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Our SAA flight to Munich landed almost an hour late but customs and immigration were both super fast and by 9am we were trying to figure out our European SIM card (bought online through Amazon.co.uk). At the rental car desk we were offered a slight upgrade that would cost us 10 Euro a day extra but it used diesel fuel and had a built-in GPS. The cheaper diesel and better mileage would more than make up for the additional cost so we gladly accepted. Soon we found ourselves driving on the autobahn and despite some early morning traffic towards Munich we made good time. At a service station about 50km before the Austrian border, we stopped to buy lunch and vignettes for Austria and Slovenia. Passing into Austria almost went unnoticeable and by 2pm we arrived at our guesthouse in Radstadt, located halfway up the Alpine foothills. We checked into a cozy and extremely comfortable apartment, overlooking an alpine meadow with forest in the background. A late afternoon walk into the forest produced our first lifer for the trip – a stunning male Great spotted woodpecker. Figuring we could save a bit of money by cooking for ourselves, we drove into Radstadt town and bought chicken cordon-bleu for dinner plus a few items to make sandwiches over the next few days. Having slept very little on the plane, it was not long after dinner that we both collapsed in peaceful sleep.
With almost 500kms to drive to Venice and a brewing plan to drive through Slovenia instead of straight to Italy, we were up before sunrise and on the road by 6am. Initially the roads were quiet but road closures and toll gates caused an hour’s delay before we finally turned off the highway and headed into the foothills of the Julian Alps. Although I had vaguely contemplated driving through Slovenia on the way to Italy, it wasn’t until last night when I poured over the map that I finally made up my mind to try driving the mountain road through Triglav National Park. We didn’t know if the road would be open, if it would be driveable or if we’d be forced to turn around and make a massive detour to get back to Italy. But all the worries evaporated as we drove higher and higher, each turn in the road exposing enormous cliff-faces, snow-covered summits and a typical mountaineer’s itch to get up there and get hands on rock.
We stopped several times to gawk and take pictures but after crossing the highest point at around 1600m on the road, it was time to get going. It was a long and winding road but eventually we crossed the border in the middle of nowhere, with not a single person in sight and then headed into our first tiny Italian hamlet. Not long after, we were on the autostrada, and after a quick stop for lunch, it was less than an hour’s drive to Venice. The entrance for cars at Tronchetto car park said VIP, and since we don’t consider ourselves VIP, we didn’t use this entrance. It turns out though it was the only entrance for cars and we had to drive all around the largest car park in Europe and back up to a roundabout before we could get back to the parkade’s entrance. All the undercover spaces were full so we ended up on the roof – not a major issue, just slightly less convenient. We re-packed our bags a little yesterday already so that we only had to take the minimum of stuff from here as Venice is completely car-free. After validating our pre-paid Unica card vouchers, we received a 24-hour ticket to all the vaporetto (water buses) in Venice and hopped on the first one from the main pier heading down the Grand Canal. At Mercuola station we got off and then promptly got lost in the back alleys trying to find our hotel with Google maps. Giving up on the walking route function, we navigated by feel and soon found a real dingy alley leading past the open kitchen of a fish restaurant to our hotel entrance. Despite the almost slum-like feel to the surroundings, we knew this was Venice and our hotel was perfectly fine with plenty of space, if not so much charm. The receptionist spoke perfectly good English and after dropping our bags and getting our breath back, we headed back out into the crazily busy streets. We had a gondola ride booked for the evening (I know it’s fake and kitchy, but we’re in Venice OK, where else in the world are you going to do a gondola ride?!) so caught another vaporetto down the Grand Canal. With plenty of time before the gondola ride, we explored the alleys and bridges, myriads of tiny little shops, discovered how incredibly beautiful Murano glass is and ate ice-cream. At 6pm we walked to the gondola “park” and got ushered onto a gondola with a small bag containing Prosecco and two cups. Having the entire gondola to ourselves was pretty cool and the short ride around the Grand Canal and some of the tighter alleys in between was most fascinating. For dinner we relaxed at a restaurant with tables right on one of the many piazzas and watched the skies darken as we enjoyed pasta made the Italian way. Another vaporetto ride later and we were back at the hotel to spend our first night in Italy.
We caught up some more sleep and woke “late” to have breakfast at 8am. A vaporetto dropped us off on the island of Murano, world-famous for its glass sculptures. At the glass museum we stared incredulously at the amazing items on display, watched a very interesting video on how different techniques are used to create the sculptures and then again walked the streets to look for reasonably priced souvenirs. Just after noon we picked up our bags we left at the hotel and took our last vaporetto back to Tronchetto car park.
South of Venice, clouds started building and before long it was raining. Our accommodation tonight was a little out of the way, a resort right on the Adriatic coast and our GPS took us on the back roads where we struggled to find a decent place to pull off for lunch. We eventually ended up in the parking lot of a supermarket where we made salami, cheese and rocket sandwiches. By 4pm we reached our accommodation, a family holiday resort on the Adriatic coast. It was in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by large open fields and green gardens. A strip of pine forest separated it from the beach. Before dinner we took a walk around the grounds and saw Common wood pigeon, European collared dove, Eurasian blue tit, Eurasian magpie and Eurasian jay. At the beach we also had good views of our first Mediterranean gulls but the swarms of mosquitoes soon had us running back for cover. Dinner was a buffet affair at the hotel’s restaurant and at 15 Euro per person (including drinks), not bad value for money at all.
An early morning walk around the gardens produced Mute swan, Grey heron, Barn swallow, Common swift, Little egret and Great tit. Breakfast was again a buffet and we left immediately after, hoping to do some birding in the Po Delta. Unfortunately the routes I copied from an internet site that described birding spots, had virtually no space to pull off from the road to watch birds and our slow driving was a constant irritation to the locals. Only two things we saw are worth mentioning – our first Pygmy cormorants and a couple of otters. Finally, at Argenta, we found a place where we could park and walk a short distance to a birding tower that looked over some marshy areas. But by now it was already mid-morning and quite warm and the only birds we saw were Eurasian tree sparrow, Black-crowned night heron, Eurasian spoonbill, Western marsh harrier, Greylag and Canada geese. Soon after returning to the car, we left for San Marino. Our GPS took us high into the Italian countryside on the backroads until we finally started ascending the bastion of this city state. The roads were curvy with steep hairpin bends but soon we reached one of the large parking garages in San Marino and were able to quickly find an empty spot. We walked to the top of the ancient city walls and stared at the strange places – a museum of torture and a vampire museum in the midst of a disturbing number of modern shops selling weapons and ammunition, and the magnificent views of Italy towards the Adriatic coast. We walked all the way to the cable car’s top station to get a San Marino visa stamp in our passports from the tourist centre and then strolled some more in the streets until we found a place selling pizza slices and slush drinks for lunch. The streets were densely packed with tourists and after our lunch we had enough and made our way back to the car. It was still a two hour drive to Arezzo that got a bit frustrating when the GPS avoided a major highway and took us up and down the endless Tuscan hills and possibly through every single small Tuscan village en route. Finally, with about 80kms to go, Nicola managed to find an autostrada and we sped through the forested hills to reach Arezzo around 18:30. We checked into our hotel and following the advice of the hotelier, we headed to a nearby restaurant. We had however forgotten that it was easter Sunday, and after driving around for 30 minutes without finding an open restaurant we headed back to the hotel and made ourselves sandwiches.
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then our bird guide for the day, Marco, arrived and we headed off. Our first stops were at two old castles as Blue rock thrushes bred there in summer. Alas, perhaps we were still a few weeks too early and they had not arrived yet. However the beautiful views were more than enough compensation. Next we headed off into a forested region looking for the Short-toed treecreeper, but although we heard one, he refused to come out into the open. We did stop at some bushes where a Common nightingale was hiding, but despite almost frantic searching, we had to settle for just hearing his song. Driving through some farmer's fields we picked up Crested Lark, Corn bunting, Common kestrel and Black kite. We drove to nearby lake where we saw Great crested grebe and some other common water birds, but no specials were hiding here. The second lake we visited did not hold the Ferruginous duck we were looking for, but we did see a European honey buzzard, a Green woodpecker flew over and we got to hear a new warbler – Cetti’s warbler. Satisfied with the three quick lifers (for Nicola) we headed to another forest to try and track down a treecreeper. This forest was less dense so it was much easier to spot it after hearing the call, but although we had good views of it flitting from tree to tree, it never stayed still so we could connect with our bins. However, eventually he stopped for a brief moment and Nicola managed to see him properly. Since I had already seen one on a previous trip to Europe we called it a day and headed home. Once back at the hotel we quickly freshened up and then headed out for dinner. The restaurant we had tried the previous night was open now so we settled down to a dinner of pork chops and chips.
