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Motorcycle Wanderings - My RTW Adventure -Ireland
I am now 3 days away from the start of my RTW motorcycle trip.
It seems like every waken moment of my life over the last 3 - 4 months has been dedicated to getting ready for this trip. I just recently retired from a 40 year career spent working as a geologist and computer analyst, with the last 24 years spent working with the Canadian government. I have been a motorcyclist enthusiast my entire life. I went off on my first major road trip back in 1977, where I spent an entire year touring around Canada, the US,Central America, Europe and parts of Africa, After that trip, I was hooked for life on motorcycling. Over the next 38 years I continued to tour across many parts of the world, but as enjoyable as those experiences were they left me wanting to spend more than just a few weeks a year on some Fly and Ride trip to Europe or South America. I longed for spending more time exploring the world and would read with envy ride reports posted on the HUBB and AdvRider websites of those adventurers out there riding their motorcycles around the world. Now that I am in retirement what better time to embark on a RTW trip. Over the course of the last three months I have been busy planning my trip itinerary, sorting out my gear, preparing my BMW 1150 GS. It has been a monumental task. View my travel blog for trip preparation https://ride4adventureblog.wordpress.com/ My 2003 BMW R1150 GS https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...d654b1_k-2.jpg Sorting out my gear for the Trip https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...3/dsc_0555.jpg This Monday I will be dropping off my motorcycle with Air Canada at their cargo terminal in Montreal. (I live in Ottawa) The following day I will fly out to Ireland to meet up with my bike and if everything goes well I will start my journey. I can't wait !! https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../info-card.jpg |
Good Luck Brian,
I'll be following your journey with envy. |
Thanks Troppy
It will be a fantastic feeling once I have landed in Ireland and start up the beemer for the start of the trip Cheers Brian |
Hi Brian,
Good luck for the trip. If your north of Manchester ( between Manchester and Burnley) and would like a bed for the night then please look us up. :) Jayne Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Jane
Thanks for your kindly invite. I am not sure if I will make it over to England along my route. But you never know. I look forward to meeting up with members of the Horizons community who share in the spirit of adventure motorcycling. Cheers Brian |
Motorcycle Wanderings - MY RTW Adventure
Well I am today one step closer to realizing the start of my RTW trip.
Today I dropped off my BMW at the Air Canada Cargo facility in Montreal. It is now slated to be flown over to Ireland on Tuesday, a day before I fly out. I was on the road this morning at 6:30 riding the bike from my home in Ottawa to Montreal. It is only a distance of 180 kms between the two cities and usually on a good day it is a non-eventual ride. But this morning the temperature was just above freezing. Along the entire ride I was facing a 40-50 km wind, so I was having to ride at a hard tack into the cross breeze. Not much fun. At the half way point of my trip, it started snowing, even less fun. I know I live in a Nordic climate here in Ottawa, but geez its mid May not mid February. I hope its a lot warmer over in Ireland. What were my Irish ancestors thinking when they left Ireland for Canada? Well actually they thought the boat they were getting onto was headed for Boston and not the wild frozen tundra of Canada. It was so cold this morning that I had to pull over an stop at a coffee shop to warm up before I could continue along my way. For those of your planning to ship your motorcycles across the pond to Europe from Canada or US, here is a quick recap of my experience. Air Canada - Canada's favorite airline ( well not really) has a special program that they have introduced, called "Fly Your Bike". For about half the normal shipping rate they will fly your motorcycle from most major cities in Canada and (some US cities ?) to Dublin, London, Paris or Frankfurt. There is a caveat to this program, you must agree to fly both yourself and the bike over to Europe. If you choose to fly on another airline, they will charge you an extra $500 CDN to you shipping costs. I paid Air Canada $1060 to ship my bike over to Dublin. To ship the bike I needed to provide AC Cargo with a dangerous goods certificate, which I had to get from another 3rd patry group, that costs me an additional $150 for the document. This morning I rode in and met the rep from the company that provides the DG document. We filled out the form then headed over to the Airport, rode the bike at the AC cargo facility, had it weighed, security inspection done, That was it. Simple!! My experience in shipping my bike with Air Canada was pretty painless. I did not have to disconnect my battery leads. The fuel tank had to be at least 1/4 full or less. I was able to leave my tools, spare parts, motorcycle boots, jacket etc packed into my panniers. So long as I did not have any flammable or pressurized goods stored on bike, they had no issue with shipping the bike with all my gear on it. They told me that the cargo hold was pressurized, so I did not have to deflate my tires. I was really surprised when they weighed my BMW 1150 GS. I know the motorcycle specs show a bike weight of 560 lb - 254 kg (wet) but damn!! my bike weighed in at 638 lb - 290 kg, and I still have 40 lbs of extra weight for my BMW seat bag and camping gear. And that weight was with only a 1/4 tank of fuel. Bike weighs almost as much as a freaking Harley Davidson. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7769/...78da40b8_b.jpg |
Motorcycle Wanderings - My RTW Adventure - Ireland
Day 2 - Wexford Ireland
Finally I arrived in Ireland. After a gruelling 8 hours spent in flying from Ottawa to London, then a short flight from London to Dublin. I am now finally in Ireland. I had no issue with immigration control, and the airlines managed not to lose my baggage. Which is a good beginning to the start of any trip. After collecting my luggage I went to search for my motorcycle which had been shipped out the previous day to Dublin. I had no idea who had my bike or what the process was for importing it into the country. All Air Canada told me in Montreal was that I would just need to show the Waybill form to the cargo people over at the Dublin airport and I would get my bike. Well !! that is not the full process. I went and talked to customer service from Aer Lingus, they are the airline that I had flown in on from London, they did not know anything about the bike, they told me another company Swissport dealt with Air Canada Cargo. They gave me directions to their cargo facility which was a 10 minute walk from the main airport terminal, well actually its more like a 15 minute walk if you are carry 60 lbs of luggage. I eventually found the offices for Swissport, when I presented my WayBill shipping form, they told me that they could not release the motorbike until I received a customs release form. The customs office is located on the second floor of the Aer Lingus Cargo terminal which is just up the street from Swissport. OK .. 10 minutes later I am seated in front of a customs clerk telling him that I want to temporarily import a motorcycle into Ireland for a 2 week tour before heading over to France for continuation of my RTW trip. The first utterances from the customs officer were, "Well this could be a problem ! Do you have a return plane ticket out of Ireland " Ahh No I am planning on taking the ferry boat from Ireland to France. "Well then, can you showed me that you have a booked passage on this ferry over to France".. Ahh No.. but I planning on buying one. " Mr. Kennedy what proof can you give me that you will ever take this bike out of Ireland ? Can you give me any evidence that you have a planned itinerary for your trip ? I gave him the URL to my trip blog Ride4Adventureblog. He went away for 5 minutes and then return. He gave me a one page form to fill out, and 10 minutes later I had an official customs release for the bike. I brought the customs release form back to the admin offices for Swissport, they typed up another document, charged me 95 Euros for handling charges. With the release document now in hand I headed back over to the Swissport cargo hanger and got my bike. Thankfully nothing outwardly seemed damaged. It took me another half hour to sort out my gear and get it loaded onto the bike, just as I am about to depart it starts pissing down, these were monsoon rains, welcome to Ireland one of the air cargo workers told me. The rain let up pretty quickly. I had booked a B&B not more that 10 minutes away from the airport. As I am riding along the Hwy from the airport to the town of Swords just north of the airport, a motorcyclist flags me over at one of the traffic lights. He was following me from behind and thought he saw what looked like a cell phone flying off the back of the bike and then got run over by half a dozen vehicles. In the rush to load up my gear I forgot that I left my cell phone on top of one of my bags. Well!! I am glade I brought along the cheapest cell phone that I could find for the trip. I stopped and retraced my route hoping that my phone had some how miraculously survived, I was able to quickly located my lost phone but unfortunately it was now distributed over a 10 foot radius along Hwy 132. I never liked that phone anyways. I had no problems adjusting to riding on the left hand side or as the Americans would say "On the wrong side of the road". I spent the day riding south down from Dublin to Wexford. I missed my turnoff for the M50 ring road that circles around Dublin, at that point my GPS decided to gave me a free tour of Dublin city, damn they have a lot traffic lights and traffic circles in Dublin. Tomorrow I head out to Kinsale which is the starting point for the "Wild Atlantic Way". The WAW is a marked route that follows the coastline of Ireland following along all the little backroads along the coast. From other bikers I have talked to who have ridden the route, you get to see some of the best scenery to be found in Ireland. |
Motorcycle Wandering - My RTW Adventure - Ireland
Killarney Ireland - May 25, 2016
