In Search of Goulash

I don't think I've ever eaten Goulash for breakfast, nor seen as many varieties of Goulash and spellings of Goulash as I have in the last few weeks. Is that Goolash or Gulasch or Gulasz? Would you like it with paprika, sauerkraut, mushrooms, dumplings, veal, beef or chicken? Yes, the Goulaszes have appropriately made their way to the official land of the Goulash. As soon as we crossed that border from Italy to Slovenia, our search for this dish began. So who invented Goulash? My internet search revealed the following, which i'm sure would be hotly disputed by the Polaks :)

"Cowboys invented it. Hungarian cowboys, that is. More than a thousand years ago, they created their own version of Meals, Ready to-Eat by stewing and sun-drying cubed beef. They would pack this dried meat in bags and carry it with them. When they wanted a meal, they would cook the meat in a little water to make goulash, or a little more water to make goulash soup."

We never saw a Hungarian cowboy in Budapest and Konrad wasn't so keen on travelling out to the country to find them either so I can't verify this information. Given also that the Hungarians descend from the Finnish and have no relation at all to the Slavs, I'm not sure how they were able to communicate their recipe in that incomprehinsible tongue they call a language!? But there is one common bond in the wild east (and it's not just those ugly communist blocks). It's Goulash! That's right, they all eat it, in various forms for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Okay maybe not always for breakfast, although we did it the other day in Bratislava with a beer and I felt the need to lie down for a long post meal nap to digest all that meat and cabbage before I could continue on with our all important daily task of pounding the pavement in search of a good photo for the blog site. That really seems to be our new found mission in life :) I say "our" mission but really I'm referring to Mr Goulash who has assumed the role of Creative Director, along with Chauffeur and Official Communications Manager - Eastern Europe. My roles include Chief Travel Guide, Chef and Treasurer - responsible for monitoring the all important "Beer and Petrol Index." Very important information when you arrive in a new country!

So here we are in Bratislava, capitol of Slovakia, 4 weeks into our tour of the Wild East. We last left you in Italy and the tour has definitely taken a different twist since then. We knew things were different as soon as we crossed the border and were asked "are you on the run" when the police observed all the camping gear in our car :) "No officer, just in search of a good goulash" would have been the appropriate response perhaps? In all seriousness though, our first week in Slovenia was definitely a mild introduction to Eastern Europe. Slovenia is a very beautiful country and seemingly wealthy. We drove through the beautiful countryside to Lake Bled where we camped for 3 days (in pouring rain - the start of an 11 day stint of cold and rain), before taking in Lake Bohinj, Ljubljiana, Skocjanska Caves and the beautiful port of Piran. The camping was good there, the people very friendly and we felt very safe and almost like we were still in the west.







From Slovenia we crossed into Croatia where we discovered that camping must be somewhat of a new thing as they tried to charge us 23 euros for a campsite, when the price of a private room was 20 euros!? So you can guess where we spent our money - and it wasn't on a patch of grass! We started in Plitvicke National Park which was definitely the highlight of Croatia - these amazing lakes cascade into one another through a series of ever changing waterfalls. Very spectucular!! And even though we walked the 18km path in the pouring rain we thoroughly enjoyed it! From there we headed to the Adriatic Coast and down to Trogir and Split before taking a ferry to the beautiful Island of Hvar where we spent 3 days relaxing and catching some rays. After that we drove down to Dubrovnik for a couple of days. Dubrovnik is very beautiful but unfortunately very touristy. Here we witnessed someone trying to break into our car (we managed to stop them in time fortunately), and also found the Croatians to be less friendly and almost "resentful" of the tourist. Prices were a lot higher here too and the beach nowhere near as nice as the islands. BUT we did walk the city walls which were very impressive and still a highlight of our trip so far.