The next day we got up ridiculously early and started the long drive to Nice in France. Google maps had promised us long delays driving through Florence the day before, so we decided to try and get past the fair city before rush hour. It proved worth it as we managed to cross over the border to France before noon. We immediately headed towards our second micro-country for our trip – Monaco. We selected a parking spot on the GPS and started driving towards it. It was nerve wracking to say the least. What looked like pedestrian walkways turned out to be roads that performed remarkable S-shaped bends down a ridiculously steep hill. We finally made it to the parking garage and then had another momentous task – fitting our truck of a car into the parking spot. It took Pieter driving and me outside the car directing for us to get in. We took a walk through the city and realized how absolutely insane the Formula 1 drivers are to race cars through these twisty stupidly narrow roads. We saw the grand stands being erected for this years F1 – due in May. For once I will actually make a point of watching a grand prix, just so I can scream at the TV screen how stupidly crazy these guys are… After lunch in Monte Carlo we were brave enough to drive the car out again and made our way the short distance to Nice. Our hotel (very aptly named, Le Panoramic) turned out to be spectacular, perched on the top of a hill overlooking the city. The little dog at the hotel looked remarkably like Snoggle so I spent a long time cuddling her before we checked in. Our room turned out to be so pleasant with a lovely terrace that collected the fresh breeze, that we spent the afternoon reading and city-gazing on our private terrace. Dinner was a 3-course meal worthy of Masterchef, cooked by the hotelier himself. This was our first night in France and I cannot emphasize more how warm, welcoming and hospitable the couple/owners of Le Panoramic was - we obviously haven't tried any other accommodations in Nice but would very highly recommend this charming place.
The next morning we had another superb meal for breakfast, interrupted by the French Snog who went ballistic when she saw me and rushed into the dining room and practically tried to climb into my lap – made me feel very loved! After breakfast we checked out and started our drive to the Camargue in the south of France. Our accommodation was a room in our bird guide's house (Les Trois Puits - The Three Wells) in the tiny town of Congenies. Our hosts, Caroline and Francis (Brown) and his twin sister Naomi were lovely English folks and after a quick lunch of bread and ham we took a drive to do a few hours of bird watching that afternoon. Francis took us to some wetlands nearby where we saw a few common birds, but also picked up one lifer (Red-crested pochard) and got great views of a Little bittern. Dinner was home-cooked by Caroline, followed by proper French champagne to celebrate Francis and Naomi’s birthday.
The next morning started cold – it was just a single degree above freezing and the mistral wind from yesterday had not really abated. Padded up against the cold, we spent the full day birding – driving through wetland after wetland of the Camargue. Regular birds included Common shelduck, Eurasian coot, Glossy ibis, Grey heron, Mediterranean gull, Barn swallow, Little grebe, and several different waders. Lifers included Eurasian reed warbler, Spectacled warbler, Tawny pipit, and Cirl Bunting with Nicola also adding Common rock thrush and Slender-billed gull. In the middle of the Camargue we sat down for lunch at a small restaurant and then continued birding until about 5pm. Back in Congenies, we had another lovely home-cooked dinner followed by a dessert of sweet chestnut puree and apple sauce. The chestnut puree was so nice we later bought ourselves several tins to take home.
It was nice to sleep relatively late after yesterday’s early start but we were already packed and ready to go by 8am. There were plenty of toll gates on the southern motorway towards the Pyrenees but being able to drive at 130km/h meant that we were already looking at snow-capped peaks by 11am. Our third micro-state for the trip, Andorra, lay ahead. The road steadily climbed into the mountains through a series of hairpin bends and very soon we slowly cruised past some stern-looking border officials to enter Andorra. We weren’t stopped though so we drove on and gawked at the beautiful mountains and spotless villages. At an ancient Romanesque church we parked for lunch in the car and then carried on to the capital, Andorra-la-Velle. Located in the bottom of a steep-sided valley, it was a strange place to visit. Few shops were open though and since Andorra is Catalan and therefore had more affinity with Spain than France, we figured it was probably siesta-time still. A walk along a channeled mountain-stream did produce a stunning White-throated dipper though and many Eurasian crag martins were sailing between the tall buildings. We re-traced our steps back to France and then descended into a gorgeous valley to a quaint little town called Tarascon-sur-Ariege. Our hotel was easy to find and even in this remote location we were surprised by the quality of the English spoken by the staff. Their breakfast started a bit late though and since we wanted to do some birding early tomorrow in the Pyrenees, we visited the local Coop to buy breakfast and dinner.
We were up way before dawn and made some sandwiches with our coffee for breakfast. We had identified a possible spot to go do some birding and since it was close-by, decided to leave our stuff to return for check-out later. Just after 6am we started driving up a tarred road that headed to a ruined castle and beyond to a small village clinging to the slopes. Although the sun was up, the valleys were still in deep shadow and it was decidedly cold. We didn’t see many birds but we did scrape together a few common ones like Eurasian blackcap, Great tit, Common blackbird, Eurasian jay, Mistle thrush, European robin and Eurasian magpie. A pair of beautiful Eurasian bullfinches was the only lifer for both of us while Nicola also had a great view of a Eurasian nuthatch for the first time. We returned to the hotel by 9am to have a quick shower and check out, and then returned to the same spot to see if we could find anything else now that it started warming up. However, something was going on higher up the road because now we suddenly had a great many cars coming up the road behind us. The road was nowhere near wide enough for two cars which meant constantly having to pull over right onto the verge to let cars pass. Very soon this became annoying enough and we decided to turn around. Back down the valley we connected up with another expensive motorway and turned east towards Avignon. It was quick on the motorway and we reached Orange for a late lunch in a small park. Our accommodation for the night looked like a little Tuscan village with little villas spread around several swimming pools. It was in a small village well away from the motorway but again our reception was in near-perfect English with huge smiles and hospitality. The French have really surprised us and have most certainly quashed our stereotyped thoughts of a snobby culture that won’t speak to you if you spoke English. Dinner was again from a supermarket in a neighbouring village.
It was our last morning in France and after a decent breakfast, we reluctantly hit the road again. We pointed the car north-east and after two hours started seeing mountains. At the Swiss border we encountered the biggest buildings and most officials we had yet seen at a border crossing but we were still waved through without any issues and very soon had our first glimpses of lake Geneva. The Alps glistened in the background as we drove along the shore to Lausanne. Our intention was to go and have lunch in a park on the lake’s shore but in the middle of Lausanne we suddenly discovered most of the roads closed for an ongoing half marathon. Luckily, the Novotel in Busigny allowed us an early check-in and the receptionist confirmed that the runners should finish by 3pm. So we had a relaxed lunch in our room and by 4pm, headed back down to the park. Although the roads were now open and we actually managed to find parking quite quickly, it was still very crowded. It was a Sunday afternoon though, so we probably should’ve realized there were going to be lots of people anyway. Our 4km stroll along the shore therefore did not produce any new birds but the views of lake Geneva backed by the Alps was breathtaking and we just enjoyed the scenery. For dinner we wanted to try one of the local restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet but after driving up and down Lausanne’s narrow streets, we couldn’t find the place (or parking for that matter). Instead we decided to do some takeaways and headed to the nearest McDonalds (unfortunately the Swiss haven’t discovered Nando’s yet). It was a big McDonalds and a large number of people were tapping away at several large screens. We quickly figured out that they were ordering their meals from these screens but not having my credit cards on me, I didn’t think we’d be able to use these. Our momentary confusion obviously attracted some attention because a waitress came over and quickly explained that we can actually use the screens to order and then just take the slip from to the counter where we could pay cash. Then it was easy and we had barely stepped back after paying, when our number was called. My goodness, we love Europe! We ate back in our hotel room – it was still just a McDonalds meal but I’m convinced it tasted better than any McDonalds I’ve ever had back home.
