Alps Update 30-7-12
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 1:35 PM
Lovely relaxing day! Sun beaming down and not a cloud in the sky. Heidi and Markus decided to try out the assault course near the camp site and scrambled up nets and slide down slides most of the afternoon. They also had a second go at the bungie's which were close to the campsite, and Markus managed to do double front and back flips!!
Land Rover topped up with fuel and cleaned ready for the next part of the adventure. The team are going to enter Switzerland tomorrow, and apparantly the Swiss do not take kindly to 4x4 covered in Alps mud, hence everyone was instructed to clean thier vehicles.Food supplies have been replenished, and it has been a challange for the team to try and buy food and drinks, when none of us can understand the language!
Our planned campsite is directly on the shores of Lake Geneva, so the team will be dipping thier toes into the lake before heading off into the city to explore.
Alps Update 31-7-12
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:00 PM
The morning started with celebrating Lauren's 10th Birthday. Cup cakes were handed around and everyone sang several versions of Happy Birthday.
The drive started with a road that twisted and turned that made you dizzy, and we started to climb . At 10am we stopped for a coffee break and both Markus and Heidi had ice cream's to help celebrate Lauren's birthday. Although Heidi was least impressed with the outside toilet at the cafe, and the long drop type loo....
We continued to climb and passed incredible scenery, although nothing prepared us for the view at Lunch time..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We rounded the corner and in front of us was an amazing view of Mt Blanc..! The view was breathtaking, and we spent the hour gazing at the view. Never has the team had lunch at 2000M height and had a view like that before. (see the pictures)
We continued towards Switzerland, and had to negotiate more twisting roads, with suicidal bikers who have a habit of overtaking you doing 40 MPH..!!! Its a shock to see a cyclist overtake you at such speeds, but they can easily get up to 40 MPH on these mountain roads.
We finally entered Switzerland and found our campsite which we were astounded to find the campsite directly on the shore of Lake Geneva..!!!!!! We quickly made camp, put on our swimming stuff and jumped into Lake Geneva for a swim..!! There is a floating platform off the beach at about 50M, and to my amazement both kids flung themselves into the Lake and swam out to the raft, and then proceeded to jump off it over and over again!!! Smiles all round, and laughter was heard well into the afternoon..!!
What a great day, and we are here for tomorrow so the fun will continue....................
Alps Update 1-8-12
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:05 AM
The morning started with Heidi and I having an early morning swim in Lake Geneva. We swam out to the floating pontoon again, but had to stop halfway to let 4 swans pass by us. We then sat on the pontoon and counted 18 swans, 1 Crane who was looking for his morning fish, and 100's of ducks. Markus was still half asleep so declined to join us.
After a lazy breakfast, we jumped on a bus and headed off into town to explore Geneva. Heidi and Markus enjoyed standing under the massive powerful water jet that is a symbol of Geneva, and cooled down in the spray from the jet. We also took a solar powered small train around the city to see the sights. Markus and Heidi's highlight was driving the mini boats that were on hire, and spent 15 mins driving around Lake Geneva in thier own mini cruise liner.
Town was very hot, so even several ice creams could not keep the team cool, so we headed back and quickly jumped in the pool, and are then going to finish the day with an evening swim back in the Lake, as tomorrow we say goodbye to Switzerland and start our route North.....
Alps Update 2-8-12
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 1:40 PM
None of us had a very good nights sleep, as Switzerland were celebrating and the whole coast of Lake Geneva exploded with 100's of fireworks well into the night.The whole group were rather quiet as we all knew today would be rather boring roads heading North as we are coming to the end of our expedition. The day was as expected as we left Geneva and then crossed the border again and cruised along the French motorways. Markus and Heidi soon fell asleep.
At record speed we all arrived at Joinville, and set camp, and the adults raced down to the bar to make use of the happy hour..!!! Markus, Heidi and Lauren raced to the childrens area, and spent the rest of the day swinging from the monkey bars, and going down the slides.
Both Markus and Heidi have told me they have loved the trip, and we are all discussing where we should explore next. Suggestions have been - Portugal, Further south into Italy, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Arctic Circle, Egypt, Tunisia and back to Morocco......... Who knows where the next trip will be....?!!!
Tomorrow is another long drive to get close to Dunkirk, to get ready for the ferry back to the UK.....
Alps Update 3-8-12
Posted on August 3, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Markus and Heidi had to be dragged out of bed this morning, as neither of them wanted to get up. The group was away sharp at 9am for the long drive north to St Omar. The drive was long and boring on the French Northern Roads, and the drive was only interrupted by the expensive French tolls, which had great delight in relieving us of our last few Euro's.
We eventually arrived at St Omar, and both Heidi and Markus quickly jumped into the pool with Lauren, while some fo the adults went and visited the V2 Missile site, which was incredible!
