Month: May 2016

The Verdon gorges, a must do according to Mpora

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The natural landscapes offered of the Verdon Gorges have gained a lot of popularity since a few years…

 

The Verdon Gorges, located in the South East of France consists of a limestone canyon reaching a length of 25 approximately kilometers. Its’ proximity to the French Riviera – from Monaco to Toulon – has attracted an increasing number of tourists. This phenomena, has brought locals to adapt, bringing to birth a variety of attractions, including local specialised restaurants, hostels, sport agencies and independents. treks and sport activities.

Indeed, the canyon has brought to being many outdoor sport organisations, enjoying and providing trips in the unique landscapes offered by canyon. Climbing, rafting, hiking, rafting, canoeing and fishing are activities that have exponentially developed since the last few years.

As a result, the famous magazine Mpora has elected the Verdon Gorges as one of the best place in Europe to do canyoneering !

Gorges-du-Verdon-Luisa-Puccini-e1429096006795“a canyon that will test both your guts and your technique”

Sailing during the holidays

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You may spend every holiday on a beach, watching the sea. You may travel to the same place every year and have the feeling that you know it by heart. But you will discover this place once again, if you change your point of view. Indeed, you may know every piece of land, once you’re looking at it from the sea, everything looks different.

That’s the feeling I get when I first spend my holiday on yacht. I saw the Mediterranean Sea before, I was familiar with the French cost and Corse but, everything looked different from the sea.  My journey started in the port of Saint Mandrier-sur-Mer, a charming little town near Toulon. In fact, people in St Mandrier often worked in Toulon and took the sea shuttle every morning to get from their homes to their jobs. Lovely way of starting a day I think. Saint Mandrier is a typical south French town, houses painted in warm colours, lot of flower, excellent little restaurants and nice and relaxed people. A perfect place to start your holiday.  One less typical point of the city is the military presence: indeed there is a military base next to the town, with restricted access for civilians of course, but you can still admire some military equipment exposed, as well as a military ship docked near the port.

Sunset on the french coast

Sunset on the french coast

To begin, we spend a couple of days (re)discovering the French coast from the sea. We first stopped and the island of Porquerolles. It is a charming place, with a lot of things to discover. It is also accessible by sea shuttle, so there was a lot of tourists. We then moved to the island of Port Croz, which is a national park. It’s an amazing place! So peaceful… There are only few inhabitants and maybe one small restaurant. There is no electricity in the port and the phone signal is hard to get so you are somehow isolated from the rest of the world. The island is covered with a beautiful forest you can explored, and we did. The landscape is breath-taking if you go around the island. Sometimes you have amazing views on an incredible blue sea. The next day, we took the direction of Saint Tropez and we set the sails. There wasn’t much wind, so we needed three days to get to Saint Tropez. During our trip, we meet only few people, discover some amazing places impossible to reach from land and we enjoyed the sun and the excellent temperature of the water for swim. We slept at anchor and enjoyed the calm and the silence. However, as we were getting close to Saint Tropez, we met more and more people, on yachts, boats and sometimes even big private boats with a helicopter on the top! An impressive view. We decided to stay for the night in the Marina of Port Grimaud. Best decision ever! It is an amazing place, so charming that we did not wanted to left. It is like a mini-Venice. People who have their houses there, instead of having a parking place for their car, have on for their boat! We spend the next day discovering the city on Saint Tropez, also a very nice place.

The amazing experience of sailing

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Sailing is an amazing activity. If you try a first experience, sailing along coasts and admiring the landscape you will surely agree with that. But there is something even stronger, even more impressive in sailing. Longer journeys, far from lands.

My first experience of this kind was my sail trip from France to Corse. Maybe some of you have done that, a little different way. From nice, you may take a huge touristic and transportation boat, with your car, spend around 12 hours on the deck, or in your small cabin, with plenty of other travellers and noise. You will find restaurants, shops, sometimes even casino on the boat…. However my experience was a little different.

Leaving from the port of Saint Mandrier as always, we first sailed to the island of Port Croz where we spend the night. With sunset, we left for Corse. The weather was very calm and we watched the French coast slowly disappear. It took a couple of hours. We travelled all day and all night crossing only few other yachts and some huge cargo boats. Those were dangerous to cross, especially at night. But we did not had any trouble. During our trip, we sometimes felt like we were all alone in this sea. It was an amazing feeling. Just you, your yacht the sea and the skyline.

