“Although God created the world out from nothing, but he created the mountains from the crumbs of stars”

Aphorism author: R.E. Rogowski

Well, a lot has been going on recently, but today I’m going to write about my last trip only :)
And also I’m going to categorize my note, so it’s not going to be chronological.

Metalfest Open Air
Damn, the concert was totally awesome!
I’m really pleased because I could experience live music made by my favorite bands!



Technically, the concert wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad at all. Some of the bands had a well-set sound system, some of them sound terrible
I’m not sure what’s the issue - if it’s an equipment problem, or maybe it was sound engineer’s deliberate action? It’s possible, that people expect from more popular bands to sound better than these smaller ones.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the event, only 2 bands disappointed me a bit.
Amorphis was essentially perfect, the sound system settings were correct, but I feel, the band didn’t have sufficient contact with their fans. They’ve tried to make fun, but I think they need to practice more, haha! ;) Main vocal didn’t come close to the crowd (most of the bands did it).
The 69 Eyes show was strange. Technically it wasn’t bad, but team members looked like super introverts. They had no contact with their fans (they haven’t even tried!). They were playing one song after the another and the only things they’ve been saying between them where titles… After they scene time has come to an end, they’ve just said shortly “Thanks” and left - just like this!
Of course, I’ve come for this 3-days event because I love most of the bands (including those I’ve mentioned above), but let’s face it - I’ve expected live (not necessarily perfect) music AND playing with the crowd!


I really love shows which Elvellon, Hammerfall, Majesty, Beast in Black and Amon Amarth have made.



I’ve also had a lot of fun during the Axxis show - they’ve had terrible sound system settings, but all in all, they were better than the others.



But unbeatably the best band during the whole Metalfest was Korpiklaani.
I’ve been listening to them from time to time, but I’ve never heard them live before (I just didn’t feel that I need). I have to admit, that after this event I like them much more than before!
When they’ve started their show I could easily feel how much they love to make music, how much they enjoy to play live, and how much they want to meet with the fans!
Damn, they were awesome! I’ll definitely buy tickets for the next concert they’re going to play somewhere close!


It was really hard to find some nice place to sleep during the event. All the guest rooms in Pilsen were ridiculously expensive that time, that’s why we’ve decided to sleep on the campsite.
It was a bit too cold for us during the nights, so we’ve used a tent like a small fridge, and we’ve slept in the car. It’s actually bigger and comfier than the tent :)



Switzerland
It’s a mountainous country, I was amazed by the charming sceneries.
Definitely, Mother Earth made a good job with creating the Alps.









Unfortunately, we’ve made our trip before the real Alps season starts, so some of the trails and roads were closed.
It’s still a lot of snow in the Alps (especially in the higher parts) in June, that’s why it was impossible to get to some interesting points.



Going through Switzerland would be really difficult without the mountain tunnels. Thanks to the shuttle trains, we could quickly get to the other side.


If you’re interested in travelling through the Switzerland, you can check the roads availability here CLICK (Thanks for the recommendation Ania!)


During our holidays we didn’t have a lot of opportunities for hiking. It has turned out, that the oxygen sparse is a real issue. Adam felt weak and wonky up high. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to go to that high mountains ever again. Maybe the oxygen tank will help somehow.



So the only peak we’ve reached is the Jungfrau, but we’ve taken a train to get there. We’ve seen the UNESCO protected Glacier located inside the mountain - it’s very impressive.
But the rest of attractions available up there were not really interesting to me.



Of course, during our trip, we had to visit two main cities - Zurich and Bern.


Zurich amazed me with its simplicity and charm. The small streets close to the city center and the old town are clean and delightful.



The Limmat river (which is going through the whole city) is so clean and clear, that I could easily see the depth. And believe me, it’s not a very shallow river.


I’ve got a recommendation about the traditional Zurich chocolates called Sprungli.
They were nice but not that delicious as I’ve expected.


The best way for sightseeing Zurich is to get lost and to loop between the small streets. It’s so green and nice there, I’ve felt really fresh out there.



I have to also recommend the small coffee shop called MAME. I’ve tried the best cold brew ever there!



