Friday 11th August: Rain, rain, rain….

I’m very fed up today. We’ve had more torrential rain, thunder and lightning, and even some huge hailstones. We tried to visit some ice caves an hour away but the rain made driving difficult and then we ended up in stationary traffic and decided to turn back. We spent the afternoon binge watching Breaking Bad and eating snacks. All our plans for hikes and runs are on hold, and although the weather looks set to improve for a couple of days next week, it isn’t forecast to last.

We have decided to move on and go to France instead. I’m upset about it but it seems the right thing to do. I had so many plans though… hikes and runs, ice caves and salt caves, pretty towns and villages, beautiful lakes and mountains. I hope we can come back another year.

It isn’t all bad… at least having a camper van means it’s easy to amend our plans, and we’re going to meet Dan and Jackie near Geneva for a couple of nights, which will be lovely. And at least we can speak French better than we can speak German, and the food and wine is generally excellent in France. That said, we’ve had some really good food this holiday. We just need to find somewhere with good hikes and runs to do. And keep our fingers crossed that the weather for the western Alps is perfect for such activities… not too hot and definitely not so cloudy and rainy that it’s impossible to see where you’re going! 

The day hasn’t been bad. It’s good to have a lazy day sometimes, and we’ve had a nice evening. We walked into Kaprun where a bit of a festival is going on… beer, traditional bands, snacks, and a fair. We had a lovely meal and are now back at the van. Everything is packed up and we’re ready to leave tomorrow. Pray for sunshine!