The Alps beckon ↑ all posts

My cold has subsided now, to the extent that I woke up and actually didn’t dread getting out of bed. Time for some onward planning, and to pack up in preparation for leaving Zurich tomorrow. The weather forecast for the Swiss Alps isn’t looking great, lots of showers and thunderstorms. Unfortunate, but I knew the amazing weather of the last few weeks couldn’t last.

The route through the Alps has been playing on my mind for weeks. The choices made here will determine the rough outline of the rest of my journey: turn left and head through Austria to Vienna and the Danube which will lead to the Black Sea

The most attractive option to me is to spend as much time amongst the mountains as possible, so I’m going to head into the Alps and follow them westward into France, and then south to the coast in Provence. My route should take me past some of the most stunning and dramatic scenery: the Eiger and its infamous north face, the jagged profile of the Matterhorn. My desire for pain seems to be unsated, so I’ll hopefully be ticking off some of the classic passes and cols on the way south: St. Gotthard, Galibier, Alpe d’Huez are on the list.