I am now into day 6 of my tour around Ireland. The only reason I am keeping track of what day it is, is because I have a ferry passage booked from Rosslare to Cherbourg France for June 1st. While I was visiting the town of Wexford, which is just north of the ferry terminal where the boats depart for France, the owner of the B&B where I was staying, informed me that one of the two ferry companies, Stenna Ferries and Irish Ferries were experiencing problems with one of their boats. Irish Ferries was having to pick up the slack for Stenna ferries. The owner at the B&B, suggested that I book my ferry passage now, otherwise I could have problems when it comes time to trying to book a sailing from Ireland to France. One of the main things that attracted me to come to Ireland, was to experience riding around the coastal roads along the western regions of Ireland. I have many a story from other riders about what a joy it was to ride the back roads of Ireland. As part of an effort to attract more tourists to Ireland, someone came up with the idea of developing a driving route around the scenic parts of the Atlantic side of Ireland, and started promoting it the Wild Atlantic Way. The WAW is a 2500 km route from Donegal in the north to Kinsale in the south. The Irish tourist board in recent years have been heavily promoting this scenic driving route. Well their strategy seems to be working as it lured me over here. I have read about the WAW route in a number of popular Adventure Motorcycle journals, it seemed like an interesting challenge to take on, and as I was interested in visiting Ireland, this seemed like a good opportunity to experience it for myself. The first few days of my trip have been spent in just trying to get down from Dublin to Kinsale, where the WAW route begins. So far on my trip I have been impressed with the level of accommodations that I have found. The B&B that I stayed in in Dublin and Wexford, were both top notch. For my 3rd day in Ireland, I had planned on staying in a B&B north of Kinsale in a little village called Ballinadee, but as it turned out, there was a local wedding going on and by the time I arrived, the B&B where I had reserved a room, had decided to give my room up to one of the wedding parties guests, I was a bit bummed out about his,so they offered me a free stay at another guest farm somewhere out in the country. The guest house that I was suppose to stay at in Ballinadee was about as remote as you can find in Ireland, the guest farm that the owner of the previous B&B brought me to was down a trail off of a goat track off a road that did not even show up on my GPS. I have no idea how guests would ever find their way to this out of the way B&B. Farm House I stayed at neat Ballinadee Ireland [IMG]https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7766/2...0f34213c_b.jpgDSC_0006 by Brian Kennedy, on Flickr[/IMG] The guest house was a working dairy farm. The B&B was run by a couple who were at least in their early 90's. Photo of my room. Owner said that the farm has existed on this site since 1742. Last time the place was renovated was back in 1950's. I am not sure that pink bathroom porcelain will every come back into fashion again. Because of the hash up with my booking, I got to stay at this place for free, so anytime I get something for free, I won't complain. [IMG]https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7307/2...ac453dca_b.jpgDSC_0620 by Brian Kennedy, on Flickr[/IMG] The start of my WAW ride really did not start until I arrived in Ballylickey which is just near the Beara Peninsula. If you look at a map of western Ireland you will see a number of peninsulas jutting out from the mainland, the route of the Wild Atlantic Way follows along the coastal roads of these peninsulas. The last three days I have ridden around the entire length of the Beara Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry. The roads and scenery have been nothing sort of spectacular. The roads have been a mix of the good the bad and the ugly. Irish roads were built for motorcycling, I especially enjoyed riding some sections of the N70 and N71, nice tarmac and lots of curves. The videos below give you a sense of what to expect when riding around the Wild Atlantic Way. Video of my ride around Beara Peninsula Video of my ride around Ring of Kerry Some Photos Along the WAW Stop along route 572 Glandore Harbour https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7491/2...1aacd2aa_b.jpg Glandore Harbour https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7331/2...e10ee6b9_b.jpg Stop at village of Castletown https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7395/2...548f8441_b.jpg Around main harbour in Castletown https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7365/2...96f43963_b.jpg Along coast of Beara Peninsula heading west to Dursey Head https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7190/2...f8ec29eb_b.jpg Stop near Garnish point https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7144/2...4eec24be_b.jpg On top of Healy Pass. Ride up to top was fantastic. https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7377/2...356b3373_b.jpg Just an interesting scene on ride along R572 back to Ballylickey. https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7342/2...af66447e_b.jpg Some photos along route N71 between Ballylickey and Kemare Really interesting section of route. Takes you trhough nature preserve and mountain pass. https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7168/2...38bf5747_b.jpg Some scenes from ride along Ring of Kerry https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7390/2...2afd0dd3_b.jpg https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7437/2...4e8e26c1_b.jpg https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7794/2...fc0f8dbd_b.jpg https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7318/2...3fc6f5c9_b.jpg https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7282/2...3132c73b_b.jpg I have been spending the last few days lazing about in Killarney, taking a bit of a break from riding the bike. Killarney is a bit of a tourist trap, everybody comes here to drive around the Ring of Kerry. For my money I preferred riding around the Beara Peninsula. Less traffic and scenery is just as spectacular. Less chance of getting stuck behind some slow moving RV. Downtown Killarney https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7298/2...b1af5b69_b.jpg https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7679/2...959d3acd_b.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7041/2...810dcb68_b.jpg |
Wwaw
Good start and excellent photos, thank you, I was there last year in July and August, I renamed the route Wild, Wet and Windy, judging by the photos you have sun:thumbup1:
The only place I got sun was malin head, stunning. Safe journey, don't forget to check out a road race. J |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Ireland
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Motorcycle Wanderings - Ireland
Its Sunday May 29th and I find myself in the town of Nenagh in County Tipperary Ireland. In the last 3 -4 days I have continued my progress along the Wild Atlantic Way from my last stop in Kilarney. I headed up the next day to Tralee, first traversing the coastal roads along the Dingle Peninsula.
The roads along the Dingle Peninsula have been the highlight so far of my trip. When I envisioned riding the WAW these are the kinds of roads and scenery that I was expecting. Long stretches of curvy roads hugging the mountainsides with a view of the ocean all around me. Some photos below taken along route R559 on way to Slea Head west of town of Dingle https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01311.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0136.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01351.jpg Near Slea Head which is the most western point on the Dingle Peninsula is an archaeological site that preserves the remains of an ancient Neolithic site containing stone Ringforts and Beehive structures that have existed there for over 4000 years. The site was last occupied back in 1200 AD. The stones are layered in a downward and outward manner, so as to funnel rain water away from the interior. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01381.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01401.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01411.jpg Some of the earliest Christians are from Dingle region of Ireland[/caption] https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01521.jpg Some more scenes from ride around Dingle Peninsula[/caption] Sheep they are everywhere in Ireland. They seemed to be allowed to roam around free and go where they want to graze. The painted markings I am told, identify which farmer owns them and also the sheep get marked when an ewe has been serviced by a ram. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01471.jpg I stayed overnight in a small hotel in town of Tralee. Its a rather unremarkable town, I did not even bother to take any photos of the place. The only reason that I choose to stop in Tralee was because it was the only community of any size nearest the Dingle Peninsula. The one thing I will remember about Tralee is my re-introduction to Guinness beer. The truth be told I am not much of a fancier for beers. Those times when I might of had a pint or two of Guinness to celebrate St. Patrick's and my Irish heritage, I remember the beer as being harsh and bitter and tasting like leprechaun piss. I am not sure if its a urban myth but they say that Guinness doesn't travel very well and a Guinness beer served at a bar in North America is just not the same as one served in a Irish pub in Ireland. Its also been a long held belief that Guinness purposely keeps the good stock at home and exports their inferior product to the rest of the world. All I know now, is that after a long day of riding the motorcycle, there is nothing better than sitting down in a genuine Irish pub, eating good pub food with a pint of Guinness to wash it down. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...ness-pint1.jpg Nectar of the Gods From Tralee I kept heading north to Galway, again continuing along the Wild Atlantic Way. I was planning a staying overnight in Galway, but accommodations in town seemed to be on the expensive side, even for the cheaper B&B so I elected to stay instead in the nearby community of Craughwell, which is just east of Galway. I was not find the roads in this part of Ireland too interesting, the landscape was not as dramatic as what I had been experiencing over the last 4 - 5 days. Took ferry boat between Tabert and Kilrush. I got charged 9 euros for the 20 minute ferry boat ride across the Shannon river. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01621.jpg Picture of my B&B in Craughwell County Galway. I have been really impressed with the quality of the B&B over here. For what I would pay to stay at a flea infested, bed-bug ridden motel in US or Canada, you can stay at a comfortable room at one of these B&B in Ireland. Plus you usually get a full Irish breakfast and free WIFI. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01721.jpg Doonard Manor in Craughwell Ireland After my disappointing ride up from Tralee to Galway I decided to change my plans and discontinue following the route of the Wild Atlantic Way, instead after talking to another guest and fellow motorcyclist who was staying at my B&B I headed eastward for Lough Derg. Lough is the Irish word for Loc. Lough Derg is known as the Lakelands area of Ireland and is the second largest lake in the republic of Ireland. I was told that there were a set of roads that circled around the lake and that it would make for a good ride. As spectacular as the coastal roads have been, I was ready for a change-up. Video from my ride around Lough Derg After my ride around Lough Derg I stay in town of Nenagh which is the largest town in County Tipperary. It a pleasant little town. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0185.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0182.jpg My B&B in Nenagh The Willowbrook https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0189.jpg Cool looking wall mural in town. Nenagh is know for its music festivals https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0191.jpg Centre of town in Nenagh https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0193.jpg Bars.. they are everywhere in Ireland https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0199.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0198.jpg Nenagh is known for Castle Nenagh. In background circular Keep https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0195.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0194.jpg Another Irish bar https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0204.jpg Main street in Nenagh https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0202.jpg Main street in town of Nenagh Looking out the window of my room at my B&B in Nenagh. Everyone in Ireland seems to be mad into gardening. Walk down any street in any Irish village and everyone seems to have miniature botanical garden growing in their front yard. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...5/dsc_0179.jpg |
Motorcycle Wanderings - My RTW Adventure - Ireland
I left Nenaugh on a brilliant sunny morning, making my way down to Kilkenny in the south-east part of Ireland. If I had taken the main Hwy, I could have ridden down to Kilkenny from Nenaugh in just over an hour, but as I did not want to arrive there until 3:00 pm, this gave me a chance to wander aimlessly around the backroads in this part of the country. So I kept ignoring my GPS and started taken turns at random to see where it would lead me to. Look closely at a map of Ireland and it looks like a spider's web with all the interconnected roads. They have been building roads here in Ireland for the last couple of thousand years.
