Exploring my Ancestral Roots, Malta 2013

Marcus Garvey once wrote "A people without the knowledge of their past, origin and culture is like a tree without roots" so, when your Dad mentions that he's booking a trip to Malta, the birthplace of his mother, who wouldn't want to join for a weekend?  Appreciating that Malta is just a stone throw away from Basel the decision was a pretty easy one.  Just wished I had checked out the flight and ferry logistics before deciding not to make a long weekend out of it.

One of the hundreds of churches that dotted the island of Gozo.  Without knowing for sure, my guess is there are more churches on Gozo per capita than anywhere else in the world

Upon arrival, we realized that the place my father had rented was actually on Gozo the smaller neighbouring island just off the main island of Malta. With these travel details it meant we essentially only had one full day on Saturday on the island.  It was decided that we would spend the day walking around visiting the coast, a few small towns and then the major citadel of the island.   Fortunately for us, a January visit means that the mid-day temperatures, when the sun was out, were around the low twenties.  This made for perfect weather to be walking around on this typically sweltering island, at least for the morning.

We got lucky and the sun was out for most of the day on Saturday, an extreme departure from what we had when we arrived and departed.  I was particularly surprised with how green the island was.  I had been to Malta about 10 years earlier (in June) and remembered it being nothing but brown and hot.  It was nice to get a different perspective.  On both visits, the local people were extremely friendly and hospitable.  We longed for nothing while on the island including rides to the ferry, friendly banter and the polite exchange of political ideals.

One of the many vistas that we had along the walk.  From here we walked down to the coast past the salt flats.  Incredible to see that these ancient practices are still in use today

We ate lunch at a beautiful seaside restaurant.  The food was tremendous.  It seems that one of the few "crops" that has found success on Gozo is rabbit and so it was quite common to see it on the menu.  The public transport was extremely efficient on both islands meaning that car ownership was more of luxury than a necessity.
 

This was the small marina/coastal town where we had lunch.  Unfortunately, the sun disappeared and there was a strong wind making it quite chilly.  It would be nice to come back in the hot summer and take better advantage of this place.  There were incredible sea cliffs just to the left of this photo.  Would have made for a heroic walk if the weather had cooperated

The highlight was the citadel and the sheer number of churches.  I guess if you're going to fortify an island and make it the final defence for your religion, you need to keep those symbols everywhere.  The views from atop the citadel walls were really stunning and gave a good overview of what the island was made of.

I was surprised to see how green everything was.  I guess at this time of year this is not unusual.  Land is extreme valuable on Gozo and every piece of it is owned by a family, often passed down through bloodlines

I can't help it.  See a canon, must take a picture.  On a clear day you could pretty much see water on all sides from up here.  Gozo is not a very large island

A view over the capital city of Gozo from the Citadel walls at sunset.  From here it was possible to count well over 12 different churches

All in all, I'm happy we made the trip.  Not only did it offer a little reprieve from the Swiss winter but it was also great to spend some time with family.  I only wish we had a few more days to explore the main island and also learn of the history that brought my great grandfather to be stationed here during the Boer War.  There's always next time.

Returning to the Scene of the Crime, Chamonix Jan 2013

I spent the bulk of Spring/Summer 2012 training for the ascent of Mont Blanc (see earlier posts) and January 2013 was the first chance that I had to return to Chamonix France after the big ascent.  A group of friends were spending their holidays skiing around Chamonix and I decided to join them for a weekend.  It was surreal to be standing in the village, looking up at the summit of the massif and thinking that it had only been a few months earlier that I was standing on the top.  It seemed like a lifetime ago.

After leaving Basel at 5:00 am on Saturday morning, a friend and I arrived in Chamonix promptly at 8:30 am just in time to catch one of the first lifts up.  This was the first time in many years of skiing that I witnessed somebody get seriously injured getting onto the first "walk on" Gondola.  He was carrying a number of pairs of skis and slipped while entering the gondola, falling against the ski edges with his cheek.  This caused a deep laceration from his orbital bone down to his jaw bone that pretty much allowed us to see the inside of his mouth, from outside.  It was probably the shortest ski vacation anybody has ever had as he hadn't even had the opportunity to put on his skis yet.  Needless to say, shaving must have been a real problem for him for the next few weeks.

