6 months in the life of Neil and Daphne

We are renting an apartment in Brussels, in a residential area about 3km from the city centre.  The streets are lined with renaissance apartments. There is an Irish butcher down the road selling organic, free-range meat - very handy. And there are many corner shops around. The weather has turned chilly at 15c and raining. We can't complain though as we have been pretty lucky with the weather so far.

Brussels is the home of the European Union headquarters; the dark blue flag with the ring of yellow stars is a familiar sight. There is a huge sign welcoming Slovenia to the Euro in 2007.

Both Linda and Sandra suggested daytrips to Brugge and Ghent, which we do visit. In Brugge, the streets are swarming with tour groups and we seek refuge in a warm and cosy pub. We peruse the inch-thick menu which advertises 400 beers! We both order blonde beers, mine is a honey one. In Ghent, we view the painting in the cathedral by the Van Eyke brothers "The Mystic Lamb" - quite a spectacular one.

Back in Brussels, we wander through Grand Place - the flower carpet has been laid out this weekend - so colourful. We see MannekinPis - a small statue of a young boy urinating. The story goes that this 5 year old boy became lost in the city for a few days. When his father found him, the boy was urinating. Much relieved, the father had this statue erected in the city, in the same pose as he was found.

There are so many Sunday markets as well. One of them is a junk market - there are heaps of gorgeous treasures, but I just couldn't carry them. The other market stretches for about 1 kilometre in both directions, and here we buy our fruit and vege. The mussels are good here - we go out one night for mussels and frites, and another night Neil cooks them at home.  

We stay in Amsterdam on the outskirts of the city, a 10 minute bus ride into town. It's a little house in the backyard of Albert and Conny. And there is a canal in front of the house where we sometimes seeing ducks swimming around.

Amsterdam is a great city with it's beautiful canals; there are 2,500 houseboats moored and they are quite spacious inside when we wander through one. Every evening, fresh water is pumped through the canals so that the water never becomes stagnant.

In the city, we visit the museum area housing the Van Gogh museum, which has an impressive collection of his paintings. I never knew he painted with such differing styles. Amsterdam is also celebrating 400 years of Rembrandt, which is evidenced by his face and paintings shown everywhere and we visit the Rijkmuseum to view some of his works.

We take a daytrip to Alkmaar on a Friday when they have the cheese market in the town square. Two cheese carriers, dressed in colourful costumes, carry the cheeses on a wooden plank on their shoulders. They bounce up and down from the weight of the cheese. We buy a couple of rounds and also scoff some there. We also try pickled raw herring with onions in a roll; it is tasty but a bit slimy. I try not to look while I'm eating it, and wonder why I don't have problems eating sashimi, but am having troubles with the herring?

We also visit the old-fashioned windmills, which were used to pump water out to sea to make the land useable for agriculture. The windmills can pump 600,000 litres/minute! And the windmills were also home to the operators - small but liveable.

We stayed in an apartment in Copenhagen for a few days. The city is very flat with no highrises; and everyone rides a bicycle. The Danes love their "smorrebrod" - open sandwiches and we ate many of these.

We went to the Tivoli one night; it is a large amusement park which is lit up beautifully at night. We played some of the games, but did not win anything. There was a puppet show later that night, which showcased Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale characters and ended with fireworks.

Denmark is incredibly expensive (25% tax), so we escaped to the Danish countryside to Zealand. Here we stayed in Morkov on a farm, in a hen-house converted to a little cottage. Our hosts, Jorgen and Kirsten, grew their animals organically - sheep, cows, and free-range chickens which were huge, but friendly.

From Morkov, we looked through the Louisana Modern Art Museum (Tak for the tip, Tanja). To get there, we drove along the fantastic coastline, passing many of Arne Jacobsen's designs - beachhouses, apartments, lifeguard towers, even a petrol station!

We also visited Roskilde, which houses the Viking Ship museum. Here we saw many Viking ships that have been recovered from the ocean. There was also a replica that was built, of a ship that sailed from Dublin (Ireland) to Roskilde. It was remade using the same techniques and materials as the original - pretty amazing. It will also complete the same journey later this year.