I eventually arrived in Kilkenny in late afternoon, the B&B I had booked turned out to be just a 10 minute walk to the centre of town. Kilkenny as it turns out is a very popular tourist destination, as evident by the hordes of tourists. Kilkenny traces its origins back to the 6th century. The landmark feature of Kilkenny is the Kilkenny Castle in the centre of town, it dominates the city's vista. Kilkenny is a well preserved medieval town. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0227.jpg Front view of Castle https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0236.jpg Interior courtyard of Castle https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0235.jpg Interior courtyard of Castle There are a couple of main avenues in the city where most of the touristy stuff are, there are numerous restaurants, pubs and music halls. It well known in Ireland for its performing arts, music festivals, theatre performances. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_02171.jpg Little Restaurant on Ormonde St in Kilkenny Ireland https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_02201.jpg View inside the restaurant https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_02211.jpg More scenes along Ormonde St in Kilkenny https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_02151.jpg More scenes along Ormonde St in Kilkenny I left Kilkenny the next morning, again I only had an 100 km ride to Wexford where I would be spending the night preparing to take the ferry over to France the following day, so I decided to spent my day playing tourist. On my way down from Nenaugh to Kilkenny I kept coming across a number of sign posts pointing the way to Dunmore Caves. I am into spelunking and such things. The caves are only 10 kms north of Kilkenny a bit out of my way, but I had a whole day to kill before making my way back down to Wexford. I remember hearing about the Dunmore Caves years ago on some National Geographic program. They are well known throughout Ireland early history. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00011.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00021.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00031.jpg Main entrance to Dunmore Cave https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00051.jpg Main entrance to Dunmore Cave https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...ore-cave-1.jpg Entering the cave. Not my photo - copped from web https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...ore-cave-2.jpg Main cathedral room - Not my photo https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...ore-cave-3.jpg Main cathedral room. - Not my photo They put on a good show at the main interpretation centre. The guide we had for our tour who by his own reckoning, has been guiding tourist through these caves for last 22 years put on a great tour. The Irish are great story tellers. Link to story about Dunmore Caves and Viking massacre. Cave Story 5: The Massacre at Dunmore Cave @ The World of James M Deem Well ! I had my first incident with the motorcycle while visiting the Dunmore caves. Nothing serious, no one maimed or injured. When I first came into the visitors parking lot, there was already a motorcycle parked away from where the usual parking spots were for cars. The parking lot is located on a steep incline, and for anyone who has ridden a motorcycle, the only secure way to park your park on a steep hill is by parking the bike on its side stand with the front wheel facing uphill. I parked my bike in back of the other one that was already there, we were parked in what I would call the service lane, the other cars in the lot were parked at least 20 feet or more from the bikes were parked,. I entered the interpretation centre and was just starting to watch a short video explaining the history of the caves, when a distressed looking woman came into the theatre, she stopped and looked around, and then asked if the motorcycle outside belonged to anyone in here. I stood up, looked over to here and said, "Ahh.. tell me you didn't just backup into my motorcycle ?" At which point she nodded her head and like some guilty little child and said that she did. I went outside to survey the damage, I remember when parking my bike that there was a large RV parked not too far from where my bike. So at this time I have visions of twisted metals and chards of broken plastic spread across the parking lot. What I found was my bike laying on it side on a grassy section alongside the curb. I had never seen my bike in this undignified position before. The bike reminded me of a great big fat cow that had just been toppled over on to it's side, and now couldn't get up. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but did not have the presence of mind at that time. With the assistance of a few other people, I quickly got the bike righted. The bike appeared undamaged. The handguards and the side cases took the brunt of the impact, and luckily it fell over onto a grassy patch of lawn. The woman on seeing that my bike was undamaged now turned her attention to her own vehicle . She was driving one of those shoe box size Smart cars. Her rear bumper had just grazed the corner of one of my side panniers, but with sufficient impact to cause the bike to come off its side stand and knell over. The impact did not even leave a mark on my aluminum panniers. It did however leave a deep mark on her bumper, which is karma visiting on those who backup their cars on poor innocent motorcycles!! I went over to her and asked if she was aware that there were a pair of bikes parked nearby, she said she was, but always gets nervous when backing out. I felt like telling her, Lady you are driving a Smart car, you can practically do a U-turn inside a closet, you don't need 20 feet of space to backup your car. Then again, people have a limitless capacity to screw up. While I was at the Caves I meet another intrepid motorcycle traveller from Alberta Canada who was over here on a 6 week holiday touring Europe, Ireland and Morocco. Its always good to meet up with other travellers along the way. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00071.jpg Another fellow motorcycle traveller from Canada. Riding a BMW Dakar 650 I spent the night in Wexford and then made my way down to Rosslare Harbour from where the ferry boats depart for France. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00131.jpg Irish Ferries Boat https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...dsc_0019-2.jpg 2016 Honda African Twin. That's the bike I would have chosen for this trip, but alas all the local Honda dealers in Ottawa area were sold out of that new model. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...dsc_0021-2.jpg My cabin on the boat. Bed folded against the wall https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00301.jpg Pride of the Irish Ferries service, the Oscar Wilde https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00331.jpg Scenes from around the ferry boat https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00351.jpg Scenes from around the boat https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00361.jpg Looking out the porthole of my cabin https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00381.jpg Motorcycle snugly tied down for ferry ride to France |
Awesome story so far....
I've been doing some research into renting a motorcycle in Ireland this September, so this is very interesting for me to see! |
Motorcycling in Ireland
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fortunate to have had 12 days of good weather on my ride around Ireland. It good have just as easily turned out to be a wet and windy experience instead. |
Motorcycle Wanderings _France
Bonjour! Bienvenue au France.
