August 17, 2014

Bernese Oberland

August 17, 2014/ Andy McCulloch

With perhaps one exception, the Matterhorn, the Bernese Oberland is the pilgrimage in Switzerland for hikers and climbers alike. Despite me being woefully sick and the weather quite uncooperative, we were able to explore Interlaken before heading up to Grindelwald. From here, we were the only ones continuing on into the hills, with sporadic rain and snow making things a little unpleasant. We gained altitude and then continued over the next day on what is oft touted as one of the world's best walks: below the north face of the Eiger. Given how low the cloud was, we could have been anywhere. We continued up to Jungfraujoch which was above the clouds, and over the next few hours the weather broke and we were treated to a pretty spectacular sunset. With some perfect weather, we trekked down into Lauterbrunnen, which offers unbelievable views of the surrounding highland as well as soaring waterfalls.

August 01, 2014

Iceland

August 01, 2014/ Iceland/ Andy McCulloch

Previously I have mentioned destinations that were “must-see” during my time in Europe (Zermatt, Norway), but there was nothing more must-see than Iceland. Ever since I was a child I was fascinated by this remote island that seemed to have some of the wildest landscape going around. It was planned from day one of my time in France that I would be going to Iceland for a couple of weeks during summer to really try and see everything it has to offer. The trip could accurately be titled something like “driving to places in Iceland to go hiking”, which should mount a convincing argument for why one should visit this remarkable place.

May 25, 2014

Zürich

May 25, 2014/ Zürich, Switzerland/ Andy McCulloch

One could not be faulted for saying that Zurich is not really a natural excursion when on a journey from Mainz to Paris; however there are direct trains between all three cities, and it was cheaper to travel from Zurich to Paris than from Mainz to Paris, so work did not complain. I had visited Zurich previously in 2011 and my memories of the city were that it was pretty, but that it also stank of money which really put me off. Having visited Switzerland somewhat more extensively since then I wanted to give it another go, not to mention I was very keen to visit the nearby Rhinefalls, which are the largest in Europe.

May 18, 2014

The Romantic Rhine

May 18, 2014/ Rhine Gorge, Germany/ Andy McCulloch

A place that I had never explicitly planned to visit was the Romantic Rhine, that is, the middle Rhine, which is defined as the region between Bingen and Bonn. The upper half of the section is particularly famous, known as the Rhine Gorge, a 71 kilometre long gorge formed by the constant glacial waters carving their way from high in the Alps into Lake Constance and escaping into the North Sea. The average elevation of the gorge is roughly 100 metres, making for some spectacular scenery. Adding to this are the 40-odd medieval castles built along this stretch, yielding an average separation of only one and a half kilometres between castles. The Rhine Gorge is a UNESCO world heritage site which has meant that the cities that line the gorge are kept pristine; however it has also meant that no bridges have been allowed to be built across the river, leading to practical difficulties. In any case, this area is everything that I think of when I think of Germany, I just did not know it before I went.

March 16, 2014

Gemmi Pass

March 16, 2014/ Gemmi Pass, Switzerland/ Andy McCulloch

With the less than satisfying Parisian winter instilling a desire for snow which had been quenched neither by a trip to the Arctic nor a week of skiing, we headed into the Bernese Alps to traverse one of the more famous passes in Switzerland, the Gemmi Pass. Sandwiched between the Rinderhorn and the Daubenhorn, the pass itself has an elevation of 2250 metres and runs between the small town of Kandersteg and the thermal spa town of Leukerbad.

Adventures