Of course we browsed through the numerous castles: Rosenborg, Kronborg, but Mary and Frederick did not appear to be at home in Fredenborg.

A tip from Kirsten saw us swimming at Vesterlyng beach as the weather was still a very hot 30c+. We went picnicing at the beach, near lakes, and in parks.

Our hosts invited us into their house for dinner one night, which included products from the farm - chicken and potatoes. We had a dessert called "oy koy mohr fleur" (cooked strawberries with cream)  I have spelt it phonetically, as it was difficult to pronounce but delicious to eat!

Jorgen's family has owned the farm for 250 years, he was the seventh generation! They have converted a cow-barn into a place where they hold birthdays, weddings and even funerals, as there is a church nearby.

Daphne & I returned to Paris to watch the final stage of the Tour de France. We arrived early in the morning and secured a front row spot on the Champs Elysees, next to another Australian and a Mexican. We took turns protecting our spots while wandering around checking out the crazy spectators. See the http://www.tourdesheep.com which was represented by a guy who followed the entire tour with a couple of sheep. And No he was not a New Zealander.

After protecting our spots for about 4 hours there was a bomb scare and we were forced to move away from the area. We then had a front row seat as the bomb squad blew up some unaccompanied luggage. When the area was declared safe there was a mad rush to get front row spots. The owner of the luggage returned later to find his sleeping bag and bed rolls worse for wear. Tip: Don't leave your luggage unattended in Paris, the bomb squad guy loves to blow stuff up.

Eventually the Tour caravan arrived. Hundreds of Cars and Trucks advertising everything from dairy products and processed meat to horse racing and gambling. After an hour of this the peleton arrived and sped arround the Champs Elysees before a close sprint finish, with Robbie McEwen & Stuart O'Grady just missing the win. Floyd Landis took the Tour Victory but it looks like he will be the first winner to be stripped of his title for being a dope head!

After 8 hours in the sun I was looking a bit more sun burnt. Perfect for our upcoming visit to Scandanavia. I just need to change my name to Nils...

We've updated the blog with pictures, just scroll down...

Ziegelhausen is just outside Heidelberg, and we stay there for a few days. There is a local festivity where bands march through the old town and people are wearing traditional dress. It is rowdy and raucous at night, with copious amounts of beer being drunk.

Heidelberg is beautiful; the river runs through the valley, with the town alongside it. And the houses are built up on both hillsides. Claudia, a friend of Melissaīs who we met in Malta, takes us for a walk down Philosophers Way, with magnificent views of the town. That night, I try a Stuttgart specialty, "Schwaben" which is fried rings of pasta.

Europe is experiencing a heatwave; the weather has been a consistent 35c+ for the last 5 weeks. Phew! ī

In the Black Forest, we stay in a tiny village called Oberried, in a private apartment, with the owners, Gertrud and Willie. They are very friendly and speak maybe 10 words of English. Their backyard has a very orderly vegetable patch with a row of lettuce, two rows of onions, and five rows of raspberries. Gertrud gives us a jar of raspberry jam.

There is also a babbling stream running behind the backyard - one day we watch as two men walk upstream casting their rods and catching trout(?) in the river.

We spend the days in Oberried hiking through the Black Forest, swimming at the local pool, and eating schwarzwaldkirschtorte (black forest cake) underneath the cherry tree in the backyard. The cherries in this region are excellent! In the mornings, Neil manages to find some very steep mountains to ride up (17%) and comes home exhausted.

One evening, Gertrud comes up to our balcony and asks Neil whether we want some lettuce from the garden, gesturing down to the vegetable patch. "Ya bitte" he nods. Ten minutes later, he is looking very sheepish "Actually, I think we have just received a dinner invitation". Sure enough, the table in the garden is set for seven. Two of them, three other guests (from Spain) and two of us. It is a great night, with a lot translating and miming happening. Luckily, one of the Spaniards can speak Spanish, German and English.  We eat a swirly pancake that Willie is making, accompanied by a potato stew. I think it was called "strizilly"? And cherry schnapps, of course.

We have an excellent time in Oberried; the apartment website is : www.haus-maier-fewo.de

By the way, thanks to Youthgroup for programming Hoolahan on Rage the other night. Anyone catch it?!

