Night Punting, July 2010

Photos from a fun-filled evening punting trip towards Grantchester.

After a pleasant trip up past Grantchester, we stopped at the meadows to set up camp. As usual, there was plenty of bbq supplies; harder (and scratchier) to find was some decent firewood. Bbq, toasting marshmellows on a wood fire, sunset with sky lanterns floating past...

After a very pleasant evening, we punted back down the river, lit by the midsummer night sky. All in all, a great way to spend an evening.

Punting, July 2010

The best way to spend a sunny summer afternoon outdoors in Cambridge - punting up the river to Grantchester, to go to the Orchard. The full punting experience, including Olivia getting the pole stuck!

Swiss Alps, June 2010

Another high-speed jaunt around Europe - this time to visit my eldest brother, in Lauterbrunnen in the Swiss Alps.

After a flight to Zurich, and a slightly blurred view of Berne station (2 minutes to change trains! Fortunately Swiss trains are, well, Swiss), I got a great view of the Thunersee as the train approached Interlaken and the mountains. Lauterbrunnen itself sits is a beautiful valley surrounded by cliffs with waterfalls and green hillsides, with serious mountains all around - the Jungfrau almost overhangs the valley.

The next morning, we took the cog railway up via Wengen, on the hill above, to Kleine Scheidegg and then on up through a tunnel inside the Eiger mountain to the Jungfraujoch. Though expensive and rather touristy, the Jungfraujoch is still impressive - situated at the top of a glacier at 3500m, the view is amazing - blindingly bright, being entirely snow-covered in June. Afterwards we did the long walk down through classic alpine meadows and woods to Wengen, for some well-earned beers and dinner.

On Monday, I took the gondola up to the cliff-top above Lauterbrunnen with a mountain-bike, and followed the woodland path along the ridge to Mirren (a bustling and entirely car-free village) and then along a steep, bumpy and very fun path down to the head of Lauterbrunnen valley. Later, for a change in pace, Alistair and I did an excursion back to see Berne. This is a busy, friendly and pleasant city, with its old city situated on a hill above a bend in the fast-flowing river Aar. As well as having dinner there, we also visited the city's mascots - the bears! The two cubs play-fighting and paddling in the river were especially cute, while the dad just wanted a snooze in the shade...

The next day, I went out walking again. After taking the gondola up to Männlichen - a small (at 2,343m) mountain above the valley - I followed the trail along towards Klien Scheidegg. I also took a couple of detours up the peaks - Tchuggen (2520m) and Lauberhorn (2472m), with spectacular view of the valleys and the north face of the Eiger and Monch, and a close encounter with an eagle that whizzed past the ridgeline.

Wednesday was the day for the big hike - from Mirren up to the Schilthorn (2970m), an altitude change of over a kilometre. Starting in woodland, this wound up past the treeline though stunning terrain, which grew rockier as I climbed. Soon large patches of snow were around, and as I approached the midway point near Birg the path itself was snow-covered. By the time I reached the base of the Schilthorn proper, the snow was several feet deep in places on the path, and the final ascent involved a bit of scrambling through scree and snow. Definitely not a straightforward walk, but rewarding and good fun, and with epic views all round. Unfortunately when I reached the top (a revolving restaurant which can otherwise only be reached by an enormously long cable-car ride), the view disappeared in the mist as a cloud came down. No matter, a tasty lunch was to be had, followed by a wander back down the trail to Mirren

I capped off the trip with an outing with Alistair to Lucerne, a pretty city on its own lake. The final set of photos are again of the Thunersee - this time at dawn, on the return journey. An excellent trip, in some of the most stunning landscapes I've seen - thoroughly recommended!

May Bumps 2010

The usual outing to watch the college May Bumps - a rowing race format that is essentially about everyone madly rowing up a narrow river trying to ram the boat in front!

It was all good fun as usual, and pretty nice weather - though sadly the traditional ice-cream van was absent...