We all said our goodbye's to Alex who was our support crew from Atlas Overland and we all pitched camp. Tomorrow is a very short drive to the ferry terminal for the crossing back to Dover, followed by the drive back to Norwich.
Both Markus and Heidi were a little upset when we arrived at the last campsite, as they said they have had an excellent time and are going to miss all of the group.
I will do a final Blog once the Global Adventure team have arrived back home in Norwich, but I can honestly say both Markus and Heidi have been absolutely incredible during this expedition, and they have done the washing up everyday, helped with making and breaking camp, plus have helped each other, and also have made great friends with Lauren and the rest of the group. To date we have covered 1800 Miles, on very steep tracks, rocky glaciers, through rutted forest tracks, and long motorways, and both Heidi and Markus have coped amazingly well!!!
I am very proud of them both, and will have great fun in planning the next Global Adventure expedition with the team..!!!
Alps Final update 4-8-12
Posted on August 4, 2012 at 4:55 PM
The Global Adventure team has made it home after a 2100 mile trip around the Alps.
Both Markus and Heidi coped incredibly well, and they both enjoyed the expedition. There are so many highlights of the trip from the 3000 Meter Glacier from following the Hannible route, to swimming in Lake Geneva, nobody can decide which was the best bit of the trip! We all agree that the lowlight was the Northern French roads which are rather boring. The weather was excellent and we only had one day of rain, and all team members have come home with a nice tan and loads of great memories!!!
Alex from Atlas Overland did a superb job of managing to keep the whole group together and to arrive at the planned destinations on time. He was also excellent at enlighting us of the history of the areas we were in at the time.
The Land Rover coped well, and apart from the slight issue with boiling the brake fluid (which the driver had to change his pants afterwards!!) it did not need any major repairs.
We have made some new friends which we hope to see again during our future travels, and have experienced parts of France, Italy and Switzerland which not many people have had the chance to explore.
Over the winter months Team Global Adventures will be preparing the Land Rover ready for our next adventure, as everyone in the team is eager to explore more countries and cultures!!
I hope you enjoyed reading the short daily updates. It was very busy during our trip, but I tried to do quick updates everyday. The Alps is incredible and our photos do not give the scenery justice! Everyone we met were friendly, and the hospitality was fantastic. The routes we did took us to mind blowing scenery which images will stay with us forever..!!!
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 1:35 PM
Lovely relaxing day! Sun beaming down and not a cloud in the sky. Heidi and Markus decided to try out the assault course near the camp site and scrambled up nets and slide down slides most of the afternoon. They also had a second go at the bungie's which were close to the campsite, and Markus managed to do double front and back flips!!
Land Rover topped up with fuel and cleaned ready for the next part of the adventure. The team are going to enter Switzerland tomorrow, and apparantly the Swiss do not take kindly to 4x4 covered in Alps mud, hence everyone was instructed to clean thier vehicles.Food supplies have been replenished, and it has been a challange for the team to try and buy food and drinks, when none of us can understand the language!
Our planned campsite is directly on the shores of Lake Geneva, so the team will be dipping thier toes into the lake before heading off into the city to explore.
Alps Update 31-7-12
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:00 PM
The morning started with celebrating Lauren's 10th Birthday. Cup cakes were handed around and everyone sang several versions of Happy Birthday.
The drive started with a road that twisted and turned that made you dizzy, and we started to climb . At 10am we stopped for a coffee break and both Markus and Heidi had ice cream's to help celebrate Lauren's birthday. Although Heidi was least impressed with the outside toilet at the cafe, and the long drop type loo....
We continued to climb and passed incredible scenery, although nothing prepared us for the view at Lunch time..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We rounded the corner and in front of us was an amazing view of Mt Blanc..! The view was breathtaking, and we spent the hour gazing at the view. Never has the team had lunch at 2000M height and had a view like that before. (see the pictures)
We continued towards Switzerland, and had to negotiate more twisting roads, with suicidal bikers who have a habit of overtaking you doing 40 MPH..!!! Its a shock to see a cyclist overtake you at such speeds, but they can easily get up to 40 MPH on these mountain roads.
We finally entered Switzerland and found our campsite which we were astounded to find the campsite directly on the shore of Lake Geneva..!!!!!! We quickly made camp, put on our swimming stuff and jumped into Lake Geneva for a swim..!! There is a floating platform off the beach at about 50M, and to my amazement both kids flung themselves into the Lake and swam out to the raft, and then proceeded to jump off it over and over again!!! Smiles all round, and laughter was heard well into the afternoon..!!
What a great day, and we are here for tomorrow so the fun will continue....................
