Switzerland casts a magical spell over me!

The land of Grafenort......

Attempt at a selfie in Grafenort

I am just back from few days break in the  land of Grafenort in Switzerland - I know it sounds like something our of a fairy tale.  Well you are not far off the mark - I felt like a magical spell was cast over me  and I could not believe it when it was time to go home.

Engelberg Valley in Grafenort 

Grafenort is situated in the enchanting valley of Engleberg just a few minutes train journey to Engleberg itself - a gateway for visiting Titliss, a popular ski resort.  We arrived in Grafenort by train from Lucerne at night.  The guesthouse we stayed in is literally across the road from the train station.  We were the only passengers getting off at Grafenort.  If you are looking for a quiet spot to relax in for a few days  with captivating scenery Grafenorrt certainly ticks the box.  It is close to the mountain resort of Engleberg  situated at the foot of the Titlis mountain (at 3020 metres) where visitors can take the four stage cable car journey to the Titlis mountain station which is snow bound all year round.

View of the guesthouse in Grafenort across from the train station

Up in the clouds ........

view of Titlis from Turbsee mountain station

Tuubsee Mountain Station at 1800 metres

On the second day of our stay we took the Titlis cable car as far as the Trubsee mountain station at 1800 metres where we got great views of Titlis - the journey itself took just 10 - 15 minutes. There is a  restaurant at this station  and we could not resist a quick stop here before we did the 50 minute walk around the lake and up to a  private cable car station that brought us on a steep descent to Untertrubsee  for some more refreshments.   Ok ,,,,, I admit our journey was marked by lots of tea and cake!!  

Private Cable Car to Untertrubsee with some of the best views 

 From here we were able to walk back to Engelberg - it took us about an hour. The walk was quite steep in parts for people who are not used to mountains and the surface was rough.  Oh word of warning - do not bring your handbag!!  Well I thought I was only going for a few minutes cable car ride up the mountains - so I was suitably attired in my dress with handbag.  A small back pack would have been much more appropriate with hiking shoes.   An alternative for those people who do not like heights is to go around by the road taking a little longer.  

The sound of music.....

There was music all the way on our walk around the lake to the private cable car for Untertrubsee - it was the sound of the bells around the cows necks.  I felt like I was on a movie set.  The cows on these mountains are so tame and the sound of the bells is a lovely addition to the walk.

Swiss cows with bells on -  grazing on route to Untertrubsee

Ready to go again after more tea and ice - cream in the cafe at Untertrubsee  - we made our way down a steepish descent cross country on a marked out path to Engleberg.  The sign said 45 minutes walk but we took almost an hour - I am blaming my handbag!  Seriously the scenery is so beautiful  time just slips by.

Finally we made it home to Grafenort and our Guesthouse  - where we were able to recover from the days activities with good wine and Indian food.  The people running the guesthouse are from Bangladesh - the rooms are simple but comfortable, the service is good and the food is very tasty.  Room rates are reasonable for Swiss prices - we got a double room with bathroom for 100 euro a night excluding breakfast.  

Travelling on two wheels in the Western Balkans!

I caught up recently with Veteran Cyclists from the west of Ireland

Stephen Dowd and Ger Reynolds  to find out about their  cycling trip in the Western Balkans.

A lot of climbing......

Cycling through the Durmitor National Park in Montegnegro - highest point of trip at 1,908 metres.  The area is called Sedlo Pars.

 They covered almost 1300 kilometres in just over two weeks.  Referring to the distance covered on the trip the cyclists said: “One of the factors was how many kilometres you went, the other was how much climbing was involved because it was unbelievably mountainous especially Montenegro – in some places particularly Albania the distance covered depended on the road surface.  There were incredibly few paved roads in Albania.”

The route.....

Village of Vergo - Southern Albania

They flew into Corfu in Greece and out of Dubrovnik in Croatia.  From Corfu their journey took them by ferry to Sarande in southern Albania (Shquiperia to the locals) and on to Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia & Hercegovina and finally Croatia.  Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro were the friendliest places but Ger pointed out this was probably because they “had more time” in these countries and cycled more on minor roads through villages.  Ger said one of the highlights for him was the local children coming out to greet you “giving you high fives and shouting and roaring at you.”

Stephen and Ger said southern Albania and western Macedonia were “the most off the beaten track” of the countries they visited.  Macedonia was more developed than Albania “the roads were a little bit better.” 

Lessons in trusting maps & taking shortcuts....