For today we had planned to get up to almost 3000m on the Schilthorn to view one of the most famous and notorious mountains in the world and about which I’ve read a number of books – the Eiger. To my great disappointment, we discovered last night that the cable car to the top was closed for maintenance so we had to make alternative plans. It was just getting light as we checked out and headed into the Alps, quickly reaching Interlaken just after 8am. What a stunningly beautiful town and location! We quickly dumped the car in an underground car park, walked over to the tourist office to pick up a map and get advice, and then made our way along the river to a funicular station in the north of Interlaken. The funicular ascended crazily steeply and rose about 700m to just over 1300m at Harder Kulm. As we stepped out of the cable car and turned our gaze south I got a heavy lump in my throat as I first lay eyes on the distant north face of the Eiger. Having been a mountaineer for over 20 years now and having read so much about this mountain, including Heinrich Harrer’s first ascent in 1938, it was a big moment for me. It was easy to point out also the Mönch and Jüngfrau and we could just make out the highest train station in Europe on the Jüngfraujoch.
It was simply impossible to ask for better weather – there was not a breath of wind, not a cloud in the sky and the air crystal clear. We spent a few minutes at the outdoor restaurant and then walked a 3km circular trail through the forest. There was almost no-one else and the sound of bird calls along with the smell of pine, wafted through the early morning air. A Eurasian treecreeper gave us stunning views and another Firecrest was also great to see. But by far the best sighting came when, almost back at the restaurant, Nicola spotted a large crow-like bird sitting in a pine right next to our path. I was about to dismiss it as just another Carrion crow when she said it’s got a white vent. I whipped up my bins and was greeted by the spotty blue, black and white of a cracking Spotted nutcracker! I didn’t hold out much hope of seeing this bird on this trip, even with a guide, so laying eyes on it by ourselves was extra special! At the restaurant we sat down for a mid-morning ice-cream (as one does in Switzerland) and just drank in the glorious day. On our map we got from the tourist office I spotted another funicular a little way back down the valley that could take us a thousand metres higher than what we were at now and a quick Google search indicated that they should be open for the season. Back down in Interlaken we quickly made our way back to the car and from here it was a short 20 minute drive to Niesen. I’ve forgotten how expensive the mountain transport is in Switzerland but we still paid the over R500 each for a return ticket to the top of Niesen Kulm at just over 2300m. The funicular went up in two stages with a changing station halfway up. Both stages rose spectacularly above the valley at angles of 64 and 68 percent respectively. At the top we stepped out to the breathtaking 360 degree view of the Alps with the Eiger, Mönch and Jüngfrau now much closer and the Eiger north face in full view. Heavy snow were still covering the slopes and it was decidedly cold up here. But the sun was still blazing down and we enjoyed every moment of it! After half an hour of pictures and videos we sat down for a late lunch of sausage, onions and potatoes. In terms of birds, there’s not much else up here apart from the Alpine choughs. But waiting at the funicular station for our descent, we had brilliant views of a whole flock of the stunning little Alpine accentors. It was late afternoon as we descended back into the valley and drove up to Wilderswil (essentially a suburb of Interlaken) to check in to the Berghof Amaranth located on the upskirts of Wilderswil with views over Interlaken. Our room was cozy and a little dated but still perfectly adequate. Dinner was bought from a tiny Coop in Interlaken.
Today I wanted to visit Liechtenstein so after breakfast we packed up and said goodbye to Interlaken. We were hoping to drive a longer route south through the mountains before heading east and then north but when our complaining GPS turned out to be correct about the road being closed, we had to take a more direct route closer to Zurich. We entered Liechtenstein by crossing a bridge over the Rhine with zero border controls and suddenly found ourselves in the middle of the capital Vaduz, still too small to be classified as a city. We found parking easily just outside the Kunstmuseum and then explored Vaduz on foot for the next few hours. We visited the fascinating Postal museum and the tiny “Treasure Chamber” next door which exhibits several real Faberge eggs and a tiny but actual piece of moon rock returned by one of the Apollo missions. Next we visited the National museum that had small collections of stuffed animals and Roman artifacts, exhibits and history about the Liechtenstein royal family and a really bizarre art gallery at the top. Our Lonely Planet guide talked about a ski lift higher in the mountains that tops out at a restaurant and we decided to go there for lunch. A stunningly beautiful road headed up into the mountains but when we got to the ski lift station, everything was closed and the surrounding little village was eerily quiet too. We exited Liechtenstein and opted for a late lunch along the road. The weather had now changed and by the time we reached Widnau, a heavy drizzle had set in. Our reception at Hotel Paul’s was very warm and friendly but we decided to skip dinner at the very expensive restaurant and rather try and find something at a nearby shopping mall. The mall was only about ten minutes away by car but when we crossed a bridge with big Zoll/Douane signs up, we realized that we’re driving out of Switzerland and into Austria. Luckily we were on local roads and didn’t need a new vignette so we had dinner at a quiet restaurant in Lustenau where the waitress spoke excellent English and then quickly popped back over the border to our accommodation! We love Europe!
It rained throughout the night and was still raining when we left after breakfast. We tried to do a spot of birding where the Rhine flows into Lake Constance but it was so wet that even the birds were hiding away so we decided to head for the Black Forest. Driving along Lake Constance’s southern shore was pleasant but when we crossed the border into Germany, the rain turned first into sleet, and then snow. By the time we reached Titisee mid-morning, everything was white with a 5cm layer of snow. However, it wasn’t snowing heavily and it was actually quite pleasant to walk around the quaint but touristy Titisee-– this is the home of the cuckoo clock and in the very first shop we walked into, many of them were on display. We had never foreseen being able to afford one but as we browsed through several different shops, we realized that we might just be able to buy one of the small ones. It was important to us that it was a real mechanical, rather than a battery driven clock, so we had to spend a little more, but eventually we found a pretty, classical style clock. The operation and details of the clock was meticulously explained by a local craftsman and after picking up a few other things, we sat down to lunch of Black Forest cake and Apfel Strudel, sipping gluhwein while it’s snowing outside! From Titisee it was a short drive around lake Titisee to our accommodation. The Landhotel Sonneck had a newly renovated room for us and after settling in we drove around a bit more towards Feldberg. The snow-covered pines and slopes were straight out of a fairy tale but there was no birding to be done. We bought dinner at local Lidl store.
Some more snow overnight covered the car completely and took a bit of work to clean before we left. It was still snowing as we drove away, hoping that there wouldn’t be any black ice on the road. Luckily the temperature was still hovering between 0 and 2 degrees (it needs to be a bit colder for the melted snow to freeze on the road) and there was also plenty traffic to keep the roads ice-free. But there wasn’t much birding to be done in these conditions anyway so we headed north and reached Luxembourg just about mid-morning as the clouds started lifting and patches of blue peeked out. Nicola found a decent looking birding spot just across the German border in Luxembourg and at Biodiversum, we parked the car. This was a fairly extensive wetland with pathways and bird hides; a 3km walk around the whole area produced Common tern, Great crested grebe, Canada goose, Eurasian reed warbler, Western marsh harrier, Marsh tit (lifer), European honey buzzard, Eurasian hobby and Lesser whitethroat among a few other common birds. It was a very pleasant walk and raised our appetites for lunch which we had back in the car. Late afternoon we arrived at our accommodation, still within Luxembourg, and spent the afternoon planning our last few days. Dinner was a very pleasant two course meal at the hotel restaurant.
We had a fair bit to drive today so we left immediately after breakfast. The Luxembourg roads are relatively quiet and so clean that they actually shine (really) and some parts look and feel like you’re driving on a mirror. The rolling hills to the north east are very picturesque and we’d love to spend more time here on a future trip. Things changed though when we crossed back into Germany. Traffic, especially trucks, increased significantly and from Koblenz onwards, we were never really able to get up to the speed limit. We were aiming for Dusseldorf where an old varsity friend now lives and hoped to spend some time with them before driving a further 3 hours or so north to Groningen in the late afternoon. Navigating Dusseldorf was a little challenging but we found an underground parkade and walked a few blocks to my friend’s place. They took us out for lunch and a bit of a walking tour along the Rhine. Although there was plenty more to chat about, we had to leave by 3pm and after buying a few snacks for tomorrow, we left Dusseldorf. Traffic further north was a bit better and soon we crossed into the Netherlands – having lived in Rotterdam for six months back in 2001, it almost felt like I was back home! We arrived at the Van der Valk hotel in Drachten at 6pm, had a very warm reception and ordered room service for dinner. With an early start planned for tomorrow, we spent some time sorting our bags out and getting all our birding gear ready.
