Tongariro Crossing!

New Year’s Day 2010 ~ the beginning of a new decade!!

We woke up to a perfectly blue sky with the sun shining in! Just beautiful outside and exactly the kind of weather we needed for our hike. It’s not too hot outside as there’s always a breeze blowing and just right for hiking and whitewater rafting. We shuttled the kids over to Turangi about a 40 minute drive and then drove ourselves back to the car park at Mangatepopo car park. We started our hike at 1:00pm and finished at 6:00pm. The first section up to Soda Springs is fairly flat and easy and then the climbing begins. 800m up a well marked trail that has a good path up through the volcanic rock. You reach South Crater where the trail flattens out to give you just enough of a rest before the last hump up to the Red Crater where you get to the high point and look over to Emerald Lake and Blue Lake, a small lake that has some steam coming out from the side of it. Emerald Lake is a perfectly round crater lake with turquoise water, very pristine looking amongst all the black rock. The wind was blowing quite strong up here, we heard later probably gusting around 60kmh so we didn’t hang around that long. We turned and retraced our steps back to the car. This section of the track is the more interesting of the crossing itself and since we didn’t want to do the shuttle ($30NZD) because we have a car we walked back. Still we covered the same distance as the total crossing, 18km. Never a cloud was found in the sky on this day which was not the case any other the other days we were there.

We went back to Turangi to meet the kids coming in from rafting and then headed back to our hostel. Dinner and bed was pretty much our evening and packing as we leave the following morning for Waihi Beach where the Doleman’s are enjoying some major beach time!

New Zealand Part 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149483&id=732157679&l=0ec8e3bceb

January 2, 2010

Stopped in at the Station Café for our last latte and then headed out for a 4 hour drive to our friend’s, Steve and Christine Doleman. We drove through Taupo, a very popular sport destination area and then onto Rotorua, but we didn’t stop here. Got a quick whiff of the sulpher springs that grace the area and made our way onto Tauranga, the largest town before Waihi beach.

We pulled into Steve and Christine’s around 4pm with the sun blazing hot out and a completely different summer atmosphere compared with everywhere else we’ve been. We took a walk down to the beach and up and around a point over to another bay with a beautiful beach. The beach here is gorgeous! It goes for kms of white sand, not many people and nice water to swim in. I felt like we’d just hit summer paradise! We had a delicious dinner sitting out on their deck with champagne and of course Spaights brews. A great evening under the stars!

January 3, 2010
Our final full day in this amazing country. We decided to spend more time hanging out around this area rather than drive into Auckland and try to see a bit of the city. The morning was clear and warm out. I took an early morning walk down to the beachside café for a cappuccino and a walk on the beach. There was no one around except all the dog owners taking their dog for a run, walk, or stick fetching and swim. A perfect place for dogs!

Today was the Provincial 7’s Rugby Festival in nearby Mt. Maunganui. Tickets were 5 bucks each to get into the park and watch the best 7’s players from all over NZ play before heading to the Nationals. The day got hotter and hotter and it was impressive how many people were out sitting around the field watching the games. Lots of sunscreen and umbrellas today! After a few games Meg, Jess and I drove into town to do a little last minute shopping and then head back to Waihi Beach for a swim and drink on the deck before driving into our airport motel in Auckland. We reluctantly pulled out around 7pm and arrived two hours later at our motel just 5minutes from the airport. This was a good idea because the airport is well outside the hussle of the city so it was very quick access to get there.


January 4, 2010

Awoke to rain! This made it all the more easier to leave. We returned the van at the airport and flew off back to HK then Shanghai at 8am on Cathay Pacific. Our total trip car mileage was 3200kms in 12 days!!
Great flight with loads in movie entertainment, food, and leg room. All flights were smooth and landed in Shanghai the same day at 8:00pm!
A really wonderful time and a place we’d definitely go back too!!

By time we landed back in Shanghai, our friends Anna and Corran in Dunedin decided to take the plunge and come visit us and China! Now I’m helping plan their trip for this April/May!

New Zealand ~ North Island

Ferry Crossing from Picton to Wellington and on up to Tongariro National Park.

North Island~
Dec.30th 2009
After the 3 1/2hr. ferry ride we still had around a 4 hour drive up to Tongariro National Park heading up hwy1 North out of Wellington. We fueled up and replenished food stocks for the next 3 days as we knew we’d be out in the boonies again and not sure what would be available. It’s a long drive out of the busy streets of Wellington quite a bit different from where we’ve just been. We head up to Wanganui and then turn inland on hwy 4 towards the Park. You can stay on hwy 1, but we were staying at The Crossings backpacker hostel in Erua which is on the West side of the Park. We see a sign for Erua and then another sign for The Crossings and that’s it. Now 9:30pm, it’s quite dark out with a full cloud cover. We pull into what looks like a bunch of renovated ATCO trailers fixed up and no one at the front desk even though we called to say we’d be arriving later. A few people are there but no innkeeper. After about 10 minutes we see a truck drive up and it’s the owners. We get our rooms, very basic, but clean and crash for the night. Another long travel day of 12 hours. I would not recommend this hostel for families. Expensive, beds not great, and nothing immediate to do without a drive.

