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We debated about whether to leave without seeing the city. It's so closeby and the weather is really nice today. So at the last minute we ride into town, stash our riding gear and take a quick walk around town.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0424-L.jpg Fountain in front of Plovdiv City Hall Such a funny sounding name to English speakers: Plovdiv. I found out that it's named after Philip the Arab, a Roman Emperor who named the city after himself. Philip + Deva (city) became Plovdiv after several iterations of translations. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0428-L.jpg Pedestrian street, downtown Plovdiv https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0430-L.jpg And then, we stumble across this... We don't make a point of only visiting cities and ruins with Roman amphitheaters in them. Honestly! It just turns out that the Roman Empire spread out pretty much everywhere in Europe. And everywhere they went they built an amphitheater. And the most beautiful one they built was in Pula, Croatia. |
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I think they uncovered this amphitheater after the modern city was built on top of it. They've integrated it well into the city. You can see in the background: another Disney castle missile silo. I wonder if Walt Disney fashioned his iconic castle after Bulgarian architecture. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0444-L.jpg Well, that was a nice tour. I'm glad that we got to see the contrast between the big city and the rural areas in Bulgaria In the picture above, I point out the same sign I've seen all over Russia and other Slavic countries. "Look Neda, Pectopaht!" "Pectopaht" is actually "Restaurant" in Cyrillic. It amuses Neda to no end whenever I say this, because that's not how she reads it in her head. It's like saying "Kah-now-led-gee" to an English person.... "Do you mean 'knowledge'?" "Rig-Hit!" But enough of the language lessons. It's time now to head further north. New country! And towards one of the best riding roads on Earth! Stay tuned! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0436-L.jpg On the way out, we make a game out of spotting the national vehicle of Bulgaria. They're everywhere! |
Thanks for the language lesson Gene :rofl:
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I forgot to embed this video in the last post:
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Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/338.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map338-L.jpg The weather is hot and sunny, and we're leaving Bulgaria and entering a new country today: Romania! Most of the cross-border traffic takes the main highway to Bucharest, crossing the international bridge at Ruse. But since we're on a bit of a backroads tour of Eastern Europe, we enter by way of a small ferry SW of Romania's capital city. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0455-L.jpg Catching the ferry at Nikopol, Bulgaria https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0458-L.jpg We're allowed to ride to the front of the ferry. The Danube River is a natural border between Bulgaria and Romania It's only a short 15-minute trip to get to the other side. Bulgaria and Romania are not officially part of the Schengen Zone yet, so we have to stamp out and back in again at the ferry docks on both sides. I steel myself for more unfunny Brexit jokes and ribbing from the border guards, but the guys here don't seem to be very friendly. Good. |
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The Romanians keep their nuclear arsenal just outside of Nikopol. Unlike the Bulgarians, they don't bother to Disney-fy their missiles. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0475-L.jpg Riding through the Romanian border town of Turnu Măgurele Turnu Măgurele is not a pretty town, except for its churches. But we've done enough traveling to learn never to judge a country by its border towns. My best friend, who I've known for like half a century, is Romanian so I'm really looking forward to exploring his home country. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0486-L.jpg Within the hour, we arrive at Caracal, where we're spending the night. The Romanian greeting party is ready for us Just like in Bulgaria, the accommodations and food are cheap in Romania. Their currency is the Lei (sounds so close to the Bulgarian Lev), and we found out they don't take Euros in this country. So we got Lei-d at the ATM and then walk around town to try to find a grocery store. |
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The Dormition orthodox church in Caracal The grocery store in Caracal remains elusive to us, but we do run across a convenience store. Inside, there is a long lineup at the cash register. I notice that most of the people are paying for their goods with food stamps instead of Lev. I feel a bit guilty walking back to our luxury apartment. It's the nicest place we've stayed in since we've arrived in Europe. And we only paid €20/night through the booking service online. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN0497-XL.jpg The next day, we hit the road again. Some scenes from our ride through Romania That church in the top left looks like a Stave church that we saw in Norway! It's actually a type of wooden church typically found in northern Romania, in the Maramureș region. most of the churches in the south look like the one to the right. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0490-L.jpg Just in case you forgot that there is also another motorcycle & rider at RideDOT.com! Those are not my oil stains on the ground... |
It's about a three hour ride on fairly boring roads until we hit some interesting scenery. Our slog through the flatlands of Romania come to an end at the base of the Făgăraş Mountains, where we see a sign for a very special castle...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0504-L.jpg Castle Dracula! Well, not the literary Dracula, it's Vlad III's castle, Poenari. Bram Stoker's character, Dracula, was based on Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was a nasty, nasty Romanian ruler who was quite fond of impaling people, boiling them alive and cutting them up into little pieces. He was the second son of Vlad Dracul, the surname of which Bram Stoker would base his blood-sucking vampire on. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0319-L.jpg It's a hot day and there are 1480 steps to climb to get up to the Castle Poenari. When we get to the top, we're greeted by impaled people... Nice. Castle Poenari wasn't actually built by Vlad the Impaler. He took it over in the 14th century, 100 years after it was built by the Wallachians, medieval Romanian people. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0458-L.jpg Romanian flag flies high atop the castle walls |
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We had to wait our turn to pet the resident puppy. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0462-L.jpg From the top of the castle walls, we can see our bikes parked at the bottom of the mountain There are actually two Castle Draculas in Romania. The more famous one is in Transylvania and it's called Castle Bran. There's a bit of a feud going on between these two castles. Poenari likes to advertise itself as the "REAL" Castle Dracula, since Vlad Dracul was actually a real person. However, the castle in Bram Stoker's book was really based on Castle Bran despite the character being named after Vlad. It would have been nice to visit Castle Bran, as it's much more grander than this one. But we are actually in this area for another reason... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0321-XL.jpg Castle Poenari is located right at the start of a very famous road called the Transfăgărășan https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0481-L.jpg Finally! It's our turn to pet the Poenari Puppy! I think this puppy lives up here. There's a water bowl just outside the the ticket office. I'm going to call him Vlad. Because he's a bloodhound. And his favorite food is shishkebabs. |
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Back down at the bikes, father and son herding their goats along the river https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...map338_1-L.jpg We are now going to ride the road made famous by Top Gear, the Transfăgărășan Pass! Everybody raves about it as being the most scenic mountain pass in the world, even better than the Stelvio Pass in Italy. Check out the map above! We've really been looking forward to riding this road ever since we heard about it. I pulled out my Sena camera so we could capture the run on video. But then over the Bluetooth intercom, the camera admonished me, "Low Battery Warning". I forgot to charge it! Dammit! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0507-L.jpg Thankfully, I had a USB battery pack. I juryrigged it and stuck the external battery in my backpack. So ghetto-looking... |
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As we reach the steep part of the pass, surreal green mountains surround us. And pretty waterfalls too... The Transfăgărășan is a touristy road. There are a ton of hikers, buses, cars and bicyclists all over the place. The scenery is wondrous - such vast open spaces to appreciate the Făgărășan mountain range around us. We find ourselves a spot to pull over to take in the beauty. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0494-L.jpg You can't help but look up and all around you Then back on the bikes to ride further up the pass. The road switches back on itself as it climbs higher and higher to the summit. We don't stay on the bikes very long. Because after every three or four switchbacks, we look over the edge: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0396-L.jpg "Ooooh... gotta stop and get a picture from this angle!" |
My jury-rigged video camera is basically useless. We're stopping and going so often, it's not going to make for a very interesting video...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0389-L.jpg I don't care. It's so pretty here. It's a photographer's feast! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0390-L.jpg This picture is for the Expedition Portal guys. I think camping is free out here https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0525-L.jpg Another scenic stop at one of the switchbacks |
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https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0528-L.jpg Just like the Stelvio Pass, at the summit, there's a little village with restaurants, snacks and souvenir shops https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0422-L.jpg Behind the village, there's a hiking trail. That reflection on the lake is gorgeous! |
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Hop Scotch https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0547-L.jpg View of the Transfăgărășan Pass from the summit So, was the Transfăgărășan a good riding road? It's okay. Like the Stelvio Pass, the switchbacks are sooooo wide. They were built to accommodate tourbuses, so it's really not a very challenging road for motorcyclists. There are much better and tighter switchbacks all over Europe. What makes the Transfăgărășan such a magnificent road is the scenery. The mountains are really quite beautiful and the road twists so often that you get a different view at every turn. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0434-L.jpg Holy... I can see why the Top Gear guys and all the car magazines like to film here. It makes for terrific cinematography! Very nice. Neda and I were babbling to each other at every stop, "It's so beautiful here!!!" Definitely, the highlight of our Eastern European leg. BTW, there are a lot of accents in Transfăgărășan. I don't think I typed Transfăgărășan once in this entire blog entry. Ctrl-C/Ctrl-V to the rescue.... TransfăgărășanTransfăgărășanTransfăgără șanTransfăgărășan |
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Neda checking out the view from the top. It's chilly up here! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0532-XL.jpg Okay. Back on the bikes, heading back down the other side of Transfăgărășan On our way down the pass, Neda radios me, "Is your foot resting on the rear brake? Your brake light is on." "Nope". I tapped the rear brake a few times. "Is it still on?" "Yeah, your brake light is solid." Crap. The pedal must have gotten stuck or something. We pull over and I inspect the rear brake. Nothing mechanically wrong with the pedal and the rear pads aren't binding. I can't find anything wrong with it. Then I pump the front brake lever a few times. The brake light goes out. Ah, must just be a sticky lever. I check the actuation and the brake lights seem to be working again. We climb back on our bikes and proceed a bit further. Not 30 seconds later, Neda radios me again, "It's on again". I pump the front brakes and the light goes out. But it keeps coming back on again and again. This is not good. Even though I can't feel any drag in the front, I don't want to slowly burn up the pads or warp the rotor. I can't keep riding with the front brakes engaged. We pull over and I inspect the lever and pads. I sniff the air. Is that burnt brake pads I smell...? Fă*&g%răș*ă^&ă%ăn!!!! Stranded at the top of a mountain pass in Romania with a stuck front brake. We're hundreds of kms away from a city. What are we going to do now...? |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/339.html
We're stranded near the top of the Transfăgărășan and my front brake seems to be seized. What are our options? Tow the bike? We're pretty far from any town or city and the cost of a tow would be much more expensive than just replacing pads + rotor - if I decide to ride all the way down. What if I disconnect the front brake and only use the rear? Yeah.... we're at the summit of the Carpathian Mountains, making our way down. Probably not a good idea... Just how badly seized is it? There doesn't seem to be any drag at all in the front. I decide to do an experiment. We ride on for a couple of kms with my brake light burning bright behind me, and then I pull over, using only the rear brake and downshifting to a stop. I get off and feel the front rotor. Not even warm. Could it be just a switch at the lever tripping the light then? It was getting late in the day and I don't want to spend the time to diagnose it. Especially up here with the sun in a bit of hurry to duck in behind those mountain peaks. So we make a decision. We're going to ride down the mountain to the nearest town, find a place to stay and then look at it in the morning. The ride down the other side of the Transfăgărășan gave us more twisty roads to negotiate and the sunset was promising to be quite spectacular. But we couldn't really appreciate either the roads or the scenery, I was worried about my front brake the entire time. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0510-L.jpg At the bottom of the Transfăgărășan, we pull into the first town we see, Victoria Neda finds a grocery store and goes shopping for our dinner while I stay with the bikes outside. A group of young boys were hanging outside the store. I could sense their curiousity, so I smiled and nodded at them. That was their cue to rush over to me and pepper me with questions, "Where are you from?", "Where are you going?", "How fast does your bike go?" The typical questions we get from everyone. :) https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0512-L.jpg I'm quite a big hit here in Victoria, Romania! The guy to the right of me, Horaţiu, spoke really good English. We talked for quite a while outside the store before Neda came out to join us. Really friendly bunch of guys! We said our goodbyes as the light was getting scarce and we still had to find a place to sleep. |
Neda found us a little lodge on the map, but it was several kms down a gravel road... and after a while the road didn't really look like it was going anywhere. As if I wasn't already a bit worried... In the dim light of the late evening, it was hard to see anything in front of me, the thick forest already blocking what little sunlight there was glowing from out behind the mountains. Well at least *I* couldn't see anything. Since I was leading, my bright brake light was illuminating the entire way for Neda behind me...