I love this shot.  Looking straight across the valley at Mont Blanc.  Essentially, the Gouter ridge route, which is the ascent route that we followed climbs up the profile from right to left to the summit (third peak from the right)

Chamonix seems to be a pretty lucky place for me and we were fortunate (again!) to have perfect weather for the entire weekend.  We started skiing at Brevent which gave us unimpeded views of Mont Blanc.  Part of the magic of skiing is being outdoors and taking in the energy from the surrounding mountains.  There is nowhere else that I find this more exhilarating that in Chamonix.

For those who have never visited Chamonix it is a special place in both summer and winter.  It is one of the few villages in the world where I feel "out-extremed"or not "hard core".  It seems like everybody in this place, certainly all residents, are only here for one reason....The mountains!  Locals don't even bother with the ski resorts, they just head out into the vast terrain that is so easily accessible in Chamonix and spend their days tracking it out.

This photo was taken looking down from the top lift as an example of the limitless terrain that Chamonix offers if you have the local knowledge

Unfortunately, the only way to take advantage of this is to spend a season or two here skiing with the locals to acquire the knowledge.  This is certainly a dream but one which will likely have to wait a while.

Another shot back towards Mont Blanc.  You can see that we had a busy day on the slopes 

I love this shot?  The village of Chamonix can be seen in the valley and across the valley is the Mont Blanc massif being basted in afternoon sunlight.  Incredible

Taken from a little further down the valley, similar photo but showing that even in the resort there is lots of off piste terrain to be explored

We spent the second day skiing the Grands Montets, another resort in the Chamonix valley.  This resort is known for it's steeper terrain and afternoon sun.  Fortunately, I was skiing with another Canadian today who was preparing for a run down the "Vallee Blanche" (see earlier post) so we didn't fool around.  It was a day of aggressive top to bottom skiing.  This resort is on the same side of the valley as Mont Blanc and therefore, from the top, offers a very different perspective on the Massif.

One of the disadvantages to the Grands Montets is that it remains in shadow for much of the morning.  This keeps the snow cold and hard which is great for aggressive skiing.  That said, we were all happy when the sun finally lifted over the mountains!

The view from one of the top lifts at Grands Montets.  The glacier that you see in the valley is the Vallee Blanche glacier or "Mer de Glace".  From here you can clearly see the summit of Mont Blanc in the background.

As the expression goes "you never forget your first" and I believe that I will never forget Mont Blanc and the experience of climbing it.  As such, I have no doubt that Chamonix will always be a special place for me, one that I hope to return to many more times for both skiing and climbing!

Getting Lost in Romance City, Venice 2013

Tiziano Scarpa once said "Getting lost is the only place worth going to."  If you believe that (and I do) then Venice is an absolute must visit!  It's not "being lost" that is exhilarating but it's what you unexpectedly discover along the way that makes being lost so much fun.

Venice is a city we think we all know because of how many times we've seen it in movies, or poems or novels.  We've all heard that it is the "City of Romance" that is full of canals, gondolas and tourists.  The truth is, you can't actually know Venice and all of it's magic until you've experienced it first hand.  Venice offers something that no other city that I have ever visited does.  It offers the opportunity to get helplessly lost with no negative consequences or safety concerns.  This is the magic of Venice that you can never experience through movies, books or travel blogs.

The quintessential scene that we all know from movies.  In fact, it is this scene that has been replicated in Las Vegas.  This is superficial Venice and it's beautiful but it doesn't go anywhere close to capturing the magic that the city has to offer

Life on the main canal.  I took this shot to show the volume of traffic that happens on the main canal but also the diversity in boats.  There is a specialized boat for everything!

Venice is a small island city that you can walk from one end to the other in a maximum 1.5 hours.  So, even if you are to make a few wrong turns (and you will) you're never very far from where you want to be.  Moreover, in making these wrong turns, you have actually embarked on a journey of discovery.  Around every corner, across every bridge (and there are hundreds!) and beyond every canal is something incredible and unexpected.

A shot up the canal towards the cathedral.  We stumbled across this place on our first day of exploration

A shot of the main canal at night taken from Ponto Rialto.  The large "boats" are public transport vessels that stop all along the canal.  

Fortunately, Venice is only about an hour away from Basel so the Easter long weekend offered ample time to get down and explore the city.  Recently, on city trips, we've trended away from staying in hotels and instead have rent apartments.  There is no better city in the world to take this approach than Venice.  Not only was the apartment that we rented cheaper than any hotel but it was also in an ideal location.  We were just minutes from Rialto bridge and therefore just minutes from Piazza St. Marco.  In other words, everything you really want to see is simply just around the corner.

