Aborted Awe Weekender - River Tay at Stanley - 14/6/2008-15/6/2008

Derek organised the EKC River Awe weekender and got everything right except the finicky power company not supplying the water. Camping in Oban was lovely -- I'm not sure it ever got really dark. Sadly, we arrived a day late for Amy and tequila, but not too late for Amy in the campground antics. We had a big fire on the barbecue that night.

The River Tay at Stanley became the new paddling venue. At low water, it was almost like seeing a whole new river.

Brian didn't have such a good day. He didn't take to the Inazone 240 so well and got really freaked out. He swapped for my Kendo, which helped. Sort of. While others played and jumped off the rock near Campsie Linn, we spent some time paddling around the less swift current and practicing skills like ferrygliding.

Though he could have bailed, Brian decided to go ahead with running the river. We rafted through the broken weir along with Derek and Kieran. Brian did well navigating the next few rapids mostly following me, though I could tell he was in survival mode.

The first big bend in the river after Stanley saw him in the drink, which took away the confidence he was building. He had no real difficulties with any rapids that followed and he did take some of the harder lines, like the one straight through the hole rather than around it. His nerves and I decided that rafting the last rapids would be good and it was. As a makeshift barge, we blew through the biggest waves with barely a totter.

Though I am sad that my reservations about introducing Brian to Stanley were confirmed, I think he will have another go at it in a few months after some practice on other rivers.

The baby ducks trained Amy and Ciarán well.

The baby ducks, or more likely their mother, had enough.

Our kitchen and fire pit for the evening

Was it a technical swim if Amy heaved herself out of her kayak?

Brian looked like he had something to say about Amy's kayak lesson.

Brian had enough of his kayak lesson.

Bram took a new approach to C-1. That he ended up swimming the last rapid surprised none of us.

Rome - 5/6/2008 - 8/6/2008

So the Romans make the Milanese look organised and efficient, which should tell you our Roman holiday had its share of adventures. I knew better than to prepurchase train tickets to Rome -- I probably would have had to go to Rome to collect them. Instead, we got tickets from one of the friendly machines in the station. Then had to ask to find out which train was the Rome train because intermediate stations weren't mentioned on the boards and final train destinations weren't mentioned on the tickets.

With Milan behind us, we boarded the train to find our designated seats occupied. We took someone else's who took someone else's. And so on. The Swiss scheme didn't really work with the Italian mindset, I guess? We arrived to Rome Termini and decided to make a run for Ostiense to see if we could get the early train to Bassano. In theory, it could work. In practice, if you don't know Rome, it can't. We got to the subway but couldn't find a map of it anywhere. Eventually, we found the information desk who couldn't give us a map either and eventually again, Brian was able to ask which way to Ostiense. The lady said linea B, which was partially helpful. Which way on linea b? Not the way we chose initially. Which station along linea B? Certainly not one labelled Ostiense. We exited at Pyramide and eventually (again) followed a nice woman along the unlabelled corridor to the next corridor that led to Ostiense. We arrived about five minutes late for our train.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait a full hour to the next train. SMS with Arishaya got us on a different train that was close enough for her to collect us. Soon after, we got to catch up with the rest of the Noorani Smiths including two legged puppies, four legged puppies and their step-rat. I even got Saesha calling Bets rat, which may not please her grandmother.

Friday morning was a leisurely morning with Shiana off to school and everyone else not in such a rush to go anywhere. We had a nice lunch beside the lake and then caught the train in to Rome. Our plan was to wander around the old places and find out about tours, eventually meeting up with everyone else at the restaurant for dinner.

We saw old places and found out about some bus tours, but eventually bumped into an evening tour of Rome that set us up for Vatican tourism the next day. We were worried about timing of the walking tour and dinner, but turns out we had plenty of time so instead nipped up to the Trevi fountain and Spanish steps before heading back to the river.