Heidelberg Schloss

Claudia and Daphne

The Black Forest

Back to Koln (Cologne), where we spend a week having a holiday from the holiday. We are staying in the wine cellar of Alex and Daniel's place - they trust us not to noticeably deplete the stock. They share a wonderful garden, which her aunt Anneliese works on every day, it is filled with gorgeous blooms, berries and vegetables. They have a device which emits a beep every 30 seconds to scare away moles. Luckily, for us, it doesn't seem to scare away the squirrels which dart around in the late afternoons, their bushy tails high in the air.

Flittard is a small village and many of Alex's relatives live nearby. Her cousin, Oliver, lives across the street and we pop in one afternoon for a birthday BBQ for Kirsten (his wife). We also join a birthday party (for Regina) in Dusseldorf, where we watch Germany beat Portugal for third place. Smiles and relief...

The Koln beer, kolsch, is drunk in small thin glasses. Alex cooks a delicious goulash the night of the final. The game is an anti-climax after the exciting Germany game the previous night, however, we are astonished when Zidane floors Materazzi. Click here for an interactive replay : http://widelec.org/zidane.html As the lip-reading experts can't agree, what do you think Materazzi said?

One night, Anneliese invites us to dinner downstairs on her balcony as she is making "hefeklosse". They are plain bread dumplings which we tear up on our plates with two forks. We pour melted butter, sprinkle cinammon-laced sugar, and then douse them with strawberry puree. Sound strange? Ya, it is, but they are scrumptious! Another night, we try some of Anneliese's blackcurrant schnapps - yum!

We take baby Annika on her first boat trip down the Rhine. It takes us from Konigswinter (King's winter) to Linz. Many white-haired daytrippers are on the boat and they also alight at Linz. Nevertheless, it is a peaceful cruise and the town is very pretty.

During the other days we explore Koln city. We climb the 509 stairs to the top of the Dom (cathedral). The world's largest working bell is housed here, weighing an incredible 24 tonnes!! Luckily it does not toll while we are standing next to it. The shopping streets are bustling with people and it's fun to browse. The Chocolate museum is also fascinating, with a chocolate factory inside. I feel like Charlie.

We catch a cable car which passes high above the river Rhine. It is rather peaceful up here, until Neil exclaims "Crikey, a nudist colony!" I mash my face up against the glass for a closer gawk - yes there are many naked bodies below, as the cable car goes over an open spa/sauna resort.

I chatted to my mum one day. She tells me the food on our travels must be good, as I am looking a little pudgy in the photos. Only one solution to that; not to call mum anymore.......

It's very sad when we leave Koln, as it has been a wonderful stay with good friends. We`ve had a brilliant time sharing memories and creating new ones. Danke schon und auf ein wiedersen! Tears are shed as we drive off, waving white hankerchiefs, until the specks of Alex, Daniel and Anneliese disappear.

A welcome midnight snack

Yummy hefeklosse!

2 Curry Wurst please

Auf Wiedersen...............

It was dry and hot when we arrived in Malta at 5 in the morning. We rented an apartment in Marsascala, south-east Malta, where we would stay one week.

We met up with our friends, Melissa and Ben, and their baby boy, Ignacy. We had kindly been invited to Samantha (Melissa's sister) and Clinton's wedding in Malta. There was a nice family chaos happening in the Wiecek household, as last minute wedding preparations took place.

The wedding ceremony is held at Mdina (the silent city) in St Paul's cathedral, in the early evening. The bride looks stunning, her three daughters as flower girls, and two sisters as bridesmaids. It is a beautiful setting as the sun casts a soft glow around the cathedral. There are some loud fireworks going off in the background for some saint's day. At the reception, the speeches make everyone teary. It's great to chat to people from all over the world; the food is delicious and we depart in the early morning.

