TravelStream™ news feed for member mooza on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mooza en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:59:01 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/6/1150770600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/6/1150770600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/6/1150770600/tpod.html Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:59:01 -0400 Grossglockner&Blauspitze 2006

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Linz, Upper Austria, Austria

It was a common evening in one of the Prague´s pub. Me and my friends were just thinking out what will we do with oncoming weekend. The decision was quite fast: Let´s go to some mountains! As usual we didn´t sort out which state will we go to neither which mountains. These are facts which are dependent on the weather which is as everybody knows cranky. That´s why we choose the destination just couple of hours before we leave from Prague. Whole Europe seemed to be covered in the clouds those days, Hohe Tauern too. But there was a small piece of hope-anticyclone coming from the east which should clear the sky a bit. "At least for one day please!" said Vorel. We made a plan. First day, the worse one just to limber out on the Blauspitze which is a small but nice peak heading to the Grossglockner´s north (not sure now) face. It was a nice and quite easy-going day. The weather was not so bad and sometimes we had a nice views on the Grossglockner. Next day we were just moving up to the last place where it is possible to leave a car. Weather seemed to be as the forecast said, better and better. So we chilled some beers in the creek and immediately drank some of them :-) Then there was a ascent to the "base camp". We made it apart from the Stuedl hut (First-we don´t go to mountains to sleep in the hut. Second-we don´t have money to pay it :-)) =no hut! We picked-up a proper looking hardcore mountain base camp just with a view on our planned Stuedl ridge :-). Had some food, drank some beer, went to sleep! "What a fuck again?? It is 2´clock in the morning!" Hehe, what can man do. Just made some tea, eat some biscuits and broke in the early morning ascent heading to climb the ridge.What about the weather? The forecast said it should be the best day in 3 days cycle today. We looked around and it wasn´t so bad. But after about an hour there were some clouds coming from the west. "Oh, that´s nothing", Váòa said and continued up to the ridge. I was beginning to be a little bit nervous, because fog follow me wherever I roam. EXACTLY! We started to climb the ridge. "It is end of June, so where the fuck all this snow is from??". We were looking forward climbing on the rock with a few of snow and instead of it we couldn´t find any fixing points under the huge spread of that white cold holding substance. At least there wasn´t any strong wind on the ridge neither any people except of those bloody so-called mountain guides who pull some poor souls up to the top. The way how they behave in the mountains is really dreadful..Leastwise we are so undefiled souls :-) "Ok, I can see the top!Oh, well, I am actually standing on it.."What a lovely views to the top of my crampons!" Luckily, we have beer!", said Váòa."Wait, wait", Vorel interrupted him,"We left it all down in tents."Oh, well", Váòa pointed,"that is not absolutely true, look inside your backpack." Confused Vorel immediately opened the pack and shout into Hohe Tauern wind:"You bloody bastards, whole way up here I was still thinking why is my backpack so fukin heavy!I kill You all!!" The rest of the day wasn´t so funny. I just remember that Váòa and Vorel did something to me which made me so angry, that I didn´t speak to them for about two months, hehe what a funny trip it was again :-)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/5/1191525720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/5/1191525720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/5/1191525720/tpod.html Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:41:54 -0400 The First (and maybe last) attempt to top Matterhorn

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Cervinia, Italy

This was an old dream of me and my friends to climb this mysterious and amazingly beautiful mountain. So my friend Foglik made a plan and as well the group of ours, which consists of me, Foglik, his brother Foster and John. As U can see from the photos, our expedition car was a real challenge to ride it for such a long way :-) But we did it! Once again Volvo gave a proof that it is really reliable car although the one was 30 years old.

Who ever saw Matterhorn knows that it is like the love on the first sight. Let's forget about Zermatt and western look-a-like foothills, which I don't like at all. A goal! Because we chose the Lion ridge, we don't have to reach Zermatt as a destination for starting our "expedition". Obversely we went to the Italian village Monte Cervino. Monte Cervino in the beginning of the autumn was like a village of ghosts. There were just a few of locals. Pubs, bars and restaurants were usually closed or opened just for a part of the day. So it was really nice and quite place to start the attempt. In the first day of the attempt we should made ascent to the cottage which lies directly on the beginning of the ridge. But suddenly the weather has changed into a foggy and snowy one. Because the ascent is hard to pass even in good conditions we had really big problems with orientation on the upper part of the glacier. As we rambled on the steep parts somewhere below the ridge the dusk has come. That made the situation even more complicated. We definitely lost orientation. There was a couloir upon us which as we thought maybe led to the ridge. But it was to dark and the couloir was too steep to try to climb it up. So the decision was to get back on some more flat place to make a bivac. That wasn't easy and sometimes there were really scary situations. Crossing the crevasses, than Foglik fell into one..Then me, just a while after him.. It was heavily snowing as well, so the light from the headlamps has disappeared after 2 meters. When we finally found some place which was conceivable to pick-up the tents on, we roughly did it.. After then we unexpectedly started to tell jokes :-) But somewhere deep inside of me was something wrong.. This fact resulted into my decision not to continue up on the ridge next sunny morning. But what should I say to the guys? When me personally didn't know what happens inside my mind, which blocked me down there on the glacier. So it was like a stupid childish excuse what did I say to the friends.

