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Bliss Ventures
Bliss Ventures

Bliss Ventures

I am Bliss, descended from wolves, a 4000 year lineage of Siberian Huskies. I’m travelling the World in our self converted campervan Ivy with my Mum & Dad (Vikki & Darren). I love to be in nature seeking adventure. The spirit of my ancestors with me. Read more🇬🇧Isle of Wight
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  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    The Danube

    Fruity Slovakia 🇸🇰

    July 6, 2024 in Slovakia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Must have slept like a log as I woke to find the mosquitoes had feasted on me in the night. I was covered in big red itchy bites. Apparently they love my particular blood group (O), but don’t much like the taste of Darren’s (A+) so he was comparatively left untouched... probably just not enough red wine in his bloodstream, I mean comparatively speaking like 😂

    We’d been parked right on the border so it took just seconds to arrive at the checkpoint for entry into Austria. Unlike every crossing so far on this trip there were soldiers (with guns might I add 😮) Alarmingly we were instructed to pull over so that they could perform a search of Ivy and check out our passports. However, as Darren pulled open the sliding door and the soldier stepped forward to go in, he somewhat comically jumped back the moment he set eyes upon Bliss. ( who was just sat calm as you like looking out at him and wondering what all the fuss was about) He turned to his mate sat inside the border hut and said something that we translated from his body language to be along the lines of “I’m not going in there dude, they’ve got a bloody wolf in there!” 🐺 😂
    He proceeded to hastily and bravely wave us on through and so we continued on our journey having a giggle at his expense. 🤭 I then patiently and dutifully listened to Darren as he described in detail more stories of having done many similar guard duty roles “during the war” 🫡 Almost as if after 35 years of being together I was somehow completely unaware of the life he’d led up until our union 🤭
    Of course I on the other hand, as everyone knows and will attest to, have no such propensity for repeating myself hehe 🤥
    It was such a relief to get back to the immaculate road surfaces of Austria 🇦🇹 after yesterday’s earthquake simulator ride in Hungary, roads which we traversed for the next hour or so on our way to the next new country on our list.
    As we entered into Slovakia 🇸🇰 we were immediately confronted with the largest, busiest city we’ve encountered to date. It was however really interesting, full of many historical looking buildings mixed with the very modern. Most interestingly of all we crossed over the Danube River which was just immense. I had no idea it was even here.
    Gradually the metropolis was replaced by farmland, forests and a sprinkling of small towns and villages.
    One of the things that caught our eye early on was that the roads were all lined with fruit laden trees. Apples, pears, damsons, cherries and plums everywhere for mile after mile. Wonderful really, and again something I would love to see adopted at home.
    Our park up tonight is at the foot of a derelict castle sat on the top of a steep sided hill. As we pulled up I immediately knew I was going to like this spot. We’d only been there long enough to have a cup of tea when a tractor arrived to collect up the freshly mown hay in the field directly outside our door.
    We had a great view of the meadows and forest below us and we were hopeful of seeing some deer, so we sat watching intently into the evening. No deer appeared unfortunately, but I did make friends with a sweet little black cat who was out hunting mice in the field outside. The friendly cat was either overly confident or possibly a bit dim. He came and sat boldly as brass within a couple of feet of Bliss before I spotted him. Bliss was so good, bless her. They each just sat looking at one another without an ounce of malice from either.
    As darkness fell we felt a little disappointed in ourselves for having been too lazy to venture up to the castle ruins, high up on the mound above. I think we missed a great sunset from up there and I’m sure it would have been really interesting to explore. But nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed this most tranquil and serene park up at the edge of a hay field in Slovakia 🇸🇰 . Before today I had absolutely no idea what this country was like, no clue even where in the world it was... and now I do 👍. That’s a good thing right?    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    3

    Hungary 🇭🇺 and the Iron curtain

    July 5, 2024 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Next we needed to get supplies and as luck would have it we found a Lidl. This is when we found yet another compelling reason to fall in love with Slovenia. For one thing it was the first time in I don’t know how long that we found the sorts of food we are familiar with as simple English folk. And the icing on the cake, it was much cheaper than we’d seen lately. Spain was good value, but had a strange selection of food we often didn’t have a clue what to do with. We’d joked about how inconsiderately foreign it all was 😂 This on the other hand is proper homely.
    Pleased with our haul of familiar nosh we continued towards Hungary 🇭🇺 (safe in the knowledge we wouldn’t be going hungry now 🤭)
    Crossing the border was a radical shift in our reality, within minutes Ivy’s suspension was being put to the test on the worst roads we’d encountered since leaving the UK. Housing was much more basic too, less maintained and altogether grimier. Litter was present in quantities we hadn’t seen since Kent, possibly even worse. Our first impressions were not favourable but we thought things would likely improve. However after a couple of hours little improvement was seen. The pothole strewn roads did cut through vast areas of forest but even they somehow lacked the prettiness of the forests we’ve become accustomed to. Now I don’t know if we just happened to be travelling through a particularly deprived area of Hungary but our initial idea of spending a few days exploring was swiftly replaced by a desire to get the hell out of there. This meant adding at least another couple of hours to our drive today as we headed northward to the relative sanctuary of Austria once more.
    Right on the border into Austria and still in Hungary we came upon a park up for a memorial garden dedicated to preserving the history of the Iron Curtain that once separated the two countries. Here’s where we decided to stay for the night. We left Ivy with our bums numbed from being chair bound for hours and went to explore the park. For Darren (and for me to a lesser extent) the subject of the memorial park was particularly interesting, as it detailed the events that led to the creation and ultimately the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain as a whole in 1989. Darren had lots to say as he was actually there in Berlin on the night that the Soviet Union fell apart. Yet another of his favourite “during the war” stories 😂. That night he’d been right there, taking his turn at bashing the wall down with a sledgehammer within just 50ft of the Brandenburg Gate. On one of the most significant events of the twentieth century he’d been a part of history...so I suppose I can forgive him for going on (and on) (and on) about it 😜. We have some of the wall he’d demolished at home. In the following days he was able to cross into East Berlin which he describes as like going back in time to the Second World War. The scars of bullets still visible on many of the oldest buildings that had survived the bombings.
    Anyway we explored the entire park and read EVERY single word before I was finally able to retreat back to the peace and quiet of Ivy and settle down to sleep after what had been a very (very) long day.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    A brief flirt with Croatia 🇭🇷

