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We arrived to Teregua near Bormio and found a small house to stay in near an awesome pizzeria. We could all walk there except the big guy.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5751/...88b07b05_c.jpgroad trip day 3 84 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/700/2...b6947110_c.jpgroad trip day 3 86 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/634/2...c0ee3f6f_c.jpgroad trip day 3 87 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/662/2...0d9ca43d_c.jpgroad trip day 3 88 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5799/...9960bf39_c.jpgroad trip day 3 89 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/...81a1d89c_c.jpgroad trip day 3 90 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/719/2...66c51c0f_c.jpgroad trip day 3 91 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today is the big day! The Stelvio! This is the second highest paved mountain pass in the Alps by 13 m at 2770 m. The original road was built in 1820 and has changed little. It has 75 hairpin turns (48 on the north side). It was at one time chosen by Top Gear as the “greatest driving road in the world” (they later said the Transfagarasan highway in Romania was possibly superior…next year).
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5818/...68f1af5a_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-09-30 at 4.46.27 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/579/2...4922de90_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-09-30 at 4.46.59 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/741/2...7ddc420f8e.jpgScreen Shot 2015-09-26 at 6.34.00 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
First, a leisurely breakfast at the pizzeria waiting for the frost to burn off the roads.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/569/2...a014173d_c.jpgroad trip day 4 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Leaving town we passed the turn off to the Stelvio and the sign said the pass was closed, but since it was only 1030 we figured it would open once the frost was off so we did a little side loop into the hills. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5722/...56c4c35b_c.jpgroad trip day 4 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5724/...e81088ff_c.jpgroad trip day 4 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Riding up the south side of the pass it looks exactly like Las Libertores between Santiago de Chile and Argentina. Even down to the snow tunnels and the waterfall on the left of the road.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/625/2...8264a617_c.jpgroad trip day 4 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5753/...b0baab41_c.jpgroad trip day 4 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5674/...f3261c29_c.jpgPaso de los Libertadores, Winding Road at 3000 meters, between Argentina and Chile by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The road itself on the Stelvio is quite a bit narrower. We were rising quickly and the temperature dropped to 3 degrees only part way up.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5765/...bb559477_c.jpgroad trip day 4 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5817/...e021dca6_c.jpgroad trip day 4 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/672/2...27f93fed_c.jpgroad trip day 4 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Arriving at the summit we ran into Tom who we had also seen at the top of the Gavia the day before!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/687/2...45ce054d_c.jpgroad trip day 4 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5622/...4df3496e_c.jpgroad trip day 4 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We were blessed today with spectacular sunshine, warmth despite the 1.5 degrees, and almost no traffic for the epic ride. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5811/...10486baa_c.jpgroad trip day 4 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/770/2...409d800d_c.jpgroad trip day 4 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5714/...6f793ed9_c.jpgroad trip day 4 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5790/...ab596baa_c.jpgroad trip day 4 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/726/2...9a00fdb8_c.jpgroad trip day 4 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/779/2...a72b4aca_c.jpgroad trip day 4 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/748/2...7916969e_z.jpgroad trip day 4 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5636/...c069b366_c.jpgroad trip day 4 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5735/...b4cf8645_c.jpgroad trip day 4 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/634/2...983390eb_c.jpgroad trip day 4 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/719/2...f654925f_c.jpgroad trip day 4 45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5806/...e40bcf5e_c.jpgroad trip day 4 46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Part way down the north side we were flagged over by some young guys on Harleys. They had run out of gas on the way up. We gave them the 1 liter from our stove gas to make it to the top. He could then glide all the way to Bormio for fuel. We had a smooth ride all the way to the 48 th hairpin!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5798/...39132eb4_c.jpgroad trip day 4 57 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/780/2...e96f087b_c.jpgroad trip day 4 56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5715/...7fe621e5_c.jpgroad trip day 4 60 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/654/2...67ec4f56_c.jpgroad trip day 4 62 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5643/...948c82e1_c.jpgroad trip day 4 63 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We took a different way back to Rizlern and 3 more passes each better than the last.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/718/2...1ded6b68_c.jpgroad trip day 4 64 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We arrived home to another special dinner prepared by Sabine Kaese (cheese) Spaetzle! She even put on her dirndl dress for us. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/593/2...58e78860_c.jpgriezlern part 2 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5833/...eceffcc9_c.jpgriezlern part 2 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/724/2...98a65983_c.jpgriezlern part 2 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/619/2...55d809d2_c.jpgriezlern part 2 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Dan’s foot is looking really impressive now!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/742/2...4f5b1d70_c.jpgriezlern part 2 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5750/...ee06d0d7_c.jpgriezlern part 2 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Now for fixing the bike. Michael is a skilled blacksmith and so he had the panniers and racks better than new in short order. For the plastics we took the bike to the nearby mechanic in Germany who was ordering the parts. He is the BMW Dakar mechanic so lucky for us he is near by. Michael is a master of metal and he had the Pannier back to better than new in no time. He also took the racks and top plate to the shop to bend them back into shape. The bike looks new!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/774/2...a03f9b3c_c.jpgriezlern part 2 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5766/...13b063b6_c.jpgriezlern part 2 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/608/2...b03b47cc_c.jpgriezlern part 2 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/665/2...ed65bd2a_c.jpgriezlern part 2 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