So we said goodbye and I started to wander below that mysterious and now also scary mountain. I've got four days to sort things out. Loneliness is the best way how to defragment your mind. It didn't take a long time and the things started to be obvious. At that time I've got a girlfriend and it was my first really serious relationship. She wasn't much into mountains neither climbing so I was "alone" on my climbing and mountain trips. In my previous relationships I didn't deal with "what those of my girlfriends think about it or if they are scared or not". But now the situation was absolutely different. It made me think like "what will she do when something will happen to me?" "What about all that nice plans and dreams we were talking about, like our future family and children.." When something serious will happen in the mountains I wouldn't see her anymore.. All these facts and many more made that strange and very strong feeling inside me that fateful night and morning when I just looked up on the ridge and made a decision not to go up there..

The rest of days I was roaming in the beautiful and lonely mountains. I was keeping fingers crossed for guys and their effort to top the summit. Unfortunately they didn't manage it.. But mainly they came down ok, so I was waiting for them just on the beginning of the ascent below the glacier to say them hello again! We smoked a spliff of a peace and went down to our beloved old Volvo..
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/4/1206224220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/4/1206224220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/4/1206224220/tpod.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:01:05 -0400 Working&Travelling in Great Britain 2006

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Bedale, Yorkshire, UK, United Kingdom

So as we moved back to Manchester, we pulled down the marquee in couple of days. Then one of us, Thomas was segregated from our crew and send to London. It was quite sad, fortunately he was with Murry, the guy from Edinburgh which was a easy-going kind of guy. For about two days we didn´t know what will be our next stage. Finally, we were send to Yorkshire. Purvis bought there a small family marquee company and sucked it out. So we worked with a group of older upset men. From a comfortable Park-in hotel we were moved to the old warehouse in the middle of fields. First time we were really shocked, but afterwards we got used easily :-) Thanks to its freedom. We were making evening gatherings on the roof of the caravan with bottles of Cider and tobacco:-) The work flowed really lazily. As those men weren´t satisfied with the superintendance, they puffed at the work. It was nice time at Yorkshire..Local english is really witty, everything is fukin and thus bludy guuyz from Edinbuurg costs for shieat :)) One day when we were on our way from job back to the warehouse, our companion John took us to the seaside, it was really impressive..But then there was a call from Edinburgh. They fired all 4 of us and couple of locals as well. We had to hitchhike back to Edinburgh to got our made money. They gave us just a part of the whole amount therewith they will transfer the rest to our czech bank account..It was end of july 2006..With the help our friends (respected counsellor in Prague and London and our friend from Edinburgh) we got the rest (but not whole) of the money in spring 2007...Viva la Purvis Marquees! Whatever, we took the money, our backpacks and set on the way to the mountains. We hitchhiked to Lake District..
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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

When the marquee was picked up, and we weren´t required anymore in Manchester, we moved to Edinburgh. Because Purvis Marquees main office is in Edinburgh, they don´t provide you a hotel even expense allowance. So we had to pay a campsite nearby the sea, lovely place. The job we did in Edinburgh was much more better then the crazy stuff in Manchester. It was just a little marquee for wedding on university campus of Fettes college. Our boss was Marry, kind and speeded up buddy. It was a nice time. Nobody shouted on us, so the work flowed easy on. In the evening we were making nice gatherings in the campsite´s summer-house. We´d got an ford transit pick up for privat use to get easily to work. Edinburgh is an impressive, magic city. There is a sea gulf, mountains, lovely historical downtown..Whatever you imagine. Unfortunately after couple of days marquee was ready and we had moved back to Manchester..
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Manchester, United Kingdom

