Stob Dubh

In the morning I wake up at the crack of dawn... other than an incident where a crow attacked our tent, we slept pretty well.

I'm up and about by about 7am... there's something about me and mornings. Once I'm awake, I'm up and ready to start the day. I get pout the tent for a piss and marvel at the beauty that surround me... it looks different with every glnace, and the fresh morning fills your lungs and makes you feel alive!!!



I know it's going to be hours before Mowgli surfaces, so I set about preparing breakfast. I stick on some eggs to boil, and see if I can get the fire going. It's likely to be a lost cause, but I need some entertainment.

I have 3 wet logs and a soggy bog roll to work with, but I throw in a few fire lighters and a match and see what I can do.... within 30 minutes.. amazingly I have a roaring fire.... less can be said however for the eggs... they still aren;t boiling. We seem to have run out of gas.....

I head off to the car and get the hill walking books we brought. The weather has been flirting with me all morning, just when I think it's clearing to blue skys, it starts to rain, fo this reason I'm flicking through a book looking for something pretty easy... something that doesn't take too long and will never put us too far away from the car. I've went hill walking with a few people and aside from his love of Jack Daniels, Mowgli is one of my fitter companions, so we can probably takcle something reasonably interesting. I decicide to wait till we see what the weather does.....

I',ve made a fire... ran out of gas... chosen a mountain... and am now reallly hungry... I need Mowgli to wake up.

"HAW!!!!! WAKE UP"

Well that worked....

We make do with soft boiled duck eggs(well mowgli throws one of his at the aforementioned crow) , fruit juice, bananas, apples, hot cross buns and bread toasted on the fire... it wasn;t the bacon, sausages and espresso that we had expected, but thats why we come prepared!!!

We quickly clear up the tent and get the stuff back in the car... We're going to head to Glencoe visitor centre and get a coffee. From here we'll decide how the weather is and whether we're going to go walking or not.



The weather isn't bad, so after our coffee, we pick up an OS map of Glencoe.

We're going to head up Stob Dubh, which is one of the Munros which make up Buchaille Etive Beag:



We park somewhere along the Glencoe road(near the waterfall and the roadworks if anyone's interested, although I don't think anyone should ever use the information in here as the basis for mounting an expidition), and get our stuff together.

We pack our bags with soup, nuts, fruit, rolls, hot cross buns... all our saftey stuff, waterproofs etc, and set off along the path. There's loads of other people out walking, as this path is used for lots of routes... it feels good to be out in the countryside again and we are bouncing along through the rolling hills which approach the more serious mountains:





As we make our way along the path we get wonderful views along glencoe:



Ahead of us through the glen is Stob Dubh:



We march along, our spirits are high.... we use the time to talk about our planned trip to Eastern Europe in August... there's mountains in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria... maybe we'll be there... who knows.. we just get off on the idea of packing a bag and living spontaneously for a month.

As we move further along, we find ourselves in a valley between this...



and Buachaille Etive Beag.

We continue along this path between the mountains, getting closer to stob dubh and moving around it's base. Our book says that once we get to the cairn marking the bealach(gorge) between the two peaks, we should head up the peak.... this information is all fine and well, but this point, the peak appears to be a wee bit steep. We walk a little further on and the peak softens, but it's clear that the path drops in altitude towards Glen Etive... so instead of continuing down and getting lost in the valley, we take to the steep side of the hill.

Over some food to rejuvenate us, we take the decision to make for the peak that we can see at the steep side.

After about 10 minutes of scrambling up the hill, our legs and arms are agony... we underestimated the steepness. It's not particularly dangerous, but it's really tough... we have to try to stick to the clumps of grass, as the stones and shingle are loose and don't support you enough to climb.... after what seems like an age, we are up at a high enough level that we now have snow to contend with. It's getting colder very quickly..... but the views are improving with every step:







the wind is picking up and it;s become clear that the peak was a false peak, there is another peak which seems extremely far away... we head towards that as the wind rips at our faces and the cold air makes our joints numb. Mowgli is ahead of me, and we can't hear each other for the screech of the wind... I catch up to him on what seems to be the peak, and we quickly take some photos..



We are pretty scared... looking at each other... but not admitting to each other how frightened we are.. It's not that we are in any major danger... just that in order to stay alive, we have to march on through heavy hail with our leg muscles killing us...