While we were waiting for the plastics we took in one of the local chair lifts and an amazing Austrian traditional lunch. Daniel’s schnitzel was as big as his head. He had borrowed Michel’s electric bike to ride back down the mountain and up the valley to the house, while the rest of us walked cross-country down the very steep ski runs.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5749/...8d1069f5_c.jpgriezlern part 2 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5808/...50b905c1_c.jpgriezlern part 2 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5681/...577c72c3_c.jpgriezlern part 2 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5790/...12f9ecf0_c.jpgriezlern part 2 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/664/2...886d8556_c.jpgriezlern part 2 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/700/2...da7d3f7a_c.jpgriezlern part 2 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5709/...336abe96_c.jpgriezlern part 2 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5767/...b66a595c_c.jpgriezlern part 2 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/567/2...6541a354_c.jpgriezlern part 2 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We packed up to leave Rizlern early and in brisk but clear weather. Today we will meet up with a fellow rider Tragoutt, who has been following our blog and planning his own trip from BA to Alaska.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/629/2...3b2e8d23_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-06 at 10.41.00 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Tragoutt is also from Austria, but on the other side of the mountain. This is only about 10 km as the crow flies, but takes almost 2 hours to drive around. We planned to meet at the top of the Furkapass at Charly’s kiosk. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5736/...94608332_c.jpgbrig 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/610/2...a69c06b1_c.jpgbrig 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/636/2...74d398d6_c.jpgbrig 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5786/...191006de_c.jpgbrig 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/643/2...934904a6_c.jpgbrig 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We had a coffee and Charly kindly gave us pass stickers!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/780/2...89456520_c.jpgbrig 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5623/...bea2d1be_c.jpgbrig 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5657/...5fc13bfd_c.jpgbrig 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5655/...026d26af_c.jpgbrig 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5693/...b978c199_c.jpgbrig 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/700/2...23edbda7_c.jpgbrig 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Tragoutt took us on a tour south into Austria and Switzerland. We did make a swing thru Liechtenstein for a photo op and sticker purchase.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/779/2...9ef6acbde5.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-06 at 10.29.48 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/777/2...858d0da0_c.jpgbrig 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/589/2...d3cf3f76_c.jpgbrig 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5796/...48b80a3c_c.jpgbrig 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5621/...80c86ee6_c.jpgbrig 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From here we went west along a very deep lake Walensee and had a traditional lunch overlooking it.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5802/...1ac17456_c.jpgbrig 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5635/...b8fbc79e_c.jpgbrig 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/777/2...a50df5dd_c.jpgbrig 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5815/...e9d2c1e0_c.jpgbrig 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5761/...bbf56a5b_c.jpgbrig 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5687/...fda02f91_c.jpgbrig 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5777/...f9591d19_c.jpgbrig 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We continued thru the countryside and finally up the Klausenstrasse pass. This is another stunning hairpin pass thru the mountains.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/...285a44ea_c.jpgbrig 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5780/...db2ce108_c.jpgbrig 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5693/...75487ef1_c.jpgbrig 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5696/...003025e0_c.jpgbrig 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5690/...22e3112b_c.jpgbrig 36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/614/2...29a40923_c.jpgbrig 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/573/2...9e9d206b_c.jpgbrig 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/624/2...141ef11c_c.jpgbrig 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5659/...a968aca2_c.jpgbrig 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/...1abf5b35_c.jpgbrig 45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5687/...f735bce1_c.jpgbrig 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5634/...55a8a156_c.jpgbrig 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/746/2...fe31117e_c.jpgbrig 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
This is where we got these great shots of Tragoutt and he turned back towards home several hours away.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5680/...4ca8e0dd_c.jpgbrig 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5624/...5ca08f25_c.jpgDSC05401 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We had almost 200 km to go to Brig and it was 5 pm.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5741/...929fb1f2_c.jpgbrig 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr By the time we got to the Passo della Novena it was dark and pouring. The last ten minutes to the summit were pretty scary since it was dark, pouring, 1.5 degrees and on hairpins. It got better on the descent and warmed to 8 degrees. We still had 40 km to go along the valley to Brig. We had booked a hotel or we never would have driven in these dangerous conditions….lesson learned…..again. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5744/...c632e9f6_c.jpgtarascon 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today we are going to visit our friends Franck and Laurence near Lyon. We had met them in Urubici Brazil earlier this year.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5670/...6ee391dd_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-06 at 10.47.50 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Heading out from Brig it was drizzling, but this did not last long and by Chamonix/Mont Blanc it was sunnyish.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5796/...2e9cf9b8_c.jpglyon 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5722/...6a4309e9_c.jpglyon 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5715/...e9de08a2_c.jpglyon 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5794/...5ddebf93_c.jpglyon 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/722/2...421c9dde_c.jpglyon 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5639/...1e8ed612_c.jpglyon 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5814/...72cd320b_c.jpglyon 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5810/...b882094f_c.jpglyon 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5719/...6f9acef3_c.jpglyon 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We kept to the small mountain roads to Albertville and then with the pouring rain we opted for the dreaded toll road for the last 100 km. This cost 14 dollars, but saved us over an hour in heavy rain and got us to their house only 30 min later than we had arranged. They welcomed us to their country house and tucked out bikes in the garage for a few days.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/776/2...d7224f1b_c.jpglyon 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Franck had big plans for us for the visit and a lot of it involved eating! He did have to adjust things because of Daniel’s injury.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5619/...5faebdfc_c.jpglyon 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5836/...cfce84ce_c.jpglyon 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The first order of the day in France is to get the bread for dinner!! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/754/2...a78e931e_c.jpglyon 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We did spend one day touring Lyon, but on the way we stopped in Trevoux to admire the Saone River. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5791/...2a355ba1_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-21 at 4.56.21 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5836/...7d6edbba_c.jpglyon 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/629/2...3761bfb5_c.jpglyon 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We started the tour of Lyon with the Roman ruins of Lyon-Fourviere
