RjQBh4uK3iW77vOWJAcTFRmZUCDC_dbV5TIyPUQM8-gdUwCLYa9cyhN8x94PF3OLVfj67UuqHPqT61p7kofjf88sMqp_U5WFKJsDxs6v17YQ7PGmGKWgz8Fa4Buno/s512/IMG_0115.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75QLzjxit0qYB00RjQBh4uK3iW77vOWJAcTFRmZUCDC_dbV5TIyPUQM8-gdUwCLYa9cyhN8x94PF3OLVfj67UuqHPqT61p7kofjf88sMqp_U5WFKJsDxs6v17YQ7PGmGKWgz8Fa4Buno/s512/IMG_0115.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We did a little organised white water rafting while we were there which was a lot of fun.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-VarlOrTK5lucWGtX4xAP5_eomWt11cHN5ap5-3hzVEzQTC4-VrGAFSo6bUGrL_7SYQdoB4wVDu3o4PSzyY-61FiBCzG-jzqQDydlOYVM2UAWB2QFFuU03sbsfj10xfM-oHzlmGNwyk/s512/DSC_0043.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-VarlOrTK5lucWGtX4xAP5_eomWt11cHN5ap5-3hzVEzQTC4-VrGAFSo6bUGrL_7SYQdoB4wVDu3o4PSzyY-61FiBCzG-jzqQDydlOYVM2UAWB2QFFuU03sbsfj10xfM-oHzlmGNwyk/s512/DSC_0043.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5M79aLUKvZqX3FQRia-i0f1sxgk4YzJDy2_1ekdrWgAV3uHxVPxjAlLTpduvGv7_vppq6oqaJTtU6zSkFR16vOUhofrgqwf3NaDQI1G597y15iSwQSrXY_NyrJekch85LstYoOIvOus/s640/DSC_0048.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5M79aLUKvZqX3FQRia-i0f1sxgk4YzJDy2_1ekdrWgAV3uHxVPxjAlLTpduvGv7_vppq6oqaJTtU6zSkFR16vOUhofrgqwf3NaDQI1G597y15iSwQSrXY_NyrJekch85LstYoOIvOus/s640/DSC_0048.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Fortunately the overdue massive Rotaroua volcanic eruption did not occur while we were there so on to Taupo further south where Jess decided to jump out of a perfectly good aeroplane tied to some long suffering skydiving instructor.<br />She decided against the skydiving school's offer of sending someone else out of the plane with them to video document her terror so no pictures i'm afraid.<br /><br />In Taupo we hired a car for a few days and drove up to some very good climbing near Te Awamatu an hour north.<br />I broke out the trad rack for the first time since the Alps for some very good Australian grade 18s and 19s.<br />There was also lots of very good bolted rock, notably at Waipapa and Froggat Edge. (Not the Froggat in the Peaks, England...)<br />If anyone's climbing on North Island NZ i'd definitely recommend a day or two's cragging round this area.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTE1hqwy-D6pt7OVBj_VslBj72dsWYNpqbnnAILsux-NrqR8EVyEnh8CRGzwDpu7SVfy-cSH09UBtDjjlcnalJ8jcDnD2HdKdJFbWgZD1q_Q69yLbK8Fgx9F8EAY8upaZa92usIVsxc7w/s512/IMG_0989.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTE1hqwy-D6pt7OVBj_VslBj72dsWYNpqbnnAILsux-NrqR8EVyEnh8CRGzwDpu7SVfy-cSH09UBtDjjlcnalJ8jcDnD2HdKdJFbWgZD1q_Q69yLbK8Fgx9F8EAY8upaZa92usIVsxc7w/s512/IMG_0989.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixprLhwYSuKfXK6ZEX-V0KfHeFBActE_99hoIP55n5r7GF6UqUrWHlz5ahuW4rQxy-iZaVUtDn1zE5Q2jQQunA8KQqMewS6YIiLEdH-tcYjJhmz3mJDP3ywfDdTK61lPoL6dGTfoY8sEg/s512/IMG_0229.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixprLhwYSuKfXK6ZEX-V0KfHeFBActE_99hoIP55n5r7GF6UqUrWHlz5ahuW4rQxy-iZaVUtDn1zE5Q2jQQunA8KQqMewS6YIiLEdH-tcYjJhmz3mJDP3ywfDdTK61lPoL6dGTfoY8sEg/s512/IMG_0229.JPG" alt="" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJTu5jx3HqIn9AcbFfnGw7GfwoL1prLAvqW-kbcaRj4831fjlQBzPEux0g-FMCduYQ80ltdkh_o_G3ARB4jLjQS4AVWt440u2nV2Tr8KqmYmQ6lvZ-35ZEFYJ5Xz3WFYvVAMxR06y1HY/s512/IMG_0189.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJTu5jx3HqIn9AcbFfnGw7GfwoL1prLAvqW-kbcaRj4831fjlQBzPEux0g-FMCduYQ80ltdkh_o_G3ARB4jLjQS4AVWt440u2nV2Tr8KqmYmQ6lvZ-35ZEFYJ5Xz3WFYvVAMxR06y1HY/s512/IMG_0189.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3ll_tJTkVUYWNv6BGQDtvPpwt50ztE7xe6ls5k1BptrieKE31DWt3QZwNr1pEZc0v1nsghzZd9EGOUxD-rsR8eKPmeplTKaDqG1LB-W6cg6cqxevhCLDLLGuJACBQ12w8GpeY4FlbcU/s640/IMG_1001.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3ll_tJTkVUYWNv6BGQDtvPpwt50ztE7xe6ls5k1BptrieKE31DWt3QZwNr1pEZc0v1nsghzZd9EGOUxD-rsR8eKPmeplTKaDqG1LB-W6cg6cqxevhCLDLLGuJACBQ12w8GpeY4FlbcU/s640/IMG_1001.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After our 3 days climbing we dropped the car back and headed south.<br />Wellington was nice. Good town for easing and drinking but funds are getting too low for that sort of thing...<br />The Te Pappa Museum in Wellington is very good and worth a visit. It also contains largest preserved giant squid at 11meters long and eyes the size of basket balls. Can anyone say "giant calamari"?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bJ6DcdoI__-iisMSADB5xodrH-MUpn45HWlpXYf85-6FP_yX5at_WeRsQ3oNAMmTwrLqGqvgt2nXbfluNeUuDaLT85WsVs9Ea5p36fVCQeIB5nUlGamJbjoVgpHMbE1a2dUoAfGwIKI/s512/IMG_0248.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bJ6DcdoI__-iisMSADB5xodrH-MUpn45HWlpXYf85-6FP_yX5at_WeRsQ3oNAMmTwrLqGqvgt2nXbfluNeUuDaLT85WsVs9Ea5p36fVCQeIB5nUlGamJbjoVgpHMbE1a2dUoAfGwIKI/s512/IMG_0248.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />From Wellington we went north to Napier to admire the architecture.<br />The whole town was flattened by an earthquake in 1931 so it was all rebuilt in the Art Deco style and hasn't changed much since. It's a bit of a time capsule and very interesting if you like that sort of thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppSQ4D45FYjlIlD2vPlZcPBn0VEM03kt2eyh4eH-BlyrVNm23sNWX5ct86ieppl9USdbNU0YLz-pOqqnESGxeggVYo1IbOAk_OBpNz_sZtx4LUioNp4liZKuoNT6GCtAWCApfAnLOgRA/s512/IMG_0259.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppSQ4D45FYjlIlD2vPlZcPBn0VEM03kt2eyh4eH-BlyrVNm23sNWX5ct86ieppl9USdbNU0YLz-pOqqnESGxeggVYo1IbOAk_OBpNz_sZtx4LUioNp4liZKuoNT6GCtAWCApfAnLOgRA/s512/IMG_0259.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HFylYIwCDz6UdQ9wr7SYp2zuiA7VDm5FnJtkmqXnQ-2ygBvcDf99rPEgcRRQDNTKcpZSBCFn5DXgX4QgMmj8Ng9ywyUW6NdEgZP5A7CS8j2XplzVLTEvzwsi4aAhyphenhyphenYHKP9Gn2xPtAms/s512/IMG_0250.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HFylYIwCDz6UdQ9wr7SYp2zuiA7VDm5FnJtkmqXnQ-2ygBvcDf99rPEgcRRQDNTKcpZSBCFn5DXgX4QgMmj8Ng9ywyUW6NdEgZP5A7CS8j2XplzVLTEvzwsi4aAhyphenhyphenYHKP9Gn2xPtAms/s512/IMG_0250.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Then back down to Wellington today to catch the ferry to the South Island for Christmas in Nelson. More on that later...dunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381183075808847553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-48470472495735709062009-12-13T23:44:00.005+00:002009-12-14T01:44:37.805+00:00Onwards to South Rock.So after a brief spell at home in Ireland we decided it was uninhabitable.<br />Luckily Jess had already bought us flights for Sydney and Auckland so we migrated south for the worst of the winter.<br />On arrival in Sydney early on Friday 4th December we proceeded to do a few of the touristy things to pass away the jetlag. After the Opera houses and the Harbour Bridge we went to see a collection of Australias largely deadly flora and fauna at <a href="http://sydneywildlifeworld.myfun.com.au/">Sydney Wildlife World</a> down on Darling Harbour.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxuGdGqje1WzePy8YfYEbfsgFqjXJVBBqkPzEIYNaaulct5u0HBK0TwEfTM7I_QeHuRAz_64Q7rMlLErrjPbWVk7qyKB3kb8Yps_dscI7bmvCfVCBihzXHrRpeCv3xXCTI4dFFMSLJyw/s640/IMG_0863.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxuGdGqje1WzePy8YfYEbfsgFqjXJVBBqkPzEIYNaaulct5u0HBK0TwEfTM7I_QeHuRAz_64Q7rMlLErrjPbWVk7qyKB3kb8Yps_dscI7bmvCfVCBihzXHrRpeCv3xXCTI4dFFMSLJyw/s640/IMG_0863.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwnS9iZFhl5dGAcwv20dK7BaUrr8k1Pr9x-yl51ShgXKvgMt3j99tf0YiCgUoie6rqPt3cN21a_IIpywwwp7ouKf38cmIn-ImBv-OxgKuNGhTdt2Opqp2DC7oxzFcxUc9iq3UVU2h6P8/s640/IMG_0013.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwnS9iZFhl5dGAcwv20dK7BaUrr8k1Pr9x-yl51ShgXKvgMt3j99tf0YiCgUoie6rqPt3cN21a_IIpywwwp7ouKf38cmIn-ImBv-OxgKuNGhTdt2Opqp2DC7oxzFcxUc9iq3UVU2h6P8/s640/IMG_0013.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxR21mYTQvEX-LRuZTXocXuvIRhq3S77sYZMemfmGTWMmRJKIljvBKh-hWsZJcxxMpE1UL1ngLgXHehV4YpZ4mEihHCDFZJCQI22ttD4diTGOLkDgEf0xoiH3djW5hz64_fQnEpbfjmE/s640/IMG_0033.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxR21mYTQvEX-LRuZTXocXuvIRhq3S77sYZMemfmGTWMmRJKIljvBKh-hWsZJcxxMpE1UL1ngLgXHehV4YpZ4mEihHCDFZJCQI22ttD4diTGOLkDgEf0xoiH3djW5hz64_fQnEpbfjmE/s640/IMG_0033.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hu1xYPNGRPqM0vKDpH78jeLqU7lYdXVZ8kjBXDjy92D6fYpIsKX9Ey6WuP576teLSTf7kyTo4BQYC30YIdA-ovoADSWQtMuxZdZa0-NIaTmsrf44ol2KIx5-jDdbdBbNDvd99FVJB7A/s512/IMG_0029.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hu1xYPNGRPqM0vKDpH78jeLqU7lYdXVZ8kjBXDjy92D6fYpIsKX9Ey6WuP576teLSTf7kyTo4BQYC30YIdA-ovoADSWQtMuxZdZa0-NIaTmsrf44ol2KIx5-jDdbdBbNDvd99FVJB7A/s512/IMG_0029.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlIP_r4Ax0HwB4OAJP-CI8nBaznEt8A-9VW7NsF-2g5bu9iIq7lKmAijLwW015liAPHFU-XR9X1hrzSrhJYaCZqBPBnpUTv58bUGgRLn3A_aAYRVracvv5QLYighDCbjtdI-tB9U6zWA/s512/IMG_0039.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlIP_r4Ax0HwB4OAJP-CI8nBaznEt8A-9VW7NsF-2g5bu9iIq7lKmAijLwW015liAPHFU-XR9X1hrzSrhJYaCZqBPBnpUTv58bUGgRLn3A_aAYRVracvv5QLYighDCbjtdI-tB9U6zWA/s512/IMG_0039.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On Saturday we proceeded to catch up with a guy I used to work with back In the early days at Google. Jason appears to be living the quiet life these days with his lovely wife Marie. Glad you've taken to Sydney life Canberra man!<br />Can't believe i didn't take any photos of Jason and Marie to immortalise them on the Internet...<br /><br />Sunday was spent on more touristy activities: a walk down the coast from Bondi Beach. Didn't see any sharks but lots of beer and barbies. Ahh, the cliches.<br /><br /><img src="file:///tmp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9pE9kBpYNcTxzCMsbaj4LPIcLwc2gQjAz3uyjMO3Om0LQhIs_KikQ1tHlhrN8Gmj0Q1yVKPu9-kiX1n62EoJEMBlck4RcW8QSr3sPscbBAEpvRkj36cXv_aCId5aBTwJREq3dowy_z8/s640/IMG_0047.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9pE9kBpYNcTxzCMsbaj4LPIcLwc2gQjAz3uyjMO3Om0LQhIs_KikQ1tHlhrN8Gmj0Q1yVKPu9-kiX1n62EoJEMBlck4RcW8QSr3sPscbBAEpvRkj36cXv_aCId5aBTwJREq3dowy_z8/s640/IMG_0047.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Monday and Tuesday took us out of the city into the Blue Mountains. Awesome scenery and nature stuff. Managed to persuade Jess to come caving, albeit on a nice organised tour.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXRncCW6Zmz1UGKtCjscZRQu0OSUnfLgoZLwhSvmeN2UYwqkrzwRv1Uo2G7hDrm20F1gVwb6eofxdFl_i_oWtZ7KX_9FR_CFCgPRjEZrlAhej5R4b0SdDLztLHwyhMFyGD3Q-2NQ4_0U/s640/IMG_0889.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXRncCW6Zmz1UGKtCjscZRQu0OSUnfLgoZLwhSvmeN2UYwqkrzwRv1Uo2G7hDrm20F1gVwb6eofxdFl_i_oWtZ7KX_9FR_CFCgPRjEZrlAhej5R4b0SdDLztLHwyhMFyGD3Q-2NQ4_0U/s640/IMG_0889.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzhfOGgNFuJ-BnZircamuP8_6SC4zD0bqS84zEE2w_yspFoPWRyY7Th1er2EGqgcEH4B-LOQYtKUNlgH0M4rXAPFxzWtt2KhQP5zjuCx0CpTefP0FxVWKdzGeSwVeHlJE-zvDxaoATaY/s512/IMG_0088.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzhfOGgNFuJ-BnZircamuP8_6SC4zD0bqS84zEE2w_yspFoPWRyY7Th1er2EGqgcEH4B-LOQYtKUNlgH0M4rXAPFxzWtt2KhQP5zjuCx0CpTefP0FxVWKdzGeSwVeHlJE-zvDxaoATaY/s512/IMG_0088.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Wednesday was an early flight to Auckland for more gentle touristy activities: walking, eating and hoping volcanoes remain extinct...<br />But more on New Zealand in the next exciting installment...dunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381183075808847553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-39566938935645232192009-12-12T03:26:00.010+00:002009-12-13T23:18:28.537+00:00Long overdue!So we have been very bad bloggers over the last couple of months. This is going to be a brief summary post on what we've been up to and we promise to try to be a little better on the updates. <p>We left Carcassone and headed south to Spain. First stop was Sella, a friendly limestone sports crag about 1.5 h from Alicante. We had been here before about 6 years ago and had really enjoyed it. It lived up to the memory. Lots of high quality climbs from 5 up with some really excellent 6bs. We parked the van up in the forest around the crag and just had to stumble over to the climbs each morning.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1uRBYBxF9bm29zRPEycPEPNVRsIu7U0P-I_4NrtZwRF9eh_7N7uD9iblpByA3oKAr5orcTrN0foqNjaJXiEjZNP0_6-gZ3JN0BC8n1V5nEpo2Flay_4kflFhupnyu5u-zcZAQofFHs4/s640/IMG_0814.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1uRBYBxF9bm29zRPEycPEPNVRsIu7U0P-I_4NrtZwRF9eh_7N7uD9iblpByA3oKAr5orcTrN0foqNjaJXiEjZNP0_6-gZ3JN0BC8n1V5nEpo2Flay_4kflFhupnyu5u-zcZAQofFHs4/s640/IMG_0814.JPG" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlire98Rzf1BSPFrE6IuUyT_L2t9-b1OnE09GDx_Hee52Cx7cy2O5gaKVapm3A_ia3nVxCh5hTyGLYQSvK4wVSKTqlvHuasCFBo_8TbOD28eRLwS5M3UX8Z8g_l2miEWTIAPkytw0Z0w/s640/IMG_0795.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlire98Rzf1BSPFrE6IuUyT_L2t9-b1OnE09GDx_Hee52Cx7cy2O5gaKVapm3A_ia3nVxCh5hTyGLYQSvK4wVSKTqlvHuasCFBo_8TbOD28eRLwS5M3UX8Z8g_l2miEWTIAPkytw0Z0w/s640/IMG_0795.JPG" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></a></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlire98Rzf1BSPFrE6IuUyT_L2t9-b1OnE09GDx_Hee52Cx7cy2O5gaKVapm3A_ia3nVxCh5hTyGLYQSvK4wVSKTqlvHuasCFBo_8TbOD28eRLwS5M3UX8Z8g_l2miEWTIAPkytw0Z0w/s640/IMG_0795.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZRY3VEj8ZkTmwR1fuJFedsu_8PkKL4_cEGXH7UiQDOOceIfZU4AOHPoy2SN6qLLKAu0pxGngYGeu0tetH7VURLihJSNV1n3JQGPUP1rl9owfoO0cCj9FMjYro4ZdDpcfJY8gXBM6uAU/s512/DSCN0990.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZRY3VEj8ZkTmwR1fuJFedsu_8PkKL4_cEGXH7UiQDOOceIfZU4AOHPoy2SN6qLLKAu0pxGngYGeu0tetH7VURLihJSNV1n3JQGPUP1rl9owfoO0cCj9FMjYro4ZdDpcfJY8gXBM6uAU/s512/DSCN0990.JPG" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 268px;" border="0" /></a></p><p>Unfortunately while we were here our poor van got a little sick. It developed a leak in the hydraulics that run the clutch and we couldn't reliably change gear so it was off to the mechanics with it. The closest garage that could do the job was in Benidorm (gasps of shocked horror!). The van went in for the operation on Monday and it was Friday before we could pick it up. We had to decamp to a hotel in Benidorm which we have to admit was not as terrible as expected. It was nice to spend a few days in a larger space and to be able to leave our stuff lying around. That said we were happy campers when it was time to reoccupy the van and get back on the rock. </p><p>Dunk's Mum and Dad were due to visit us on 4/Nov for a while and we had decided to base ourselves in Barcelona for that time so a couple of days beforehand we headed North to suss out a campsite and take in a little climbing on the way. We hit La Mussara (close to Suirana) which was littered with high class 6s. After a day's climbing we continued on to Barcelona and found a campsite in the town of El Masnou which was 15 km north of the city and right on the train line in.