Finally a clearing! And a very decent-looking place. There were a bunch of people having a barbecue and we were invited to join, but we had already bought our groceries for dinner. We met a few people staying at the lodge that evening. I would have liked to have been more social, but my mind was pre-occupied with trying to fix my bike. I excused myself from the party and spent time on the Internet trying to diagnose the problem. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0516-L.jpg In the bright light of the next morning, I haul my bike out into the middle of the backyard and proceed to dig into the front brake lever. There's something about a guy working on a motorcycle or car that makes him a magnet for all the other men within eyeshot. Within a few minutes of tinkering, there were a couple of other guys standing around me, offering advice and giving me a helping hand. For women, going to the washroom is a communal event. For guys, breaking out the tools is our clarion call... So my research on the Internet pointed to a switch at the brake lever. There's a piston that pushes that switch which activates the brake light. It also activates the servo motors that BMW uses for the brakes on this model of my bike. It makes a horrible whining noise and the guys around me ask, "Is that normal?" Yes. It's like when people gather around a Ducati and point out the rattling noise coming out of the dry clutch, "I think your bike is broken..." A small allen key can be used to adjust the point when the brake light switch gets activated. However, I just can't seem to get it right. I turn it all the way out and then all the way back in but the light is either always on, or always off. So I disassemble the whole lever to see if I can re-seat the switch. No joy. The two other guys take their turn but we all have no luck fixing my bike. We all come to the consensus that the switch is broken. At least I know now that it's just the switch and not the brakes. I adjust the front brake switch so that the light is always off. I'll just make sure to use my rear brake to trip the brake light when stopping or slowing. I always use both brakes anyway, so it shouldn't be a big deal. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0515-L.jpg One of the guys helping me out, Dan and his wife Cristina We spend the rest of the morning talking to Dan and Cristina. They're a great couple from Bucharest. Like most city people, they head up here into the Carpathian mountains for weekend trips to hike and bike out in nature's playgarden. He showed me his green KTM bicycle! Cool! Before they left to hit the hiking trails for the day, Dan gave me his contact information should we decide to turn backwards to Bucharest to get my brake light switch fixed. I thanked him, but I think we're going to keep forging ahead towards Croatia. We have a date on the calendar to make. |
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We've burnt pretty much the whole morning and afternoon hanging out at the lodge, so we ride into Sebeș, about 90 minutes away We're also feeling a bit fatigued from all the constant travel and now all the troubleshooting as well. We're going to take a rest day here. Neda found a really nice apartment (again hitting our target of €20/night). https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0526-L.jpg Neda's favorite part, it has a kitchen! Nice to have something warm and homecooked https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0525-L.jpg Another reason we are staying in. Rain is in the forecast for the day. |
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Okay, time to play in the mountains again! We hop back on the bikes after our short break. I take the lead because I've disabled my front brake light switch and if I forget to tap the rear brake, at least Neda will know not to run into the back of me. I hope... The Transalpina Highway runs parallel to the Transfăgărășan, exactly 100 kms to the west. It's the Transfăgărășan's younger sister, not as popular with the moto-journalists and TV programs, but not without her own charms. If you're in the area to ride the Transfăgărășan, there's absolutely no reason to skip the Transalpina. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0550-L.jpg Stopping at one of Transalpina's switchback corners for a peek at the road below Fluffy clouds remain high above us, a remnant from yesterday's rains as we ride up to the summit of the Parâng mountain range. The scenery is like a toned down version of the Făgărăș mountains, not as dramatic, more rolling hills than daunting peaks. Way less traffic as well, which we like. So... I thought I always use both brakes when stopping or slowing down. Well, now that I'm consciously keeping track of which brake I'm using when riding, I notice that I tend to use the front brake only a lot! I never realized this until I see Neda's bike getting larger and larger in my rear view mirror at every corner of the Transalpina... Ooops, front brake only, no brake light... Sorry, Neda.... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0554-L.jpg Contemplation-time amongst the mountains of the Southern Carpathians: "I wish he'd use his rear brake more..." |
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Bikes love being up here. So do we! The further we get up to the peaks, the foggier it gets, as we ride into the clouds that envelop the summit of the mountaintops. The temperature steadily drops and when we reach the top, we have to don some extra layers to get some heat back into our bones. We also take the opportunity to walk around. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0465-L.jpg Parking near the summit https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0440-L.jpg Brrrrr! |
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Sheep crawl all over the fields up here, grazing to their heart's content. We have to dodge the poop all over the ground! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0462-L.jpg The shepherd sits closeby, his sheepdogs rest with him. Through the cloud cover, the Transalpina lurks in the background https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0458-L.jpg The sheepdogs don't get to rest very long. Not with Neda around... Thankfully Neda's tankbag is full of rocks from Santorini... |
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My bike, pretending to be a sheepdog. With a broken front paw... :( https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0537-L.jpg We can't really see much up here with all the clouds and fog obscuring the landscape below. So we continue back on the Transalpina The traffic is sparse enough that I let Neda go ahead of me. That way she doesn't have to worry about running into the back of my bike and I can take some riding pictures! This turned out to be a good idea, because the southern section of the Transalpina is where all the fun is at. See the map above for a closeup of the road-reverie! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0541-L.jpg Whohooo! Enjoying the twists and turns! |
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Can't see. Better slow down. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0553-L.jpg Some small towns in the background on the Transalpina Highway That was a great ride! Here's a short video of both the Transfăgărășan and the Transalpina, with a litle bit of mechanical troubleshooting in the beginning: Riding the Transfăgărășan and Transalpina Highway in Romania |
With the Carpathian Mountains done, we stop at Târgu Jiu, the city at the base of the Transalpina highway, for lunch.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0563-L.jpg Târgu Jiu https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0568-L.jpg Târgu Jiu Prefecture (Administrative Palace) on the left https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0575-L.jpg After lunch, we hit some local traffic |
Continued from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/339.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...map339_2-L.jpg We need to be in Pula in a few days. Rather than take the shortest route to Croatia, we make a little detour up to Hungary and then back down into Croatia to bypass Serbia. That way we don't have to pay for a 14-day vehicle insurance slip when we're just passing through. We definitely want to visit Serbia, but it'll have to wait for another day, when we can properly do it justice instead of just rushing through it. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0581-L.jpg It's all highway from Hungary to Croatia. So no pictures, except for roadside stops for food, gas and pee breaks https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/image2-L.jpg At one of the gas stations, we run into Orhan & Dilya from Turkey They're on a motorcycle trip on their brand new R1200GS, all the way up to the Nordkapp! We spent quite a while at the gas station exchanging stories. This is their honeymoon vacation! We've met a few folks from Turkey so far on this trip and they've all been such genuine and friendly people. Orhan and Dilya gave us their address in Alanya and told us that we could stay with them if we come to visit Turkey. So generous! I don't know where Alanya is, but I have a feeling that we're going to be seeing it sometime in the future! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0585-L.jpg Our trip continues. A sleepover stay in Budapest and then back on the road |
I love the highway system in Europe. You can cover so much ground in very little time. We are closing in on the Hungary/Croatia border and we stop for another gas/food break. When we climb back on the motorcycles after lunch for the final push to the border, Neda's bike fails to start.
