Howdy cowpokes,
Wow, it’s just 14 days til we hit the road!
That means that it’s just 14 sleeps, then the dream that we’ve had for so long becomes reality 🙂
Steve (still in Germany…):
I’ve had a much better week! I realised I needed to be proactive to get out of the funk I was in last week. I’ve been to the gym three times, stacked up half our firewood needs for the winter, chewed my way through various work tasks, and tried to balance all that with as much family time as possible. This weekend I’m taking my family to a music festival, then I’ve got three more work days, then on Thursday I drive to Graz to meet the lads and sort out the final preparations. Wow. We’re really doing it!
On the fitness front I’m proud to say I’ve probably never been fitter in my life. This is a far cry from where I was at 3.5 years ago after a car accident left me with painful lower back problems for two years. Since then I’ve also hurt my ankle in a motorbike fall in December 2015, my knee in a snowboarding accident in August 2016 (still sporting that one), and in March this year I hurt my elbow when I ran into a balustrade… Despite all that, and my obvious clumsiness, this trip has motivated me to get fitter and stronger!
I’m ever grateful to my wife for supporting and partaking in a substantial lifestyle change (couldn’t have done it without you honey!). To my CrossFit coach, Hamish Meddings, for being such as inspiration, you rock! And to Franzi and the team at CTK Sportpark here in Germany, thank you for pushing me!
Now if I can just get through these last two weeks without hurting myself… (knock on wood!!)  😉
Sam (still in Molesön):
I have had a very busy week, with little time for much outside work, working Sunday probably has a fairly big influence on that feeling.
I had a nice MTB round on Molesön on Saturday afternoon. Somehow I met more locals, most of whom wanted to know how a Kiwi fella came to be riding his bike on the single trails in the Swiss mountains. It was fun and the people were friendly, but I had the feeling that a few thought I was a bit crazy to be riding a bike…………
Well it’s that time again, ah the taste of amber gold.
Vitus Weizenbock
This is definitely my style. I would rate this up there with the top beers. This doesn’t taste like normal beer on the broader sense. It’s something very special, with a smooth taste that is very enjoyable to drink.
To give you a perspective on this, the girlfriend of a colleague of mine, who doesn’t drink beer enjoyed it so much that she asked her man to get a crate for her. So I am very curious to see how my lovely lady finds it…….. 🙂
One crate has turned into eight crates at the last count, quite how we are going to fit that in the van is going to be interesting.
This is a full-bodied beer with a nice effervescent feeling in the mouth. The colour is light, and looks like pear juice. It’s a single-bock, with a smooth and creamy taste, it has a good full round character, which I’m guessing is related to the extra-long storage time. There are hints of fruit on the nose, I can pick out citrus, and the slight spiciness of cloves.
This is not your typical Bock beer, it is more refined and noble. It went very well with a Swiss cheese fondue last night, and surprisingly with dessert as well. Perfect!
Kind wish
Amand (still in New Zealand)
It has just ticked under 1 week until I get on the plane, 1 week!!!
This last week has been a challenge, that cold I came down with was actually a pretty awful virus, but it has helped me learn something…….there is something worse than man flu. It’s called daycare flu and it’s brutal!!!
I feel like I’m almost out the other side but my ears are still blocked, that better clear before I get on the plane. I’ve also had two trips away for work and another day out of the office, so along with the sickness I’ve had just over half a day at my desk in the last week and a half. The bonus is that all of sudden it’s under 1 week to go and the adventure is right in front of me!
I’ve also started to pack my suitcase so the reality feels right on me. It’s interesting because it’s brought together the feelings of extreme excitement and also strong feelings of sadness at leaving my partner and son at home. I was talking with my parents during the week and they referred to how lucky I was to have a partner who was open enough to let this trip happen. Don’t I know it!!!
I’ve also been starting to say farewells to people as I won’t be seeing them for quite  a while now – parents, friends, work colleagues, customers – and it feels kind of strange and a bit a unbelievable that we’ve really pulled it off and we’re really on our way.
The great thing is the interest and support from everyone, so many people have wished us well, asked for the website and want to know about the places we’ll be going to.
May this last week go by quickly otherwise I might explode!!
Tune in next week when…
We congregate in Graz for preparation, planning and beer (and whisky!)
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