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzp9Xy-U-nkWC_4ZhzNfUJyQe6_m7AY3jHb2AYZrcM-9g8rxEFC4UcPJI0TQfpm1_bjOkPNBokiXwxTwvv1GMDZU7SU3ngFuIGv7m_pZMi4Y1aEFaYIGezbtYbDLj84oQwknwWLhxU4R4/s640/DSCN0982.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzp9Xy-U-nkWC_4ZhzNfUJyQe6_m7AY3jHb2AYZrcM-9g8rxEFC4UcPJI0TQfpm1_bjOkPNBokiXwxTwvv1GMDZU7SU3ngFuIGv7m_pZMi4Y1aEFaYIGezbtYbDLj84oQwknwWLhxU4R4/s640/DSCN0982.JPG" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGffMGgxB81oGO0-TlTLScbSHHGBomfXsy66LOko3HVmEf6KSkKooj8d5kiIKNuTMcxvE8s4cQEM_am06FDV7TS5fBtksqXCr4kwjUvaT2YTyLsgwNTxB9AyNanJ0CNLF3YdR2C19u578/s640/IMG_0859.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGffMGgxB81oGO0-TlTLScbSHHGBomfXsy66LOko3HVmEf6KSkKooj8d5kiIKNuTMcxvE8s4cQEM_am06FDV7TS5fBtksqXCr4kwjUvaT2YTyLsgwNTxB9AyNanJ0CNLF3YdR2C19u578/s640/IMG_0859.JPG" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></a></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHoF1EheRWr5mx2wEKPv68BAEAdYpevylEYry4FcwkH730L7T23yXZQua-GHik5RzX5P3KkpiBkhlY5Pi-_Iv3u7XD0rmFZ7tY3mNT5ESSZXA_owyYNYtqnC_GUi4SjxbwfgDt4xHcfU/s512/DSCN1007.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHoF1EheRWr5mx2wEKPv68BAEAdYpevylEYry4FcwkH730L7T23yXZQua-GHik5RzX5P3KkpiBkhlY5Pi-_Iv3u7XD0rmFZ7tY3mNT5ESSZXA_owyYNYtqnC_GUi4SjxbwfgDt4xHcfU/s512/DSCN1007.JPG" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 268px;" border="0" /></a></p><p>We met Dunk's parents and moved them into the guest annex (tent). The first day with them we caught up with Ali B, a family friend who lives in Barcelona, and wandered all over El Masnou wondering where it was hiding all its restaurants. </p><p>The next day our paths diverged. I headed home for a few days to check out how pregnant my sister Kate had gotten, to catch up with friends and to see at least one episode of this year's Strictly Come Dancing!! Dunk and his parents pottered around Carcassone, Girona, Barcelona etc but I'll leave it to Dunk to write a few words on that cos I wasn't there!</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnJRZ2IlIyHtMhA_3TS68h1VQ0YMHv5eRQBOtIjldfYxKZKfNoHLEQhDAf-ROi1fQCZueObc48bgqXPh5_ZBTgFlXY9n31dGDI6a2QPN0j3tlJGSLKgs1cO0eUR9nXSNdsFt2SvkkYAU/s512/DSCN0952.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnJRZ2IlIyHtMhA_3TS68h1VQ0YMHv5eRQBOtIjldfYxKZKfNoHLEQhDAf-ROi1fQCZueObc48bgqXPh5_ZBTgFlXY9n31dGDI6a2QPN0j3tlJGSLKgs1cO0eUR9nXSNdsFt2SvkkYAU/s512/DSCN0952.JPG" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 268px;" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpVmgwz_orvvdpRIk9leQ-6VR1kGSBdu3G1zl6SOk9itXYm3ariYpOfv8nS8Qs2Xu0Uj9f_aZaa2TkjguRnt-wY6hdxXBNNbtvumucc_2AMC5RPvA8MenF0OQMBDtFm9wsw-NkpzqNgM/s512/DSCN0964.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpVmgwz_orvvdpRIk9leQ-6VR1kGSBdu3G1zl6SOk9itXYm3ariYpOfv8nS8Qs2Xu0Uj9f_aZaa2TkjguRnt-wY6hdxXBNNbtvumucc_2AMC5RPvA8MenF0OQMBDtFm9wsw-NkpzqNgM/s512/DSCN0964.JPG" alt="" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 268px;" border="0" /></a></p><p>While I was back in Ireland I had one very important mission - to book flights to the southern hemisphere. We had great fun in the campervan over the summer but after the hour went back at the end of November, the days had gotten really short and the weather was turning colder. We had decided to migrate south and do our best to avoid the winter. I managed to find us flights giving us a week in Sydney, 6 weeks in New Zealand and 2 weeks in Thailand/Laos on the way home so we would miss December and January and the worst of the Irish winter.</p><p>When I got back to Spain, Dunk had missed me so much that he lost the run of himself and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes cos he's too cute to let him get away! So the flights were booked for the 2/Dec and all that was left to do was to drop the van home, do about 20 loads of washing and pack again. We hopped on the ferry from Santander in the north of Spain to Plymouth in the south of England. It was a 24 h crossing and the notorious Bay of Biscay was its usual self. Poor Dunk was a little green around the gills but survived the trip. </p><p>On our way to pick up the ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare, we stopped in to visit Dunk's sister, Al and her kids, Islay and Ewan, for a few days and also to pick out a lovely sparkly ring! I kicked Ewan's ass at Wii so I'm guessing he's practicing hard now for the inevitable rematch.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU3w2IkLoMUXT2tp2AtDJCdRpxhcaLofsoD2J_0aseKwpZHWPy2mhzrcAWDXPNGXnaX1TwMrW3nBYSgj1tpY3DmakPZRDidUvjCAdFUxyXh9bYKnGn-Ay33WVO7HL81iUjRld-tNxiDf2/s1600-h/IMG_0002.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU3w2IkLoMUXT2tp2AtDJCdRpxhcaLofsoD2J_0aseKwpZHWPy2mhzrcAWDXPNGXnaX1TwMrW3nBYSgj1tpY3DmakPZRDidUvjCAdFUxyXh9bYKnGn-Ay33WVO7HL81iUjRld-tNxiDf2/s200/IMG_0002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414863080642390194" border="0" /></a></p><p>Back in Ireland, we stopped into visit my parents and tell them the good news and then headed on for Dublin to unpack the campervan, catch up with family and friends and get ourselves ready for the the next leg.</p>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-73831142401421713002009-10-20T09:12:00.006+01:002009-10-20T09:39:55.164+01:00Dear John.....Its been 33 days since the last blog post as John Cotter pointed out to me so this one's for you John!<br /><br />Since leaving Arco we've returned to France. First stop was Orpierre for more bolt clipping. Orpierre is a small medieval town in Provence. The little town is surrounded by limestone walls with lots of sports routes less than 10 minutes from the campsite. We spent about a week climbing there until my elbow couldn't hack the punishment anymore. Luckily we were headed for Nice at that stage to pick up my parents who were visiting for a few days.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKn6Zt_v-1d5VxUx4ivZWL4Wm9zW4qT-0WpCBrrAvL3ZICGRAl07oTNYHwzW8FzcQP-8isHt8SOV05Er2nczBjdKWdQ9wBkZe9_vuvEVauUIyAjEIMZIOr5E4EwlDU5IqN0snDbxCbBhD/s912/view3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 670px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKn6Zt_v-1d5VxUx4ivZWL4Wm9zW4qT-0WpCBrrAvL3ZICGRAl07oTNYHwzW8FzcQP-8isHt8SOV05Er2nczBjdKWdQ9wBkZe9_vuvEVauUIyAjEIMZIOr5E4EwlDU5IqN0snDbxCbBhD/s912/view3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlazlhyphenhyphenULYRYYyQ3Z9LzrEpDF18XEYLpCA_EgHgu9brBdXC7b_wmg6fz59v8DpZApXfVvdBxwRQtH4gx8eqVt8N9Dud7BBZxGciOVRTtN6toFH72tcfn1ei5t1UxjJjnqsS8p0ju50JUr/s512/DSCN0714.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlazlhyphenhyphenULYRYYyQ3Z9LzrEpDF18XEYLpCA_EgHgu9brBdXC7b_wmg6fz59v8DpZApXfVvdBxwRQtH4gx8eqVt8N9Dud7BBZxGciOVRTtN6toFH72tcfn1ei5t1UxjJjnqsS8p0ju50JUr/s512/DSCN0714.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgug_HFfXgiT2IEgF5ID8eDeOQOe1SBcJFsbSutI6MMjbCIajHNFQM0E3FE-BQ5oHKHYSngiPPUtA8FSHLKJYPDwkzhZpoVIHZv3lMUMyOeorcy7wa_7y60wC1_suXvqBVNB4vYvji1FStt/s512/IMG_0644.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgug_HFfXgiT2IEgF5ID8eDeOQOe1SBcJFsbSutI6MMjbCIajHNFQM0E3FE-BQ5oHKHYSngiPPUtA8FSHLKJYPDwkzhZpoVIHZv3lMUMyOeorcy7wa_7y60wC1_suXvqBVNB4vYvji1FStt/s512/IMG_0644.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XMcfv4-wo6V_mPogOqR9yu9YyLsUaPpAAog_J6xgp6UCwttkDO-Qb0XzWYjTbr46jMsu5ODilpCq4yAF98uFwjaE04Z4rZzk1wquIzr1hWWMLrwa2DliRqaiVWVm205n8MzXxUAArUoO/s512/IMG_0659.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XMcfv4-wo6V_mPogOqR9yu9YyLsUaPpAAog_J6xgp6UCwttkDO-Qb0XzWYjTbr46jMsu5ODilpCq4yAF98uFwjaE04Z4rZzk1wquIzr1hWWMLrwa2DliRqaiVWVm205n8MzXxUAArUoO/s512/IMG_0659.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After touring many closed campsites in the Nice area we eventually settled down in Menton, a small town about 30 mins from Nice city. Unfortunately for my exercise-phobic mother, the campsite was at the top of 300 steps. On seeing this she decided the guest annex (tent) was not for her and promptly checked into a hotel in town. We did see her again once in the campsite when Duncan's crepes tempted her. She arrived on a chauffeur driven (Dad) moped so managed to avoid the steps. We spent a few days sight seeing in various towns in the area - Nice, Monaco, Ventamiglia etc and spent the nights eating and drinking some nice French wines. Duncan got to see his favourite fish at the Monaco aquarium - a cuttlefish! It was all very civilized until the night we hooked up with Roger the alcoholic recovering heroin addict and Saeed the non-english speaking Berber. It was a late one. The next day was spent in recovery (for me at least).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5bSj8pONtFIr6lONj093jFLts6Ps625tofc7sf_sA7IWuAUMHVPoG_jh7nblYLeLpMLKCf7HLb8zclc4rujrQb79ewu8h8uiXy3p6qbWGUghg6dZcCnPnKVlgialfFASGB7tykffSBHe/s640/IMG_0686.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5bSj8pONtFIr6lONj093jFLts6Ps625tofc7sf_sA7IWuAUMHVPoG_jh7nblYLeLpMLKCf7HLb8zclc4rujrQb79ewu8h8uiXy3p6qbWGUghg6dZcCnPnKVlgialfFASGB7tykffSBHe/s640/IMG_0686.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRE35VeadAovk30LV0KVXPRisWRT42n6lKRJzCspDKtsqu1i4TOd54O7SrGkDSm7JFmcD5GziWXMWlsWWmKKyWfVrEccOo5Fe3KkEEqJ5Sko00fyuGC_GiFZvh5PHJlKIVZJk-nAH131aT/s640/IMG_0700.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRE35VeadAovk30LV0KVXPRisWRT42n6lKRJzCspDKtsqu1i4TOd54O7SrGkDSm7JFmcD5GziWXMWlsWWmKKyWfVrEccOo5Fe3KkEEqJ5Sko00fyuGC_GiFZvh5PHJlKIVZJk-nAH131aT/s640/IMG_0700.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQ7BtOAYUC3LPrqTPYezMxizXuL7XRn3ZYVEspLwYVrKBuwQewiXPHNSVrDoXyqWzvR7xbbiPKkoTvfPoRyBl4F5We7hGYtbrKLIu9KJJS0_LFlvaGTPnnu29XPlj6-tdZM5TWx2qWEN7/s512/IMG_0685.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQ7BtOAYUC3LPrqTPYezMxizXuL7XRn3ZYVEspLwYVrKBuwQewiXPHNSVrDoXyqWzvR7xbbiPKkoTvfPoRyBl4F5We7hGYtbrKLIu9KJJS0_LFlvaGTPnnu29XPlj6-tdZM5TWx2qWEN7/s512/IMG_0685.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We dropped my parents back to the airport and headed north again to the Verdon. The Verdon gorge is the biggest canyon in Europe and is absolutely stunning. The walls are limestone and the climbs are up to 250 m long, a mixture of sport and trad, single and multipitch. We spent about a week again doing a mixture of climbs. The climbs were good but unfortunately we had left the Verdon a little late. The weather was cooling down and the ground was covered in frost every morning. After so many months in the sun, we found this traumatic and so are currently in the process of migrating south to Espana! I'm reliably informed that the weather is always "scorchio" in Spain.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6KBoWhnviABa2xzQF3NMC6TEh2yDccTtgAbWNvLHqc2Fw-EPFy8gS7n_uu-vJjGV2Urh2ct52XNoAUTtVSK6yoNqpgvkBE4ZrIRmSmL9XWLXD-xWnUwpS9k7dkp6494jcmrr_F0VOVyt/s512/DSCN0784.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6KBoWhnviABa2xzQF3NMC6TEh2yDccTtgAbWNvLHqc2Fw-EPFy8gS7n_uu-vJjGV2Urh2ct52XNoAUTtVSK6yoNqpgvkBE4ZrIRmSmL9XWLXD-xWnUwpS9k7dkp6494jcmrr_F0VOVyt/s512/DSCN0784.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFq0lMHBguu-VAQr1X8jwIfRUdGPry5iHFTLs7GRGkMURIvEqcSKnvi5gNLCKC_pNLycCZAdlHwMq2tEjiMrMTTAH_0henJM-P5-4SaaPILwAJyAQ86VpOrpcdniEmIzXW4SXGdVNBND6a/s512/DSCN0831.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 395px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFq0lMHBguu-VAQr1X8jwIfRUdGPry5iHFTLs7GRGkMURIvEqcSKnvi5gNLCKC_pNLycCZAdlHwMq2tEjiMrMTTAH_0henJM-P5-4SaaPILwAJyAQ86VpOrpcdniEmIzXW4SXGdVNBND6a/s512/DSCN0831.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAw8Mea7B_NgmorTWEZCWoEUt1_TJOEsoPpuDvR6jc4Gr6sjkmqKKnkNGOvQOEj972ARVBx1Q8Tx5QD5D3XjIdaRYy9_UT21SNg-1FTVfhSgtJpx3YhHPNm-dcX5mMYkD4B8LOUsgtUoaM/s640/DSCN0860.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAw8Mea7B_NgmorTWEZCWoEUt1_TJOEsoPpuDvR6jc4Gr6sjkmqKKnkNGOvQOEj972ARVBx1Q8Tx5QD5D3XjIdaRYy9_UT21SNg-1FTVfhSgtJpx3YhHPNm-dcX5mMYkD4B8LOUsgtUoaM/s640/DSCN0860.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnbMq4mMYBo-wyWaHm20p_xJcjXZnnT4MBLKiUTLLzav83wRPu18lblOQhovD8PkMIBriKgoxTPR1ctuR5ZNg_m7zR2OvVvTnnZ51sSFuBLguhfu5CGWAjsPVrte-86nnILQSK__eH4pf/s640/IMG_0732.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnbMq4mMYBo-wyWaHm20p_xJcjXZnnT4MBLKiUTLLzav83wRPu18lblOQhovD8PkMIBriKgoxTPR1ctuR5ZNg_m7zR2OvVvTnnZ51sSFuBLguhfu5CGWAjsPVrte-86nnILQSK__eH4pf/s640/IMG_0732.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We're currently pitstopped in Carcassone in the south of Franc close to the Spanish border. It really is a fairytale town. Its a medieval fortified town from the 12th century surrounded by walls and towers topped with witches hat like roofs. There's not particulary much to do but really cool to wander round for a couple of hours. Tomorrow we'll hit Spain home of tapas and cava. Stay tuned John!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaos4ZYchGpZM481d1nJdnwHfpCWMIkPOr4lz0hqx4pOJmqc0W8zjRQjVPI6PHbvVfbcpk-Kt7ngfN4rpBf956oknAIIeCiU7PfRTKP-Uuner1Yprp7yIsoRg6fRXlaydFwIgbrhOblJ2/s640/IMG_0763.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaos4ZYchGpZM481d1nJdnwHfpCWMIkPOr4lz0hqx4pOJmqc0W8zjRQjVPI6PHbvVfbcpk-Kt7ngfN4rpBf956oknAIIeCiU7PfRTKP-Uuner1Yprp7yIsoRg6fRXlaydFwIgbrhOblJ2/s640/IMG_0763.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIz1ylp57LTAhTr67kMSv6zUwqARCoUI5p3C8r8r4Vb8YFDVY5CKuEvGqFrddD18A0WqMdpu5Kzw_XXJpASHIc-IxO-Un-MwlLxN13sVf7XrRP9i4J6bum8FZy79OlY1myJThyVVJmEyX/s640/IMG_0773.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIz1ylp57LTAhTr67kMSv6zUwqARCoUI5p3C8r8r4Vb8YFDVY5CKuEvGqFrddD18A0WqMdpu5Kzw_XXJpASHIc-IxO-Un-MwlLxN13sVf7XrRP9i4J6bum8FZy79OlY1myJThyVVJmEyX/s640/IMG_0773.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKV5RonxRfkHeSnMsmyH-D2X0fUQip3Zb2r6uICyJzOKY8376fK5n7DOYaijOyz7lMPU844b4UBGv9BYAr8yABv3Y39UK15L2xf4wJpvmK3mg22ypVbEsyNOpqr7v-P4CQUyf_Q3ckiPx/s512/IMG_0758.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKV5RonxRfkHeSnMsmyH-D2X0fUQip3Zb2r6uICyJzOKY8376fK5n7DOYaijOyz7lMPU844b4UBGv9BYAr8yABv3Y39UK15L2xf4wJpvmK3mg22ypVbEsyNOpqr7v-P4CQUyf_Q3ckiPx/s512/IMG_0758.