We just want out of the stormy weather which engulfs us.... we are face to face with the elements... and it's not a very nice feeling... when we get over the peak, we can see the ridge stretch out before us with the wind and snow whirling around on either side of it... it's not the weather to hand around, so we march on.....



We're staggering on along the ridge.... hoping that the weather will ease, or that we can in some way escape from nature, but we have to just trudge on, with no certain idea as to when it will end and we can go lower and shelter from nature.

After a while, we see a great site.... another walker walking towards us. He's going through this ordeal alone, something I can't imagine. We have a quick conversation... the usual bravado... he tells us that the other side is easy and we tell him that our side is easy.... even though both are anything but.....

We continue on... once we get the peak behind us, the weather eases a bit, but the snow becomes thick under foot. It's a wonderful site:





We seem to be through the worst of the weather... People say that climbing mountains is good for the mind, cos once you're up there, all there is in your mind at that point is the mountain and you... survival... it kind of cleans out that work deadline that is approaching or whatever you've been losing sleep over.

For us it's just Mountain, ourselves and Pearl jam on Thursday. Everytime, one of us is down or quiet for too long the other shouts "PEARL JAM THURSDAY" and the smiles and energy return. Mowgli claims that it was greed alone that kept him alive, cos he didn't want anyone else getting his ticket.

From here in, we can see our way down... but its covered in snow.... it's not the icey stormy snow that was scarey 20 minutes ago on the ridge, but the soft snow that you make snow men out of.. We try wading through it for a little while, but swimming through snow is only getting us wet and cold. We decide to just jump and aim forward, tumbling and sliding down the side of the mountain... it's certainly a more entertaining way of descending the metres.....



We carry on like this for a wee while, enjoying the fresh snow, coupled with the euphoria of the climb, and the relief in being able to see a path all the way back to the car. This euphoria and fun ends after about 15 minutes once we can't feel anything from the knee down.

Now it's the downhill trudge... tired legs, and random dips into snow up to your thigh to zap your energy. It's at this point that we have the option of detouring to climb Stob Coire Raineach, but there's no question of it... the weather has really taken its toll on us... our legs ache... the ground is getting softer and sliding about around our feet.

At one point I take a step and my leg plummets down into the snow, I fall over and we both laugh.... until I realise I can't get my leg back out again.. the snow has fallen around it and we have a hurried dig while i feel my leg go numb... when we pull it out, we realise it was a roof of snow over a small river that I'd fallen down into.

We continue on... the weather is deteriorating into annoy rain which lashes off our faces...

Eventually we get back to the car... another couple of climbers get a flash of our bums as we hurriedly get changed into some dry clothes...

The next hour in the car is almost silent, cos we are so tired, but after that we are reminiscing about interesting parts of the climb and forgetting the dread and agony of climbing over false peaks and wanting to be out of the snow...

We pick up the Space Cadet in Glasgow and return to Ayrshire to a big hot dinner after our weekend adventures... Luke Skyetrekker heads over and we spend the rest of the evening in front of the telly talking nonsense with each other....

A Lazy day before the road.

Having woken up late after our socialisings, we slowly wander towards the centre of town in order that we can find some way of getting home by public transport. This is a nice walk from the East of Glasgow to the Centre, so you get to slowly walk from a really rough area, to the area everyone else sees:



We are going to head back down to Ayrshire after we've been to The Cadet's house for some more changes of clothes; we are planning to launch the first of our Roadtrips from Ayrshire early tomorrow morning.

While we are shopping, we notice a poster advertising an Evan Dando concert on Hogmannay. After a few phone calls and visits to ticket outlets, it appears that the concert is completely sold out. It's a shame, as Mowgli and I really loved the Lemonheads:



Dando's a great simple song writer. Goody catchy numbers, a touch of humour and some nice chords etc. He likes Glasgow, so Mowgli and I have met him in various bars around glasgow. I think I've seen him play live about 7 times or something, and it's a pleasure every time. He rocks out, but he's a chilled hippy at the same time.

Anyway.....

Apart from a horrible and cold experience of the joys of public transport when we are waiting for a bus in Kilmarnock, this day passes without event. We make it home and relax on couches while wasting time and watching telly, ready to hit the road tomorrow.