Megin, Geoff, and I take a tour of the area and Brendan stays behind to chill out. There are some horses in the yard that we later find out are the owners and just a lot of trees around. We drive up towards the ‘town’ of National Park and find a backpackers hostel and a café down by the train station called The Station Café. I am thrilled to find out they make a tasty Long Black (Americano) and a good latte for Geoff. We then head out towards our first stop, the local ski area called Whakapapa Village nestled up in a lot of the volcanic rock. A very unusual looking place for a ski village I think to myself, but we are on a volcano so the landscape fits. It’s all black and no trees. The sun is out and it’s windy up by the shop and where the chairlift begins. We take a small hike up to a nearby ridge to get a better view and take in Mt. Ngauruhoe 2291m and further beyond Mt. Tongariro 1867m. Mt. Ruapehu 2797m is the mountain that the skiing happens on. The Tongariro Chateau sits alone looking very established and well respected, like a Lake Louise or Banff Springs Hotel. We did not stay here, but it looked very inviting. I noticed there were other options for lodging up in the village that would be nice. Lots of ‘tramping’ trails from here into the Park.

We then took our exploring back to the road and followed hwy 47 around the Park towards Turangi, a small quaint town just at the bottom of Lake Taupo. When we found this town, we realized this would have been a better choice for lodging as there’s more to do and it’s still very close to everything you’d want in the Park. Turangi is one of the hot spots in NZ for outdoor excitement and we found Rafting New Zealand there offering a 4 hour whitewater trip that included jumping off the cliffs next to the Puketarata waterfall. The kids were up for this kind of adventure over hiking for 5 hours in Tongariro. We were lucky to get the last two spots for January 1st 2010 – another surcharge applied for the holiday – but for an adventure sport, whitewater rafting is great value. It seems to cost the least for the amount of time you get to be out. Bungy jumping is 30 seconds or less and costs the same or more, skydiving costs 3x the price and is a little bit longer than a bungy jump, maybe more thrill, but for our family budget, everyone was happy with the whitewater rafting option.

Driving back down the other side of the Park on hwy 1 provided completely different scenery. It wasn’t so volcanic as it was back to rolling hills and lots of greenery. We arrived back to our humble abode around 6:30pm, picked up Brendan and dashed off to the climbing wall at National Park. The kids went climbing for an hour and Geoff used the wireless connection. Then back to make dinner. The Crossings is slowly filling up with people which is nice because it doesn’t feel so much like a ghost hostel and there’s some interesting people to chat with. This was New Year’s Eve, a pretty mellow night overall. We had some yummy Mexican food and filled ourselves up then watched Invictus on Geoff’s laptop. Loved the movie and being in NZ, it was the perfect rugby movie to watch even though…well I won’t say who wins if you don’t already know. Watch the movie!

South Island Crossing S2N

Golden Bay here we come!

December 28.09
It’s a 14 hour journey from Dunedin to Takaka. Whichever way you slice it, the drive is long and beautiful. We left Anna and Corran’s in Dunedin at 10:00am and followed our route back up hwy 1 and turned off to go through Geraldine again and follow the scenic route which had less traffic and just as fast. Decided to head over Arthur’s Pass instead of Lewis Pass towards the West Coast. Going through the pass we were blessed with sunshine and big skies. A gorgeous area so we stopped at the pass and had lunch. Mountains, a large open river bed and lots of pasture to keep our eyes busy. We went down around Moana instead of going to Greymouth on the coast, but realized after turning onto hwy 7 heading inland towards Motueka that the towns were becoming smaller and smaller, with fewer people around and no gas stations. Every small town was guaranteed a pub/restaurant, but not a gas station, let alone one that would be open. It was 7:00pm and we were heading into a very rural area with only a ¼ tank of gas with still a ways to go until Motueka, the next largest town in Tasman Bay. We decided to turn back and go into Greymouth for gas. Lucky we did as there were no open gas stations until Motueka. Unless you’re in the busy city areas, there are not always a lot of gas stations around and they do not stay open late. They’ll be shut down by 6:00pm usually. Good to know if you’re doing a lot of driving. After this incident we always kept our tank full! Murchison was a god-send as we pulled in at 9:00pm for a break. There was actually a restaurant open! We grabbed an espresso and take away fish and chips. The best deal on chips we’d seen anywhere! Although the distance does not look far on the map to Takaka we still had a good 3 hours ahead of us. We pulled into Kathie’s at 12:30am.