Malta is a mixture of Maltese, Italian and English influence due to the history of invading countries. The buildings are a monochrome of sand-coloured limestone against a backdrop of clear blue oceans.We spend the days exploring the towns of Sliema, Mdina, Valetta and visiting the Blue Grotto, Dingli cliffs. Getting lost in the confusing maze of streets where the signs don't make sense, we have to dodge the horse and carts, and the drivers are crazy. Siestas from 12 - 4pm where Malta shuts down in the hottest part of the day. And the late afternoons swimming at St Peter's pool, or St Thomas' Bay, watching the local kids jump into the sea from high platforms. The caper bushes dotted around always have someone picking the capers off them.

The seafood is great here - the sea urchin pasta is a favourite, vongole, swordfish. Rabbit is a local delicacy and, of course we snack on pastizzis.

Malta goes wild when Italy beat Germany.

The Blue Grotto

Collecting sea salt

Valetta streets

Malta Bus

St Peter's Pool

The drive from the Czech Rep to Germany was pretty interesting. About 5km away from the German border, stalls started appearing selling cheap Czech goods - cigarettes, booze, garden gnomes and scantily clad women. Yup, the lingerie-wearers were beckoning every car for some passing trade - scary...

We stay one night in Meissen on our way to Berlin - the weather is starting to heat up, reaching 35c.

In Berlin, we stay in Friederichshain, an area that was formerly East Berlin. It reminds me a little of old Newtown, a bit gritty and edgy, just the way I like it.

We are here in time to watch Australia vs Italy, so we head to the Fan Mile, which is near the Brandenburg gate. We are padded down at the security entrance. The area is filled with screens, stalls and people, a lot of Australians and Italians wearing team colours. One t-shirt proclaims "In Guus we trust". There is excitement as Australia holds their own, but we all know the ending. Maybe we didn't pay the umpires enough.... The Italians are estatic, celebrating wildly. The Australians accepted the loss graciously?? Yeah right....

300m of the Berlin Wall still remains; artists have painted it to create the "East Side Gallery". www.eastsidegallery.com It is strange to think that a city was simply partitioned off from each other for so many years. It was the scene of much anguish and bloodshed. At the site of the former Checkpoint Charlie there is a museum which chronicles the history of the wall. There were many daring escapes via hollowed-out car boots, dummy suitcases, hot air balloons, tunnels, kayaks.  

On the way to Koln, Neil manages to rev the car up to 150km/hr, but there are still cars whizzing past! We stop halfway at the small town of Goslar, another UNESCO world heritage site. The walled town centre escaped the bombings, so remains intact. Here we stay at a chi chi guesthouse, which is decorated extensively in pink and white - very homely.

We head to the home of Alexandra and Daniel in Koln. I met Alex 10 years ago on a trip to the Northern Territory, she stayed with us in Sydney (instead of visiting her aunt in Melbourne..). They have a new addition - 4 month old Annika, born the day we left Australia. I'm really looking forward to catching up with them again, to see where they live and meet Annika!

I laugh when we pull up to their house. There is a beach-towel with an Australian flag on it pinned to their front door. The people in this village of Flittard must be scratching their heads. We meet Alex's aunt, Anneliese, who lives in an apartment downstairs.

There is a lot of tension and anguish during the Germany vs Argentina game, but the Germans eventually manage to win, with Lehman's great saves in the penalty shoot-out. There is a lot of discussion here about Oliver Kahn not playing. 

It is a flying visit, as we leave for Malta on an overnight flight.

The East Side Gallery

Another cow for the Queenslander...

"Sprechen sie deutsch?" the Czech border guard asked, as we stopped at the crossing. I giggled (inwardly) and thought of "Die Hard".

"Ummmm.....nein?" Neil ventured. Hmmm..... was this going to be a problem for us? No Czech and no German.

I managed to divert Neil's plan of going to Plzen, the home of Pilsner...

We headed for Cesky Krumlov instead. The area is a UNESCO world heritage site due to the preservation of the medieval town centre, where the buildings are gothic and renaissance style. It is a gorgeous little town with a river running around it; people canoe down the small rapids. We walked around the chateau, which had a moat housing three bears!

In Prague, we stay outside the city, in Dolni Pocernice. It is very quiet out here, nestled in the residential area. The train trip is only 15 minutes to the city, so pretty convenient.

