Adventures by Alan and Melanie
We found ourselves newly carless after selling our van in Chamonix. Without Bleu Lightning, our plan of driving and climbing our way back across France was no longer possible. Luckily this gave us the chance to visit our friend Sebastian in Asturias, Spain and another day with Michelle and Zach, who gave us a ride to Zurich on their way home.
Continue reading “Climbing in Spain, and saying goodbye to Europe”
As we approached Chamonix, a mountain town at the base of Mont Blanc, my excitement was twinged with nerves. In a few kilometers we would exit the long tunnel through the mountains from Italy, and finally set foot in a place that had only existed in dreams and photographs. Chamonix was filled with tourists, and most restaurants required a reservation – two big strikes in our book. But when the clouds cleared and the sun-lit peak of Mont Blanc appeared towering over the town, I knew the magic was real. We settled into a campground near town, allowing us to explore the mountains and town on foot. Our fellow campers were also climbers, and conversations were highly reminiscent of those in El Chalten. Weather windows, gear, and the most epic climbs.
Our day started before the sun lit the valley, and we excitedly finished off oatmeal and coffee before lacing up boots and beginning the walk to the Aiguille du Midi chairlift. Our goal was Rebuffat-Baquet (6a/5.10-), a beautiful and sustained eleven pitch alpine granite route that finishes with a rappel onto the tourist viewing platforms.
Our drive into the Dolomites took us through picturesque mountain towns where “danke schoen” worked just as well as “gratzie” and restaurants served pizza and pasta alongside pretzels and schnitzel. The views opened up suddenly and the towering dolomites took our breath away. While in this Italian mountain range, we hiked, climbed, and “via ferrata’d”, all offering incredible adventure and scenery.
This long alpine route was at least as mentally demanding as it was physically demanding. In the mostly stable weather of August 1st, 2018, Melanie and I set off from the Muttekopfhutte hut (1,934 m) at 6:15 AM. The route summits the Hintere Platteinspitze (2728 m) after about 690 m of 5th class climbing.
Tucked away in the Alps of north Tyrol, Muttekopfhütte felt like staying in a 5 star hotel for Mel and I. The views out the bedroom window were fantastic, there was a meal service, showers… and most importantly climbing all around!
After leaving Romania, we enjoyed a day in Belgrade, reunited with a new friend in Zagreb, and coasted north to Munich, stopping in Ljubljana and Salzburg. We arrived to Munich just in time to hang out with Michelle and explore her new neighborhood.
We arrived in Bucharest for dinner, and to our delight, we found the pedestrian “old town” bustling with life and packed with restaurants and bars. This was just the beginning of our discovery of Romania. After visiting castles, mountains, towns, and mines, we are pleased to share that this country is a blossoming destination that we are so glad we did not miss!
Our ferry arrived back in Athens, and we spent the day in the city before heading north to the mountains of Bulgaria. We did two fabulous day hikes and explored more ancient cities, the capital Sofia, and walked through a sweet cave!
We arrived to the island paradise of Kalymnos ready to spend 9 days climbing and enjoying island life. Little did we know, 9 days was not nearly enough time. As we came by ferry from Athens, Bleu Lightning got to come too – her second boat ride.