Uh oh. She pushes the ignition button. All we hear is click-click-click. This is a very familiar sound to us... The dreaded flat battery has struck yet again on this trip (admittedly, most of the time because of our own neglect). I think back to when we first bought this battery in Zagreb a couple of years ago. They only had one Yuasa (BMW OEM battery) in stock, so I put that one in my bike. We bought Neda a cheaper Italian battery, and the store that sold it to us warned us that it was not as good as the Yuasa... Edit: So I took a look back at the blog entry from when we first bought Neda's battery: Quote:
We spent several minutes trying to bumpstart Neda's bike. We have to take off all the luggage because it's too heavy for me to push around the parking lot. No use, the bike is just not catching. So we have to resort to drastic measures: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN0590-XL.jpg Jump-start cables between the bikes like an electrical transfusion BRRUUUUUUM!!!! We have ignition! It's a healthy start, which means that it's definitely just a dead battery. I told Neda to keep it running for a while to give the stator some time to charge the battery up a bit before we head out. But before I could finish my sentence the bike dies again. Whut? Another jumpstart, then cables disconnected. This time I leave the throttle half-cocked for a minute or two to try to get some higher voltage flowing into the battery. Keeping the revs up, I tell Neda to jump on and do some laps in the parking lot just to keep the bike running above idle. We need to make sure her bike won't die on the highway. I watch her do a couple of circles around the lot and then the bike cuts out. The battery is just not holding a charge. Crap! This is our second bike breakdown in less than four days. At least we're not at the top of a mountain range in the middle of nowhere. We need to be in Pula soon. So what are our options right now...? |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/340.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map340-L.jpg So Neda's got a dead battery that won't hold a charge anymore and we're stuck in a gas station parking lot, exactly halfway between Budapest and the Croatian border. What are our options? We definitely need a new battery. Our first inclination is to just make it to Croatia somehow. We don't speak Hungarian, we don't know where anything is. We're feeling really helpless in this foreign place. If we can just make it across the border, then Neda can speak her native tongue, make calls, arrange stuff... We just need to get across the border. Neda calls the dealership in Zagreb. They tell her they can't send any tow trucks across the border. So we're stuck in Hungary. Maybe call the dealership in Budapest? But that's going backwards and we need to be in Pula soon. We're not thinking clearly. Why the laser focus on getting to Croatia?!? Surely there must be a place somewhere around here that sells motorcycle batteries? Bit by bit, our senses return to us. I hop on the Internet and sure enough there is a motorcycle store just a few kms off the highway. Okay. We'll pick up a new battery there and then back on the road! I call them. And they speak no English. Argh. I'm going to need some assistance... Thankfully a girl behind the counter at the gas station speaks fluent English and helps us with the motorcycle store. They have a battery in stock, but they'll have to charge it first - it can't be used immediately. And it'll take several hours to charge. And the store is closing soon... So the earliest we could have it would be in the morning. Fine. That's the best we can do. At least we don't have to pay for an expensive tow. But where to sleep tonight? And what about Neda's bike and all her luggage? I guess we could strip all the softbags and stick it in a taxi? Have it follow us to wherever we're staying for the night... The very helpful girl at the gas station was listening to us fret and worry in front of her and she interrupted us: "We have a store-room in the back of the station. You can keep all your bags here and if you leave your motorcycle right in front, then it'll be in view of our security camera". Brilliant! OMG, this girl was such a lifesaver! She even told us about a small town just a few kms away where we could find some accommodations. Throughout this trip, we've been blessed to meet so many people that have helped us out. We were beyond grateful and couldn't stop thanking her enough! With the luggage safely stored and Neda's bike parked in front of the gas station, we two-upped to the town the girl told us about. It was less than 15 kms away. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0588-L.jpg Balatonberény turned out to be a very pretty lakeside resort community! Great suggestion! We managed to find a room in a guesthouse run by a very stern German woman. But at least Neda could speak what little German she knew to her. Despite being the cheapest place in town, it really wasn't cheap at all and it ruined our string of €20 accommodations. But this was an emergency... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0567-L.jpg And the reason why it was so expensive is that Balatonberény is Hungary's cottage country where everyone from Budapest heads to for the weekends or their vacation... |
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It's set on Lake Balaton and there's lots of families here enjoying the school vacation. Yes, we're here during high season as well... :( We spent the entire evening walking aroung the very pretty beaches in Balatonberény. After the last couple of weeks of rushing to get to Croatia, it was actually quite therapeutic to have things taken out of our hands and be forced to slow all the way down. We hadn't realized just how frazzled and weary we've become. We've been traveling non-stop not just after arriving to Europe, but really ever since we left Chiang Mai five months ago. We are due for a very, very, very long break. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0584-L.jpg We find out later that Balatonberény is famous for its nude beaches. Just for clarification, these people aren't nude... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0596-L.jpg These ducks look so peaceful. We need a bit of that right now. I can't believe we found this oasis of serenity through a combination of bad and good luck. It's not somewhere we normally would have stopped, but we're glad we stumbled upon it! |
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A good sunset is always good for the soul https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0610-L.jpg ....and there it is... Thank you, Balatonberény! After the sun sets, my new-found calm starts to get eaten away by the ghosts that haunt my thoughts at night. I don't normally fall asleep till around 3-4AM, so after Neda is out, I have a lot of time to dwell on things. With all these problems we're experiencing, how much of it is our own neglect...? We've never been particularly pro-active about bike maintenance. We're the kind of people that don't carry a lot of spares, only change our tires out when the cords begin to show, keep adjusting that chain out until it snaps... We are reactive, and it's costing us time, money and peace of mind. And then I can't help but think about my shaft drive... about how the mechanic in Zagreb recommended that I fix it sooner, rather than later. That was over two months and several thousand kms ago... Sleep doesn't come easy for me that night. |
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In the morning, we two-up to the motorcycle store. It's about 35 kms away (past the gas station, where we left Neda's bike) but right off the highway so we're there in 20 minutes https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0594-L.jpg Then back to the gas station to install the new battery We pull out Neda's bags from storage. Unfortunately the girl from yesterday is not working this morning. I would have liked to show her our appreciation somehow, buy her some chocolates or something. As for the new battery... I've never heard of Varta before... Hopefully it's better than that Italian one we picked up a couple of years ago! And then, the moment of truth... Neda hits the starter and the bike fires up good as new! Not bad, less than 24 hours delay and we're back on the road to Pula! |
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On the highway, we motor right through the Croatian border and although no words are exchanged over the intercom, I sense that Neda is slightly relieved to be back on familiar soil. I had entered the Zagreb BMW dealership on my GPS and I stare at the waypoint as we pass right by it on the highway. If we didn't have to make to Pula, I would have liked to have gotten both our bikes checked out... Neda's battery, my front brake light switch. And that damn shaft drive. Is it me, or has my rear tire been wobbling more and more the last couple of weeks...? And then, as if I could predict the future: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0597-L.jpg At a gas station stop between Zagreb and Pula, Neda's bike fails to fire up again I know *EXACTLY* what the problem is now. It wasn't the battery. It was the dreaded burnt stator within the charging system. It's a well-known problem with the F800GS bikes. I've read about so many people experiencing it, but I always assumed since Neda got a later model and a F650GS that she would be immune to it. Not the case. I can't believe we just threw out a good battery and bought a brand new one when we didn't have to. I feel sorry for cursing out that Italian-made battery... It did its job well. All of these unnecessary costs sting a lot. And to top it off, we do own a battery charger, so we could have given her new battery one more charge to get us to Pula. But we left the charger... in Pula - thinking we'd be back soon enough. %$^$^! I talked to everyone at the gas station to see if they had a charger or would sell me one. No luck. |
We are both feeling very low right now. It seems that in the past week there's been an unseen, yet palpable force trying to stop us from reaching the Istrian peninsula. The closer we get, the more problems seem to crop up. It really feels like a giant invisible hand swatting us down every time we get back up. It doesn't help that we are both travel fatigued on top of things.
Neda is particularly despondent. She just wants to throw up her hands and forget about getting to Pula. Just get towed to Zagreb and get all of our issues fixed right now. But I talked her out of it. We just spent the last couple of weeks rushing through our trip to get back to her hometown, we were *NOT* going to give up within the last 200 kms. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0601-L.jpg So we're towing her bike to Pula. We'll worry about getting everything fixed later. We're all limping home now. Both us and our bikes are in rough shape. All four of us need some fixing up, but at least we'll be in familiar surroundings and amongst family and friends. |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/341.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...map341_1-L.jpg So why the big rush to get to Pula? https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0625-L.jpg It's this young lady's 13th birthday! Neda's niece is officially a teenager now! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0622-L.jpg The whole family comes out to celebrate Tea's birthday. Four generations! We showed Neda's grandmother all the pictures we took while we were in Montenegro. She was tearing up at some of the photos of her childhood home and she marveled at how much Tivat had changed. But she still recognized the boardwalk where she first met Neda's grandfather. She was so delighted that we got a chance to meet her side of her family and wanted to hear all about them. We felt very honoured to be able to provide these picture and stories from her youth! |
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Tea showed an interest in Neda's cross-stitching It really meant a lot to Neda when Tea asked her to show her how to cross-stitch. The two of them huddled over the cloth and pattern as Neda guided her through her first stitches. Quality aunt/niece bonding time! She's a pretty special kid, she knows how to engage adults and draw them out. While most young people her age seem to be self-absorbed, she'll show an interest in what the adults are doing. I know I felt pretty special when Tea asked me to teach her how to play the guitar last summer. For her birthday present, Aunt Neda gave Tea the red rocks that she collected from the beaches in Santorini. The two of them like collecting things like leaves, coins, rocks. Thankfully Tea hasn't gotten around to collecting small animals yet. We might need to get her her own tankbag for her next birthday... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0638-L.jpg My birthday present to Tea: a ride around the block! Note to Neda: My gift was totally better than yours! :) Tea was born while we were living in Canada and Neda has always regretted not being as present during her childhood. Now that we are regularly on the continent, we want to make sure that we're a part of her life and that we're there for her special occasions as much as possible. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0633-L.jpg These sunflowers were probably planted shortly before we left Pula! Now, on our return they're taller than Neda! |
Once again, Iva has graciously invited us to stay at her apartment in Medulin, while she temporarily moves in with her mom in Pula. We've returned to Istria at the peak of high season, and even if we could afford the exorbitant cost of rentals here, we'd be hard-pressed to find any vacancy anyway.