Raspberry Fair

Cambridge traditionally hold the "Strawberry Fair" every June, on Midsummer Common. This is usually a interesting affair, full of, umm, interesting-smelling smoke.

This year, the police refused to play ball. Citing the expense of policing the fun every year, they refused to support this year's fair, and so the organisers where forced to cancel it. Naturally, a lot of people were unhappy with this, and an unofficial "Raspberry Fair" was proposed, as a protest. There was even a Facebook campaign for it at one point - until Facebook quietly yanked it without explanation.

Anyway, I went down to have a look, see if anything interesting was happening. The "fair" mostly consisted of a few groups of hippie types, jugglers, a guy with his electric guitar, some guys with some dance/techno music, and about a dozen police officers wandering around trying to look vaguely friendly and non-confrontational. It was all very peaceful and good-natured.

Sailing: Say Hello to Summer

Rather optimistically, I named this Bank Holiday trip "Say hello to Summer" in the hope that it would indeed be the beginning of summer barbecue weather. Unsurprisingly, it didn't quite turn out like that; more like the traditional bank holiday weather. Nevertheless, a fun cruising trip was had.

We set off from Ipswich on the Saturday morning, on a mostly grey, damp and blustery day day. The original plan was to head towards Sealand - a surreal "principality" in the North Sea - and then up to the river Ore. The forecast didn't look great for this, but nonetheless we went to have a look, and poked out past Felixstowe. Unsurprisingly, after a mile or so the less experienced crew members started to feel rough, in the choppy waters outside the rivers. I decided to go to plan B, and have a cruise around the rivers instead, and we ended up staying overnight at Levington.

The following morning, the weather had changed to bight and breezy. A fairly steady F5-6 was blowing in from the north-west, meaning that there'd be good sailing to be had as long as we stayed close inshore, so that the waves couldn't build. We first went down to the Walton backwaters, and then did a long reach up past Felixstowe, the Deben and the Ore. After some great sailing, the wind picked up to F7 and we came back down to the river Ore. Shifting sandbanks and rapid tide streams make this a tricky entrance, but all went smoothly, and after a slow chug up the river against the tide we moored at Orford, for an excellent evening barbecue and a quiet night.

On Monday morning, after again negotiating the interesting tides at the mouth of the Ore, we headed south again. Em took the opportunity to have a go at skippering, and headed us for Sealand once again. Despite the grey sky the wind was now much gentler, but the weather the day before had resulted in a rolling swell, which again scuppered the plan; a few miles offshore, the crew started to feel it again... In any case, with time moving on we turned for home, and tacked up past the docks again towards Ipswich. We arrived back shortly after 5pm, with a final opportunity for Konstantin to practice marina manoeuvres. As we arrived back, it suddenly turned into a beautiful day, so we had a slightly longer stay in Ipswich as we played hunt-the-fish-and-chips-shop. So much so that, cleverly, we managed to just miss the last direct train back to Cambridge - which is a good summary for the trip: not quite as planned, but a lot of fun anyway!

Punting, May 2010

On a stunning summery day in late may, we did an epic punting expedition to Grantchester, and past to Byron's Pool. This is the best possible way to spend a quiet Saturday afternoon; despite the river being quite busy with punters of varying levels of competence and clue, it was so relaxing. The banks were alive with greenery too, making perfect Cambridgeshire countryside.

Afterwards, we got take-out from GBK - just about the best burgers you can buy in Cambridge - and had an impromptu picnic. All in all, a great day.

With added puppy cuteness.

Marseille, Monaco and more

Motive, means and opportunity. An urgent need for Mediterranian sunshine; holiday time to burn (use it or lose it!); and a brother with a place in Monaco. I took the opportunity for a five-day trip to the Riviera - a strip of beautiful rocky coast and attractive mediterranian towns along the French and Italian coast.

