We were both feeling a little run down this morning so decided to stay another night in Altenau, this gave us the chance to take our hosts for a few short runs in the car and the afternoon free to visit Schloss Linderhof.
Wonderful meal out this evening, good traditional Bavarian fare, I had a Bauernschmauss which is a typically a huge pile of sauerkraut covered with slabs of meat. Good rib padding stuff.
Sunday, 14 June 2009
The Selvio pass (twice)
Today it was the infamous Stelvio pass, the best driving road in the world according to Top Gear. We set off early to beat the traffic and all was going well for the first 10 miles. I had been looking out the back window trying to spot oncoming traffic through the hairpins when I noticed smoke coming from the engine. We pulled over and fretted over the problem only to realise that there was no mobile signal at this point so we were left with a dilemma, turn back and hope to get to a garage on our own power or push on in the hope of getting a phone signal at the top station. A passing motorist told us it was only another 2 kilometres to the top so the decision was made to push on. In reality it was closer to 4 miles and we arrived at the top in a cloud of smoke. Fortunately there was good mobile coverage at the top and we were able to contact the recovery company. Four hours, a flurry of snow and a good lunch later the flat bed recovery truck arrived to ferry us down the pass back to a garage in Bormio. Having a trip back down the pass in the truck gave us a completely different perspective of the road, the scenery is stunning.
The mechanics at the garage seemed very happy to get the chance to work on a classic Ferrari although there was much debate over what was causing the problem, we definitely could smell oil in the smoke but the mechanics seemed convinced it was a water problem. In the end the oil filter was replaced, fluids topped off and we were away again.
We had looked at the map with the intention of taking an easier route, there are none from Bormio and the only other realistic option was several times further. After pondering the options we decided to have another crack at the Stelvio pass. This turned out to be a fantastic decision, not only did the car behave the weather had cleared significantly from our morning attempt and the sun was not directly in front of us making the tunnels much less threatening. We drove the pass end to end on this attempt up and down it took us 1:15 to drive the 30 miles.
The Stelvio does live up to its reputation. A stunning drive and technically challenging well worth driving.
With the Stelvio conquered we were off to Altenau in Bavaria to visit some more friends. Clear across Austria and over the Fern pass to Garmish and then Oberammergau.
The mechanics at the garage seemed very happy to get the chance to work on a classic Ferrari although there was much debate over what was causing the problem, we definitely could smell oil in the smoke but the mechanics seemed convinced it was a water problem. In the end the oil filter was replaced, fluids topped off and we were away again.
We had looked at the map with the intention of taking an easier route, there are none from Bormio and the only other realistic option was several times further. After pondering the options we decided to have another crack at the Stelvio pass. This turned out to be a fantastic decision, not only did the car behave the weather had cleared significantly from our morning attempt and the sun was not directly in front of us making the tunnels much less threatening. We drove the pass end to end on this attempt up and down it took us 1:15 to drive the 30 miles.
The Stelvio does live up to its reputation. A stunning drive and technically challenging well worth driving.
With the Stelvio conquered we were off to Altenau in Bavaria to visit some more friends. Clear across Austria and over the Fern pass to Garmish and then Oberammergau.
Friday, 12 June 2009
Klausen pass, Albula pass and on to bormio
The overnight rain had cleared the skies giving us some astounding views as we travelled through the Swiss countryside in the morning sun. It took us some time to clear the lakes, every turn seemed to reveal more water. When we did break away from the lakeside at Altdorf onto the start of the Klausen pass we ran into a local traffic jam as the cows were transferred between fields.
While we held back one of the locals took offence and decided to charge past us and the cows at speed. This scared the life of the farmers truing to keep the skittish beasts under control. With the cows cleared we were off once more this time climbing steeply up the valley.
The Klausen pass has some real precipices with the road just barely clinging to the mountain side in places, this caused real problems for my Dad who was driving. Thankfully we climbed past the river carved section onto the glacially carved flatter profile near the highest point. The views were stunning on the way up but the crest was a little disappointing.