    July 5, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Yet another hot day predicted so we wasted no time getting going. We left and just down the road started seeing great fields of sunflowers 🌻 stretching across the land, absolutely stunning 🤩
    The countryside in this part of Slovenia 🇸🇮 is full of summertime crops right now and it looks so smartly dressed in its multicoloured patchwork coat of emerald green sweetcorn and golden wheat fields, stitched together at the seams by hedges and verges full of blue cornflowers and blood red poppies. Almost too perfect.
    The single tracked roads led us through various small villages, with neat little houses within lovingly tended gardens of flowers and fruit trees. Not a single one left uncared for. Each village of sufficient size had a proper traditional church, but more often tucked on the side of the road would be the cutest little chapel, barely large enough to take a congregation of four worshippers at a time.
    We found ourselves wondering where all the people were as we hardly saw any cars or people as we drove onwards at a tortoise speed toward the border with Croatia 🇭🇷. I glanced across to Darren to see him smiling like a kid with a toffee apple, I assumed for no other reason than the enjoyment of travelling with nowhere in particular to be.
    The border into Croatia 🇭🇷 was a simple affair, just an abandoned concrete shelter on the side of the road quite literally in the middle of a corn field. Strange as all the borders we’ve crossed so far have been logically placed along some sort of geographical feature such a mountain range or a river.
    We are just touching the corner of Croatia today, only because it’s so near to us to be within touching distance, and to claim another flag for Ivy.
    What we saw was very much a continuation of the quaint and civilised vibe Slovenia conjures up. During our brief couple of hour dip into the country we’d have been hard pressed to tell the difference. Tiny but well maintained roads, and lush flowery hedge rows making out crop fields and vineyards.
    We stopped for a break near some ponds and a river. It turned out to be a lovely well maintained park/ picnic area. There were fish in the ponds and some almond trees which we hadn’t seen since Spain. But boy was it hot. The river was much too fast flowing, and steep sided to let Bliss go in to cool off, but Darren found a tap and held Bliss in place whilst he drenched her in cold water. She appeared to appreciate that.
    In need of aircon we set off again pleased with what little we’d seen. It was enough to fill us with confidence that Croatia is somewhere well worth exploration in far greater detail than we’ve time for right now. So as we turned Northward to re-enter Slovenia Darren commented in full terminator fashion... “I’ll be back!”.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Slovenian sunset 🌅

    July 4, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    In the morning we had two beautiful swans visit us for their breakfast. I fed them some bread, one was very sweet natured and polite but the other was very rude, a bit scary, hissing at me and coming towards me quite threateningly, so I threw the last bit of bread that I had left and ran away from him. We drove through lots of forest roads and then vast areas of farmland today which was a big change from the last few weeks of exciting driving around the mountains. It was another hot day and we needed to replenish our water supply and top up our batteries so we found a place where both were free! We had a nice view from our parking spot across some wheat fields that we thought were a little bit dull after all the splendour of the Mountain View’s that we had become accustomed to. But as the sun went down we were treated to a wonderful sunset. There were contrails left behind by planes that caught the light as the sun went down that looked like fiery tornadoes in the sky.Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Slovenia… I think I love you ❤️

    July 3, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We left our less than perfect parking spot next to the noisy road in Italy as quickly as possible, hoping for a better tonight!
    The drive today took us from Italy🇮🇹 , back through Austria 🇦🇹 and into Slovenia 🇸🇮 .
    Travelling through Austria along a seemingly endless stretch of road that runs parallel to a beautiful green valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides and as far as you could see into the distant horizon . The mountains we could see had changed in shape and were now very jagged and tall, but we weren’t heading towards them as we were now turning east and headed away from the high mountains.
    Shortly after crossing into Slovenia 🇸🇮 we found a lovely picturesque embankment right by the side of quite a large but fast flowing river. It had a wooden cafe on the shore and a large floating raft/ barge type construction that had tables and chairs for people to have coffee and cake on the river. It wasn’t actually open while we were there but we didn’t mind that in the slightest as that meant it was quiet and people free. We were alone until another camper arrived which was ok as they parked a fair distance from us and kept themselves to themselves. We took our drinks 🍷 and sat ourselves on the wooden decking just behind the cafe, sheltered underneath a pitched rooftop. Before long the heavens opened up and we were stranded, unable to escape without getting a proper soaking. So we sat and waited for the rain to pass. It was actually really lovely and quite romantic sitting watching and listening to the rain splashing down in to the river in front of us. Protected by the wooden roof above, we were surrounded by leafy plants, it was warm and humid. It somehow felt like we were in the Amazon rainforest, certainly the closest thing to that I’ve ever experienced anyway.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    It’s not always perfect!

    July 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We drove through the valleys most of the way today, fast smooth roads. How do they make the roads so good here? They have winter ice, snow, rain, frost and summer heat so much more extreme than we do in the UK, yet the road surfaces are pretty much perfect. We could certainly learn a thing or two about building roads from the people here. These aren’t even the motorways, our satnav is set to avoid motorways (I’m so glad we did seeing the motorways unbelievably high up above us on huge bridges spanning the valleys. ) We passed by Innsbruck and could see the ski jump ramp used in the Winter Olympics many years ago. Our journey took us back over into Italy, following the general direction of the motorway, but on a far less direct route. Much more pleasing to the eye even if a lot slower.

    We knew that tonight’s parking place was unlikely to be ideal but with so little choice in the area we had to make the best of it. Parked close to a busy road it was very noisy but we hoped things would quieten down later on. Spoiler alert: it didn’t much!