The sleepy town of Medulin has transformed into a bustling metropolis overnight, bars and restaurants that were shuttered a few months ago are now packed, patrons on their patios spilling out onto the sidewalk. Even on our bikes, it's almost impossible to squeeze out of the little laneway in front of Iva's apartment, foreign-plated cars are parked haphazardly everywhere. It's been only a couple of months since we left Istria but it's such a completely different place now. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0602-L.jpg Getting away from the crowds and relaxing at Iva's place Medulin is a little resort town about 7 kms away from Pula. People come here for one reason only, to enjoy the pebbly beaches and soak up the sunny weather on the Adriatic coast. Although it doesn't see as many visitors as Pula, I'm still surprised at the droves of tourists that have descended from all over Europe. I've spent a lot of time in Istria over the last couple of years, and now I really get a sense of the duality of a seasonal resort town - a long hibernation, then a brief flurry of intense activity, then another long hibernation... But since we're now here at the best time to be in Istria: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0665-L.jpg We ride out to the nearby beach at Kašteja Park quite often to enjoy the beautiful weather https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0647-L.jpg Cooling down by taking a dip in the Adriatic Sea |
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Such a nice break from our trip. Exactly what we needed! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...IMG_6467-L.jpg It's a Pula Girls reunion! Hanging out with Iva and Tajana https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0603-L.jpg Sometimes my wife makes me laugh... Neda is going out to Pula to hang out with her friends and she wants to wear her dress out. But she needs to get into town by bike... so this is her solution. So, while Neda takes my R1200GS into town to catch up with her girlfriends, I go to work on her motorcycle. First things first. I pull out Neda's battery and stick it on a charger. Then run some diagnostics to confirm that it is the stator that's fried. Then I check online for prices for a replacement stator. The BMW owners who have experienced this problem all recommend an aftermarket stator made by ElectroSport. It's a lot cheaper than the OEM BMW part. I contacted ElectroSport and unfortunately there's nowhere local to pick one up. I'd have to ship one in from the US. The shipping and import duty would be costly, and we would have to wait a few weeks for the part to arrive. It would be almost the same price to just get the BMW version. I called the dealership and they said they can get one within a day. |
Neda comes home:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...IMG_6469-L.jpg "Look what my friends gave me for my (belated) birthday, Startas shoes!!!" Startas is a Croatian brand that was very popular with young people before the war destroyed their factory in Vukovar. Back in the 90s, it was a cultural phenomenon that swept the country. Everyone had to have a pair of these high-quality, hand-made shoes. To Neda and her friends, Startas shoes represented all the fun times they had together when they were back in school. The company just Startad up again, so Neda's friends thought it would be the perfect gift! Hmmm... looks like there are a few shadows on that design on her shoes. About fore of them... Speaking of which, we need to get a move on. Although Iva has been so great about letting us stay here the past few days, we feel really bad about kicking her out of her own apartment and we don't want to overstay our welcome. Pula during high-season is too expensive for us, plus we need to fix our bikes and the closest BMW service is in Zagreb. After discussing the options with Neda, we decide to install the BMW OEM stator and save ourselves a few weeks' wait. There's supposedly an updated stator that solves the known problem. We just have to make sure to check that the part number we get is the newer version. Now we just need to get her bike to Zagreb. From my calculations on our last ride from Hungary to Croatia, we know that the charge on the battery is good for about 200 kms (two hours on the highway) before it completely dies. Pula to Zagreb is 270kms. The bike will die again 70km away from the dealership. No good. If we start disabling some of the electrical components on her bike, we should get her range up so that we can make it. Or at least get a little closer... I do a bit of math: the draw from a 55w headlight @12V = 4.58A. The battery is rated at 14Ah. I'm going to estimate the total draw from the bike's electrics is roughly 7A since the brand-new, fully-charged battery died within two hours. So theoretically, if we pull the fuse on the headlight, we can get 14 / (7 - 4.58) = at least 5 hours (500kms on the highway) of riding time. Should be more than enough leeway to get to Zagreb. Unless we hit a serious traffic jam... Is my math right? We'll find out tomorrow. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...io1_1280-L.png We'll need 1.21 jiggawatts to power the flux capaStator! Great Scott! 1.21 jiggawatts?!? |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/342.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map341-L.jpg We are trying to lessen the electrical load on Neda's motorcycle so we can get it from Pula to Zagreb without a tow. The battery will take an unmolested bike about 200kms before dying. Zagreb is 270kms away. So obviously, we have to molest her bike a little. Every component is scrutinized to determine if we can unplug or disable it and still remain safe on the road. Headlight? Gone. ECU? Yeah, need that. Brake light...? Uh.... have to think a bit about that one... This whole exercise reminds me of that Top Gear episode when Sabine Schmitz bet Jeremy Clarkson that she could pilot a Ford transit van around the Nurburgring in under 10 minutes. The team was pulling out seats, drilling holes in body panels, she was drafting behind a pace car, etc... Okay. So, here's what we've come up with: - Battery fully charged which gives us 14Ah to get us there - Pulled the fuse on the headlamp, saving us 4.5A - Unplugged GPS as well - that's 500 precious μA of draw right there! - Neda won't use her turn signals. She'll basically pretend that she's a Toronto driver. - No horn either and she'll downshift to slow down to minimize tripping the brake light - Topped up the fuel. So we don't have to stop for gas and waste time and cold-cranking amps to start up again That last point reminds me that we also have to factor into our calculations a single cold crank in the morning to get started. I'm talking about me, BTW. Not the starter motor on the motorcycle... Neda is not amused. In fact she is very nervous about the trip to Zagreb, afraid that her bike will just cut out on her on the highway. Before we set off, we hit the grocery store and clean out the shelves, stocking up for the road as if we're heading off to ride into the Apocolypse. It's 270 kms... Spoiler: Sabine Schmitz never did get that van around the 'Ring in under 10 minutes. And on that note... I lead the way to Zagreb since I've got the one operating GPS. Which cuts out intermittently. Ugh. :( Gotta get that checked out when we get to our destination. Fortunately it's mostly all highway to the capital city. I glance at my mirrors every 5 seconds to make sure my wife's bike is still behind me. |
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Made it to the BMW dealership! We park her bike amongst all the BMW police motorcycles where it will be safe Neda got her bike checked in at the service department while I walked around. The guys at BMW Zagreb are very friendly. They were all ooohing and ahhhing over the mileage on our motorcycles. When it was my turn to write up the service order for my bike, the advisor made some small-talk: "Ah I just spoke with Neda. She is your girlfriend?" "No, she's my wife." "Oh, then you are practically Croatian!", he gave me the I-Just-Made-A-Funny smile. "Yeah. You could say I'm... Cro-Asian!", I returned the I-Just-Made-A-Funny-Too smile... But then his smile wavered a bit, and he had this look on his face like maybe I didn't speak English very well: "Yes, that is what I just said. You are practically Croatian" And then it was my smile's turn to waver. Do I explain the pun, or let him think I'm a bit daft? "Yes, you're right. I am practically Croatian! Haha!" Smiles all round again! Things I learned today: I am not funny in Croatia. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...old-a-joke.jpg Me, at the BMW dealership in Zagreb https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0676-L.jpg While waiting to pick up Neda's bike from service, I fell in love with one of the cars upstairs... i8, so sweet! The BMW i8 is their hybrid supercar. It goes stupidly fast and sips gas like an Englishman sips tea. Me likey! Gene: "Hey if BMW gave us this car, would you continue our trip in one?" Neda: "Sure, but only if I get to drive." Gene: "..." Note to BMW: We would be grateful if you could provide RideDOT.com with two 2016 BMW i8s. Thank you. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0674-L.jpg Looks like a spaceship from the back! |
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This is Neda's old track bike: S1000RR. I know she'd love to have one again We're no strangers to touring on sportbikes. We've done multi-day trips with a backpack stuffed only with underwear and toothbrush. Oh, the places we could explore with these bikes... Maranello, Assen, Aragon, Sepang. Note to BMW: We would be grateful if you could provide RideDOT.com with two 2016 BMW S1000RRs. Thank you. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0693-L.jpg When we pick Neda's bike up, the mechanic shows us the fried stator The old design had cooling issues, supposedly they've updated the part so that the stator doesn't overheat. Hopefully we don't have this problem again. We swap Neda's bike for mine at the service department and they go to work on my shaft drive while we two-up back to our apartment. We are staying in a suburb of Zagreb about 10 kms away from the city core. Oddly enough, at this time of year, it's actually cheaper to stay in the capital city than in Pula because all the urbanites in the interior flee to the sunny Istrian coast for their holidays. So there are a lot of vacancies in the city and the reverse seasonally-discounted-rent aligns with our budget. And best of all, we're here for two glorious weeks! Two weeks of doing nothing but sleeping, eating and watching TV. Oh and catching up on the blog. Maybe. So behind... :( |
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With her bike fixed, Neda goes on a solo Croatian road trip! It's Iva's birthday, so while my bike is in the shop Neda hops on hers to spend a long weekend with the girls in Pula. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0704-L.jpg She sends me a picture from Pula. Looks like she's having a good time. I'm spectacularly unproductive while all alone in Zagreb. Didn't get one blog entry done. But I did watch a lot of TV... We are members of an online Croatian motorcycle forum, and we know a couple of people from there who have kept in touch with us. Danko and Nives first rode in to visit us in Pula a couple of years ago. Now that we're in their neck of the woods, they invite us out for some Zagreb food. Gonna ZaGrab us some ZaGrub! I don't say ZaGrub in front of our Croatian friends. I've learnt my lesson at the BMW dealership. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0488-L.jpg Having some delicious grilled meat with Nives, Danko and Danko's brother. Hvala! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0492-L.jpg Hangin' out with our Croatian biker friends after dinner |
And then another visit to the dealership to pick up my (yet again) fixed motorcycle. Third final drive this trip. Is there a record for most final drive repairs on a single R1200GS? Surely I must be winning. Perhaps "winning" is not exactly the right word in this case... *sigh*
We've been to Zagreb many times over the years, but mainly as a transit point when we are flying in to the airport and then catching a bus to Pula. In all those times, we've never actually ventured into the city to explore. So now that we're staying in town, we decide to ride in and do some sightseeing. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0613-L.jpg Another glorious sunny day to explore Zagreb! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0710-L.jpg I love having a motorcycle in Europe! Free parking everywhere! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0721-L.jpg We start our tour off at Ban Jelačić Square, Zagreb's central square |
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I don't know what this sculpture is, but it would be embarrassing if it was like a bus stop sign... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0737-L.jpg Game of Thrones style map https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0718-L.jpg Streetcar runs right through Ban Jelačić Square |
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I'm guessing this is the part of town where all the tourists hang out https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0747-L.jpg So one thing I've learned about Croatians is that they *love* their flag https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0765-L.jpg Zagreb Cathedral |
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"Oooh, that's Marija Jurić Zagorka! I have to get a picture with her!" "Do you know her, Neda?" "Yes, I went to school with her..." That's Neda's stock answer whenever I ask her if she's familiar with any famous Croatian person. Always with the little quip: "Yes, I went to school with him/her". Now I know how she feels when I make stupid puns. Marija Jurić Zagorka is a famous Croatian author. Neda did not really go to school with Marija Jurić Zagorka. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0785-L.jpg The old town of Zagreb https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0800-L.jpg Neda is grabbing us some fritulas, they're like little doughnut balls covered in powdered sugar Canadians will find fritulas very familiar. They're basically slightly larger versions of Timbits. As she was scarfing down the golfball pastries, my wife garbled out: "My grandmother used to make these all the time for me!" I didn't know your nonna played hockey, Neda! |
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Following this cat around. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0844-L.jpg Indigenous Croatian people! There was a wedding going on in St Mark's Church. The pretty roof is tiled with the Zagreb coat of arms https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0848-L.jpg Automotive advertising |
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Walking around Zagreb's secret underground tunnels So this was kinda cool. Not many Zagrebians know that there's a secret underground tunnel beneath their city. The Grič Tunnel was built during WWII as a means to get to an underground bunker that was meant to shelter the citizens from a bombing raid. It fell into disuse after the war and was boarded up, largely forgotten by the population above. Every once in a while, the tunnels would make the news, when people are discovered breaking in and holding raves and art exhibitions. The general reaction would be, "We have a tunnel underneath Zagreb?!?" It's very timely that we're here in Zagreb now, because the Grič Tunnel has recently been renovated and it was officially opened to the public just last week! Currently, it's solely a pedestrian tunnel providing a walkway to get out of the hot sun, but there are future plans to build a museum inside the shelter. Cool! Literally. It was cold down here. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0884-L.jpg Statue of Nikola Tesla, famous inventor born in Croatia. Neda went to school with him. |
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What the heck is this huge golden ball in the middle of one of the city streets? It's the sun! This is actually part of an art project called "The Grounded Sun". It's turned Zagreb into a scale model of the Solar System. Scattered around the city, you can find all of the planets, spaced the correct distance away from each other according to the size of this sun. The planets themselves are scaled representations: Mercury and Mars are just marbles mounted on plaques on the sides of buildings. Jupiter is the size of a soccer ball. And Earth? It's a fritula. You see what I did there...? Brought it all the way back to Nonna Hortons. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0609-L.jpg On that note, we climb back on the bikes and ride out of the old town like cowboys into the sunset |
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Great interview! And so much truth about travelling instead being bonded to possessions. Thousands over thousands of items to manage, repair and keep them running (sigh)...