Down the far side we stopped off for coffee and cake at Schwanden, and fuel in Glarus.
At this point i took over the driving as we joined the A3/A13 motorways towards Chur and then on to Tiefencastel. This was to join up with the Albula pass which we elected to do in place of the Flüela pass which we had previously planned. Albula Pass is stunningly beautiful, following the path of a mountain railway through a very lush alpine forest valley up to the barren wastes at its highest point of 2310m. There was a typical guest house at the top where we stopped for local nut cake.
Good food and lovely proprietors who were delighted to see the car up there. The decent to La Punt was equally scenic. A thoroughly recommended pass.
With that behind us we drove on to Zernez and the Munt la Schera tunnel from Switzerland into Italy.
Once in Italy there was a very noticeable drop in road surface quality although the views over Lago Di Livigno went a long way to make up for those potholes. We did not realise that Livigno was a tax free zone until we had passed through it, top tip to those that follow there is very cheap fuel here.
We arrived in Bormio just after 17:00 local time and found a hotel. It was supposed to have a secure garage but this was closed over the summer months so we had to park the car in a secluded parking lot next to the hotel, fortunately it is visible from the hotel balcony.
We stuffed ourselves with food tonight, ordering two mixed starters where one would have been plenty followed by pizza.
While we held back one of the locals took offence and decided to charge past us and the cows at speed. This scared the life of the farmers truing to keep the skittish beasts under control. With the cows cleared we were off once more this time climbing steeply up the valley.The Klausen pass has some real precipices with the road just barely clinging to the mountain side in places, this caused real problems for my Dad who was driving. Thankfully we climbed past the river carved section onto the glacially carved flatter profile near the highest point. The views were stunning on the way up but the crest was a little disappointing.
Down the far side we stopped off for coffee and cake at Schwanden, and fuel in Glarus.
At this point i took over the driving as we joined the A3/A13 motorways towards Chur and then on to Tiefencastel. This was to join up with the Albula pass which we elected to do in place of the Flüela pass which we had previously planned. Albula Pass is stunningly beautiful, following the path of a mountain railway through a very lush alpine forest valley up to the barren wastes at its highest point of 2310m. There was a typical guest house at the top where we stopped for local nut cake.
Good food and lovely proprietors who were delighted to see the car up there. The decent to La Punt was equally scenic. A thoroughly recommended pass.
With that behind us we drove on to Zernez and the Munt la Schera tunnel from Switzerland into Italy.
Once in Italy there was a very noticeable drop in road surface quality although the views over Lago Di Livigno went a long way to make up for those potholes. We did not realise that Livigno was a tax free zone until we had passed through it, top tip to those that follow there is very cheap fuel here.
We arrived in Bormio just after 17:00 local time and found a hotel. It was supposed to have a secure garage but this was closed over the summer months so we had to park the car in a secluded parking lot next to the hotel, fortunately it is visible from the hotel balcony.
We stuffed ourselves with food tonight, ordering two mixed starters where one would have been plenty followed by pizza.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
On to Switzerland
Topped up with a huge breakfast at Zur Alten Muhle we set off once more through the black forest.
(taken on the road to Dobel from Zur Alten Muhle)
We followed the 500 most of the way through the black forest as the early rain cleared to become a gloriously sunny day.
It was a lot of fun to back in the black forest, many memories came back to me from the time I had spent living out here. However we were soon beyond the limits of my explorations from that time and by lunch we were well to the south where we found a nice little gasthof where we enjoyed a lovely herb and garlic cream soup.
From that point we travelled down through Triberg which looked to be a lovely town that i'd quite like to visit again to have a good look round. This was all still on the 500 which we followed right down to the Swiss border at Tiegen. It was quite a sight coming down from the heights of the black forest to the Rhine plain, to the south west we could see a huge thunder storm while due south the sun was still shining beautifully.