This is a picture of New Zealand’s flower and what they name as their xmas tree/flower. It was gorgeous, but also gave me no end of hayfever grief!! Golden Bay is at the very NW tip of the South Island just a stone’s throw away from Abel Tasman National Park. We only had one full day in this area and clearly it was not enough time. Abel Tasman would be a stunning place to explore and camp at and hanging out in funky Takaka is fun. There are loads of beautiful white sandy beaches surrounding the area and lots of beachcombing to do. You have to drive up and over the mountain that separates Takaka from Motueka and it is one windy road so the going is slow, but the views are spectacular. We visited our friend Kathie and her little girl Bella there. Wished we could’ve stayed longer as it’s similar to our Nelson BC, but full of beaches. I felt like I was on Hornby Island at times there with the windswept trees and the house we stayed in was very zenlike and had a gulf island feel to it. Unfortunately, trying to see both islands in one trip meant we had to push on to catch the ferry from Picton to Wellington on the 30th. It’s a 4 hour drive to Picton from where we were so we were gone by 8:00am the next morning.

For photos check here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149483&id=732157679&l=0ec8e3bceb

South Island Journey continued!

Aoraki / Mt. Cook
We weren't sure about the weather so we forfeited our idea of hiking up to the
Mueller Hut to spend a couple of nights over xmas and opted for valley hiking up
the Hooker Glacier. The 24th was a lovely day with a mix of sun and cloud. I took
advantage of the morning sun and went for a run with unbelievable views all
around me. We mobilized ourselves for a day of being outdoors ad after being
out for 5 hours of hiking, we all found ourselves left with a little bit of extra heat
on our faces and arms. We went up the valley next to the Hooker to see the foot
of the Tasman Glacier and get a different view of Aoraki/Mt. Cook. Great walking
trails up to the lake where you can do some glacier kayaking if you pre‐back at the lodge. For more info on Mt. Cook go to www.mtcook.com

We drove back to the Hooker Glacier and 'tramped' up to the head of the glacier. A wonderful easy trek suitable for any hiker, including kids who don't like to hike!

We had some yummy French toast and real maple syrup for xmas breakfast and then packed up and headed for the coast. We were going to Dunedin for Boxing Day and needed to find a place over Xmas so we opted for Oamaru. A coastal town with lots of history, but completely shut down on Xmas Day, except we noticed, for granny lunches and special family outings. People warned us that everything would be closed so make sure you have your food and whatever you need. They were right. We pulled into a motel we’d pre-booked and unloaded our stuff. It was spacious with a great kitchen so we hung out watched a lot of rugby, made enchiladas and then had some fresh cinnamon buns especially prepared by none other than the Chief Guide himself at midnight. Yes, they take a long time to make, but worth it!! One of Oamaru’s claim to fame are the tiny yellow eyed penguins. They make their way in at dusk so we went down to the harbour where they come in. Within the last decade or so, a visitor center has been built with walkways where you can go in and be sure of seeing the little flappers come up out of the sea for only 60NZD per family. We opted to hang outside along the road and watch them come out of the water & find their way to their babies. We saw about 18 or so around 10:00pm. It was pretty hard to see them in the dark with only a dim streetlight outlining their waddle as they came up from the water, crossed the road and disappeared into the bushes behind us. Pretty cool though to see them as I’ve never seen penguins in the wild (so to speak) before!

Moeraki to Dunedin

On Boxing Day the weather was threatening rain and overcast with wind. We packed up and headed down hwy 1 with our first pit stop at Moeraki where the famous Moeraki boulders are.
These round boulders are said to be around 65million years old. They look pretty cool just sitting alone on the beach. We had some photo opps here and then headed up the steep staircase to the café. Amazingly it was open on a holiday, but they make a point everywhere in NZ of putting on a surcharge during holidays. At this point I didn’t care about the surcharge and ordered a well worth it cappuccino! See picture above! Only about another hour to Dunedin we drove through high overcast skies South to the Otago Peninsula. Even with all the cloud cover it was easy to see how gorgeous the countryside was with green rolling sheep dotted hills all around us. Before dropping down into Dunedin the road takes you up to the top of a hill for a view that was obscured with a mixture of fog, cloud, and rain. We dropped down into Dunedin and landed at our friends very warm and welcoming home. Lucky for us, this was our only day of rain and wind and we got to spend it cozied up catching up with Anna and getting to know Corran, her husband and his son and family. A lot of cooking, champagne, and Spheights-NZ beer followed for the rest of the day and evening.