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Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/343.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map343-L.jpg Two weeks pass by in Zagreb in the blink of an eye. It was a great break, but I'm not entirely sure that I'm fully rested up. With Neda's road trip to Pula and back, I'm not convinced she's recovered from travel fatigue either. But we're on a slippery slope, on the far side of the summer solstice and we're both wary of the riding season in Europe quickly burning away while we remain cooped up in this comfortable, air-conditioned apartment. We leave Zagreb on an overcast day and take the highway out of the country, through Slovenia and towards the Austrian Alps. When we cross over the border into southern Austria, we drop out of warp and hit the back roads. We're in a province called Styria, otherwise known as the Green Heart of Austria. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0632-L.jpg It *is* very green here. Negotiating some switchbacks outside the town of Hirschegg, Austria |
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We're taking all the backroads through Austria, waypointing all the squiggliest lines on the GPS https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0635-L.jpg Stopping for an early lunch at the top of Moasterhaus... and to fix my GPS The power cable on my GPS has been cutting out intermittently. I've isolated it to the fuse holder. Every once in a while, we have to stop to jiggle and re-seat the fuse for the power to come back on again. This is a pain in the butt because to get to the fuse holder, I need to take off all the soft bags and seat. Every time I need to stop to reseat the fuse, it sours my mood. Yes, yes... I've got a short fuse... this is no punny matter. We walk into the chalet for lunch. And walk right back out again. Note for the future. Don't eat at ski chalets in Austria. Expensive!!! This was a sharp reminder that we're no longer in the cheaper Eastern European countries. We're riding through RichLandia now. Time to find a grocery store... :( https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0645-L.jpg Back on the backroads through the Green Heart of Austria. There are ski hills everywhere around here! So not only are we riding through an affluent country, we are riding through the resort area of an affluent country... |
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Passing through a little village just outside the town of Weißkirchen in der Steiermark. Steiermark is German for Styria. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0682-L.jpg It was getting late in the day so we hopped back on the main road to search for a place to lay our heads for the night The road takes us to a large alpine resort town called Zell Am See. We ride around looking for signs for "ferienwohnung" (rooms for rent) and we knocked on a few doors. Everything was way too expensive for us. Of course, we're right at the base of a huge mountain called Schmittenhöhe, the most popular skiing and hiking destination in the area. Good thing we brought our tent with us: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0889-L.jpg Camping in Zell Am See. Note my topcase full of groceries, that's our pantry. Gonna be using that and the tent quite a bit in Austria... :( https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0688-L.jpg The next morning, the sun is out again. We're ready to tackle some famous Austrian alpine passes! |
The reason why we stayed at Zell Am See is that it's just 35 kms away from the northern entrance to the Großglockner (or Grossglockner for the Anglophones), the highest mountain in Austria. It's also home to the most famous alpine pass in the country. So excited!
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...map343_2-L.jpg Großglockner High Alpine Pass. Yes!!! At the base of the Großglockner Road, we read the sign that laid out the entrance fee: €25.50 per motorcycle. *gasp* RichLandia strikes again! That's over $70 CDN for us to take a ride on some twisty roads... We had to have a mini-conference just outside the ticket booth to decide if it was worth it. Throughout this entire journey, we've had to make budgetary decisions that reflect what's really important to us. Last night we slept in a €25 campsite and ate homemade sandwiches and soup because this trip isn't a €200/night hotel room/Three-Michelin-Star restaurant vacation. It's a motorcycle trip. Roads like this are the reason why we set off in the first place. Ride The World!!! You know... despite saying all that out loud, dishing out $70 to ride a road is still quite painful. Damn you, RichLandia! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0691-L.jpg Just outside the entrance we meet some fellow bikers This couple were from the US and they were visiting their relatives in Austria. I think it was her father who lived in the area and he had a garage full of motorcycles which he lent out to them for the day. He was taking them on an alpine pass motorcycle tour of Austria. While Neda was chatting to the American couple, the father took me aside and showed me all the good roads on my GPS. Cool! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0499-L.jpg Check out the view from the Großglockner Alpine Pass. This is what they are charging for... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0510-L.jpg Neda admiring the view. Spectacular! |
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There are TONS of bikers out today enjoying the twisties! Every biker we pass, I can't help but tally up the entrance fees everyone has paid... €25.50 from you, €25.50 there, €25.50 from that guy... Großglockner is German for Gro$$ Profits. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0701-L.jpg That's a cool-looking trike up ahead of us We were told to check out the Visitor's Centre at the end of a cul-de-sac. We have a long riding day ahead of us, but since we paid so much to get in, we wanted to milk that entrance fee for all that it was worth! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0560-L.jpg Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Hohe Visitor's Centre |
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From the visitor's centre, you can get an amazing view of the Pasterze Glacier https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0546-L.jpg Also, there are a lot of marmots living in the area. I think they all hang out below the visitor's centre because tourists throw food down at them https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0534-L.jpg At 8kms long, the Paterze Glacier is the longest glacier in the Eastern Alps. And probably the most expensive to see... |
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After getting our money's worth at the visitor's centre, we hit the road back to the Großglockner. It really is very scenic. Here's a short clip of our ride on the Großglockner High Alpine Pass https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0728-L.jpg Riding through Gerlos, heading westbound to our next pass. Bikers everywhere, enjoying the sunny weather! |
We spent a fair bit of time at Großglockner so we were only able to do one more pass as the sun began to set on us. The clouds have darkened considerably as the day wore on and it looked like rain was imminent. It was now a race to find a campsite and set up our tent before the waterworks began... Somewhere past Innsbruck we saw a sign for a campsite at the next turnout.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0740-L.jpg Too late. The tent is up, but we're soaked to the bone. We pitch the tent with our rainsuits on, and it takes some planning to figure out the best way to get the fly over the tent as quick as possible so the inside stays dry. I hate putting up a tent in the rain. Hate it! We huddle in the shelter of the communal kitchen and washroom in the campsite to eat our groceries and watch the sky turn everything around us into puddles and ponds. Miserable. Hopefully it lets up by tomorrow morning and we'll get some dry weather to continue our alpine pass tour. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0747-L.jpg In rained all night, and in the morning... still rain. Packing up our wet tent. Gross. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0756-L.jpg Undaunted, we head to our next pass: the Fern Pass Rivulets of rainwater turn into mini (and not so mini) waterfalls flowing down the mountainfaces surrounding us. If it wasn't so wet and miserable, it'd be pretty. But instead, we're tip-toeing through all the switchbacks and twists and turns, for fear of slipping on the very wet pavement beneath our wheels. |
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Groß. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0760-L.jpg https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0763-L.jpg This is not fun. We have another pass planned after this one: the Arlberg Pass. But we give that one... a pass. The rain is coming down so hard. The border between Austria and Slovenia is the line that separates Eastern and Western Europe. All season long, our friends in the west have been complaining about record-breaking rainfall, while we've enjoyed unbelievably sunny and dry riding weather on our side of Europe. Have we now crossed the line and joined them in their misery? We abort the RideDOT.com Austrian Alpine Pass Tour and jump onto the highway that takes us out of Richlandia and into Germany. Wait... isn't Germany, RichLandia too? RichLandia II. |
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Crossing into Germany, the weather clears up. Hopefully it was just an Alps thing Neda is tired and frustrated. And she takes her frustrations out on me, blaming me for the route, the long riding days, my planning around all the accommodations. She forgets the cardinal rule: if you're not actively helping to plan the ride, don't complain and criticize the ride leader! I only know this cardinal rule because I myself broke it when I was nagging Neda in Albania. And ohmigod this triggers the mother of all arguments. The whole of southern Germany can hear us yelling at each other over the communicators as we ride down the Autobahn... It ended with me putting my foot down and telling her, "That's it! I'm done planning and leading! It's your turn now!!!" https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0768-L.jpg The next morning, I led the way out of Stuttgart. What the...?!? |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/344.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map344-L.jpg We've been in Europe for a couple of years now and we've seen a lot of this area, so we are just quickly passing through Germany as we head northwest on the continent. Günter, one of our new motorcycle friends that we met recently while touring the Adriatic coast in Croatia has graciously invited us to stay with him for a few days to rest up. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0903-L.jpg Our bikes have a roof over their heads tonight. First time in... months, I think. |
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To welcome us to his home, Günter prepares a barbeque! OMG, German bratwurst in Germany!!! Life does not get better than this! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0899-XL.jpg This is no ordinary BBQ. This is a very local contraption called a Schwenker A Schwenker is not something you yell out of your car window when someone cuts you off. It's a bbq grill that swings on a tripod and it's very local to the state of Saarland in Germany. Nearly everyone in Günter's neighbourhood has one in their backyard. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0905-XL.jpg Günter asks Neda to cut some wood for the bbq. Neda... quit messing around, you're a guest! Günter's son is really into LARP (Live-Action RolePlay), so Neda borrowed his sword. The thing about Schwenkbraten is that it needs to be cooked over a beechwood flame. No other wood will do. Schwenkers have a very narrow definition, otherwise you can't call it a Schwenker. Also, the beechwood needs to be chopped with a sword. That sword has to be named after a mythical, medieval German warrior and has to do at least a +5 in mystical damage. This sword is named "Ah-nold". Ah-nold Schwarzeneda. Get to the choppa, Neda... |