I am now in France. The Irish ferry arrived at its port of destination at 9:30 this morning, but as it turns out, not at the destination that I thought I was going to.. I soon found out after setting up my GPS that I was not where I thought I was. Ten days ago I went online and booked my ferry passage on Irish Ferries from Rosslare to Cherbourg France, but as it turns out I had in fact booked a one-way passage from Rosslare Ireland to Roscoft France. Roscoft is a port in Bretagne and not in Normandie. Instead of having a casual 160 km ride out from Cherbourg to the town of Saint-Aubin-sur-mer, I was now faced with a 375 km all day ride, not what I was looking forward to. Irish Ferries runs alternate routes between Roscoft and Cherbourg. The Oscar Wilde on alternate days travels between both ports. I am putting the fault on my computer for this foul up. My touch screen computer makes it a chore when trying to select items from a drop down list on a website. Nothing that I can do about now, my GPS says that its a 6.5 hour ride to my final destination. As soon as I left the ferry terminal it started to rain maybe not quit a rain but a wet mist, you don't notice it when you are stopped but when riding at 100 kph, you get wet. As events unfolded, my first day in France turned out be a wet and miserable one. For starters, there are a number of work related strikes going on across France. These strikes are affecting the delivery of gas to service stations throughout the country, especially in the north-western part of France where I am presently, I was warned about the possibility about fuel shortages when I departed from Ireland. I got as far as Caen before deciding that I had better top off my tank. I landed up wasting about an hour riding around Caen trying to locate a service station that still had a supply of gas to sell. You would have thought that riding 375 km in a day would be an easy thing to do. France has a lot of great roads, in fact if you talk to anyone who has ridden in France, they will all sing the praises of what great roads the French have. Except that in order to use their Hwy system you will need to pay a toll. While I was still in Ireland I went online and checked out one of the French travel sites that helps you plan your travel route. When I entered my travel route it came back saying that if I were to use the toll roads from Roscoft to Saint-Aubin-sur-mer it would cost me 24 Euros which is close to $30.00, so I setup my Garmin GPS to avoid the toll roads. GPS is a great tool and one that I rely on a lot when touring. Except for a few occasions where I was allowed to ride on some sections of the main highway, my GPS managed to find the most circuitous, convoluted route to Saint-Aubin. I was directed through every main street in every little village, through every back alley between Roscoft and Saint-Aubin. After what seemed like an eternity I finally arrived at a town on the Normandy coast called Saint-Aubin-sur-mer. When I arrived into the town, I thought to myself, Geez I thought this place would be a lot bigger, all I found was a sleepy little village with no hotels, restaurants or any thing to suggest that this was a prime tourist distinction. As it turned out, yes I was in Saint-Aubin-sur-mer, but not the right Saint-Aubin. There are two communities on the coast of Normandy, both with the same name, my GPS had directed me to the wrong one. I checked my paper map, something in hindsight I should have done from the start instead of blindly trusting my GPS, the town I wanted to get to, was some 2.5 hours to the west of my current location, or 165 km along these back country roads. It was 7:00 pm in the evening by the time I realized my error, and of course it had started to rain. There were no towns or villages around here of any size, and I began to doubt if I would even be able to find an accommodation for the night. I had my camping gear with me and although there were no camp grounds around, I was prepared to do some stealth camping in some farmer's field if it came to that. My GPS did located a couple of B&Bs, the first two I checked out were both closed, the third place I came to was open, they offered me a place for the night. Lesson learned, never put your trust in a GPS. GPS bad, paper maps good. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0039.jpg My B&B in Veules-les-Roses The following morning I departed from Veules les-Roses where I stayed for the night and back tracked back to Caen, the original place I intended to get to is just North of Caen on the Normandy coast. It still took me close 4 hours to travelling along the back roads and avoiding the main highways to finally reach Saint-Aubin. As I update my travel log I have now been camped out in Saint-Aubin for the last 2 days, and have decided to stay an extra day here. I have a great little hotel facing the beach. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0062.jpg Hotel Le Cos Normandie in Saint-Aubin-sur-mer I chose to come to Saint-Aubin-sur-mer as its is located on what is know as Juno beach, which is where the Canadians troops landed on D-Day June 6th, 1944. There are a lot of tourists about, many having come here to take part in the D-Day celebration. Its a big event around here. I have talked to a number of other hotel guests who say they come back every year to support the remembrance of D-Day. I am of an age where I grew up with memories of the war still fresh in people's. My father was a WW2 veteran, he did not land on the beaches of Normandy but rather took part in the invasion of Italy. All those images and videos I remember seeing growing up in news casts about the D-Day invasion are all brought to life here. Many of the iconic buildings depicted in news reels can be seen here, still recognizable after all these years. Its a powerful emotional experience to walk along Juno beach, viewing the plaques and war images posted along the route. There seemed to be a large contingent of British tourists here at my hotel. I meet a few veterans, they must be in their nineties, who participated in the D-Day invasion. I talked at length with a group of them about their experiences, it is one thing to read about the events of WWII but quit another thing to hear about it first hand from someone who actually lived through it. There are not too many of the veterans left. I was surprised at how many sons and daughters come to the D-Day event as a tribute to their fathers. I spent a couple of days visiting many of the historical sites along the Normandy coast from Omaha Beach, Sword, Beach and Juno Beach where the combined allied forces of America, Britain and Canada landed. What entreat me the most during my visit here, was comparing old WWII photos taken during the day of the invasion in Saint-Aubin and today. Many of the old buildings that line the beach in Saint-Aubin are still standing. There is in particular one image that stands out in my mind, a picture that is often associated with the Canadian landing at Juno Beach, I spent some time walking up and down the boardwalk before finally identifying the building ( it has a plaque on it) https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0119.jpg This is what the building looks like today. The building today has front porch added to it https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...ch-landing.jpg Building as it appeared on D-Day invasion on Juno Beach Another famous iconic war image from Canadian D-Day invasion https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...each-house.jpg Canada House Saint-Aubin https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...juno-beach.jpg How the house appeared on D-Day. This was the first house liberated on D-day https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0109.jpg Some other photos from scenes around Saint-Aubin and ongoing D-Day remembrance events. My visit here was especially poignant as it coincided with June 6th. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0080.jpg Plane doing low level fly over beach https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0081.jpg Plane doing low level fly-over beach https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0052.jpg Along boardwalk in Saint-Aubin-sur-mer https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0054.jpg Along boardwalk in Saint-Aubin-sur-mer https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0074.jpg Canadian ceremony plaque at Juno Beach https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0073.jpg View of wall surround beach You see a lot of people riding around the D-Day invasion route on old restored army jeeps trucks and WWII vintage car. A lot of people come here to participate in D-Day reenactments. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0103.jpg One of those reenactment camps https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0107.jpg Old army truck https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0114.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0118.jpg Old Wiilly's jeep |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Visit to Vimy, France
I am now in Belgium. I left the Normandy coast of France and headed north west for Vimy France. What brings me up to this part of the country is my interest in visiting the Canadian National War memorial in Vimy. This is a popular landmark visited by many Canadians who visit in France. Its almost like a required pilgrimage for Canadian tourists to visit this site. To those not familiar with the Vimy Memorial, it is probably instantly recognizable to anyone who has seen any images of the Vimy Ridge site.
https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0070.jpg Canadian National Memorial at Vimy France It was about an hour into my ride from Saint-Aubin in Normandy to Vimy that I decided that there was a change up needed in my travel routine. Since the time that I arrived in Ireland, I have been travelling 2 to 3 days in a row with a planned rest day on the 3rd or 4th day. I was beginning to find this travel schedule taxing on both myself and the bike and was finding that I was spending more time riding than exploring the regions I was travelling to. I also decided that instead of avoiding toll highways I would allow my Garmin GPS to select routes that included toll roads. I was finding that trying to navigate around Europe and at the same time avoid toll roads was turning into an impossible tasked. In the first hour after leaving Saint-Aubin I had ridden exactly 20 kms. I was making no headway along these country backroads, my progress was being slowed by numerous stoppages for work crews, 30 km speed limits when riding through villages and towns which are spaced 2 - 3 kms apart. This backcountry road adventure was beginning to get monotonous. I was longing for the sensation of speed, the feeling of air rushing across my helmet, bugs splattering their innards over my face shield at 120 kph. The only place I could find accommodations near Vimy was in the town of Mazingarbe , which is west of Lens and North of Arras France. This choice turned out to be a mistake in selecting this town. There is no reason why any tourist would ever want to come and stay over in this place. On a rating of 1 to 10 on the tourist attraction scale, this place would not even rate a 1. There was nothing unacceptable about the B&B I chose to stay at, its just that Mazingarbe is about as lively as a morgue. I arrived on Monday only to find out that in many of these little back water provincial towns and villages across France, nobody works on Mondays, all businesses are shuttered. Same thing with Sundays, most all businesses are closed for the weekend. The only place I was told that I could find a restaurant was 16 kms away. I stayed in Mazingarbe for two days, needing a day to spend visiting Vimy. Google Maps had indicated that there were at least 4 - 5 cafes and restaurants in Mazingarge so I should not expect to have an issue finding a place to eat. The following day when out looking for a restaurant I find 3 of the 4 places mentioned in Google were now closed down and the only other place only opened at noon and shuts down after that for the day. The owner of the B&B that I was staying at freely admitted that Mazingarbe was a boring little place to live in. Half starved and weak from hunger I did manage to make my up to Vimy to tour the national monument. The National Memorial is located out in the countryside near Vimy Ridge, the site of an important WWI battle. The twin towers of the monument dominates the surrounding landscape and can be seen for miles when first approaching the site. The landmark sits on a 250 acres plot of land which was donated by France to Canada in order to construct the WWI memorial. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00491.jpg View from the base of the memorial A tribute video I made to show off the Vimy memorial https://vimeo.com/169915191 Aside from spending time walking around viewing the memorial there is an interpretation centre on the ground, they give guided tours of some of the underground tunnels that were built during the battle for Vimy Ridge and have preserved some of the trenches that the soldiers took refuge in. The grounds all around Vimy have been left undisturbed since the end of the WWI conflict. You can see the remains of bomb craters, old trench lines. Much of the area is off limits as the grounds around here are still littered with unexploded ordinances. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0082.jpg An effective "Keep off the Grass Sign" https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00801.jpg Land around Vimy is pockmarked with bomb shell craters. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0087.jpg This huge crater was created by underground explosion. Battle lines were only couple hundred yards apart. Each side would tunnel under each other's trenches and blow the crap out of each other. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0094.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0102.jpg Touring one of the many underground tunnels https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01031.jpg Replica of the trenches used during battle at Vimy Ridge https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0104.jpg Another view of the trenches https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0108.jpg Bike and monument in background. Yesterday turned into a bit of a travel day, no photos or videos, just a layer of rubber off my tires from Vimy to Florenville Belgium. I have been resting up in Florenville, niece little quit town on French-Belgium border. Located on the Semoise river. Small peaceful little place, lots of restaurants and bars and outside cafes. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0122.jpg Scene near my hotel. Old train bridge over Semoise river https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01191.jpg Old building https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0138.jpg Old church constructed 12-13th century https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0139.jpg View from Florenville looking down into river valley below https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0144.jpg Looking down into valley, old train bridge in background https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0146.jpg Street scene from around town of Florenville Belgium |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Ludwigsburg Germany - Salzburg Austria
I do not even remember the events of my ride down from Florenville Belgium to Ludwigsburg Germany, that is how eventful my day was. I spent 5 hours on the motorway stopping at the occasional gas station for fuel and food. During my entire ride down I was followed by a massive storm system that threaten to overtake me at any time.