We were lucky to wake up to some sun poking through the cloud and the hope of a clearer day. We decided to take a drive out along the Otago Peninsula with a pit stop in Portobello for some refreshments and then head out to the tip where the royal albatross center is. www.albatross.org.nz

The Otago Peninsula is one gorgeous area with the Otago Harbour on one side and the ocean on the other. Just a beautiful spot on the Earth to be! We followed a narrow winding road up and down the hills taking in the views, passing Larnach Castle and then heading down to Portobello, a seaside town where we sat outside in the sun enjoying that amazing micro brewed NZ beer. It must be good for you-all organic and just hops and barley! We then drove out to Taiaroa Head where the Albatross Colony is in search of giant flying birds. It was a breezy day out and we were fortunate to see a bunch of them playing above us taking advantage of the wind. Geoff managed to get a couple of stunning pictures capturing the full wing span of 3m.

Prior to heading out to the Peninsula, we drove into Dunedin and had a short walk around the main area of town. Lovely old stone buildings, markets and cafes. We visited the All Black’s store and got our share of rugby clothing and paraphernalia. We walked around the Otago University campus, a small and quaint area with original buildings still being used and the very first dental school still there where Corran’s mother went to school-the 1st woman dentist in NZ and where he went to dental school.

Corran built this small airplane and was kind enough to take us one at a time up for a short flight. I imagined flying all over the South and North Island as an easy and quick way to get from place to place. Another delicious dinner and then off to bed a bit earlier as we were in for our longest travel day the next morning up to Golden Bay at the tip of the South Island.

Here are some links to a couple of albums. I can't seem to upload pictures here.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=148981&id=732157679&l=f3b90d8cb0
This is the Hong Kong album.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=148971&id=732157679&l=72e088e33d
New Zealand album 1.

South Island ~ New Zealand

HONG KONG layover en route to down under -
We left Shanghai December 19th with a stopover in Hong Kong for a couple of nights. Stayed at YESin SPACE SOHO a cozy hostel tucked away in Kowloon conveniently located between two metro stops-Olympic and Mon Kok. This hostel passes our families critical eye and meets our comfort and hassle free expectations especially for finding something in HK around 100$US per night for 4 adults. You can book directly online with www.hostelworld.com or check out their website at www.yesinspace.com A great little ‘boutique’ hostel!

Two days pre xmas in HK was perfect for us, enough time to enjoy all the cream I could possibly want in my coffee’s and time to take in the beautiful outdoor and indoor xmas decorations everywhere in the city. They really go overboard!
For my 4th trip to HK, I finally managed to get up to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. We took the gondola up and walked around the monastery and up to the Buddha himself. A beautiful, peaceful area despite the hoards of tourists.

We boarded our Cathay Pacific flight on Dec. 22nd at 8:00am bound for Auckland. A long, but pleasant flight of just over 10 hours landed us in Auckland around 1:00pm. Clearing customs here was a different experience. Although everything went smoothly, officials look for and ask about everything you are bringing into their country. If you plan on visiting, don’t plan on bringing in any food with you-they did let our homemade xmas cake through and chocolate bars-but many other food items are not allowed in.

South Island~

We had lots of time to wait for our connecting flight with Air New Zealand to Christchurch at 6:00pm. We hung out at the airport eating and sleeping until flight time. Arrived in Christchurch at 8:00pm and arranged to have a van meet us and take us to our hostel-Around The World Backpackers, a decent place to spend the night. Most hostels are around 25NZD per person with a shared bathroom. I have the stay I loved all the beds in NZ wherever we stayed. They love the ‘softer’ bed with nice sheets. A basic comfort which seemed so obvious to me before coming to China where the norm is a flat hard bed with hard pillows and sheets not worth talking about. NZ was a luxury in this area! We made our way to DuxDelux restaurant recommended to us by a friend from school. Delicious pizzas and beers on tap including a ginger beer which was yummy & quite different.

Dec.23rd we went to retrieve our rental 8 passenger minivan from About New Zealand rental cars, also known as Apex Rentals. There are a number of rental agencies in NZ and it’s hard to know if one is better over the other. If you want a funky looking van all painted up you should go with Escape or Wild. We saw lots of Jucy rentals as well which looked decent. Our van was 115NZD per day which we thought was kind of expensive for the quality-it was a little used to say the least, but it ran fine and we had no troubles with it. Later a friend told me that this is not unusual for NZ rentals. Most rentals are not new vehicles. Gas all over both islands was pretty steady at 1.65L. NZD.

eNZed bound for Xmas 09

Another fabulous trip has been had, this time in the land 'down under.' December 22nd 09 to January 4th 2010 we cruised around the South and North Islands in our mini van. Managed to run up 3200kms and a 3.5 hour ferry ride across Queen Charlotte Strait from Picton to Wellington. Photos and journal diary to follow...