Having noticed that the Fiat had started to sound a little like a Ferrari it was only fitting that on our way out of Dubrovnik we heard a crash and realised our exhaust had fallen off the back of the car and was dragging behind us on the road. Konrad managed to skillfully remove it and given that we were on the road already we continued on with our journey to Montenegro :)) (Explaining to border control that we had just lost our exhaust was kind of funny too). We had originally thought to get it fixed when we arrived in Kotor, but upon arrival we changed our minds rather quickly!! Montenegro is a very beautiful country but also very poor and still very eastern! I think this was the first place we felt a little bit uneasy and really didn't want to leave the car on the street overnight nor with anything in it. We stayed in Kotor, which is an amazing walled city set at the head of southern Europe's biggest fjord and partyed in town on the Saturday night which was thumping techno music into the main square. Very very cool!





After Montenegro we drove back into Croatia to get our car fixed which was no real drama before continuing onto Mostar in Bosnia. Our first impression of Bosnia was an interesting one as we were stopped by a policeman who wondered out of the bushes to inform us we had run a red light!? After stupidly handing over our passports, he showed us a dodgy print out of fines in Bosnia and advised that the fine was to be 50 euros!! Now there was no red light and I don't think he was a real policeman either but after honestly declaring we had no money to pay him, he kindly let us go!! Hmmm .... Mostar was definitely a highlight of our visit to Bosnia though as it is a town dating back to the 4th century and has a uniquely Turkish influence - quite unexpected for this part of Europe. After Mostar, we drove to Banja Luka and feeling rather uneasy in this part of the world (seeing shot up buildings everywhere is a little unnerving), we decided to keep driving all the way to Hungary.





We spent 3 days enjoying the sights of Budapest, which is a very grand city with lots of fabulous buildings. Lots of pounding the pavement, taking photos and being tourists. A highlight was also visiting the Gellert Thermal baths and soaking for a few hours - very grand and very cool! We camped in a park near the centre of town which was rather unique for a big city but also very convenient for campers such as ourselves.





Yesterday we drove to Vienna for the day which is a very very beautiful city and we need to go back and spend a few more days there if we ever find the time!? Tomorrow we will remove ourselves from Igor's apartment in Bratislava and head for Zakopane to begin the Polish leg of the tour! I am very excited to be visiting Konrad's home country, although a little freaked out by visiting a nation of 40 million Polish people!!! I'm sure it will be very intense but at the same time Konrad will feel very at home. We hope to find lots of Goulash there too :))

Till next time ...

Advertising A5 Carrosserie

It was just a few weeks ago that we woke a little dazed and confused (possibly the result of the 14 hour drinking session that was to mark our leaving potentially the best ski resort in the world), in unknown surrounds (we had spent the night at our local bar) and with an ambivalence of apprehension and anticipation given that we were leaving the place we had made our home. A hurried pack of our belongings (most of which is newly acquired ski gear) – thanks Alex for picking us up as there is no way we would have carted our shit out of Val ourselves – a last visit to Chevallot and final kisses good bye to all our friends (yes I even kissed the blokes as this is the done thing in France) and we headed off towards Switzerland. Of course it wasn’t more than an hour into our journey that I had to ask “Nic where did you pack that electronics bag?” Following a total unpack of the car, the realization that I had in fact shoved it somewhere in the pocket of another bag and seeing the relief on Alex’s face that we didn’t have to go through the drama of retracing our steps, we were actually ready to proceed!

Anyway, without boring you all our about our luggage again – why is it that I seem to be so obsessed with it? Is it because there is much more of it now? – we spent the weekend getting acquainted with our hosts Alfred, Barbara, Fabian and the rest of their extended family. It didn’t even feel like we were intruding too much given that there were 6 other guests in the house on our first night. We enjoyed Alfred’s impressive wine cellar (just for all you Frenchies and quasi Frenchies that I managed to offend by stating that Aussies make the best wine in the world I will admit that the better French stuff is quite reasonable … not as good as a Barossa Shiraz but then again what is?? :)) and drooled over his vintage cars – he has a 300SL Mercedes in his quiver of 6 collectors cars (and a total of some 15 vehicles). Visiting the walled city of their home town Solothurn with our very knowledgeable tour guide Alex was also a highlight.