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/630/2...e45ecfdb_c.jpglyon 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/782/2...4b085f86_c.jpglyon 35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/706/2...2a100d11_c.jpglyon 38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5642/...f0c2e0a2_c.jpglyon 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5811/...f857dc2d_c.jpglyon 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5720/...58ddef34_c.jpglyon 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5827/...dac78ed9_c.jpglyon 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/624/2...fff7a276_c.jpglyon 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/776/2...cc8fae81_c.jpglyon 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
A short walk away is the Basilica.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5672/...72e9548f_c.jpglyon 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5739/...de28db26_c.jpglyon 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/743/2...776f9d56_c.jpglyon 55 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5826/...d862bdb9_c.jpglyon 56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr [https://farm1.staticflickr.com/769/2...6e3b224a_c.jpglyon 60 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5700/...73626700_c.jpglyon 61 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5633/...a57fda7d_c.jpglyon 59 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5771/...1401f695_c.jpglyon 66 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/660/2...9dd58363_c.jpglyon 73 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5735/...02e40456_c.jpglyon 75 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
After this we visited (not so great for the big guy) the old city with its cobbled street and several more large churches.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5766/...ef99c290_c.jpglyon 76 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5672/...c4c70d61_c.jpglyon 77 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5806/...1e34063e_c.jpglyon 78 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/589/2...79a6f507_c.jpglyon 81 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5753/...ed3ee642_c.jpglyon 91 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/...907a8770_c.jpglyon 92 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5676/...ec6e00f9_c.jpglyon 97 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5771/...9254f146_c.jpglyon 103 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5778/...f87bb4ba_c.jpglyon 110 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
There are hundreds of hidden passageways weaving thru the old quarters of Lyon. They are public rights of way and so as long as you respect the residents you are free to traverse the Traboules.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/742/2...624db4f5_c.jpglyon 101 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/725/2...d16d8691_c.jpglyon 102 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5833/...6c960039_c.jpglyon 83 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We then went for a traditional lunch of cassolet.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/666/2...ec3b69a2_c.jpglyon 84 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/653/2...42ebda2a_c.jpglyon 87 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/625/2...797f0b99_c.jpglyon 107 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/599/2...fa5b2bd3_c.jpglyon 85 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We took the metro to the Place Bellecour and to see the Fontaine Bartholdi, which was created by the builder of the Statue of Liberty. We had several views of the Rhone and Soane!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5676/...be1f946c_c.jpglyon 112 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5627/...84373317_c.jpglyon 116 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5758/...5d4c7d16_c.jpglyon 115 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr After a long day of sightseeing we were treated to home cooked beef bourguignon! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5720/...4b723be5_c.jpglyon 120 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
For the start of day two of our Franck’s tour we took in some panoramic views of the country.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/666/2...1a7c1328_c.jpglyon 121 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5828/...bc925373_c.jpglyon 124 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5781/...964cc9e1_c.jpglyon 125 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5794/...a8dbe897_c.jpglyon 126 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5634/...fb9ffa89_c.jpglyon 127 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/587/2...99a7e405_c.jpglyon 138 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5780/...a61137fb_c.jpglyon 139 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/573/2...bbea8a8a_c.jpglyon 130 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/697/2...567f2710_c.jpglyon 131 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5677/...c9dcc832_c.jpglyon 132 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/648/2...d4123080_c.jpglyon 133 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/595/2...33229653_c.jpglyon 135 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We visited the medieval walled city of Perouges situated 30 km north of Lyon. This place is like a living museum.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/634/2...1a8df392_c.jpglyon 161 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5825/...9561bf37_c.jpglyon 208 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/657/2...a0247f2f_c.jpglyon 160 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/564/2...ed8e82cb_c.jpglyon 162 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5809/...f47ef8d0_c.jpglyon 164 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5637/...9ec742b5_c.jpglyon 168 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/766/2...4cd51943_c.jpglyon 169 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/593/2...d39afb05_c.jpglyon 170 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/734/2...340bec06_c.jpgDSC05623 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5810/...fe9b7e2d_c.jpglyon 177 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/670/2...9a33f99d_c.jpglyon 187 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5638/...c5eeb5d2_c.jpglyon 189 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5669/...b406351f_c.jpglyon 192 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5799/...f3a3b57d_c.jpglyon 195 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/568/2...0b848e6a_c.jpglyon 196 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The next stop was to visit the pilgrimage church at Ars. This is the home of Saint John Vianney the “universal patron saint for all the parish priests” of the Catholic faith. People came from around the world as early as 1827 and he was seeing 20,000 pilgrims a year in 1855 and working 16-18 hours a day hearing confessions.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/673/2...d8331492_c.jpglyon 140 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5776/...125342d3_c.jpglyon 151 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5797/...b6eba237_c.jpglyon 156 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/772/2...12427abe_c.jpglyon 158 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/604/2...251ff854_c.jpglyon 159 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/778/2...167c79be_c.jpglyon 150 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5720/...5ce0c6f1_c.jpglyon 141 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5618/...5ab6a3a6_c.jpglyon 146 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/651/2...007ff853_c.jpglyon 147 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today’s dinner was another French specialty potatoes au gratin and andouille sausage prepared by Franck. We had a great visit with our friends here!!