Holzgau 2011

Snow Paradise in Austria 2011

This year I joined the ski-group who opened their skiing season late December. We celebrated Jeroen's birthday and the New Year on the snowy hills of Tirol, in Holzgau in the Lechtal.

One week to enjoy the very nice ski resort of Warth-Schröcken, one week to go for some nice slopes and loads of fun ... except we couldn't quite enjoy every day of skiing due to a couple of very snowy days.

We were able to have some snow fun on the two first days, then it got worse and we even had to stay one whole day downtown in Holzgau because of the storm.

Up on the Salober we heard it was heavy snowing and wind up to 80km/h. So we had some kind of après-ski the whole afternoon at Sigi's place. We played Uno, had fun, changed the rules and even more fun, and continued like that until the evening.

Eventually we managed to go to the ski resort. One day it was still snowing and it is quite exhausting skiing, the other is was a bit better, less snow, less cold and almost, almost less people. One thing was sure, driving up there was always adventurous and very nice.

After New Year there were again a couple of days of heavy snow. But we still managed to get two nice days :)
Monday and Tuesday were sunny and clear. Time for everyone to get up early again and enjoy the slopes.




Unfortunately, 95% of the Lechtal had the same idea :P
Was resulted on very, very dense tracks. Loads of people, too many newbies, too many schools and so on. But, wonderful landscapes, great air, full sunshine :) Snow Paradise!

Like two years ago we again had some evenings of high gastronomic pleasures. The "Chateaubriand" from Hotel Bären; a meat, vegetables, fruit and fries fest! (with whom we had an amazingly good Pinot Noir btw)
We also went to the Fisch Stübe where we ate some trout. I was wondering what to eat as I don't like trout. But following the general advise I gave it a try. And it was worth every bite!
The trick is: wild water trout is good, lake trout is bad (shortly explained).


We left Tirol on Wednesday January 4 in light snow showers and heard it was supposed to snow harder the day after. It was right on time because that whole part of Tirol (as well as some other regions in France, Germany, ...) got completely cut out from the world some days later. Such heavy snow storms that even the webcams of Holzgau, Warth and the Salober were under snowed!

But I'll keep this beautiful image of our last trip down the mountain:

(more pictures here: Holzgau 2011)

Wildschwein FTW !

Somewhere around mid-October one of my good friends calls to ask if I remember where we went some years ago with work to eat boar in the Southern part of the Black Forest.

Sure I remember, it was a great evening where we had shiploads of fun, the place's called Hirtenbrunnen I tell him. "What about going there for some boar?" was the next thing I heard :D

As we had a three days weekend at the end of October two weeks later, Jeroen, Cindy and I decided to pop-by for some good drinks and meat :D

We left Antwerp around noon and arrived in Fröhnd in the late afternoon.
We took a couple of minutes to drop our bags in the rooms and quickly were back downstairs to enjoy a good beer on the terrace :D
After those well earned refreshments we headed back inside for the main reason of our trip: the Wildschwein :D
Herr Sago (the Innkeeper) stayed with us for a while and told us storied of his childhood. A bit later he brought us some home made brew (served in a horn) and right after that came our meat.

Our original plan was to drive to Fröhnd, have some boar. Then the next day drive to Holzgau and get our ski passes. We finally went back to Belgium after the Wildschwein Fest and took the scenic route through the Black Forest.
First we had a stop in Totdnau to go and have a ride on the "Hasenhorn Coaster" witch I highly recommend!!! It's pure fun!

After that we drove the same route I took when I came down here at the end of July with my motorbike. Remember when I wrote about Triberg, how I mentioned there were busloads of teenagers so I did not bother to stop. Well this time we did ^_^

It was wonderful cause in late October all the trees are changing colours :)  Plus, I had to chance to finally see all I had missed when driving through the Schwarzwald in end of July. This time it was full sunshine (above 700m) so we got some amazing views:

We left the Black Forest in Baden-Baden and headed to France. We decided to go and visit one of the "Ouvrages" of the Maginot Line. We went to the one near Bitche: the Ouvrage Simserhof.

We then left France to head back to Belgium not forgetting to take some silly pictures in Bitche :) with such a name we _had to_ do those :D

It was a great trip! Thanks a lot to both of you ;) 

(more pictures here: Wildschwein Trip FTW)

Weekend in Kent

For this second weekend of October, I got invited by some motorbike friends to spend a three day motorbike fun in Kent, UK.

This time I got to cross the narrow sea by boat instead of by train like last August when I went to Oxford.

And strong of my knowledge from that trip, I decided to spend the night over in Oostduinkerke in a Youth Hostel (de Paerdevisser) so I would be halfway to Calais already ^_^

I left work around 16.00H on Thursday afternoon and head to Oostduinkerke. After I took my quarters in my (private \0/ ) room I decided to go and have a look at the sea (and also grab a bite actually).
I drove to the nearest (bigger) city: Nieuwpoort where I could enjoy a very nice sunset:

I kinda got absorbed by this view and forgot my initial intention wich was grabbing some food!
Once the show was completely over I made it to Nieuwpoort city and got myself some meat 'n chips.