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-73794083729072683582009-09-24T14:18:00.006+01:002009-09-26T12:34:19.563+01:00Arco (not Arklow).From Munchen we set off for Arco in the north of Italy. There was some more climbing to do there.<br />Arco is on the north shore of Lake Garda amongst spectacular limestone outcrops. There are probably more Germans than Italians here at this time of year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg931dfk0wdA-RcBSgqTdb7OeRqjyljY0QTxob05vxeUqI-l1amLiigxvnfjZ7kCZs9BlVtRRNVx6Zg4koKbmllP4eW2U8ELs4cAGA2uOrPkGOvKsGwmhRO4Y8EZoYTHB2TN8JxBPPT6EU/s1024/Limone.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 532px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg931dfk0wdA-RcBSgqTdb7OeRqjyljY0QTxob05vxeUqI-l1amLiigxvnfjZ7kCZs9BlVtRRNVx6Zg4koKbmllP4eW2U8ELs4cAGA2uOrPkGOvKsGwmhRO4Y8EZoYTHB2TN8JxBPPT6EU/s1024/Limone.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />There is a mixture of short sport pitches and long all day multipitch routes in the Arco area but we decided to concentrate on the short sports routes to try and get nice and strong.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hsu2xOVuWnEh6G06AbXA1SG-V_bg-_J3PVmUcxTmUlJkuWXFmhwp9W-bx_7dr3zktAM2sjE6CoWRHH1D9dhCaNF7PwaQa4U-MBcWdV7PoNJ9WhZPq7QcGnO2RdU6cgrwpbQ-6LlGViY/s576/DSCN0609.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hsu2xOVuWnEh6G06AbXA1SG-V_bg-_J3PVmUcxTmUlJkuWXFmhwp9W-bx_7dr3zktAM2sjE6CoWRHH1D9dhCaNF7PwaQa4U-MBcWdV7PoNJ9WhZPq7QcGnO2RdU6cgrwpbQ-6LlGViY/s576/DSCN0609.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-biS5r_ZfxVWhG0_twp-zR8M4OMwD7MJTwfVtAnXMfUJ1d0jj8LnJ3diozu7pGKmGQ4hyphenhyphenh34wKGcpWNXbCQbfNEDL98JEHkvY7EEyfaI8A8OrZCLl7v6P5nX2IO2jQX055c9u9glv6s/s576/IMG_0426.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-biS5r_ZfxVWhG0_twp-zR8M4OMwD7MJTwfVtAnXMfUJ1d0jj8LnJ3diozu7pGKmGQ4hyphenhyphenh34wKGcpWNXbCQbfNEDL98JEHkvY7EEyfaI8A8OrZCLl7v6P5nX2IO2jQX055c9u9glv6s/s576/IMG_0426.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIojT81bdlmF9eD205DR1Oeyo-BemYjl1QmfqYe-6AFjk_XVW53raNbLNucGajlQx35wy5vNLJG_Al4GMC82Wbk_SFViCq_A5fLz3NFal5jsv29Op5yQw_TPQFVTALs2M9kIOOGU-0RVs/s800/DSCN0624.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIojT81bdlmF9eD205DR1Oeyo-BemYjl1QmfqYe-6AFjk_XVW53raNbLNucGajlQx35wy5vNLJG_Al4GMC82Wbk_SFViCq_A5fLz3NFal5jsv29Op5yQw_TPQFVTALs2M9kIOOGU-0RVs/s800/DSCN0624.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm12xGHYDAm8EtNxQU2KSX710ZNic59seHUGdmg1BpaYTQaokmfbLGbG5zbDlUcu0tyZ38Yf6Tt1yloui3vIPc5BTg2fgHwkx5OKrk0_UFLDrZ5RGWq7nXz2KVPmW_p7k0fpWmdAdwyA/s800/IMG_0404.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm12xGHYDAm8EtNxQU2KSX710ZNic59seHUGdmg1BpaYTQaokmfbLGbG5zbDlUcu0tyZ38Yf6Tt1yloui3vIPc5BTg2fgHwkx5OKrk0_UFLDrZ5RGWq7nXz2KVPmW_p7k0fpWmdAdwyA/s800/IMG_0404.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We are staying in Camping Zoo which appears to be a fairly normal campsite but has the added peculiarity of being next door to some noisy geese, chickens, parrots and a few fat pigs. Of particular interest are the 5 cockrels that have a little campsite waking competition nice and early every morning.<br /><br />After a few days climbing we were worn out and the weather forecast was bad so we decided to take a brief trip to Venice. On the drive there we were escorted our own personal thunder storm which dumped rain pretty much constantly.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnW0DJ5FUPa3n633Em20lTfEOlCsTKBSvil7hWGLiSgUnjbM6mOlCNrfYx_9KDHoXkEetRCW5ME2G7qA-rjYyXxlULX6kojGOKBPpnRC79DzUzJVpfZ6ITUgGm_HAO1WTUFP3vFlxBNdU/s800/IMG_0458.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnW0DJ5FUPa3n633Em20lTfEOlCsTKBSvil7hWGLiSgUnjbM6mOlCNrfYx_9KDHoXkEetRCW5ME2G7qA-rjYyXxlULX6kojGOKBPpnRC79DzUzJVpfZ6ITUgGm_HAO1WTUFP3vFlxBNdU/s800/IMG_0458.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />We spent a few hours blindly following Tomasina, our satnav, to non-existent campsites. At one point she had us take a round trip on the Lido ferry for no apparent reason at a cost of 66 euros! Silly satnav. Thankfully the following morning was bright and clear.<br />Venice is beautiful and not the museum city i thought it would be but rather a living place (admittedly with a lot of tourists in it).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWhGZkA-_HBMr0U_IK3v9iVbI92-tBsAtLcRaSu4NkKJ1gSBeRubmgatjzTvyubiHnmMli973GblgeXT-zLOycBWlO8BKOgEB1mF5YiprH9_XThGi6nlklvdaPPoqezyf1jduQle4hZs/s800/IMG_0496.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWhGZkA-_HBMr0U_IK3v9iVbI92-tBsAtLcRaSu4NkKJ1gSBeRubmgatjzTvyubiHnmMli973GblgeXT-zLOycBWlO8BKOgEB1mF5YiprH9_XThGi6nlklvdaPPoqezyf1jduQle4hZs/s800/IMG_0496.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUXzG69LvbBZVa_ywKRSHVnXHnkGotF04GwMXHsoCipsx59G91dENWVDX-jqV81e-2YnknVh50WQeGxvo9TRbUhvIdZ92fPvBYY0feAS7Kluv16SDF7HPcm_0QdmquS9Lmz6CXvL50xc/s800/DSCN0571.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUXzG69LvbBZVa_ywKRSHVnXHnkGotF04GwMXHsoCipsx59G91dENWVDX-jqV81e-2YnknVh50WQeGxvo9TRbUhvIdZ92fPvBYY0feAS7Kluv16SDF7HPcm_0QdmquS9Lmz6CXvL50xc/s800/DSCN0571.JPG" alt="" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4hvBzB1HOZcvlfKt93T_wCW-IkvGPxmKAHREpGyGZLFrzC-g-JRs48W1kYl00oXc9cxi9IYUNQZv9lR23h1yGJNneKu4wSpVCedM_Oa17GvIXnPknnQ7pcSXlf4X-nrl2rmp7qgoIhI/s800/IMG_0467.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4hvBzB1HOZcvlfKt93T_wCW-IkvGPxmKAHREpGyGZLFrzC-g-JRs48W1kYl00oXc9cxi9IYUNQZv9lR23h1yGJNneKu4wSpVCedM_Oa17GvIXnPknnQ7pcSXlf4X-nrl2rmp7qgoIhI/s800/IMG_0467.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A few days later on our next rest day we went to Verona. While nothing in comparison to Venice it was a fun place to poke around, visit a colluseum (no lions eating christians) and have some nice lunch.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53Fm_mdZnMdDZF2s9u6_y1MHEP6Nm7pGxc1mMUmqoXzMUpWLMd5k7nRs-7JZnwpKKivzXAnsG08_V2xtKNj9We4xLj-wdd8RiJBsro8Hwf1Zd7zzZYT_wu4vK7CdZXZKzeFgta0z1l2s/s576/IMG_0535.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53Fm_mdZnMdDZF2s9u6_y1MHEP6Nm7pGxc1mMUmqoXzMUpWLMd5k7nRs-7JZnwpKKivzXAnsG08_V2xtKNj9We4xLj-wdd8RiJBsro8Hwf1Zd7zzZYT_wu4vK7CdZXZKzeFgta0z1l2s/s576/IMG_0535.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWqZ7AU0vPpFmxS4KR4aUg1M3Ho-NVmNPsJxhdMYBFfSa3gNItEdbBVUPSQmBkLXb0qvULE6q2naY5LUdPGg7fWuVg5te7oij7ytOoJm0nu4TcQJQHQYe_r-UeOdPaU7TaMvEQs-eslc/s800/IMG_0523.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWqZ7AU0vPpFmxS4KR4aUg1M3Ho-NVmNPsJxhdMYBFfSa3gNItEdbBVUPSQmBkLXb0qvULE6q2naY5LUdPGg7fWuVg5te7oij7ytOoJm0nu4TcQJQHQYe_r-UeOdPaU7TaMvEQs-eslc/s800/IMG_0523.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The general plan is to spent another few days here in Arco revisiting the climbs that tormented us before hitting the road and heading for France and the Verdon Gorge.dunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381183075808847553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-55898422749880278212009-09-14T15:50:00.002+01:002009-09-14T16:05:07.175+01:00The Requin hut and beyond.Once little Ellie had hoped on the plane back to rainy Ireland, we got ready to take a trip to the Requin hut, situated above the Mer de Glace at about 2500 m. We jammed our little 30 L packs full with rock and ice gear, lunches and a change of clothes and set off across the Mer de Glace. It was a slow plod. Duncan lost his crampons somewhere in the moraine on the trek but we managed to make it to the hut without incident. The hut is run by a french woman, sometimes assisted by her husband, a mountain guide.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OL9h6CNv-Umgr7b-Fl-7p-ia0tdfVNPl-otuPIrM-0VXe-_vU2fNAVQbnJH3J8XzdtChJZjhQ9p81qV93quZQkLxVGaGZYb8Tz19Sm0QBIyPWCIyGnUVTIcCd5gioy00GdM0GmVo6agV/s640/DSCN0443.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OL9h6CNv-Umgr7b-Fl-7p-ia0tdfVNPl-otuPIrM-0VXe-_vU2fNAVQbnJH3J8XzdtChJZjhQ9p81qV93quZQkLxVGaGZYb8Tz19Sm0QBIyPWCIyGnUVTIcCd5gioy00GdM0GmVo6agV/s640/DSCN0443.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The loss of crampons severely restricted our choice of routes for the remainder of our visit as there is a lot of permanent ice that high up the mountain.<br />We settled on Congo Star, a 10 pitch (300 metre) bolted route on perfect granite at mostly 6a with a few harder bits along the way. This route is a fantastic outing with enough bolts to protect the hard moves but little to ease the nerves elsewhere. Probably the most adventurous part of the day was crossing a meltwater river on the way back to the hut in the late afternoon. After a day's sunshine on the higher ice the steep stream had become a raging torrent (Jess's description). After a few dunkings and a little cursing as Jess was safeley belayed across (unfortunately cameras were all safely wrapped in plastic for the affair) we got back to the hut just in time for dinner by the always enthusiastic Mme Hut Gardien.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_U_mAOfmeX1VQiGYpJfT9FH_CBZSBW0Z2fb7cniQBlswjZZf28p61rkRsnJrzNUo8zzJw1NCbR1BSI5f_Yt6VsZZVnHuvPCJcfcepX3vevpY5OVjxhhSJWSacOYXQneTuwQ_HlwKBMsd/s640/IMG_0327.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_U_mAOfmeX1VQiGYpJfT9FH_CBZSBW0Z2fb7cniQBlswjZZf28p61rkRsnJrzNUo8zzJw1NCbR1BSI5f_Yt6VsZZVnHuvPCJcfcepX3vevpY5OVjxhhSJWSacOYXQneTuwQ_HlwKBMsd/s640/IMG_0327.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoixHaM6XclDSBpxPc8ImHp_6MA8hixYiSESA4eHkUBI5LdQV7wvp7OO6iq1li9kFwbVC7u_DRm8MoRc1od-8S0f8WhBwcuLZsPB308yPFnjTbNwZ68Ok1Hfb_IhSg0bC_nnvSxcaL99y/s640/DSCN0466.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoixHaM6XclDSBpxPc8ImHp_6MA8hixYiSESA4eHkUBI5LdQV7wvp7OO6iq1li9kFwbVC7u_DRm8MoRc1od-8S0f8WhBwcuLZsPB308yPFnjTbNwZ68Ok1Hfb_IhSg0bC_nnvSxcaL99y/s640/DSCN0466.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjse17GIYpLdqcYoWoapjQywpd5iQcjcal1PcP5lXcDVeE-Cp5RA9-jESWnYTfbiahkmqQhD1vS49uK4sGGO-15byzL-ZNPk9Hiu8jR6CiKdsaJ26ZWJLdlBLBRKmJ3emCF45g5pOy3rX_w/s512/DSCN0452.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 387px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjse17GIYpLdqcYoWoapjQywpd5iQcjcal1PcP5lXcDVeE-Cp5RA9-jESWnYTfbiahkmqQhD1vS49uK4sGGO-15byzL-ZNPk9Hiu8jR6CiKdsaJ26ZWJLdlBLBRKmJ3emCF45g5pOy3rX_w/s512/DSCN0452.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Feeling quite tired and without our 2nd pair of crampons we decided to leave it at that and head back down hill the next day. After a late start (to let the glacier ice melt a little so it was not to slippy without crampons) we decended the Mer de Glace in the lifting fog. Thankfully visibility had improved enough to make routfinding easy so the only thing that slowed us down were the steep crevasses halfway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigU5fDzWLsiYyuz9wzJo83N6qEoxr1OM4i4yIdYoLRSyS0ahnJQ84RbW8AHsmC0f3gm5TfSvarMNTF36p-XUVbolqrngKMyWGL-9nQNKSDsOsoFMwqJ3OWjYf8C6fpbakzRByYl5hadvvD/s640/IMG_0345.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigU5fDzWLsiYyuz9wzJo83N6qEoxr1OM4i4yIdYoLRSyS0ahnJQ84RbW8AHsmC0f3gm5TfSvarMNTF36p-XUVbolqrngKMyWGL-9nQNKSDsOsoFMwqJ3OWjYf8C6fpbakzRByYl5hadvvD/s640/IMG_0345.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzQ5nBRPIee0fb9tn73ZawCWZrfBPfSeXNYpUzilD1GXc6TYmfGWsKs7CGnQ2FldOj-aH8PrG2gJVn7n0LlcD2aD02kGavEoWzpYzOBCvVqD3oMxt6Z3g3mbg0KYVDYShXgFkbtwELMyB/s640/DSCN0522.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzQ5nBRPIee0fb9tn73ZawCWZrfBPfSeXNYpUzilD1GXc6TYmfGWsKs7CGnQ2FldOj-aH8PrG2gJVn7n0LlcD2aD02kGavEoWzpYzOBCvVqD3oMxt6Z3g3mbg0KYVDYShXgFkbtwELMyB/s640/DSCN0522.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Back in the valley, we spent a few days cragging and recuperating. Unfortunately,the weather began to deteriorate so we decided on a change of scene after 5 weeks in Chamonix. We decided to head for Arco close to Lake Garda in the north of Italy and headed there via Munich to visit Britta. Britta has moved on from phd life to become a respectable professional working for Roche in the south of Germany. We arrived just in time to meet her parents who were leaving after a visit. We stayed with her in her lovely new apartment in Penzburg. We sampled some of the German beers and bavarian food and took a stroll round Munich. We also visited some cute Bavarian villages and saw many pairs of lederhosen and drindls! It was really good to catch up with Britta before hitting the road for Arco.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistj7XA1CfPCm90fEQoUn68RmwO3R7woL50jb1gONHgBXRcncRT9WsWza1bLpP-GPGUKYvUcYehG-p7mS5Qw7UTrtAb4-_WXQP9CE45kUTOSc_odvzBxWVief727isrvAmooyOCVc0hyphenhyphenZv/s1600-h/IMG_0362.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistj7XA1CfPCm90fEQoUn68RmwO3R7woL50jb1gONHgBXRcncRT9WsWza1bLpP-GPGUKYvUcYehG-p7mS5Qw7UTrtAb4-_WXQP9CE45kUTOSc_odvzBxWVief727isrvAmooyOCVc0hyphenhyphenZv/s320/IMG_0362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381339240834819922" border="0" /></a>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-52101588581137513002009-08-25T12:09:00.004+01:002009-08-25T12:41:55.431+01:00Little sister in the big mountainsOn Wednesday (19/June), Jess's littlest sister Ellen arrived for a short visit. We picked her up in Geneva airport and smuggled her over the border into France. She had been a little confused about where she was actually going before leaving Ireland and had settled on telling people that she was going to Switzerance! We fed her that evening and gently broke the bad news that we'd be getting up at 6.30 am the next day to take the cable car to the top of Aiguille du midi. 6.30 am doesn't really exist in Ellen's world especially since it was 5.30 am Irish time.<br /><br />The bleary eyed little thing dragged herself out of the guest annnex (tent!) the next morning bright and early and we headed for the cable car. The Aiguille du midi cable car is the highest in Europe connecting Chamonix at 1037 m to close to the summit of the Aiguille du midi at 3776 m. Its a two stage trip and each stage only takes 8 mins. A lot quicker than walking! From the top of the Aiguille du midi, there are breathtaking views of Mont Blanc and the Vallee Blanche. Mountaineers in single file leave here via the steep snowy exit ramp to start most of the routes in the high alps.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQiqN4AOjihCj5PflQ4_C81xwPID1egbuKemk2P2LdF-5B3pyJaL1KbJ7RConO-l2kfrc1SVUDjr8p3PKLZNRxy8u9H_fihW7GxAM8Ckyq5E6rmihUpY2GTyk-6GSX8iakkTBQjra1nbU/s640/DSCN0356.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQiqN4AOjihCj5PflQ4_C81xwPID1egbuKemk2P2LdF-5B3pyJaL1KbJ7RConO-l2kfrc1SVUDjr8p3PKLZNRxy8u9H_fihW7GxAM8Ckyq5E6rmihUpY2GTyk-6GSX8iakkTBQjra1nbU/s640/DSCN0356.