Up at 5am and ready to go by 05:45. Our guide, Martijn Bot from Birding Holland, was exactly on time and we jumped into his car with high expectations. This day was arranged as a targeted birding day to try and find specific species rather than see as many as we could. Originally we were going to start around Beetsterzwaag but after I sent an updated list of target birds halfway through our holiday, Martijn adapted our plans and we headed a little further west (unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the area). Our birding started at a small mixed pine and broad leaf forest with a small pond and sandy grassland adjoining. We started with a bunch of common birds like Eurasian coot, Greylag goose, Common blackbird and Little grebe. Our first new bird for the trip was a singing Song thrush (how appropriate!) sunning itself at the very tip of a pine. Next was European stonechat that looks identical to our African version. A displaying Woodlark received a fair bit of attention and then a few beautiful Yellowhammers distracted us. Back towards the car Martijn heard a Goldcrest calling and although we saw it, we were hoping to get better views later. A Wood warbler passing through saw us running along the fields and although we saw it several times we just couldn’t get good views and eventually it disappeared completely. Further along, a large field being ploughed attracted a fair number of Western yellow wagtails and gulls and in between the Lesser black-backed and Black-headed gulls, Martijn spotted one that looked a bit different. We focused on this gull and we started recognizing the longer neck and subtly different body shape as Martijn pointed them out to us – it was a Caspian gull! A stop at the edge of a large marsh produced Common grasshopper warbler and at another dense woodland, we clearly heard European turtle dove call – a bird that Martijn hadn’t seen or heard in two years! In the same spot we also located a stunning European pied flycatcher. Our next stop involved a short walk through tall pine forest to an exquisitely designed lookout tower. During the walk we heard Black woodpecker calling several times and although we tried locating it, Martijn informed us that chances of seeing this bird was all but nil. The watch tower was impressive and the view from the top here over the marshes fantastic. We spent a good half an hour scanning the skies and fields, finally got incomparable views of a foraging Goldcrest in the canopy about five metres from us and distant views of a White-tailed eagle. With mid-day approaching we drove for half an hour or so to Hoogkerk, another large marsh with plenty of dense reeds. Sedge warblers were omnipresent here and for the first time in our lives we heard the deep boom of Eurasian bittern! With a Common grasshopper warbler and a Savi’s warbler calling almost simultaneously in one spot, Martijn was able to point out the differences in their call but when he heard a Bluethroat calling, we lost interest in the two drab warblers. Martijn caught sight of the Bluethroat and got his scope on it. I had a 1-second view through the scope but by the time Nicola stepped up, it had disappeared. Ten minutes later we hadn’t seen it again and we moved on. Reed buntings showed well enough for photos but as we rounded a corner and heard another Bluethroat calling, our attention shifted again. Finally it came out and sat still long enough for both of us to get fantastic views of this pretty little bird! Our last new birds for the trip were Northern goshawk, Water rail (heard only) and Bearded reedling. Martijn dropped us off at the Van der Valk hotel as we counted our birds – 92 for the day! Considering that they’ve had a very cold spring and the migrants have struggled to get up to the Netherlands, this was a great total. The 2-hour drive south to Rotterdam was without incident and we arrived at Nicola’s cousin’s place at 6pm. It was great seeing them again and we chatted away in the kitchen. After dinner we all settled down for a movie and then collapsed into bed.
I wanted to show Nicola the places where I’d been in Rotterdam and all of us spent the early morning walking around Kralingse plas and having pancakes for breakfast. Later we took a bus and train into Rotterdam to visit the Kubushuise and a huge new apartment/shopping centre built on the old market square. A water taxi whisked us to an island in the middle of the Meuse where we had lunch before making our way back home. The afternoon was spent catching up on some more chatting and buying tickets for a visit tomorrow to Keukenhof.
It was a little drizzly when Nicola and I left just before 7am to drive to Keukenhof, one of the largest flower gardens in the world, focusing mainly on tulips. We arrived a few minutes before opening time and were among the first people to enter the garden. It was still overcast and dripping but the colour and beauty around us made us forget about the wet instantly. It was even better than I remember from my first visit here 16 years ago. Almost every colour imaginable, tulips with pointy or frilly petals, large ones that looked like roses, different colours combining in the same flower – it was spectacular! During the morning the drizzle eased off and the crowds arrived and by the time we left, there must have been between 10 and 15 thousand people. In the five and a half hours we spent at Keukenhof we took 554 photos – that’s more than a third of the total number of photos taken during the entire holiday! Below are some examples. We had some traditional strawberries and cream and later proper Dutch friet met friet saus (fries with mayo) for lunch. A few back roads got us back to Rotterdam and we spent our last afternoon cleaning up the rental car and relaxing.
After breakfast we said our goodbyes and left for a two-hour drive back to Dusseldorf. It was raining a fair bit and especially in Germany, traffic was heavy – we were very glad we followed my friend’s advice to not try and drive all the way to Munich on this day for our flight home. At a freezing Dusseldorf airport we dropped off the rental car and checked in for our Airberlin flight to Munich. Boarding and take-off was a little late but we arrived in Munich with plenty time to spare and then discovered to our annoyance that there was no lounge accepting Priority passes in Munich! So we spent 40 Euros at a restaurant instead and settled in for the long wait. Our SAA flight back home was on time and in a brand new aircraft. Unfortunately a large number of the personal entertainment screens (around 60) didn’t work and the staff couldn’t get them going at all during the flight. Luckily it was a night flight and we spent most of the time sleeping (or at least, trying to sleep) but it was obvious to us that now we were back in the hands of incompetents. After landing, immigration was relatively quick but we still had to wait almost twenty minutes for my bag to come through. The drive home was uneventful.
Whew! What a holiday! 20 days, 12 countries, 6400kms, 160 bird species. Admittedly the trip was a bit rushed sometimes as we almost never spent more than one night in a place and driving in certain places like Monaco, Nice, Lausanne and Dusseldorf was a little stressful. But the great weather we had, the warmth and hospitality of the people we met in every single country, the ease of getting around and doing things, the way things just… work, the cleanliness, the food, the coffee… oh we can go on and on. We will miss Europe very much and cannot wait for the next trip!
Our SAA flight to Munich landed almost an hour late but customs and immigration were both super fast and by 9am we were trying to figure out our European SIM card (bought online through Amazon.co.uk). At the rental car desk we were offered a slight upgrade that would cost us 10 Euro a day extra but it used diesel fuel and had a built-in GPS. The cheaper diesel and better mileage would more than make up for the additional cost so we gladly accepted. Soon we found ourselves driving on the autobahn and despite some early morning traffic towards Munich we made good time. At a service station about 50km before the Austrian border, we stopped to buy lunch and vignettes for Austria and Slovenia. Passing into Austria almost went unnoticeable and by 2pm we arrived at our guesthouse in Radstadt, located halfway up the Alpine foothills. We checked into a cozy and extremely comfortable apartment, overlooking an alpine meadow with forest in the background. A late afternoon walk into the forest produced our first lifer for the trip – a stunning male Great spotted woodpecker. Figuring we could save a bit of money by cooking for ourselves, we drove into Radstadt town and bought chicken cordon-bleu for dinner plus a few items to make sandwiches over the next few days. Having slept very little on the plane, it was not long after dinner that we both collapsed in peaceful sleep.
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| Nicola nagged me for one of these from the moment we stepped off the plane |
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| View from our apartment at Guesthouse Elisabeth just outside Radstadt, Austria |
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| Black redstart |
With almost 500kms to drive to Venice and a brewing plan to drive through Slovenia instead of straight to Italy, we were up before sunrise and on the road by 6am. Initially the roads were quiet but road closures and toll gates caused an hour’s delay before we finally turned off the highway and headed into the foothills of the Julian Alps. Although I had vaguely contemplated driving through Slovenia on the way to Italy, it wasn’t until last night when I poured over the map that I finally made up my mind to try driving the mountain road through Triglav National Park. We didn’t know if the road would be open, if it would be driveable or if we’d be forced to turn around and make a massive detour to get back to Italy. But all the worries evaporated as we drove higher and higher, each turn in the road exposing enormous cliff-faces, snow-covered summits and a typical mountaineer’s itch to get up there and get hands on rock.