Alps Update 1-8-12
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 10:05 AM
The morning started with Heidi and I having an early morning swim in Lake Geneva. We swam out to the floating pontoon again, but had to stop halfway to let 4 swans pass by us. We then sat on the pontoon and counted 18 swans, 1 Crane who was looking for his morning fish, and 100's of ducks. Markus was still half asleep so declined to join us.
After a lazy breakfast, we jumped on a bus and headed off into town to explore Geneva. Heidi and Markus enjoyed standing under the massive powerful water jet that is a symbol of Geneva, and cooled down in the spray from the jet. We also took a solar powered small train around the city to see the sights. Markus and Heidi's highlight was driving the mini boats that were on hire, and spent 15 mins driving around Lake Geneva in thier own mini cruise liner.
Town was very hot, so even several ice creams could not keep the team cool, so we headed back and quickly jumped in the pool, and are then going to finish the day with an evening swim back in the Lake, as tomorrow we say goodbye to Switzerland and start our route North.....
Alps Update 2-8-12
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 1:40 PM
None of us had a very good nights sleep, as Switzerland were celebrating and the whole coast of Lake Geneva exploded with 100's of fireworks well into the night.The whole group were rather quiet as we all knew today would be rather boring roads heading North as we are coming to the end of our expedition. The day was as expected as we left Geneva and then crossed the border again and cruised along the French motorways. Markus and Heidi soon fell asleep.
At record speed we all arrived at Joinville, and set camp, and the adults raced down to the bar to make use of the happy hour..!!! Markus, Heidi and Lauren raced to the childrens area, and spent the rest of the day swinging from the monkey bars, and going down the slides.
Both Markus and Heidi have told me they have loved the trip, and we are all discussing where we should explore next. Suggestions have been - Portugal, Further south into Italy, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Arctic Circle, Egypt, Tunisia and back to Morocco......... Who knows where the next trip will be....?!!!
Tomorrow is another long drive to get close to Dunkirk, to get ready for the ferry back to the UK.....
Alps Update 3-8-12
Posted on August 3, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Markus and Heidi had to be dragged out of bed this morning, as neither of them wanted to get up. The group was away sharp at 9am for the long drive north to St Omar. The drive was long and boring on the French Northern Roads, and the drive was only interrupted by the expensive French tolls, which had great delight in relieving us of our last few Euro's.
We eventually arrived at St Omar, and both Heidi and Markus quickly jumped into the pool with Lauren, while some fo the adults went and visited the V2 Missile site, which was incredible!
We all said our goodbye's to Alex who was our support crew from Atlas Overland and we all pitched camp. Tomorrow is a very short drive to the ferry terminal for the crossing back to Dover, followed by the drive back to Norwich.
Both Markus and Heidi were a little upset when we arrived at the last campsite, as they said they have had an excellent time and are going to miss all of the group.
I will do a final Blog once the Global Adventure team have arrived back home in Norwich, but I can honestly say both Markus and Heidi have been absolutely incredible during this expedition, and they have done the washing up everyday, helped with making and breaking camp, plus have helped each other, and also have made great friends with Lauren and the rest of the group. To date we have covered 1800 Miles, on very steep tracks, rocky glaciers, through rutted forest tracks, and long motorways, and both Heidi and Markus have coped amazingly well!!!
I am very proud of them both, and will have great fun in planning the next Global Adventure expedition with the team..!!!
Alps Final update 4-8-12
Posted on August 4, 2012 at 4:55 PM
The Global Adventure team has made it home after a 2100 mile trip around the Alps.
Both Markus and Heidi coped incredibly well, and they both enjoyed the expedition. There are so many highlights of the trip from the 3000 Meter Glacier from following the Hannible route, to swimming in Lake Geneva, nobody can decide which was the best bit of the trip! We all agree that the lowlight was the Northern French roads which are rather boring. The weather was excellent and we only had one day of rain, and all team members have come home with a nice tan and loads of great memories!!!
Alex from Atlas Overland did a superb job of managing to keep the whole group together and to arrive at the planned destinations on time. He was also excellent at enlighting us of the history of the areas we were in at the time.
The Land Rover coped well, and apart from the slight issue with boiling the brake fluid (which the driver had to change his pants afterwards!!) it did not need any major repairs.
We have made some new friends which we hope to see again during our future travels, and have experienced parts of France, Italy and Switzerland which not many people have had the chance to explore.
Over the winter months Team Global Adventures will be preparing the Land Rover ready for our next adventure, as everyone in the team is eager to explore more countries and cultures!!
I hope you enjoyed reading the short daily updates. It was very busy during our trip, but I tried to do quick updates everyday. The Alps is incredible and our photos do not give the scenery justice! Everyone we met were friendly, and the hospitality was fantastic. The routes we did took us to mind blowing scenery which images will stay with us forever..!!!