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/631/2...e315d859_c.jpglyon 214 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5638/...04ae7143_c.jpglyon 215 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5775/...22b32999_c.jpglyon 210 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The weather has not improved much as we headed south from Lyon it got worse and worse. We plotted a course to Gordes southeast of Avignon using the secondary roads. We did not stop at Vienne as planned since seeing Roman ruins in the pouring rain is no fun.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5784/...90cdcaa7_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-10 at 10.55.27 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We followed the Rhone River down until Tournon-sur-Rhone where we rode east to Pont-en-Royans and into the National Park Vercours. At the turn off we spotted Valrhona, which is like the Mecca of Chocolate and is the French company where our friend Antonio (Marbella/Madrid) works.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5830/...c1df77ef_c.jpgcarpentras 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/729/2...9a36f83a_c.jpgcarpentras 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Pont-en-Royans is a small village hanging on the side of the riverbank.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5746/...33ba01dd_c.jpgcarpentras 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/601/2...4a5e648e_c.jpgcarpentras 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5721/...0509c42f_c.jpgcarpentras 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5834/...fd763b09_c.jpgcarpentras 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From here we went to La Chapelle-en-Vercours and onto Die on the single track twisty and hairpin route thru the fall colored forest. We hardly saw a car all day.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5746/...c4598d40_c.jpgcarpentras 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5697/...1470a206_c.jpgcarpentras 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/...f0911212_c.jpgcarpentras 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
On the way we stopped at the Serran de l’Ane geologic site. It is one of only a very few places on earth that you can clearly see the transition between two geologic stages the Valanginian and the Hauterivian.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/575/2...5bd9c97b_c.jpgcarpentras 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/646/2...78461c6f_c.jpgcarpentras 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5775/...85f708fc_c.jpgcarpentras 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/663/2...bb24df3a_c.jpgcarpentras 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/575/2...a53c0c40_c.jpgcarpentras 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/705/2...81eb0744_c.jpgDSC05704 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/605/2...5d20b0e2_c.jpgcarpentras 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5721/...b1c00163_c.jpgcarpentras 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5814/...61a3d1ee_c.jpgcarpentras 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/572/2...8405fa74_c.jpgcarpentras 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5695/...6af729cd_c.jpgcarpentras 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We had a nice ride thru the Gorges de St May. The rain did slow a bit late in the afternoon, but it had slowed us down enough that we called it a day at Carpentras. On the way we stopped at a Mc D to use the wifi and found a good place to stay. Just after we arrived it really started to pour again and the thunder and lightening was epic.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/614/2...2a490ea8_c.jpgcarpentras 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The forecast for the morning was sunny, which was hard to believe, but totally correct. The plan had been to head to Toulouse, but we found out that Fernandita the daughter of our dear friends Mario and Fernanda in El Salvador was in Barcelona for a week. So “road trip”! We were pretty happy about the change in the weather since we had planned a pretty long 400 Km day thru the National Parks of des Cevennes and Haut-Languedoc and on to Narbonne.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/...8115a83f_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-07 at 10.34.47 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We made a swing thru Avignon to view the Palais de Papes, but since we will be back here next summer we did not stop long.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5787/...57eb49a9_c.jpgmilau 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr It was just over 100 km to get to Ales, which is where the route today gets good. You could spend days making loops here thru the hills and forest on the tiny twisty roads. We planned just one track from Ales to Florac along the Corniche des Cevennes. Over a section this is a very narrow track of switchbacks to the town of Saint-Roman-De-Tousque. From here the road widens and looks a lot like the Blue Ridge Parkway. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5625/...e86b74b9_c.jpgmilau 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From Flornac we rode over another mountain pass, but we could make some miles, as the hills were more rolling. By 4 pm we made it Milau for a view of the famous Viaduct. South from here we again routed on the small roads thru Lacaune ad the park to Narbonne. The roads here are sweeping curves and again in almost no traffic we could make some speed. Arriving here we opted for the Ibis Budget, which is in a word Budget…but better than the slightly cheaper F1 which is full of truckers with whom I don’t care to share a bath.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5700/...ee9ac23b_c.jpgmilau 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5748/...e3fa95cc_c.jpgDSC05724 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5750/...24456b58_c.jpgmilau 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5734/...c5c4bb5d_c.jpgmilau 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From Narbonne we set out south and stayed off the toll roads. We only had 300 km to go and most of the road was secondary highway.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/692/2...6248e4db78.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-10 at 10.59.22 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5811/...b5fbda46_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-10 at 10.58.02 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Arriving at the Spanish border we found the usual outlet malls and cross border shoppers, but here there were numbers of gaudily dressed prostitutes standing at the rest stops and round abouts waiting for the truckers I would guess. Border towns are sketchy everywhere but this was one of the worst we have seen in a while. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5679/...408ec0be_c.jpgbarcelona 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Southwest of Girona we got our first glimpse of the Mediterranean! Arriving to Barcelona we had forgotten the mayhem of the scooter drivers in Spain! They buzz around you like flies. That said we arrived uneventfully to our hotel and met up with Fernanda. It was so funny we had kept the visit a surprise for her parents. We posted the helmet pic with no comment on facebook. Mario saw it and called Fernanda, who when she skyped us was so excited she totally forgot how to speak English!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5671/...d350b00bdb.jpg11214284_10153525869846131_2886453210861377242_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/695/2...124ac24f38.jpg12115923_10153525905326131_894111713299356178_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Walking to the metro we passed our first Gaudi modernista building. We did a bit of a tour of several of the big squares.