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| Brooding peaks of Triglav National Park |
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| Alpine meadow flowers |
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| Triglav National Park from a viewpoint just inside Slovenia |
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| Beauty all around and right next to me on the bench as well |
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| Triglav National Park |
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| Our GPS route through Triglav National Park |
We stopped several times to gawk and take pictures but after crossing the highest point at around 1600m on the road, it was time to get going. It was a long and winding road but eventually we crossed the border in the middle of nowhere, with not a single person in sight and then headed into our first tiny Italian hamlet. Not long after, we were on the autostrada, and after a quick stop for lunch, it was less than an hour’s drive to Venice. The entrance for cars at Tronchetto car park said VIP, and since we don’t consider ourselves VIP, we didn’t use this entrance. It turns out though it was the only entrance for cars and we had to drive all around the largest car park in Europe and back up to a roundabout before we could get back to the parkade’s entrance. All the undercover spaces were full so we ended up on the roof – not a major issue, just slightly less convenient. We re-packed our bags a little yesterday already so that we only had to take the minimum of stuff from here as Venice is completely car-free. After validating our pre-paid Unica card vouchers, we received a 24-hour ticket to all the vaporetto (water buses) in Venice and hopped on the first one from the main pier heading down the Grand Canal. At Mercuola station we got off and then promptly got lost in the back alleys trying to find our hotel with Google maps. Giving up on the walking route function, we navigated by feel and soon found a real dingy alley leading past the open kitchen of a fish restaurant to our hotel entrance. Despite the almost slum-like feel to the surroundings, we knew this was Venice and our hotel was perfectly fine with plenty of space, if not so much charm. The receptionist spoke perfectly good English and after dropping our bags and getting our breath back, we headed back out into the crazily busy streets. We had a gondola ride booked for the evening (I know it’s fake and kitchy, but we’re in Venice OK, where else in the world are you going to do a gondola ride?!) so caught another vaporetto down the Grand Canal. With plenty of time before the gondola ride, we explored the alleys and bridges, myriads of tiny little shops, discovered how incredibly beautiful Murano glass is and ate ice-cream. At 6pm we walked to the gondola “park” and got ushered onto a gondola with a small bag containing Prosecco and two cups. Having the entire gondola to ourselves was pretty cool and the short ride around the Grand Canal and some of the tighter alleys in between was most fascinating. For dinner we relaxed at a restaurant with tables right on one of the many piazzas and watched the skies darken as we enjoyed pasta made the Italian way. Another vaporetto ride later and we were back at the hotel to spend our first night in Italy.
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| Yellow-legged gull in Venice |
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| Venice back alleys |
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| Our gondolier |
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| Venice's Grand Canal |
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| Careful steering through narrow alleys |
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| Quiet back waters of Venice |
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| Our gondola's mooring point on the Grand Canal |
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| Dinner in a Venetian piazza |
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| The alley we had to walk through to get to our hotel |
We caught up some more sleep and woke “late” to have breakfast at 8am. A vaporetto dropped us off on the island of Murano, world-famous for its glass sculptures. At the glass museum we stared incredulously at the amazing items on display, watched a very interesting video on how different techniques are used to create the sculptures and then again walked the streets to look for reasonably priced souvenirs. Just after noon we picked up our bags we left at the hotel and took our last vaporetto back to Tronchetto car park.
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| Waiting for the glass museum to open on Murano island |
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| These are all made from glass |
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| The most famous of the many styles of Murano glass work - this is not painted - it's made by using several techniques and many different colours of glass |
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| Yep, those are glass ants |
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| Pretty flowers right? All made from glass |
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| A very cool glass sculpture |
South of Venice, clouds started building and before long it was raining. Our accommodation tonight was a little out of the way, a resort right on the Adriatic coast and our GPS took us on the back roads where we struggled to find a decent place to pull off for lunch. We eventually ended up in the parking lot of a supermarket where we made salami, cheese and rocket sandwiches. By 4pm we reached our accommodation, a family holiday resort on the Adriatic coast. It was in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by large open fields and green gardens. A strip of pine forest separated it from the beach. Before dinner we took a walk around the grounds and saw Common wood pigeon, European collared dove, Eurasian blue tit, Eurasian magpie and Eurasian jay. At the beach we also had good views of our first Mediterranean gulls but the swarms of mosquitoes soon had us running back for cover. Dinner was a buffet affair at the hotel’s restaurant and at 15 Euro per person (including drinks), not bad value for money at all.
An early morning walk around the gardens produced Mute swan, Grey heron, Barn swallow, Common swift, Little egret and Great tit. Breakfast was again a buffet and we left immediately after, hoping to do some birding in the Po Delta. Unfortunately the routes I copied from an internet site that described birding spots, had virtually no space to pull off from the road to watch birds and our slow driving was a constant irritation to the locals. Only two things we saw are worth mentioning – our first Pygmy cormorants and a couple of otters. Finally, at Argenta, we found a place where we could park and walk a short distance to a birding tower that looked over some marshy areas. But by now it was already mid-morning and quite warm and the only birds we saw were Eurasian tree sparrow, Black-crowned night heron, Eurasian spoonbill, Western marsh harrier, Greylag and Canada geese. Soon after returning to the car, we left for San Marino. Our GPS took us high into the Italian countryside on the backroads until we finally started ascending the bastion of this city state. The roads were curvy with steep hairpin bends but soon we reached one of the large parking garages in San Marino and were able to quickly find an empty spot. We walked to the top of the ancient city walls and stared at the strange places – a museum of torture and a vampire museum in the midst of a disturbing number of modern shops selling weapons and ammunition, and the magnificent views of Italy towards the Adriatic coast. We walked all the way to the cable car’s top station to get a San Marino visa stamp in our passports from the tourist centre and then strolled some more in the streets until we found a place selling pizza slices and slush drinks for lunch. The streets were densely packed with tourists and after our lunch we had enough and made our way back to the car. It was still a two hour drive to Arezzo that got a bit frustrating when the GPS avoided a major highway and took us up and down the endless Tuscan hills and possibly through every single small Tuscan village en route. Finally, with about 80kms to go, Nicola managed to find an autostrada and we sped through the forested hills to reach Arezzo around 18:30. We checked into our hotel and following the advice of the hotelier, we headed to a nearby restaurant. We had however forgotten that it was easter Sunday, and after driving around for 30 minutes without finding an open restaurant we headed back to the hotel and made ourselves sandwiches.
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| San Marino |
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| Navigating the streets in San Marino castle |
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| View towards the Adriatic from San Marino |
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then our bird guide for the day, Marco, arrived and we headed off. Our first stops were at two old castles as Blue rock thrushes bred there in summer. Alas, perhaps we were still a few weeks too early and they had not arrived yet. However the beautiful views were more than enough compensation. Next we headed off into a forested region looking for the Short-toed treecreeper, but although we heard one, he refused to come out into the open. We did stop at some bushes where a Common nightingale was hiding, but despite almost frantic searching, we had to settle for just hearing his song. Driving through some farmer's fields we picked up Crested Lark, Corn bunting, Common kestrel and Black kite. We drove to nearby lake where we saw Great crested grebe and some other common water birds, but no specials were hiding here. The second lake we visited did not hold the Ferruginous duck we were looking for, but we did see a European honey buzzard, a Green woodpecker flew over and we got to hear a new warbler – Cetti’s warbler. Satisfied with the three quick lifers (for Nicola) we headed to another forest to try and track down a treecreeper. This forest was less dense so it was much easier to spot it after hearing the call, but although we had good views of it flitting from tree to tree, it never stayed still so we could connect with our bins. However, eventually he stopped for a brief moment and Nicola managed to see him properly. Since I had already seen one on a previous trip to Europe we called it a day and headed home. Once back at the hotel we quickly freshened up and then headed out for dinner. The restaurant we had tried the previous night was open now so we settled down to a dinner of pork chops and chips.