    Don’t get me wrong, any deaf person would have been over the moon with the surrounding scenery. There were mountains in the distance, different looking to previous ones we’d been amongst on the way here. These were on the northern edge of the Dolomites and much more jaggerdy ( is that even a word?)
    There was an old stone bridge next to us that would have been part of the route before it was upgraded to the fast main road it is today. A lovely stream flowing under it and a cycle track next to that leading into the forest on the hillside beyond.
    After a coffee we decided to take Bliss for a walk along the track leaving the noise of the traffic behind. It was quickly replaced by the songs of birds and the sound of flowing water . We left the track to allow Bliss to cool off. While watching her enjoying a cold dip in the stream I took a rest on a tree stump. On getting up I discovered I’d glued myself to said stump and now had gooey sticky tree sap on my bum, soaking through to my knickers and making me feel very uncomfortable indeed.
    Continuing further the cycle track led to an abandoned campsite, with overgrown parking bays and an old empty swimming pool in the centre. It was peaceful here and a bit of a shame we couldn’t see a route to get us there in preference to the spot we had.
    On returning to Ivy things on the noise front got worse, as in our absence a bunch of road workers had arrived and were setting up to do some maintenance in the road. So the next hour or so we had the added loveliness of a jack hammer to contend with. I thought they might be working right through the night, and we would have left in search of somewhere different if they hadn’t parked their trucks over the only exit. But luckily by about 9pm they were all done and left us with just the traffic noise to deal with, which now didn’t seem quite so bad. I was so tired and my ear plugs allowed me to sleep solidly through until morning.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Life’s a bowl of cherries 🍒

    July 1, 2024 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Today was another epic mountain driving day. We left our perfect Austrian town and headed back down the mountain to the valley floor below. But we soon found ourselves going back up. The road up to the mountain pass was quite astonishing, steep climbs and switchbacks, long and short tunnels, concrete roofs over the roads designed to shelter you from avalanches. A combination of these took us all the way up to the pass where we stopped to take in the view and allow our anxiety to subside a little before facing the next challenge. Often it’s not so much that the roads are extreme, which for a born and bred caulkhead girl they most certainly are. I’m sure the people who live here drive on them every day without a care in the world. For us though it’s the fear of not knowing what’s ahead of you.
    The decent on the other side took us on a very winding narrow road that was literally cut into the side of the rock face. My total concentration was needed to drive down it without veering one way or the other. One way would mean hitting the rock face, the other a drop into the abyss. As people that know me well can testify, I have a limited capacity for concentration which was stretched to breaking point today! Luckily there were no puppies on the side of the road to distract me 😝.
    At the close of the day we made our home on the edge of a forest. Bliss needed her walk so we ventured along a track leading into the trees. At one point Darren stepped off the main route to have a wee up a tree as boys do. and looking down noticed all around were wild blueberry bushes. Making sure I was nowhere near the spot Darren was stood just moments ago I picked a handful of lovely sweet fruit. We continued exploring and realised many of the trees were cherry, also bearing small but juicy sweet fruits for us to forage🍒. Heading back to Ivy we found a bench on the edge of the forest with a view over the valley to the mountains on the far side, where we sat for some time cuddled together appreciating our new life.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    First impressions of Austria

    June 30, 2024 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We drove for about an hour through a flat lush green valley floor encased between two mountain ranges either side. Then leaving the bottom of the valley we ascend up steep winding roads following the path of a fast flowing river to reach our park up at the edge of a small town next to a saw mill.
    Austria so far is a beautiful, manicured country, pretty towns comprising of pristine chalet cottages, balconies bedecked with flowers, all built from wood, sat on wooden stilts perched atop perfectly mown grass lawns on the steep slopes of mountains. It all looks so posh and so perfect. An Austrian stereotype I didn’t believe actually existed in real life… but it does!
    We park for the night in a nice and level tarmac car park, overlooked by the perfect wooden toy town Heidi style cottages on the hillside above us. We slept really well, drifting off to the white noise emanating from yet another rapidly flowing river close by.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Liechtenstein

    June 30, 2024 in Liechtenstein ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    In the morning the babbling river where Bliss had had a paddle as we arrived yesterday was now a raging torrent after the heavy rain of the night.
    We continued on our journey through the Swiss alps, taking in the incredible views along the way, which are still incredible despite the dreariest of the weather today. We are heading in the direction of our next country, Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 and the prize of yet another Flag for Ivy to wear. A tiny little country with a border marked only by a flag and engraved stone by the side of the road, blink and you’d miss it. Just inside we stopped for a rest break and took Bliss for a short walk on a little path circling around a pond within a wooded area below a towering cliff. A gentle stream feeding the pond with a steady flow of perfectly clear ice cold water. Really quite pretty. We drove through Liechtenstein without stopping, noting how civilised and pristine the place felt. There were an abundance of banks, posh restaurants and casinos through the town, and a succession of rather nice, no doubt very expensive houses dotted along the entirety of the trip. Until we very soon came out of Liechtenstein and into Austria 🇦🇹 ( two new flags in one day!) by crossing a more noticeable border this time… so that was that. I’m not entirely sure I understand the point of Liechtenstein if I’m honest, so I’m going to have to learn some history. 🥸Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Thunderstorms in the Swiss mountains

    June 29, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    By eight in the morning it was starting to get warm again so Darren took Bliss straight out to have a dip in the lake. On his way there he found a fledgling bird stranded in the middle of the road. By some miracle he managed to pick the poor little thing up and put it underneath a hedge before it was run over or Bliss spotted it and had a second breakfast! I really hope the little guy makes it. 🤞
    There were lots of lizards 🦎 scurrying up and down the concrete walls of the lakeside path, all far too quick for Bliss to catch.
    We soon got moving as it was heating up quickly and there was no shade to be had in the lake side car park.
    From the edge of the lake we could see the country on the other side that we were heading towards today. Before very long we crossed the border into Switzerland 🇨🇭 really quite excited to see what it would be like. Well we are not disappointed, it’s as beautiful as we’d hoped, mountainous of course and the drive is amazing. We’re heading directly through Switzerland towards Liechtenstein, for no other reason than to grab another country flag for Ivy. The roads are surprisingly good, we find ourselves driving through long tunnels, over high bridges, up and around ,winding, climbing and descending. All very exhilarating but without the fear of imminent death. (Which we have experienced far too often)

    The weather forecast is saying extreme thunderstorms 😬 and “Extraordinary threat to life”
    Oh God, here we go!!! Our planned park up for tonight is high up in the mountains!
    We both love thunderstorms, but the idea of being in extreme thunderstorms up in the mountains is a little bit nerve wracking, but there’s nowhere to hide so we’re going to have to do it anyway!
    We arrived and got settled in, the views all around us were stunning, high snow capped peaks on all sides playing hide and seek between the fast moving dark clouds. We’re parked by a fast running boulder strewn river just yards away. It feels so wild and rugged here.