Warsaw

I hope the Polish nation appreciate that given the choice of lying in bed after a long week's work, I opt to get up at 6.30 in order to get the first train to Warsaw and see some more Poland. Kurwa!!! Meaning "That's early"

I manage to make it to Warsaw for 10.30. I was slightly less euphoric than I was on the train from Warsaw to Poznan, but a cabin to myself and a few DVD's get me through the morning crabbitness

I arrive in Warsaw and Kurwa!!!! Meaning "It's hot"

It is well over 30 degrees. It was like this yesterday too - it doesn;t seem like the best weather to complete my plans of speed walking round the city. Theres already sweat dripping off my back. But I continue on quite bouncily. I've chosen Dark side of the moon as my soundtrack. I don't really know why - I must have been in a contemplative mood, It let's me zone out and put the brain somewhere else for a little while.



The first sight I see is the palace of Culture and Science. This was a "Gift" to Warsaw from the Soviet Union. It is hated, and as a result has several nicknames; Stalin's Palace, The elephant in Lacy Underwear, Russian wedding cake:



It dominates the landscape in an area which is made up of skyscrapers and building sites. The country seems to be building everywhere - which I suppose is a good sign:



I walk along Swietokryska - a modern shopping street. I'm aiming for something called Ostrogski Palace, which houses the Chopin museum and is home to the Polish Chopin Society:



It's a kind of baroque palace, built upon red brick fortifications. Maybe next time I'll have the time to visit. I notice that at the bottom of the fortifications is a small dingey(i.e. Authentic) Irish Pub; Morgan's Iralandski Bar. I can't help thinking that Chopin would approve:



From here it's a straight climb up some stairs to the old city. Everyone is stiting basking in the sun, wondering why a pasty white scotsman is marching through the city with a sweaty shuch. I'm starting to get a bit fed up with uphill climbs, 30 degree heat, and financial buildings, when I get to add another famous Pole to my list:



Copernicus - how could I forget Copernicus. He's sitting waiting for me outside the Warsaw Science Society. For those who don't know, Copernicus was the first person to seriously postulate mathematically that the earth orbited the sun. The myth of Columbus discovering that earth was round is untrue. Intelligent people had known for years that the earth couldn't be round. The Poles say that Coprnicus stopped the sun and moved the Earth.

Copernicus was a priest and as a result knew that the idea that Earth was not the centre of God''s universe would not go down too well, so he kept his book De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium under wraps for most of his life



The Statue, which ironically I can't see for the sun, was removed by the Nazis and only put back when someone found it on a rubbish dump in Silesia.

Pink Floyd has finished now, and I fish out "August and everything after"(Counting Crows debut) for some relaxation:



I'm now fast approaching the Old town as I strut along to the funky bit in "Round here". It's important to realise that very little of the city was left standing in 1945.(Around 10%) Hitler ordered that no building should be left standing and all the inhabitants should be killed. So every "old" building is actually a recreation. I've never seen anything like it. There are gothic churches, old town houses, castles, the lot:



Life Sucks! You're carrying a heavy cross, wearing a crown of thorns, you have the burden of being the creator's son, and still you've got to stop and give tourists directions.

By the time I get to Radziwill Palace, I am in the heart of the old town - almost every building I can see looks older than 1945. Why couldn't other cities have done this. Rotterdam could have had a tourist industry! I'm not sure what difference it would have made to Clydebank and Coventry though.

Further down we have another statue of Adam Mickiewicz - without who Polish 19th century poetry just wouldn't do it for me:



You then round a corner and catch a vista of castle square at the new town - this is really amazing, completely recreated but looks so authentic:



The colours are similar to those in Poznan, I expected the recreations to look like and american theme park, but the little winding streets are completely genuine. Helping it look the part are little old nuns walking around everywhere.

On this Square is the castle:


The castle was restored by volunteers using money from Polish expats from all over the world. You get a real sense of respect for Polish national pride for banding together recreating everything as a gerridupye.



Outside the castle is a statue similar to nelson's column in London, except this is King Sigmund the third's column. The original shrapnel scarred column lies beside the castle as a reminder. I find this as fascinating as the recreations. I have this black and white picture in my head of the column crashing down amidst smoke and rubble and terror.