There is a pub downstairs in the hotel, where the locals come in with their massive ceramic jugs to have them filled by the busty barmaid. Itīs cheap at 18 KC/500ml. AUD $2/litre. Neil seems to be loving it here.... We watch the Czechs bow out of the WM by Italy in the pub, much to the disgust of the yokels.

Prague is beautiful and we wander around the many sights - Charles Bridge, Prague Castle. The Jewish quarter has a cemetery which is filled with ancient headstones piled over each other, like fallen dominoes. There are more bodies here than headstones, as people were buried on top of each other.

One night we go to a brewery restaurant and our jaws drop when dinner arrives. Neil has half a duck plus some on his plate, while on mine lies a huge pork slab. Over at the other table, there are flames lighting up a dish. Humungous dishes are being churned out of the kitchen. At the end of the meal the waiter manages to cajole us into a digestive. 10 year old Slivovice. Woah! And they bring out another one (accidently) - Neil and I giggle our way back to the hotel.

Cesky Krumlov

Low key wedding vehicle in Prague...

Goulash soup

The town of Melk, situated on the Danube, was bustling as we arrived on a public holiday. Accommodation was tight, but we managed to find a large private zimmer at the back of a shoe shop. We cycled along the Danube through the thick clouds of white pollen; luckily Neil had taken some antihistamine in the morning.

Vienna had so many grand buildings, it was a little overwhelming. We spent days in the Museum Quartier, which houses the MUMOK, KunstHausWien, Architectural musem, and the Leopold Musuem. The Leopold Museum has the largest Egon Schiele collection, and there was also a section of Gustav Klimt (one of his paintings sold recently for USD $135m!), and Alfons Walde.

I have been eating too many wiener schnitzels (but they are yummy...)

The Leopold Museum

Neil glances at me warily as we head to Austria. Iīm humming Edelweiss and itīs getting louder on our approach (....every morning you greet me...)

I canīt bring myself to actually go on a 4-hour Sound of Music tour but we do visit some of the sights. The glass gazebo (at HellBrunn) where Liesl and Rolf dance around the benches, the fountain (at Mirabell Gardens) where they sang Do-Re-Mi.

Salzburg is also the birthplace of Mozart and his mug is everywhere. We visit the place where he grew up and lived for 26 years. The buskers on the street play Mozart.

Yes, the fußball has started and there is a massive screen in town where everyone gathers to watch. It seems that everyone is wearing their countryīs colours. Itīs Germany v Poland tonight, so should be pretty rowdy. Itīs great that Australia won their first game!

By the way, this is a good World Cup blog, for those of you wanting more.

http://www.worldcupblog.org/

Marionette Museum

Mmmm Beer

Salzburg

Mirabell Gardens

What can I say?

Dober Dan! I didnīt even know where Slovenia was, so travelled there with few expectations.

What a wonderful surprise! It is such a beautiful country. We camped in Bovec, in Triglav national park, near the base of the Julian Alps. The area is situated near the Soca river, which is perfect for kayaking, and whitewater rafting, and that`s what most of the people were there for. It reminded me a little of NZ (or as Dion would say, In-Zid), with its brilliant blue waters and lush greenery.

Although it is peaceful now, the area has seen a lot of bloodshed, with numerous war memorials dotted around the countryside. This part of Slovenia has been owned by many countries in the past.

We then moved onto Ribcev Laz, right next to Bohinj Lake. And stayed with a cute old lady - Stefka - who rented her upstairs apartma to us. The lake was full of trout, and there was a fly fishing competition on, but fishing was only allowed in the nearby lakes. So lots of waders, rods, hooks, flys, could be seen dangling from people and bicycles.

We cycled around the nearby villages, passing people cutting grass with their scythes, shepherding their sheep/goats/cows, waving to us. One day we trekked down a mountain, having caught a gondola up. We trekked through snow and gravel, slipping and sliding our way down. I wanted to turn back a few times, as it looked impassable to me, but we managed. I didnīt even whinge that much.

Luckily, for us, most people spoke some English, because my Slovenian is appalling....