    The rumble of thunder started just as it began to get dark, it got more and more loud, literally thunderous as the night progressed, with blinding flashes of streaked lightning ⚡️ between. It continued to grow in intensity as the night went on and the pitter of rain turned to a deafening roar as it battered on Ivy’s roof. We were up until very late watching the mountain peaks light up in menacing silhouette with each frequent lightning flash. Bliss strangely wasn’t bothered at all by the thunderstorm, just slept right through it? Really strange because when we were at home in the house she used to be so terrified of thunder and lightning, panting and shaking with fear. She used to get in a really bad state about it...Go figure?
    Eventually we were too tired to stay awake any longer and fell asleep listening to the heavy rain drumming down on the roof. Cozy and warm inside our little home.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    11

    ❤️ In a relationship with Air Con

    June 28, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

    We are expecting it to be hot today, so we think it’s best to head up back towards the mountains for all our sakes. The best place to be in 36℃ is inside Ivy with the aircon running, keeping us all comfortably cool. The drive today was predominantly across vast flat areas of wetlands, that were being farmed like rice paddies. Miles and miles of nothing much to look at except for the wetland birds we’d never seen before. As we neared the lake that we were heading to it started to get much busier and more interesting. The stop I had originally planned was absolutely rammed with cars, but by some miracle I squeezed Ivy into a space. The lake had people all around it enjoying the water and the sun. Lots of Bikini clad young women that Darren was trying oh so very hard to pretend he hadn’t even noticed 😂 Bliss had a dip of course and we went for a walk around the lake away from the main beach area. It was quite a bit quieter on the path, we didn’t walk too far though as it was way too hot, but Bliss was able to get into the lake a few times along the way so she was fine. I saw a massive fish jump out of the water and then totally unexpected we saw two freshwater turtles 🐢 🐢.
    We came across a cafe so Darren unusually had a cold beer, and I a bottle of sparkling water. This is the first time in 66 days of travel we have visited a cafe! One bottle of beer and Darren is slightly sozzled, honestly he’s such a cheap date 😜 and a total amateur.
    We were getting hot now so we went back to Ivy, got in and just started driving as it was just too hot to sit and try to figure out where to go next. We need Air con and we need it now!!

    We drove long enough to cool us all down and then found our next Park4night spot to try. It was a simple car park next to a beautiful big lake, clearly a popular area so we might not be able to stay there. Lakeside parking is generally pretty busy it seems, especially this time of year, but we are pleasantly surprised to find it relatively empty. We parked up and got Bliss out who by now knew that there was water nearby, and she wanted in!! Like now! We had to cross a fairly busy road to get to it. Down a ramp we find a tiny little private area that we were able to get to the waters edge and sit for a while on a grassy bank looking at the lake. Bliss had freedom to go in the water when she wanted and laid out on the grass just gazing out at the lake too, I just love seeing her looking so content. We had a paddle in the water which was surprisingly warm and full of little fish that would nibble at your legs. While we were currently in Italy, the opposite bank of the lake is Switzerland 🇨🇭 We stayed there for a couple of hours waiting for the sun to dip below the hills before heading back to Ivy.
    Bliss demanded her dinner with just a look 👀 so she got her way. We had dinner ourselves and relaxed for the evening, the road in front of us was quite busy with noisy motorcycles and cars but gradually got quieter as it got later and darker. Fingers crossed for a peaceful night without a visit from a police man 👮 intent on moving us along 🤞.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Vineyards of beautiful Italy

    June 27, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We got up late after our long drive yesterday, and enjoyed a slow morning, getting ourselves ready to move on between numerous coffees.
    The drive today was so so pretty, much more picturesque than we’d expected, and hilly rather than mountainous for a pleasant change. We were feeling quite relaxed as we meandered through the Italian countryside at a leisurely pace. Hazelnut trees planted in rows everywhere which I conclude (with no evidence whatsoever ) indicate that this must be the home of Nutella. They stretched for miles. And then there are vineyards also spanning across vast areas, explaining (I conclude again) why the wine is so cheap, so good and so plentiful here.🤪
    We were almost at a place called Asti which I’m guessing ( possibly concluding even 😇) gave its name to the sparkling white wine. It would be really very rude indeed not to try some while I’m here wouldn’t it?
    Looking further we can see when we are astride the rolling vine covered hills the high French-Italian Alps in the far distance. Huge snow capped mountains that we know we are going to be navigating through very soon. Excitement with a fair dose of trepidation is what we feel at the prospect of the journey ahead of us.
    Along the way we found a shop to get a few bits, and of course some Asti.
    We haven’t travelled very far today as we are feeling relaxed and chilled by the easy leisurely pace of the day, so we were soon looking for an aire. It’s a simple place that we are able to fill our water tank and sleep for tonight. I warmed up a spag bol that I had made previously and we tried our best to chill in the 30℃🌡️ heat of the afternoon. Bliss went to her favourite place under the van ,and laid out in the shady wind tunnel Ivy provides beneath us.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Crossing into Italy 🇮🇹

    June 26, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We thought that getting away from the coast and through the mountains back inland might be easier if we took a motorway toll road. I’m not particularly fond of motorways ( even less so tolls) but agreed that it would be a lot quicker and easier so that’s what we did.
    This was no ordinary motorway! What an absolute feat of civil engineering. It was literally just huge tunnels through the mountains followed by huge bridges over the valleys and then a tunnel and then a bridge over and over again, all at high speed. Mix that up with road works and the abundance of artic lorries all in a massive hurry, and you are describing my idea of one hell of a stressful drive!
    Eventually Darren found a place on Park4night that looked okay and we exited the motorway and found ourselves back on winding mountain roads that took us finally to a pleasant village aire next to a large rock strewn river with glacial blue water. There were a few other motor homes there and a park full of noisy children behind, but it was just nice to stop and rest. We went for a short walk around the village before settling down for the rest of the evening. Thankfully the noise of playing kids stopped as the daylight faded and with Ivy all closed up and secure we could have been anywhere.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Ivy enters the Monaco Grand Prix

