18 December 2011...

One year on and it was time for a wedding anniversary celebration somewhere cold, snowy and preferably with a Christmas market (which could provide commemorative boot-shaped mugs for the occasion).  So, Luxembourg for the weekend!

We stayed in a cute little hotel near the centre of the old town in Luxembourg (city) which was built across a steep river valley with some fierce-looking ramparts to wander. 

As Saturday night drew in we were treated to our first snowfall of the winter - big fat flakes tumbling out of the sky.  The next morning we woke up for a day of exploring castles in our rental car to a winter wonderland scene immediately north of the city which was fantastic.  Luxembourg - tiny country but a lovely couple of days.

M

Oh What A Summer!

Our summer holiday this year was the Walkers Haute Route that runs from Chamonix in France to Zermatt in Switzerland across the Alps. We started at Champex Lac and hiked for 11 days up and over 10 mountain passes covering 170 odd kilometres.  We had brilliant weather, albeit surprising when we awoke to the mountains covered in snow one morning.

At times the trail was pasture complete with cows (their bells really do reverberate through the Swiss valleys) and at other times thin mountain paths with perilous drops and the danger of falling rocks.

One of the real pleasures of the Walkers Haute Route is that at the end of each day, whether we were in a village staying in a small hostel or in a mountain hut, we were met with fantastic hospitality and great cheese. And sometimes a stunning view like the one below from the dining room of the Cabane de Moiry which overlooks Moiry icefall.

Finally after 11 days we arrived above Zermatt with the Matterhorn standing proud to welcome us.

All in all it was a fantastic trip into the mountains that has whet the appetite for further high altitude wandering.

M & S

Training while its Raining...

Desk jobs don't exactly prime you for a lengthy hike in the Alps.  So, it was time to dedicate three of our summer weekends to the pursuit of fitness and firmer thighs walking up and down some hills in Wales.  We tracked a trail along a medieval dyke, wandered the high paths in the Brecon Beacons and scrambled up Mt Snowdon and its neighbour.  And in the moments when we weren't taking the photos below, it rained...and rained...and rained...

Alps here we come!!

M

Temple Tourists

Leaving Jordan behind we boarded the ferry with Angus and Jamie across the sparkling Red Sea to Nuweiba in Egypt.  We had a leisurely crossing which left 3 hours late! but the sea was so clear and the day so sunny we had a relaxing day of it. 

There was more relaxation to come as we arrived and made our way to Dahab, and then to Sharm el Sheikh in pursuit of some beach time.  After the snorkelling and relaxed backpacker life in Dahab it was difficult to head south to Sharm but we compensated with some more rigorous paperback reading and swimming. 



However before long we were back on the early morning routine, starting with a walk up Mt Sinai.  The thing everyone does if you're a tourist (or a pilgrim) is to leave the base at midnight, walking up and waiting for the sunrise.  We decided to leave at 5am primarily to catch some more sleep, which meant we would catch sunrise enroute and get up there an hour or two after dawn.  It turned out to be a great move - not only did we miss sitting around freezing up top for an hour or so, but as hundreds of walkers passed us on their way back down, we arrived at the top completely alone and spent half an hour at the summit taking photos and reflecting on the early morning views. 



Leaving Sharm we intended to fly direct to Luxor to start our temple spotting.  However Egypt Air had other plans - requiring a detour to Cairo for 4 hours which was just in time to watch the entire Royal Wedding celebrations from start to finish in the airport cafe.  Perfect timing, and we all got to see the dress.   Finally arriving in Luxor we headed up to our guest house's rooftop restaurant only to see Luxor Temple in the near distance which was exciting - and even better later that evening when we were able to visit up close with it all lit up. 

Luxor is temple central so each day we were up bright and early (again!) to see the incredible tombs in the Valley of the Kings (no photos allowed), as well as more temples including Deir-el Bahri, Ramesses III, Karnak and Edfu.  The scale of the temples was amazing and as we trooped around in the blazing sun we were pinching ourselves at their size, the intricacy of the carvings and the feeling of being in an open air museum.

Leaving Luxor we headed south via the crocodile temple to Aswan, a sleepier town where we spent our final few days in a guest house on the quiet side of the Nile.  We spent some enjoyable afternoons on a felucca (and even doing a spot of fishing!) as well as a quick trip south to see Abu Simbel which was awesome.  It was a great way to wind down a fantastic trip from Amman in Jordan to Aswan and very difficult to head back to work!

M

Halycon Days of Hummus

For Easter and the Royal Wedding weekend we attempted a double-header; an overland trip from Jordan into Egypt with Angus and Jamie.  We started in Amman and headed first to undertake some serious relaxation and detox in the Dead Sea.  Shaun wasted no time starting the floatation experience early, whereas I was keener to try out some of the local detoxing mud first,which is served up in big buckets on the seashore... 

The Dead Sea is on the Israeli/Jordanian border, with Israel tantalisingly close.  Just nearby are a number of important Biblical sites, one of which was Bethany-on-the-Jordan where Jesus is said to have been baptised by John the Baptist.  On site there are a number of small shrines built over the top of prior ruins and it is a very quiet and reflective place. 

I was expecting Petra to feel very touristy and crowded but having got up very early in the morning we were able to enjoy the walk through the siq towards the Treasury - the first main 'sight' of Petra - completely by ourselves.  It was an eerie feeling and Petra itself was amazing. 

Leaving Petra we headed further south for an overnight stop in the desert at Wadi Rum where Shaun very quickly got into the local flavour of things with the help of our local guide and driver.  I think this was possibly the largest head that had tried to wear the tea towel look successfully but with a bit of customisation an Arabian warrior was born.

M&S

Booking some down time in Prague

After a relatively slow start to the year trip-wise but a big start work-wise we headed off for a weekend break to Prague, home of a castle, a famous bridge and some famous beer. Happily, March is still off season in Prague so hotel prices were well down and we managed to strike it lucky with some spring weather to enjoy the city.

First stop was the famous Charles Bridge. We went back about 4 different times at different times of day - all beautiful.

We also made sure we visited Prague Castle and the famous Alfons Mucha stained glass window in St Vitus cathedral. The cathedral is beautiful (nice clean lined Gothic cathedral compared with my less favoured over the top (usually Catholic) Baroque versions) and also houses the remains of St Wenceslas (after the Christmas carol) who was bludgeoned to death by his brother. It seems it was not just the frost that was cru-el. I'll never sing it the same way again!

Some of Mucha's famous illustrations below (I have always loved these) ... and then his stained glass window - which weirdly reminded me a lot of hobbits and.. whatever Viggo Mortenson was.

Shaun was very keen to try some Czech food at a local beer hall and the plate that emerged was so huge it even prompted one (fairly large) passerby to comment "Now that's a big meal".  All in a day's work for a Kirby.

Ramping up the tourist angle on our last afternoon we joined a tour which took us on a tram ride out to a former Cold war bunker - parts of which seem to be used as an alternative club in the evenings but other parts of which are preserved as a museum complete with a wall of gas masks and other military stuff. Dressing up was positively encouraged and we took full advantage.

M