The Romans locked themselves out and puppies in Lenore's flat, so plans for dinner at the restaurant were thwarted by the need to get back into said flat by whatever means necessary. A spare set of keys were with a kind neighbour so that problem was solved. Eventually. Dinner became takeaway. Brian, Shiana and I kept Saesha busy while Ron stressed about the car being ticketed or hit or whatever and Arishaya collected dinner from the restaurant.

Vatican was impressive, not as much from the outside (although it is a bit of a fortress) as from the inside. The Sistine Chapel is just another boring building outside but obvious wow inside. Our tour guide was an expat American who seemed very educated and excited about the art history as we wandered through the museum collections leading up to the main event. He left us just outside St Peter's Basilica. Though he recommended the view from the castle at the other end of the Vatican complex, Brian wanted to make the climb of St Peter's again and show me that view.

Up up up and then more up. Some people spent extra for the lift, but really it wasn't worth it. The majority of steps were unavoidable. The views from the top were amazing and worth the trek. The gift shop just before the divergence with the elevator crowd were a little surreal. I bought a postcard and a stamp from a nun worker and sent the card by Vatican post. Anything mailed from the Vatican goes by way of Switzerland which means if you want something you mail to get somewhere else, you send it from the Vatican. Our tour guide had told a long, sad story of a lost camera lens that hasn't been found for nearly 2 years now.

Vatican consumed pretty much all of Saturday. We were first back to the flat and took the puppies for a nice walk in the neighbourhood. As usual, Angelo was an angel on the lead and Tara was, well, Tara. With Arishaya's mother (finally) back in Rome, the rat was back with her person.

On Sunday, we had a late flight home so hoped to see the Coliseum and possibly Palentine Hill. We were successful, but barely. Our tour guide for the Coliseum was a chain smoking Italian who seemed to revel in talk of blood, guts and gore. They didn't let us play with any lions or tigers, sadly. The woman who led us around Palentine Hill was a PhD student in theology so her stories covered a bit more broad topics. We had just enough time for a brisk walk back to the flat to collect luggage and travel to the train station with half of the Noorani Smiths. Ron had to stay behind to work at the restaurant so the puppies stayed with him.

Surprisingly, we didn't have many difficulties getting to the airport. Getting me fed at the airport was difficult, though not surprisingly in the land of pasta and customer service that makes Britain's look helpful. We were late getting home and appropriately tired from all of the adventures, a perfect mood for Brian to start a new job the next morning.

Brian was put to work.

Angelo, Tara and Bets wait patiently for the journey to Rome.

The key that unlocks the gate.

A peek of St. Peter's Basilica from the Vatican Museum

The Vatican Museum as seen from St Peter's Basilica

Inside St. Peter's Basilica, we twisted and wound and inched our way up to the top, enjoying magnificent views inside the basilica and across the city of Rome (and the Vatican empire as well).

This video is better for the sound than the grainy imagery. I love the haunting feeling that comes with hearing choirs in old echoey churches.

The Pope has his own train station.

The Sistine Chapel is not nearly so distinctive on the outside as on the inside.

Our tour guide for the Coliseum was a chain smoking Italian who loved talking about blood, guts and gore.

I wish we had more time to explore the Roman Forum. Roman old stuff makes Scottish old stuff look young.

Zermatt, Switzerland - 31/5/2008-2/6/2008

Our next stop in Switzerland was the town of Zermatt, a car-free town at the southern end of Valais, technically just north of Italy, but not an easy walk to get there. We took the Glacier Express from Brig, a cozy train with lots of big windows for sight seeing and an audio guide that pointed out some of the sights.

Once arriving to Zermatt, our chalet was easy enough to find. We had most of a cozy 2 bedroom flat to ourselves, all save the 2nd bedroom which was kept locked. We deposited our luggage and set out to explore.

In terms of technicalities, Zermatt is a car free town. That you might get run over by electric carts or buses at any turn seems to not count in the grand scheme of things. We nearly got smooshed a few times as we wandered around the town looking for a glimpse of the Matterhorn and, more importantly, a nice place to go for dinner.