    June 26, 2024 in Monaco ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We were up early expecting a long day of driving as we plan on an epic day making our way along the coast. To begin with we didn’t have any phone signal so we just drove in the rough direction of the coast. At first it seemed okay but then there were unexpected consequences! We found ourselves driving high up along the edge of a huge gorge and then through a small tunnel that had been carved out of the rock face, it didn’t feel like it would be big enough for us to pass but we squeezed through. Winding around the edge of the gorge on a somewhat narrow road was really not what either of us expected, but it was spectacular and although quite nerve wracking I do kinda think we might be getting a little used to these extraordinary roads now. After another long downhill drive the roads began to get busier in tune with the number of houses. We soon found ourselves on the long sweeping esplanade of Nice, very posh and very busy. The traffic was quite heavy, three lanes wide with traffic lights every hundred yards so I had to concentrate hard. I couldn’t really look at the views around me too much as driving took all of my attention but Darren was telling me all about the expensive cars, yachts, hotels and everything that he was seeing along the promenade. The wealth here is obvious though, everything and everyone was pristine. After passing by the beach side international airport we eventually left Nice behind.
    We carried on and drove into Monaco which was a continuation of the opulence of Nice but on an even grander scale. I hadn’t realised before, but Monaco is its own country so Ivy will get to wear another flag today!
    The way you drive into Monaco is simply crazy, more akin to entering a huge multi-storey carpark with a long sweeping tunnel. Really strange and like nothing I’ve ever experienced. We didn’t stop in Monaco, but we wouldn’t have been able to even if we wanted as there was nowhere at all for a car let alone a 7m long van. Actually we were very much out of place there, we didn’t see any other motorhomes at all, it seemed mainly populated with Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, Aston Martin’s and the like… so you can probably understand why I had to be so careful!    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    1
    Bottomless pit1

    Spooky coincidences?

    June 25, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I didn’t have a great nights sleep as I was woken by horrible stomach cramps...food poisoning! I think it was probably caused by handling Bliss’s raw chicken 🍗 and not washing my hands properly! Another lesson learned, again!
    It was a slow start in the morning as I was feeling rubbish, my stomach was churning and cramping still. About midday I was finally ready to get going as it was too warm to just sit around all day. We head off and were soon driving around another large turquoise lake, I was taking it steady as I really wasn’t feeling good. All of a sudden Ivy’s satnav came up with a warning ⚠️ saying loud and clear “Slow down, accident ahead 150m.” Not a warning we’d ever received before. So I slowed Ivy right down and proceeded with caution, expecting to come across some kind of obstruction. There didn’t seem to be anything at all…. But then out of nowhere it happened!
    Next thing I know, the car behind us overtook us at speed and swerved sharply inward as it passed Ivy’s bonnet. Once in front of us it slammed its brakes on! I in turn had to slam Ivy’s brakes on and swerve abruptly to the left in order to not hit this car which was now in front of me. We came to a stop just centimetres from a collision.
    The car had strangely broken down and wouldn’t start now. After my heart recovered to a less rapid rhythm I reversed a little, pulled out and drove around it. We were right on a tight curve in the road and we needed to move so we weren’t causing an obstruction. We moved around the corner and parked up feeling a bit shaken by our near miss, and also a little spooked by the fact that Ivy had warned us to slow down for an accident ahead when there wasn’t one, but at the exact spot where she had said that there was we very nearly had an accident ourselves!! And would have for sure if it weren’t for that message. It was a bit of a strange coincidence at the very least and if I were more superstitious I would say someone from the spirit world was looking out for us… but I’m not so coincidence it has to be.
    We sat for a while next to the turquoise water of the lake before continuing on our way. We arrived at the first park up that we had chosen but it was a tiny fenced area with a resident van already there. We squeezed Ivy in and got out with Bliss to have a look around, in the resident van was a very large and seemingly angry German shepherd that was barking ferociously at us. It was not a friendly welcome so we thought we’d try another spot further down the road, but that quickly turned into a quagmire of mud so we abandoned the idea of that particular spot too. As we left two large livestock guard dogs chased us off. Not going well this is it!
    We got back on park4night and headed to the next spot not too far away. It was a windy, steep road that took us uphill.
    We ended up settling at the top of a random dead end road in the end, that was near a treetop adventure park and winter ski slopes complete with chair lift. Quite high and much cooler which was a nice relief.
    We discovered when we went for a walk that it was a pretty wooded, grassy place with lots of wild flowers, Darren picked another little posie of flowers and presented them to me romantically. We had to tread carefully as there were great big sink holes amongst the trees that we couldn’t see the bottom of, not that we dared to look too closely. Somewhat less romantically, Darren announced that he could easily get rid of me down one of those holes and no one would ever know or ever find me! 😂
    Unsure of whether we’d be allowed to stay for the night we settled down, and thankfully we had a peaceful, quiet evening with no one but the owls for company.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    1
    1