An amazing sunset over the sea while we were heading to Corse

Because we were very quiet (we were not using our engine) we had the opportunity to see dolphins… coming very very close to our yacht and also a whale! It is very impressive to see. Out of nowhere a giant comes from the sea, and disappears almost immediately. It is a kind of memories you will remember a long time…

Finally, some birds passing by were a sign we were approaching Corse. The funny fact about the travel is that if you misjudge your direction of only 4 degrees. You can travel to the very top or the very bottom of the Corse Island. Only 4 degrees of mistake when you are leaving! ^^

The Girolata Port The Girolata Port

Fortunately we arrived where we wanted to and took a short break in the Girolata Port. The next couple of days we were sailing around the island and discovering the coast.

Camino de Santiago – Saint James of Compostela path

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The Saint James of Compostela Path, is the example of physical, mental, spiritual, but also practical experience, that one should have done in his/here lifetime.

The spiritual pilgrimage, or personal challenge to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, can start from four different places;
• From Paris, by the via Turonensis (1,448 km in total – approx. 10 weeks)
• From Vézelay, by the via Lemovicensis (approx. 1,690 km in total, 900 km from Vézelay to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port – approx 10 weeks)
• From Arles, by the via Tolosana (approx. 1,588 km in total – approx. 9 weeks)
• From Le Puy en Velay, by the the via Podiensis (1,530 km in total – approx. 9 weeks)
About the differents paths;
Some paths are more accessible than others, and the path you choose should match your expectations. For instance, if you decide to make it with a bike, you should consider the Via Turonensis, which less bumpy thus more praticable than the others. If your goal is to do a spiritual, religious, or cultural journey, you may want to choose the via Lemovicensis or the via Tolosana, filled with Roman cultural vestiges and churches. Finally, the via Podiensis is the oldest of all routes, and passes by the most important sanctuaries such as Conques, Moissac, Rocamadour and Roncesvalles. Therefore, it is generally one of the most crowded paths.
Practical recommendations;
Make sure to define the timeline of your travel. The Camino being quite popular, you should consider making a detailed planning including; day/location to reach/Accommodation/Distance. This will ensure you have a roof to sleep every night. Booking accommodation the most early possible can be useful as relatively big groups of tend to reserve entire refuges. Another option is homestay accommodations. Lots of offers can be found on airbnb for instance. A ‘Pilgrim passport’ can be bought from spanish tourism agencies or churches or locals. It is a must have for the trip, as the tradition is to stamp the ‘credencial’ with the official Saint James stamp whenever the pilgrim stops by a refuge. If you are not sure of the time it will take you to perform your travel, I recommend that you do not book your way back, thought this involves higher travelling expenses. Another solution is renting an accommodation for a few day at your final step, and shift of a few days the way-back ticket, thus any delay on the last days will not have any impact. Keep in mind that the Saint James of Compostela path primary goal is spiritual, and that this can solely be achieved with a relaxed and peaceful mindset. Guides are essential to ensure the smooth running of the journey. Many pocket-books are available, and mobile applications have even been developped. They help setting a positive mindset, and understanding the mentality of the journey. The Regional Tourism Committee of MMidi Pyrénées offers a free app to assist pilgrims, providing localisation, historical, and useful tips and information. Do not forget Back up equipment. Indeed, you should consider bringing an additional flashlight, some extra batteries, wind/water clothes depending of the weather, and a well furnished first aid kit. An inventory checklist could help organizing, and avoiding omissions.

free_21009189.jpg

Hiking in Arizona

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With its two billion years of geological history and more than 4 million visitors per year, the Grand Canyon is definitely one of the most popular hitchhiking spot of America. The popularity of the canyon has also taken the spotlight away of many other pleasing sites in Arizona for hitchhikers and sportsmen to visit. From those can be quoted the Slide Rock State Park and the Red Rock State Park, but also Verde Allee and the city of Flagstaff and its surroundings. Also keep in mind that under American law, it is illegal to hitchhike in national parks, without authorization.