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After Neda choppa-d more wood, the Schwenker is set a-swinging and we stand around and socialize Cooking over a Schwenker is a very social occasion. People are supposed to gather around the fire, talk and tend to the swing to keep it moving. I asked Günter if the intermittent swinging cooks the meat in a special way? He said, "Not really, keeping it swinging is just something to do while we stand around and talk." LOL! The meat that cooks on a Schwenker is also pretty specific. It's a marinated pork neck steak and it's called Schwenkbraten. The bratwurst around it is just decoration. A yummy, yummy decoration. I don't know why, but I loved the Schwenker. It was so local and so specific to this neighbourhood. If we hadn't had come to visit Günter, we never would have Schwenked with him! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0911-L.jpg The next morning, we set up our tent in the backyard so we can dry it out from all the rain in the Austrian Alps Günter has to go to work today, so he leaves us in the care of his daughter, Carolyn for the day. Carolyn went to high school in Texas so her English is fluent. In fact, she's got more of a Texan accent than German when she speaks English to us! She talks about the US a lot and she really misses her friends from back there. I think speaking English to us kinda reminds her of being back in Texas. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0921-L.jpg So despite the meatfest we had last night, we find out Carolyn is a vegetarian. Whut? Are you sure you lived in *Texas*?!? (and not Seattle..) So we make her our favorite vegetarian dish. It's a pasta with avocado sauce which tastes exactly like pesto, but without all the dairy and cholesterol. Just a little basil and lemon blended in with the avocado. Deliciousness! |
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Günter knows I like to take pictures, so he tells Carolyn to take us to the Erlebnisort Reden The Erlebnisory Reden is an old abandoned mine and factory that's been repurposed into an urban playground. The mine was the biggest employer in the city before it shut down. One of Günter's friends who came over for dinner last night used to work at this factory. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0933-L.jpg This place is great for Urbexing (Urban Exploration for those in the know) https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0938-L.jpg Nice decorations |
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https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0961-L.jpg This is an interesting sculpture. it's called the GegenOrt and it's made of untreated wood. It is supposed to naturally decay over time. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0971-L.jpg Haha, Carolyn you ham it up pretty good for a vegetarian! |
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Visitors place locks on this fence for love, hopes and dreams https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0989-L.jpg And then the pièce de résistance - a TARDIS?!? This isn't actually part of any art on the premises. We did a bit of exploring and tucked away in one of the abandoned buildings was this TARDIS. I had to to snake my camera in through a small peephole to get this shot, so it's not on purpose that this is here. I think Doctor Who must have filmed at this location at some point and the crew just left the prop instead of taking it with them back to England. So cool... I hope to see a lot more TARDISes in our near future... |
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Günter gets back from work and we spend some time fixing Neda's electricals Günter's an airplane mechanic so I think he's qualified to work on a motorcycle... We spent another evening with Günter and Carolyn and then next morning, we sadly said our goodbyes. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0771-L.jpg All fixed, ready to head out! Günter suggested we ride into Luxembourg since it was so close by. It so happens to be on our way, so we swing by. We gas up right before we hit the border because Günter told us that gas is a lot more expensive in Luxembourg than Germany. Hmmm.... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0068-L.jpg We park our bikes and a few luxury cars roll by us... Hmmm.... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0040-L.jpg Walking around the Luxembourg City's town square, we poke around the restaurant's looking for lunch. Hmmmm.... |
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I'm not sure if you can read the menu, average price of a dish is €20... Buncha thieving Schwenkers! Just as we suspected, Luxembourg City is the capital of RichLandia. Holy crap, the prices here are on par with Switzerland and Norway... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0002-L.jpg This statue is not a penis https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0053-L.jpg Luxembourg Cathedral The city is well known for it's banking industry and being the base of operations for several European Union institutions, but we discovered that Luxembourg is an architect's Disneyland. Every building is meticulous in it's design and construction. A very beautiful place to wander around in. I can see why Günter suggested we take a look. But like Disneyland, it feels very sterile and very manicured. The medieval-style buildings don't seem like they were built 600 years ago, they look like they were built 20 years ago, and then cleaned and reconstructed every 5 years on a schedule. What a beautiful city, though! |
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Castle du Bock https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0061-XL.jpg Looking down into the River Alzette. Very pretty here. People ask us all the time which are the places that we've visited that stick out in our mind. We've seen some amazing sights and beautiful cities on this trip. But the things that really stand out in all of our memories are the people that we meet and befriend along the way. I like getting to know their stories, but also I love how we get to become part of their story and vice versa. Luxembourg's a lovely place, but it doesn't compare to Schwenking with Günter and Carolyn in their tiny German suburb just across the border. Danke schön, G&C! |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/345.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map345-L.jpg The European highway system is a great way to shuttle vehicles across the continent quickly. But not necessarily cheaply. The trick is to route yourself through countries with no tolls. So this means staying away from Italy, Spain and France, and keeping to countries like Germany and Belgium. Our route westwards skirts the French border as we thumb our noses at their expensive highways, only ducking in at the last minute to the port town of Calais to catch the Eurotunnel to England. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0772-L.jpg Lining up to board the train that takes us beneath the English Channel The Eurotunnel is a pretty cool system, taking only 35 minutes to make the crossing. And if you cross at non-peak hours, it's a bit cheaper - around £35 per motorcycle. The ferry is £5 less expensive, but takes an hour longer. Speaking of which, the pound sterling has plummeted because of the Brexit vote, which makes it perfect timing to visit the UK. The exchange rate was hovering around £1 = $2.10CAD at the beginning of the year, now the pound is sitting at $1.67CAD! A 25% discount from pre-Brexit rates! At least there's one silver lining to this dark cloud. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0073-XL.jpg Daylight disappears from the windows as the train descends into the underwater tunnel At almost 38 kms, you'd think the Eurotunnel is the longest underwater tunnel in the world, but there's actually a 55km tunnel in Japan! We'll have to try that one someday. The 35-minute ride gives us time to chat with the other motorcyclists on our train. We met a Dutch couple riding two-up, they're on a 5-week vacation around the British Isles. Also some UK riders returning to the continent. One of the British guys walks over and gives my bike a comprehensive inspection: "You've got some scratches here. Did you crash?" "Yeah, that was from the time I dumped it in the Sahara Desert!", I explain proudly. It's like he didn't hear me. "There's a few more on this side". He seemed equally offended that I obviously was not skilled enough to keep my bike upright, and also perplexed as to why I hadn't fixed the cosmetic damages yet to mask this fact... "Oh yeah, that was the time in Colombia when..." he wasn't listening, still checking my bike for more evidence of my lack of riding prowess. *shrug* "Your bike is very clean", I offered back. He nodded with pride. Okeeey.... |
On British soil, the border official looks over my UK passport and gives me a very heartfelt, "Welcome back!" Wow, after all that ribbing from border guards all over Europe, this felt like coming home... despite not having lived here for decades...
Once through, I hear the same official over the communicator peppering Neda with question after question, her Croatian passport in his hand. I shouldn't be mean... but HA HA! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN0786-XL.jpg On our way to London, we grabbed lunch at one of those gas station rest stops We've got a list of things we want to see and do in the UK. One of the items is to find the best fish and chips place. This is our first one in the country, from a fast food chain called Harry Ramsden's. Mmmmm, so good! We also learned that mushy peas is a big thing in the UK. Neda wasn't too fond of hers, so I had her portion in addition to my curry sauce. Mushy peas. Not bad... I'm going to like it here. We've timed our arrival before the rush hour, so it only takes us a couple of hours to travel from the Eurotunnel port in Folkestone to London. It's a bit strange having to ride on the left hand side once again. We spent the whole winter in Thailand riding on the left, then a couple of months in Eastern Europe riding on the right, now we're back on the left. My brain is getting all confused... Neda asks me to take the lead once we're off the highway and in the city, since she doesn't trust herself to stay on the left without a median. Heck, I don't trust myself! I tell her to warn me over the communicator if I make a mistake and start driving on the right. I don't do too poorly. Only one mistake when I entered a round-about and forgot to look right (instead of left, like I did). An Audi screeched to a halt beside me as I cut him off. Surprisingly, he was polite about it, no doubt the Canadian license plate might have had something to do with it. But in my helmet I winced and shook my head at myself. Be more careful!!! We've been invited to stay with my cousin who lives just outside of the city, but because we're here so early, we've got some time to kill until he gets back from work. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0565-L.jpg So we pass the time by dropping in on the iconic Ace Cafe! Nestled in the west-end of London, in an industrial neighbourhood, is the legendary motorcycle cafe. Originally built as a roadside stop, it flourished in the 1950s and 60s as a hangout for leather-clad bikers called "rockers". They raced from cafe to cafe on stripped down machines with low-mounted handlebars, these motorcycles were called... cafe racers. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0085-L.jpg The theme at the Ace Cafe is chequered flags. They're everywhere! The Ace Cafe closed down in 1969 after the era of rockers faded away. It recently opened in 2001 and is now a museum of sorts, its walls decorated with vintage photos of a by-gone era. And in every picture, a Norton, Triumph or BSA. |
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Ace Cafe Logo is an Ace of Clubs from the deck of playing cards Today, the Ace Cafe is a popular spot to hold rallys, both two-wheeled and four. The scope of the cafe has expanded out to four wheelers as well. We had hoped to drop in here and talk with a few of our two-wheeled brethren, but outside, we only saw vintage cars. Our bikes were herded away from the gleaming machines pulling into the lot and we parked in a forgotten corner. This evening was vintage car day and an E-type and a Corsair were slowly maneuvering into position in the favored parking spots right in front of the cafe. We checked the bulletin board and on the calendar there was also German (BMW+Mercedes) Car Night, Porsche Car Night, Volvo Owners Meet, etc. We are obviously here on the wrong day. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0099-L.jpg Still, there are friendly car owners who feign interest in our bikes but talk more animatedly when we ask about their autos https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0792-L.jpg After passing time with the car guys, we head out to meet up with my cousin |
Weng Fai lives about 40 miles outside of London but now we're stuck in rush hour heading out of the city and our wide panniers make it impossible to filter through traffic. We're only a little bit late and my cousin is standing outside his home waiting to flag us into his driveway.