Come Monday morning however it was business as usual, or not so usual for us, as under the initial pretext of a guided tour of every watch factory around Biel and Bienne we found ourselves visiting numerous dentist surgeries around Switzerland. As it turns out, Alex’s good friend Joel (aka Disco Joe) is a medical instruments rep who having lost his license for drink driving has managed to recruit numerous friends of his to drive approximately 1500kms a week for him around the country while he attends to his job – great work mate!! My shift happened to be Tuesday morning and whilst driving around with Disco Joe we managed to visit, if only briefly, Zurich, Luzern and Laussanne and became very well acquainted with the freeways of Switzerland. We also had two days in Bern which is quite a stunning place. We look forward to seeing more of this beautiful country upon our return.



It wasn’t until Tuesday evening, when after constant badgering over the preceding days about this promised rental car, that the A5 Carrosserie Mobile arrived! We hadn’t really known what to expect nor the specifics of the car (I had thought it was going to be a diesel) but least of all had we expected to see in bold bright green lettering “A5 Carrosserie Biberist www.A-5.ch” plastered all over the car. I mean despite this taxing itinerary that Nic entertained herself with devising while bored out of her brain at work in Val, our next purpose hadn’t at all been clear to us. Really how were we to know that our new mission was to spread the word? To advertise this grand business we had never seen? To travel through Europe pretending to be Swiss people who had crashed their car and taken the courtesy car on holiday with them? :))

So with our purpose established, bright and early on Thursday May 10, or around 11am as us Goulaszes don’t like to get up before 8am, we packed the back of the Fiat and headed south towards the French border. The drive through the Berner Alpine region, where we had to put our car onto a train that takes you through a mountain, was an exceptionally scenic one to start our trip with. Seeing signs towards Verbier along the way meant also that we couldn’t help stopping in just to check out another resort potentially worthy of vying for the “Goulaszes Meillure Station du Monde” award – we may have to spend next season there :). After this we descended down into the Chamonix valley, which is without doubt one of the most beautiful valley’s either of us has ever seen! The 3 glaciers that flow into it are absolutely spectacular and the 2500m vertical rise from the bottom of the valley to it’s peaks is pretty awesome.





From Chamonix we took the Grande Route Des Alpes through Grenoble, Serre Chevalier, Briancon to the Gorges du Verdon, where prior to checking our Europe’s largest canyon we also learnt first hand that you need sufficient food and fuel on a Sunday as pretty much everything is closed! Following a walk to a 9th century church which overlooks Castellane in the heat of the day that resulted in Nic getting that dreaded heat rash (thank god it’s gone now 10 days later), we did a stunning walk through the steepest part of the gorge, visited the magical town of Moustiers, before paying a visit to my work colleague Dimas and his wife Christine in Sisteron.







The next day we headed south to Nice where we found ourselves at a campsite with a 5 star view overlooking the French Riviera! From here we explored Nice, Monaco and Eze for a few days. Next we confirmed again that internet advertising is all too often misleading, if not all together fraudulent when we paid double what we had expected to board the ferry to Corsica. There we spent 4 days advertising the A5 Carrosserie - hard work I tell you! I had no idea that it was in fact French! Nor that it was called Corse, nor that these confused people look, act and live very much like Italians. Did I mention that they speak a dialect of French that has every characteristic and intonation of Italian too? Having said that, Corse has some amazing natural scenery, from beautiful beaches to grand mountains, as well as some very unique Citadels.







Moving on from an island where the people thought they were Italian, onto the Italian Riviera where we headed straight for Cinque Terre. We spent a fabulous 3 days exploring this World Heritage listed site which consists of 5 fishing villages all linked by an excellent and very scenic coastal walk. We also took our first refreshing dip in the Med which is just like a big swimming pool! Having thought very highly of the French Riviera we felt the need to check out it’s Italian counterpart by visiting its’ most exclusive location of Portofino. Now I wouldn’t have minded so much that they charged us 6 Euros for a coffee (that’s 10 buck kiddies!), perhaps the location is worth it but there’s no way we should have accepted those glasses of hot milk that they brought us when Nic ordered 2 macchiatos! I thought these guys invented the stuff? I mean you’re supposed to stain the coffee not the milk you morons! It took me a while to get over this incident (in fact I’m not sure I’ve quite let go yet) but it was time to move north towards Slovenia, with a short stop in the lovely city of Verona where again we had a 5 star view over the city from our camp site!