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnBsTvP_RQUKaorX1FJTxIrQ7_4mIInVWmsz0bejLy211KJ5klt-sxHVsFAW7kzTljl37ynEf6gGVGKmsMRYv4SrIhx6oyDJNJoN6m6MRHnzXdNmHq3mbC6WtYu3bxRwt3OLPK2pb_OvD/s640/IMG_0146-1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnBsTvP_RQUKaorX1FJTxIrQ7_4mIInVWmsz0bejLy211KJ5klt-sxHVsFAW7kzTljl37ynEf6gGVGKmsMRYv4SrIhx6oyDJNJoN6m6MRHnzXdNmHq3mbC6WtYu3bxRwt3OLPK2pb_OvD/s640/IMG_0146-1.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLHHfZn4HAmf1V8yUePCvS7m8m3aHIOvGtR1N4Ma2plBZwFO7S9oZ05Z6mtjzvC4l-3ymNlM-0OJVZ0oWZCRP5-IXnTAcLvql-LoJd9f2Q3ay-4X5t84LF1AsF9KMg9-Ze51uVExXshXO/s912/view3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 580px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLHHfZn4HAmf1V8yUePCvS7m8m3aHIOvGtR1N4Ma2plBZwFO7S9oZ05Z6mtjzvC4l-3ymNlM-0OJVZ0oWZCRP5-IXnTAcLvql-LoJd9f2Q3ay-4X5t84LF1AsF9KMg9-Ze51uVExXshXO/s912/view3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />From this point, there is another cable car that runs to Helbronner just over the Italian border. It crosses the Vallee Blanche and a few hundred metres below you see mountaineers moving like ants across the glaciers, some with massive crevasses.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHhM28sqpD-307mYJhZgdXxjOVKVMkZPOuszqEoRJoWzPb_mGQuXE93jK6FdSZWwh4Eosd_-9n4FNJ7_jtz0TvOOhnGMIh5-F-WuLrKx7wx4UXuuDLvllc4CZ7iI-TIdQp97Q9XeCCDHz/s640/DSCN0285.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHhM28sqpD-307mYJhZgdXxjOVKVMkZPOuszqEoRJoWzPb_mGQuXE93jK6FdSZWwh4Eosd_-9n4FNJ7_jtz0TvOOhnGMIh5-F-WuLrKx7wx4UXuuDLvllc4CZ7iI-TIdQp97Q9XeCCDHz/s640/DSCN0285.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl49m4lkacFmzU-RLN4nl4iqwZz4Xugc_2Gbb7zeLxHKcZTU1Oqn5umFc9yltxWjgnuRlU-X1bEK6DbgfJkjdkRw8yEJ9PlWFutxyD-6QiR-mOKnLYy7IvQM_cxTLAloOsPT4dQ7rLvBs/s640/IMG_0203-1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl49m4lkacFmzU-RLN4nl4iqwZz4Xugc_2Gbb7zeLxHKcZTU1Oqn5umFc9yltxWjgnuRlU-X1bEK6DbgfJkjdkRw8yEJ9PlWFutxyD-6QiR-mOKnLYy7IvQM_cxTLAloOsPT4dQ7rLvBs/s640/IMG_0203-1.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnNWugS7N8H4TGXdPJ0_bC17EOJc-xqSTyUcCuWi5JPeKwtzOxBak5WD0mu0ySPNx8aJu1hG33PuXdqRboEc2IBZrwGSct3ARUVBO_bA-d84xo-5XikgrIqo7HxhgLyjAsycLuw7liZRz/s640/IMG_0179-1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnNWugS7N8H4TGXdPJ0_bC17EOJc-xqSTyUcCuWi5JPeKwtzOxBak5WD0mu0ySPNx8aJu1hG33PuXdqRboEc2IBZrwGSct3ARUVBO_bA-d84xo-5XikgrIqo7HxhgLyjAsycLuw7liZRz/s640/IMG_0179-1.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After a scenery overload, we headed back down the mountain to grab some lunch and to introduce Ellen to rock climbing at Les Gaillands in Chamonix. She was a natural flying up a 5b to our amazement. She seemed to enjoy it as long as we didn't make her look down for photos! The poor thing was exhausted after her day and retired to her tent by 9.30 pm.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKTKsArN4yP6fPJsbO9HHatNzZUS4qhAE8Gr-4EWY6JB512JizbYQguEmojx929aIXFsqcFNmCYrx_n81Ks3KXArUTdlRm46fZHHhe1zlwcttnL9nWbXUMmwaU1G1WuFlELiZ7cHTBzKm/s512/DSCN0395.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKTKsArN4yP6fPJsbO9HHatNzZUS4qhAE8Gr-4EWY6JB512JizbYQguEmojx929aIXFsqcFNmCYrx_n81Ks3KXArUTdlRm46fZHHhe1zlwcttnL9nWbXUMmwaU1G1WuFlELiZ7cHTBzKm/s512/DSCN0395.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL6n_tq4wN8wHNhUcHPXuKqeYYtARQBBcMj0e1cQnn9CHw81i5zKUfSq88YfgAZo49m4oscZnF0syv0Mrzj9R4vjZP0SVZFja31dz7bMoh4Q_dkQvQRbketjoaNlbXt8MXQbyyGMMKyD7/s512/IMG_0304.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL6n_tq4wN8wHNhUcHPXuKqeYYtARQBBcMj0e1cQnn9CHw81i5zKUfSq88YfgAZo49m4oscZnF0syv0Mrzj9R4vjZP0SVZFja31dz7bMoh4Q_dkQvQRbketjoaNlbXt8MXQbyyGMMKyD7/s512/IMG_0304.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sdPGjBNbs9iBlqn7p3gq1PLJdGmVoxPcf5fz6j9GM5-G7JVrlnX1gwnfZ7W0tWnESb9E6M6G8buaozwnrkLP0CAh52o8NPYOuuhviBSi69h0Ybhqlk6VK5B6ufNAhhSjX0hbYIzb2y66/s640/IMG_0237.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sdPGjBNbs9iBlqn7p3gq1PLJdGmVoxPcf5fz6j9GM5-G7JVrlnX1gwnfZ7W0tWnESb9E6M6G8buaozwnrkLP0CAh52o8NPYOuuhviBSi69h0Ybhqlk6VK5B6ufNAhhSjX0hbYIzb2y66/s640/IMG_0237.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We took pity on Ellen and let her have a lie in till 7.30am the next day. We had hired her boots, crampons and an ice axe and took her up onto the Mer de Glace. Dunk showed her the basics of steep ice climbing and front pointing and she was up and down the sides of crevasses in no time. She seemed particularly taken with the deep water filled holes in the glacier and got immense satisfaction from dropping stones down them. The ant hills (ahem!) on the glacier were another point of interest. I wonder what so many ants would be doing on a glacier! That evening after feeding the guest, we popped round to Toto (aka Toby and Tom) who were just back from a couple of days in the Requin hut to get the beta. Ellen went wild and stayed up till 10.30!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhsqxK5GGihY5v8FLfaL7VIYiP-S7rNBrr91FzKF3DSUW_m-2CSiNXqjdtHaWY6zrVcaW3r3OUKkwjbB-eaWUNjKJlVNj41dpoHsqDLI1aX4I-j_5l-OkP-BRNKL6mQCndil-5-1O_jp9/s640/IMG_0253.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhsqxK5GGihY5v8FLfaL7VIYiP-S7rNBrr91FzKF3DSUW_m-2CSiNXqjdtHaWY6zrVcaW3r3OUKkwjbB-eaWUNjKJlVNj41dpoHsqDLI1aX4I-j_5l-OkP-BRNKL6mQCndil-5-1O_jp9/s640/IMG_0253.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OJeqZwTFHT-Jx6XCTG6md18k3BCdmBeURy3O2NrKmCszgw6gyb-tQ9NsIYkzurR7bWZ1MKaUW_j2yILNSVrhKUuqqFtNaZfbUnTOJbNzfZObrjPJ7MuRaosPNXT10fWZu3vD5CulCDTL/s640/DSCN0370.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OJeqZwTFHT-Jx6XCTG6md18k3BCdmBeURy3O2NrKmCszgw6gyb-tQ9NsIYkzurR7bWZ1MKaUW_j2yILNSVrhKUuqqFtNaZfbUnTOJbNzfZObrjPJ7MuRaosPNXT10fWZu3vD5CulCDTL/s640/DSCN0370.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDDYohCbUIPGhk4hwgzmEZJig9N5fVa7B-bhk04zca8W8D4LHHGTPdSWYguiWZeLCeS3vUTMw3C5JwpmZcQ1JS6jYkgHooZjdE0xAeTBKeGQe0qrPdrlx_FQlaJsU1voailBihyphenhyphenTL_0GB/s640/DSCN0376.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDDYohCbUIPGhk4hwgzmEZJig9N5fVa7B-bhk04zca8W8D4LHHGTPdSWYguiWZeLCeS3vUTMw3C5JwpmZcQ1JS6jYkgHooZjdE0xAeTBKeGQe0qrPdrlx_FQlaJsU1voailBihyphenhyphenTL_0GB/s640/DSCN0376.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonoL-o4qDYh5aolBGclsVeQEatsA599X4mEtws40CENbp8xIC22kpzWRxxy2hTZcDDMitvAgvAAkVCR2ccY49ZnmjbfjiYUrNBMmMh2L-HQIQqzXCnZaQ1lgRVY6DMSbrUEx3tc58zOG3/s512/DSCN0371.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 387px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonoL-o4qDYh5aolBGclsVeQEatsA599X4mEtws40CENbp8xIC22kpzWRxxy2hTZcDDMitvAgvAAkVCR2ccY49ZnmjbfjiYUrNBMmMh2L-HQIQqzXCnZaQ1lgRVY6DMSbrUEx3tc58zOG3/s512/DSCN0371.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On Saturday, we headed to do some more climbing hitting the Forestiers and Frendo areas of Les Gaillands. Ellen proved herself on her first overhang. We bumped into Toby who joined us for a couple. Poor Tom had gotten a stomach bug and was curled up in his tent. Hope you are recovered Tom and cranking hard in Font! We spent most of the day there and then popped into town to grab some Savoie specialities for dinner. These specialities involve large quantities of melted cheese. Mmmmmmm!! Afterwards we headed back to the campsite and had a few drinks and listened to a few tunes before bed.<br /><br />On Sunday, we had to drop little Ellen back to Geneva. It was really sad to see her go and to pack away the guest annex. We've started making plans for our trip to the Requin hut to fill the gap!Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-84288568069905388292009-08-19T11:55:00.004+01:002009-08-19T12:45:49.637+01:00Alpine Adventures.So from Sweden we started the 2 day drive to Chamonix, France.<br />We had a little van trouble on the way (blown air in-take hose) but all fixed thanks to the miracle of DuckTape.<br /><br />We based ourselves in a campsite underneath the Bossons Glacier for the first 2 weeks and spent our time getting to know the area.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiKki55LIhUr05GOhvEmw9cKN8VuSkcMsvSaERz63ml9FS6pxHKKdgno-LyLZmE1FWh_XmN8TcMLspiJaSrh9pbS0Kej31kczMessVO3U0Dy_xuptwO4vIQDjjuc-DcaV5QCLhtnaiIg/s576/DSC02678.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiKki55LIhUr05GOhvEmw9cKN8VuSkcMsvSaERz63ml9FS6pxHKKdgno-LyLZmE1FWh_XmN8TcMLspiJaSrh9pbS0Kej31kczMessVO3U0Dy_xuptwO4vIQDjjuc-DcaV5QCLhtnaiIg/s576/DSC02678.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">View from the camp site.</span><br /><br />We bought all the useless climbing guidebooks on offer to newcomers to the region and set about going climbing.<br />Obviously being high in the Alps the quality of climbing is fantastic even if the quality of the climbing guidebooks is less than satisfactory...<br /><br />Our 2nd day here we tried to off ourselves with a trip up to 2500 metres carrying rock climbing gear for a short climb and long trek back down to Chamonix (at 1000 metres). Needless to say Jess was not the happiest of punters on the cycle back to the campsite. (My legs had turned to jelly 1/2 way down!).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0E2IHhyOe79cpG8UvwyNj3OXX5nJHD95nOgd0Z85SMq7CibKFxPrBU0N7UrM2ggMswn3xKS5KWTUkyhv3v0WoA75w0MIiTC_wl_QiYTVQDgqA_JRTYvrYsBDmU74K-SIzrSappN5yhg/s800/DSC02676.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0E2IHhyOe79cpG8UvwyNj3OXX5nJHD95nOgd0Z85SMq7CibKFxPrBU0N7UrM2ggMswn3xKS5KWTUkyhv3v0WoA75w0MIiTC_wl_QiYTVQDgqA_JRTYvrYsBDmU74K-SIzrSappN5yhg/s800/DSC02676.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">View from the top of our first hike. And my sandwich.</span><br /><br />After a few trips to local crags and adopting Tom and Toby (two UK guys camped next door), our next expedition was up to the classic Papillon's Arete (Butterfly's Ridge for the un-educated...).<br />Luckily we had grown a little more used to the altitude by this stage and caught the gondola up bright and early to be at the bottom of the route for 09:00, 3rd in the queue. Papillon's ridge is graded V and follows the arete for about 400 m of spectacular views. The climbing was not particularly sustained although the crux chimney pitch which left the "letterbox" felt considerably harder especially with our rucksacks. The French pair coming behind us agreed wholeheartedly! The boulders crashing down a couloir up the valley as the heat of the day melted the ice certainly added atmosphere. Jess's camera also came crashing down the mountainside. Less dramatic but far more upsetting and expensive. All in all it was a great day out although the verdict might have been different if our sprint for the gondola down had had a different outcome.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1F8LKf_IDoOjmWDGct_00dqcO0lM5C9w1sBJVw-O_yoycmp90bAWIQ0A-VBc42Q4kx5TAi_EReygYJxLqv5Fid62ig1x61YnzbKQM-HS2Ba4HWzTT0s3JUsry8KgnAFwGtgsUQohR_Q/s800/DSCN0784.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1F8LKf_IDoOjmWDGct_00dqcO0lM5C9w1sBJVw-O_yoycmp90bAWIQ0A-VBc42Q4kx5TAi_EReygYJxLqv5Fid62ig1x61YnzbKQM-HS2Ba4HWzTT0s3JUsry8KgnAFwGtgsUQohR_Q/s800/DSCN0784.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Early start on Papillon's Ridge.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCkW4LyvrmLKhfLKXy8wJF5ftHDhbDGNiujdrcGyav9ob-BMdv0vNpJXnwsRiegYii1kbTxTeR8hbN7O8csVJA44z0b0xonHkQXIfeAPBQO_Flna4DcrBpVOyHs6OwgE3NYHcV6zL_Qs/s576/DSCN0857.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCkW4LyvrmLKhfLKXy8wJF5ftHDhbDGNiujdrcGyav9ob-BMdv0vNpJXnwsRiegYii1kbTxTeR8hbN7O8csVJA44z0b0xonHkQXIfeAPBQO_Flna4DcrBpVOyHs6OwgE3NYHcV6zL_Qs/s576/DSCN0857.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Passing 2 nice French climbers on the route.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LKSwozYmnsC-28VeDPpCNOCKG5ZjAySG5PLDKglIQCdq23oAsb-SsSl1HgWZknmExr4yqXzqoCquFpu7J1Fu2haYKRmVfCtspPP0h5ejX2bIzgptwPLii7nLF_OIu8SEKh6_LH3jZvY/s800/DSCN0874.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LKSwozYmnsC-28VeDPpCNOCKG5ZjAySG5PLDKglIQCdq23oAsb-SsSl1HgWZknmExr4yqXzqoCquFpu7J1Fu2haYKRmVfCtspPP0h5ejX2bIzgptwPLii7nLF_OIu8SEKh6_LH3jZvY/s800/DSCN0874.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Dunk on the 2nd last pitch.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbHxzLxgrJUva8D2YG6LjEu5bRUT0F_E_S68FyLTH2_EG3ATomqJe41oUNrP1R5khMKKYDhGuEIwNZS5R9npT6TI7DHRglSBs9p3yedLb1ZN01Ui_-QTvbHrUV2LvhWXB3kKnIXyvAf0/s576/DSCN0823.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbHxzLxgrJUva8D2YG6LjEu5bRUT0F_E_S68FyLTH2_EG3ATomqJe41oUNrP1R5khMKKYDhGuEIwNZS5R9npT6TI7DHRglSBs9p3yedLb1ZN01Ui_-QTvbHrUV2LvhWXB3kKnIXyvAf0/s576/DSCN0823.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">View from the ridge looking east.</span><br /><br />After a day or 2 of R&R (and some expensive ice gear and camera shopping), it was time to play on a glacier. We opted for a short hike along the famous Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) to see the large moulin. The moulin (basically a big hole drilled in the glacier by meltwater) has been explored down to 110 m. We contented ourselves with cautiously peering over the edge! The hike also gave us the opportunity to play on some steep ice in a few friendly crevasses and test out our new shiny boots, crampons and ice axes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DM_CEDsA5Tl3D76QxM0yQtbRQTYEIwVCJohFHfoyHTzoga6ItDMYMNR2CelbCkTlS4FPji6pAkl8E1bUWr7HebYMHBd9wAq3sNuT1L4qKs2kUDChfguuUS592MhuDzrOLUmeurLqT3k/s576/DSCN0894.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DM_CEDsA5Tl3D76QxM0yQtbRQTYEIwVCJohFHfoyHTzoga6ItDMYMNR2CelbCkTlS4FPji6pAkl8E1bUWr7HebYMHBd9wAq3sNuT1L4qKs2kUDChfguuUS592MhuDzrOLUmeurLqT3k/s576/DSCN0894.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5fDU6aB12LRGTNa3rYBluFYQ5XLQVOAFDvTG1lm8_mhBHG-tvNLq8KIDREkcnGaZYzXhI5OCyvvgCNr5VH3yzr646CF7BQ2h4ZDT8gAWpwP02doEQOeBMPS0X2uMmOoUQidbbG7Fjt0/s800/IMG_0041.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5fDU6aB12LRGTNa3rYBluFYQ5XLQVOAFDvTG1lm8_mhBHG-tvNLq8KIDREkcnGaZYzXhI5OCyvvgCNr5VH3yzr646CF7BQ2h4ZDT8gAWpwP02doEQOeBMPS0X2uMmOoUQidbbG7Fjt0/s800/IMG_0041.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrGhPsV3OOLszNUX3VI-tzjNreakOesbSm4QkqAows_nlh7AzzwiihWforfGY4iVxMXR6uFr3kmEhO739kHY2UyU_aWwVJZxBEsYnsHlS1DRNGtp3bJbJOfnEZcGzyatqqw5CXnKGpzA/s800/IMG_0052.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrGhPsV3OOLszNUX3VI-tzjNreakOesbSm4QkqAows_nlh7AzzwiihWforfGY4iVxMXR6uFr3kmEhO739kHY2UyU_aWwVJZxBEsYnsHlS1DRNGtp3bJbJOfnEZcGzyatqqw5CXnKGpzA/s800/IMG_0052.