We get along like gang-busters! I've only seen him once or twice in the last 35 years, but my cousin and I talk like old friends as he prepares us a home-cooked dinner. We are staying with him and his partner, Martin for a few days, and they tell us to make ourselves at home. It's not difficult to do. The Olympics are on TV and Neda is hooked on BBC iPlayer, catching all the gymnastics events while our hosts are away at work. Meanwhile, I pretend to work on the blog... Weng Fai comes home one evening and asks if we've gone out to eat anywhere. We tell him about the excellent fish and chips at Harry Ramsden's at the highway rest stop. "Oh", he says in a way that makes me suspect that maybe Harry Ramsden's might not be a culinary highlight in England.... It's the kind of polite "Oh" that comes after someone emphatically claims, "We had the most delicious burgers at McDonalds the other day"... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0121-L.jpg Weng Fai and Martin take us out to their local pub where they are regulars. A proper one, not a chain! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0120-L.jpg The food here is a cut above fish and chips |
Back at their place, I continue to pretend to work on the blog, but really I'm doing some shopping...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...IMG_6499-L.jpg Our Kindles have died, so we ordered replacement readers from a store called Argos Argos is a catalog store where you can order stuff online and then pick up your goods at the closest location to you. Or you can have it home-delivered for an extra fee. There's an Argos outlet just a couple of miles away, so we ride over and pick up our Kindles in-store. I'm going crazy with the on-line shopping, taking advantage of a UK mailing address to have everything sent to my cousin's place. And also the super-low £!!! They haven't adjusted any of the prices to the new exchange rate, so I'm buying everything at a 25% discount with my strong Canadian dollar! Sweet! If there's anything that reminds me of Canada, it's on-line shopping for motorcycle parts. BTW, I never thought I'd use the words "Strong" and "Canadian Dollar" in the same sentence... And now everywhere we go: grocery stores, restaurants, etc, we hear people around us speaking English and it sounds very foreign to my ears, after having traveled for so long in non-Anglophone countries. When we go to pick up our new eReaders at Argos, I overhear a fellow shopper speaking English to her kids. I turn to Neda to tell her excitedly, "Hey, tourists!" before I realize... no, they live here... It's strange and disorienting in a pleasant way to hear background conversations and actually be able to understand them, instead of it being just white noise. This probably affects me more than Neda, since she speaks so many languages anyway. But it's been close to four years since I've been able to understand what's being said around me. And even more importantly, I am now being understood by *everyone* around me. Effortlessly. I crack jokes, make puns, people laugh with me and not at me. I feel more like myself now than I ever have in the last four years. It's such a profound experience, like I didn't know I was even homesick until now. If England was a person, I'd want to bearhug it and never let go. Speak more English to me, England! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0804-L.jpg Things I love about England... well two out of three things... The Trooper beer wasn't really any good. But we are both loving the other dark English ales that we can readily pick up in any grocery store. Our favorite beer back in Canada was an import called Hobgoblin Ale and now it's sold everywhere! England may be good for the soul, but it's not very good for the waistline... |
Speaking of which, Neda really wants to show our appreciation to our hosts by cooking them a Croatian dinner.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0197-L.jpg Rolling the dough for some home-made gnocchi https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0188-L.jpg And then the stew https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0217-L.jpg And to top it off, some Istrian Supa Supa is made with hot red wine, sugar, pepper and olive oil. It's served with burnt toast that soaks up the wine until it's all soggy. The burnt toast balances out the sweetness with a slight bitter taste. Normally it's drunk from a communal jug that people pass around when they're gathered around a warm fire on a cold winter's evening. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0225-L.jpg Sharing a home-made Croatian meal in England |
Weng Fai is communicating with the rest of the family in the UK to arrange a big gathering. I overhear him on the phone with my uncle: "mumble mumble... they went to Harry Ramsden's for fish and chips, can you believe... mumble mumble"
When he gets off the phone, he tells me, "Okay, the meeting's set. We're going to take you to try some *real* fish and chips!" So far England has been all about getting fat. This is not a bad thing. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0228-L.jpg Okay, these fish and chips at the Duke of Kent pub were a lot better than Harry Ramsden's! I'm sensing that fish and chips is a source of national pride and the family felt compelled to demonstrate that there were better options than a fast food outlet on the side of the highway. Haha! Just another thing to love about England, the welcoming arms of my extended family! I haven't seen them since our last motorcycle trip in the UK back in 2007. Since that time, my cousin Vern has had a couple of kids: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0232-L.jpg And they love the bikes! In the parking lot, we were Instagrammed! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0290-L.jpg So we found out when Motorcycle Day was and then returned to the Ace Cafe to hang out Ah! These are our people! Two-wheelers of all shapes and sizes now grabbed the primo spots at the front of the cafe: sportbikes, tourers, cruisers. The people sitting on the patio enjoying their pints of bitter give us a friendly nod as if we were regulars. Home! We go inside to grab ourselves a drink. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0294-L.jpg Vintage Beeza on display inside. Here's a British biker joke. Overheard at a local bike meet: "Hey, what kind of bike is that?" "It's a Bitza!" "Oh, do you mean a Beeza...?" "No, a Bitza. It's some bitzathis and little bitzadat..." |
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Hey, we made a friend! We found out this guy was here to do an interview with a German TV program As we were chatting with him, the production assistant pulled us aside and asked if we wanted to be on the program. Haha! Cool! Yes! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0299-L.jpg So she made us sign these release forms The program was about this German guy who comes to the UK looking for bike parts for his vintage motorcycle. He meets up with our friend who helps him source these parts. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0304-L.jpg After a couple of takes, the director deems us unnecessary to the program and cuts us out of the shoot :( What?! Don't you know who we are and what we've done? Have you ever watched Long Way Round? Yes? Well, we're not as famous and as those guys, and we don't have a popular TV series, but we have this blog... hello? where are you going? come back here...! |
Oh well guys, WE KNOW you're famous :rofl:bier
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Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/346.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map346-L.jpg The last few days have been quite leisurely. But we've lounged around at my cousin's house enough, perhaps we should explore a little bit. We were last here in London in 2007, and we've already visited the big tourist sights in the city: Big Ben, London Eye, etc. Since we're staying outside of the city and on the west side, we decide to visit some of the attractions nearby. Windsor Castle is only a few kms away. Back on the bikes! After all this practice, I'm doing a much better job of staying on the left and looking right. It's all coming back to me... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0127-L.jpg "You think it's okay to park here..."? *shrug* Not a lot of street parking around Windsor Castle. I don't know what the parking rules are like in London, but if it's anything like the rest of Europe, then anything goes for two-wheelers. I hope... |
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Shopping arcade beside Windsor Castle set inside an old Victorian Railway Station https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0138-XL.jpg Staring down a member of the Queen's Guard. I dare you to do this to the real ones at Buckingham Palace, Neda! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0156-L.jpg Windsor Castle. This is where the Queen spends her weekends The rest of the time, tourists have the run of the place. The guy at the admission booth is asking each tourist to cough up £20.50 to get in. Even with the recently amputated pound sterling, that's still a lot of money. We keep our colourful British bills in our wallet. I'm sure the Queen has enough of it, she doesn't need ours... Go £ sand, Mr Admission Booth Guy! |
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British cars, everywhere! 25% off... Hmmm.... perhaps a better use of our £s I'm noticing more Land Rovers and Jags everywhere we go. I love the new F-type, but it doesn't hold a candle to the old E-type we saw at the Ace Cafe the other day: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0091-L.jpg Damn! Dat ass doe... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0177-XL.jpg Crooked House of Windsor This was an unusual building that we passed by. It used to be called the Market Cross House and it was prematurely demolished and hastily rebuilt with unseasoned wood. The house eventually buckled but didn't fall and it was renamed the Crooked House of Windsor. There's supposed to be a secret passage inside that leads to Windsor Castle. Perhaps we can get in that way without paying the admission booth guy... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0178-L.jpg Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. So says Google. Well, the west end was fun, where to next? How about the big city? |
London is crowded. The congestion on the roads is insane. The city is ranked 7th worst in the world for traffic jams and 3rd worst in Europe. With that in mind, we hit the roadways on a tour of London by motorcycle! Are we daft?
We're setting off in the middle of the day to avoid the crush of rush hour. Traffic isn't as bad as Toronto where the rush hour begins at 6:30AM and ends at 6:29AM... Here, during non-peak hours, the congestion is manageable. This is because we've stripped our bikes of their ultra-wide panniers. We're now able to filter between lanes, only having to stop when the extra-high mirrors of trucks and SUVS become obstructions to our own mirrors positioned at the same height. Otherwise, it's smooth sailing as we slip between cars like water flowing between rocks stuck in a jar. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0281-L.jpg In the centre of the city, parking just outside King's Cross Station Well, we didn't get ticketed or towed at Windsor Castle. So I'm guessing it's okay? Downtown London, parking on the sidewalk... Are we pushing our luck? We're at King's Cross Station for one reason: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0250-XL.jpg Neda is a *HUGE* Harry Potter fan! If you know anything about Harry Potter, you'll know that King's Cross train station is the secret gateway to the world of witchcraft! So here's the caveat: I know nothing about Harry Potter. Didn't read the books. Fell asleep at every one of the movies when Neda dragged me out to see them with her. Not a fan. So instead of researching every little tidbit about all the Harry Potter stuff in this post, I'll just try to remember what Neda told me once when I once half-asleep, or maybe read somewhere on the Internet at some point in time... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0256-L.jpg At the Harry Potter gift shop in King's Cross Station, Neda holds up some magic jelly beans We're shopping for a gift for Tea, who is also a huge Harry Potter fan. These magic jelly beans come in disgusting flavours, like nose goblins, earwax and underarm lice. I think in the books Harry Potter gave a box of normal jelly beans to Hermione when he proposed to her. She said no and decided to marry Ron Wesley instead, and in a rage Harry turned the jelly beans to all these yucky flavours. That's why they're called Jelly Beans. Jelly is short for Jealous. Neda is in heaven at the Harry Potter store. She is trying on Gryffindor scarves and casting spells with all the magic wands, drinking all the Harry Potter coffee: "Espresso Patronum!" |
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The gateway to Harry Potter world is Platform 9 3/4 In the books there is a hidden platform between train platforms 9 and 10. We actually walked to the real Platform 9 and searched for it. Not there. They mocked up a Platform 9 3/4 outside the gift shop and kids line up to get their picture taken pushing a luggage trolley that's disappearing into the secret portal. Voldemort's secret entrance to his lair is on Platform 6 2/3. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0276-L.jpg King's Cross Station is very cool looking with its funky blue steel lattice roof https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0278-L.jpg Out on the streets, there is a reminder to all the tourists which way to look when stepping out into traffic |
