Sut mae, croeso I Gymru! Hello, welcome to Wales!

As I am a quite new blogger I thought I should post some past hikes I have done.
One of my favourite is certainly Snowdon in Wales. Since I joined the group of like-minded hikers I have also started to celebrate Public Holidays outside at the open, so last year along with the core group of the Challenge Hikers we decided to spend the New Year (2009) climbing Mount Snowdon.

We rented a cottage in Betws-y-Coed. It felt so well, far from the noices of the city, clean air, just surrounded by the Nature.

We opted to climb Snowdon on the 2nd of January as we needed some rest after the fatigues of New Year's celebrations. :) But as we didn't want to feel guilty of being too lazy and also wanted to make the most of it, we still went for a stroll in the countryside on the 1st...not without having filled our stomaches up with the famous Bryce's pancakes.
First time I've seen so much snow altogether.



So the big day arrived and we headed towards the starting point of the trek, the car park at Pen-y-pass at the top of the Llanberis Pass on A4086, while the thermometer of our car was displaying -7°C. and the colour of my hair can prove it!


The Pen-y-pass car park is the start of three popular routes up to Snowdon, namely the Pyg track, Miners track and the Crib Goch.

The Pyg track is a well laid path and well preserved which ascends along the top of the Llanberis Valley with an astonishing panoramic view of the vallay and heads towards the bulk of the Bwlch y Moch. The Pyg track continues its ascent of Snowdon's massif until it reaches a less defined path with sign posted to Crib Goch.


It's at this point that you need to decide whether the condition are ok and people that are with you can handle what's waiting ahead. If not, you can simply keep following the Pyg track up to the summit.

There is a smaller path that leads upwards for a steep ascent of Crib Goch. The path is at first well defined, however, the further you go the higher and steeper it gets and also less defined.
From here on there is no path, but a 1km long grade and 1 scramble.
Once you have proved to yourself your climbing skills, you will find a ledge at the end whose highest point is at 923m.
From here we went ahead towards the Garnedd Ugain, a wide ridge to the summit. Affter that we followed a path that led up to a short climb to the summit of Snowdon or yr Wyddfa as called by the locals.

And here is our Peter waving at us from the summit.

We descended following the path back down side of the railway track until we reached the Finger Stone at Bwlch Glas. This path leads down towards the blue waters of Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw in a zig zag way, which is slippery and contains large slabs.

By the time we went down the sun came out of course!

In circle around Glenmalure Valley and Lugnaquillia

We started the walk at the top of the Glenmalure valley via Fraughan Rock Glen, then back via Cloghernagh, covering approx 15KM, including two very steep ascents and then up on to Lugnaquillia, which is the highest mountain in Wicklow (925 metres).

After a sheltered lunch at the foot of Lugnaquillia, we came back down on a loop walk, zigzagging across the ridge over the Avonbeg river and back onto the road towards our starting point, the car park near the hostel at Glenmalure valley.

The best way to get to Glenmalure from Dublin or Bray would be to get onto the N11 heading south. Get off it at Kilmacanogue and head for the Roundwood / Glendalough / Laragh direction. Go through Roundwood, then Annamoe and to Laragh. At Laragh take the turnoff for Glenmalure / Rathdrum and fork to the right heading for Glenmalure. Drive over the hill and down into Glenmalure.

The rainbow bag

s. It helps not to Living in Country which lacks of colours not only because of the weather, but also the architecture all around I try to wear all the time colourful clothes and accessorieturn into a depressed zombie, see things in a different way and face those things (big or small) that might happend during the day.

Almost every day I carry with me my rainbow bag for a tour around the city centre in an attempt to brighten the area up, and it seems working. People keep on looking at it and enquiry about it, always with a big smile on their face.
It makes me feel like I’m not one of those dots moving up and down a crowdy street at the end of a working day. “Excuse me! Comin’ through!” Got the idea?
All it takes it’s just a bag with the right combination of colours to make pedastrians alive.

It’s like when I go to the shop to buy Savoiardi biscuits in order to make Tiramisu’. Whoever is behind the counter shows me a big smile and gleaming eyes every single time I ask for the the biscuits and they realise it’s for making Tiramisu’.
I hear always the same question: “ Are you gonna make Tiramisu’?” As if I was going to build up a new Colusseum or painting a Masterpiece.

It’s good to know that there are still people in this world who enjoy themselves with small things and mainly can and want to find a moment to stop, leave everything behind and get pleasure from basic things.

3,000 steps per week!!!

Having a lot of spare time from 9-5, 5 days a week, I can’t help myself not surfing the net. So here we go once again with another recent article on healthy living.
In essence, the article is about a not so new idea/research of having a lifestyle that includes moving our royal behind for at least 1,000 steps (5Km) three times a week, keep our brain always on the run, healthy eating and being outdoor (where there’s no smog preferably).
It’s the best recipe for “ageing without ageing”.
With a simple exercise as walking or running which doesn’t require any particular gear – a part from a good pair of runners for the sake of your feet –that you can do it everywhere (watch the cars!) and at any time of the day; the benefits that your body will receive are countless. Starting from a low blood pressure, the heart works better and healthy bones (no osteoporosis, especially for women) a more balanced immune system and a I could keep going with the list. Oh! And don’t forget your soul! Pushing my body to the edge, listening to it, focusing only at the road and the sound of my feet when I put each of them down makes me FEEL ALIVE.
Some friends of mine say that it’s crazy waking up at 6 o’clock just to go jogging, but I think that eventually we all are gonna leave this world and our body will rest for the eternity. So why wasting the most precious gift we have laying in bed and not trying to do the things we like to make the most of it.
Someone somewhere in the world says ( I can’t find her name):

“Pssh! Here’s a secret...
Your last mortal thought will be: Why did I take so many days – just like today – for granted?”