EURO CAMPING ~ our travellers critical reviews!

Our European CAMPGROUND REVIEW - low season until June 30, 2009

* not impressed
**passable
***acceptable
****quite comfortable & lovely
*****awesome, stellar!
CZECH REPUBLIC: CAMP DRUSUS (2 nights)
The WC (toilets) – *****
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) ***** ‘very quiet’
Internet access ***** Free!
Location (access to city and sites) 30-60min. bus/train/metro ***
Site ambiance **** surrounded by expansive fields
Grocery store **
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers, washing dishes) ****
‘pay 20korunas (just over 1$) for 3min shower’
On site restaurant N/A ‘can order fresh bread the night before’
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 1200korunas (student rates apply)
Exercise **** flat, quiet roads for running

VENEZIA: CAMPING FUSINA (2 nights)
The WC (toilets) *****
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) ** ‘best to be right next to the water far away from the bar’
Internet access *** ‘has a cyberbus or pay for password’
Location (access to city and sites) ***** 30min boat ride into Venezia 12 euro per person otherwise a 1 hour bus ride.
Site ambiance ***** ‘you can watch the barges, tugs, and cargo ships go by in front of your site’
Grocery store *****
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) *****
On site restaurant *****
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 56euros/ night
Exercise ***** long flat roads that follow canals

ROMA: CAMPING TIBER (2 nights) www.campingtiber.com
The WC (toilets) ***** ‘new bathrooms’
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) ** ‘good for dancing, live music’
Internet access *** free at the bar or pay for a password 5 euros for 3 hours
Location (access to city and sites) **** free shuttle to the train then transfer to metro 45mins to city center
Site ambiance **** lots of grassy areas, flowering shrubs, and a pool
Grocery store *****
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) *****
On site restaurant *****
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 47euros/night (kids up to 12yrs)
Exercise N/A no running, but roads busy and narrow

SIENA: CAMPING COLLEVERDE ( 1 night) www.campingcolleverde.com
The WC (toilets) *****
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) ***** very quiet
Internet access with a password
Location (access to city and sites) **** 10 minute bus ride to town
Site ambiance **** on a hillside, nice big pool
Grocery store N/A
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers)
On site restaurant ***** very nice restaurant
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan)
Exercise **** nice runs up and down hills, narrow roads

FIRENZE: CAMPING MICHELANGELO (1 night) www.ecvacanze.it
The WC (toilets) * always out of TP and very small for site
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) * very loud music from bar just above site ‘great for backpackers!’
Internet access restricted access. Need password and can only use their computers.
Location (access to city and sites) ***** 20 minute walk to Uffizi Gallery! Best part of this campground! Can take the bus into town. Stop right at campground.
Site ambiance *** on a hillside with olive groves, very pretty, great views of Florence.
Grocery store ‘didn’t go in, limited times open’
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) * limited, too small for size of campground
On site restaurant **** nice patio overlooking Florence
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 67 euros / night. Most expensive campground.
Exercise ***nice tree lined roads

CINQUE TERRA-LEVANTO: AQUA DOLCE (3 nights) one of our favorite areas!! A must!
The WC (toilets) *****
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) **** a lot of tiny kids running around and people talking into the night, but mostly quiet after 10pm
Internet access ***** free!
Location (access to city and sites) ***** 2 minute walk to the beach & town
Site ambiance **** very busy campsite, lower levels for caravans, upper area for tents, on a hillside
Grocery store-no grocery store onsite. 3 stores in town 5 minutes away, good prices.
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) *****
On site restaurant *****
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 56 euros / night
Exercise ***** great runs along the beach and up in the hills
Additional: full recycling bins available


COTE D’ AZUR: LA VIELLE FERME
The WC (toilets) ** co-ed
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) crying dogs!! *****Meg says this site is like a senior center
Internet access *** pay for use
Location (access to city and sites) **** close to the beaches, 2km from Antibes
Site ambiance **
Grocery store ** can get fresh baguette in the morning
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) ** co-ed
On site restaurant N/A didn’t go, very small with patio tables
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 30 euros/night with 10% magic Europe discount.
Exercise **** large park with jogging trails right next door

COTE D’ AZUR: PARC DU MAURETTE (a couple kms away from the above one)
The WC (toilets) **** co-ed
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) crying dogs!! ***** very quiet
Internet access: pay for use & very expensive
Location (access to city and sites) walk to beach & train station
Site ambiance: ***** stone walls, huge trees, bbq’s available, parklike setting
Grocery store: have to walk .4 km to large marche – good prices, excellent croissants and baguettes.
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) lots of showers with space for hanging clothes. Limited washer/dryer
On site restaurant: None available
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 45euros-no discount anymore starting July 1st.
Exercise: run through extensive park.
Other: has jacuzzis and sauna.

