Friday 14 September 2012
The Umbrail Pass. Well, it would be rude not to visit the Swiss border & another pass as was only a 200m detour! 
Friday 14 September 2012
Am glad it snowed last couple of days, because we were here 3 days ago & this place doesn't look good in the nude! 
Friday 14 September 2012
Second (just) highest paved pass in the Alps! See the name under all those stickers? View down the other side is OK!
Friday 14 September 2012
Ever used a snow drift as a bike rack? Finally got some blue skies but can assure you this ride was rather chilly!
Thursday 13 September 2012
Dinner at 'Al Filo!' in Bormio. Very nice setting in the 'cave'. Lots of food. Here's Pratiwi & her starter. Yum 
Thursday 13 September 2012
Hiking in Val Viola. Very chilly (do the icicles give it away?) but stunning, rugged beauty.
Thursday 13 September 2012
Ah-ha! Cold (see the snow on the hills?) but sunny. This is more like it! Morning view from the room in Bormio 
Thursday 13 September 2012
Scratch what I said earlier. Snow down to 2055m & is -8° (minus!) at the Stelvio pass. No riding today 
Time for a snowy hike instead! 
Thursday 13 September 2012
Looks like there was snow down to 2300m yesterday. Should make top of the Stelvio interesting... if I can find enough kit to wear! Brrrrr 
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Oh... and while we are talking about Apple, whoever coined, "4-inch Retina display. It's not just bigger. It's just right." should be SHOT!
Wednesday 12 September 2012
iPhone 5? Sapphire lens cover a nice touch, but mostly same a-bit-better-all-over update. Won't get me into the world of Apple with this!
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Obtaining a prepaid SIM card in Italy: Almost as easy as the UK. A bazillion times easier than in France. Nice value too: 2GB for €20/month.
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Cafe at lunch has copies of 'Il Gelatiere': a magazine dedicated to ice cream. Someone approves! Only in Italy?
Tuesday 11 September 2012
OMG... just been handed this map! But only booked 4 nights here... & storms are forecast 
Hoping for some luck!
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Arrived in Italy. Eating out is cheap again: Joy! Pillows that provide support: Joy! Internet fast enough to stream Tour of Britain: Joy! 
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Once over the Umbrail, Stelvio is so close might as well have a look. It's pretty bleak up here though!
Tuesday 11 September 2012
About to enter Italy. Heading up to the Umbrail Pass (yes, few hairpins here!) & looking back into Switzerland.
Monday 10 September 2012
Lunch overlooking Scuol. Kindof 'sculpture' here with pipes one can look through to identify mountain peaks. Cool
Monday 10 September 2012
Mountain flowers, meadows & forests. Looking down the valley to Scuol, from up by Tarasp.
Monday 10 September 2012
Tarasp: a typical Swiss mountain village... with a castle. Beautiful blue skies and flowers everywhere. Niiiice!
Monday 10 September 2012
A walk around Tarasp, Avrona & Lai Nair (sort of mountain peat bog place - hence the boards). Beautiful day for it
Monday 10 September 2012
Tarasp castle, overlooking the village of the same name. What a great tip from the hotelier to visit here!
Monday 10 September 2012
Crush Alba in Lavin. See the bike connection? Vintage TdF prints decorate the walls inside & local riding is great!
Monday 10 September 2012
Another fantastic, misty sunrise in Lavin. Gotta love waking up and opening the curtains here!
Sunday 9 September 2012
Having dinner in Lavin. Don't pick up the wrong glass!
Sunday 9 September 2012
Wasn't really expecting this... great sunset from our room in Lavin. Crazy sky looks like some kind of painting!
Sunday 9 September 2012
Offenpass & Fluelapass. Love it but can't stay in Switzerland too long: so expensive! Lucky the memories are free!
Sunday 9 September 2012
Good morning Lavin! The slightly misty view from our room.
Sunday 9 September 2012
Not a cloud in the sky on this beautiful day in Lavin, where the altitude is over 1400m, yet today's ride will go nowhere but up! Hmmm...
Saturday 8 September 2012
Dinner in Lavin. Wild deer (it's hunting season) & sausage skewers. And desert of course. Yum!
Saturday 8 September 2012
Arriving at the next hotel... and here's the view from our room over the rooftops of Lavin. Niiiice
Saturday 8 September 2012
Arrived in Lavin. Hotel has bikes & vintage TdF photos as decor. There's an R5 with all exotic parts in the hall... not even locked up!
Saturday 8 September 2012
Last pass of the day between Davos & Lavin. The Flüela Pass. At 2383m so a bit bare! Of course will cycle this too
Saturday 8 September 2012
Davos, en-route to Lavin. Huge ski area & home to WEF, but not very exciting in summer. Interesting sculpture though.
Saturday 8 September 2012
A random view from the Swiss road. The village right is Saas im Prättigau. Beautiful place to wait for a bus
Saturday 8 September 2012
Art installations in central Vaduz. Guess they can indulge with one of world's highest incomes & lowest crime rates!
Saturday 8 September 2012
Vaduz Castle: closed to public as royal family lives here. Doh! Should tell tourists this at bottom of the hill
Saturday 8 September 2012
It's a rather steep walk up to Vaduz Castle. View over the city below (and mountains beyond) is pretty nice though.
Saturday 8 September 2012
I don't know what 'Professional Bodysugaring' is, but if it helps keep unemployment here at 1.5% then go for it!
Saturday 8 September 2012
Some snaps from the rather pleasant streets of Vaduz. Nice locked gates and closed doors everywhere though
Saturday 8 September 2012
Gratuitous border shot But footpath abruptly stopped on Liechtenstein side so went back & used the wooden bridge.
Saturday 8 September 2012
Vaduz Castle as seen from the Rhine. Looks worth a visit, no? But (see below)...
Saturday 8 September 2012
The last surviving wooden bridge over the Rhine... & inside. Used by walkers, cyclists & horses so mind your step!
Friday 7 September 2012
Late-ish afternoon ferry back across Lake Constance. Great day! Some nice craft bobbing about here too.
Friday 7 September 2012
There's a butterfly house on Mainau. Sadly didn't bring a macro lens... doh! Still interesting & colourful though.
Friday 7 September 2012
Mainau. The Flower Island of Lake Constance. Yes, they have flowers, & more. Pretty nice really (manly cough!)
Friday 7 September 2012
Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen. Completely unpronounceable! Is an open air museum of stilt houses we passed today.
Friday 7 September 2012
By the shore of Lake Constance. It's huge, with beautiful clear water as you can see. Waiting for the Mainau ferry.
Thursday 6 September 2012
Liquidity from ECB bond purchases to be "fully sterilised"? Check their plan... I think not! Who do these people think they are kidding?