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">The Mer de Glace. (The Sea of Ice.)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EXz93D7SMposP6_k_XFijC8t1lmo23r5UD51FgDyd0p5DZfxBXBECjsJDDwsWgjKS1NiBrnoGqht231HJTBMgRK_LHg_CABfFrfOoHeqoHOGZIYlAcQc9I_2-jxhEqZwB57EJpOIzn8/s576/IMG_0068.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EXz93D7SMposP6_k_XFijC8t1lmo23r5UD51FgDyd0p5DZfxBXBECjsJDDwsWgjKS1NiBrnoGqht231HJTBMgRK_LHg_CABfFrfOoHeqoHOGZIYlAcQc9I_2-jxhEqZwB57EJpOIzn8/s576/IMG_0068.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZA9oP2rFvaE4w1tBt-wB76ABVHOeb8bexA4z3VG16ApYBg-fAa-smQDcPJlrmAnEhHRcNm1XEwZdYpj9gna-UOJMu_wEP2gXhz1H8InQBisF02vI_GZ-IQaqwxao7h8ikmt71IdUr70/s800/IMG_0081.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZA9oP2rFvaE4w1tBt-wB76ABVHOeb8bexA4z3VG16ApYBg-fAa-smQDcPJlrmAnEhHRcNm1XEwZdYpj9gna-UOJMu_wEP2gXhz1H8InQBisF02vI_GZ-IQaqwxao7h8ikmt71IdUr70/s800/IMG_0081.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Playing in the crevasses.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7IhIkbirTQA68AadRJ312vVhFoVPCp951r3N8ZgkM2gQOauVLmBNyvO7uuwRizZ2_qKJxARqoGl80Nx63bJtLmi73bL-pRgsxeIkrEBLTPBCgcQqHsy523vVzfifbYt_K2jWsQR4gqE/s576/DSCN0943.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7IhIkbirTQA68AadRJ312vVhFoVPCp951r3N8ZgkM2gQOauVLmBNyvO7uuwRizZ2_qKJxARqoGl80Nx63bJtLmi73bL-pRgsxeIkrEBLTPBCgcQqHsy523vVzfifbYt_K2jWsQR4gqE/s576/DSCN0943.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Heading home.<br /><br /></span>The next mountainside expedition was the Vaucher route, graded at VI and picked from the worst guidebook in the history of the planet (no I am not exaggerating!). The 400 m long climb was described in 2 sentences, an incomplete topo and a smudged mountainside photograph leading us to believe it would follow an obvious line. That was not the case. We found the start of the route alright at the top of a small ice field but soon had lost the line and cobbled together a series of excellent pitches up the mountainside. It turns out that there are numerous routes up the SW face of Aiguille de Peigne, a mixture of trad and bolted lines (not in the guidebook). We settled for moving in a generally upward direction on rock that bore no resemblance to the guidebooks description. About 300 m up, we opted to abseil down to avoid another sprint for the gondola. A great day out but still have no clue where the Vaucher Route goes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFT7Qp4KolX8EwEStHM7MFEXT8ptuImSJE2FX-gSOMFWMuCqW1JAVKIdEF4WknJxxwgcmgzEfIWnr7M19CW0THBltTcmGGcobOh6kZtJGgMYtIkTBvHj6LGLRBz7HCmRosPvDr14BONs/s576/IMG_0105.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFT7Qp4KolX8EwEStHM7MFEXT8ptuImSJE2FX-gSOMFWMuCqW1JAVKIdEF4WknJxxwgcmgzEfIWnr7M19CW0THBltTcmGGcobOh6kZtJGgMYtIkTBvHj6LGLRBz7HCmRosPvDr14BONs/s576/IMG_0105.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPv7KNHUpoXDXsxbXGWBtyXg4qlcGcs1q2XXTDBMZQmDlLy7o3__aSrdGgLVFt3MMvkhX4p9XCLoXiRsVNPcdt7gzerzoKXopHpKZMsx3THiAW7rttfCSG0ed2IaL2aPChLTGu0quYe0/s576/IMG_0114.JPG"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidV4ifQQ1rmJry0ei93cp1nPQrpXIdL6d7jVQ8yW2v0XN_hMzsWFMxnrWGqd7dFrNiLwdxCNVP9ql0VZGSBhLflkV5PFpdetLC0a0shNzBy03DtlG25nZfV32chyphenhyphen8Ezhwqgb3BNNDgW1U/s576/DSCN0971.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidV4ifQQ1rmJry0ei93cp1nPQrpXIdL6d7jVQ8yW2v0XN_hMzsWFMxnrWGqd7dFrNiLwdxCNVP9ql0VZGSBhLflkV5PFpdetLC0a0shNzBy03DtlG25nZfV32chyphenhyphen8Ezhwqgb3BNNDgW1U/s576/DSCN0971.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPv7KNHUpoXDXsxbXGWBtyXg4qlcGcs1q2XXTDBMZQmDlLy7o3__aSrdGgLVFt3MMvkhX4p9XCLoXiRsVNPcdt7gzerzoKXopHpKZMsx3THiAW7rttfCSG0ed2IaL2aPChLTGu0quYe0/s576/IMG_0114.JPG"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPv7KNHUpoXDXsxbXGWBtyXg4qlcGcs1q2XXTDBMZQmDlLy7o3__aSrdGgLVFt3MMvkhX4p9XCLoXiRsVNPcdt7gzerzoKXopHpKZMsx3THiAW7rttfCSG0ed2IaL2aPChLTGu0quYe0/s576/IMG_0114.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Today, Jess's little sister Ellen is arriving for a visit. A great excuse to rest Duncan's feet and Jess's quads and calves. Can't wait to show the little sis some rock and ice action!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKKZEcJ9B-BVD7sln3aGqUxhWBhe4Iq9jHa8AXYX9K6m9l6n34FbYzt2IfJktreV6V7IMTQkrqI0RVsyuQU6enC5uom_JK0ln4K0CucR_8fSza8Nq9yRZBVEajaHA5Z7PMgI99XtKpzs/s800/IMG_0126.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKKZEcJ9B-BVD7sln3aGqUxhWBhe4Iq9jHa8AXYX9K6m9l6n34FbYzt2IfJktreV6V7IMTQkrqI0RVsyuQU6enC5uom_JK0ln4K0CucR_8fSza8Nq9yRZBVEajaHA5Z7PMgI99XtKpzs/s800/IMG_0126.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>dunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381183075808847553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-22158205734779413232009-07-30T17:36:00.005+01:002009-07-30T18:08:25.573+01:00Scandanavia or Bust.While the Netherlands was all very nice, great to see friends, etc, it was somewhat flat. <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">So with tired limbs all nicely rested we set off through Germany (picking up 10 more crates of emergency beer for Mick's wedding) then on to Copenhagen.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Copenhagen was lovely for a short visit. We left the van in in a city center caravan park and spent a day sight seeing.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">We took a water bus down the river, through the city center's canals and on down to the sea. On the way back we detoured through Christiana (a great big hippie colony in the heart of Copenhagen) and then back to the van.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Unfortunatley neither of us are very good at remembering to take pictures so you will have to trust us that the city is cool. A clever mix of the old and the new all on a waterfront setting interwoven with canals.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2X9k9zcbUvkBgIsvdnjwco7MiagdNzuJDWPWTAM8l0tGrNhEKASKwuAOBN7YBSsybljHNPEOmJNFyjPHcWePjOXzGa9kSoVr57wE0JI-aX_SXMUSvBdlw-v72a-E6by4PvQT0bGMTyk/s800/DSCN0654.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2X9k9zcbUvkBgIsvdnjwco7MiagdNzuJDWPWTAM8l0tGrNhEKASKwuAOBN7YBSsybljHNPEOmJNFyjPHcWePjOXzGa9kSoVr57wE0JI-aX_SXMUSvBdlw-v72a-E6by4PvQT0bGMTyk/s800/DSCN0654.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">From Copenhagen we drove through the new tunnel/suspension bridge link to the south of Sweden.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">On the bridge Jess was informed of some very happy fammily news (Jess's sister Kate and bf Paulo are soon to be Kate, Paulo +1) so no pictures were taken of this engineering marvel.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Uddevella in Sweden to see Mick and Katrin was the next stop.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Thankfully Uddevella is in Bohslan in Sweden and is anything but flat. Rock everywhere. Some of the best single pitch climbing in Sweden.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">After dropping the beer we went for a little climb on a bit of rock in the center of Uddevella.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">It was a rainy Thursday but we got out climbing properly on the Friday before festivities commenced. Beautiful rock with clean straight cracks. We didn't jump on anything hard but it was still good to get out.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The wedding itself was great. Lots of Mick and Katrin's friends who we had met before plus numerous other new ones made it a weekend to remember.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The reception was held in Gustavsberg (a quaint little seaside resort just south of Uddevella. The weather stayed dry despite an ominous forecast and the Happy Couple said yes (in Swedish) at the appropriate times.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Success all round.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjCyUfOP1Ddnko55FbirJJEUC31n6ykeztcgb5H4v7Q9B-8A3RyG5TTiDgUU-4i70ig4t34ZBEwzmtBR8hpNh2Kfyc-yHzhC3QjWYdV-dmktI3FG8vJBEW0RG7Now_S1TnOs5U6btArk/s800/DSC02517.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjCyUfOP1Ddnko55FbirJJEUC31n6ykeztcgb5H4v7Q9B-8A3RyG5TTiDgUU-4i70ig4t34ZBEwzmtBR8hpNh2Kfyc-yHzhC3QjWYdV-dmktI3FG8vJBEW0RG7Now_S1TnOs5U6btArk/s800/DSC02517.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Then on to the serious buisness of socialising and dancing...</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Gus had a near miss on the dance floor as Jess swung him off his feet Irish country dancing.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">There were many other near misses and a few deliberate hits. [Section deleted to protect the guilty...]</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Pictures speak a thousand words so i will leave the rest to those:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vof0LQIFMxvD6CghvZ61As6JlxDFOV0zTo7ukxL7RXCPKsc6wecMjCuTmvJ67WLvvG1Lt6gZ3HgliRmgwOMNZfILv2X0uC5_l_RXh6muRiwYsQAGP9td27itQCHEOjtSEn48fUmIDBw/s800/DSC02527.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vof0LQIFMxvD6CghvZ61As6JlxDFOV0zTo7ukxL7RXCPKsc6wecMjCuTmvJ67WLvvG1Lt6gZ3HgliRmgwOMNZfILv2X0uC5_l_RXh6muRiwYsQAGP9td27itQCHEOjtSEn48fUmIDBw/s800/DSC02527.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejVR-1apMFVQglZSM2XMkCqktOsIHUP8jm78aLPRMA0iUaCUuIZjwgpq4jn8lIFbttC45lzV1twWIn6ID8cKXAgto-15w7tm_CJ8QHgvY01YddWP4kNfAWb1mTRy0A8yvxbKeIbZtHH8/s800/DSC02558.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejVR-1apMFVQglZSM2XMkCqktOsIHUP8jm78aLPRMA0iUaCUuIZjwgpq4jn8lIFbttC45lzV1twWIn6ID8cKXAgto-15w7tm_CJ8QHgvY01YddWP4kNfAWb1mTRy0A8yvxbKeIbZtHH8/s800/DSC02558.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0efzHZAIfmHYYjK8U82ErUE4RAp1GFWPeI6t2X0APHJ6_P_8fZIcSZ-J5P_iza0PjsljBseeQ3YKVHEv7D_R3VXUGJtNoCFzBViktGJsVwDA37M4fjtrLdx3U1gbq4C7xhRKRd9Qbu94/s800/DSC02554.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0efzHZAIfmHYYjK8U82ErUE4RAp1GFWPeI6t2X0APHJ6_P_8fZIcSZ-J5P_iza0PjsljBseeQ3YKVHEv7D_R3VXUGJtNoCFzBViktGJsVwDA37M4fjtrLdx3U1gbq4C7xhRKRd9Qbu94/s800/DSC02554.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarWcd4PbjYxrIyWAPHfo8_5QcngWajOu8_fYbADO44EZDPpFBiqMvAFvjc9tXilwn3-x8t_KHjgNcaD6A8kdB4T9WexcdaPvqnuM7pU_v3zH_uPDaJh8K87SBXIsJVpGJimb9AecLkwc/s800/DSC02565.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarWcd4PbjYxrIyWAPHfo8_5QcngWajOu8_fYbADO44EZDPpFBiqMvAFvjc9tXilwn3-x8t_KHjgNcaD6A8kdB4T9WexcdaPvqnuM7pU_v3zH_uPDaJh8K87SBXIsJVpGJimb9AecLkwc/s800/DSC02565.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMPJ8nncRlKOvqI32beFxWcf9QuCexkoj3Z5XyeBOrWRtZNqDCS92NvCBv0c2VNj-jbl6sKase-SDyjOSvyE_0xcliJavy1giM0d38HKKZNvSyyYk43zEC03z3BXf3ikOzsIwz0vYxJI/s576/DSC02570.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 386px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMPJ8nncRlKOvqI32beFxWcf9QuCexkoj3Z5XyeBOrWRtZNqDCS92NvCBv0c2VNj-jbl6sKase-SDyjOSvyE_0xcliJavy1giM0d38HKKZNvSyyYk43zEC03z3BXf3ikOzsIwz0vYxJI/s576/DSC02570.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Despite all Micky's worst fears, the beer did not run out and no-one went thirsty.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">In fact there was still beer and wine left over for quiet drinks on Sunday.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">On Monday we returned to the rock.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Again, beautiful clean lines on perfect rock. Good company too with many climbers at the wedding we had quite a party at the crags.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Hope every one got home ok. It was great spending time with you all. A special thanks to Linus for helping us find our way round the various climbing spots.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInKiMula0SvJ4cHmavsZM9TGv55HoEzokClzUKxTZSi3euZzuut6DKKL86gvH_Sw0PPUvtnQQgozrbLVuJAW9DAvypmCXIgRNfbrrxWs9X-5T142yCmKT-NJDJzP3NIxvJkNBXwXaBRo/s576/DSCN0675.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInKiMula0SvJ4cHmavsZM9TGv55HoEzokClzUKxTZSi3euZzuut6DKKL86gvH_Sw0PPUvtnQQgozrbLVuJAW9DAvypmCXIgRNfbrrxWs9X-5T142yCmKT-NJDJzP3NIxvJkNBXwXaBRo/s576/DSCN0675.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabgq1hIahlV0Jd91Z3wpoczrR6gHlEU-1Nifrt7Jo0wDfx8S8ujAIKVO1TCve-cpTAWbZ0m1GCv7ndxv_PFHMTpkBUs0r49P2PIfIM2hbFROQVsr0EnVrWFrYJTgxIv0_0Hyv1Imll0I/s576/DSC02599.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciRls_7ru7TP-4SZl912S84DkpVfQpyjms9XBXquBMZUTW0hCq6TzZkukzM60fCVmtHH-rvR3v7155EfAEwwxmuvkJet3d9y3f2yaIQxj9dHVlNL_NJIr3t_9erFZPlLSQdftv1-lQmc/s800/DSC02510.JPG" alt="" border="0" /><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabgq1hIahlV0Jd91Z3wpoczrR6gHlEU-1Nifrt7Jo0wDfx8S8ujAIKVO1TCve-cpTAWbZ0m1GCv7ndxv_PFHMTpkBUs0r49P2PIfIM2hbFROQVsr0EnVrWFrYJTgxIv0_0Hyv1Imll0I/s576/DSC02599.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">At the moment we are undecided whether to stay in Sweden a few days more or high tail it for Chamonix in the Alps....</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Stay tuned.<br /></p>dunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381183075808847553noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-32689527263029123792009-07-30T17:17:00.003+01:002009-07-30T17:31:27.629+01:00No mountains :(<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </p> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">So after tiring the arms and legs with the Font bouldering, we headed to the Netherlands (not Holland as Sander explained to me). It's flat, as flat as a pancake so there was no temptation to climb :(. First stop was Delft for a couple of days to catch up with Barry and Kasia, who was visiting him too at the time. Delft is a really cute Dutch town filled with canals, traditional Dutch architecture and the most crooked steeple ever. It would give the tower of Pisa a run for its money. All the squares are filled mellow beer gardens and open-air cafes which were the perfect location to chill out and catch up on all Barry's adventures since leaving Ireland, especially since we were blessed with good weather. The first night there, the Irish man in Barry was determined to enjoy a few drinks with mates. Unfortunately for him, he's now a featherweight in those stakes so watching him put together his recent purchase of a bed from Ikea after the couple of pints was very entertaining! Of course Duncan maintains that Ikea is the Swedish for one part missing so that might explain the difficulties. The next day we wandered round Delft and took the tram to the beach in the Hague for a stroll. It was really good to catch up with the guys and see Barry settling in.