AIX EN PROVENCE: CAMPING CHANTECLER
The WC (toilets) ***
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) crying dogs!! **** if you’re away from the bar/restaurant area
Internet access pay for use and most expensive (6euro/per hour!)
Location (access to city and sites) the book says a 30 min walk to the city
Site ambiance *** has a quaint little park area, but run down
Grocery store N/A
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) showers ***
On site restaurant: **** nice ambiance, lots of outdoor tables
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 46euros
Exercise: street roads, didn’t go running today

PONT DU GARD: CAMPING LA SOUSTA
The WC (toilets) squatters only **
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) crying dogs!! **** restaurant area has a dj @night. Noise till 11pm then quiet
Internet access Free internet with your own wireless, otherwise 3euros for 30mins.
Location (access to city and sites) can take bus to Avignon in 30 mins. 1km walk to the Pont Du Gard.
Site ambiance ***** gorgeous parklike setting with large flat sites close to the Rhone river which you can swim in. Huge trees everywhere. Very beautiful area.
Grocery store: fresh croissants in morning, some supplies, not bad
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) showers **** co-ed
On site restaurant: **** nice ambiance, lots of outdoor tables (didn’t eat)
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 52euros
Exercise: great treelined roads for running and only 1km to the Pont du Gard with more trails. Swimming in the river afterwards- Excellent!

LA SALLE-AOSTA ITALY: CAMPING GREEN PARK
www.greenparkcamping.com
(there are a lot of small campgrounds scattered along the road Morgex & Aosta-stay off the autostrada & take the smaller road)
The WC (toilets) *** combo of squatters and sitters
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) crying dogs!! ***** very quiet
Internet access pay for use.
Location (access to city and sites) *** in between Mont Blanc and Aosta. In a great area for hiking and exploring. A series of small towns.
Site ambiance: ***great view of Mont Blanc when it’s not clouded over. Changeable weather. Most of the spots are for permanent campers. Just a few open for caravans and tents.
Grocery store: * had to take a nice walk to the town about 1 km away
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) ***** great pressure in the showers and lots of hot water
On site restaurant: ***lots of pizzas to choose from. Decent caps in the morning
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 54euros – mid season prices still
Exercise: ***could be nice for running-hilly. Didn’t go. Took a walk into the small town.

ZERMATT: TASCH CAMPING
The WC (toilets) **** upgraded the facilities since we were here 2 years ago. Much nicer, lots of hot water.
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) crying dogs!! **** very quiet, except for the train shuttle that goes back and forth to Zermatt. Stops at midnight.
Internet access: pay for use 3francs/hr
Location (access to city and sites) ***** right next to the main train terminal that goes into Zermatt. You can’t access Zermatt by your own car. Tasch is the last place before Zermatt.
Site ambiance: ** Mountains around are nice, but it’s a narrow strip of grass up against a mountain. Not a large site. Fairly basic for any extras.
Grocery store: no, but there are grocery stores in Tasch a few minutes walk away.
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) showers: **** lots of hot water
On site restaurant: No
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan)
Exercise: ****flat running trail by the campsite or great running up in Zermatt on the trails. Zermatt marathon happens July 4th.


LAUTERBRAUNNEN: CAMPING JUNGFRAU
The WC (toilets) *****
Noise factor (includes kids, crying, music, construction, late night loud talking) crying dogs!! ****
Internet access: bought 30 hours for 45 francs
Location (access to city and sites)
Site ambiance *****
Grocery store *****
Washing facilities (including washer/dryer, showers) showers *****
On site restaurant: *****
Cost (for 5 adults & a caravan) 75francs
Exercise: *****

Jungfrau mountains in the Lauterbraunnen Valley - CH

July 9.09 – Drive from Zermatt to Lauterbraunnen
Arrived around 4pm set up camp and took it easy. Meg and I went for a run up the valley, amazing mountain views all around us as we run our way up to Stechelberg about 3 km up the valley.

I’m back home!!

July 10.09 – Jungfrau Camping

First hike and train riding. Went up to First and the lake then back again to the lift. Lots of clouds making it hard to see the massive, gorgeous mountains that I know are tucked away behind them. Fantastic to be back here!!

Bought a 6 day rail pass for the area for 200CH. Best buy as you get your money’s worth in about 1.5days of riding trains and gondolas.

Brownings arrive in pm

July 11.09 – Hike with Brownings

Hiked back up to First and over the col and down to Faulhorn and onto Bussalp dropping 700m where we caught the bus back to Grindelwald. Left at 10:30am back at 6:30pm
Overcast with some sun in the afternoon. Glimpses of mountain peaks. Geoff, Megin and I came back through Kleine Sheidegg and the sun came out along with the mountains and glaciers. Very beautiful. Went for a run in the evening and mom bought some fresh unpasteurized goat cheese and butter from the house just up the way. So fresh and delicious. We gobbled down the goat cheese in no time. Cleared right up in the evening. Lots of stars out. Kev, Geoff and the kids played poker till 11pm.