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5802/...d1b68f7f_c.jpgbarcelona 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5728/...0671341e_c.jpgbarcelona 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5705/...ce193b48_c.jpgbarcelona 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/...d7809f394c.jpg12096518_10153534848386131_8513062218054210623_n by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/586/2...b48bcd99_c.jpgbarcelona 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/648/2...5db05ebc_c.jpgbarcelona 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5649/...cf705ea2_c.jpgbarcelona 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/713/2...5c174c61_c.jpgbarcelona 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5638/...4d370fde_c.jpgbarcelona 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5785/...fdc4e903_c.jpgbarcelona 78 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today for Daniel the only real option for touring the city is to ride the hop on hop off bus. We did this all day and really got a taste of the city, but we will have to come back next year on the way to Italy to really see the sights.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5674/...fa5e3e2f_c.jpgbarcelona 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5622/...aa7e9e7d_c.jpgbarcelona 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5747/...7e942c7b_c.jpgbarcelona 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Luckily with a teen we had wifi! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5656/...d5d56d6f_c.jpgbarcelona 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The architecture is varied and interesting, especially the Gaudi.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/649/2...91875905_c.jpgbarcelona 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/712/2...d3e3845a_c.jpgbarcelona 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/644/2...bc264d65_c.jpgbarcelona 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5799/...bc0cd67a_c.jpgbarcelona 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/739/2...f231eb3d_c.jpgbarcelona 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5749/...273270d2_c.jpgbarcelona 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5799/...2919bc95_c.jpgDSC03796 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Lunch Spanish style is drinks and Paella. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5659/...84676a69_c.jpgbarcelona 55 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5690/...453d3960_c.jpgbarcelona 56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sacrada Familia is a UNESCO site still under construction. The building began in 1882 and Gaudi took over in 1883 and transformed it to his vision. It was only ¼ complete when he died in 1926. It has progressed slowly since it is funded by private donation and building was halted for the Spanish civil war from 1936-39. It was half done in 2010 and should be completed in 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5674/...f5e0bd8a_c.jpgbarcelona 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/662/2...aee8d1d5_c.jpgbarcelona 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/719/2...9246e985_c.jpgbarcelona 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/...7feb661d_c.jpgbarcelona 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/...780689be_c.jpgbarcelona 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We did a bit of a walking tour in the old city. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5678/...99ffc575_c.jpgDSC03777 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5832/...ff873fd1_c.jpgbarcelona 60 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/653/2...8f080dba_c.jpgDSC03782 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5810/...597a06a3_c.jpgbarcelona 62 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5654/...df0786d7_c.jpgbarcelona 65 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/668/2...4f6f46cf_c.jpgbarcelona 66 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5656/...b5b34597_c.jpgbarcelona 70 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Fernanda took us to a Pizza place she claimed was the best she had every had….She was not wrong. It’s a good thing we don’t live near here. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/686/2...0c0577f2_c.jpgbarcelona 83 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We headed out late at 11 am north again towards the Pyrenees in France. We planned out route to cross Andorra for country number 43!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5822/...402c326195.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-10 at 11.00.08 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/607/2...d8533eb677.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-10 at 10.58.17 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We had the perfect storm and over 2 hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic thru Andorra. It is a Saturday and the cross border shoppers are here in droves, the tunnel is closed so all the traffic in on one road, there is a big sporting event on, the boarder guards were spot-checking cars on the road after the slow down for the actual border, and there was a police check after that! The last 90 km we had from the Spanish/Andorran border to Tarascon-sur-Ariege France took 3 hours! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/618/2...20e66cf7_c.jpgtarascon 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5753/...381d6927_c.jpgtarascon 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/737/2...bbb25db77b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-10 at 10.58.39 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The village of Tarascon is nicely situated on the L’Ariege River and is at the eastern “gateway” to the Parc Naturel Regional des Pyrenees Ariegeoses! We did a bit of a walk about the town, but found our hotel had the only open restaurant.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5636/...b3c4c593_c.jpgtarascon 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5782/...3bbc7469_c.jpgtarascon 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/626/2...f57f64ff_c.jpgtarascon 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/669/2...33723e9b_c.jpgtarascon 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/678/2...a6f31294_c.jpgtarascon 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From Tarascon we continued west to end in Cierp. We spent the day touring on the tiny roads in the Pyrenees Park and trying to hit as many of the passes or Cols as possible.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5674/...e96edd3a_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-12 at 5.24.48 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5784/...5746de44_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-12 at 5.18.26 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/654/2...f76edcaf_c.jpgcierp 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5830/...e54fdcd6_c.jpgcierp 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/693/2...7790605b_c.jpgcierp 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The first was the Col de Port at 1249 meters. The ride up here was stunning with the fall colors. There are numerous cute French villages with areas of hairpin switchbacks between them. The only hazard here is the huge amount of cow manure on the road. Unlike in Latin America they do not tether the cows they graze at the side of the roads here so they can just wander about.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5619/...27376e85_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-12 at 5.25.26 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/674/2...946ba3d6_c.jpgcierp 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5819/...b422f589_c.jpgcierp 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/606/2...d1ed1235_c.jpgcierp 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5627/...aefc3a3e_c.jpgcierp 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We even did one section of the tour de France route and found this memorial on the downward side. It is incredible to think these guys ride on these steep narrow twisty roads at such speed on those skinny tires.