We are now recuperating at stunning Lake Bled in northern Slovenia for a few days. The weather is a bit wet (it is exceptionally green here though so we are expecting quite a bit of rain) but aside from that we are enjoying the fabulous scenery this place has to offer. After this we head south to Lubjiana, then onto the Skocjan caves and the coast before venturing south for the Adriatic Coast and Croatia for some more relaxation!!

So from our first night in Chamonix trying to light that petrol single burner that Disco Joe convinced us was all we needed for our trip, while we sat freezing on Nic’s sarong in front of our brand new tent that had missing bits and a bit of chewy stuck to it, we are now quite comfortable with our nomadic existence and thoroughly enjoying the adventure!

That's all for now folks, we'll bring you more news in another month or so when the creative urge strikes again and we find the time (or encounter lots of rain) to sit down and pen another blog entry.

La Meilleure Station du Monde?

With apologies for a lack of creative inspiration over the last few weeks, notwithstanding that we really didn’t want to just bore you with the fact that we went skiing (lots), partied pretty hard, entertained guests and that sort of thing, we now ponder whether Val d’Isere is in fact the best ski resort in the world? While debating the order of the world on a chairlift the other day with our ski-buddy Dimas, he declared that having skied everywhere in France (which naturally has the best skiing in the world), Val d’Isere had the most kilometers of pisted terrain, the most steep of any resort, tons of easily accessible off-piste, the most bars and restaurants, an old village dating back to the 12th century, one of the most reliable snow records in the Alps, plus plenty of sunshine and no wind, (not mention one of France’s best patissier’s Patrick Chevallot) and thus “was the best ski resort in the world”.

Now we can’t say that we’ve actually skied anywhere else in France, nor Europe for that matter (well we can a long time ago but we couldn’t really make an objective observation in anycase) and then there are so many other ski resorts around the world that we want to continue to test this proposition against, but we can say that we’ve managed to have an absolute blast here. (And for those of you wondering – I can’t believe I got asked this question, you know who you are… “No you can’t get sick of skiing every day… it’s just not possible!!”).

Back in late November however, this grand village was largely desolate (with the exception of the odd chalet girl (or boy) on their gap year), devoid of snow and we found ourselves repeatedly asking the question, what the hell we were doing here? Aren’t 30 year olds supposed to be making babies or something? The late start to the season also meant that we had more than ample time to settle into our new jobs and life in a tiny little shoebox of an apartment at the arse end of town (which we paid an absurd amount of money for) before even setting foot on the snow. Our first ski was in fact the result of again asking the question of what the hell this was all about after an 8 day long stint setting up the ski shop and we felt compelled to brave bad weather (locals don’t ski unless it’s a perfect sunny day) and mediocre snow to get a few first turns in. Of course a few days later when next we went up (in good weather this time fortunately) I managed to pull a knee ligament, meaning 2 days off skiing, followed by me picking the wrong line over a jump on the following time up and nearly (perhaps actually) breaking my hand on some rocks as well as putting a big hole in my ski pants. The boys at work jested that it was definitely safer for me to go to work than to go skiing and after another period of healing and some handy patch work (that resulted in me going by the name Patchy until I could afford to get new gear) we were ready to start the season of skiing. Nic also had a shaky start to the season contracting a terrible flu plus gastro while Magadalena & Micael were here and missed some of the first powder skiing of the season – she missed not being able to hang out with Mag and Micael too but we won’t mention that… Sorry guys :(