Fine Slovenian Grog

Hiking in Ribcev Laz

Near Bovec

Stefka's Apartma (Highly recommended)!

http://www.bohinj.si/tdbohinj/en/apartmaji-svensek-stefka.html 

Slap Savica in Ribcev Laz

Of course Venice is picturesque and charming, where the only modes of transport are walking or boat. We see polizia, ambulances, postal boats. And the quiet gondolas stalk the canals - it looks like hard work pushing through the water. On land, we lose ourselves in the labrynth of narrow winding streets filled with shops selling Venetian glass.

We stay near San Marco, which is the famous piazza known for its Basilica. Itīs refreshing to walk around in the early mornings before the other tourists arrive, as the square is pretty much empty.

On day trips, we visit the nearby islands of Burano (known for its lacemaking) and Murano, which is of course famous for glassware. Here we drift from shop to shop, oggling the beautiful glass. Our bags are a bit heavier when we leave.

What better place to listen to our first opera, and we do. Even though I have no idea what they are singing about, it`s fantastic. Even Neil enjoys it.

Burano

The Grand Canal in Venice

View from our window in Venice

The night progresses in a Venetian osteria...

Bologna is where spag bol, lasagne and mortadella was created and they were lip-smacking delicious.

It was a very pretty little town, with a pedestrianised centre, which meant we could meander through the cobble-stone streets without fear of being run-over. I think Iīve even started looking the right way before crossing the road now.

....all roads DO lead to Rome.

We spent our time there wandering around the many ruins, the most popular one, of course, being the Colosseo. I could just imagine the roar of the crowd as they witnessed the gladiators battling it out against each other, or some hapless others being attacked by animals. It was pretty ruthless.

We found the Vatican City, and peered at the tombs of the popes. Silence as everyone filed past the most recent tomb of John Paul II. The Basilica blew us away, it is absolutely HUGE, decorated with paintings, statues - I think I was walking around with my mouth agape at the enormity of it all. Neil just thought "WOW this is the only place in Rome that doesnīt need renovating..."

One night at dinner we chat to a kiwi couple, and our waiter is pretty friendly. The coffee machine is broken, so he brings us some homemade grappa instead, gratis. The bottle is pretty substantial, and it goes down like rocket-fuel. 

Swiss Guard at the Vatican

Neil picked a spot on the map, and Jane (our trusty GPS navigator) took us there. Greve in Chianti was our destination. We found a place at Santo Stefano (a vineyard and olive farm) in a farmhouse converted into guest accommodation, where we would stay for a week. Ahhh, this is how I dreamed Tuscany would be - rolling green hills filled with vineyards, olive groves, golden dusks, swallows flitting about; we could feel the serenity. We find out that Greve is an old market place that became a town, and every weekend, the piazza comes alive with the markets.

What I didn't expect to see were women standing on the road in the countryside every few kilometres, when we went for a drive one day. Apparently, they are brought over from Nigeria by the Russian mafia on the promise of a modelling career. That's what I read anyway....

From Greve, we explored the nearby areas over the week. First stop Pisa; which, of course, houses the famous monument that is...... the Piaggio musuem (actually it's in Pontederra, just outside of Pisa). It chronicles the history of Piaggio, the birth of Vespa, and has all the different models there in immaculate condition. Neil is running around snapping away with enthusiasm, especially at the racing versions, getting ideas. Oh, and we do stop to have a look at the leaning tower, which actually does lean.

Florence, grand old town. It's wonderful to see these places, with no high rise structures. There are magnificent statues in the Piazza Vecchio, a lot of them are quite violent though, depicting beheadings, fights.

Siena is a gorgeous medieval town with the buildings in a burnt orange colour. Here we climb the bell tower; 400 steps tightly winding upwards, and the passage is less than 1 metre wide. A bit claustrophobic.

It's great to be able to stay somewhere and cook. We buy the food from the markets and cook dinners, inventing new dishes with zucchini flowers, pumpkin flowers, boar sausages, fagolioni, funghi. One night, we have liver, fava beans washed down with a nice chianti from Santo Stefano. It's the first time I've had chianti - very delicious. Grappa is a little more difficult; I'll give it another try. For lunches, we eat the local specialities in trattorias. Luckily, we're walking a lot, because I'm eating A LOT! I haven't managed to complete the full course: antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni and dolci; but am determined to get there.