Back roads in Southern Albanis - close to Vergo Village in Maliigjere mountains

It was in Albania that they learnt a lesson in trusting maps and taking shortcuts.  Their first destination in Albania after landing in Sarande was Tepelina.  Instead of going the long way around by the main road they decided to cut across the hills as this would take 15 miles off their journey.  However while the road to a village called Senice started off very good it “quickly became very poor, became a dirt track and by the time the road got to Senice it was a barely passible dirt track” – it was now late afternoon.  After pushing their bikes for a while, running out of food and water and getting some very welcome local advice Stephen and Ger made the decision to go back down.  They stayed in a small town called Delvine – where some friendly locals found them accommodation for the night for €10. 

Ger said this experience at the start of the trip in Albania taught them to question their assumptions - “we believed the map over everything else in the first few days – we would be going along assuming there was road because the map marked it and then suddenly no road.”

Steep descents .......

In Macedonia Stephen almost came off his bike on one of the steep descents.  They were heading north from Debar through the Mavrovo National Park.  From Debar they were “slowly going up for the first 20 kilometres or so and then steadily climbing for the next 20 kilometres” to a ski centre.  Then they faced a descent of about 20 kilometres out of the mountains to Gostivar.  At the bottom of the hill when Stephen started to peddle again he said: “I almost fell off the bike because I had my bike in the lowest gear - I had not touched the pedals in so long.” 

Facing the hill of their lives ........

Cyclists on the summit of road from Kosovo into Montenegro

Another memorable experience for Stephen and Ger was coming face to face with the “hill of their lives” cycling from Kosovo to Montenegro (Crna Gora).  This was on route from Peje in Western Kosovo to Rosaje in the South of Montengro - “so from Peje we climbed approximately 1200 metres to a height of almost 1800 metres – that took us 4.5 hours of climbing.”  Stephen said he now understands why the Turks had difficulty conquering this part of the world. 

Primeval forest........

One of the highlights of the cycle in Montenegro included the Biogradska Gora National Park, an area of “primeval forest”, lakes and mountains- located in the central part of Montenegro.   It was here Stephen and Ger spotted the most bizarre sight of their trip - a man on a horse emerging out of the “primeval forest” carrying an umbrella. 

Cycling to the centre of the earth.......

Entering the Tara Canyon in Montenegro.  The nearest town is Mojkovac. 

Other highlights included the Tara Canyon to the north of the Biogradska Gora National Park –the deepest canyon in Europe and the Durmitor National Park in north-western Montenegro with its “spectacular” mountains.  The cyclists made one of their most impressive descents of over 30 kilometres in this park- “you think you cannot go down anymore because you will be at the centre of the earth and then you come to edge of the Pive Canyon.”

Hair-raising experiences cycling into Dubrovnik...

The last leg of their journey cycling into Dubrovnik was a hair-raising experience “the last few kilometres was hell on earth – an exceedingly busy road and nowhere for bicycles.”

Preparation for the trup.......

Rural scene in area of Permet Southern Albania

Stephen and Ger chose their route based on being able to fly direct into and out of Corfu and Dubrovnik and also because “they are small places to get out of on a bike and they were distances apart that gave us a route of lovely countryside.”  They got maps of each of the areas they were travelling to from www.freytagberndt.de.  

They used “regular mountain bikes” for the trip that could carry 25 kilos in addition to their own weight.  Both cyclists had a good knowledge of basic bike maintenance which gave them confidence about overcoming mechanical problems along the way. 

Challenges ........

When asked about the challenges of doing a trip like this Stephen and Ger agreed the main challenge is “you are living with someone for two weeks – you would want to know before you go that you could get on.” 

Stephen said if you are going to take on a trip like this “you need to take things as they come and get a laugh out of things when they go wrong.”

Further information on the area

One interesting site I came across that might be worth checking out for more information on the Western Balkans is the Western Balkans Geotourism Mapguide 

Burren County Clare Ireland - a haven for nature lovers and foodies

Burren County Clare Ireland

Nature lovers and foodies will fall in love with the Burren in County Clare.  The Burren is a noted tourist stop on the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’- “Ireland’s first long distance touring route”.  The region is surrounded by the villages of Kinvara, Ballyvaughan,Tubber, Corofin, Kilfenora and Lisdoonvarna  - famous for its dramatic beauty, Karst landscape and unique flora and fauna (www.burrengeopark.ie).  