I arrived in Ludwigsburg Germany latter that afternoon just before a storm system swept in. Germany as well as most parts of Europe have been under a deluge of rain and thunder storms this past week. So far I have managed to avoid the worst of the rains. One of my reasons for coming to Ludwigsburg is because there is a BMW motorcycle dealer in town and I need drop bring the bike in for an oil changed. Ludwigsburg is a small city of 88,000 people about 12 kms north of Stuttgart. My plans are to stay here for two days, get the bike serviced and do some sightseeing. Next morning, I awoke to the sound of rain beating on the steel roof of my Hotel. The BMW dealer I needed to find was only a couple of blocks from where my Hotel was located. My visit to the BMW dealer did not end well, its a Saturday morning and although the dealership was opened, they had no mechanics on duty. So I will have to look to getting the bike serviced elsewhere along my route. Fortunately, the morning rains dissipated and the sun finally came out. According to the Wikitravel, the only thing of note in Ludwigsburg is the Ludwigsburg Palace, so with nothing else better to do, I found my way into the city centre to view this historical site. This is one of the main tourist attractions in Ludwigsburg. The Ludwigsburg palace is one of the best preserved Baroque palaces in Germany. The building was constructed back at the turn of the 1700's by Duke Ludwig of Wuttemberg. The building was first constructed to serve as a hunting lodge, than things got out of hand as the Duky kept adding on to the palace over a 30 year period,to where eventually he had built a palace with over 442 rooms, requiring a staff of over a 1000 to maintain the place. He hired the best tradesmen and artisans from around Europe to come and work on the palace. At this period in history all these Dukes and other aristocrats across Europe were competing amongst themselves to see who could build the biggest baddest palace. The scale of this place is enormous. The territory of Wuttemberg that this fellow Ludwig lorded over, only had a population of 325,000 people. How could he afford to build such a palace and maintain it? He must of maxed out his credit cards on this one. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1540.jpg Ludwigsburg Palace https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1530.jpg Ludwigsburg Palace https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1546.jpg Recreation of gardens that existed around the Ludwigsburg Palace during its heyday https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1535.jpg Gardens on grounds of Ludwigsburg palace. There were a number of museums setup in the palace. Part of my ticket admission was to some of these museums. This was the highlight of my tour to the palace (not) hundreds of display cases showcasing ceramic vases and dinner ware used back then. I spent 7 Euros to view old vases and gaudy ceramic figurines. You notice that there is not a single other person in the museum. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1537.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1531.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1533.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1532.jpg Scene inside the palace https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1539.jpg Inside one of the Duke's private rooms I was hoping to start my next day's ride down to Salzburg Austria under clear skies but that was not to be. Next morning I awoke to the persistent sound of rain, interspersed with claps of thunder. I had already booked and paid for my hotel in Salzburg so I was committed to getting down to Salzburg today. If there is one thing that motorcyclists do not like, it is riding in the rain. But when you are on a long motorcycle tour like I am, you just need to accept that there will be some days when you are forced to ride through bad weather. I was not on the main highway more than 10 minutes when I was forced to exit off the freeway and seek shelter, the rain was coming down with such force that I could not see the road ahead of me and parts of the road surface was flooding over. I waited out the worst of the storm before attempting to go back out on the Hwy. About an hour into my ride I was forced again for a second time to exit and find shelter. I exited out at a gas station along the Hwy. It was a peculiar site, as there were at least 40 - 50 other bikers huddling in from the rains. Most of the bikers appeared to be soaked to the bone as most were riding without rain gear. Myself, I put on my rain gear as soon as I stepped out the door this morning. It was another half hour before the rain subsided and I headed back on the road. By mid afternoon the skies began to clear up. Whenever you mention Germany, one of the first things that come to mind for most North Americans are big luxury sedan cars and the autobahn. The autobahn is the German federated highway system. For many parts of the autobahn there is no set speed limit although there is a posted advised speed limit of 130 kph. Some sections because of high traffic density, unsafe roads or construction will have lower posted mandated speeds. About half the roads along the German Autobahn have unrestricted speed, which in theory means that you can drive as fast as you want. I have ridden on the autobahn before so I am familiar with rules of the road. The main sections of the autobahn have three lanes, right lane for slower traffic, other two lanes for passing, with the most left lane for high speed passing. Since I am one of those staid North American riders, use to our slower pace of travel this day I was keeping to the slow lane, doing 130 - 140 kph, yes that the speed of the slow lane on the Autobahn ! Occasionally I would get behind a slower moving truck or RV and pull out to pass, well this day, I pull out into the middle lane along with another vehicle that was probably 200 feet in front of me to passing a RV, I checked my left side mirror, not a car in sight behind me on the middle lane, as soon as I changed lanes this blur of a black colored Porsche Carrera comes screaming past me not more than a foot away from me, and alongside him on the further left hand lane is another sports car speeding away, the Porsche narrowly misses me than somehow avoids hitting the car in front of him in the middle lane by severing into the right almost hitting another vehicle. It becomes quit apparent that there were two idiots racing each other down the autobahn. By my estimate they must of being doing over 160 mph or more, I was making my pass at about 100 mph and still he passed me like I was standing still. Well !! there's more to this story, about a half hour later, the traffic came to a near stand still, as the traffic inched along, I could see a police car and a recovery vehicle on the side of the road. In a farm field adjacent to the Hwy I could see two parallel tracks from where a vehicle had obviously plowed through a farmer's crops. As I got closer to the scene of the accident, what do I see but that same black Porsche that nearly took me out. Ain't karma a bitch!! Outside the vehicle I see some kid who can't be more that 17-18 years old, looking pretty stressed out as he stood there talking to the police officer. Whatever happens to him, he probably deserves worst. I have been in Salzburg now for two days, today I was able to locate a BMW motorcycle dealer and get someone to perform an oil change. At first the service manager told me that they were booked solid for the week and there was just no way for them to service my bike. So I had to resort to shame tactics to get him to help me out. I told him its been the code of the road for decades for dealers to give priority to touring motorcyclists passing through an area. At least that is what we do over in Canada and the US. That must of struck a chord with him as he disappeared for a few minutes and then came back saying that one of his mechanics would be able to work on my bike right away. I was happy to get my bike service but I was in for a shock when I received my bill for the oil change... $288.00 CDN. Because the mechanic had to remove my crash bars to access the oil filter, I got charged for an hour of labor. At this shop they charge $160.00 CDN per hour. Tax over here is 20 %. I got to talking that evening with someone from my hotel, he was touring Europe in his BMW car. He said that some BMW dealerships where he lived in England, charge upwards of 200 British Pounds or $365 per hour to work on a vehicle. I spent the rest of the remaining day roaming around Salzburg. According to a tourist flyer I found in my hotel room, Salzburg is famous for 3 things, its the home of Mozart, Old Town, which is one of the best preserved sites for Baroque architecture in Northern Europe and is listed as an UNESCO World heritage site. Lastly, Julie Andrews and the movie The Sound of Music was filmed here. The latter fact is probably only know by the tourists who come here. Here are some photos I took on a walk around the old historical section of Salzburg, across the Salzack River. Old Town as it is called, is where all the tourist come to when they visit Salzburg. Old Town is the historic centre of Salzburg. It is a mix of Medieval and Baroque buildings, replete with dozens of Church spires and cupolas. Its a warren of narrow streets, connected alleyways and archways, all lined with restaurants, cafes and small shops selling their wares to the hordes of passing tourists. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1585.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1582.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1577.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1576.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1573.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1570.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1568.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1567.jpg Hohensalzburg Castle https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1566.jpg Hohensalzburg Castle https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1561.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/sam_1560.jpg Bridge across the Salzach River in Salzburg Austria |
Nice RR and pics. I also plan on sending my bike to Dublin only it will be next year via Air Canada. I appreciate your telling me what I can expect both on the sending and receiving end of things.
Buen viaje. |
Quote:
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I understand it is a crap shoot with AC next year but this year is already full.
Be safe, have fun, keep posting. |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Touring Croatia
Today I am headed down to Rijeka Croatia and the start of my exploration of the Dalmatian Coast. My route today will take me across Austria, through Slovenia, Trieste and down into Croatia.