We had landed in Nottingham airport and then waited for unknown guy from Poland, which should picked us up. He took us to Premier Inn hotel on the suburb of Manchester. Immediately we got asleep, becasue the next day morning in 7am we had to be in the work. We worked as a part of the crew which was setting up a big marquees for various kinds of opportunities. It is a really hardwork! On the beginning, we got to the biggest job. 60x120m big marquee, aluminium-steel frame, wooden floor, great universe-looking ceiling and many more features. It was made just for one party!8hrs of partying for c.200 000 british pounds..We were picking it up for one week. Every day aprox.10hrs working then got back, shopping in Sainsbury´s (the most positive part of the day, when we were shopping the food :-)..Our boss was a cranky, tough guy from Scotland. There were lot of shouting and swearing during the work. We used to hear quotes like quotes like: "Comon´ U lazy bastards!" and many more :-).But in couple of days You accustomed yourself, so You just noodle your head.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/3/1120593900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/3/1120593900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/3/1120593900/tpod.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:13:20 -0500 Romania, mountains of Piatra Crailui and Fãgãraº.

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Sibiu, Romania

As usual, we choosed a bus to get to Romania. So we had passed through part of Slovakia and Hungary, to appeared in the middle of the country, in town called Fagaras. It wasn´t a nice greet, because there was no bus-terminal and it was heavily raining outside, so we waited hidden under the terrace blind in front of some house of flats. First we thought we could start our mountain passing in the range called Fagaras (as the town), but there wasn´t any practicable approach, just a long straight and boring old motorway with poor chance to hitchhike. We´ve looked into map and made a decision to catch the train and went to Brasov, which is quite big and dirty city nearby Piatra Craiului. From Brasov we used the train once more to get to Zarnesti. This village is situated on the north-east part of the mountain range. Once you pass through the village, and get to its end, you´ll find a nice place to camp on the left side of a little creek by the tourist refuge "Gura Riului". From here we continued through a impressive land more closely to a main ridge. We got roughly to the middle of the ridge, when we were entering it. Piatra Craiului is calcareous mountain range. It is very very sharp! Some parts of the ridge is quite challenging to be crossed. People with vertiginousness may be expecting a lot of problems. Because some of us may expect these troubles we entered the range in the middle of it and continued in south-east direction because the worst part is the other one. When we were leaving the ridge two storms was appearing in the sky. It was really scarry..In next couple of days we left Piatra and enter the Fagaras. This is probably the most known mountains in Romania. And mostly visited too. We entered it from the east because the eastern part is not so spectacular as the west side and due to this fact it is not so crowdy. For two days there was a bloody heavy rain. So after that we decided to descend to the lower parts. We discovered an impressive refuge called "Urlea". It was a really magic place on the edge of the forests, where just an old man and a various kinds of animals (donkeys, cats,dogs..) lived together. We stayed there for two nights and then got back to the ridge and continued on. We left the mountains roughly in the middle and descend to refuge "Podragu" where we picked up our tents. Then we left the whole mountains in the direction to Victoria village. Then back to Sibiu (nearby Fagaras town) to catch the returning bus. It was my first time in Romania. I expected it more wild. But these times have partially passed. If you want to explore more wild parts and mountains or Romania, Maramures would be the one. Maramures is considered by many to be the heart and soul of rural Romania. With its picturesque countryside of small villages, rolling hills, pastures, and meadows full of wildflowers, Maramures epitomizes all that the rural lifestyle encompasses.(www.visitmaramures.ro) However it was a perfect journey in the nice country not so far away from Czech Republic.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/2/1204610760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/2/1204610760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/2/1204610760/tpod.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:17:28 -0500 Autumn "Holiday" in Scotland

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Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

It is my fourth time on this A696 road from Newcastle to Edinburgh. I find it much better then nearby A1. It is because A696 is a simple road not a huge highway. But the most important reason for me is that is pass through the various kind of landscape as you are getting from the english kind of country north to scottish mountains. Those are truly beautiful views. Next advantage of this road are main cities on it. There are just couple of bigger ones (Ponteland, Otterburn, Rochester, Jedburgh..) so when you stop somebody You can be quite sure of your success to get at least to one of them to continue on the north or south. Don´t miss a break on the England-Scottish border!
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Istanbul, Turkey