July 12.09 – Hike under the North face of the Eiger with the whole team!

High overcast this morning so the mountains were all visible. We all went for a hike up the Eiger trail. Great visibility! Up 700meters. A good hike was had by all although Brendan lost his favorite hoodie into a rushing stream of glacier water.
Took the train down from the Eigergletscher. Took us 4 ½ hours to hike. The threat of rain loomed over us in the afternoon, but otherwise we were lucky with the weather.
Delicious pasta dinner with tomato, mozzarella, artichoke, garlic with oil and brushetta.


July 13.09 – Sunny day!!! Mountain biking!

We all ventured off on our own this morning after we secured our mtn bikes. The Brownings went and gained elevation from Wengen to Kleine Sheidegg – 600m up, we went with our Specialized bikes up to First on the gondola, mom went to Interlaken and Murren.

July 14.09 – Hike with mom, Geoff and I from Mannlichen to Kleine Sheidegg then through the alpine meadows to Wengeralp and took the train back to Lauterbraunnen. One of the most beautiful meadow hikes I’ve done in many years.

Brendan, Megin, and Emily went whitewater rafting and had a blast while Kevin and Mary went up Murren way for more biking.

A great day was had by all!! I will miss this area so much!

July 15.09 – heading out back to Zurich for one night then onto Frankfurt on the 16th.
July 16.09 – overnight at the hostel we started out with, we’ve come full circle. An exciting night in the red light district with cops trying to bust someone in the building next door to us.
July 17.09 – our flight out in the morning to Toronto. Mom on one flight, us on the other.

A fantastic trip that I could do again quite easily! Camping in Europe is awesome and such a fun experience. The campgrounds are like mini resorts, no ‘ruffin’ it at these sites. In fact, we began to rate the campsites for various amenities that we appreciated. You can see in the next post our critical reviews of all the campsites we stayed at.

Petite & Grand Saint Bernard Passes

July 7.09 – heading into the mountains back over to Italy

We were going to leave at 7am but since we didn’t get to sleep till after 1:00am ( I think from the late night coffee & dessert stop we had in town) and I could hear rain all morning, we all subconsciously decided to postpone the early morning takeoff. The clouds were lifting a bit by time we left around 11:00am after buying a bunch of yummy food from the marche. Basic supermarkets carry such good food, it’s hard not to get excited shopping. Found some excellent yogurt, fresh assorted olives, a huge round of brie and other assorted bries. We stocked up on our chocolate yesterday in Annecy at another marche.

We drove out along the lake, the same way the Tour de France will be coming through July 21st towards Albertville and then headed up Col Petite San Bernardo pass, the divide between France and Italy. We decided we needed another little bit of Italy before Switzerland (and some decent caps). The top of the pass is at 2188m
and is none too warm. After being down in Annecy where we were basking in sunshine, we were now in real mountain air, fresh and nippy. Had some lunch and then headed out for a hike to Lac Verny. Great alpine hiking on small goat trails. Once back we passed over the line into Italy and had our cappuccinos at the Ristorante S. Bernardo. The decent down was much better than our last experience coming down Mount Ventoux. We are slowly cruising down in 1st & 2nd to save the brakes. We learn that the Tour de France will be coming through this pass and down the other side going through the small towns of Thuile and Pre-Saint-Didier. Amazing to think that the race goes along these small roads and up and down huge mountain passes. I’ve never seen so many cyclists riding these passes. From Annecy up to here and down the other side there has been a continuous stream of riders, many of them older.

We weren’t sure where we were camping tonight so we started looking for a campsite once we were completely down the mountain. You go East once Pre-Saint-Didier passed and head towards Aosta. Along this road that parallels the autostrada there are a number of decent campsites. This might even be an area to consider spending a few days in as each small town has something interesting to offer whether it’s hiking, rafting, spaing, or just taking in Mont Blanc (when visible) or relaxing in the country. We found Camping Green Park partly by accident as they were the ones with the most signage. It is a site with many permanent campers and only a few for transient campers. The site is good though for us and the weather has clouds rolling in and out. We set ourselves up and make some boiled French potatoes with mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a pesto sauce. Mom and I go for a walk down the country road to explore the tiny town 1 km away. The houses here are all built with a combination of rock and wood and huge slate slabs used like shingles on the roofs. Very beautiful stone work.

July 8.09 – Up and away by 10:00 towards Grand Saint Bernardo pass our gateway to Suisseland!