We hop back on the bikes and zoom around town a bit more. About 5 kms away we run into the Thames River. Only way across is this bridge:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN0837-XL.jpg Riding across Tower Bridge! COOL!!! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN0847-XL.jpg Can't filter on Tower Bridge road, so we're stuck in traffic here :( So I take lots of pictures... When I was a kid, I learned the nursery rhyme "London Bridge is Falling Down". Like so many people, I always thought London Bridge was this elaborate-looking one we just rode over, but it's actually a non-descript bridge less than 1km to the west of Tower Bridge. It's a common mistake for people who don't actually live in the UK. Well Neda got to see her Harry Potter stuff, it was my turn to pick a cultural destination. My choice: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0592-L.jpg The TARDIS from Doctor Who! Since we are on motorcycles we can just ride right up on the sidewalk and no one blinks an eye. I'm a huge Doctor Who fan from waaaay back in the day. If you've never seen the show, it's about this Time Traveler from another planet who takes a liking to Earth. Pretty much every other episode is him saving us from destruction by the malicious alien race of the week. His time machine/space craft is called a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension In Space) and it's shaped liked a blue police box. Don't ask why. It's just one of those absurd British humour things. Historically, police boxes were telephone booths for constables on patrol to keep in touch with the central police station. They were installed shortly after the invention of the telephone at the turn of the century and were found all over the UK until the 60s when walkie-talkies and police radios became more widespread. Police boxes are very rare nowadays, only a few are still standing, most of the surviving boxes are derelict and the ones that have been refurbished are basically Doctor Who tourist props. Since we're here in the UK, I'm going to make it a mission to visit as many TARDISes as we can find! Scavenger hunt! :) |
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This replica police box is just outside Earl's Court Station. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0856-L.jpg On the way back, we buzzed the Queen's house, Buckingham Palace, looking for a guard for Neda to stare down! |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/347.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map347-L.jpg Although we've had such a relaxing time here with family, it's time to leave London. The rest of the UK is beckoning. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0867-L.jpg Packing up in the early morning and saying goodbye to my cousin. We'll probably see him again on the way out of England We're going to try to avoid the motorways and explore all the secondary roads on our way north. We're heading out without a definitive route, just a general direction. There are a few items on our list of things to see in the UK, but whatever happens in between we'll just leave to chance. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0327-L.jpg About an hour out of London, we pass by this pretty town called Downham |
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We're getting a bit hungry, so we decide to grab a proper English breakfast here https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0323-L.jpg Mmm... steak and kidney pie! And hashbrowns, mushrooms and beans for Neda OMG, we're gonna gain so much weight here in the UK... :( There's something very blokey about British food. It's not particularly subtle nor is it healthy for you. If French cuisine is exquisite and nuanced, then British food is hearty and ham-fisted. Like, huge hocks of hams at the ends of your hands, anxious and waiting to be stuffed in your pie-hole, and then washed down with a pint of brown sauce. After downing our big British breakfast, we walk around town a little bit. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0320-XL.jpg The Brits have all these neat gadgets... Because the roads are so narrow here, there are these Lazy Susans installed in the middle of roads all over the country, so if you want to turn your car around, you don't have to do a 10-point turn. Just park in the middle of one of these rotating platforms and the device will spin your car around. We sat down and watched several cars being spun around 180° in front of us... |
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Neda chases down some UK riders Once we're out of London, oncoming motorcyclists on the road start acknowledging us in camaraderie. But they don't do the biker's wave. Because when you're riding on the left, you can't take your right hand off the throttle to wave. And if you use your left hand, other bikers can't see it when you're passing by. So British bikers do the head nod. But it's a grossly-exaggerated head nod, so there's no mistaking whether you're acknowledging a fellow biker, or just having your helmet blown about in the wind. To perform the British Biker Exaggerated Head Nod (BBEHN), you have to practically head butt the crook of your right elbow. The whole torso bends and twists like a demented Japanese-Scoliosis bow. I've always prided myself on trying to blend in with the locals by adopting their customs and way of doing things. But this feels ridiculous. I watch Neda from behind as she does the BBEHN. Yep, looks ridiculous from behind as well. I return the Exaggerated Head Nod to a few more oncoming riders. Then I tap the communicator and tell Neda, "I'm not going to do this silly biker bow anymore." The next biker that passes me, I raise my left arm high enough that he can see it. I'd rather look like a dork than be ridiculous... #sorrynotsorry https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0362-L.jpg First item on our list of things to see: a lavender farm! Neda had read about this lavender farm in Norfolk, which is about two hours north-east of London on a jut of land called East Anglia. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0673-L.jpg Mmm... the smell of fresh lavender. Which smells like laundry detergent to me... They harvest the lavender here primarily to make essential oils. But you can also use it as scented air fresheners, to put in soaps, in drinks or to make scented wreaths or wands that you can hang in your house and make everything smell like clean laundry. |
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Bumblebees love lavender! There were so many of them buzzing around collecting the pollen https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0358-L.jpg Neda loves lavender! She was buzzing around everywhere! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0661-L.jpg More bumblebee shots https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0727-L.jpg More Neda shots |
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Met this older couple and their dog at the lavender farm and made some small talk with them I miss small talk! This is something that you just can't do when you can only say a few phrases in the language of each new country you visit. But here, we talked about the weather, about their dog, about the lavender all around us... about really nothing at all. It was great! I love small talk! I love England! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0667-L.jpg Bumblebee pic https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0731-L.jpg Neda pic |
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Crossing the Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0883-L.jpg While in the town of Horncastle: Hey, is that a Canadian flag?! :) https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0889-L.jpg Riding through Lincolnshire Wolds Our campsite is right in the middle of a twisty road in the park. It's got some entertaining turns and sportbikes are continually ripping down that road, stopping at the end of it, then turning around and doing it again. We can't find the campsite right away, so we are also going up and down that road searching for it. We pass the same exact bikes two or three times. On the straightaways, they headbutt their right arm in greetings. Neda returns the right-arm headbutt. So ridiculous... I just raise my left hand. But I feel very self-conscious that I'm not doing the Loco-Arigato Bow. |
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Back to camping, but this time, no rain! Which is quite unusual for England... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0909-L.jpg Since the Brexit vote, the pound has been plummeting in value. Today, it is so low, they are just giving it away... I guess that comment would have had more impact if we weren't camping out of economic necessity last night, eh...? Even though Brexit has given the pound a 25% haircut, things are *still* relatively expensive. Still too pricey for a real roof over our heads. We paid about £20 for our campsite. Funny how no matter where we go, regardless of currency, that seems to be the magic number for accommodations: €20, £20, $20... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0910-L.jpg This is my camera. That's Neda back there. |
Today, we're hugging the eastern coastline as we continue to make our way northwards. The weather has been cloudy and cool, but at least it's not raining. Even though it's not that late in the riding season, I'm feeling a bit pressured to keep us moving because there's so much we want to see and we want to do it before the weather starts cooling down.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0755-L.jpg While on our coastal route, we stop at Selwicks Bay, in Flamborough Selwicks Bay is a pretty and tiny secluded beach that disappears at high tide. It's got a great view of the white cliffs at Flamborough Head and there are many families here enjoying the English vacation weather, or what passes for vacation weather around here. It's cold! Not the kind of beach weather we're used to... But I guess if you're British, this is as good as it gets? https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0762-L.jpg "The Stack" at Selwicks Bay https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0383-L.jpg Vacationers taking advantage of low tide to pick a spot on the beach |
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I don't know why but this picture makes me laugh. See gull sea gull do... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0816-XL.jpg This is the only chalk sea cliff in the north Back on the bikes, I get this feeling like there's something very familiar about riding in the UK. It somehow reminds me of Ontario. Sure the scenery is very different. So are the buildings, and the fact that there are absolutely no sidewalks anywhere here. What *is* it that's so familiar? Then I suddenly realize: It's because I'm riding on the right hand side of the road... An oncoming black Mercedes gives me the horn as I swerve back into my lane! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0913-L.jpg But seriously, there's something here that's so familiar to an Ontario native... Scarborough and Whitby are all cities just outside of Toronto. We passed Pickering, which was also another familiar name. And then just a little bit later, we entered the North York Moors National Park. Neda and I used to live in North York, which is a suburb in the north end of Toronto. Canada, at least Ontario, has never felt more like a British colony than now... |
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North York Moors National Park is awash with purple On either side of us, the landscape is liberally coated with swatches of royal purple, like Barney the Dinosaur threw up all over the landscape. But these aren't lavender, it's heather, the low growing perennial shrub that practically defines the North York Moorlands. Heather moorlands are very rare, and 70% of the world's heather moorlands are right here in the UK. The purple hues are so captivating that we have to stop and check them out up close. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0936-L.jpg In all the excitement, Neda parks on uneven ground and the bike tips over "Can you *please* help me?!?", she cries out from beneath her fallen motorcycle. "Of course!" But first... a picture... hehehe... Worst. Husband. Ever. |
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Closeup of the heathers, they're little tiny flowers! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0832-L.jpg Doesn't take much to make Neda happy. Snacks. Purple flowers. Lifting a motorcycle off of her... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0834-L.jpg Not all of the purple are heathers. Some are greater knapweed flowers. I think there's a bee in there... (knaBweed?) |
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Back on the bikes riding through the North York Moorlands Further ahead, we spot a group of farmers who are sheep shearing. We talked to the lady who was there helping out and she told us that these sheep get shorn twice a year. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of money in selling the wool. After telling her of our trip, the sheep lady gave us some great tips on things to see around the Moorlands and further ahead. Now we have a rough idea of where we're going to go for the next couple of days! Cool! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0845-XL.jpg The shearer uses a sling for back support https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0851-L.jpg Freshly shorn! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0855-L.jpg Loving the purple landscape of the North York Moors! |
Warm and hopefully dry welcome
Hi guys
Glad to see you in the uk hope you will enjoy the roads. Am sure you have had lots of suggestions but i would recommend going on the a82 in scotland and having some cullan skink at the green welly. On you way back down the country a ride from Hexham in Northumberland through Alston to Penrith stopping at the hartside cafe the view is amazing and short run down the A6 to Kendal. Really enjoy following your adventures. The head nodding is just our way of saying hi and not slowing down to do it. Keep safe Alex and Sue |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/348.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map348-L.jpg We're hanging out at the North York Moors National Park for the next couple of days. The sheep lady we met gave us some suggestions on things to see and places to go. First stop: Robin Hood's Bay, on the very north-east coast of the park. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0440-L.jpg The historic town at Robin Hood's Bay is pedestrian only, so we park at the top of the cliff and walk down https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0412-L.jpg On our way down, we get the sense there may be a lot of seafood in this area... Robin Hood's Bay is a small fishing village that now caters more to tourism than fishing these days. It's a popular weekend destination to hike, cycle, eat, drink and shop by the seaside. From what I gather, it has very little to do with Robin Hood, the steal-from-the-rich-give-to-the-poor guy. |
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But you can still find a fishstore or ten while walking through the narrow streets of the old town https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0415-L.jpg They say that smuggling was a big industry in the 18th-century. Tea, alcohol and tobacco were illegally shipped here from France and Holland to duck import taxes https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0431-L.jpg The main intersection of Robin Hood's Bay leads down to a beach where vacationers frolic on the sands |
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