Sadly, Switzerland is not smoke free and our restaurant was not as nice as we had hoped. Service was a bit underwhelming though the omelette was nice. After dinner we caught a glimpse of the Matterhorn but not the full squinty wizard hat view. It raised our hopes, though not much. Weather was not meant to clear for any of our stay in Zermatt.

The next morning, we woke up to misty fog in the upper elevations and decided against the Little Matterhorn cable car. Expensive trip for no real view. Instead, we took the Gornergratbahn to the resort of Gornergrat. In clearer weather, we could see lots of mountains. Instead, we saw lots of valleys with glaciers and bases that became mountains in the fog. More importantly, I got to laugh at altitude-challenged Brian. I felt ok, a bit warm for the 5^oC of ambient temperature.

As we got off the train, I got to pet two very bored St. Bernards who would be there all day for photo opportunities.

An old chapel remains beside the resort in impressively good condition. We wandered past that, as well as another puppy enjoying the snow. It seems a very European thing to be able to take your dog with you on public transport. Unheard of back home. We reached the highest tourist elevation of 3089m and enjoyed the views. The altitude was really getting to Brian -- he couldn't move all that fast for the dizziness. Footprints led across the glacier toward the Monta Rosa hut, which is a challenging walk in the midst of the summer. It has interesting consequences. Fall off a cliff on one side or slide down a steep glacial slope on the other. Death is a real possibility with either slip.

The restaurant inside was a nice break for more sniggering at dizzy boyfriend.

After bidding farewell to the still bored St Bernards, we took the train back to Riffelalp, another resort village at a less dizzying elevation. From there, we saw the waterfalls that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to off Sherlock Holmes, or so sayeth the monument there, and also saw some nuns much better dressed for hiking than we were. In the distance, it looked like a rescue puppy was being trained among the boulders.

From Riffelalp, we walked down the hill to Zermatt ahead of the hiking nuns. Once near Zermatt, we chose to follow the scenic trail that traced part of the circumference of the town rather than just the easy tromp back into town. The payoff for that included a gem of a waterfall and some other really beautiful sights as well as doubling back from some rather dubious trails. We arrived back to Zermatt properly tired.

Dinner at the place next to the rude place was lovely. The rösti really hit the spot, as did the local Valais wine, which demonstrated yet again that I am a cheap drunk on wine.

Monday morning, we made one final look at the Matterhorn to decide if any of the higher elevation journeys were worthwhile. Sadly, no. Instead, we followed some instructions on one of our map and took a nice walk up to the hostel Edelweiss, which juts out over a cliff overlooking Zermatt. Brian wants to buy it. There is a cable that runs from the cliff that looks like they might run supplies up it. I didn't see an opportunity for any sort of road access. It's one of many potential stops along the Matterhorn rim.

We had just enough time for that walk and an indecisive wander through town for one last meal. The normal train left on time and we arrived to Brig with some time to spare before our train back to Milan.

The train journeys are worth a mention. On the way up, the Italians are supposed to check passports as you leave and the Swiss as you enter. On the return journey, vice versa. On our outward journey, the Italians walked through the train wearing guns and looking bored. They didn't look at passports. The Swiss came through a few minutes later, wearing guns and looking serious, and examined each passport. Sadly, no stamp. On our return journey, the Swiss walked through wearing guns and looking bored and the Italians walked through wearing guns and not really checking passports. They targeted two guys who didn't look European for thorough passport inspection and made some calls before letting the train go on.

We arrived to Milan slightly late and began the adventure of navigating its underground, which was surprisingly cheap and reasonably easy to navigate to the conference hotel.

The Matterhorn never peeked completely out from behind its cloudcover. If you really look for it, you can see the telltale hook.

Zermatt is supposedly a car free town, but with all of these electric cars zipping about, not to mention the electric buses, I don't really count it as car free.

Bored puppies at Gornergrat. Their person was using them to make some cash by taking photos of people with them. The puppies wanted none of it.

Mountain goats and their precarious ledge. It doesn't look as steep as it is, and that glacier is a long way down.

