The Pyrénées

/ The Pyrénées, France/Spain/
The Pyrénées

The Pyrénées: the colossal mountain range which forms the natural border between France and Spain, separating the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe stretching from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean. In contrast to the Alps, which possess a huge number a deep glacial lakes, the Pyrénées have an large number of small alpine lakes and a large number of alpine torrents – very similar to both Norway and Sweden. Arguably the most distinctive feature of the range is the abundance of semicircular precipitous cliff cavities, so-called cirques. From a mountaineering point of view, the Pyrénées are distinctive due to both the rarity and high elevation of mountain passes (cols), which makes any traverse non-trivial. So when it came time to plan a summer hike, they seemed like the perfect choice.

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Croatia

/ Croatia/
Croatia

A country with a turbulent history, both ancient and modern, has become a top destination for summer tourism. Nestled on the Adriatic sea, with thousands of beaches and an uncountable number of islands, it has made a niche for itself in the same way many tropical islands make themselves holiday destinations. My knowledge of Croatia prior to going was not great; I knew it was Romanic, I knew that Austria had caused a lot of damage in the 1st world war and more recently, I remember watching the Bosnian war unfold on the TV; wreaking the kind of havoc that only a civil war can. But as an adult, I know countless people that have gone there to enjoy the sun, sights and culture. From the 26th of July until the 4th of August, Mia and I went to experience Hrvatska for ourselves.

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Normandy and Brittany

/ Normandy & Brittany, France/
Normandy and Brittany

The savage coastline of France. When I think of Normandy, the first things that come to my head are castles, cathedrals, the Norman invasion of the British Isles (all courtesy of my mother) and the more recent events of world war two. When I think Brittany, had it been a year ago, I would have said “the place in France that is close to Briton, I think they have some funny hats?”. Having lived in France for a while know, when I think Brittany, I think a fiercely proud people that are a little akin to the Corse, in the sense of having their own language and wanting to be an independent state, as well as a place where one eats crêpes and drinks cider. Oh, and they also have funny hats.

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Le Massif Central

/ Le Massif Central, France/
Le Massif Central

With 2 public holidays back to back midweek comes holidays. On doit faire le pont, meaning that a 5 day long weekend is in order. From the 8th of May to the 12th, 2013, I went adventuring with a friend around one of the “wildest” parts of France. It is often overlooked as a destination as it suffers from (relatively) poor infrastructure and the lack of significant cities. The reason for this is the area is an extinct volcanic area, meaning that it is locally very hilly, making train travel almost impossible (unless you have a lot of money of bridges and tunnels). That being said, it means the area is relatively tourist free and ideal for hiking. So that is exactly what we did.

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Corsica

/ Corsica, France/
Corsica

The home of Napoleon Bonapart; luxury beach island; these were about the old things I knew about Corsica prior to going. My sister had visited the island during the (Northern hemisphere) summer during 2012, and it looked superb. My partner was coming to visit for 3 weeks during the (Northern hemisphere) winter and once I had the idea of a Christmas gift of a Corsican tour, there was no turning back. We set of on January 2nd, 2013 and returned 7 days later on January 8th. We flew from Orly Airport with Air France to Bastia. During the winter, most airports on the island except Bastia and Ajaccio close, and we went to Bastia as it was less expensive. We left a fresh Paris (about 4 or 5 degrees C) and arrived to a much nicer 12ish degrees. In mid-winter, this is about the standard temperature at sea level, with nice days getting up to about 16, which is much more agreeable than the negative temperatures on the mainland. We hired a car for the week, with AVIS as they had reasonable prices and snow tyres were included in the price, which are required by all companies for driving in winter. After picking up the car, I got into the “wrong” side of the car and prepared for my first experience driving on the other side of the road.

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