I flew into Marseille airport, which lies some 25 km outside the city. Fortunately, the shuttle service was fast and efficient, and I soon found myself in the city centre. Marseille's old town was largely demolished by the Germans during WW2, but there are still interesting old buildings (plus a set of rather odd trees outside the hotel de ville). The old harbour, supposedly where the original Greek settlers came ashore, was sunny and bustling; small fishing boats bringing their catch ashore, and selling it there on the quay from stalls. I met up with Alistair and we tried some of the (very tasty) catch too, in a neighbouring seafood place. After lunch, we drove up to the basilica on the hill overlooking the harbour, which provided spectacular views overt the city and the surrounding coast, including the prison island, Château d'If - made infamous by Alexandre Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo.

From Marseille, we followed the coast road east. The views were spectacular, with cute towns surrounded by rocky peaks and cliffs - especially impressive along the coast near Saint Raphael. After a tasty dinner in Monaco that evening, I also took a wander around Monaco to see it at night. An impressive collection of boats and cars; lamborghinis and ferraris abounded, as did 100ft superyachts!

On Sunday, we decided to take a drive to Eze, a nearby village perché; and then over the Italian border, to a pleasant, rather sleepy small coastal town called Sanremo. The sky was overcast, but the cloud was fairly high, so after a pleasant Italian lunch we decided to drive up into the mountains. We took the road north from Ventimiglia, along the Roya river valley. It didn't take long to get into mountains and gorges, and we soon started to see patches of snow. At the top, we went through the Tente tunnel and popped out in Piedmont - and back in winter, with feet of snow. We stopped at Limone Piemonte, a ski-resort-village just over the border, and had an excellent Italian hot chocolate.

The next morning, I explored the small hilltop town that is old Monaco. This, perched on top of a rock, consists of the royal palace, the cathedral, museum and aquarium, and a suspciously tidy and toy-town-like alley network of tourist shops. While the aquarium was interesting, the scope of the rest was rather limited, so in the afternoon I took a train up the coast to Nice. The old town here felt much more real and alive, and wandering around it was quite peaceful, despite the rain that had blown in. The view from the top of the hill above the old town and port was also pleasant, though the weather ensured that it wasn't particularly photogenic.

The next day, with much improved weather, I headed out to catch a train west along the coast to Antibes. Unfortunately, the SNCF had other plans; they'd decided to play France's national sport: la greve. With no trains running, I decided to explore the countryside around Monaco instead. In beautiful sunshine, I followed paths up the steep hillsides, though woods and scrub, to a nearby village named La Turbie - a curious mixture of a postcard-cute old village and completely uninteresting new. From there, the path went out along a ridge and uphill to la tete du chien - a peak hanging over Monaco, giving one of the best views for a long way - east to Italy, west past Nice and Antibes, all backed by rugged hills and faced by the azure sea.

Later, I had a look around the comparatively little - and rather more attractive - harbour at Fontvieille. The old town of Monaco is perched above it on its cliffs, giving a pretty impressive view at sunset. I also got a good view of Monaco's heliport in action; the classy way to arrive in town!

Having packed quite a lot into a few days, time to head home. We got the train to Cannes for lunch at an excellent Spanish place, followed by a wander around the shorefront and past the site of the Cannes Film Festival. After that it was back on the train, winding its way through the countryside of Provence back to Marseille and hence back to not-so-sunny England.

The Algarve in February

A couple of days to cover southern Portugal seemed like an ambitious holiday plan. The Algarve is best known for its seaside package-holiday resorts, such as Albufeira - but in February, we were hoping to see a more authentic view of Portuguese culture and life. It didn't disappoint.

We stayed at the Resedencial Dandy in Faro; a pleasant, rather quaint little place near the town centre. Faro itself is a pleasant enough Mediterranean town, with cobbled streets and a walled centre - but not particularly extraordinary. It seemed very quiet, and probably comes more alive in the tourist season.