    Turquoise lakes - Lavender fields

    June 24, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We left the marina heading inland a little. We needed to get a little further up the coast but wanted more countryside rather than busy towns and over populated tourism. We drove through miles of lovely countryside with sometimes lavender or sunflower fields offering contrast to the lush greenery. Until it changed again and we found ourselves on roads surrounded by huge rocky limestone cliffs. We then by chance drove along a road that was skirting a very large lake with the most beautiful turquoise water, there were though unfortunately lots of people and height barriers across all the parking places 🤬. So frustrating because we really wanted to stop and visit this location as it was quite special. We could see there was the opportunity to hire a canoe or pedlo and take it out on the water between the walls of the massive gorge. We would have definitely wanted to do that, but alas parking Ivy anywhere was simply not going to happen 😢.
    We carried on around the lake taking the road up the side of the gorge until we came across a place that at last we were able to stop overlooking the lake, so we pulled in and turned off the ignition . As we arrived we immediately noticed a couple with a lovely white northern Inuit dog. We had a chat with the couple who were from Belgium but spoke very good English. The man was suitably impressed with Ivy ( describing her as his dream) so Darren gave him the full tour. The lady was quite taken with Bliss, while I was equally taken with her dog. A beautiful dog no doubt, but a bit aloof, whereas Bliss was her usual friendly self, wanting to play and frustratingly being ignored. ☺️
    The view of the lake was stunning, we just wished we could have gone for a paddle boat ride with Bliss. Never mind, maybe we’ll come back one day in the future when it’s not so busy. Ivy’s maiden voyage is a whistle stop tour by design, where we’re to find out one way or another if this is the life for us. So we’re not spending anywhere near enough time in each area to truly appreciate all they have to offer. This is one of those places that clearly has a great deal on offer and deserves to be revisited properly.
    It suddenly started to get overcast and then started raining so we retreated back into the sanctuary of Ivy. We continued on our way and settled at a village aire that we came across. We went for a quick walk around the village streets with Bliss when we arrived. There was a pigeon that was sitting on the side of the road on someone’s doorstep, that we didn’t see but unfortunately Bliss did! Before we had a chance to stop her she pounced and had the poor thing in her mouth. One shake and a moment later the poor thing was dead. 😢
    If there’s one thing I would change about Bliss it’s her predatory nature, but she is a husky and unfortunately that’s just what they are evolved to do.
    We went back to Ivy, parked in this somewhat unremarkable but functional parking area, settled in for the night and tried to figure out our where to next.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Unexpectedly pleasant.

    June 23, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    We planned to get up early this morning and take advantage of having the beach to ourselves for a swim, but the sea felt pretty cold and we were too chicken to take the full plunge. I went for a knee deep paddle and called that it! Darren ventured in up to his navel but he also wimped out.
    It wasn’t too long before people started arriving to spend the day, spreading their towels, buckets and spades and other beach essentials out. As it was a beautiful sunny Sunday we couldn’t really blame them for that. For us though it was time to get back on the road so while I prepared Ivy for the trip Darren took Bliss for one last dip in the lovely cool water. I was just about done with Ivy when Darren came back all flustered saying we’ve got to go now! Guess what she did? Bliss... in front of a beach full of people who might I add were not impressed decided to have her morning poo in the sea!!! In front of everyone, all staring at Darren disgusted like he’d done it!! He couldn’t pick it up obviously as it was in the water so he just did the walk of shame back to the van. Mortified 😂 Needless to say, we left, sharpish!

    We drove further along the coast, passing lagoons with the surprise of seeing wild flamingos 🦩, long avenues of beech trees leading to towns and villages each with their own unique charm. We were hoping to park at a place Darren had found in a bay further along but when we got there the road down was closed. We parked up where we were and walked down to the bay to see if there was any other way down, but once we arrived we realised immediately we didn’t really like the feel of the place anyway. Whilst the tiny beach area was really nice, complete with a resident swan, there were loads of kids, life guards, parents and grandparents and it all felt unfriendly somehow. Like it was theirs alone and we weren’t welcome. Bliss certainly wasn’t allowed on the nice part of the beach, and tbh the thought of her repeating what she’d done earlier today here was simply horrifying.

    There was another place not too far away that was quite a new parking area and it didn’t have any reviews on the app. We thought we’d try it anyway as it was getting late. On first inspection it seemed it was just a large gravel car park by a small marina, nothing special at all, but could be okay to sleep for the night. It’s funny how you arrive somewhere and sometimes you just know instantly it’s not right and sometimes you have to just sit for a while and soak up the essence of a place before you know if it’s worth staying or not. This place was not particularly pretty but it was quiet, felt peaceful and safe so we stayed. I’m glad we did, as it grew darker the sunset came down over the rocks on the far jetty, as the light faded one of the rocks looked like a huge bust of Jesus complete with a thorny crown in silhouette . Behind us, a few streets back was some kind of gas burning chimney flare that had flames coming out of the top of it every few minutes. That lit up the rocks and the boats that were moored in the marina in a lovely fireplace like orange glow. Bats started their evening antics, flying around the sky in front of us putting on a show of all their best moves. We were the only people there, it just felt so calm and safe. We laid on the couch together with the side doors open enjoying the show with a cool evening breeze and a complete lack of any pesky flies or mozzies. The park up turned out to be altogether much nicer than it had first appeared.
    Once it was fully dark though we were ready for our bed so secured the doors and windows and settled down for a peaceful night’s sleep.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Mediterranean sunrise and sandy bay

    June 22, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Darren woke me up with a prod again at an unGodly hour to watch the sunrise. After cursing him just a little I managed to raise an eyelid, followed five minutes after by the other one. It was worth waking up for though, quite beautiful and full of promise.
    After a couple of coffee’s we drove back down the wiggly winding road looking for a place where we could top up the water tank. Not too far away was a vineyard with a water tap, so we filled up and continued our journey back along the coast in search of a beach. Not too hopeful of getting a spot where we could park for the night close by we tried anyway and found a place down a tiny track. The kind of place only a local would know about. Right on the beach itself in a small bay tucked behind a caravan park. One of the very few places where we could take Bliss onto the beach. It was the perfect spot apart from the other people who were there, not loads of them, but enough. We would of course have preferred it if it were just us, but we made the best of it. Bliss was just so excited about being at the beach, we had to immediately go in the sea. I went in for a paddle with her and was surprised by how warm the water was. I would have liked it a few degrees warmer to entice me to swim if I’m being perfectly honest ,but it was a lot warmer than the waters surrounding the Isle of Wight at this time of year, and is way clearer and altogether cleaner looking and more inviting.
    We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing, drinking some wine and lying on our bed looking out of the rear doors at the Mediterranean Sea. In the evening when all the people had gone home and there was just us and one other camper a bit further along, it was lovely just listening to the gentle waves coming in and watching bats darting around the sky as the sun went down. It reminded us a lot of when our kids were young and we used to take our battered old transit camper to Bembridge, which at that time you could park on the beach just like this. After the kids had gone off to sleep (eventually!) there’d just be us and the romantically rhythmic sounds of the waters lapping at the shore. So I reminisced and mourned for our passing youth a little while, reflecting on just how lucky we are to be reliving it again in our autumn years, still in love.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Three countries in one day