The weather forecast calls for clearing skies and better weather for the rest of the week. The weather this past week has been pretty miserable so I am looking forward to sunnier skies and better riding conditions. I have decided to continue staying on the main roadways. I will say this much about the Austrians, they seem to be masters of tunnel construction. I have never ridden through so many tunnels in one day. In Austria they do not have road tolls but instead require that that all users accessing the main highways buy a vignette. This is a road tax. Depending on how long you plan to be in Austria you buy one of these vignette stickers which you then affix to your car or motorcycle's windshield. The minimum time for a vignette is 10 days. It costs me like $7- $8 for the vignette. You can buy the vignette at any gas station near the border with Austria or at the border cross between Germany and Austria. I also had to purchase a vignette for Slovenia, although I was not in the country for more than 2- 3 hours on my way down to Croatia. Although they do not charge road tolls they do charge tolls for entering some of the larger tunnels. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00201.jpg The ride across Austria, even alone the main highway was still quit scenic, lots of pretty alpine vistas, unfortunately there are no pullouts for you to stop and admire the view. I got as far as the border with Slovenia before I got overtaken by a violent thunder storm. The storm just seemed to come out of no where. It was a pretty nasty looking storm. I stopped and put on my rain gear and prepared to ride through it. On hindsight, I should have stayed at the gas station where I was, and waited for the storm to past by. I landed up riding through the very heart of the storm, through intense rain, pelting hail and bolts of lightning flashing all around me. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0023.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...vil-storm2.png Overtaken by mother of all thunder storms I did not see much of the country of Slovenia, except for a stop at a gas station for food and fuel. Those parts of the country that I did traversed through on the highway to Croatia, looked very much like Austria, lots of mountains and alpine valleys. My route took me to Ljubljana the country's capital city and then south through Trieste. Trieste is a autonomous independent territory at the northern most part of the Adriatic Sea between the borders of Italy and Croatia. The territory was setup after the WW2 as both Italy and the old Yugoslavia where contesting claims to the lands in this region. It only took a couple of hours to transit across Slovenia. Although Croatia is a member of the EU, they are not part of the Schengen agreement, so foreign nationals must go through an immigration/passport check at the border. Also Croatia has not yet adopted the Euro they have their own currency the Kuna. I had exited off the main highway some ways before crossing the border and was following a little used mountain road down into Croatia. At one time I became concerned because according to my Garmin GPS it looked like I had already crossed over into Croatia, even though I had not gone through any official border controls. I had stop and ask a local if I was in Croatia or not, I was told that I was still 3-4 kms away from the border. You know that you are getting near to the border because you start seeing signs for money exchangers and little kiosks setup on the side of the road. Don't do what I did and stop at the very first kiosk that you see, the official exchange rate that day was 7.5 Kunas to a Euro. The exchange rate I received was only 7.1. A few kilometers down the road another place was advertising 7.3 Kunas to a Euro. I have been using Booking.com to source out accommodations for my stays along my route, and this has been working out very well. In Europe Booking.com is the largest online website for booking hotels, guest homes etc. The reviews have been fairly factual and accurate in helping determine if a listed place is any good. My first stop in Croatia is in the city of Rijeka which is a principle sea port and one of the largest cities in Croatia. Instead of staying at a typical guest room or hotel as I have been doing so far on this trip, I have instead rented a one bedroom apartment, or as they are called down here Appartman. For the equivalent of $40.00 CDN per night I have access to a full size apartment, that includes a balcony with a view of the Adriatic Sea. I plan on staying here for a couple of days. I am taking a couple of ME! days, no riding, no sightseeing, just hanging around the apartment doing nothing. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00291.jpg View out my balcony at my apartment in Rijeka Croatia From Rijeka I continued following the Dalmatian coastal roads to Zadar which is one of the oldest historical important cities in Croatia. Its a 3.5 hour drive down to Zadar, I did part of the ride following the main coastal roads and some time on the tolled expressed route. I am going to tell a little antidote as to way motorcyclists should never set their motorcycle helmets on the ground. I had just left a roadside cafe, where I had stopped for lunch and quickly found my way back onto the main highway. As I am riding alone, I feel something along the side of my neck, at first I thought a was a loose thread moving around with the air currents, then I felt something walking across my cheek and then I I saw it, as it began to walk up on the inside of my helmet visor, a great big spider. I really do not how large it was, but when the thing is an inch away from your eyeball, it looked like the size of a Tarantula. I do not have a fear of spiders, but when they are sitting an inch away from my face, its unnerving especially when you are trying to ride a bike at 70 mph in heavy traffic. I carefully opened my visor hoping that the wind would blow the spider out of my helmet, wrong! instead I just managed to blow the spider back onto my face and could now feel it crawling along the side of my eyebrow , and then nothing. I pulled off the highway into an emergency lane and quickly pulled off my helmet searching for the little Arthropod. I wasn't sure if the bug was gone or just hiding out again. At my last stop, I had momentarily laid my helmet on a grassing spot near where I was parked. I must of picked up the little hitchhiker at that time. Video of ride down from Rijeka to Zadar https://vimeo.com/172452418 I arrived into Zadar late in the afternoon as planned, I was at a stop light not more than a few blocks away from my accommodation in Zadar, when suddenly both myself and the bike were violently impacted from behind. When I came to my senses, the bike was laying unceremoniously on its side with me standing over it. A car had just struck me from behind. Before the impact I was waiting at a stop light 5 - 7 feet in back of a another vehicle, the collision had pushed the bike another 3-4 feet ahead, fortunately not striking the car in front of me. For some reason, the first thought that came into my mind at the moment of impact was, " Ah shit my aluminum panniers have been crushed". As it turns out neither the bike nor the rider was hurt or damaged. The car that struck me was one of those little micro cars. The front bumper of the car, which sits about 8 inches off the ground had impacted my rear tire, sending my bike flying forward. I did a quick inspection of the bike, a passerby helped me to right the bike. I was feeling pretty incensed at this moment, this is the second time in 3 weeks that some errant driver has driven into my motorcycle. The driver of the other vehicle, I will call her Older Gypsy Lady, (that's what she looked like) came out of her car looking a bit bewildered and clutching a cell phone, which made me immediately think that she was on her cell phone just before crashing into me. She spoke no English, but I managed to communicate to her to follow me to a location nearby so I could further assess the situation. I could find no damage to the bike, except for a few more added scratches to my crash bars. Again I should have taken some photos of the scene and taken down plate number of the other vehicle, but I just told her things were ok and let her depart. Next time anyone hits me, its an automatic minimum 100 Euro fine!! I had booked another appartman studio in the centre of Zadar. The problem with booking these studio apartment units is that there is usually no reception at the building that you are renting out. The place I booked in Zadar, was a normal apartment building in which some of the units were rented out to tourists. When I made the booking, I was given a phone number that I was suppose to contact when I arrived into Zadar. But as I tried to explain when I made the booking on Booking.com, I don't have a cell phone. I had a hell of a time trying to locate the address of my apartment building, the building was actually located along a narrow alleyway off the main street. I stopped a passerby on the street and asked if I could use their cell phone to contact the owner of the apartment. Croatians I am finding are very warm and receptive people to foreigners, especially to Canadians, it seems every Croatian I have talked to, has a relative or close friend living in Canada. I was finally able to meet up with owner and he led me to wjere the apartment was. My initial impression of the building was less than overwhelming. The outside walls of the building were just bare concrete, ornated in patches of mold and graffiti. The inside apartment was actually in pretty good shape, having just been renovated. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01171.jpg Hmmm. this place looks pretty sketchy As it turns out although the apartment building I choose was pretty ratty looking, I was situated in a prime location, a block away from the main marina and a 5 minute walk to the OLD historical section of Zadar. I like Zadar, off all the places I have been to so far on my trip, this place impresses me the most. Lots of outdoor cafes and bars, boats in the marina, some of the best roman ruins in Croatia. The place just gives off a good vibe. Some photos from around Zadar Croatia https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00471.jpg Along main marina in Zadar https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0048.jpg One of those super yachts berthed in marina in Zadar https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0055.jpg Main entrance to old city in Zadar https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0056.jpg Old historical section of Zadar Croatia https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00581.jpg Old historical section of Zadar https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0061.jpg Old historical section of Zadar https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0078.jpg Church of St. Donat, Zadar, Croatia https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00791.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00791.jpg Visiting an excellent archeological museum in Zadar https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00841.jpg Displays of early cultures who settle in Zadar https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00881.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0090.jpg This statue got my attention, when I first came upon, it a statue supposedly of Augustus Caesar. The more I looked at it, the more I could seem the resemblance between the statue and a now former prime minister of Canada. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_00921.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...06/harper2.jpg No wonder Stephen Harper acted like such an imperious leader, he was actually Augustus Caesar reincarnated. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0096.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0098.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01021.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0105.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01081.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0113.jpg |
Hello there,
Nice photos and first of all nice decisions. Keep riding and if the road bring you in Athens you are welcome :) |
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I read: "Bras.. they are everywhere in Ireland" When are you visiting Scotland? |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Split and Dubrovnik Croatia
My exploration of Croatia and the Dalmatian coast continue as I made my way down to Split. Split is the second largest city in Croatia. The city is built along a peninsula. The city was first founded as a Greek colony and then was taken over by the Romans. The city of Split has been around for over 2400 years.