We choosed bus to get to Georgia, so we could not miss Istanbul in Turkey on our way. It was planned to stay for three days in the Europe-Asia "border". We had met our friend Thomas here as well. From here on, he continued the journey with us. Cordial house hotel is a reasonable place to stay in. It is right in the heart of the city and we payid 8€ for night. It has a perfect rooftop terrace to drink a couple of Efes beers with your friends. Istanbul is quite hot, so we woke up early in the morning to walk around the city center and about 11am we got back to the hostel to went through the hottest part of the day in sweet sleep. In the afternoon we moved to the Marmar sea to swim in the surprisingly clear water. Seaside in Istanbul is a place from where You can see illusory views of ships waiting to sail through the Bospor pass.  In the night we explored some scarry parts of the city. At that time of the night, it was a dead place of nobody. We were crossing those streets where just closed buildings and sometime lonely dog was our companion. It was pretty respite, when we got back on the common streets with a nightlife. There are many points of interests in this amazingly giant city, but You can not miss the Yerebatan Sarnici! "One of the magnificent historical constructions of Istanbul is the Basilica Cistern, located near south-west of Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia). This huge cistern, which was founded by Justinianus I, a Byzantine Empire (527-565), began to be called by the public 'the Sinking Palace' - and not without a reason, seeing the great number of marble columns arising out of the water." (www.yerebetan.com). And if you are used to eat an "Prague´s" kind of gyros, you´ll be definitely amazed by the right one from Turkey street´s restaurants.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/2/1154824740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/2/1154824740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/2/1154824740/tpod.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:41:33 -0500 Autumn "Holiday" in Scotland

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Biggar, United Kingdom

Me and Martin went to Scotland to help at Tim´s house reconstruction and earn some pounds. It was nice 3 weeks in the middle of Scottish mountains, becasue Tim lived one hour by car from Edinburgh in mountains. It is mansion from 15th century, so when we first saw it, we were pretty amazed! We didn´t know each other. My friend Thomas met Tim on hitchhike to Lake District in summer and was asked to help him in autumn. Because Thomas cannot come, we did it instead of him. But once as we met Tim and his family, we were absolutely sure that this is a perfect one! Tim´wife July, their children Rebecca, Hannah and Harry was our brilliant companions all the time. So altough we worked aprox. 9hrs a day it was a nice holiday!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/1/1185750180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/1/1185750180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mooza/1/1185750180/tpod.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:12:53 -0500 Georgia 2007, Mountains, Cities and People.

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Tbilisi, Georgia

What to say? It was an amazing time, here in Georgia. We had started from south-west in Kobuleti and went to Borjomi. Next day, due to the weather we continued to Vardzia, an impressive mediaeval cave-city, near to a turkish border. We had made a short trip in surroundings to met a immigrations from Armenia and autonomic parts of Georgia (South Ossetia, Abchazia), as well as georgians. The day after we went back to Borjomi and made a nice hike in the national park Borjomi-Kharagauli. When we get back to Borjomi and had a couple of beers in local train station (very very beautiful!), we moved to Tbilisi (160km by train in 6hrs for like 2 GBR pounds :-) We found that beautiful guesthouse (recommendation of an austrilian traveler) and explore the city, which is quite interesting, mostly the Main Market and Traffic Department. Next point of our plan was a small village in the northern part of Georgia, on the border with Russia, Kazbegi. We went there mainly because of the Kazbeg mountain, which was about to climb. But unfortunately we didn´t take the equipment (rope, axe, crampons..) because we were relying on tourist offices to hire that stuff from them. WRONG! We were sayed that the base-camp refuge provides it. When we asked, old-tough man wanted 150US dollars for equipment for one person!So we made a short risky trip near to Orstveri summit and was stopped by crevasses. Ok, we descended to Kazbegi and get terribly drunked by Kazbegi beer and vodka with locals as usual:-) The day after we hire two off-roads (Lada Niva-for real!) and got along a border with Chechnya to small mountain village Juta to start hike across the Jvari pass. Behind that pass is an old military road T-38 (not sure about the number) which leads to Shatili, an old village-fortress. Unfortunately there is no marshrutkas on this road, only private offroads which costs around 150-200US dollars to get you to Shatili. So we naively tried to hitchhike during one rest-day. Obviously we didn´t suceed. There is NO reasonable path to walk to Shatili, so we got to nearest village where we got the bus back to Tbilisi. We had got a few days left, so we went to Mtsketha - Unesco world heritage center. It is quite nice, but don´t expect miracles. The most impressive thing was the meeting with huge snakes and turtles in the hills nearby. Georgia is an wonderful land with an various kinds of landscape. But what is the most charming fact about this country? People. Rule: The poorest, the most generous. I can truly recommend this country!
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