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/573/2...12a6cc4d_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-12 at 5.25.53 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5815/...31fcb702_c.jpgcierp 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5776/...b0d4eb37_c.jpgcierp 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/574/2...6f95c455_c.jpgcierp 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5711/...d8bde6f4_c.jpgcierp 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/673/2...7f94cdfe_c.jpgcierp 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5758/...52f901ba_c.jpgcierp 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5627/...a6afbeaa_c.jpgcierp 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5694/...dd255aca_c.jpgcierp 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We are happy to see the Col Portet d”Aspet is Ouvert or open. This was a wall of switchbacks up one side of the mountain and down the other. They are so tight that at times the GPS does not always know which side of the switchback you are travelling on.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5707/...5798e542_c.jpgcierp 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5655/...4175e483_c.jpgcierp 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/644/2...c9db2ba4_c.jpgcierp 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5675/...6f393c2f_c.jpgcierp 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We arrived to Cierp to the cabin we had rented. (38 CDN dollars and sleeps 7). We had luckily remembered to stop for groceries early today since it is Sunday and everything is closed after 1230 in much of France. Dan did some chain maintenance.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5747/...a3e84515_c.jpgcierp 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5801/...8db0acc1_c.jpgcierp 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/597/2...a0a62815_c.jpgcierp 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From Cierp we are headed only about 60 km as the crow flies to Pierrefitte-Nestalas, but we managed to make that into 150 km of total awesomeness in the Parc National des Pyrenees.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5730/...ca745c78_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-12 at 5.32.16 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We started out south on the 125,but soon headed west on the single-track roads in the Park. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5830/...305ee25e_c.jpgpyrenees 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/574/2...65e8f8b2_c.jpgpyrenees 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5641/...a9d3b71b_c.jpgpyrenees 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
At Louderville we took a side detour we thought up the switchback to the ski resort, but up there we found a tiny road that snaked over the top of the mountain and down the other side to Azet. This is along the route of the Col de Val Louron-Azet at 1580 meters.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/730/2...897e47e4_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-12 at 5.32.33 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5757/...5554798e_c.jpgpyrenees 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/570/2...930ea709_c.jpgpyrenees 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5698/...119b0cf1_c.jpgpyrenees 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5672/...8d19906b_c.jpgpyrenees 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From here we went north again towards Aspin-Aure and over the Col d”Aspin at 1490 meters. We were so luck for the last 2 days to have amazing fall weather it has been mostly sunny and 10-14 degrees in the morning and 14-22 in the afternoon.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/668/2...b718e8bf_c.jpgpyrenees 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/741/2...0c860e33_c.jpgpyrenees 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/628/2...0b885c88_c.jpgpyrenees 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5621/...89fd0f00_c.jpgpyrenees 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5817/...f34b73b6_c.jpgpyrenees 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr From Campan we did take a detour by following the GPS coordinates of the hotel. This was 10 km up a road that ended in a dirt walking path…so backtrack it was. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5769/...6aa38d0a_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-12 at 5.17.58 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
They spelled my name wrong on that road sign!
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Quote:
Sara |
We had a rainy night and it was still lightly raining in the morning. We had been invited to stay with some friends in a Chateau near Bordeaux. Initially we had decided we could not make it there since it was “300 km in the opposite direction” from our target of Madrid, but after 30 more seconds of rational thought realized how stupid that sounded. What is 600 km to see fellow Canadians and biking friends? We had first met Anne and Peter at “the end of the road” in Ushuaia. We were leaving the park after getting our photo OP at “the sign”. I saw a huge Canadian flag on the panier of one of the bikes and yelled out Hey Canada! So we stopped and made friends. They have been touring in the UK and head home from Paris this week.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3735/...917d759c_c.jpgthe end of the road 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/...3b334cd0_c.jpgthe end of the road 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/...c580cde1_c.jpgDSC00737 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We rode the secondary roads north, which for us was an almost straight shot to Saint Emilion and with very little slowing for towns. We thought we could make the 270 km in less than 4 hours.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/619/2...7f0bb6b0_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-16 at 8.40.35 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
About an hour out we stopped for a coffee. As Sara pulled in to park on the curb outside the café the “Yellow triangle of death” was flashing and the bike was promptly dead. Taking out the GS 911 we confirmed our fears that the stator was burnt again! The last time it was replaced was in Ecuador almost 90,000 km ago, but they always seem to die when we are meeting someone and it is raining. The job took longer than expected since we had to take off several extra parts including the foot peg and rear brake since we could not get the one bolt out of the “this is crap” Touratech crash bar. Dan is getting pretty good at this now after 4 times. It is still stressful to have the engine open on the “side of the road” and have only one shot to fix it. After putting it all back together the test of the 911 was ALL GOOD! This got us back on the road at 130 after 2 ½ hours. I need a drink!!!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/...8ca3bb7a_c.jpgsaint emilion 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/780/2...3c7ba23b_c.jpgsaint emilion 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/578/2...832d84cb_c.jpgsaint emilion 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5643/...4b1d0758_c.jpgsaint emilion 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Arriving at the Châteaux Peter and Anne were not too worried since they had followed our SPOT tracks most of the day.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5733/...3fd11461_c.jpgsaint emilion 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5714/...1119fb3e_c.jpgsaint emilion 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Anne and Peter had been invited here by the owner Jean-Philippe. He had also had welcomed us to stay at the Châteaux. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5836/...37312b0d_c.jpgsaint emilion 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr and saw us finally coming. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5642/...a9a3d37d_c.jpgDSC05894 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flick https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5633/...12c59587_c.jpgsaint emilion 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5740/...6aa22500_c.jpgsaint emilion 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5796/...84ab46d6_c.jpgsaint emilion 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/609/2...96e8458e_c.jpgsaint emilion 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We managed to get in walk about the village of Saint Emilion before dark.