I snapped this shot of Rialto bridge when we first arrived.  Arriving at night was a little daunting given how confusing the city is to navigate

Another shot of Rialto bridge, this one taken while on our gondola tour.  I was surprised that they don't do more to clean up the graffiti.  Then again, this is Italy

St. Marco's square.  A good place to come to feed the pigeons.  Interested to learn that during "high" tide in the Med (very little) this square actually floods up through the stone.  It's pretty impressive to watch

Now, what makes a trip to Venice the adventure that it is is that the city is a maze!  It is really impossible to navigate yourself around Venice with a map.  Sure, there are key landmarks and no way to really get lost but it is fair to say that you will never really find your way with a map...simply impossible.  The streets are simply too small, too numerous and laden with too many corners to be effectively navigated with a map.  Now, this might sound frightening to some, but to me, this was the single best part of Venice.  You simply have no choice but to get lost!  There is nothing more energetic then being lost provided you know it is consequence free.  In fact, what this offers is an amazing trip of discovery.  Because you don't know where you are, you are constantly stumbling across things that amaze you...whether it's a church, a tower, a museum, a canal, a cafe, a calzone or a wine shop.  What's even better is half the time you stumble across somewhere where you've been before but from a different direction offering a different perspective.  It's simply incredible.

All along the canal route, the gondola needs to list on it's side to go under the lower bridges.  It was incredible to see how reliably two way traffic was able to navigate under these things

Now, you might be thinking, "OK, so you guys got lucky.  It sounds like your trip was perfect".  That couldn't be further from the truth.  It rained almost every day that we were there and not just a light rain but absolute downpours.  So, how did we manage to have such a positive experience?  Venice, because of all of its restaurants, cafes, wine stores etc...offers so many places for shelter that whenever the rain got too much, we simply took some time to explore the local cuisine.  Moreover, the instant rain starts to fall umbrellas seem to be on sale at every street corner.  These guys know how to turn a buck regardless of the weather.

I have heard that Venice stinks in the summer and I can understand that.  There is no sewer in the city (given that it would be underwater) and so there is little processing of raw sewage before it hits the canals.  In fact, I think it could be unbearable in the hot summer months but that wasn't our experience at all.  During the main tourist months, Venice is also overrun with people and so the main routes between tourist sites will always be slow and crowded.  So, don't ever be in a rush in Venice or you will simply drive yourself crazy....that said, who is ever on a rush on holidays?

Getting lost is a luxury that is rarely afforded in major cities.  Venice offers this luxury and all of the magic of discovery that goes along with it.  Yes, the city is romantic because of gondolas and canals but the city's true magic comes from the fact that it forces you to find your own way (and you'll fall in love along the way).  After all, isn't this what life and romance is all about?

High Atlas Adventure - Morocco, May 2013

There are a few places that I've always wanted to visit but can't remember exactly why?  Morocco was one of these destination.  However, it wasn't until moving to Basel and realising just how easy it was to visit from here that I actually believed I'd get there.  I have to admit, as a child growing up in Canada I had very little understanding of what Morocco had to offer.  My impression of this part of Africa was that it was hot, it was sandy and it was predominantly barren.  I'm happy to report, that Morocco exceeded every one of my expectations!

It has only been in the last four years that I learned Morocco had mountains!  Speaking with fellow trekking lovers and alpine adventurers, I learned that the high Atlas mountains in Morocco are reputed to offers some terrific trekking.  This, and an extended block of bank holidays, were the only two excused that were needed to book a trip to Morocco.

The idea was to spend two days in Marrakesh to experience the urban lifestyle of Moroccans and then head into the Atlas Mountains for 3 days of trekking.  It was clear that when getting onto the aeroplane I should have done a bit more research.  Marrakesh is an amazing city that I recommend everybody to visit.  A word of caution, it is really two cities (old and new) so book your accommodations based on what you're hoping to experience.  The "new" Marrakesh is like any other modern, affluent city with Palm tree lined boulevards, big hotels and modern restaurants.

Personally, not at all what I was interested to experience.  The old city is the definition of chaos with people, cats, dogs, cars, bikes, mopeds, all moving in different directions at once....in other words, it is magical!

