Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Good days

Howdy do.

Alex and I went to Milano (Italy) for a rest day.... it was amazing. Europe never ceases to impress.

This guy made amazing art out of vegetables.

I really liked this store's sign. I'm pretty sure they sell glasses.

The Galleria near the Duomo. (You'll see the Duomo in a sec.. just hold your horses)

The entrance to said Galleria

I want to have this bike, and ride it in Italy.

A statue of Da Vinci.

Vertical this time.

Bentley, and a converse advertisement.

A castle.

THE DUOMO

Look at the detail... it took over 400 years to build.

Brilliant.






Back to Switzerland... It's been pretty hot here lately. Trying to finish up some projects before we move on to magic wood. I've been spending my days reading, taking pics, and laying in the sun. We start climbing around sundown, and continue into the night...

Nighttime at the Salamandre boulder. (photo by Alex)

Found this guy on top of this cairn by the river.



Cairns by the river.

This is on the way to Brione, it's home of the 007 goldeneye bungee jump (the second highest bungee jump in the world)....



Behind the Dam

A little bridge on the way to Brione...
look hard and you might see Alex.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Paradise...

Switzerland is a dream world.

Andrea climbing at Brione

The climbing here is world class, the rock is immaculate, and the landscape is breath taking. For me, life does not get much better.

Lake Lugano (you must click to see a larger version!)

We've been climbing a lot lately. Going to new areas and seeing some of the best boulders in the world. We even found (and did) the best boulder in the world... as far as I can tell. We got really good video of Alex doing it so expect a video in the future. He's been absolutely crushing the boulders here in Switzerland. I think he's found a really cool project for himself, Freak Brothers (8a+) at Chironico. There are two lines that I've seen this trip that make me wish I could climb better, one being Partage at Font, and the other being Freak Brothers.

Alex working Freak Brothers

The climbing here in Ticino is really cool. It's so varied, every area has slightly different stone. The scenery never ceases to amaze, and for the most part neither does the climbing. I cannot imagine a better bouldering area than Ticino.

Doug on Black Mirror (6b+) at Brione

Andrea on Black Mirror (6b+) at Brione


Doug warming up at Brione

A pleasant view at Chironico (click to make larger)

Other than all the amazing climbing we have been doing, we've also been relaxing... a lot. Every night we play cards, listen to music, and eat well. We bought some easter eggs for our land lady and she brought us a bottle of Port. As she handed it over she stated with her limited English, "Port, I am from Portugal."

Homemade pancakes with fruit and yogurt topping! Thanks Doug!

Quiche, pear salad, and garlic toast... thanks A Hah!

Port, from Portugal.

We made a day trip to one of the three castles in Bellinzona, which consisted of a whopping 30 minute walk from our house... pretty cool. We topped that off with pizza and gelato.

The view from the watchtower of the castle.

So nice.

The view from the side of the castle

The watchtower.

And last but not least, we spent a day about 25 km south of Bellinzona in a town called Lugano, hanging out by the lake, people watching, and of course eating gelato.

The lake at Lugano

In the park.

These guys are awesome

Cool architecture in Lugano

Old school versus new school in the park

SNACK! BAR! GOLFO! TEA! ROOM!

Statue in the park.

Beer at the park

You must click to get the full essence of the photo.

No dog poop.


Closing thoughts.... Switzerland is amazing, and you should be here. So why aren't you?

Also, Alex has posted an awesome Font video on his site... so check it out.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Switzerland. Climbing Day 1.

After camping a few days in the rain, we decided we had had enough. We down shifted and headed to Switzerland from France. After paying 65 Euros it tolls ($87!!!!!), we arrived to our destination. Ticino, Switzerland. The town we settled in is called Bellinzona, and it is amazing. After a short stay in an amazing campground right below a 300' tall waterfall we decided to get out of the rain. We went to the tourism office in Bellinzona and the woman there very graciously called 20 or so different people to inquire about flats/apartments/houses for rent. Finally, she found one.

For the same price as camping (18 Swiss francs a night), we get to stay here:

Front door view

Kitchen

Top of the morning to yah Andrea

The living room with heated floors

The GIANT bed...



A shower.... finally!
Swanky bathroom.

Another view...


Today was an amazing day....

The weather was perfetto.

The scenery was bellissima.

I can't wait for tomorrow.

Chironico, Switzerland



Sunday, March 21, 2010

A few words

After a month and a half one would think an area would get old. One would think that the mind would start to ponder the idea of moving to a new region to try new things and meet new people. This is not so. People say that time flies when you’re having fun. Never has this been more accurate than the last month I’ve spent here. In the blink of an eye I’m forced to begin thinking about moving to new places.

Our time here has been filled with amazing people, good times, and plenty of rock scaling. We’re living in a six person gite with 11 people. After climbing we stop at the store, buy food for the night, and hurry home to eat. The corks are pulled, the cans are cracked, and bottles are opened. We sit around the table and tell stories of the day, the past, and of our friends and family. I relate to others not just through climbing, but also through situations that other climbers tend to get themselves in. Everyone has their epic stories, their trump card, and it never gets old to hear them.

If you ever travel to the Bleau to climb be forewarned that weather is the issue. It is fairly hit or miss. The first part of the trip was loaded with snow, rain, and clouds. Then the heinous cold came. A week of perfect weather then commenced, enough time to go to a new area everyday and get projects all over the forest. Then came the heat. Not hot enough to not climb, but enough to make you long for the cold. It’s good though… If you like excuses, Font never ceases to supply them.

Alex and I have begun to think about what is next. We seem to have settled on going to Spain, and enjoying the company of our new found friends Doug and Andrea. We’ll find new language there, a new culture, and many new experiences.

This is my trip. A once and a lifetime excursion where I can lay it all out on the line, and see what happens. I can’t wait for the next four and a half months. I love waking up excited, spending all day excited, and going to bed ecstatic for the next day.


Pictures to come.