Anyway, well into the swing of the season Nic and I found ourselves on a different pair of skis every other day (we spent some time testing almost every pair of skis in the shop) as we spent literally 5-6 days a week getting acquainted with the resort. (This only took a couple of months without the aid of the piste map – it’s pretty simple really there are ONLY 7 different sections of the resort to familiarize yourself with… ‘pas de problem!’). We also managed to acquaint a few local skiers and riders that we continue to go skiing with. Dimas and Daniel continue to inspire us to go as fast as possible (or is that just me? – I plan on being able to say that I like ice too someday) while our 23 year old French snowboarder friends Thibaut, Olivia, Roman, Xavier, Magalie, et al as well as Phil and Ali are all great fun to go riding with. Did I mention they’re also great to go drinking with? Merci bien for all the great Tuesdays and Thursdays we’ve spent on the mountain together and the countless times that we’ve spent drinking at the bar together! (A special thanks to Thibaut and Mag’s hospitality after close – much appreciated guys! Thanks for ensuring that we missed so many of those last buses :)… And just on the thank-you’s, a big thanks to the inventor of the “Le bite dans cu” – without your invention so many of our nights would have ended at 10pm but after one of those Nic was ready to party all night :)).

In the short few months that we’ve spent here life’s been tough. We worked tirelessly on our skiing and our “lunette marks” (or sunglass marks en anglais). Nic almost chucked in the towel and declared it was all too hard in late January (technique can be so frustrating) but managed to get it together in March and graduated from her “ladies ski” to a top of the line carve ski – I’m so proud of her :)). And I think I’ve managed to ski every “test ski” in the shop. For the record the Dynastar Omeglass 64 (very stiff and aggressive slalom ski – I missed my calling in life and was definitely meant to be a World Cup racer) has to be the best thing on the rack and as for twin tips, “c’est la grosse merde” (as Dimas would put it) – sorry they’re just for bling-blinging yoyo’s in the park wearing XXXL clothing :)

As for our French language skills – well I hope they’ve improved too! I’ve certainly learnt a whole range of expressions (not only swearing I promise … although “putin de merde” is one of my most used phrases) and can even hold a very basic conversation, fit someone out for skis and boots, order a few drinks and that sort of thing. Alex put it best when describing my dealing with clients on a Sunday morning, “For Konrad, the language is not a barrier”. As for our English, well it’s kind of reverted back to a pigeon language of sorts but it is all about communication really, so whilst we’re not using any conjugations and lots of mime we find it’s working well :) … “you like this one, yes it’s good one, I like too” (and that sort of thing)

Finally thanks to all the visitors who made the trek up to the resort and lived in our underpants for a few nights (or weeks, you know who you are). Gill, Garth, Bill, Wojtek, Mick & Bel and Mags & Micael. It was really great to see and spend time with all of you.

So life in Val has been great and we now find ourselves repeatedly asking the question “are we too old to do another season here”? In fact we’ve had the time of our lives and will likely spend the next 20 years pining over the 5 months we spent here. As for whether it’s the best ski resort in the world or not, time will tell. We still need to ski Canada, the States and hopefully South America – which will hopefully be a part of the Grand Goulaszes World Tour. Watch this space in 2008 …

But for now, we need a holiday :) 5 months of skiing, partying like a 23 year old and working a physical job has taken its toll on my poor body and I need 3 months off to recuperate:))

Sad but content, we plan to depart Val on May 8th to begin our tour of Central and Mediterranean Europe. With the aid of our Suisse mate Alex (for the record “Old man in the powder” referred to being at ease or comfortable and not decrepit as initially thought in a previous blog post) we have organized a Fiat stationwagon for 3 months (thanks mate – you’re a champion), will buy a tent and camp at various mountains, lakes and beachside spots in Southern France, Northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and Spain.

Here’s a copy of our Itinerary, so if anyone wants to join us, you are more than welcome! BYO tent or join us on one of our city stops (Ljubljana, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, Prague & Barcelona) if camping is not your thing …