Slide Park State Park and Red Rock State park are two natural parks located a few miles away from the city of Sedona. They represent two red rock parks overflowing with wildlife, vegetation and geology. Slide Rock State park is an ideal place for practicing sport in family. If you are willing to pay the parking bill, you will be granted access to hiking paths that follow the rim of the gorge. A rock slide is also there for kids and adults. The site is likely to be crowed in summer, and this may lead to occasional closing. On the other hand, the Red Rock State Park is less popular, offering a more relaxed and peaceful environment in the summer.

Verde Allee is another example of city that fell under the Grand Canyon’s shadow. Indeed, Arizona was nicknamed the “copper vallee” because of richness of the mineral soils. With all of its cooper mines, red soils and local vegetation the place has a very unique landscape. People with disabilities can also take a ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad

If you are passing by Arizona this summer, another cities to visit while practicing sport is Flagstaff. The city is mostly used by tourist whom stop over for the night before finishing their trip to the Grand Canyon. But Flagstaff is after all a wonderful place to stop by more than one day! It is an excellent place to stop for trips to ancient native american sites, and it is also full of sport activities in the summer. Visitors can hike, trail, bike, rock climb and even more.

monument valley arizona usa

Enjoying Savoie’s landscapes live from the mountain rock wall

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You are Savoie and want to enjoy the local landscapes in a unique way?

 

If you are planning to travel to Savoie, it is likely that you have heard about the cities of Aix-les-bains and of le Bourget-du-lac and their neighboring lake nicknamed “the grey lake”. If not, they are two cities bordering the biggest natural lac born of the melting of the ice caps “le lac du Bourget”. The combination of mountains, forests, cities and lakes creates a unique atmosphere and is the opportunity to take a strong breath of fresh air. Thus the environment offers many way to benefit from it.

Two original ways to do such, are the via ferratas “primevère à patte d’ours” and “the Cornillon rock” located on the ‘pass of the cat’, or called in french “le col du Chat”. The pass’s name was inspired by its’ toothlike shape. Each path provides a different view of the lake and start at an approximate altitude of 800 meters. They are free, accessible to novices and solely require you to bring your material (harness, helmet, rope sections and auto locking gate carabiners and a drop of passion).

The primevère à patte d’ours is exposed North, East and South and lasts approximately one hour (250 meters). It mostly consists of wooden beams, but also has vertiginous obstacles like a monkey bridge and a tunnel pass! I therefore do not recommend this for people scared of heights.

The second path “Le Rocher du Cornillon” lasts around 45 minutes (120 meters) and is exposed South and offers a less vertiginous experience. Indeed, you will be climbing with the lake behind your back through monkey bridges, a ladder, footbridges. It is also easier than the other one.

Via ferrata col du Chat

Note that the primvère path leads to a wooden platform, that can also be accessed from the Cornillon Rock if you walk a bit. From there, you will be able to enjoy a breathtaking view of the region and its natural assets.

Climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge

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Traveling to Sydney and in the search of some thrill?

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a must see for addicts of climbing, travelling, architecture, or modern history. Basically, this attraction should be a blast for every person passionated by sport passing by the most populous city of Australia! Climbing in between the foundations of the bridge is a perfect opportunity to mix sensations and history. Making your way to the very top of the bridge, you will learn a bit about its creation but also about the surrounding! Also called “Port Jackson” harbour, the spot is a pride for Australia. Various events take place during the year, including the new year eve’s fireworks. The “Sydney BridgeClimb” also provides special occasion climbs… as, for instance, the opportunity to climb with professional sportsmens from the National Rugby League.
This must do experience is fit for all everyone, thought it is required that participants are at least 8 years old, and 1.2 meters tall. I do not recommend this attraction to people scared of heights. But do not worry, in fact other shorter and lower paths are available. Exhibits and films are also available for ineligible people that arrive with groups.
Once your harness and your helmet on, you will be able to capture incredible landscape of city’s natural port, including the famous Sydney Opera and the royal botanic gardens, and all of this at more than 100 meters above the sea level! I instantly tried the bridge climb when I had the occasion and definitely loved it! I would recommend this for every outdoor sport lover but not only!

sydney harbour bridge The 1,149 meters long and 134 meters high Sydney bridge