    June 21, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We start the decent on our way out of Andorra and into Spain, very steep decent at first so we did stop to check our brakes weren’t getting too hot. About an hour later we are still going downhill and our diesel tank is still on full. We can’t believe how long and how far you can keep driving downhill. We decide to head for the coast, it’s hot so we keep driving, making the most of Ivy’s air con whilst clocking up the miles and in the hope the coast will be cooler. We drive all day with a few stops for Bliss to stretch her legs and do her business. Today we have driven from France, through Andorra, into Spain, back into France and finally we settle on a coastal peninsula almost at the border of Spain again! Another very long but very interesting journey.
    Towards the end the drive along the zigzagging coast through the coastal towns was busy with people sat along the streets outside of cafes and clubs, live music emitting from the bars and a jolly holidaying atmosphere. Hundreds of boats moored in the bays all along the coast.
    Happy to drive away from the busy tourist area we find ourselves upon a cliff top peninsula with a great view of the Mediterranean Sea. As it got later it did become busier with other campers arriving to stay the night. We were lucky to have arrived when we did or we wouldn’t have had such a great space. We sat outside drinking coffee and watching hundreds of swifts feeding on the evening insects. As it grew dark we found the light from the seamark beacon flashing its warning to the boats, and the full Moon was a lovely reddy orange colour which we later found out that it was called a strawberry moon. It felt somehow homely being near the sea again. You can take the girl out of the island, but you can’t take the Island out of the girl ( or something like that 😜)    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    What the hell is this road marking about?

    Andorra (New Country Day)

    June 21, 2024 in Andorra ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Leaving our park up and heading up steep and winding roads I am hoping we make it before the diesel runs out! We have left it as long as possible so we can take advantage of the really cheap fuel on offer in Andorra ⛽️
    I’ve not been looking forward to going to Andorra if I’m honest as I’ve heard it’s a busy place and that’s proving to be true. We were expecting to have to show our passports at the border crossing but we were just waved through by the officials. We’re not actually stopping here but just driving through. Mainly so that Darren can collect a new flag sticker for Ivy! And just so we can say to anyone remotely interested…”Oh yes, Andorra… we’ve been there! “ 😜
    The drive was interesting though, busy top brand shops, restaurants, hotels, ski resorts, and epic mountain tops surrounding the whole area. Once we reached the top and started the decent on the way out of Andorra we were looking out for signs to say we were in Spain 🇪🇸 again. A couple of hours later and our mini break in Andorra was over.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    A bit closer but not quite

    June 20, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After the last couple of days of not having much solar power our leisure batteries are quite low so we need to recharge. Just before the road starts to go up to Andorra there’s an aire that has electric hook up so we head there. We managed to get hooked up to the electricity but it was going to take quite a while to recharge. The weather was looking rubbish so rather than go today we decided to postpone our trip through Andorra until tomorrow. I had plenty of cleaning to do inside Ivy and wasn’t keen to drive in the adverse weather conditions. Once the cleaning chores were done it was nice to relax, listen to the rain on Ivy’s roof and just watch some soaps.Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
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    Thunderstorms in the woods

    June 19, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After a slow start we head off in the direction of Andorra 🇦🇩 our satnav always set to avoid motorways and tolls has been by far the best decision of the trip, because that’s how you see the real place and stumble across so many unexpected curiosities. Thoroughly enjoyed the drive even though there wasn’t anything in particular to tell you about. It’s so pretty and awe inspiring everywhere here.
    We find a lovely quiet spot sandwiched between a river and a train track, a grassy clearing surrounded by trees that will be home for the night. Darren went off for a walk and when he came back, on bended knee he presented me with a bunch of wild flowers 🌷 how romantic 🥰 ( The cynic in me thinking he’s either feeling guilty or after something obvs 😂) Turns out he was being genuinely soppy. Awww 🥰
    It started getting cold and began raining so we closed Ivy up and got comfortable, it wasn’t long before we started hearing thunder and seeing flashes of lightning. Being inside Ivy when the weather is dark and stormy is so very cozy and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.
    The forecast for tomorrow is not looking very promising so I’m not sure if we’ll go over into Andorra or not. It’s all well and good being in the mountains with all their epic views, but not if it’s all shrouded in mist and gloom. We’ll see… watch this space.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    1

    Lovely quiet restful day

    June 18, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Woke at the crack of dawn to the sound of birdsong and Darren poking me in the ribs saying “Let’s go see if the deer are out in the field where we saw them yesterday.” So I dragged myself out of bed to go see, but oh dear… there were no deer! Back to bed for another couple of hours I think. 🤔
    Shattered from the last few days of adventures I made the executive decision that we needed a rest day. Bliss seemed quite happy just chilling by the river so that’s what we did. The only thing that happened all day of note was when a middle aged couple turned up out of nowhere on pushbikes… and the lady proceeded to remove ALL her clothes right in front of us and go skinny dipping in the river! . Darren didn’t know where to look 👀 bless him. 😂 I just wanted to advise her that a bit of a trim might be an idea ✂️ 😜    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    1

