Prague, Garmisch, Gorge Du Tarn - We're Back!

Our friends Ray and Michelle just finished visiting us and so I am finally updating the blog! I'll try to capture the last 2 weeks as best I can.
The first weekend they were here, we drove to Prague for 2 days and 1 night with the dogs and walked the city and saw the main sights. Frank had a small fiasco with the car, accicdentally bumping it on a gutter in the parking garage which caused a big freak out by the hotel employees, while Michelle riled up the chocolate store people demanding products that were falsely advertised. Overall, we had beautiful weather and great food, it was a whirlwind tour of the city, but we had a good time and exhausted ourselves thoroughly.

Unfortunately, I had to work all week when we got back, but Frank didn't and was able to take Michelle and Ray to some of our favorite climbs/crags here in the Frankenjura Monday through Wednesday. Thursday, I headed to Garmisch for work, and Frank headed down as well with Ray and Michelle AND both of the dogs packed in the Element and they visited the famous fairytale castle Neueschwanstein and Garmisch Friday morning while I taught a class. At 2, vacation began for me finally as well :) Gorge du Tarn France, here we come!




We drove through Switzerland, stopping for dinner at a packed pizzeria right by Geneva, and then to bed early for all of us, wiped from the 7 hour drive. I'd say the highlight of the whole trip for me actually was during that crazy car ride. Michelle and I got bored and started singing/teaching each other fun camp songs and then doing songs with rounds. We had the guys join in on a few which became the funniest messes of a song ever and we all were so giddy and just started cracking up laughing and making up fake songs. Haven't laughed so hard in so long, it felt great. Deep down real serotonin producing laughs that hurt your sides came from the 4 of us, I think even the dogs must have been entertained. Saturday, we got up to finish the last 4 -5 hours of the drive through France, landing at our gite around 4pm on a very crisp windy, rainy, fall day. It cleared as we drove the 7km up up up the windy gorge road, promising for climbing. Michelle and I quickly realized there were almost no restaurants open/appetizing in the tiny town of Les Vignes, and no grocery stores would be open the next day, so we dropped off the boys to check out the climbing and headed 35 minutes down an extremely winding road to the nearest big city, Millau, to pick up groceries for the next 6 days. It worked out great.



The climbing in the Gorge du Tarn was great, and way better than I expected or imagined. The gorge is absolutely beautiful, 1000 meters down steep rocky slopes, with plateaus for miles on either side. The routes range from short and steep and bouldery, with friendly pocketed mid grades, to extremely long edgy/pocketed routes. And the potential for more climbing in the gorge is amazing. I have never seen so much good looking limestone! On our first full climbing day, the day after we got there, Sunday, after just 3 climbs, Frank stepped off a rock wall wrong and sprained his ankle really bad. It was horrible. He wasn't able to climb the next 2 days at all, or walk for that matter hardly.




But, the rest days did allow for us to drive around and see a ton, and take a wonderful canoe ride down the Tarn with Ray and Michelle, another highlight of the trip for me.

We then were able to squeeze in 3 climbing days all together in perfect sunny cool weather, Frank and me top roping everything, but still enjoying every minute of it. Saturday, we started the long drive home at 10:30am, stopping in Beaune to shop a little, then on to Steve and Kris's new house, arriving at 9:30pm! Long day... Frank drove the whole way even! Sunday, we dropped Ray and Michelle off at the airport in Frankfurt. Sad to see them go. Always seems to be so abrupt and the vacation feels like a blur already. We squeezed a short visit then in to visit Rachael, Carmen, Jordan, Tristan and Cameron in Frankfurt which was great. Wish we could have stayed all day. Rachael made us turkey sandwiches for the road which tasted so darn good!

So, finally back home again. But getting sad and stressed because we only have 1 week left here in Gmund. Both of us are going to miss it here for sure and are sorry to squeeze the move in so quickly after just returning from vacation. Making to do lists... And time for me to get to bed. We'll try to keep posting more regularly, but things are about to get a bit bumpy as we move. Love you all! F&M