Altitude (3089m) had interesting effects on both of us. Brian felt lightheaded and dizzy. I felt a bit too warm even at 5^oC.

Brian walked softly, but carried a big stick. Har. Har. Har.

These are not the Reichenbach Falls, but a plaque nearby says that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle came up with the famous demise of Sherlock Holmes at Riffelalp.

The Swiss nuns seemed pretty hardcore.

Along the hike from Riffelalp to Zermatt, we passed two random restaurant/chalets along the way. In the woods. With not the easiest access in the world for delivering supplies.

Returning to Zermatt amidst the mountains of Valais

The hills are alive...

Edelweiss hostel is an hour walk uphill from Zermatt and probably makes a good starting point for the mountain hut circuit.

The view from Edelweiss hostel down to Zermatt

Brian used his raincoat creatively.

Bettmeralp - 30/5/2008 - 31/5/2008

A conference in Milan, Italy, provided a good excuse to add some personal holidays to either end. Brian and I spent the first long weekend in the Swiss Alps, exploring the towns of Bettmeralp and Zermatt and, more importantly, the surrounding countryside.

We had a reminder of why it was unwise to book train travel in Italy over the internet. I got a discount on prebooking the Milano Central to Brig train tickets, but learned that I would have to travel to Switzerland to collect the tickets. So, I had to figure out how to buy Italian tickets, an adventure in itself. Upon arrival to Brig, I got a refund of my unused Swiss ticket in francs, so everything was right in the end.

At an altitude of 1950m, Bettmeralp is car-free town, accessible only by cable car from Betten station or long slog up the hill. I booked a room for one night at the Restaurant Alpina, which turned out to be the only restaurant open in Bettmeralp at all and one of very few sources of accommodation. The lull between the end of ski season and the beginning of the summer season is when many hotel and restaurant owners take their holidays. We found it easily enough from Bettmeralp station and settled into our room.

The weather outside didn't look very friendly, but we decided to take our chances with a walk to see the glacier anyway.

The Aletsch Glacier is the largest in Europe and the area around it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We followed the well marked trail from Bettmeralp to Moosfluh overlooking the glacier. As elevation increased, more snow surrounded the trail. Along the ridge at Moosfluh, snow-filled crevasses made the walk far more challenging. The rain made it cold as well. We were soaked pretty quickly and made our retreat after reaching one of the glacier overlooks.

By the time we reached the restaurant

Brian looks fetching amidst the Alps and the ill-placed flagpole.

A few weeks prior, the Bettmeralp ski centre probably still had plenty of snow.

The dark sky we saw wasn't joking. The weather quickly turned to heavy rain, turning us wet and cold. Our first hike was long enough to see the glacier but short enough that we were back in the warm room drying our clothes an hour later.

Trailfinding along the ridge was easy when the blazes were not covered in snow (beside Brian's feet).

The Aletsch Glacier is the largest in the Alps. It and the area around it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sadly, this point was the closest we got to the Aletsch Glacier. The hike down was steep, snowy, probably laden with snow-filled crevasses and most definitely going to cause wet feet through knees. The snow was melting, not quick enough to reveal the crevasses but quickly enough to guarantee the wet feet.

The Bettmerhorn is the big lump on the left and Bettmeralp is the town right.

The town of Bettmeralp I'm not sure how many years ago. This black and white photo was in the entranceway of the place where we stayed and had our meals, the Restaurant Alpina.

Some of the original landscape remains.

O' Canada - 25/5/2008 - 28/5/2008

Like the stereotypical American, I had never set foot in Canada in my life. All of that changed after my supervisor moved there. He wants me to move there, too. Research-wise, it looks great. The lab should be ready in the next three or four months. The research groups are young and have lots of energy. I didn't see much outside of the university so I don't really know if I'm cut out to be a Londoner. But at least it was warm while I was there and everybody lied that the weather was always so nice there. Just a couple of pictures.

The Thames River in London. Ontario, that is.

The University of Western Ontario's "iconic" tower is atop the hill in the distance.