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/752/2...4cf38e73_c.jpgsaint emilion 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/564/2...e988619d_c.jpgsaint emilion 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/719/2...0fe95beb_c.jpgsaint emilion 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/729/2...17de3d98_c.jpgsaint emilion 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5749/...d1d73da5_c.jpgsaint emilion 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/711/2...ea055e1e_c.jpgsaint emilion 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/753/2...73fed8e9_c.jpgsaint emilion 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5739/...60fd56f1_c.jpgsaint emilion 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5746/...9367abb0_c.jpgsaint emilion 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/...e4792c14_c.jpgsaint emilion 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It is very peaceful in the vineyard early in the morning.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/597/2...d10931b5_c.jpgsaint emilion 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/628/2...66a29bdb_c.jpgsaint emilion 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/627/2...ccd97248_c.jpgsaint emilion 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Our GS 911 came in handy two days in a row since this morning Anne’s bike would not start either! It turned out to just be that the battery was toast. This was easily fixed by a drive to the nearest bike store 10 km away.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/697/2...7365755b_c.jpgsaint emilion 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5690/...1a4ce24b_c.jpgsaint emilion 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5749/...b1e61345_c.jpgsaint emilion 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We did a small tour of the surrounding countryside and vineyards and enjoyed a lot of French bakery items and La Confession wine! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/639/2...f6d7bfdd_c.jpgsaint emilion 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/777/2...6c4a5c87_c.jpgsaint emilion 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5767/...7cb4f01a_c.jpgsaint emilion 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5787/...56764177_c.jpgsaint emilion 38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Thank you again to the Janoueix family for the hospitality!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/737/2...f4b1e2b6_c.jpgsaint emilion 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5748/...56574b24_c.jpgsaint emilion 35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/685/2...38b02470_c.jpgsaint emilion 36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/600/2...c9a6cee0_c.jpgsaint emilion 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Heading south again it was 2 degrees and sunny leaving the Bordeaux region. We backtracked to Roquefort (like the cheese) and then veered west to Pau. From here we left the vineyards and headed up into the hills again. There is a 7 km long tunnel that starts in France and ends in Spain. Our idea was to get a far as possible today and be as near to Madrid as we could be for tomorrow.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/625/2...47ff1d5b_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-16 at 8.43.45 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5642/...66545f4e76.jpgIMG_4340 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5626/...fe4d44a2dd.jpgIMG_4339 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Luckily the temperature did get much better after noon and was a tolerably 14. We stopped at a small village with 1 hotel just off the highway in La Almunia de Dona Godina. Today is the final push towards Madrid. It is just 200 km to Guadalajara (60 km north of the capital) and on the highway we made quick time.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5813/...9bd4848d_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-16 at 8.45.06 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/767/2...b393748f_c.jpgmadrid 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We wanted to get the bikes washed and all our clothes and the suits cleaned. This was accomplished all in one location at the Repsol gas station in Guadalajara where they have a car wash and a free standing Lavandaria Automatico. This is a box like building essentially with industrial washers and dryers in it. This means we were done in just over an hour. That left the rest of the afternoon to relax.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/705/2...470f7a1c_c.jpgDSC05954 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/721/2...d4b30902_c.jpgmadrid 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5778/...63d308dc_c.jpgmadrid 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Just 18 km north of Guadalajara is a small village called Torija. Here we met with several of our Madrid friends for a days ride out. Antonio and Natalia whom we had stayed with in Marbella and Modesto with whom we had stayed with in Madrid last time and who has been such a bit help with the bikes. Dan’s 800 also hit 170,000 km today.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5763/...73d94830_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-10-22 at 6.20.56 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/716/2...5c674608_c.jpgmadrid 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5748/...68153932_c.jpgmadrid 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/705/2...b785ed5f_c.jpgmadrid 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5624/...cfa756f4_c.jpgmadrid 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/620/2...73fc9e40_c.jpgmadrid 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5779/...8a625e78_c.jpgmadrid 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/751/2...8d416b93_c.jpgmadrid 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/606/2...a2d8e090_c.jpgmadrid 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/759/2...50eb63a8_c.jpgmadrid 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/739/2...b0ca2b49_c.jpgmadrid 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5740/...797777b4_c.jpgmadrid 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5703/...3688c461_c.jpgmadrid 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/741/2...8f21a626_c.jpgmadrid 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Well the year has finally come to an end. We are headed home to Vancouver for the winter to see our families and make some money for our return April 7, 2016.We want to give a huge thanks to Modesto for allowing us to store the bikes for the winter. Also to Antonio and Natalia for hosting us and getting us to the airport with all our gear. We had left the old Touratrash panniers in Madrid last spring, but we are taking them home as our luggage. With all our stickers on them and a piece of glass they will make a cool coffee table.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5749/...09ae88be_c.jpgmadrid 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/586/2...a24ebd44_c.jpgmadrid 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We thought we we would do a bit of a summary of the last 12 months on the road....
1. Brazil The three months we spent here were not nearly enough. This country should not be missed. Skip Ushuaia if you “don’t have the time” to get to Brazil. The riding is epic, the food is great, and the people are the most friendly and outgoing in the world. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8580/...0eb8fd01_c.jpgPainiera 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
2. Spain
We loved this country for the riding, the people, and the food. Andalucia is the first place we think we could live if we were not to live in Canada. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7659/...899576aa_c.jpgmarbella 2 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8706/...c1767f8b_c.jpgDSC08711 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
3. Morocco
This is a land of a thousand different vistas. There are such varied landscapes here. The riding is scenic on and off road. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7696/...2b8f4588_c.jpgmerzouga 165 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8783/...9b6a14a5_c.jpgdades 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