Aside from Split being the second largest cities in Croatia it is also one of the most popular destinations for tourists travelling to Croatia. Many of the cruise ship companies that ply the Adriatic Sea, stop over in Split. Finding affordable accommodations close to the old historical part of Split can be a challenge especially during the summer season, I lucked out and was able to find a place not more than 15 minute walk from the central part of Split. The place also has the benefit of secure on site parking which is something I always look out for when booking accommodations. My main interest in coming to Split is to view some of their historical archeological sites, both Roman and medieval. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0128.jpg This is from a stop I made on ride down between Zadar and Split https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0132.jpg They go to extreme lengths to keep Old Town scrubbed and tidy for the tourists https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0136.jpg Street scene from inside Old Town of Split https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_01381.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0143.jpg A lot of the cruise line companies make port calls in Split https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0150.jpg Scene from within Old Town in Split Croatia https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0154.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0169.jpg Section of wall fortification surrounding Old Town in Split https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0173.jpg After a few days spent visiting Split I was set on getting an early departure and heading down to Dubrovnik which according to the owner of the apartment building I was staying at, was a 3-4 hour ride depending on whether I choose to take the tolled Hwy or follow the coast road. The coastal road I was told was very scenic but was very slow, since the route passed through dozens of little coastal villages and the road was very curvy. I went outside to move my bike around in preparation for packing my gear on to it when I noticed that my rear tire looked very flat. My initial thoughts were that the woman who had struck me the other day may have damaged the tire or the rim of the bike, causing the tire to deflate. I used my portable air compressor that I carry with me to pump up the tire. Every thing looked ok after filling it up with air. I could hear no leaks and the tire seemed to be holding pressure. I checked the tire to ensure that I had not picked up a nail and shit!! I found a large 3 inch screw embedded right in the middle of the tire. There did not seem to be any air escaping around the screw, but there was no way I was going to continue riding with a screw in my tire. Out came my puncture kit and 10 minutes later I had the hole plugged, unfortunately while filling up my tire the pressure fill line on my air compressor exploded. While all this was going on the owner of the apartment was standing by offering to help out if he could. He had a compressor pump of his own which he loaned me to get the tire filled up. My motorcycle has tubeless tires and when you get a flat and plug the puncture from the outside, the way I did, the fix is only meant as a short term solution until you can get to a tire shop and either have it repaired properly or change out the tire. In Canada, motorcycle shops are not allowed to repair punctured motorcycle tires, the only recourse you have is to replace the tire. The owner's son came by, he rides a motorcycle and told me that there was a motorcycle tire shop close by where I could get the tire repaired or replaced. To make a long short, I rode down to the shop which was only a few kilometers away, they could have repaired the tire with an inside patch, but I would have to wait at least 8 hours for the patch to properly set before riding again, or they could sell me a new tire. My rear tire had about 6000 km on it, I normally get 10,000 km out of a rear Metzler Tourance tire.. I was hoping to ride the bike to Athens before having to replace the rear tire, but since I was here and the shop had the right tire for my bike, I opted to buy a new tire and be done with it. I still do not understand how a 3 inch long screw got perfectly embedded in the center of my tire. This is the 3rd puncture I have now experienced over the last 3 years. I did not get out of Split until sometime after 12:00. With the lost time this morning getting the tire looked after, I opted for taking the toll road from Split to Dubrovnik. I have been very impressed with the quality of the main highways here in Croatia, main roads are as good as anything you will find in other parts of Europe. I was not aware of it until I rode down from Split to Dubrovnik but in order to get to Dubrovnik you need to pass through Bosnia. Croatia is broken into two non-contiguous parts. There is a section of land called the Bosnia Neum Corridor which separates the two regions of Croatia. Bosnia has a 20 km section of the Adriatic coast that belongs to them. There is an unofficial treaty allowing EU and other foreigners to pass freely through this zone. They have a customs port for truckers and buses but cars and bikes are allowed to pass on through. Here is an article from Wikipedia explaining how this strange fact of geography came to be The Neum corridor dates back to the Treaty of Sremski Karlovci of 1699, whereby the Republic of Ragusa was separated from the Dalmatian possessions of its rival Venice by two buffer strips ceded by Venice to the Ottoman empire: north of its territory Neum and the bay of Klek, and south of its territory Sutorina with the port of Herceg-Novi on the Bay of Kotor, now part of Montenegro since 1947. The Karlovci borders were reaffirmed in 1718 by the Treaty of Požarevac, but then the Ottomans, tired of negotiating in vain with Venice for a widening of their maritime access, simply usurped from the Republic of Ragusa the territory of Gornji Klek and most of the Klek peninsula, which it had bought from King Stjepan of Bosnia at the end of the 14th century. After the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797 and the Vienna Congress in 1815, the Austrian Empire, which had annexed both the Dalmatian possessions of Venice and the territory of Dubrovnik, tried to buy back the Neum and Sutorina enclaves from the Ottomans, but in vain; instead, it stationed a warship to block access to the port of Neum until the Treaty of Berlin, which gave Vienna the whole of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1878; Neum had been under Ottoman control for 179 years. In 1918, as a consequence of Vienna's defeat, Neum joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which would start being called "Yugoslavia" in 1929. Under the Karadordevices, the Yugoslav Government ignored the borders inherited from history twice: in 1929, when the Neum Region was included in a Banovina of the Coast, and in 1939 when, following the Serbian-Croatian Sporazum, it was included in the Banovina of Croatia. Tito's federal Yugoslavia was founded on the principle, declared at the 1943 AVNOJ in Jajce and comparatively well-respected by the Ðilas commission in 1945, of establishing the federated Republics in their borders of 1878 which is why the Neum enclave is now part of the independent Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, including most of the Klek peninsula (Ponta Kleka, Rep Kleka), the two islets Veliki i Mali Školj and the rock of Lopata in the Bay of Klek. The accommodation I found in Dubrovnik was right near the center of town, the street the place was not found in my Garmin nor did it appear in Google maps, I had a heck of a time trying to find the place even after stopping and asking some of the locals where the street was. Dubrovnik is the crown jewel in Croatia's tourist destinations and is the place that all the major cruise ship lines stop at. The city only has a population of 46,000 inhabitants but they get 2 - 3 times that number of tourists each day. Dubrovnik like many of its sister cities up the coast Split , Zadar is a mix of baroque and medieval buildings, marbled streets and red tiled roofs. But Dubrovnik is on a scale of its own. The fortress walls, ramparts and castle spires are enormous in scale. I was here 35 years and was impressed then and was looking forward to my return trip. But sadly, things have changed. At anyone time now there seems to be 3 or 4 giant cruise ships in the harbour flooding the Old Town with tourists. Everything about Dubrovnik now looks like it was designed by the Disney corporation. Everything looks too perfect, sanitised, not a speck of litter anywhere. Its been turned into a giant tourist trap. Every single space within the city has been allocated to a restaurant, outdoor cafe or trinket shop. I wanted to take a walk around the top of the ramparts for better view of the city, you can do that except they now charge you $23.00 to get access to the top of the fortification walls. Sit down for a coke, that will cost you $5.00. There were so many tourists packed into the narrow streets of the Old Town that you could hardly move freely about. This what happens to these seaside resorts when 2 -3 ships come into port, with each carrying 4,000 to 5,000 passengers. They overwhelm the city. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0208-copy.jpg City of Dubrovnik in Croatia https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0191.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0194.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0196.jpg Main entrance into Old Town of Dubrovnik https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0199.jpg Some of the wall fortifications around the city https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0200.jpg Want to take a stroll on top of walls? that will cost you $23.00 - 130 Kuna https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0201.jpg Too many tourists https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0202.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/dsc_0203.jpg |
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I spent a few weeks motorcycling around Scotland a few weeks years. Had a great time, at top of my list of favorite countries I have motorcycled through Link to old ride report on my Scotland ride. Trip Scotland 1 Cheers Brian |
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Cheers Brian |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Kotor Montenegro
I was told by a number of people before I started my visit to the Balkans that if there was one place I should plan on visiting, that would be Kotor in Montenegro. Kotor is just a short ride down the coastal road from Dubrovnik. The scenery along this route is spectacular.