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCc6Ob6RP_Bc24mVMosFf5_QiC8q6LzBvu85mbCo0XdmlsL0dxC4vBtUDtG7Vs-MuYP4THoc4GA_9lbjh6qdrxznsvK29OsQg7bX2tMF3jFmasGcMS6SgqCZyeY_PfLXv8OQhfrgjOjLEQ/s1600-h/DSC02451.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCc6Ob6RP_Bc24mVMosFf5_QiC8q6LzBvu85mbCo0XdmlsL0dxC4vBtUDtG7Vs-MuYP4THoc4GA_9lbjh6qdrxznsvK29OsQg7bX2tMF3jFmasGcMS6SgqCZyeY_PfLXv8OQhfrgjOjLEQ/s320/DSC02451.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364289016361839250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5E8Ttp1T6PehJvZDy0H_TKDl02U-owLmqopsqhEMgO9XWzzFRecpY_luF-UnOYNso0K5Ut2FwjVBpYwFNMt-8nV9u7U09_Rxq4k6BEo35GRwYkPTgZw1Zc_V8Gbn-Wq3mk4VK7Zmi_4uB/s1600-h/DSC02455.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5E8Ttp1T6PehJvZDy0H_TKDl02U-owLmqopsqhEMgO9XWzzFRecpY_luF-UnOYNso0K5Ut2FwjVBpYwFNMt-8nV9u7U09_Rxq4k6BEo35GRwYkPTgZw1Zc_V8Gbn-Wq3mk4VK7Zmi_4uB/s320/DSC02455.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364289022990645826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJybmAe8G1W6I4hHeYZfuXr6rcz8JZXT51oCREwnuuOH0tuQ2wwQwc9ksQ2POjv0iSvbNV4bwCMHc7IfxKzGpPzgGikugpOyZ-Hu9qoullxOlc7VqvjMpfbeor6N93HriROhFccSyUC3X_/s1600-h/DSC02459.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJybmAe8G1W6I4hHeYZfuXr6rcz8JZXT51oCREwnuuOH0tuQ2wwQwc9ksQ2POjv0iSvbNV4bwCMHc7IfxKzGpPzgGikugpOyZ-Hu9qoullxOlc7VqvjMpfbeor6N93HriROhFccSyUC3X_/s320/DSC02459.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364289024233632578" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --></style><p class="MsoNormal">After Delft, we headed north to Groningen to catch up with a couple of Dunk's mates, Sander and Bernard. We stayed with Sander and his lovely wife Esther on Friday night. Esther had popped into town before we arrived to get us a selection of Dutch delicacies. We tried pickled herring (the jury is still out - good taste, raw fish texture), stroop waffle, orange cake (doesn't actually contain orange and is pink!!), liquorice and my favourite, sugar bread. I love sugar bread. Mmmmmmmmmm. Sander and Dunk had a great time looking at Sander and Esther's project, the renovation of a boat to potter round the Dutch canals.<br /><br />On Saturday, Dunk brought me to see the latest Harry Potter. Yay! We had to catch it in the Netherlands to have any chance of seeing it in English. Afterwards we met up with Bernard who has recently moved to Groningen for love! And had just scored a job the day before. Congrats B! We had a really good night with dinner, drinks and one of Donovan's glow sticks. B's better half, Remke, and her friends caught up with us too. All good fun.<br /><br />On Sunday, we chilled out and enjoyed the Dutch café culture before saying goodbye and hitting the road for Mickey and Katrin's wedding in Sweden.<br /><i><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-29689097962500001342009-07-18T14:11:00.004+01:002009-07-18T14:45:17.916+01:00Le FontainebleauAfter our Irish pit-stop we drove south to Rosslare for the overnight ferry to Cherbourg. A few hours drive on from there saw us in the Fontainebleau area.<br /><br />Fontainebleau is situated in beautiful pine forests and is steeped in history. Not that we were paticularly interested in that. We were there for the climbing. The forest covers 1200 km2 and is scattered wth thousands of sandstone boulders covered with problems ranging from wobbly slabs to steep overhangs and is a mecca for boulderers. The problems are classed under different colours depending on difficulty and its a good place to get strong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewjEEJVorWsUEdOm8SRIelgqrdUYHEtTPl5P7p0Gjs-lR2uDCl0uaaGHo1mpedAo_NmYVzR-Ex23BNHHbx2TU3m7yFYtXtq7P9euLsLq-CgnOVOl4_zpekAf63QqRYWCTH7hxdLc4d6yk/s1600-h/DSC02445.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewjEEJVorWsUEdOm8SRIelgqrdUYHEtTPl5P7p0Gjs-lR2uDCl0uaaGHo1mpedAo_NmYVzR-Ex23BNHHbx2TU3m7yFYtXtq7P9euLsLq-CgnOVOl4_zpekAf63QqRYWCTH7hxdLc4d6yk/s320/DSC02445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359792869598147458" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We were there about a week in total. Met some hippie impersonators living in a homemade teepee next door to us on the campsite. Apparently making a teepee is what boulderers do when they can't climb.... (Hope you made it home safely guys!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8mg4eBmQd6sD8VN2QPNbKjIZaODsFsAPFQk4nqKA3o-uva4brfhhKSrRI9PK6Q3aQd_d8G4GdQUramooXsAM7aet84v7SN8S49ffqE-bD-6iyjLOWX4pYZWvLorSJtXLsTX2BZQod_y0/s400/DSCN0651.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8mg4eBmQd6sD8VN2QPNbKjIZaODsFsAPFQk4nqKA3o-uva4brfhhKSrRI9PK6Q3aQd_d8G4GdQUramooXsAM7aet84v7SN8S49ffqE-bD-6iyjLOWX4pYZWvLorSJtXLsTX2BZQod_y0/s400/DSCN0651.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We hit the boulders most days and by the end of the week our poor little arms were hanging off us but all considered we had a great time. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWz3vgWleWJQ9GnR177ZGi5UZSht3LRYdf7fZqZX5xXLjWc_OrdCjcmm-HpamfY81MFRCkpEu980szO3MGpEMPRF3NMDwtGJG3FVtSPAjnRUxqfc142XTZZ3aMACD5lKDFA0NkvS8rzSN/s400/DSCN0626.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWz3vgWleWJQ9GnR177ZGi5UZSht3LRYdf7fZqZX5xXLjWc_OrdCjcmm-HpamfY81MFRCkpEu980szO3MGpEMPRF3NMDwtGJG3FVtSPAjnRUxqfc142XTZZ3aMACD5lKDFA0NkvS8rzSN/s400/DSCN0626.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSoWxpafEU2jI4gXe_AIIH-0vga29aMyt8V3YTIDYaU-UEjDgEPtmhwe_naeev70bXkNZUNykqKYhLVKIGhtw0w3cRn0Iw2tJH18ji5gGaDR4TX0M0441QFffmT93zDBy7dKhnwttSzg0/s400/DSCN0602.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSoWxpafEU2jI4gXe_AIIH-0vga29aMyt8V3YTIDYaU-UEjDgEPtmhwe_naeev70bXkNZUNykqKYhLVKIGhtw0w3cRn0Iw2tJH18ji5gGaDR4TX0M0441QFffmT93zDBy7dKhnwttSzg0/s400/DSCN0602.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf98nP1YoCpnjHhAsa7vhhJdpncm5lTINq6dmcDzdNyj24Vo7H_FCrJGTflDyymM-DZnwx5i9jIBUjEivze2sVKZZjr2LUpBeg3Id8cdlpBSkQrJgK9j6OReEuZqTqvfFatj4AP2NZ8nKn/s400/DSCN0632.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf98nP1YoCpnjHhAsa7vhhJdpncm5lTINq6dmcDzdNyj24Vo7H_FCrJGTflDyymM-DZnwx5i9jIBUjEivze2sVKZZjr2LUpBeg3Id8cdlpBSkQrJgK9j6OReEuZqTqvfFatj4AP2NZ8nKn/s400/DSCN0632.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There was some great french wine consumed at about 3 euros a bottle, smelly cheese and baguettes, bbqs with the next door neighbours and a few splashes in the campsite pool. I even found some of the Lu biscuits we used to buy on family camping holidays. Yum!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv1WhdoPQC5Gosc6IB2lMVPO-troxbFYFzz7O_BbkJwxnpfFX5JzVcRn_l36-pmjSSHtqCZycCyp5GTFt8I1flBJjLCBXvrncoziAnIjBS_Dk-AwkGytWPUnnQp5qZ7kWugFDgLUSfDpG/s1600-h/DSC02447.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv1WhdoPQC5Gosc6IB2lMVPO-troxbFYFzz7O_BbkJwxnpfFX5JzVcRn_l36-pmjSSHtqCZycCyp5GTFt8I1flBJjLCBXvrncoziAnIjBS_Dk-AwkGytWPUnnQp5qZ7kWugFDgLUSfDpG/s320/DSC02447.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359792872755745602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We really were wrecked by the end of the week so didn't mind the propect of heading to the pancake flat Netherlands to visit some friends. At least there's no temptations there!Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-13984745958185685652009-07-16T12:10:00.006+01:002009-07-18T14:10:32.729+01:00Another Irsh PitstopSo we hopped on the ferry from Holyhead on Monday (29/Jun) and arrived back to Mick and a well stocked fridge (thanks Mickey!) in Inchicore. There were two reasons for this Irish pitstop - my graduation from college and Daithi and Clio's wedding. First job was to buy some new dresses! Life's tough.<br /><br />The graduation was on Wednesday morning. Myself, Rani and John Cotter were graduating together which was cool. We put on our red robes and floppy hats and finally finished our phds. They can't take them back now!! It was a lovely day with lots of friendly faces popping by to say hi. It was great to catch up with everyone however briefly. The mammy, daddy and two sisters joined myself and Dunk for the day and after the photos and nibbles we headed to Roly's for a massive stomach stretching lunch which was tasty as always.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVlJtOOCWBlBnLF-r07ut04tucmsb529qgA57oJU2UEhf-3AIdXzimowU4N2x9ZUPF636mw0u9NPfNhALfp267DGCTr6SAQC6f2J-DHSTMNIHvnEpmBuFT2nJ9gCPOvo2azs5v_xRHi2D/s1600-h/DSC02435.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVlJtOOCWBlBnLF-r07ut04tucmsb529qgA57oJU2UEhf-3AIdXzimowU4N2x9ZUPF636mw0u9NPfNhALfp267DGCTr6SAQC6f2J-DHSTMNIHvnEpmBuFT2nJ9gCPOvo2azs5v_xRHi2D/s320/DSC02435.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359019374788704642" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixkH5CURCgd4Hsi177O7MsHUczsIYSJaUpLsmyxivs3SoTBrbixC4mg7D-QMUMq4tcwR6piUIxxt65yBE86s93Wmzbu-Z3oZLo2OocnEWCmg0FanuN7K6BQvLI1KsEbZ9fKmpsaacKFbk/s1600-h/DSC02419.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixkH5CURCgd4Hsi177O7MsHUczsIYSJaUpLsmyxivs3SoTBrbixC4mg7D-QMUMq4tcwR6piUIxxt65yBE86s93Wmzbu-Z3oZLo2OocnEWCmg0FanuN7K6BQvLI1KsEbZ9fKmpsaacKFbk/s320/DSC02419.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359019367721400866" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Saturday started damp and rainy and we weren't holding out much hope for the sun shining for Daithi and Clio's big day. Dunk brought Mr. Flynn out for a wedding morning climb being very carefully not to damage the groom in any way. We then headed for Ballymagarvery House outside Ashbourne for the main event and miraculously the sun broke through just as we arrived. It was a fabulous wedding. Daithi and Clio held their own style ceremony after getting all the legal proceedings out of the way the day before. We've never seen Daithi so well scrubbed up and Clio looked amazing in a full length red dress. It was a great day with a fab location, sunshine, good food and great company. It really was one of the best weddings we've been to.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClhcLcCQ0TmJDHVX1LJyimBuntQ7LPHaT1rybxaQC62befmKxJjXcn4N4QqwZ1Ep7X2DgaExSN03z7MZ_8A5-Ez_ZoYmq1uUzB6DhfXzFAv32mP-C9LGTb02dDPK6T1fgQtdzHTZ5U4Dn/s1600-h/DSCN0570.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClhcLcCQ0TmJDHVX1LJyimBuntQ7LPHaT1rybxaQC62befmKxJjXcn4N4QqwZ1Ep7X2DgaExSN03z7MZ_8A5-Ez_ZoYmq1uUzB6DhfXzFAv32mP-C9LGTb02dDPK6T1fgQtdzHTZ5U4Dn/s320/DSCN0570.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359786092882369010" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sunday evening we chilled out down in Arklow with my family and started getting excited about starting the continental leg of the trip. The ferry was booked for Monday. Yay!!Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-44758776947425152472009-07-03T15:03:00.005+01:002009-07-03T22:46:41.342+01:00Whether the Weather Be Fine.So the plan was to head for <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&q=Ardnamurchan+map&ie=UTF8&z=10&iwloc=A">Ardnamurchan</a> while the weather was a bit iffy in the hope that the lower ground would let the clouds pass without breaking the rain. A better forecast was on the way for later in the week.<br /><br />The first bit of the plan worked out quite well.<br />Although not particularly far away, getting to Ardnamurchan is a little time consuming. Many miles of single track road later we arrived on a grey afternoon at the most westerly point on the UK mainland and found a sheltered spot for the campervan.<br />We spent the next few days dodging showers in remote Ardnamurchan. Fortunately the rock there is a super sticky volcanic gabbro so the wet was not too much of an issue.<br />We spent the time getting comfortable with climbing on strange rock.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3SEOYixObELht9NvW90epX4FK-pXoSvFj317uaxMeBLFhIbL7ua5W7b0ezxbBgmWWZR0cs8SFmqIfK4S84HYpLc-vW70iuwcXS_XEgADwby2ZzEie6b8I3NBGPf04PwvyhELCDyDUvg/s720/DSC02315.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3SEOYixObELht9NvW90epX4FK-pXoSvFj317uaxMeBLFhIbL7ua5W7b0ezxbBgmWWZR0cs8SFmqIfK4S84HYpLc-vW70iuwcXS_XEgADwby2ZzEie6b8I3NBGPf04PwvyhELCDyDUvg/s720/DSC02315.JPG" alt="" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfJzwEBxR77V1DQa5ZI-ZoV1VJ1QUxk-6RBlQBIU5rU0sT1h9j0YotElxAVRS-WWG2u9nonfBaOgFq9Q5MQn2RR7TIE-jBK4jO6JrqCBAzpvTG3_u42_foYdCXHcLJq7VB9rpJ0vonpU/s512/DSC02309.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfJzwEBxR77V1DQa5ZI-ZoV1VJ1QUxk-6RBlQBIU5rU0sT1h9j0YotElxAVRS-WWG2u9nonfBaOgFq9Q5MQn2RR7TIE-jBK4jO6JrqCBAzpvTG3_u42_foYdCXHcLJq7VB9rpJ0vonpU/s512/DSC02309.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lbj-ZaeS1NbLzECl9PpjLODyI-pO4j4skfMp5yurOGzqqjpYlwH7FlQaqZ-nRsnQ0yFcvq76a1-c6tSKwk43WuxINuWjloT_BwwEM4eLJ5VQWpfI4t-8z3wOaA43MMNqVaDQsPBsD3c/s512/DSCN0456.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lbj-ZaeS1NbLzECl9PpjLODyI-pO4j4skfMp5yurOGzqqjpYlwH7FlQaqZ-nRsnQ0yFcvq76a1-c6tSKwk43WuxINuWjloT_BwwEM4eLJ5VQWpfI4t-8z3wOaA43MMNqVaDQsPBsD3c/s512/DSCN0456.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When not climbing Ardnamurchan proved very relaxed and away from it all. The population is a real mixture of sorts, from long time locals to city types who have sold up to telecommute from their country retreat. All proved friendly, if a little tipsy in the local pub.<br /><br />On the drive out a few days later we passed exactly twice as many cars as hedgehogs down the 30 mile single track road. (We saw one hedgehog.)<br /><br />Next on our list was Mallaig and the ferry to a very overcast Skye.<br />The climbing on Skye looks fantastic. We where hoping to get up on some of the classic mountain routes on the Cullin mountains but would have settled for playing on some of the good see crags but unfortunately the forecast break in the weather never materialised.<br />After doing a little sightseeing for a day or two, hoping for the skies to clear we finally gave up and started driving south.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4lt9ierZQY2EhuRY8f-S4937CDV-GAgflJaxI2jLVYBO2UAsxl__SpzAFRZHSnCerojBtzluwunCcLGG8ekYlTTB79oy99JDtZVYxobrS-Bq5-Xq4POoe6_F-tWG6WW0j3nkfenxNEA/s1600-h/DSC02348.