4. Portugal.
We found this to be Spain’s poor cousin. There is some good riding, but the towns and cities are a bit run down. The famous Algarve is just packed with tourists and condos. We will visit the north of the country to walk the Camino de Santiago next fall. This is Cabo San Vicente or “Land’s End” https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7707/...5fa555a1_c.jpgsagres 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
5. France
We flew thru the first time we were here and it rained the whole time. The second visit proved much better for weather and riding in the glorious Pyrenee mountains. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/574/2...65e8f8b2_c.jpgpyrenees 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5672/...8d19906b_c.jpgpyrenees 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
6. Britain
There are just too many people here in too little space. That said driving in the hedgerows is so fun. The prices will make you ill. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7783/...37b81c24_c.jpgstonehenge 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8722/...2b1b4718_c.jpgcornwall 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
7. Wales
Is just that stunning! https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8756/...84bd06e8_c.jpgsnowdonia 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7793/...5391c206_c.jpgsnowdonia 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
8. Ireland
This is a country that really needs to be seen in good weather. The ring of Kerry and the castle towns are stunning, but I am not sure we woould make the effort a second time. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7799/...63c31a15_c.jpgkerry-dingle 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
9. North Ireland
We only spent a couple of days here with bad weather and a ferry deadline to make. We would not have bothered except for the north coast and the fact we went from Belfast to IOM. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8785/...6bc1371b_c.jpgbelfast 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7772/...72ce58fe_c.jpgbelfast 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
10. Isle of Man
Is so much more than just the TT. The riding here is very good and without speedlimit in many area. Certainly worth the effort even with the terrible ferry schedule. It was certainly something special to ride the TT course. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8817/...f5a47f3b_c.jpgisle of man 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7786/...940768da_c.jpgisle of man 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
11. Scotland
Even in cold and very rainy weather Scotland is AWESOME! The riding here is spectacular and there are so many interesting spots to visit. Bring your money!! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/506/1...67a4b69d_c.jpgjohn o groat 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/310/1...332de6a3_c.jpgjohn o groat 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
12. Netherlands
The highlights here for us was seeing our friends Bart and Renata whom we met in Ushuaia, touring Amsterdam, and riding on the dykes. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/270/1...0d54554a_c.jpgnetherlands 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
13. Denmark
Is incredibly flat and windy. The “mainland” of the country is just a way to get to the ferry to Iceland at Hirtshalls. We wish we could have spent more time on the islands and in Copenhagen which is beautiful. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/366/1...49f4f18a_c.jpghirtshals 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/693/2...9101a77d_c.jpgcopenhagen 46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
14. Iceland-Faroe Islands
This is a must see location that we will be back to for sure. The scenery is jaw dropping around every corner. The Faroes are really worth a few days especially if the ferry deal is still on for a free stop. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/330/1...7666ee5f_c.jpgiceland 2 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/543/1...248e0fbe_c.jpgDSC02943 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/394/1...e9bfca8c_c.jpgnorth to puffins 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/496/1...0fe4b9cf_c.jpgnorth fjords 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
15. Sweden
This country was a pleasant surprise because it really has some great riding on the small country roads. The Swedes are just as nice and friendly as you have heard. The towns with all their red wood houses are very quaint. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/281/1...31bdf379_c.jpgDSC02371 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
16. Norway
The cost of travelling here is prohibitive for many. A can of beer in the grocery is 10 Euros! If you can camp as much as possible and bring some foodstuffs along you can make it. The views are incredible even in poor weather. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/279/1...ed6fae42_c.jpgDSC02423 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/367/1...e6d011c2_c.jpgflam-molde 39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/487/1...110070c0_c.jpgatlantic road 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/466/2...4c177c44_c.jpgDSC02977 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
17. Finland
This county is basically a huge lake with bits of tree-covered land between. For that reason for us it is not a real riding destination. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/...9f8a1064_c.jpgDSC03034 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5726/...14f2a45e_c.jpgDSC03416 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
18. Russian federation
We only had a taste of the country on a 72 hour visa free visit without the bikes to St. Petersburg. We will be in Russia again on the way to Mongolia. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5699/...62dc1cdc_c.jpgst petersburg 100 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
19-21. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
The Baltic States were another surprise for us. They are “European” on all counts and at a bargin price. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5746/...1781302a_c.jpgDSC03447 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/728/2...50054419_c.jpglatvia lithuania 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Finally it is out! The book we have all been waiting for. Steve the Commando!
https://www.facebook.com/steve.stewart.10297?fref=ts https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5705/...9e8e24c7_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-12-18 at 4.44.02 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Gino Don't order one yours is on the way bier |
You are too kind.... still enjoying the pictures, :D
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Quote:
Thanks again for the Birthday swag. We MUST see you next year in Italy!!!??? SP |
22. Germany
The riding here in Germany is stunning especially in the south. There is so much history here. They have the cleanest “cutest” and nicest villages. Beer, good food, and fun! Riding up to the freedom monument in Berlin https://farm1.staticflickr.com/705/2...f2f85ae1_c.jpgberlin 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Nurburgring https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5783/...5da3cc4d_c.jpgmosel 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Daytona https://farm1.staticflickr.com/591/2...2b7e573f_c.jpgeggenfelden 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Deutche Alpenstrasse https://farm1.staticflickr.com/692/2...9942997d_c.jpgbad tolz 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
23. Belgium
This is not much of a riding country, but it is steeped in world history. There are a number of very nice villages. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/681/2...8e840463_c.jpgbruges 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/737/2...1429573c_k.jpgluxemburgh 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
24. Luxembourg
Surprisingly this small nation has some great riding, but only a days worth for us. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5651/...fd9b98ac_c.jpgluxemburgh 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/739/2...0ba99964_c.jpgmosel 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
25. Switzerland
The cost of things here is outrageous. There is some nice riding in the Alps, but we think the Alps in Austria and Italy are better. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/573/2...9e9d206b_c.jpgbrig 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
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