I was also amazed by the University of Zurich library. Be sure - if I study in Zurich, I would definitely spend there many hours!



If I’m talking about libraries, you should definitely visit Abbey library of Saint Gall!
Unfortunately, it’s forbidden to take photos there, so I can only share with you the photo, I’ve found with Google.

Bern is the capital of Switzerland, but I feel it has fewer attractions to offer than Zurich.
Anyway, I’ve spent a nice and cozy evening there too.


Of course, Switzerland’s obligatory point is Chur - probably the oldest town.
The tenements around the city center are literally amazing, I’ve felt like the time has stopped there!



When you’re visiting big cities you can easily understand locals, they have no problem with English. But it’s usually hard to communicate with the people living in small cities or in the countryside. What’s the most interesting - in Switzerland, there are 4 official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh.
Most of the people can speak German, west Switzerland is French, only the small south region is the Italian one.

Switzerland is a rich country, so all the prices are relatively higher than everywhere else in Europe. So how to not to spend a lot while traveling to Switzerland?
First of all, I recommend excluding meat from your diet, because it’s super expensive there. Well, the best option to save money is cooking on your own, you can buy all the ingredients at better prices in the supermarkets located far from the city center.
We’ve decided to bring some ready-made sauces and pasta from Poland - we wanted to save money and... time.
We’ve been cooking on some parking spots or small road bays in the middle of nowhere.


But I barely recommend you to try original Swiss cheese ;)


If you’re driving a car (what is probably the best idea), you need to know that the fuel is also much more expensive than in any other European country.
So I recommend you to fill your tank before you cross the Swiss border (minimize the number of refueling in Switzerland).

Accommodation prizes will probably loom large in your mind… Unfortunately, it’s illegal to sleep in the car in Switzerland (unless it’s a campsite). The fine is large, so I won’t recommend you to try. Camping prices are slightly lower than guest rooms, so I think it’s more comfortable to pick a room. Of course, try to look for guest rooms far away from the touristic attractions and big cities.


We’ve spent one night in the guest room, where is a very friendly cat living.
She’s called Arizona. Believe me, I felt very special when she decided to sleep with us for the whole night.
I think she has felt how much I’ve been missing my cats ;) Cats are incredibly smart!



Italy
After we’ve visited everything we wanted to see (what was available of course) in Switzerland, we’ve decided to cross the Italian border.
Italian Alps proved to be more kind to us, they’re more southernmost, so there was less snow on the top.
Luckily we’ve been able to go through some part of Tre Cime di Lavaredo trail.
Because of the huge ice sheet, we couldn’t go to the top.
The only one thing was missing in my equipment - sunglasses...



Believe me (or not) - the light reflecting from the snow is so strong, that I could barely see anything! 

Then next stop we’ve made in Italy was a small city called Curon Venosta.
The main attraction is sticking out from under the water church tower.
After the dam was built, the city located at the foot of the mountain was completely flooded with water. The only thing which is still visible is the tower.


The most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen in my life is also in Italy!
Lago di Braies is located in the Dolomites area in the Pustertal valley. The color of water (very clear azure mixed with the turquoise) is gorgeous!


Austria
We’ve decided to visit Austria during our way back. We’ve added some pins on our map, but we weren’t sure if we’ll be able to visit them (because of the lack of the time).
Luckily we could make a stop in Sigmund - Thun Klamm - one of the most beautiful gorges in Austria.
The water from a melting glacier has carved a real work of art! Tour route is short, but it’s so engagingly beautiful, that I had to stop at every corner!



We’ve also decided to go to the Hallstatt - small charming city located southeast of Salzburg.



Hallstatt is famous for small, cute tenements and “floating on the water” buildings.
Some of them were built on the bank of the Hallstatter lake, and they really look like they’ve been staying its surface!


During our walk, we’ve met a nice and friendly guide.
This amazing tomcat was following us all the time! And when we’ve decided to go further, he walked us at the parking spot.


Well, this trip was full of cats, and I’m really happy about that.

The last point of our itinerary was the Palm House in Vienna. It’s the most incredible palm house I’ve ever seen!