Think about it.

Metabolic consequences of meals after exercise.

This is an abstract from a research of School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan and published on www.jap.physiology.com

The study is based on the idea of how what we eat after a work-out session - whether it is for simply keeping in shape or a hard training for a sport competition – can impact our metabolism for hours and even days after the work-out session.

They have measured and compared the effect of low dietary carbohydrate vs. low energy intake in meals after exercise on insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism the next day.

It implied the study of nine healthy men in 4 randomized trials. During the first trial the subjects remained sedentary, while throughout the following 3 trials the subjects exercised until they expended 800 kcal.

Dietary intake in all 4 trials was intended to provide sufficient energy and carbohydrate to maintain a nutrient balance. During and after the exercise the maintenance of an energy deficit had the most potent effect on lipid metabolism and increased oxidation compared with when in nutrient balance.

Every time they worked out, the sensitivity of the insulin increased the effect of the acute aerobic exercise and also helped reducing the risk of diabetes. All this in a condition where there is carbohydrate deficit after exercise, but not energy deficit.

To sum up, when consuming low carbohydrate content in meals after exercise, the muscle glycogen concentration is prevented from becoming fully restored.

A suggested carbohydrate intake would be: corn flakes, low fat biscuits or bread. Also, it would be better keep in mind that we usually burn less calories than we think and tend to indulge ourselves as a reward of the effort made eating more food than we need, minimizing our results.

I usually tend to consume a meal within the first hour after the exercise session to restore the carbohydrate deficit and to avoid to eat snacks and junk food which would certainly nullify the benefit of the exercise.

Fairy castle & Three rocks (Wicklow)

Today was my first hike as a coordinator and I have to say that the weather welcomed it with a beautiful blue sky and the sun too was right up there.
A good turn out 0f 19 people who I managed not to get them lost.



We started walking through Marley park to add a little extra walk as this is an easy to moderate walk of 5km. From Ticknock, there is a stony track which plunges into the wood. We climbed up beside the wood to join the famous Wicklow way. The main track ahead is a narrow stony one that leads straight along the ridge rising to the cairn of the Fairy Castle, 536m, the summit of our walk, from which you have a nice view of the Great Sugar Loaf, Cruagh Mountaing, Tibradden and down to Dublin Bay. Keep on walking to the east you can see the three granite tors which give the area the name of Three Rocks. We finished our walk, walking along the northern end of the hump of granite which forms the Wicklow Mountains.



And as per tradition before heading home we gathered at nearby pub for a well-deserved drink.

It's not about the money

A volte come oggi mi vengono dubbi e paranoie e mi chiedo se stia facendo bene a mollare quello che ho di “sicuro” e che conosco per inseguire un sogno. Subito dopo il pensiero negativo si trasforma in nella certezza di non voler diventare come i tanti volti che mi circondano dal lunedì al venerdì dalle 9 alle 5.

Lo scorso fine settimana e’ avvenuta l’apocalisse in Chile, 700 morti, a causa dello tsunami e siccome non c’erano gia’ stati abbastanza morti e distruzione, Zynthia ha pensato bene di abbattersi sulla costa atlantica della Francia per poi proseguire verso il Belgio e la Germania lasciandosi dietro altri 50 morti.
Qui non si fa altro che discutere di danni assicurati nelle zone colpite, dei soldi che la compagnia dovra’ sborsare e soprattutto che ogni danno causato da una catastrofe naturale possa essere vista come un qualcosa di “positivo” perche’ in tal modo potremmo alzare i prezzi delle nostre polizze.

Cadro’ sul banale, ma mi rifiuto di diventare come coloro che sono comandati dal dio denaro e dai risultati dei loro bilanci. Non riesco ad applicare il concetto di fare o perdere i soldi sulla pelle delle persone.

Sometimes like today I have some doubts whether I’m doing the right thing leaving the safe harbour to pursue the Rainbow. But soon after this frightening thought turns into the certainty of not wanting to become like those surrounding me from Mon-Fri, 9-5pm.

Last weekend the apocalyps hit Chile caused by a tsunami with 700 deaths. And as if there weren’t enought deaths and damages, Zynthia also decided to hit the atlantic coast of France moving also towards Belgium and Germany, leaving behind another 50 deads.

Here they only discussed of possible losses the company will have to bear in those areas and also how such a catastrophe (which apparently somethimes we need them!) can be seen as something “positive” for the industry in order for us to increase the price of the premium.

It might sound just ordinary, but I refuse to turn into those who live in the name of Almighty Money and the results of the balance sheet. I just don’t get the idea of making or losing money on people’s lives.

...another reason to jump and never look back!