Crossing through to Switzerland we skirted around Zurich through to Cham and eventually Weggis for an overnight stop. Unfortunately no hotels in Weggis with secure parking had any space. A consult with the tourist information desk had us returning the way we had come to Greppen where we had been directed to a lovely hotel.
Alas it was over 500 years old and the ceiling was so low we had to be permanently stooped to avoid bashed heads. From the hotel room the thunder storm caught up with us in a very dramatic way, it bucketed down with huge bolts of lightning all around.
The Thai restaurant over the road fed us well that night.
(taken on the road to Dobel from Zur Alten Muhle)
We followed the 500 most of the way through the black forest as the early rain cleared to become a gloriously sunny day.
It was a lot of fun to back in the black forest, many memories came back to me from the time I had spent living out here. However we were soon beyond the limits of my explorations from that time and by lunch we were well to the south where we found a nice little gasthof where we enjoyed a lovely herb and garlic cream soup.From that point we travelled down through Triberg which looked to be a lovely town that i'd quite like to visit again to have a good look round. This was all still on the 500 which we followed right down to the Swiss border at Tiegen. It was quite a sight coming down from the heights of the black forest to the Rhine plain, to the south west we could see a huge thunder storm while due south the sun was still shining beautifully.
Crossing through to Switzerland we skirted around Zurich through to Cham and eventually Weggis for an overnight stop. Unfortunately no hotels in Weggis with secure parking had any space. A consult with the tourist information desk had us returning the way we had come to Greppen where we had been directed to a lovely hotel.
Alas it was over 500 years old and the ceiling was so low we had to be permanently stooped to avoid bashed heads. From the hotel room the thunder storm caught up with us in a very dramatic way, it bucketed down with huge bolts of lightning all around.
The Thai restaurant over the road fed us well that night.
South to the Nurburgring and Zur Alten Muhle.
This has been our first full day driving through Germany, from Munchengladbach we joined the A61 only to discover that the local autobahn system was all being dug up. Not a good start but as we had to make a detour to Wesseling which allowed us to pass the worst of it.
From Wesseling we travelled on to the Nurburgring down the B257. This road was lots of fun and dangerous given all the signs warning motorcyclists not to race. We knew that the ring was closed but hoped to have a look round the place however on arrival it was all too evident that the clean-up operation from the weekend rock concert made getting around impossible so we drove on down the B259 to Ediger-Ella for lunch on the bank of the Mosel, nothing too exciting just a nice salad.
I took over for the afternoon drive only to discover that the car hates me. On starting the car a red warning light appeared on the dashboard, this introduced a 30 minute flap as we prodded and checked all the electrics while consulting the Ferrari guru over the phone.
Eventual conclusion, don't park it in the sun.
We cut across country to re-join the autobahns and just cruised on down to the Pforzheim west exit for Paul's recommended stop at Zur Alten Muhle.
The place does live up to Paul's hype, lovely setting and the view from the room window down to the trout stream relieved some monster fish holding station in the flow from the mill race. It was unfortunately very dark so pictures were not that good. We have just dined on the house speciality trout dish, well worth it.
We had been lucky lucky with the weather all the way down with just a few spots of rain, tonight it is throwing it down.
From Wesseling we travelled on to the Nurburgring down the B257. This road was lots of fun and dangerous given all the signs warning motorcyclists not to race. We knew that the ring was closed but hoped to have a look round the place however on arrival it was all too evident that the clean-up operation from the weekend rock concert made getting around impossible so we drove on down the B259 to Ediger-Ella for lunch on the bank of the Mosel, nothing too exciting just a nice salad.
I took over for the afternoon drive only to discover that the car hates me. On starting the car a red warning light appeared on the dashboard, this introduced a 30 minute flap as we prodded and checked all the electrics while consulting the Ferrari guru over the phone.
Eventual conclusion, don't park it in the sun.