It really is beautiful in Tuscany, the flowers are starting to come out.... and play havoc with Neil's hayfever.

We stayed at Santa Margherita Ligure (Italian west coast) for a few days. The warmth was lovely, after the freezing temperatures of La Thuile. There was a coastal walk along Cinque Terre (along Via Dell Amore - or Lover's Lane), where the views were stunning. Little coastal towns that could only be driven into by locals, beautiful blue/green waters, divine seafood. And the locals were friendly. At dinner one night, I was watching a few old women, one whose face was so brown and wrinkled and with a voice so gravelly that it could rival "The Godfather". They were staring at dismay at their cigarette packet with a picture of rotten teeth on it. I laughed, and they turned around to ask whether I smoked, and nodded approvingly when I told them I didn't. Then we chatted, them in their broken English, us with our rudimentary Italian.

But we left after a few days, as Tuscany was beckoning......

We headed towards Italy and in an amazing coincidence (engineered by Neil) stayed in a little alpine town where the riders would finish the 13th stage.

La Thuile is situated in northern Italy, about 1,200m altitude and is known for skiing, so it was still very cold. But the town was buzzing and awash with pink.

On the day of the stage, we decided we wanted to watch the mountain climb, so set out for Morgex, into Colle San Carlo. 20km from La Thuile, up into the mountains, we had to drive early, as the roads would shut at 9am.

Our car has a temperature gauge which read 5c. We were totally unprepared for the cold - and then it started raining. We stayed in the car for about 6 hours and then braved the elements, but not before raiding Neil's cycling stuff - I put his arm warmers on my legs, Neil had a leg warmer around his neck, and we both wore one cycling sock on our umbrella-holding hand.

We still had to walk 1km to the summit, and it was getting colder, and raining harder. At the top, there was a flurry of activity - cyclists riding up the mountain, people selling paraphenalia. I bought a bandana, which will come in handy on International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th)

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

Anyway, lots of yelling, and cow bell ringing, when they raced up the hill looking very wet and some of them very miserable. Basso led, then the main peleton about 5 minutes later. We tried to spot Michael Rogers and Robbie McEwan, but couldn't (team jerseys were obscured by their rain jackets)

It was freezing, and Neil was shaking uncontrollably from the cold - but it was still better than being at work....

Neil here doing blogging duties for the day... Daphne is standing behind me with a cow bell egging me on.

We camped beside the lake in Interlaken. The new tent kept us warm and dry even though it rained both nights. We got to use our cooker for the first time after carrying it half way around the world. Luckily the labelling included pictures or our first meal would have been a horse stew. We settled for lamb which we washed down with red wine beside the lake.

Driving in the Swiss country-side is fun. Daphne winds down the windows to listen to the cow bells. Sometimes Daphne says, "that smells really organic". I just say, "no it's cow shit" and wind up the windows.

We caught the funicular (train that runs up a 45 degree incline) from Interlaken to the top of Harder Kulm. It was more scaricular than funicular. The view from top was amazing. Daphne ordered a Wurst Salad which we quickly renamed the Worst Salad due to the over generous inclusion of Spam...

I rode from Interlaken up to Grindelwald to check out some more camping sites. We ended up staying in a Chalet as it is still a bit too cold to camp in the Alps. The snow is melting and there have been plenty of avalanches to watch from our balcony. Some of the nordic walking tracks have just been cleared of snow so we caught the gondola to First and walked as far up into the snow as we could handle. We made our lunch and admired the spectacular view. We had to make a quick walk down the mountain as the rain closed in. We spotted some deer and beavers scampering through the snow. There are flowers beginning to bloom right next to the snow.  I slipped over in the mud and now we are waiting for the washing to finish at the waschsalon (laundromat).

Tonight we will try fondue, schnapps, local beer & whatever else is on offer. Hopefully it has better results than tapas and sangria.

Footnote from Daphne :

Switzerland is quite confusing with the 3 languages, and everyone just thinks we're French anyway..... (though Neil has been mistaken for Danish several times) and I think they just invented Swiss German to confuse the Germans...

Oh and, 2-1 Barcelona over Arsenal. But not much celebration here from the neutral Swiss....