Only a little over a week to go then...

Me and my girlfriend, Annette, are in the middle of moving, so it is a little bit hectic at the moment. Even so, all accomodations but the one near Liechtenstein have been booked now. Thanks Tom! I'm really, really starting to look forward to the trip. Especially after watching the webcams on top of Passo Dello Stelvio (Stilfserjoch) yesterday. Finally, there were a lot of people there, and most importantly the wurstman with his orange stand had set up camp. The Stelvio pass doesn't seem to have opened on the Italian side yet, at least if alpineroads.com pass conditions page is to be believed. By the way, I might take this opportunity to advertise the wonderfully friendly and very informative alpineroads.com forum.

Other preparations have also been made for the trip. A couple of weeks ago I bought a new digital camera for the trip, since my old faithful Canon started feeling a bit outdated. I had trouble deciding between a Nikon D40 D-SLR kit and a Panasonic Lumix FZ-18. In the end it was a decision between a cheap D-SLR and a prosumer ultra-zoom camera, and the deciding factor was the ease of use and practicality. I was not ready to buy a D-SLR, and then feel obliged to start upgrading the lenses and flashes at a later stage. It's just an endless money pit. At least, with the Lumix, I cannot put much money into upgrades. I did however buy a 8GB SD memory card I found and a Lowepro Apex 100 AW camera bag. The Lowepro is a snug fit, but I think it is just right for this kind of camera. The bag isn't too large, yet it is very comfortable to have on your shoulder and it protects the camera very well.

This week will be a waiting game. I'm sure snow will fall on the Stelvio still, making the wait all that much more enticing. I do hope that the pass will open before we go next Tuesday, because I would be very disappointed to miss out on the initial motivator for this trip. Here's hoping for the best!