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4lt9ierZQY2EhuRY8f-S4937CDV-GAgflJaxI2jLVYBO2UAsxl__SpzAFRZHSnCerojBtzluwunCcLGG8ekYlTTB79oy99JDtZVYxobrS-Bq5-Xq4POoe6_F-tWG6WW0j3nkfenxNEA/s200/DSC02348.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354290240183771746" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OnGkqHGq8hqfT9Ymy4ClbyiFDN4LaxwyRovleNAM-ZHJLhuPCtmoyyxSNhAHXA93za3jU7EJ0JeCFnEUzrUtVIDCY5N0RvyLVTJpydh52fF-aixpbpMqHvvMhAbn3oujkx8Oi07ouwg/s1600-h/DSC02353.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OnGkqHGq8hqfT9Ymy4ClbyiFDN4LaxwyRovleNAM-ZHJLhuPCtmoyyxSNhAHXA93za3jU7EJ0JeCFnEUzrUtVIDCY5N0RvyLVTJpydh52fF-aixpbpMqHvvMhAbn3oujkx8Oi07ouwg/s200/DSC02353.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354290878576501426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The plan worked. After a scenic drive south and a night in a lay-by on Loch Lomond side we arrived in Glasgow fairly early and dropped the van in to QuickFit for new brake pads while we went to potter about the city in blue skies and sunshine.<br />That afternoon we drove south to the <a href="http://http//maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=peak+district&sll=56.073568,-4.692535&sspn=0.563354,1.399384&ie=UTF8&z=10">Peak District</a> in England with it's fantastic grit stone.<br />They used to make mill stones from the grit (see picture below) but these days the Peaks is a national park with a steady stream of walkers and climbers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a-BGX0zKFm_GD4f5riUohi1vwbCSn9BOVbIwNBQ-KPITRQwGMsAW5SdOk7hfbeKZZ6jS-BclxJqY4eB-4KYVw21aNymbqjGEy4tvB22eLFBfT6DVvpsxsMtkb8Z7NNE-gr6EkR6CR-bJ/s720/DSCN0499.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 540px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a-BGX0zKFm_GD4f5riUohi1vwbCSn9BOVbIwNBQ-KPITRQwGMsAW5SdOk7hfbeKZZ6jS-BclxJqY4eB-4KYVw21aNymbqjGEy4tvB22eLFBfT6DVvpsxsMtkb8Z7NNE-gr6EkR6CR-bJ/s720/DSCN0499.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The sunshine was still with us so we went to play on the rock.<br />I returned to a climb that beat me years ago on Stannage Edge. While it wasn't easy I finally pulled it:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4f_6EoP7SZOuiMqva_i-2xwLo3sYIJg8kBKHhi-jf6fDQV-YLZPsvIgjcUOQoxxvWasZ_vLEPoyAdRDQVWwNyiGWHJu0jxB84okBozFFqdkeywP2MdOHnaDVWqRW5cZJwhAfBLTeSfxc7/s720/DSC02372.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4f_6EoP7SZOuiMqva_i-2xwLo3sYIJg8kBKHhi-jf6fDQV-YLZPsvIgjcUOQoxxvWasZ_vLEPoyAdRDQVWwNyiGWHJu0jxB84okBozFFqdkeywP2MdOHnaDVWqRW5cZJwhAfBLTeSfxc7/s720/DSC02372.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Obviously there were lots of other climbs too. (Have you spotted a theme to our trip yet?)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqioN7vpY43hutqd7ddg_Y8WWPjguD0A-Gug_154gYpWSYzmKRDYfPWOQnFB5r6iD-gTAXDje-Q4efVIYFUDrSvSqlqzapzRFO2AlSzS2dYaGeSFL_WGecvBDflLPDqMzSo-rbC2bUF-x/s512/DSCN0501.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqioN7vpY43hutqd7ddg_Y8WWPjguD0A-Gug_154gYpWSYzmKRDYfPWOQnFB5r6iD-gTAXDje-Q4efVIYFUDrSvSqlqzapzRFO2AlSzS2dYaGeSFL_WGecvBDflLPDqMzSo-rbC2bUF-x/s512/DSCN0501.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWx8QHF9gST__HL2bgpC3Ngk_ajKj30bcitJgZJisZoe5CPk93fwUyUbPaSG7UxxBo4-Es6T_b8R8OGIZXm8U2mjhgXcx3Mt4HRYw-1zTqOGaY-NpxoDFFLcsN8d3EcyUHBPLZV2b1ATfr/s720/DSCN0496.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWx8QHF9gST__HL2bgpC3Ngk_ajKj30bcitJgZJisZoe5CPk93fwUyUbPaSG7UxxBo4-Es6T_b8R8OGIZXm8U2mjhgXcx3Mt4HRYw-1zTqOGaY-NpxoDFFLcsN8d3EcyUHBPLZV2b1ATfr/s720/DSCN0496.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On the whole we found the peaks fairly hard going so we only lasted 2 days before tired arms made us take a wee rest day.<br />Rather than sit about in the sunshine for the day we made full use of it by driving towards the cliffs at <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=53.314424,-4.683058&sll=53.31257,-4.690819&sspn=0.03769,0.087461&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=53.313544,-4.684167&spn=0.603028,1.399384&z=10">Gogarth </a>on Anglsey, Wales, near Holyhead from where we had to catch a ferry back to Ireland in a few days.<br /><br />Initially we went inland in Wales, hoping to do a few mountain routes in the Llanberis Pass but the weather had other ideas again.<br />Fortunately the weak occluded front dumping rain and mist on the mountains was leaving the west coast clear so we headed directly on to Gogarth.<br /><br />Gogarth turned out to be a lot of fun, if a little scary at first.<br />Huge cliffs covered in loose rock and nesting sea birds all add to the atmosphere. As you can see, the sun was still shining.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JDcgXOqMxFwN7IxYji2ASUjx4SkEAPl5zbS-BAgepdC1MU9xVelCLjnFNdZK7Kjc47VE6-xghD1ooBt4QQncmHP0E9xRlngGyjTFGd3oDBfztn0AOqfq6vEuv6ysp1toURUBoWHysLJf/s720/DSCN0541.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 540px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JDcgXOqMxFwN7IxYji2ASUjx4SkEAPl5zbS-BAgepdC1MU9xVelCLjnFNdZK7Kjc47VE6-xghD1ooBt4QQncmHP0E9xRlngGyjTFGd3oDBfztn0AOqfq6vEuv6ysp1toURUBoWHysLJf/s720/DSCN0541.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We were still tired from the Peaks but got a lot of quality easy routes in. HVS and VS mostly.<br />I've got to get back there sometime and jump on something a bit harder.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZETYjBsqAfzfyQ6lnih80iB4LvVxhCoPYN5jKuustK1sGOww5Y2h0Qt_PHnC91VMYOVkK1jOvOgShEW0BZZLRalf8Mtfdk6e0wVl6mAebzvy_cgQMzWjG0vTbBhEMBA6CENGZf0fme9-/s720/DSCN0551.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZETYjBsqAfzfyQ6lnih80iB4LvVxhCoPYN5jKuustK1sGOww5Y2h0Qt_PHnC91VMYOVkK1jOvOgShEW0BZZLRalf8Mtfdk6e0wVl6mAebzvy_cgQMzWjG0vTbBhEMBA6CENGZf0fme9-/s720/DSCN0551.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5185226X20JMzcOm2yN2kaOM1-k0PxrcRh1ObK0amxl_34Na25NmLokji5f3wjf5aSM7r-67QwV6DcDxLqSGYXBujNh0Bct8WywTmKn-L9U4oePeSSH-f7PMdZzwMbaYSbwIglYnwFZwG/s720/DSCN0556.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5185226X20JMzcOm2yN2kaOM1-k0PxrcRh1ObK0amxl_34Na25NmLokji5f3wjf5aSM7r-67QwV6DcDxLqSGYXBujNh0Bct8WywTmKn-L9U4oePeSSH-f7PMdZzwMbaYSbwIglYnwFZwG/s720/DSCN0556.JPG" alt="" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwXvlGhnLxTlW0_4wdYnCTd1oVtGq4Nt0l9Il-BakBkxSUA1bG0RgdCVI9p4nHqoao2lqyx6bUTgcqIk8HaZcI4VwRQCienjuZ0Nt6JzReAe7sDGkO8u2Y-x_bxIPJCqOTkDh_X7Xwn9f/s720/DSCN0514.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwXvlGhnLxTlW0_4wdYnCTd1oVtGq4Nt0l9Il-BakBkxSUA1bG0RgdCVI9p4nHqoao2lqyx6bUTgcqIk8HaZcI4VwRQCienjuZ0Nt6JzReAe7sDGkO8u2Y-x_bxIPJCqOTkDh_X7Xwn9f/s720/DSCN0514.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We only lasted one full day plus a bit of the next morning before we dragged our tired bodies to the beach to wait for the next day's ferry from Holyhead back to Dublin for Jess's Graduation.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5185226X20JMzcOm2yN2kaOM1-k0PxrcRh1ObK0amxl_34Na25NmLokji5f3wjf5aSM7r-67QwV6DcDxLqSGYXBujNh0Bct8WywTmKn-L9U4oePeSSH-f7PMdZzwMbaYSbwIglYnwFZwG/s720/DSCN0556.JPG"> </a>dunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381183075808847553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-91738937144522958852009-06-18T09:12:00.004+01:002009-06-29T18:19:45.700+01:00The Scottish Midge.So we got the ferry from <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=larne+to+troon&sll=54.855268,-5.811768&sspn=0.581034,1.400757&ie=UTF8&z=9">Larne in N. Ireland to Troon in Scotland</a> on the 11th of June.<br />We spent a couple of days helping out with my parents new house. Jess learned how to plasterboard and practiced her delegation skills when it came to the plastering.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtV9DEpYlmQV2fsh1STEu4hfYTQuxiGMeQRCg_-0wAxe0c-eSVg1p4TxA4asesxdvf34qDWwf3jIWRvt37gDTTK5yDVDO0hUBfC94EVweIf9DrfkVadEgiaDsVrLOzOEN6Y5L18w6vJpES/s512/DSC02263.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtV9DEpYlmQV2fsh1STEu4hfYTQuxiGMeQRCg_-0wAxe0c-eSVg1p4TxA4asesxdvf34qDWwf3jIWRvt37gDTTK5yDVDO0hUBfC94EVweIf9DrfkVadEgiaDsVrLOzOEN6Y5L18w6vJpES/s512/DSC02263.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The house is starting to look house like (rather than building site like as it was when i <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mrdunk/ParentSHouse#">last visited</a>).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_j5j89bo-Z2IddZQWi9zyk_2bDPEsyfaVIYGJ-di7_Ke5ScFkeNHBp3ZjKZ_xpG3VSJ_AXAO5vBKCwPH5SFIU_QdmqXTsGJSM11eCOCHRUP16EHgxbZOeHa7eQHyD4zvPzmZ-9YGxwI/s1600-h/DSCN0442.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_j5j89bo-Z2IddZQWi9zyk_2bDPEsyfaVIYGJ-di7_Ke5ScFkeNHBp3ZjKZ_xpG3VSJ_AXAO5vBKCwPH5SFIU_QdmqXTsGJSM11eCOCHRUP16EHgxbZOeHa7eQHyD4zvPzmZ-9YGxwI/s320/DSCN0442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348601060405125794" border="0" /></a><br /><br />From there we drove north a little hunting good weather.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Clgy80JzvBuZlhi-SOXG6xSD_UDyC5BPlo8ahqlGZnWjV6xEKBeDblLum9jfkCjCV0kzIelA79I4mlCeZ_YGbBcs9wTelzzCh81UpMqDxeP5PQhffEglEXZBK3QxOZs8PfpjHpAP9x-s/s720/DSC02268.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Clgy80JzvBuZlhi-SOXG6xSD_UDyC5BPlo8ahqlGZnWjV6xEKBeDblLum9jfkCjCV0kzIelA79I4mlCeZ_YGbBcs9wTelzzCh81UpMqDxeP5PQhffEglEXZBK3QxOZs8PfpjHpAP9x-s/s128/DSC02268.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>We had hopped to climb on the Etive Slabs in <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Glen+Etive,+Highland,+Highland+PH49+4,+United+Kingdom&sll=55.20181,-5.24041&sspn=1.15205,2.801514&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FYsjXwMdcPGy_w&split=0&ll=56.566671,-5.050278&spn=0.278063,0.700378&t=h&z=11&iwloc=A">Glen Ettive</a> but the weather would not play nice.<br />We stopped for the obligatory GlenCoe picture before driving on to Fort William and found a break in the weather in <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=achriabhach,+Highland,+Highland+PH33+6,+United+Kingdom&sll=56.774645,-5.038862&sspn=0.017283,0.043774&ie=UTF8&ll=56.770636,-5.035236&spn=0.008643,0.021887&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A">Glen Nevis</a>.<br />We got one very good climb in. Storm, HVS 5a on <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=807">Cavalry Buttress</a> before getting chased off by rain and midges.<br />Fantastic 4c middle pitch (Dunk had pitch envy cos it was mine ho ho ho!).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs_UrKMofJRegjww2AyvVHfjyDmFMIxxjVIPdtqsA1g2ih3BvHHdYWbM7aOVmyH2YVN_Wbgn8OwWiEtIYlbsVyUM9_JoiPjaaK1PgCXRYCx1K1DG9A6HJK9cn9tjVPo5SXDpn5AlBCdCX/s912/DSCN0392.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKs_UrKMofJRegjww2AyvVHfjyDmFMIxxjVIPdtqsA1g2ih3BvHHdYWbM7aOVmyH2YVN_Wbgn8OwWiEtIYlbsVyUM9_JoiPjaaK1PgCXRYCx1K1DG9A6HJK9cn9tjVPo5SXDpn5AlBCdCX/s912/DSCN0392.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Midges ruled the rest of the day keeping us in the van and even found a way in during the night leaving us scurrying to block midge leaks.<br /><br />The next day we were booked in to <a href="http://www.ice-factor.co.uk/">The Ice Factor</a> in Kinlochleven to try a different sort of climbing.<br />It was actually surprisingly easy, as long as i remembered to forget any sort of footwork associated with rock climbing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYALu7ap2zKqg8Jnyuvx3AHVHXXcD2lA_oKOmOBfve0bsRhW1NfKdIiuaJq3_xPZNP2ifXBrEjf5oaBzQUDnM9XzvfVMS-tIMScAWu38vCNYD1QeWIiKy8eBh4mQPUPecZ5E13WaOhqUJ/s512/DSC02299.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYALu7ap2zKqg8Jnyuvx3AHVHXXcD2lA_oKOmOBfve0bsRhW1NfKdIiuaJq3_xPZNP2ifXBrEjf5oaBzQUDnM9XzvfVMS-tIMScAWu38vCNYD1QeWIiKy8eBh4mQPUPecZ5E13WaOhqUJ/s512/DSC02299.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0qQEkYKP710VErQaT8gVChSJC5YlhW8ccNTsaXBFHV46UtG6_kWfaLbshmGt41kcWdA7_-D33qquAbUD0mKTm-74zk4CeYt7vh3Z4-fjPsQb9eDQlDa319nHa4VKZucfUpMqLfEgkcfg/s512/DSC02295.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0qQEkYKP710VErQaT8gVChSJC5YlhW8ccNTsaXBFHV46UtG6_kWfaLbshmGt41kcWdA7_-D33qquAbUD0mKTm-74zk4CeYt7vh3Z4-fjPsQb9eDQlDa319nHa4VKZucfUpMqLfEgkcfg/s512/DSC02295.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When our forearms eventually gave out we returned to Loch Awe-side to the parent's house.<br /><br />The next day my parents had the day off so after a little debate over what to do we all settled on a boat trip exploring the many runis on the little islands up and down Loch Awe.<br />You should be able to see our trip <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=208761239970801805087.00046c7d86b23cf763aa3">here</a>.<br />(My phone battery ran out on our way home so you don't actually get the last bit...) (I would just like to say I don't condone this high level of geekiness - Jess)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFy0RNLYoDOfUEsB2TsPTMd8PDV9oZFlF0XoyRVEJzanscsfGAeksloCPvoooTBPNhGFYExFLQJKogCsylrCDAx0NwNqj4DoZhCfjHDCP102n4vvmdKQCYJeL5dUST0-AEX5HkHlmRkJo/s512/DSCN0438.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFy0RNLYoDOfUEsB2TsPTMd8PDV9oZFlF0XoyRVEJzanscsfGAeksloCPvoooTBPNhGFYExFLQJKogCsylrCDAx0NwNqj4DoZhCfjHDCP102n4vvmdKQCYJeL5dUST0-AEX5HkHlmRkJo/s512/DSCN0438.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUxUK8QzQVGoAPqrxMcmWJz3-1K3rkPHXxpWvQNYQGU2jxjcg1MSK62VZscAO9sULl7TSVYO3sYsnpYDDzjkxJry1J27l8HvH5gZTakIr7psQt4VTIBZjNI9FMYbWNY4Y9EN665RZ6qA/s512/DSCN0434.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 348px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUxUK8QzQVGoAPqrxMcmWJz3-1K3rkPHXxpWvQNYQGU2jxjcg1MSK62VZscAO9sULl7TSVYO3sYsnpYDDzjkxJry1J27l8HvH5gZTakIr7psQt4VTIBZjNI9FMYbWNY4Y9EN665RZ6qA/s512/DSCN0434.JPG" alt="" border="0" /> </a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvbd0FvmgPLpDhBp7xXzlaoIjXsnVBlljy3fRWKdQaMw8Pw7E3O0YkvXL5NHPYXTqrdiJDGRKpXx8jZKrqPTAsfkB5GjseYy4yxmJ74QkhJC5wBs5W9mOoqx59DQvJnmtGP6GeIG7TNg/s720/DSCN0424.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 409px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvbd0FvmgPLpDhBp7xXzlaoIjXsnVBlljy3fRWKdQaMw8Pw7E3O0YkvXL5NHPYXTqrdiJDGRKpXx8jZKrqPTAsfkB5GjseYy4yxmJ74QkhJC5wBs5W9mOoqx59DQvJnmtGP6GeIG7TNg/s720/DSCN0424.