European Itinerary

May 5: Depart Val d’Isere
May 5-6: Geneva, Switzerland
May 6-10: Bern, Switzerland
May 10-12: Chamonix, France
May 12-15: Gorges du Verdon, Castellane, France
May 15-16: Nice, France
May 16-17: Drive to San Remo Italy, via Monaco
May 17-18: Genova, Italy
May 18–22: Corsica, France
May 22-25: Cinque Terre, Italy
May 25-26: Verona, Italy
May 26-May 29: Bled, Slovenia
May 29–31: Ljubljana, Slovenia
May 31–June 1: Slovenia – Piran, Adriatic Coast
June 1-8: Croatia, Adriatic Coast, Dubrovnjik
June 8-11: Montenegro – coast (Kotor, Budva)
June 11-14: Bosnia – Mostar, Jajce (Direction Hungary)
June 14–19: Hungary (Pecs, Balaton, Budapest)
June 19-22: Bratislava, Slovakia (stay with Igor – visit Vienna)
June 22-25: Zakopane, Tatry Mountains, Poland
June 25-27: Krakow, Poland
June 26-27: Czestochowa, Poland (birthplace of Peter Hans Heinrich Stamm)
June 27-29: Wroclaw, Poland (birthplace of Wojciech Konrad)
June 29-July 1: Gdansk, Poland
July 1-4: Mazury, Poland
July 4-5: Gdansk, Poland
July 5-7: Berlin, Germany
July 7-9: Praha, Czech Republic
July 9-10: Czesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
July 10-12: Salzburg, Austria
July 12-13: Innsbruck, Austria
July 13-14: Zurich, Switzerland
July 14-15: Dijon, France
July 15-17: Bordeaux, France
July 17-19: Biarritz, France
July 19 -20: Direction, Barcelona
July 21-23: Barcelona, Spain (apartment – Belinda’s 30th)
July 23-26: Menorca, Spain
July 26-27: Figueres, Spain
July 27-28: Carcassonne, Languedoc, France
July 28-30: Provence (Avignon, Aix en Provence), France
July 30-August 1: Marseilles, France
August 1-4: French Riviera – St Tropez, Cannes, Nice
August 4: Leave Minors – city TBC
August 5-8: Return car back to Bern, Switzerland

We bid you "Aurevoir" from another sunny day here in Val d'Isere as we wait out the our last week and leave you with these final images from the season that was...

Looking down towards La Daille from Tommeuses



The old village that dates back to the 12th century



The church tower



La Face de Bellevarde - one of the most challenging runs in Val



Skiing all year round on the Grande Motte Glacier



Celebrity chalets - this is one of the most exclusive addresses in Val and where Brad Pitt stayed this year.



Hanging out with friends on one of the many Thursdays had on the slopes



Taking a break just off the piste on one of the last powder days of the season



An epic powder day in the trees of St Foy with Ali and Phil



On the way to Brevieres with Wojtek



Konrad and Alex about to go off piste at the Sache



With Billy Boy Vlandis at the Xbox Big Day Out (Val d'Isere, yeah, yeah, yeah!)



Beers in the sun with Mick and Bel



Taking time out with Dimas

Vive La Combinaison

Now given that the last few posts have just been about life or more specifically our lives here in Val (hey we’re even getting sick and tired of seeing what a blast we’re having here), we thought we’d share with you the lives of so many other visitors to the region. Not just any particular visitor to Val d’Isere though, we’re specifically referring to the punter that’s been skiing on his sister’s skis and his uncle’s boots for the last 10 years – despite the gear having been 15 years old when he first inherited it. And when it comes to his suit, he doesn’t care, he reckons they’re more comfortable, they’re warmer and they don’t even require a snow skirt. They also stay waterproof for 25 years, keep their colour really well and transcend these fickle fashion trends. They just don’t make them like they used to! Ladies and gentlemen, ‘Regarde la Combinaison!’

I mean that’s not always the case of course, every 15 years or so, some will seek to upgrade their outfit and occasionally walk into a boutique and announce they would like to purchase a nouvelle combinaison. Yes, they still produce them! Even Spyder has a new one out this year! And once purchased they will proudly display their new funky new threads for all to see!
As for the rest, Grandmas’ hand me down is as good as it’s ever gonna get!

I’m too sexy for my combinaison ...

Still skiing like a 25 year old. My combinaison makes me feel so young and athletic!

Pink - the colour of every season ...

I wish I was wearing a combinaison … these pants are too tight

Honey do I still look sexy in my combinaison?