The night was cold with a bright open sky, which was a very promising thing for the weekend to come.
Finally a motorbike trip in the sun :)
And this in October AND in the UK :D

On Friday morning I left Oostduinkerke around 08.00H for a bit more than an hour ride to Calais. It was freezing cold! I had to think of my sister and our friend Baard. They got me some Norwegian thermic underwear (pants and pullover) two Christmas ago ... darn is really good material! Bless them both!

Once in Calais I was a bit nervous because it was my first time with my motorbike on a boat. I was completely wondering about how it would be attached and stuff. As it came out it was as simple as for the Chunnel :D
With only one strap more ;)

Once in the UK it was riding, riding, riding. The weather was just brilliant!

On Friday we went to Bodiam Castle, a 14th century moated castle.

And as you can see on this pictures, the weather really was magnificent :D

Sunny and even really warm if you stayed in the sun.



Planning for Saturday: riding to the Ace Cafe in London taking the long way.
The Ace Cafe is on the West Side of London, approx. 120km away of our hotel in Maidstones but we decided to make 190km out of it, avoiding highways as much as we could and choosing the smallest roads we could :)


First things first: get the frost off our saddles! That's also what you get with a clear sky, in October, it's freezing by night.
But honestly, I really prefer freezing my ass and riding on dry roads than rain most of the day ;)

After that was done we had a big traditional English Breakfast in a motorbike breakfast place (the Oakdene Cafe) and then head out for the day. There we got to meet Brian, a friend of our trip organizer.


The gang  at the Ace Cafe:

(left bottom to top: Brian, André and Chris.
right from bottom to top: Ann, Jan and me)


Sunday was a bit of the same planning: big English breakfast and small curvy roads to Dover.

But I took another option ^_^
As it turned out, Brian and I found out we share a couple of same interests. Besides some Star Wars quotes and being found of Science Fiction ... we both have what some people could call; speed issues ^_^

Brian proposed me to leave the hotel around 11.00H on Sunday and take "the fast road" to Dover.
My friends left around 08.30H, I stayed in bed, watched the Rugby World Cup Semi final New Zealand v Australia, checked out and was ready at 11.00H sharp when Brian arrived.

We left Maidstones and were at 15km from Dover 1hour and 15min later ^_^
So we decided to have breakfast on a famous motorbike rendezvous cafe along the way.
We waited, and waited, and waited, and waited some more. We took a look at all the bikes around us, talked about life, the universe and everything. And waited ...
Around 12.45H my friends called me to know where we were because they were waiting nearby the ferry check-in in Dover.
We got our forgotten breakfast refunded and raced to Dover.

This weekend was great! We had wonderful weather, brilliant company and amazing roads!
And I really hope to be invited again for next years "Ace Cafe tour" :D

Thanks a lot my friends for a very, very nice weekend!

Weekend in Lörrach FTW :)

Almost heading off to bed, bag is ready, new course is set, but I felt like making a small entry on the blog to leave my impressions :)

Friday
Friday eve we went to the Stimmen Festival, it was very heavily raining but being under cover we could enjoy the concert of Die Fantastischen 4.

Saturday
Saturday was cooking frantic :) Andreas and Tilly had prepared a dinner for 12 !!! so it was a lot of cooking, preparing and timing. We spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen and the result at night was wonderful!
Thanks again Andreas for the very, very nice food :)
It was also a very nice evening with almost all the colleagues, it's always a pleasure to spend some good quality time outside the office with good company :) thanks to you all ;)

Sunday
The Black Forest by clear weather! Finally some very nice views of the Schwarzwald :D
We took the car and drove up to Gersbach (I strongly recommend the K6352), then to Totdmoos Au and back down to Wehr (where I strongly recommend the L148). Magnificent scenery and verrrry nice streets ;)

Monday
Working day ;) Headed up to the mothership; Endress+Hauser AG in Reinach. Had a meeting with one of my colleagues and met again a whole bunch of other ones + the Saturday team ;)
After work Andreas and I went to visit the Goetheanum, a very impressive and massive beton building that holds a school of science and anthroposophy (more info: http://www.goetheanum.org/133.html?&L=1).

Tomorrow's planning: Lörrach - Gruyères durch a slightly modified route :) :) :)
My local guide and friendly colleague Urs will join me as we go down to Aarberg, Solothurn and Gruyères.

I have to and will come back here very soon :)

Many thanks to Tilly and Andreas who have been wonderful hosts :)
They deserve enormous hugs !!! And more :)

Pancake day

Yesterday was pancake day at my place.
I invited all the friends who helped me out to move in last year.

We had some sweet and salted pancakes and I finally got to open one of my Gouden Carolus bottles :D
I've got two "Cuvée van de Keizer" bottles, one of 3L and one of 6L.
We decided to open the one of 6L cause we were enough to handle it, also, the cork bung really started to get caramelised from the beer that wanted to get out ^_^

Thanks again to my friends who were there. I had a really good time :)
We should do these kinda afternoons more often.