Well, we’ve been to Vienna during the wintertime, but the Palm House was closed. It was a great opportunity to visit it this time.
If you travel to Vienna, you have to visit this amazing place!


Adventure mandatory!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a successful trip without some unexpected twists!
This time we had car issues.

A series of calamities has started in Czechia, where we’ve found that one of the bulbs doesn’t work. Ok, it’s not a big deal, we’ve just bought a new one.

Another country, another problem.
After we’ve crossed the Swiss border I realized, that start-stop system control is blinking periodically. To be honest - I wasn’t worried about it because I’m never using that system while driving. So I’ve decided to repair it under warranty after we return to Warsaw.
Although after a few hours I’ve realized, that it’s a more serious problem, that I’ve been thinking before. The engine controller showed, that the temperature is much too high!
Nothing has changed after 30 minutes of staying in the shadow with the open mask…
Of course, we’ve checked the cooler and the levels of all liquids - everything was fine.
I’ve started to panic, I’ve called to our assistance and the girl said, that we can still go to the nearest ASO unless the engine controller lights up in red.
We’ve googled the nearest authorized Hyundai mechanic, and it turned out that we won’t reach it before it closes. We’ve made an appointment for the next day and we’ve booked a room nearby the ASO point.
While driving the engine temperature controller was fluctuating like a crazy (correct temperature - too high temperature) and… it made me feel calm a bit. Let's think calmly, it can’t be an engine issue when the controller is changing from second to second. The problem is probably in a broken thermometer, thermostat or a temperature detector.


And I was right - when we got to the ASO, the mechanic has shown us that the temperature cable was deprived of isolation. It was probably caused by the rat or a ferret (what is supposedly common in Switzerland).
Anyway, we had to replace the broken cable with a new one, because the cooling system is based on readings from the thermometer. And if these readings were falsified, the engine could really overheat. After the servicing everything has returned to normal - the engine temperature was stable again, and the start-stop system stopped blinking.
But this is not the end of the car adventures...

Vulcanizzazione - this is the first Italian word I’ve learned…
As you’ve probably guessed - we got a flat tire in the middle of the high-speed road (and yes, I was driving then).
I’ve been driving 130 km/h in the left lane when the car started to scream in panic “too low pressure in the tire!!!”
I’m grateful to the notification system, without it I would probably learn about the problem over a dozen seconds later.


The time I got let me calmly and safely change the lane and enter the SOS bay.
This is how I’ve learned how to change a tire!
But the replacement tire (it’s a regular one) was brand new, so I didn’t feel comfortable while driving. The Lane Assist system was getting crazy, I felt like I would be floating on the road. It was caused by the difference in operating time.
We’ve decided to repair the tire, we’ve easily found a well-rated point on Google Maps. We decided to call there before we go and… it turned out, that no one is speaking English…
Adam has tried to explain what exactly do we need in a thousand ways, but the only response he got was: “no English”.
I had to use Google Translate, but I didn’t know how to pronounce any Italian words; I’ve checked the ‘vulcanization’ word. Eureka, it worked! He has finally understood our problem and he agreed to help.
The whole service took him one hour and 30 euro.

Our holidays lasted 11 days.
Sometimes it was calm, sometimes too fast; sometimes according to the plan, sometimes with an unexpected twist… but anyway, I’ve spent an amazing time!
I really love the feeling of freedom; I’m always waiting to feel the wind in my hair. I love to be close to nature.
Travels have a special place in my heart...

4 comments:

  1. My vacations look like kids stuff next to yours! How did you get the overhead photo of the footbridge in Switzerland? Sorry that you had car trouble, but you made it! Sometimes, when going to higher elevations, it takes a day or two to acclimate; happened to me when I visited the Rocky Mountains recently, but those mountains are babies compared to The Alps!

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    1. Some of the photos are made with a drone. I've used it wherever it was allowed to fly :)
      Alps were amazing, but I think - bit too high for both of us ;)

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  2. I loved and was fascinated by everything in this post, especially because I've not been to any of those places before. What a splendid diversity you saw! Inspiring, intriguing, adventurous, exciting, charming and beautiful. What a combination! And best of all, a cat hotel! I never heard of that before.

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  3. Beautiful photos. Love them.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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