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Our next destination is still a little undecided. The weather forecast *nearly* looks good enough to head up to <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Ardnamurchan,+Highland,+Highland+PH36+4,+United+Kingdom&sll=56.770824,-5.035236&sspn=0.008266,0.021887&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FXttYQMdgHKk_w&split=0&t=h&z=11&iwloc=A">Ardnamerchan</a> but we will probably decide for sure when we are on the road.dunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381183075808847553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-59390536045264740422009-06-16T16:38:00.011+01:002009-06-16T17:43:35.598+01:00From Dublin to the Scottish ferry.<span style="font-size:100%;">Having sorted out the last few bureaucratic bits and pieces in Dublin, we hit the road on Wednesday heading north to Scotland with a couple of pitstops on the way in the Mournes and Fairhead to get used to the damp weather and midges waiting for us over the water.<br /><br />We stopped at Pidgeon in the Mournes to climb a few quality E1s. Dunk rattled through Castrol and Yellow Brick Road with style. Typically, it started raining as I (Jess) headed up my first Mournes E1 - Phantoms. Then the midges came out to feast on poor Dunk who was stuck belaying. We ploughed on.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzG3jHGklIjKuiQwIWO3mRt055Z-j4eBN-BFfHScF_kLa1WSQRRl6XGi6FcYkiZeJY8f2UxkGuFZ50D7-_JCoe_m3_KnGDcCZT2B2klnt36P9HBK_rNDJq8drctdHDzHD5HwuhksvEaijF/s1600-h/DSC02233.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzG3jHGklIjKuiQwIWO3mRt055Z-j4eBN-BFfHScF_kLa1WSQRRl6XGi6FcYkiZeJY8f2UxkGuFZ50D7-_JCoe_m3_KnGDcCZT2B2klnt36P9HBK_rNDJq8drctdHDzHD5HwuhksvEaijF/s320/DSC02233.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347955142679608418" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once finished, it was time to do a legger to escape the dreaded midge. We headed further north to camp in Murlough Bay for the night. Murlough Bay is a fantastic spot with spectacular views of the islands of Rathlin, Islay (where Dunk and his single malts are from), Ailsa Craig and the Mull of Kintyre. You can also see Fairhead. Dunk managed to negotiate the van down the tiny track with multiple warnings of road subsidence until the poor van bottomed out on a particularly high bump and had its waste pipe ripped off. Oh dear!! So we decided to stop there for the night.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzh6n271QEuvb1CF3evRFYkov9NK4n54sJCDGJoOwqDS2x0ubKuWGCbCD3_UCyuHeXlJZ1VOeezp3Mvsl-dCJqDy1yqjzxc6Gt3Hyl-aisAuWYcq3UrwBK9AjfnTPcn0ieOLddXaJAUXR/s1600-h/murlough-bay-with-fair-head.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 406px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzh6n271QEuvb1CF3evRFYkov9NK4n54sJCDGJoOwqDS2x0ubKuWGCbCD3_UCyuHeXlJZ1VOeezp3Mvsl-dCJqDy1yqjzxc6Gt3Hyl-aisAuWYcq3UrwBK9AjfnTPcn0ieOLddXaJAUXR/s320/murlough-bay-with-fair-head.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347958457994172610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCd5IHjRN_JGlNHhINYCnd1qvDJipa1jj_T1mmuI0XCglSUv9dwXz5CtllZoCGmYsAEsW-hEYqeFQyByELNDGttaJYksR8u5MD9qjWPTSA6xKBh4EVFAeAJLHAj5-AuUZZq1ADfCvM0eU2/s400/DSCN0352.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCd5IHjRN_JGlNHhINYCnd1qvDJipa1jj_T1mmuI0XCglSUv9dwXz5CtllZoCGmYsAEsW-hEYqeFQyByELNDGttaJYksR8u5MD9qjWPTSA6xKBh4EVFAeAJLHAj5-AuUZZq1ADfCvM0eU2/s400/DSCN0352.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I led up a friendly VS to warm us up (although it was bloody cold especially belaying in the shade) and then Dunk headed up a classic E1 line on the Prow - Midnight Cruiser. 5b moves kept him working all the way up.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimokL3IltU3IwvfidougSBU6oNooHHXvIXlDZ-RLaAHS5c9EobBmWlELVbXBimJGvI6FYSy9t0f8ATMzvf1ZQufCVa0GubqvRh8wXGt9btwdcBPFweYlrdhgl85k8tp5oQYp31irR_U0ic/s1600-h/DSC02260.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimokL3IltU3IwvfidougSBU6oNooHHXvIXlDZ-RLaAHS5c9EobBmWlELVbXBimJGvI6FYSy9t0f8ATMzvf1ZQufCVa0GubqvRh8wXGt9btwdcBPFweYlrdhgl85k8tp5oQYp31irR_U0ic/s320/DSC02260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347962164570515106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqUp2XH9m7Nq6Zz3SsT2yxGRyElny99LrPH6kvJf9u8SgoisONa_S11neipMuseCMCn7t0NgeIZzSFFZE30Vkz241YR5C3he_aq48neSDA5d69_UNeeMZKqlt-4ngzabhKiZf4yP_m-TF/s400/DSCN0359.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqUp2XH9m7Nq6Zz3SsT2yxGRyElny99LrPH6kvJf9u8SgoisONa_S11neipMuseCMCn7t0NgeIZzSFFZE30Vkz241YR5C3he_aq48neSDA5d69_UNeeMZKqlt-4ngzabhKiZf4yP_m-TF/s400/DSCN0359.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />With the E1 in the bag, it was time to pack up and hit the road to try to make the 5.30 pm ferry from Larne to Troon and to warm up!Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-11008953937871221712009-06-08T21:27:00.013+01:002009-06-08T22:41:33.959+01:00The Irish Leg!<span style="font-size:100%;">So with a cheerio to work and coll</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ege, we finally set of on Friday, 29/May</span>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFVGKcABOq2omWqO8vV_raFeTBB6jnfULsJJ2tWXqspR6X4ZXMSUdSjP4vNjTYd8pmaeKmiIJ7ShARguEf5CXwBZP01Qmwcb7Gg2WXfjMkVFy1O2vTHz2O5un4ez46CREaX49UeyX6WRV/s1600-h/DSCN0265.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFVGKcABOq2omWqO8vV_raFeTBB6jnfULsJJ2tWXqspR6X4ZXMSUdSjP4vNjTYd8pmaeKmiIJ7ShARguEf5CXwBZP01Qmwcb7Gg2WXfjMkVFy1O2vTHz2O5un4ez46CREaX49UeyX6WRV/s320/DSCN0265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345057750909275698" border="0" /></a><br />We made a quick pitstop in Arklow to drink some bubbly to celebrate the eventual start of the trip before heading to Waterford to visit Daithi and wee Ailbhe and Manus.<br /><br />Having got those nice people's seal of approval on the van (and leaving Jess to mind the kids while Dathi and Dunk make some van modifications) we set off for Co Clare to meet various other climber types. Poor Dathi had to stay home playing happy families.<br /><br />Co Clare was fantastic. Beautiful weather (Dunk even got his shirt off), good company, beer and a van to keep the midges out! Bloody midges! There was climbing at Aillidee, Murroughkilly and swimming at Fanore and it was all topped off with the first cup of tea in the van.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjFK1l74rQpoy-ySdp4uhMlDBpj1kPff1QvGVHI3ht6fmUDj2xjyjRb4-RhiSxTxmvAJLXjyF14jtsOe7pEme3AFCCegFQUjBcn09BwUQ7vXORfMv4w867tKc6xfMHeY_UmTQJDQ1B6-u/s1600-h/DSCN0289.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjFK1l74rQpoy-ySdp4uhMlDBpj1kPff1QvGVHI3ht6fmUDj2xjyjRb4-RhiSxTxmvAJLXjyF14jtsOe7pEme3AFCCegFQUjBcn09BwUQ7vXORfMv4w867tKc6xfMHeY_UmTQJDQ1B6-u/s320/DSCN0289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345062555513840194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wz5PUoatTTLgtUZrmCwYFvBxp14mJ-P0AZqA9CS0EH9R-zWlWcFHfIY3kCO9-Q1XT_74Zfzd5gJdQx3okucTe3d7iOz4Lo8dncjccyJ_Nr2Ryl_fpoeFa-t9vYno1HmUtHW7guBqSX9Y/s1600-h/DSC02157.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wz5PUoatTTLgtUZrmCwYFvBxp14mJ-P0AZqA9CS0EH9R-zWlWcFHfIY3kCO9-Q1XT_74Zfzd5gJdQx3okucTe3d7iOz4Lo8dncjccyJ_Nr2Ryl_fpoeFa-t9vYno1HmUtHW7guBqSX9Y/s320/DSC02157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345063463141077394" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After wearing our very unfit arms out on the good Clare limestone, we caught the ferry to Kerry.<br />We pottered about Kerry for a few days. The Beara Peninsula was nice. Fantastic weather again and lots of rock although our tired arms did not allow climbing that day.<br /><br />From there we went on to the Gap of Dunloe to pull on a little sandstone. Met lots of local climbers on our first evening out who kept showing up again over the next few days. For any climbers who have not gone to the Gap yet,it's definitely worth a visit. Unfortunately we did not take many pictures while there.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtA2mtdqzT3Wzz6Yc5A5ETXfbXdoDmKO7AaIHOAKG92FIdeu_oZtN0eFNmg2P2qK5myGJjoLdyn9IzFBS5HMZ0qIZLapSRFekt_rWU6QAUD-0EbfrlBXcHk3wYEHY81o6S1-abDkxJIcH/s1600-h/DSC02196.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtA2mtdqzT3Wzz6Yc5A5ETXfbXdoDmKO7AaIHOAKG92FIdeu_oZtN0eFNmg2P2qK5myGJjoLdyn9IzFBS5HMZ0qIZLapSRFekt_rWU6QAUD-0EbfrlBXcHk3wYEHY81o6S1-abDkxJIcH/s320/DSC02196.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345066343472478962" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After Jess drained her arms pulling her first E1 of the season (Fat Boys Don't Fall at Brennan's Leap), we decided to tire the legs out on Howling Ridge, Carrantuohill. Luck was with us as all the showers missed us while actually on the ridge. However, there was a bowsy of a hail shower waiting for us on the summit.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJNr-KmhJkvCu5MFbDrJ3njJQQMIM7XLxTI5YpHSKq2VmvKE7g7Dz39aC85a0unAPSn_WzKLARw_5Nng_5z9tCOhziBMHDvbeMp1Z_fL0vWp_rVdt8QUbxLpl8vr1N-LDt-3PAbXdQ1jn/s1600-h/dscn0333.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJNr-KmhJkvCu5MFbDrJ3njJQQMIM7XLxTI5YpHSKq2VmvKE7g7Dz39aC85a0unAPSn_WzKLARw_5Nng_5z9tCOhziBMHDvbeMp1Z_fL0vWp_rVdt8QUbxLpl8vr1N-LDt-3PAbXdQ1jn/s320/dscn0333.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345067979226544610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLf81WG9pphlBQqJ-hUIZHHTt4Y8rB23gu3rXqLoifPJAIrFEPWfG2VePrFdiiN_DDYUMaTacwXfChVUjDcJUzCuN_aNadToTQlOzp_bsu7d4XwqddbR0kDnRA7Xn5JyAgMT4yCory7cF/s1600-h/dscn0336.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLf81WG9pphlBQqJ-hUIZHHTt4Y8rB23gu3rXqLoifPJAIrFEPWfG2VePrFdiiN_DDYUMaTacwXfChVUjDcJUzCuN_aNadToTQlOzp_bsu7d4XwqddbR0kDnRA7Xn5JyAgMT4yCory7cF/s320/dscn0336.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345067792181637922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Fuelled by sugar we took the long way down along Knockbrinnea Ridge with views back over the now sunny Carrantuohill. The descent saw Jess' legs become jellified and there was a fabulous cold shower 10 minutes out from the van. All in all, it was a great day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcjrFf0mJ3ete6nip0Bn3PB8Co_LF2SakidR0fmPNr9MQ53SvCWeNYGJEbPrAm9lWxcYEx__Dt4EPAxxTGKU9mdXySwZIxkMJfD3KBvpmSsJoZQxBNHr7c3nXeteTyOuNcXTSLvMUxtK1/s1600-h/DSC02222.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcjrFf0mJ3ete6nip0Bn3PB8Co_LF2SakidR0fmPNr9MQ53SvCWeNYGJEbPrAm9lWxcYEx__Dt4EPAxxTGKU9mdXySwZIxkMJfD3KBvpmSsJoZQxBNHr7c3nXeteTyOuNcXTSLvMUxtK1/s320/DSC02222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345068670916842578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejk3jywTeIHfkeUeOmv3A5Fidao-p30cX9SdFej7VMCvk80vixLQ5uM8fn-swkNmzAiK5xJmX0ELwXtZ94gQWg3o5qLm8d8Bq3qD8ldbWesi_cScLVnifniScLSHbcV_yzOAx31zHkWzc/s1600-h/dscn0346.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejk3jywTeIHfkeUeOmv3A5Fidao-p30cX9SdFej7VMCvk80vixLQ5uM8fn-swkNmzAiK5xJmX0ELwXtZ94gQWg3o5qLm8d8Bq3qD8ldbWesi_cScLVnifniScLSHbcV_yzOAx31zHkWzc/s320/dscn0346.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345073889421308674" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That evening we headed for Dingle/ An Daingean for a fish and chip supper and to take advantage of the bizarre free wifi on the pier.<br /><br />After a morning trip to <a href="http://www.playatheight.com/">Play At Height</a> (climbing wall) in An Daingean Sunday saw the end of our time in Kerry, now Jess' new favourite county.<br />Back to Dublin to visit Ross and a v.pregnant Izzy for a bit of dinner so Dunk can go to the tax office on Monday.<br /><br />Probably heading to Scotland around the middle of this week (probably taking a wee trip to The Mountains of Mourne and Fairhead on the way to the ferry...)Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-52919550595744398732009-06-06T21:28:00.004+01:002009-06-06T22:00:34.534+01:00Leaving work.one day dunk decided to quit work.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHurzR46eOK52OwppBeDtNLwdqRz873yXA06MvDGGUE_r-Jz-ZIfQI70JNU_CxXTq4DFx5fHpA9SMBEupr5IbO9TvoFCgmpX9myxaG0AaJ_qLsnD8u8wCWLS9lszb5SHp8zywls5Re_lM/s1600-h/dunk_blue.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHurzR46eOK52OwppBeDtNLwdqRz873yXA06MvDGGUE_r-Jz-ZIfQI70JNU_CxXTq4DFx5fHpA9SMBEupr5IbO9TvoFCgmpX9myxaG0AaJ_qLsnD8u8wCWLS9lszb5SHp8zywls5Re_lM/s320/dunk_blue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344314725723798786" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />(actually he had been telling people he was going for about a year at this stage.)<br />it was quite a strange experience as i'd been there 6 years which is an unnaturally long time for me to be employed.<br /><br />obviously me leaving work involved drinking and ice cream.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3929/180/14/699640867/n699640867_2252079_4988129.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 269px;" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3929/180/14/699640867/n699640867_2252079_4988129.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />there were lots of other pictures taken that night but they have mercifully gone missing.<br />i'm sure they will appear in the comments section...<br /><br />so anyway, enough about past lives and on with the trip...dunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05381183075808847553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2542353373733271317.post-88420647279165822682009-05-17T20:08:00.005+01:002009-05-17T22:25:22.009+01:00The beginning.<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">In the beginning, there was a boy, a girl and a campervan.</span><br /></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTe0DhrycZV5BjU9ncnzZ2PWQG9780chZffE5CWsmRdLrMSZmoPENIHK9UHWBHrIG-mguiyAkN3OYRDWEeefUgKupaJgn0JNsPNDi6KhciHDb_Q0pNrpdiLIrcRqV4636fsb6xl_KUC6a/s1600-h/profile1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTe0DhrycZV5BjU9ncnzZ2PWQG9780chZffE5CWsmRdLrMSZmoPENIHK9UHWBHrIG-mguiyAkN3OYRDWEeefUgKupaJgn0JNsPNDi6KhciHDb_Q0pNrpdiLIrcRqV4636fsb6xl_KUC6a/s320/profile1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336905520050803586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu526X48rVRsdRQ4GVoMzowoS_IRe9-_FHlUxb_y3f6JGTwil6Foz4flZN7_zwPBUe0AjPh1voO5Vb5hkfzFNNqPPAIplr5ihZhOcgdUecW03TO_sHjqVallAhEAW1ICGKzzuH1we3fe3E/s1600-h/camper1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu526X48rVRsdRQ4GVoMzowoS_IRe9-_FHlUxb_y3f6JGTwil6Foz4flZN7_zwPBUe0AjPh1voO5Vb5hkfzFNNqPPAIplr5ihZhOcgdUecW03TO_sHjqVallAhEAW1ICGKzzuH1we3fe3E/s320/camper1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336905819544973170" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10629455612040007389noreply@blogger.com0