Around the world

Driving home

Bérna — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:07:41 +0000

8.30, wow we imagined it was going to get hot much earlier in the car, but better so! a quick dip in the lake and we choose the shortest (Km wise) route. After having to deal with 40 Km of German traffic on the coastal road (it is horrible how many German tourists there are there) and a bit of shopping in one of my favourites shops (Red point climbing store) in Arco we attack the first pass of the day. Our road is basically a straight line between Arco and Sagogn, which means just after the first small pass we arrive at the beginning of first “hors categorie” the G di Cadino and passo Croce Dominii (1893m starting from around 400m on a very tiny road), that takes us to Val Camunica. Passing by the valley I tell Sarah that the name says me something but I do not know what. Then we pass by a UNESCO sign that says “world centre of rock graving”, there we go, it was my Geo teacher that always talked about this place, so we go for a quick visit. The graving are a nice view but almost something for experts.
Over the colle dell’Aprica we get into valtellina and then enter Switzerland in Val Poschiavo where the custom officer checks our car looking for don’t know what.
Up to Passo Bernina (our second “Hors categorie” with 2328m) and then down into Engadin, over the Julier and we are back in Sagogn!!
Sounds short you say? more than 7 hours of secondary roads, around 5500m of altitude gain, two super slow trucks in the longest no overtake road, a picky custom officer and thousands of germans and dutch shitty drivers…

Last day in Slovenia

Bérna — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:06:44 +0000

the last day in Slovenia A lot is left to do
For today we originally planned to do just a couple of things, but then we thought it might be good to not drive all the way back to CH on the Italian motorways, this would allow us to save 200km while adding “only” 5 passes to our already longish pass list .
So there we go, like Japanese tourists, we start around 8.30 with a daylight visit of the beautiful Piran, we then drive to the Skocjanske caves, a UNESCO listed classic Karst cave. After a run to catch up with the group (only guided tours allowed) we start walking into the large cave, we pass very beautiful passages in the dry cave, but the nicest part is the canyon where the river (60m below the walking path) is still active shaping the cave. The most impressing passage is a Khazad-dum like bridge (you know the bridge where Gandalf fights the Balrog in the lord of the rings – I even tell Sarah “you shall not passss” – very LOTR insider over the roaring canyon. After the cave we walk back to the car passing through a huge Doline.
Our next stop is another cave, the Postojnska jama, the most visited cave in Europe (over 32 millions people since 1818). As such it is organized almost like Disneyland, you go in for 2Km on a little train, then walk around and take the train back. Although iper-touristy, the cave is absolutely gorgeous and worth visiting, in fact even the little train ride in is quite amusing. Beside the cave itself, we came here for the Proteus. The what!? Proteus, an amphibian cave dweller, that is found only in classic karst (i.e. Slovenia, Croatia, …) caves. the Proteus is just plain fantastic, it is totally adapted to live in caves up to 100 years and can survives few years without food.
Our third target for the day is the Predjama Castle, a castle half build in a cave over a cliff in late middle age. The fortress was build by a Bandit to have a safe harbour after his “works”. It was then sub-sequentially renewed and expanded by new owners. A pretty amazing building. Only disappointment, we arrived to late to use our super duper tourist combined entrance ticket to the cave below the castle, which we then gave to some super happy Spanish backpackers.
wow, 6 o’clock and we did it all… not quite there is still a visit to Misja Pec for some climbing on the plan, we drive there and well, it was definitely worth!!!
I get in four routes and then nichgsfalls and we start driving toward Italy. At one in the morning we arrive at the Lago di Garda, where we would like to camp. First camp no night guard, second neither, third YES!!! “ups sorry I’m full like all other around here…” , crap! He then suggests us a parking by the lake where we might sleep in the car (the JUSTY), well doesn’t sound promising but then Sarah has an idea, what if our air bed fits in the car? we try and it does, so we rearrange the baggagesss so that they form a flet surface, push the materass on it, hang some clothes on the window and the perfect pocket size camper van is ready for a earnenightht sleep!!!

Diving Baron Gautsch – Porec – Piran

Bérna — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:30:01 +0000

The northern Adriatic is well known not only for its pretty coastline but as well for the many wrecks. Today I (Sarah didn’t come due to the super cold water) went for the nicest one, the Baron Gautsch. After a painfully slow 2 hours diesel boat ride we enter the water to descend on the main line, the surface current is more like a river than a sea, but at 6m it’s all calm. the water is definetly too cold (13°) foar 5+5mm wetsuit but whatever I’m here so lets forget the cold. The visibility wasn’t great, but the wreck looks really nice. At a depth of 35-42m the 100m passenger boat lies flat on the sand and allows very easy dives on the upper deck. I do a 40min dive with 6min Deco using EAN28. I’d be nice to come with doubles, a Deco stage and reels to penetrate the lower decks.
As I get back we leave for Porec and its UNESCO listed Byzantine cathedral with amazing mosaics on the aside, and then further to Piran where we go out for some good fish and spend the night in an hotel.

Rovinj – Pula

Bérna — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:25:51 +0000

Today easy day, after amusing ourself looking at our tent neighbour try to reconstruct his alcholised memories from the night before we go for a stroll in Rovinj pretty old town. After a couple of hours we move to the premanura peninsula , set up our camp and then go visit Pula whit its Roman coliseum. As we enter the main place we find a wifi and discover that Contador had won the Tour… pity for Schleck

Cres – Rovinj

Bérna — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:20:47 +0000

Did you know that there are Griffon Vultures in Europe? I didn’t, but apparently the island of Cres is one of the only places where they are found. After visiting the small village of Cres we decide to check out if this Griffon really exist and head out toward the northern tip of the island where they are supposed to live. To positive surprise, on the way there we see two majestic birds circling over us and we start taking pictures like back in other trips when animal watching was one of our main activity. We visit the griffon’s rescue centre in Beli where we learn more about this huge (up to 3m wingspan) birds and have the chance to see 18 of them that are currently in rehabilitation after having been injured or poisoned by eating animals carcasses (in the sense that man want to kill the animal but then the griffon unfortunately eats the rests becoming poisoned as well). Cres has a Griffon population of about 70 couples, which is good, but there is less and less food since there are not many Sheppard any more.
In the afternoon we took a ferry to Istria and went to a beach waiting for the weather to get a bit cooler and then go climbing to Vela Draga. Unfortunately, we miscalculated a bit the distances and got only a couple of router at this amazing place made of calcium carbonate pinnacles. I got only two routes, but I worked hard, toooo hard for both of them

Diving Cres

Bérna — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:20:54 +0000

Zagreb – Cres

Bérna — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:20:17 +0000

Wine road to Croatia

Bérna — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:15:32 +0000

Maribor

Bérna — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:15:22 +0000

Velika Planina – Ptuj

Bérna — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:15:37 +0000