The most impressive restorations are in the town square:



A great town square; sunny, lots of people, terraces, restaurants. It's very like Poznan's Stary Rynek, or Brussels' Grand Place. At the north side is the piece of wall that's pre 1945:



On past the old square, I wander through little meandering streets and wonder if the deterioration is 60 years worth, or if it was built in.

Then I take a small detour to see Marie Curie's house.



Once out of the old town, I get to the Warsaw uprising Memorial:



In an attempt to establish Polish rule in Warsaw before Stalin's troops moved in, the Poles tried to liberate Warsaw ;themselves with an uprising against the Nazis in 1944. They expected, that despite the fact they were unarmed, that they could make it a week against the nazis and this would be enough time for the allied troops to come to their assistance. Using paving slabs as barricades and sewers as communication lines(See Monument) they took the centre.

The allies never arrived and Stalin halted his troops in Prague to ensure as little Polish resistance would be left when he moved in. After 63 days of fighting, they were beaten. Hitler out of fury ordered that no building or person should be left standing in Warsaw which was why the destruction of Warsaw was so widespread.

Maybe it's partly the romantic view of Scotland as the underdog that does it, but I have a tear in my eye as I read of the courage of these people fighting for their country and getting no support from anywhere.

By now I'm walking through the area that used to be the Jewish Ghetto, and I'm listening to Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden. I needed a pretty strong soundtrack to make it through the memories and scars of terror and atrocities:



I'm starting to feel really foot weary - the early start and the heat has knocked me for 6 - but I'm so glad I took the opportunity. I've managed to run through most of the major tourist attractions and get a reasonable feel for Warsaw.

I pass an Irish bar which offers homely warmth and a cold pint. I have to stand outside in the 30 degree heat for 5 minutes contemplating reasons for a pint being a good idea, but I know that if I do it could be a disaster as my flight is soon. I soldier on. How I can feel hard down to in Warsaw I don't know.



The four pillars at the top were all that was left of the royal palace in 1945. The tomb is constantly manned and the flame is constantly burning. It's quite sombre, and I feel a little bad taking a photo.

I decide I have time for one last adventure before I'm off to the international waters of air travel. I get a lift to the top of the Palace of Culture and science where I get a view all around Warsaw:









So I make it to the airport and realise how remote I am. There is no tourist shops. No fluffy Polish Cliches to buy. No equivalent of a Loch Ness Monster T-Shirt. I am determined not to go home empty handed, so despite not likeing vodka, I buy a very cheap bootle of Sobieski, before heading off:

Poland - Day 1

Ah – long lies are good. I’d forgotten the pleasure of lying in bed and watching DVD’s. I opted for DVD’s on the laptop after giving up on CNN. The polish telly provided lght relief in that the films are dubbed, but all characters are dubbed by the same person. Just imagine the audiotrack of your favourite film constructed of someone reading all characters in a monotone voice – quite bizarre, and as someone who has only every watched foreign films using subtitles, I fail to see how you can enjoy a film like this. On this occasion it completely ruined Crocodile Dundee 3 for me!!!

Anyway – off we go for my first real day in Poland. I do the obvious things first like check if Jay Walking is illegal. It doesn’t seem to be. The address I have for the conference is “International Conference Centre – Poznan” I realise that I am walking in the direction of the centre and looking out for things which look like conference centres. While this is doing wonders for my observation of Poznan, I’m not getting any closer to the conference, so buy an A-Z and discover that I’m heading in the wrong direction. Little mistake, but getting lost does wonders for your handle on the city.

On my side of the city there is one main thoroughfare(Sw. Marcin) which leads from the conference centre(West of the city), to the centre (hubbub of the city). Simple rule is walk north-south in the city until you hit it and then you know where you are.