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| Looking for Blue rock thrush at Gorgonza castle |
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| Tracking down treecreepers |
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| Tuscan hills |
The next day we got up ridiculously early and started the long drive to Nice in France. Google maps had promised us long delays driving through Florence the day before, so we decided to try and get past the fair city before rush hour. It proved worth it as we managed to cross over the border to France before noon. We immediately headed towards our second micro-country for our trip – Monaco. We selected a parking spot on the GPS and started driving towards it. It was nerve wracking to say the least. What looked like pedestrian walkways turned out to be roads that performed remarkable S-shaped bends down a ridiculously steep hill. We finally made it to the parking garage and then had another momentous task – fitting our truck of a car into the parking spot. It took Pieter driving and me outside the car directing for us to get in. We took a walk through the city and realized how absolutely insane the Formula 1 drivers are to race cars through these twisty stupidly narrow roads. We saw the grand stands being erected for this years F1 – due in May. For once I will actually make a point of watching a grand prix, just so I can scream at the TV screen how stupidly crazy these guys are… After lunch in Monte Carlo we were brave enough to drive the car out again and made our way the short distance to Nice. Our hotel (very aptly named, Le Panoramic) turned out to be spectacular, perched on the top of a hill overlooking the city. The little dog at the hotel looked remarkably like Snoggle so I spent a long time cuddling her before we checked in. Our room turned out to be so pleasant with a lovely terrace that collected the fresh breeze, that we spent the afternoon reading and city-gazing on our private terrace. Dinner was a 3-course meal worthy of Masterchef, cooked by the hotelier himself. This was our first night in France and I cannot emphasize more how warm, welcoming and hospitable the couple/owners of Le Panoramic was - we obviously haven't tried any other accommodations in Nice but would very highly recommend this charming place.
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| Lamborghinis and Ferraris on display outside the Monte Carlo casino |
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| Monte Carlo bay |
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| A memorial to racing drivers - part of the grand prix course immediately behind |
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| Nice from our room's terrace at Le Panoramic |
The next morning we had another superb meal for breakfast, interrupted by the French Snog who went ballistic when she saw me and rushed into the dining room and practically tried to climb into my lap – made me feel very loved! After breakfast we checked out and started our drive to the Camargue in the south of France. Our accommodation was a room in our bird guide's house (Les Trois Puits - The Three Wells) in the tiny town of Congenies. Our hosts, Caroline and Francis (Brown) and his twin sister Naomi were lovely English folks and after a quick lunch of bread and ham we took a drive to do a few hours of bird watching that afternoon. Francis took us to some wetlands nearby where we saw a few common birds, but also picked up one lifer (Red-crested pochard) and got great views of a Little bittern. Dinner was home-cooked by Caroline, followed by proper French champagne to celebrate Francis and Naomi’s birthday.
The next morning started cold – it was just a single degree above freezing and the mistral wind from yesterday had not really abated. Padded up against the cold, we spent the full day birding – driving through wetland after wetland of the Camargue. Regular birds included Common shelduck, Eurasian coot, Glossy ibis, Grey heron, Mediterranean gull, Barn swallow, Little grebe, and several different waders. Lifers included Eurasian reed warbler, Spectacled warbler, Tawny pipit, and Cirl Bunting with Nicola also adding Common rock thrush and Slender-billed gull. In the middle of the Camargue we sat down for lunch at a small restaurant and then continued birding until about 5pm. Back in Congenies, we had another lovely home-cooked dinner followed by a dessert of sweet chestnut puree and apple sauce. The chestnut puree was so nice we later bought ourselves several tins to take home.
It was nice to sleep relatively late after yesterday’s early start but we were already packed and ready to go by 8am. There were plenty of toll gates on the southern motorway towards the Pyrenees but being able to drive at 130km/h meant that we were already looking at snow-capped peaks by 11am. Our third micro-state for the trip, Andorra, lay ahead. The road steadily climbed into the mountains through a series of hairpin bends and very soon we slowly cruised past some stern-looking border officials to enter Andorra. We weren’t stopped though so we drove on and gawked at the beautiful mountains and spotless villages. At an ancient Romanesque church we parked for lunch in the car and then carried on to the capital, Andorra-la-Velle. Located in the bottom of a steep-sided valley, it was a strange place to visit. Few shops were open though and since Andorra is Catalan and therefore had more affinity with Spain than France, we figured it was probably siesta-time still. A walk along a channeled mountain-stream did produce a stunning White-throated dipper though and many Eurasian crag martins were sailing between the tall buildings. We re-traced our steps back to France and then descended into a gorgeous valley to a quaint little town called Tarascon-sur-Ariege. Our hotel was easy to find and even in this remote location we were surprised by the quality of the English spoken by the staff. Their breakfast started a bit late though and since we wanted to do some birding early tomorrow in the Pyrenees, we visited the local Coop to buy breakfast and dinner.
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| The road from France into Andorra |
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| Lunch spot under a Romanesque church |
We were up way before dawn and made some sandwiches with our coffee for breakfast. We had identified a possible spot to go do some birding and since it was close-by, decided to leave our stuff to return for check-out later. Just after 6am we started driving up a tarred road that headed to a ruined castle and beyond to a small village clinging to the slopes. Although the sun was up, the valleys were still in deep shadow and it was decidedly cold. We didn’t see many birds but we did scrape together a few common ones like Eurasian blackcap, Great tit, Common blackbird, Eurasian jay, Mistle thrush, European robin and Eurasian magpie. A pair of beautiful Eurasian bullfinches was the only lifer for both of us while Nicola also had a great view of a Eurasian nuthatch for the first time. We returned to the hotel by 9am to have a quick shower and check out, and then returned to the same spot to see if we could find anything else now that it started warming up. However, something was going on higher up the road because now we suddenly had a great many cars coming up the road behind us. The road was nowhere near wide enough for two cars which meant constantly having to pull over right onto the verge to let cars pass. Very soon this became annoying enough and we decided to turn around. Back down the valley we connected up with another expensive motorway and turned east towards Avignon. It was quick on the motorway and we reached Orange for a late lunch in a small park. Our accommodation for the night looked like a little Tuscan village with little villas spread around several swimming pools. It was in a small village well away from the motorway but again our reception was in near-perfect English with huge smiles and hospitality. The French have really surprised us and have most certainly quashed our stereotyped thoughts of a snobby culture that won’t speak to you if you spoke English. Dinner was again from a supermarket in a neighbouring village.
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| Birding in the Pyrenees |
It was our last morning in France and after a decent breakfast, we reluctantly hit the road again. We pointed the car north-east and after two hours started seeing mountains. At the Swiss border we encountered the biggest buildings and most officials we had yet seen at a border crossing but we were still waved through without any issues and very soon had our first glimpses of lake Geneva. The Alps glistened in the background as we drove along the shore to Lausanne. Our intention was to go and have lunch in a park on the lake’s shore but in the middle of Lausanne we suddenly discovered most of the roads closed for an ongoing half marathon. Luckily, the Novotel in Busigny allowed us an early check-in and the receptionist confirmed that the runners should finish by 3pm. So we had a relaxed lunch in our room and by 4pm, headed back down to the park. Although the roads were now open and we actually managed to find parking quite quickly, it was still very crowded. It was a Sunday afternoon though, so we probably should’ve realized there were going to be lots of people anyway. Our 4km stroll along the shore therefore did not produce any new birds but the views of lake Geneva backed by the Alps was breathtaking and we just enjoyed the scenery. For dinner we wanted to try one of the local restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet but after driving up and down Lausanne’s narrow streets, we couldn’t find the place (or parking for that matter). Instead we decided to do some takeaways and headed to the nearest McDonalds (unfortunately the Swiss haven’t discovered Nando’s yet). It was a big McDonalds and a large number of people were tapping away at several large screens. We quickly figured out that they were ordering their meals from these screens but not having my credit cards on me, I didn’t think we’d be able to use these. Our momentary confusion obviously attracted some attention because a waitress came over and quickly explained that we can actually use the screens to order and then just take the slip from to the counter where we could pay cash. Then it was easy and we had barely stepped back after paying, when our number was called. My goodness, we love Europe! We ate back in our hotel room – it was still just a McDonalds meal but I’m convinced it tasted better than any McDonalds I’ve ever had back home.