This is a non-descript corner just outside of the tourist part of the old city.  It's important to understand that behind many of these walls are found some stunning internal courtyards!

We stayed in a Rihad in the northern part of the old, walled city that is much less frequented by tourists.  Upon arrival, we learned that traditionally, the Moroccan people do not showcase their wealth to their neighbours.  As a consequence, Marrakesh is a bit bipolar.  From the outside, the streets seem barren and dull.  However, once you enter (often through a very nondescript/daunting doorway) into a rihad there is beauty almost everywhere.  This radical transformation from the loud, hot, chaotic streets into these tranquil, cooler interior structures is incredible.

After our first night out in the old city we returned to rose pedals in our swimming pool.  It is a perfect example of how what you see on the outside does not connect with what you experience on the inside

The message here is to always adventure through the doorway before making judgements on Rihads, restaurants and shops.  Don't be fooled by the impression left by the building's facade, venture in and you will be pleasantly surprised more often than not.

We decided to have a late afternoon tea on a terrace overlooking the main square in Marrakesh waiting for the sunset.  The old square is quite quiet during the hot hours of the day however, come nightfall in transforms into this incredible place full of local street performers, snake charmers, monkey handlers and food vendors.  This is definitely something everybody needs to experience and it's perfectly safe at night.

We spent our time getting lost in the narrow winding streets, drinking local Moroccan tea (always with sugar!) and sampling the local cuisine.  For lunches and dinners we would try to get as high as possible and dine on roof top terraces offering views of the city from above.  Catching the sunset in the main square was definitely a highlight.  All the while, through the dust, heat and smog of the city, the silhouettes of the mighty Atlas mountains beckoned on the horizon.

I strongly recommend planning to have either dinner or tea from a high terrace overlooking the main square for sunset.  It is incredible to watch the square transform

Two days in Marrakesh was enough.  It was time to see what these mountains that I'd heard so much about had to offer.  We were off on the 60 km drive to Imill, the town most often used as the access point to the High Atlas Mountains.

This is a view of Toubkal, the highest mountain in Northern Africa, from the Kasbah in Imill.  Just to the left of the tower you can see the beginning of the trail snaking up the valley

Upon arrival, we did a short orientation walk around the surrounding valley.  I was surprised with how much the scenery, architecture and local lifestyle reminded me of Nepal.

This is one of the neighbouring villages to Imill taken from our hotel

This is a shot taken up the opposite valley from Toubkal (again from our hotel).  What struck me was how dependent the place is on water.  Wherever water was available it was green and lush.  As soon as access to water disappeared, so did the colour!

The second day offered a more spirited trek from Imill (1900m) to the Toubkal refuge at 3200 meters of altitude.  The walk itself was quite gentle however, for most of the walk there is no protection from the intense African sun.  I finally decided to discard my western hat and adopt the local headdress.  Hands down, it was the best decision I've ever made.  It is so counter intuitive to me that you can become more comfortable by wrapping a scarf around your head and neck but it is true.  After dawning the traditional "hat" I had no problems with the sun or heat.

This tree on the way up from Imill captured my imagination.  To be honest, it was the last things offering shade for the next 1200 meters of altitude!

I just love this shot showing how the trail really does follow the river all the way to the source.  This was taken looking back from where I'd come on the ascent to the refuge

My only regret is that circumstances did not permit me to summit Toubkal this time around.  It is not easy for me to turn around before hitting a summit.

At approx 3200m stands the two highest refuges in the High Atlas mountains.  Each is well positioned to accommodate climbers before they summit.  Unfortunately for me, they simply offered a warm, traditional meal before heading back down

This is one of my favourite shots for two reasons:  It highlights the architecture used in these high alpine areas.  It also shows the most common form of transportation in the mountains.  A family with a mule is a wealthy family!

In the centre of the photo you can see the Toubkal refuge nestled at the far end of the valley.  This was the destination for today

That said, this gives me an excellent excuse to return to Morocco soon to finish the trip.  I would also spend some more time trekking around the High Atlas mountains because I think they have so much more to offer the further off the beaten track you venture.

I did pass through a small village on my way to the refuge.  It's incredible but each small town has a mosque.  In this instance they had painted the rock beside the mosque white (centre-left of the photo).  I was never able to get an explanation for why?

All in all, this trip to Morocco reminded me of two very important principles.  One, never judge a book by its cover and the only way to know something for certain is to experience it yourself.