We poked our head out the skylight window at 8:00am and the sky was clear and Mont Blanc was staring right at us! A huge massive of rock covered in snow with one of the many glaciers we could see hanging off of it. We couldn’t see any of this last night so a great treat to view it this morning. We ventured up to the café for morning caps and started at Mont Blanc. By time we walked back down to our site the clouds had moved in over it. We still had sunshine on our caravan so enjoyed breakfast, a great shower and then packed up ready for our next pass of Colle de Grand Saint Bernardo if you’re in Italy or Col d. Grand Saint Bernard if you’re in Switzerland. The road up had a lot of road work going on which was not supervised for passing cars, but as we ascended the road became smoother and a little wider. The switchbacks going up are incredible and the views astounding. At the top is a hostel type hotel you can stay in which used to be where monks lived and trained the Saint Bernard dogs for rescue. It is so cold up here at 2469m that we are not inclined to do any hiking. At one point it started sleet/hailing a bit. We had our last bit of Italy in the restaurant and then were waived in by the polizei to Switzerland. They have a post at both passes where the French, Italian, and Swiss Police man a border post.

The decent down was steeper than yesterday and took about 45 minutes to get down. There is a tunnel the trucks take as the road is impassable for larger vehicles. We came out at Martigny and then took a flat, direct route to Zermatt. We had a fairly blue sky day with some puffy clouds. We arrived at a campsite in Tasch we had been to before at 4:30pm and then promptly made our way for the train shuttle up to Zermatt. 15 francs each and half for Brendan.

We did a nice hike up for Furri and back down into Zermatt. The sun was out up in Furri which made for pleasant early evening walking. Mom and the kids went back down after 30mins of hiking up the road towards the trail. There are restaurants all the way up the mountain so you’ll never go hungry. Food is not cheap though in these places. Got back down at 7:30pm and caught the 8:00pm train only to find mom and the kids on it as well.

This is the coldest spot we’ve been in. We’re all chilly and have all the windows closed! Tomorrow we head to Lauterbraunnen Valley!!

Continuing on in Europe!

July 4.09 – Looked around Avignon left at noon.

Drove up another mountain pass and deep gorge. Made it to the top of Mont Venoux where the Tour de France actually rides. 10,000 cyclists blast up this mountain road and it’s a steady steep climb up. Drove down very slowly with a 10-12% grade it wasn’t friendly to the brakes.

Drove into the night and slept in a rest stop just past Grenoble.

July 5.09 –Annecy arriving around 10:30am.

Another hot sunny day so made our way to the public beach along Lac Annecy. A busy place with loads of people riding bikes, sunning, walking, even a bike race passing through which I found out was part of a triathalon. I could’ve made the race!! These guys looked pretty serious though. This is one active place. The water is the cleanest in all of Europe for a large lake. It is turquoise and clear. A beautiful temperature. The people are lucky here to have such an amazing lake. Mountains surround the lake except where the old town of Annecy is tucked away. I looked up towards the top of the mountain and suddenly saw about 30 paragliders way up there floating along the ridge. Came back and cleaned out our fridge for dinner then took advantage of the internet. Went for a late night run with Meg. Tired and went to bed in the house while the rest of the clan choose the caravan.

July 6.09 – Annecy – 2nd night

More glorious sunshine. Getting ready to explore town with Corry’s daughter, Marie. Ended up spending another night as the day was so beautiful, it was hard to leave. We made some tortellini and went down to lac Annecy with our dinner, mom and I had a swim at 8:00pm, the water still so warm and inviting. Lots of people are out riding their bikes, swimming, hanging out having picnics. Parking our caravan is always a challenge and takes patience to drive around town and find something on the street as there are height restrictions getting into parking lots. After dinner we walked around the old town area again and found a creperie for some dessert. Homemade dark chocolate sauce with almonds all wrapped up in a sweet wheat flour crepe was quite yummy. Mom had hers with chocolate and coconut and Geoff had an espresso ice cream sundae. We’ve finally figured out how to order coffee in France and now we’re leaving. Café crème is how you basically get an espresso with warm milk on the side. If it’s a petite café crème you get one shot of espresso with a little water added, but if it’s a grand café crème you get a more regular size looking cup with milk included. This is important information for coffee lovers in order to get your cup of morning java just right! As all of Europeans go, they love to eat late. All the restaurants are full of families and couples enjoying a full meal at 9:30 or 10:00pm. I just can’t eat so much food that late, but everyone here seems to love it. Took some great night shots as you can see in Geoff’s, Annecy Select photos he posted on facebook. They’re on my site as well. More pics to come, but it’s hard to keep up with the days. No rain or thunder today. The moon is making it’s way to fullness and should be ripe by tomorrow night.