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| Lake Geneva |
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| Lake Geneva |
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| Male House sparrow |
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| Lake Geneva |
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| Red-crested pochards (male left, female right) |
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| Goosander (Common merganser) |
For today we had planned to get up to almost 3000m on the Schilthorn to view one of the most famous and notorious mountains in the world and about which I’ve read a number of books – the Eiger. To my great disappointment, we discovered last night that the cable car to the top was closed for maintenance so we had to make alternative plans. It was just getting light as we checked out and headed into the Alps, quickly reaching Interlaken just after 8am. What a stunningly beautiful town and location! We quickly dumped the car in an underground car park, walked over to the tourist office to pick up a map and get advice, and then made our way along the river to a funicular station in the north of Interlaken. The funicular ascended crazily steeply and rose about 700m to just over 1300m at Harder Kulm. As we stepped out of the cable car and turned our gaze south I got a heavy lump in my throat as I first lay eyes on the distant north face of the Eiger. Having been a mountaineer for over 20 years now and having read so much about this mountain, including Heinrich Harrer’s first ascent in 1938, it was a big moment for me. It was easy to point out also the Mönch and Jüngfrau and we could just make out the highest train station in Europe on the Jüngfraujoch.
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| Paragliders over Interlaken |
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| More paragliders |
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| Nicola's first funicular ride |
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| From the top funicular station at Harder Kulm |
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| First view of the Eiger (left) Mönch (middle) and Jüngfrau (right) |
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| Looking down on Interlaken from the restaurant at Harder Kulm |
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| Male Chaffinch |
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| Gazing on to the Jüngfrau trio |
It was simply impossible to ask for better weather – there was not a breath of wind, not a cloud in the sky and the air crystal clear. We spent a few minutes at the outdoor restaurant and then walked a 3km circular trail through the forest. There was almost no-one else and the sound of bird calls along with the smell of pine, wafted through the early morning air. A Eurasian treecreeper gave us stunning views and another Firecrest was also great to see. But by far the best sighting came when, almost back at the restaurant, Nicola spotted a large crow-like bird sitting in a pine right next to our path. I was about to dismiss it as just another Carrion crow when she said it’s got a white vent. I whipped up my bins and was greeted by the spotty blue, black and white of a cracking Spotted nutcracker! I didn’t hold out much hope of seeing this bird on this trip, even with a guide, so laying eyes on it by ourselves was extra special! At the restaurant we sat down for a mid-morning ice-cream (as one does in Switzerland) and just drank in the glorious day. On our map we got from the tourist office I spotted another funicular a little way back down the valley that could take us a thousand metres higher than what we were at now and a quick Google search indicated that they should be open for the season. Back down in Interlaken we quickly made our way back to the car and from here it was a short 20 minute drive to Niesen. I’ve forgotten how expensive the mountain transport is in Switzerland but we still paid the over R500 each for a return ticket to the top of Niesen Kulm at just over 2300m. The funicular went up in two stages with a changing station halfway up. Both stages rose spectacularly above the valley at angles of 64 and 68 percent respectively. At the top we stepped out to the breathtaking 360 degree view of the Alps with the Eiger, Mönch and Jüngfrau now much closer and the Eiger north face in full view. Heavy snow were still covering the slopes and it was decidedly cold up here. But the sun was still blazing down and we enjoyed every moment of it! After half an hour of pictures and videos we sat down for a late lunch of sausage, onions and potatoes. In terms of birds, there’s not much else up here apart from the Alpine choughs. But waiting at the funicular station for our descent, we had brilliant views of a whole flock of the stunning little Alpine accentors. It was late afternoon as we descended back into the valley and drove up to Wilderswil (essentially a suburb of Interlaken) to check in to the Berghof Amaranth located on the upskirts of Wilderswil with views over Interlaken. Our room was cozy and a little dated but still perfectly adequate. Dinner was bought from a tiny Coop in Interlaken.
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| Looking down on Niesen |
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| Jüngfrau trio |
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| The north face of the Eiger |
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| Nicola showing that we come from South Africa |
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| Paraglider above Niesen Kulm |
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| Strolling to the summit of Niesen Kulm (2362m) |
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| The view south from Niesen Kulm |
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| The Eiger and the eiger |
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| Our lunch time view |
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| Swiss lunch of roesti potatoes, house sausage and onion gravy - delicious! |
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| Alpine choughs |
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| A truly stunning little bird - Alpine accentor |
Today I wanted to visit Liechtenstein so after breakfast we packed up and said goodbye to Interlaken. We were hoping to drive a longer route south through the mountains before heading east and then north but when our complaining GPS turned out to be correct about the road being closed, we had to take a more direct route closer to Zurich. We entered Liechtenstein by crossing a bridge over the Rhine with zero border controls and suddenly found ourselves in the middle of the capital Vaduz, still too small to be classified as a city. We found parking easily just outside the Kunstmuseum and then explored Vaduz on foot for the next few hours. We visited the fascinating Postal museum and the tiny “Treasure Chamber” next door which exhibits several real Faberge eggs and a tiny but actual piece of moon rock returned by one of the Apollo missions. Next we visited the National museum that had small collections of stuffed animals and Roman artifacts, exhibits and history about the Liechtenstein royal family and a really bizarre art gallery at the top. Our Lonely Planet guide talked about a ski lift higher in the mountains that tops out at a restaurant and we decided to go there for lunch. A stunningly beautiful road headed up into the mountains but when we got to the ski lift station, everything was closed and the surrounding little village was eerily quiet too. We exited Liechtenstein and opted for a late lunch along the road. The weather had now changed and by the time we reached Widnau, a heavy drizzle had set in. Our reception at Hotel Paul’s was very warm and friendly but we decided to skip dinner at the very expensive restaurant and rather try and find something at a nearby shopping mall. The mall was only about ten minutes away by car but when we crossed a bridge with big Zoll/Douane signs up, we realized that we’re driving out of Switzerland and into Austria. Luckily we were on local roads and didn’t need a new vignette so we had dinner at a quiet restaurant in Lustenau where the waitress spoke excellent English and then quickly popped back over the border to our accommodation! We love Europe!
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| On the way to Liechtenstein |
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| On the way to Liechtenstein |
It rained throughout the night and was still raining when we left after breakfast. We tried to do a spot of birding where the Rhine flows into Lake Constance but it was so wet that even the birds were hiding away so we decided to head for the Black Forest. Driving along Lake Constance’s southern shore was pleasant but when we crossed the border into Germany, the rain turned first into sleet, and then snow. By the time we reached Titisee mid-morning, everything was white with a 5cm layer of snow. However, it wasn’t snowing heavily and it was actually quite pleasant to walk around the quaint but touristy Titisee-– this is the home of the cuckoo clock and in the very first shop we walked into, many of them were on display. We had never foreseen being able to afford one but as we browsed through several different shops, we realized that we might just be able to buy one of the small ones. It was important to us that it was a real mechanical, rather than a battery driven clock, so we had to spend a little more, but eventually we found a pretty, classical style clock. The operation and details of the clock was meticulously explained by a local craftsman and after picking up a few other things, we sat down to lunch of Black Forest cake and Apfel Strudel, sipping gluhwein while it’s snowing outside! From Titisee it was a short drive around lake Titisee to our accommodation. The Landhotel Sonneck had a newly renovated room for us and after settling in we drove around a bit more towards Feldberg. The snow-covered pines and slopes were straight out of a fairy tale but there was no birding to be done. We bought dinner at local Lidl store.