We cut across country to re-join the autobahns and just cruised on down to the Pforzheim west exit for Paul's recommended stop at Zur Alten Muhle.
The place does live up to Paul's hype, lovely setting and the view from the room window down to the trout stream relieved some monster fish holding station in the flow from the mill race. It was unfortunately very dark so pictures were not that good. We have just dined on the house speciality trout dish, well worth it.
We had been lucky lucky with the weather all the way down with just a few spots of rain, tonight it is throwing it down.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Over the wet stuff.
After a the overnight downpour Sunday welcomed us with glorious sunshine. Leaving Guildford a little before 10:00 we were off to Dover and the ferry. It was a steady cruse down the motorways with a small detour to pick up some missing supplies in Folkestone.
The ferry crossing was uneventful but the car attracted plenty of attention as we were returning to it to disembark.
Naturally once on foreign ground the tech started to fail, first was the maps software that insisted on crashing at just the wrong moment. All i was trying to do was find a shell petrol station which it managed very well with a POI lookup but routing to such a petrol station was asking too much.
Still with the car topped up I took to the wheel through to Germany. Still motorway crusing on this side of the channel the car found its natural pace very easily and the miles just ticked down in a very satisfying way.
The evening was spent with some old friends of my Dad at a nice pub in Munchengladbach who had a special shnitzel evening. I had mine with garlic and herb butter which turned up with more garlic than butter, delicious!
No WiFi in this hotel so just a text post for today.
The ferry crossing was uneventful but the car attracted plenty of attention as we were returning to it to disembark.
Naturally once on foreign ground the tech started to fail, first was the maps software that insisted on crashing at just the wrong moment. All i was trying to do was find a shell petrol station which it managed very well with a POI lookup but routing to such a petrol station was asking too much.
Still with the car topped up I took to the wheel through to Germany. Still motorway crusing on this side of the channel the car found its natural pace very easily and the miles just ticked down in a very satisfying way.
The evening was spent with some old friends of my Dad at a nice pub in Munchengladbach who had a special shnitzel evening. I had mine with garlic and herb butter which turned up with more garlic than butter, delicious!
No WiFi in this hotel so just a text post for today.
Monday, 11 May 2009
Planning for a new adventure.
It's time to plan for the great escape of 2009.
This year's escapade took form back in the depths of winter as my old espresso machine brewed it's last shot and sprung a leak. In typical gadget geek form this triggered a scouring of the web for information on the ultimate in coffee brewing technology. Alas i was forced to admit that the ultimate was a little out of budget and settled on an Izzo Vivi. This machine with its beautiful chrome E61 brew group and heat exchanger design may not be the ultimate but meets my tech and coffee brewing needs perfectly.
After experiencing the heaven that is a perfectly pulled shot of espresso I soon realised I needed to increase my coffee brewing skill level as only 1 in 4 shots truly hit the mark. It was this insight that spawned the idea of a road trip to Italy to take a Barista course.
From the UK to Italy by car can be done in a day on the motorways of France but that misses out on the astounding scenery of the Alps. With this in mind a more leisurely route is planned heading across to Germany to meet up with old friends before driving down through the Black Forest to Switzerland (with detour to the Nürburgring). From there we shall be heading east over the Stelvio pass through to see more friends in Westerndorf, Austria at which point we turn south to Gardo in Italy. This leads onto a stop in Modena before heading back through the French side of the Alps. In essence, some boring flat lands, wet stuff, more boring flat lands, some very exciting lumpy bits, perfect coffee in Italy and a blast back through France.
My travelling companion for this trip will be my Dad, mostly because he appreciates a good coffee as much as I do but also because he will be providing the transport. A trip like this, especially with a stop in Modena requires a certain class of vehicle so we shall be using my Dad's red mistress, a classic Ferrari Dino. Should be fun through the mountains provided it holds together (-:
Again my goal will be to blog about the whole experience on route using whatever bits of mobile gadgetry i can lay my hands on.
Stay tuned for updates in June.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)