    The Longest Day 🥱

    June 17, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After the excitement and exercise of yesterday we slept well and woke knowing we had lots to do today. We were out of water, food too and needed to get some washing done today, so we left fairly early. It was a beautiful clear blue sky as we took to the road back down the mountain, but before we knew it we were climbing back up another. On the way up we stopped to watch a helicopter 🚁 flying overhead with a large load hanging beneath it by a long rope. It was delivering something to one of the high peaks nearby. Amazing to watch, the skill of the pilot was obvious. The precision involved in picking up and dropping off his cargo was incredible as the wind was pretty strong. We carried on up until we reached the top of the pass and then parked up to have a look around. It was cold and windy at the pass through the high mountain but actually quite a hot day down in the valleys, so we decided to drive as far as possible today as Bliss doesn’t like the heat. We found a place on Park4night that has washing machines and headed for that as it was also at a supermarket so we could stock up the fridge too at the same time. It was quite a distance and meant going over three more mountain passes (called “cols” here) but needs must.
    We came to a sign saying road closed which was the road we really wanted to take else it would mean a massive detour! After sitting for a while and seeing several other vehicles including a large A class motorhome go through and not come back we decided to ignore the road closed sign and do it anyway. We got up the road quite a way before we saw road workers. There was traffic coming from the other direction and the workers didn’t stop us (or them) so we squeezed through and carried on uphill. They had just laid fresh hot smelly tarmac! When we reached the top we pulled over and took a look at our wheels, we had a good half inch thick layer of tarmac stuck to them. Oops! 😬. Ivy’s bad ass tire tread left like an incriminating fingerprint at the scene of a crime!
    There was another great view to look at and lots of cows chilling amongst us and the masochistic cyclists, motorcycles, campers, cars that also pulled over to savour the sights. Where there’s cows, there’s flies too of course so we soon decided to get going. I can hardly express how seriously annoying they can be, like they deliberately try to wind you up and know exactly how to do it.
    A long day of driving and we eventually found the supermarket and the washing machines and as a bonus also a jet wash to give Ivy a good clean. Chores all done in a couple of hours and we still had to find somewhere to stay for the night. We tried one place that had water but no space for us to stay, so topped up and continued hunting. It was getting quite late now and the light was fading. The wildlife evening shift was coming out. On the way to the place that we ended up staying we saw the oh so cutest little baby fox 🦊 and then we saw some young deer who were startled in our headlights.
    After the longest day we found a lovely quiet retreat by a small river, collapsed into bed and slept like the dead.    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler
    111

    Our most epic day (Part Two)

    June 16, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Chapter Two: Unspeakable beauty.
    Finally we reached the hotel and the point where we could go no further, but the view opened up in all its glory. Still 2km away from the waterfall base but because of its size it seemed so close. The snow capped mountains rose high above feeding the waterfall higher than we could actually see. The upper ridge forms the Spanish-French border.
    Darren took lots of pictures but honestly they just don’t capture the reality of this place. You have to be there to get a real perspective of the size, and even then it’s hard to take it all in. We stayed there for a couple of hours just looking at the natural wonders all around us.
    Darren decided to phone home to show them how awesome it all is but nobody was answering. Then I reminded him that it was still early on a Sunday morning and nobody was going to be impressed with him calling them at this time!! He wasn’t going to give up though because he really wanted to share this moment with everyone. He was manically high on the whole experience. But he waited a little while before trying again. After speaking to a few bleary eyed people and sharing this magical place with them it started to get busier with tourists arriving and it was starting to get quite hot too which was strange because we were so close to the snow up here. We reluctantly agreed that it was time to leave, get down to somewhere Bliss could cool off in the water. We walked a short way down to a little side path that led to a fast running stream and a grassy rock covered bank where we had the picnic I had prepared the night before. Surrounded by the most beautiful scenery imaginable. With a bit of energy giving food in our bellies and Bliss cooled off in the stream we continued our way back down the mountain. There were lots of people on their way up so we were pleased that we had made the decision to go early in the morning before everyone else. I felt sorry for them as it was hot going down so going up in the heat would have been an unpleasant experience. We found a path on the other side of the river via a wooden bridge that took us away from the crowds of people on their way up and took it. It was a bit more difficult going but less busy. We were almost back to the area where the shops were when we saw two people walking along with backpacks and as we drew closer we realised that they each had a cat inside them! The cat’s didn’t look like they were having much fun to be honest. I’m sure they were lovely people who loved their cats but...really!!
    We reached Ivy, tired, sore feet, hot and sweaty but so happy to have had the opportunity to see such a wonderful place together. We decided we would stay here the night and leave in the morning. Bliss had her dinner and took her place underneath Ivy in the shade. We didn’t hear a thing from her until we brought her in at bedtime. One tired happy husky. 😴
    If ever you get the chance to come here, don’t hesitate for a moment!    Read more

  • Bliss VenturesIvy’s Maiden VoyageTraveler

    Our most epic day (Part one)

    June 16, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Chapter one: Humbled by nature
    We were up at the crack of dawn and on our way up the mountain road. We parked Ivy when we arrived and got together all the things we needed for a hike up the mountain. We were going to see the biggest waterfall in France ( one of the biggest in Europe) and because it is quite a tourist attraction and a Sunday we came early to experience it without too many people around us.
    As with our dawn hike to Mont St Michel it was to pay off as we were completely alone for the first few hours due to our head start.
    We started off through the first area where civilisation still reigned, there were shops cafes, hotels and restaurants, all still closed of course at this hour of the day. Then we met some lovely donkeys which were used for children to get a ride up to the waterfall. We passed a field of very pretty sheep and horses and then we were on a path that followed a fast flowing river with ice blue waters, water that had come all the way down from the glaciers feeding the waterfalls. We could already see the waterfalls in the distance but they were still several km’s away. But already it was impressive beyond belief. Like something your imagination might conjure up whist reading a Tolkien book.
    Unfortunately we were not going to be able to get all the way up to the waterfalls and the snow still laying in its shadow because dogs aren’t allowed past the hotel that is located perhaps some 80% of the way there. I presume that is because of the wildlife that lives there, marmots for sure inhabit the place, but we didn’t see them and neither did Bliss.
    The walk up starts fairly easy, but the last hour of walking is very steep so I’m so glad we came early before it got hot. Bliss was able to cool off in the river quite a few times on the journey so she was happy.
    The closer we got the more spectacular it became as it revealed more and more smaller waterfalls all across the impenetrable mountain wall, and dozens of smaller ones on the way up the trail. But the one big one was simply immense even though it was still so far away from us. I was mesmerised by the way the water fell in a slow motion effect brought about by its sheer enormity.
    The arduous climb seemed to go on and on and the track deteriorated as we got higher. I couldn’t believe that there was an actual hotel up here and kept saying to Darren are you sure that there’s really a hotel? How on earth do they get stuff up here? Then a small four wheel drive jeep with oversized chunky wheels came bouncing around up the rocky pathway… so that explained that mystery.    Read more

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