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| Driving through the Black (White) Forest |
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| Titisee |
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| Gluhwein and Black Forest cake |
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| Lake Titisee |
Some more snow overnight covered the car completely and took a bit of work to clean before we left. It was still snowing as we drove away, hoping that there wouldn’t be any black ice on the road. Luckily the temperature was still hovering between 0 and 2 degrees (it needs to be a bit colder for the melted snow to freeze on the road) and there was also plenty traffic to keep the roads ice-free. But there wasn’t much birding to be done in these conditions anyway so we headed north and reached Luxembourg just about mid-morning as the clouds started lifting and patches of blue peeked out. Nicola found a decent looking birding spot just across the German border in Luxembourg and at Biodiversum, we parked the car. This was a fairly extensive wetland with pathways and bird hides; a 3km walk around the whole area produced Common tern, Great crested grebe, Canada goose, Eurasian reed warbler, Western marsh harrier, Marsh tit (lifer), European honey buzzard, Eurasian hobby and Lesser whitethroat among a few other common birds. It was a very pleasant walk and raised our appetites for lunch which we had back in the car. Late afternoon we arrived at our accommodation, still within Luxembourg, and spent the afternoon planning our last few days. Dinner was a very pleasant two course meal at the hotel restaurant.
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| Bird hide at Biodiversum in Luxembourg |
We had a fair bit to drive today so we left immediately after breakfast. The Luxembourg roads are relatively quiet and so clean that they actually shine (really) and some parts look and feel like you’re driving on a mirror. The rolling hills to the north east are very picturesque and we’d love to spend more time here on a future trip. Things changed though when we crossed back into Germany. Traffic, especially trucks, increased significantly and from Koblenz onwards, we were never really able to get up to the speed limit. We were aiming for Dusseldorf where an old varsity friend now lives and hoped to spend some time with them before driving a further 3 hours or so north to Groningen in the late afternoon. Navigating Dusseldorf was a little challenging but we found an underground parkade and walked a few blocks to my friend’s place. They took us out for lunch and a bit of a walking tour along the Rhine. Although there was plenty more to chat about, we had to leave by 3pm and after buying a few snacks for tomorrow, we left Dusseldorf. Traffic further north was a bit better and soon we crossed into the Netherlands – having lived in Rotterdam for six months back in 2001, it almost felt like I was back home! We arrived at the Van der Valk hotel in Drachten at 6pm, had a very warm reception and ordered room service for dinner. With an early start planned for tomorrow, we spent some time sorting our bags out and getting all our birding gear ready.
Up at 5am and ready to go by 05:45. Our guide, Martijn Bot from Birding Holland, was exactly on time and we jumped into his car with high expectations. This day was arranged as a targeted birding day to try and find specific species rather than see as many as we could. Originally we were going to start around Beetsterzwaag but after I sent an updated list of target birds halfway through our holiday, Martijn adapted our plans and we headed a little further west (unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the area). Our birding started at a small mixed pine and broad leaf forest with a small pond and sandy grassland adjoining. We started with a bunch of common birds like Eurasian coot, Greylag goose, Common blackbird and Little grebe. Our first new bird for the trip was a singing Song thrush (how appropriate!) sunning itself at the very tip of a pine. Next was European stonechat that looks identical to our African version. A displaying Woodlark received a fair bit of attention and then a few beautiful Yellowhammers distracted us. Back towards the car Martijn heard a Goldcrest calling and although we saw it, we were hoping to get better views later. A Wood warbler passing through saw us running along the fields and although we saw it several times we just couldn’t get good views and eventually it disappeared completely. Further along, a large field being ploughed attracted a fair number of Western yellow wagtails and gulls and in between the Lesser black-backed and Black-headed gulls, Martijn spotted one that looked a bit different. We focused on this gull and we started recognizing the longer neck and subtly different body shape as Martijn pointed them out to us – it was a Caspian gull! A stop at the edge of a large marsh produced Common grasshopper warbler and at another dense woodland, we clearly heard European turtle dove call – a bird that Martijn hadn’t seen or heard in two years! In the same spot we also located a stunning European pied flycatcher. Our next stop involved a short walk through tall pine forest to an exquisitely designed lookout tower. During the walk we heard Black woodpecker calling several times and although we tried locating it, Martijn informed us that chances of seeing this bird was all but nil. The watch tower was impressive and the view from the top here over the marshes fantastic. We spent a good half an hour scanning the skies and fields, finally got incomparable views of a foraging Goldcrest in the canopy about five metres from us and distant views of a White-tailed eagle. With mid-day approaching we drove for half an hour or so to Hoogkerk, another large marsh with plenty of dense reeds. Sedge warblers were omnipresent here and for the first time in our lives we heard the deep boom of Eurasian bittern! With a Common grasshopper warbler and a Savi’s warbler calling almost simultaneously in one spot, Martijn was able to point out the differences in their call but when he heard a Bluethroat calling, we lost interest in the two drab warblers. Martijn caught sight of the Bluethroat and got his scope on it. I had a 1-second view through the scope but by the time Nicola stepped up, it had disappeared. Ten minutes later we hadn’t seen it again and we moved on. Reed buntings showed well enough for photos but as we rounded a corner and heard another Bluethroat calling, our attention shifted again. Finally it came out and sat still long enough for both of us to get fantastic views of this pretty little bird! Our last new birds for the trip were Northern goshawk, Water rail (heard only) and Bearded reedling. Martijn dropped us off at the Van der Valk hotel as we counted our birds – 92 for the day! Considering that they’ve had a very cold spring and the migrants have struggled to get up to the Netherlands, this was a great total. The 2-hour drive south to Rotterdam was without incident and we arrived at Nicola’s cousin’s place at 6pm. It was great seeing them again and we chatted away in the kitchen. After dinner we all settled down for a movie and then collapsed into bed.
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| Early morning birding in the Netherlands |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Very impressive looking watch tower/bird hide |
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| Porthole at the top of the tower |
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| Reed bunting |
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| Sedge warbler |
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| Peacock butterfly |
I wanted to show Nicola the places where I’d been in Rotterdam and all of us spent the early morning walking around Kralingse plas and having pancakes for breakfast. Later we took a bus and train into Rotterdam to visit the Kubushuise and a huge new apartment/shopping centre built on the old market square. A water taxi whisked us to an island in the middle of the Meuse where we had lunch before making our way back home. The afternoon was spent catching up on some more chatting and buying tickets for a visit tomorrow to Keukenhof.
It was a little drizzly when Nicola and I left just before 7am to drive to Keukenhof, one of the largest flower gardens in the world, focusing mainly on tulips. We arrived a few minutes before opening time and were among the first people to enter the garden. It was still overcast and dripping but the colour and beauty around us made us forget about the wet instantly. It was even better than I remember from my first visit here 16 years ago. Almost every colour imaginable, tulips with pointy or frilly petals, large ones that looked like roses, different colours combining in the same flower – it was spectacular! During the morning the drizzle eased off and the crowds arrived and by the time we left, there must have been between 10 and 15 thousand people. In the five and a half hours we spent at Keukenhof we took 554 photos – that’s more than a third of the total number of photos taken during the entire holiday! Below are some examples. We had some traditional strawberries and cream and later proper Dutch friet met friet saus (fries with mayo) for lunch. A few back roads got us back to Rotterdam and we spent our last afternoon cleaning up the rental car and relaxing.
After breakfast we said our goodbyes and left for a two-hour drive back to Dusseldorf. It was raining a fair bit and especially in Germany, traffic was heavy – we were very glad we followed my friend’s advice to not try and drive all the way to Munich on this day for our flight home. At a freezing Dusseldorf airport we dropped off the rental car and checked in for our Airberlin flight to Munich. Boarding and take-off was a little late but we arrived in Munich with plenty time to spare and then discovered to our annoyance that there was no lounge accepting Priority passes in Munich! So we spent 40 Euros at a restaurant instead and settled in for the long wait. Our SAA flight back home was on time and in a brand new aircraft. Unfortunately a large number of the personal entertainment screens (around 60) didn’t work and the staff couldn’t get them going at all during the flight. Luckily it was a night flight and we spent most of the time sleeping (or at least, trying to sleep) but it was obvious to us that now we were back in the hands of incompetents. After landing, immigration was relatively quick but we still had to wait almost twenty minutes for my bag to come through. The drive home was uneventful.
Whew! What a holiday! 20 days, 12 countries, 6400kms, 160 bird species. Admittedly the trip was a bit rushed sometimes as we almost never spent more than one night in a place and driving in certain places like Monaco, Nice, Lausanne and Dusseldorf was a little stressful. But the great weather we had, the warmth and hospitality of the people we met in every single country, the ease of getting around and doing things, the way things just… work, the cleanliness, the food, the coffee… oh we can go on and on. We will miss Europe very much and cannot wait for the next trip!