_/\_

After the conference, I get back to the hotel and then go a wander in order to see some of the sites I wanted to see earlier. Before I make it to the centre – I get an SMS from a colleague and it’s dinner tonight instead of sightseeing

After wandering round the streets in search of some authenticity, we realise that almost everything(including restaurants) is shut. We have to go back to the centre where the first thing we come across(we’re Hank Marvin now!!!) is a native American theme bar. Not stopping for a second to how bizarre a first polish meal this is, we take a seat. There are very soon four local beers in front of us

The local beer is called “Lech”. I find this comical at first as most men become lecherous after a few beers, but it turns out that the “ch” is as in loch not as in cheese. Lech was the grandfather of the first king of Poland or something like that. He founded the first capital



We are soon tucking into dishes with titles such as “Sitting Buffalo’s last stand against big bull on a hill” It’s pretty tasty - and I learn something about good Polish service. Apparently the y quicker they get plate off the table after you’ve put the last bite in your mouth the better. Our waiter seems to practice as a sport, when he catches my fork coming down from my mouth with the plate he’s picked up. A French conversationalist turns it into an extreme sport for the poor boy as he manages to savour each bite as he savours each bite of conversation. The waiter will probably relay the story to his grandchildren one day as one of the most exciting meals of his waitering career.

Anyway.

That’s day one over. Good fun – not convinced I know much about Poland, polish life, polish food or the polish language – maybe tomorrow.

A little mountain

Summer Solstice. Longest day of the year. I'm in Scotland for a holiday. It seemed like the most exotic place possible. I'm in various countries all summer for work, so I thought I’d have a trip to Scotland to see some nature before the trek started.

I've got various trips planned (Not all will happen), but today I'm up a mountain. Well... A kind of mountainy hill. I had to come up alone, everyone was either hungover, working, or packing for a summer trip, so I thought I’d better start with an easy one.

Ben A'an - 461m - 1512 Feet



It's about an hour's drive from Glasgow. I thought it was closer, but I must drive slower in my old age. Or maybe it's the wealth of Sunday drivers travelling round these windy roads at 5 miles an hour. To get there you drive from Glasgow to Aberfoyle and take a right towards Calander and the Trossachs. Ben A'an is in the Trossachs, which are a network of hills, and lochs, not super high, but very picturesque. This is where Sir Walter Scott created our picture of Rob Roy.

When I started off, I forgot how steep it was, the first half mile is probably the steepest part of the walk. I was regretting the bravado of trekking up a mountain. You kind of dodge rocks and trees, find a good foothold etc. This one is easy, and I'm already sweating. I started to regret staying out till 4am last night and opting for a healthy (i.e. unsatisfying) breakfast. Luckily, I have my iPod to get me through this rough bit.(Melloncollie and the infinite sadness - Smashing pumpkins) Eventually you get to the first bridge, and you start to remember why its worthwhile.



It's easy to find forest like this in Scotland, this is nothing impressive, but I've been away from nature for a while. I'm getting into my stride now, mainly because the path is less steep now. Eventually I get through the country path type scenery and it becomes worthwhile. You get to see the peak, and feel good about the fact that you are going to be at the top of it.



Now sitting at the foot of the peak, I am having a sandwich and some water to make up for a crappy breakfast, and I'm looking out on loch Katrine, while writing this in my moleskin. Ben A'an sits between two Lochs. A loch is Scottish Lake. One is called Loch Katrine, and the other is called Loch Achray. Loch Katrine provides the drinking water for Glasgow. I set off again and the path now becomes more challenging. You've now got to climb. Hands and feet some times. The view gets more magnificent with every step. People tell you not to look down. I think its more important not to look up. If you look up, you realise that the step you've just taken, which seemed to take so much out of you is one of 200 still to go. The path runs through a small river, so your feet are getting wet as you scrabble up rocks and aim for the peak. Eventually it evens out, and you can look back knowing the worst is over. As I do this, the crashing chord at the climax of Galapagos hits, and i get that lungs full of air adrenaline hit. “And if we die right now, etc…”



Now its just a field of peaty mud and heather to get through before climbing up the peak and seeing the views. I eventually get up there as the last song of the album is climaxing and finishing, which means that from car to peak takes just under an hour. The summit is magnificent. You get a view across Loch Katrine and further north to the mountains. Ben Venue, the nearest peak looks as if you could jump to it.



I sit and chill alone on the peak for a while, and write the rest of this account in my moleskin. The trip down is less tiring, but more difficult. The laws of dynamics involving Scottish beer bellies, gravity and inclines are not taught in schools, but basically you are forced to run down the same steep riocks which you spent all that time climbing.

Hopefully, there will be more climbing next week.