 However nature is not the only unusual ingredient in the Burren.  When visitors touring this part of the “Wild Atlantic Way” feel peckish there are speciality bagels fresh from the oven, ice-cream made using milk from cows grazing on the peninsula and ‘bean to bar’ chocolate of the sort hard to find in the most sophisticated of cities. 

Meadow of the Fairies 

Roy & Mary Bermingham with 'Frisky' their pet goat

An essential stop for anyone interested in learning more about the Burren and its unique wildlife is ‘Cloonasee’ the ‘meadow of the fairies’ and home to the Burren Nature Sanctuary – an enchanting place just 1km outside of Kinvara village where the visitor could be forgiven for expecting fairies to pop out at any moment from under a rock or behind a flower.

The Burren Nature Sanctuary is on a 50 acre farm run by Mary and Roy Bermingham.  It has wonderful nature walks including a popular ‘fairy wood’, ‘disappearing lake’ and nature exhibitions showcasing the flora and fauna of the Burren.   Farm pets include ‘frisky’ a feral goat who loves going for a walk with visitors.  The nature sanctuary also has an indoor and outdoor play area with lots of fun activities such as a double zip wire. 

There is a farm café with a great selection of healthy homemade fare and treats for hungry visitors including crepes, Wild Atlantic fish cakes and a children’s menu. The cafe has a healthy food ethos – “we don’t sell chips or fry ups and we use produce from our garden as much as possible.”

For directions to the nature sanctuary and information on opening hours and entry charges check  www.bns.ie.

A Mecca for cyclists  

Mike Cahill at DIY Pursuits 

The Burren is a “mecca for cyclists” - voted by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s top ten greatest cycling routes.  Mike Cahill caters for all the needs of visitors wishing to explore the Burren by bicycle from the leisure cyclist to the more serious cyclist in his shop called ‘DIY Pursuits’ in Kinvara. 

Cycling is in Mike’s blood – he grew up helping his father in the family bike shop in cork.  Mikes father was “heavily steeped in cycling and represented Ireland” as a young man.  Mike recalls “from an early age I was drafted in as an apprentice and spent most of my life around bikes.”

For visitors who want to explore the Burren by bike or on foot or engage in other outdoor pursuits in the Burren such as fishing or kayaking ‘DIY Pursuits’ is definitely worth a visit and Mike is always on hand to give advice. 

Galway Bay Bagels

Carl & Martina Fahy

After working up an appetite on your bicycle a ‘bagel sandwich’ from the Galway Bay Bakery at the Kinvara Farmers Market is a welcome treat.  The Galway Bay Bakery produces Bagels and Pretzels – all made from natural ingredients.  

These days the owner Carl Fahy is taking the Bagel one step further with his- Bagel Sandwiches, Salt Beef Bagels and Pizza Melts.  These are Carl’s “signature Bagels.”

The Bakery is based on the Burren peninsula in Newquay and sells its produce in the local market in Kinvara from April to October- -For information on markets see the ‘Galway Bay Bakery’ Facebook page.

Local Ice-Cream Treats 

Brid & Roger Fahy

Home for locally made Linalla Ice Cream is also in Newquay on the flaggy shore – here the owners Brid and Roger Fahy will serve you their artisan ice-cream in Café Linalla which has magnificent views of Galway Bay.  If you are lucky you might even spot the shorthorn cows producing the milk for the ice-cream.

Linalla Ice-Cream is sold in their shop and café on the flaggy shore as well as other outlets across the country - check www.linnallaicecream.ie for directions.

Bean to bar chocolate

Kasha Connolly

Hazel Mountain Chocolate is just one of two ‘bean to bar’ chocolate producers in Ireland -    located on John and Kasha Connolly’s family farm at the foot of the Burren mountains in a place called Oughtmama.. 

Hazel Mountain Chocolate manufactures its chocolate from scratch using cacao beans bought directly from a small farmer in Madagascar.  They opened to the public in 2014 - manufacturing and selling chocolates on site as well as having a quant Café where visitors can enjoy the rich ‘melt in your mouth’ chocolate experience. 

For more information on Hazel Mountain Chocolate and directions visit www.hazelmountainchocolates.com

Accommodation 

There is a wide choice of accommodation in the Burren to suit all budgets.  Establishments worth checking include FallonsBed and Breakfast and Kinvara Guesthouse in Kinvara and Logues Lodge and Hylands Hotel in Ballyvaughan.   For tourists looking for a more upmarket experience Gregans Castle on Corkscrew Hill in Ballyvaughan is worth investigating.