Jen and Dave: Adventuring

One week to go, and we’re all packed up for our next adventure! Scotland, with a day and a half teaser of a stopover in Dublin en route. The main destination is the Isle of Arran, which we will walk around, bit by bit, on a lovely coastal trail.

We are going carry-on only, with our favourite travel packs (Osprey Farpoint 40) and the daypacks we’ll use as our dailies.

So what does this trip need?

• Hiking stuff: map and compass, emergency bivy sacks, first aid kits, water bottles, headlamps, midge nets, and sit pads.
• Clothes: rain jacket and pants, warm layer, pants, shorts, short and long sleeved tops, something nice for dinners, socks and undies, and laundry soap so we can wash it out each day. And pjs.
• Hiking shoes and sports sandals.
• Toiletries, medications, medical devices.
• Electronics essentials.

There is something about the North. Quiet, open spaces, bright snow and dark, dark nights, illuminated only by the dancing lights of the Aurora borealis.

We arrived Thursday night after a comfortable flight on Air North, complete with complimentary coffee cake, cheese and grapes. After a quick stop at Tim’s and Superstore, we headed out of town to the delightful Inn on the Lake, a beautiful log building with cozy furniture, a delicious smelling kitchen, and friendly people.

This time we were staying a few houses down from the main building in Kodiak Suite, a one bedroom apartment with a living room pull out and windows on three sides, so you can look south to the lake in the daytime and north at night for the elusive Aurora.

It was half past nine when a tinge started on the horizon, a faint green glow of promise. It brightened slowly, and at midnight we got dressed to go out and down the road a few houses to a dark spot.

It was beautiful. Magical. Enchanting. And then it hit better and better, galloping into a crescendo at 12:45, when the peak was marked by an arc encircling the sky. We were here, and alive, and it breathed the cold crisp air with us.

July 8, 2022

Jen was scheduled to have two days of meetings in Zurich, but it turned out everything fit on the Thursday. Taking the advice of a Swiss colleague, we decided to take the train to Luzern and then the cog train to the Pilatus mountain massif. This turned out to be an amazing plan. Jen got her Swiss Alps after all!

The cog train is the steepest in the world, with a grade of 48%, and it climbs over 1600 metres to the plateau.

Upon arrival we were greeted with cloud, but the forecast said it would clear up. We climbed the staircases to two of the close peeks, peering at the scenery through breaks in the cloud cover.

We then heard the sound of horns. Alpine horn players were on the plaza. They were very talented.

Lunch on the plaza then followed, consisting of local cheese, meats, butter and buns. Delicious.

After lunch we went through the “dragon walk” and then onwards to Tomlishorn peak. The wildflowers were fantastic! We also saw a curious young ibex along the route.

After our walk, we found a family of ibex just off the plateau, and were lucky enough to be able to observe them for some time.

Our last quest was up the third plateau peak, which was clouding over again.

Hearts full of mountains, fresh air and wildflowers, we took the cog train down, the train back to the hotel, and packed our bags. Heading home tomorrow.

2022-Jul-07

Toady was Jen’s last day of meetings, which meant that Dave was on his own again. Jen was able to get to the university by funicular, which went by our hotel and up the hill.

Dave’s day started with a wander around the old town. Having seen a few old towns now, this one looked quite similar: quaint narrow streets, beautiful town squares, and intriguing cafes.

After seeing what there was to see in town, Dave rented an electric scooter and headed up North along the river. The river seems like the place to be on a hot day, with people swimming and floating down sections of it.

After exploring as far as seemed reasonable, Dave headed back to town, meandering through various side streets.

Soon after, Jen was done work for the day and we went to dinner with her colleagues. Dim sum served as tapas, yum.

2022-Jul-06

With Jen in meetings for the day, Dave was off on his own again to explore a new city.

With only a day to experience Copenhagen, Dave decided it would be best to just wander and explore.

Starting at the airport bag drop, and with a lot of ground to cover, Dave got a day pass for electric scooter and bike rentals.

He checked out the local waterfront path, exploring the local beaches.

Coming up on a large curious looking building marked on the map as being something sports related, he found that there was a constant stream of garbage trucks going in and out. On the other side it could be seen that there is a ski run built onto the buildings sloped roof, and climbing wall running up the side. Turns out that this is a waste to energy facility that also serves as a ski hill, climbing wall, and hiking hill. Fantastic multi-purpose infrastructure.

Scooting along some harbor inlets to the old town where there was a scenic row of houses with a row of wooden docked along side.

Next was a walk though the old town to an earthen fort dating to the 17th century. Known as Kastellet, they say it is one of North Europe’s finest and best preserved fortifications, and I believe it. The fort is actually still in use as an active military facility. However the inner roads and rampart paths are open the public to explore.

With time running short, it was now time to think about getting back to the airport, not without first sampling a Danish Big Mac.

With that it was time to say goodbye to our brief visit to Copenhagen and we were off to the next adventure in Zurich.

2022-Jul-05

Today was an early start: 5:45 to catch the bus from the hotel for what would be a long day.

We took the Tube to St Pancras Station, a beautiful train station built in 1868. From there, we took the regional train up to Nottingham. There Jen had several hours of meetings at Nottingham University’s Advanced Manufacturing Department. Dave was lucky enough to get a personal tour of one of the labs and of campus.

After lunch and a brief wrap, we were off again. Back on to the train for Manchester. Along the way, there were some beautiful views of the countryside.

From Manchester it was a quick connection to our flight to Copenhagen, then straight to the hotel and bed. A long day.

Our last day of vacation went out with a bang. The Rolling Stones. Hyde Park. 65,000 fans. Incredible.

It was an afternoon and evening festival, BST Hyde Park, filled with street food, libations, picnic blankets, and many great opening acts. It was a chill vibe, and the weather was perfect – not too hot, not too cold.

The Stones played a two hour set of all their greatest hits. They were awesome. Mick is the only octogenarian we know of who still wears mesh shirts, and he definitely still “moves like Jagger.”

Today was a short day – we slept in late enough we had lunch for breakfast, at a hole in the wall, counter-service, mom and pop kinda place known as a local favourite for fish and chips. The portions were massive – we couldn’t finish it all.

After lunch we took the tube to Covent Garden, then wandered over the bridge to Waterloo. The markets and street food created a vibrancy in the streets, combined with a celebratory feeling for Pride. The number of people in some places, like the Borough Market, was absolutely overwhelming.

We grabbed dinner at a burger place built into an old Tannery Hall, then walked across Tower Bridge to catch a train back to the hotel. Dave exclaimed that “our timing is perfect!” As the bridge stopped traffic right in front of us, so it could be opened for a pair of tall ships. A good day.

Today we headed for Leicester Square station, to check out the theatre district, Covent Garden, and Chinatown. While wandering we found a Chinese bakery that was too tempting to resist, and that became lunch. Dessert was bubble tea from Jen Cafe.

After lunch we headed to the British Museum. It’s a place of mixed feelings, as acquisitions are complicated and not always the way we might hope, but it’s absolutely a place that cares for artifacts and ensures the public has access, at minimum.

After a full afternoon of museum we dipped into a small Italian area for some pasta, before wandering our way to the Duchess Theatre to see “The Play That Goes Wrong.” Wow, unbelievably funny – we couldn’t stop laughing. Really enjoyable. What a great end to a great day.