On arrival at Faro airport, we picked up our shiny VW Golf and, rather than heading into town, headed east. First stop was an interesting Roman villa and temple at Milreu. This has clearly been well looked after by the Portuguese government, and had a very friendly and enthusiastic tour guide to show us around - I think she was quite glad to see us, as we might have been the only visitors that day! The site included some nice fish-themed mosaics, and a temple to Neptune, all surrounded by almond trees in bloom.

Next stop was Tavira, a few more kilometres to the east. This is a pleasant riverside town near the sea. Again, lots of windy cobbled streets, some nice churches and the remains of a fortress now containing a pretty flower garden. Also of interest is a bridge which, at least partially, dates back to pre-Roman days.

Further east, near the Spanish boarder, we stopped at Castro Marim. This is a slightly unreal-feeling village within sight of the developments on the other side of the border. The area is dominated by two hills, each with a castle on top. The one we visited had some lovely old walls and fortifications, now rather ruined; the one on the other hill looks much newer (possibly Napoleonic era) and tidier - slightly antiseptic. The village borders an area of saltmarsh that acts as a nature reserve - a singularly unimpressive place to visit, apart from the flamingoes!

After the coastal route, we struck inland. Following windy minor roads though the hills, we passed farmers with donkeys, vistas of cork oaks and almond blossom, and the occasional heard of goats. We stopped at a marked walking route, and went for a short wander though hillsides scented by herbs. Sadly we didn't get far before the weather took a turn for the worse. As we continued along the road it really closed in, shrouding the otherwise excellent views in cloud and rain.

The following day, in bright sunshine, we set off to the west. First stop (after breakfast at a little local cafe in Faro!) was Silves. This is an attractive town well inland, with an imposing red-stone castle at the top of a steep hill. The view from the top was pretty good too - and the storks nesting on the nearby crane seemed to agree!

Next stop was Monchique, a peaceful village surrounded by wooded hills. This had a relaxed atmosphere and some twisty lanes wandering up the hill, towards a ruined monastery. The owner of the site was kind enough to let us have a look around the slightly eerie, untouched remains, set amongst a grove of cork oaks. Nearby is the mountain of Foia which at 902m is the highest point of the Algarve; it certainly gave a good view!

Next to the west coast; a long rocky coast punctuated by excellent beaches that has largely been spared the development of the south, due to most of the area being a nature reserve. The first stop was at Arrifana; a surfer's beach backed by high black rock cliffs, with a single stack out to sea. The bad weather on the previous day made for impressive waves - better keep your eye on them if you prefer dry socks!

Next was Figueiras; a deserted beach with serrated orange rock formations, several kilometres down small roads and dirt tracks. Deserted, that is, until the small yappy dog turned up! After this we moved on to Bordeira; a wide beach at a river mouth, backed by reeds and sand dunes. Overlooking the beach are some high rocks, from which we got some of the best views of the trip, of Atlantic rollers crashing on the cliffs and along the beach as the sun started to set.

By the time we reached Cabo ce Sao Vicente - the south-westernmost point of Europe - dusk had fallen. None the less, it was an impressive location, jutting out into the Ocean - a fitting terminus to the trip.

One other time of interest - Portuguese food and wine. These were great; excellent seafood, and inland tasty pork and sausage-based dishes, all very reasonably priced. Sadly the cuisine is heavily based around meat and fish - for vegetarians, about the best thing that can be said is that the tomatoes are quite tasty...

Fire and Light

Over the last few months, Cambridge University has been holding a series of events to celebrate the 800th anniversary of its founding, by a group of scholars from Oxford. The latest event was a light show designed by light artist Ross Ashton, projected onto Senate House and Old Schools (the official centre of the university). This was a montage of images and video, covering the key points of the history of the university, and the discoveries and ideas that it has helped bring into the world.

In addition, the Cambridge University Fire Troupe performed a display - essentially a dance with fire, portraying a rather abstract view of the history of the university. The 'history' bit was of course pretty tenuous, but it was a spectacular show - with some very impressive moves. Ever tried hula-hooping with a burning hoop? Around your neck?