While I was stopped at a pullout above Dubrovnik I crossed paths with some fellow Canadians out touring the world on their motorcycles. Sara and Daniel Pedersen have been on the road since 2012 motorcycling around the world. When I first meet them and they told me that they were from Vancouver I instantly recognized them from their ride reports posted on Horizons Unlimited. I have been actively posting my own reports on my trip to HUBB. I have actually been following their trip since they first started posting on Horizons some years ago. They have been on one amazing trip. You can check out their blog at World Wide Ride https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0214-copy.jpg Sara and Daniel Pedersen WorldWideRide.ca https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...wide20ride.jpg Picture of myself outside of Dubrovnik I had a difficult time trying to locate my apartment suite that I had rented in Kotor. Many of the buildings and homes in Kotor are built into the side of the rocky cliffs that surround Kotor Bay. So as you can imagine the roads accessing these places are very narrow and steep. To reach my apartment suite you practically needed the services of a Himalayan Sherpa guide. The main road to my accommodation was up a road with a grade of 40% followed by two branching roads each one steeper than the previous one. The final road was a spiralling ramp with an incline grade of over 60%. I felt like I was having to complete in a GS Trophy event just to get to my apartment. After I rode my motorcycle to the top of the ramp, all I could think of was " I have ride back down this damn ramp once I leave". Kotor is a small coastal community of only a thirteen thousand people. The city is surround by medieval fortifications built by the Venetians who ruled over Kotor from 1400-1800. In recent years cruise ships have discovered Kotor and make Kotor a port of call for many of their cruise excursions. The first morning after my arrival in Kotor, I got up looked out from my balcony and could not make sense of what I was looking at. I remember on my arrival here, that I had a clear view the Bay of Kotor below. Now when I looked out from my balcony, all I could see was what appeared to be was a large apartment building now obscuring my view. It was not until I caught sight of the smoke stack that I at last realized that I was actually looking across at the side of a cruise ship that was now berthed in the tiny harbor in Kotor. The cruise ship filled my entire view of the bay. From the sealine the ship was as tall as a 12 storey building. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0220-copy.jpg Ship looks like its docked in the parking lot My first thought when I saw the ship at anchor in the tiny Kotor Bay was how do you even get a ship of that size into such a small bay. These mighty ships weight over 85,000 tons but only have a hull draft of 28 feet. So the ships need to operate in a water depth at least greater than that. Geologically the bay around Kotor is very unique. The average water depths around the Bay of Kotor is any where from 85 to 180 feet. I was at a restaurant for breakfast that morning and in talking to some of the passengers off the boat, I had to correct one of them when they claimed that the Bay of Kotor was a deep fjord and that was why the ships were able to sail into the bay. The Bay of Kotor is what is referred to as a Ria, which is a submerged river canyon system created by tectonic activity and Karstification. Once upon a time there was a valley river that coursed its way over the soft limestone of the valley floor, carving out the deep river canyons that we see today, eventually the coastal area around this part of Montenegro was flooded by the rising waters of the Adriatic sea. I knew some day those geology lectures I took many years ago in Geomorphology would one day be of some use. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0224-copy.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0225-copy.jpg Inside the Old Town of Kotor https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0232-copy.jpg Walking around the walls of the old fortifications in Kotor https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0233-copy.jpg Some of the homes within the old city. Old Kotor is a UNESCO heritage site. What I found really interesting about the fortifications built around Kotor are the series of towers and walls built up the very side of the mountain. This picture does not show the full length of the walls or the extreme steepness of the terrain on which the walls were constructed. Its a feat of human ingenuity to be able to even attempt to construct fortifications along a near vertical cliff face. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0237-copy.jpg The fortification walls were built from the se up the side of the mountain. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0238-copy.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0241-copy.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0244-copy.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0245-copy.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0246-copy.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0252-copy.jpg The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon built in 809 AD https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0254-copy.jpg In background is Serbian orthodox church of St. Nicolas I noticed that many if not all of the buildings inside the Old part of Kotor have been heavily braced with supports on the exterior walls. Kotor is in an area prone to earthquakes. Kotor was severely struck by a massive earthquake back in 1979. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0260-copy.jpg |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Albania
Albania .. Not a country on most people's list of "Must see places".
I had some reluctance about riding through Albania, but my choices were limited on how to get from Montenegro to Greece, its either I ride down the length of Albania and cross over into Greece or take a longer route through Kosovo and Macedonia, I decided on the first option. I have to admit that my perception of Albania, rightly or wrongly is coloured by news stories that I have read and watched over the years and what limited knowledge I had of the country was from my grade 8 world geography. I remember my geography teacher saying that Albania was run by a paranoid Communist dictator named Enver Hoxha. Hoxha led the Stalinist state for close to 40 years before he retired. He ruled over the country with an iron fist, anyone who opposed him found themselves in jail or worst, executed as an enemy agent of the state. Albania was one of those countries that did not allow foreigners into their country. Albania existed in virtual total isolation from the rest of the world much like North Korea of today. After the collapse of Communism in the early 90's, Albania turned into a bit of the wild west show with different fractions vying for control of power. There were numerous criminal gangs including the Albanian Mafia, that expanded their activities during these chaotic years. The only times I ever heard anything mentioned about Albania in the local news was usually a report on the activities of some car theft ring from Albania caught shipping container loads of cars back over to Albania. Albania is a much changed country, they are trying to clamp down on organized crime and corruption. They now have a freely elected democratically (well sort of!) government and are negotiating to become a member state of the EU. Its a 4 hour ride down from Kotor Montenegro to Shkoder Albania where I would be stopping today. Its only a distance of 170 kms or so, but the road follows the coast line and goes in and out of every little village and town along the way. My last couple of border crossings have been uneventful. I pulled into a lineup at the Albanian border. There were 2 lines of cars waiting to cross over. I get in one line, there are about 20 vehicles ahead of me. I figure its going to take a while before I get across. A young fellow in a car beside me, calls out to me in English saying that people on foot and scooters can enter in a special line. He directs me over to a place on the other side of the first office building. I follow another guy on a scooter who makes for this special entrance. The biker lane is for passengers on foot crossing the border and for scooters, which many people over here use. I ride my bike into the little alleyway which is just a little bit wider than the width of my motorcycle. The guy in front of me is quickly processed and sent on his way. The Albanian immigration officers looks to be in a surly mood. He seems agitated because its takes me a bit of time to pull my passport and registration out of my jacket pockets. He throws my documents down on his desk and then for the next 15 minutes ignores me as he disappears into a back room. He finally comes back out and asks me for my vehicle registration for the bike, I keep pointing at the document I first gave him. Maybe Ontario registrations don't look official enough for the Albanians authorities. Eventually after another 5 minutes of back and forth he waves me away, telling me to proceed to the customs guy. I keep asking the customs official where I can buy insurance for bike. He shrug his shoulders, either they don't know or don't care about insurance on foreign vehicles coming into the country, or maybe there is a police guy up the road waiting to pull me over. I know you need liability insurance for Albania and was told that I could buy green card insurance at the border, but these fellows don't seem to care about it. I ride way from the border thinking "Great.. I going to be riding around Albania without any insurance! hope I don't get stopped by the Albanian police". I arrived at my accommodation in Shkoder early that afternoon. As soon as I arrived at the Hotel a young man comes running out to greet me, "Mr. Brian from America". I quickly correct him, "No its Mr. Brian from Canada". I was not stopped at the Hotel more than 5 minutes before I was introduced to the owner of the Hotel. For the next hour I found myself seated at a table in the outdoor dinning area of the Hotel, as the father and son introduced me to everyone who worked at the hotel along with a host of cousins who seemed to keep passing by in the street. The father kept ordering beer and insisting that I try some of their skewered meats and cheeses from the hotel. They all seemed quit taken by the fact that a Canadian on a motorcycle would come all this way to visit their country. There is not a whole lot to do or see in Shkoder. I did a check on the Wikitravel website and the only thing of interest that was noted about Shkoder, was that there was a large fortress near the city and a statue had been erected in the town to honor Mother Theresa, whom I guess was an Albanian and grew up in these parts. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0266.jpg Swanky resort I passed on ride down from Montenegro https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0270.jpg Minarets of a Mosque in downtown Shkoder https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0273.jpg Close-up shot of mosque https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0276.jpg I have never seen a town with so many outside cafes https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0281.jpg Hotel Blini with owner standing in front I found for the most part that Albanians are a very gregarious and hospitable people. One of their traditions is custom is called "honor guest", if you accept a stranger into your home (Hotel ?) they become your responsibility to care for and protect them. At the same time the guest is suppose to respect the host. Disrespect the host and you are liable to start a blood-feud or somethings. I am told they take these old traditions quit seriously down here. So.. I will try and stay on good terms with the Hotel owner. The Hotel I was staying at was ok I guess by Albanian standards. I was told when I arrived to expect the city power to go off now and then. The Hotel owner said they have a backup generator to handle these situations but today, their generator was out of service and they were trying to find spare parts for it. While I was at the hotel I think I may of witnessed the first known case of a demonic possession of a toilet. The power on the hotel had just gone off. I went in to the bathroom to use the sink and noticed that as well as the power being off, I had no water. When I turned on the tapes I heard a sound of air hissing in the pipes. I closed the faucet and a few minutes later it began. The toilet began gurgling and bubbling, then the whole toilet tank began vibrating, you could hear a whistling noise, that first started fairly low, than the sound kept increasing in both volume and frequency. This went on for 5 or 6 minutes, the whole porcelain bowl was shaking , I was expecting something to explode out of the toilet any minute. Finally it all ended with a loud screaming gasp of air that escaped out of the toilet bowl. I spent a total of 4 days in Albania all together. I left Shkoder and made my way down to the city of Fier. There was no particular reason why I choose to overnight in Fier it just happened to be a days travel from Shkoder along my route south to Greece. Fier is the centre of the oil, bitumen and chemical industries in Albania. I found lodging at a hotel 5 - 6 kilometers outside of town. The place I stayed at surprisingly was a very modern, upscale boutique Hotel. I stayed there for two days, did nothing but hang around the pool and watch English language programs on TV. It would have been a very relaxing two days, but as I soon discovered, the Hotels caters to weddings and parties. There were wedding on both nights that I was there. Albanians do like to party. On both nights the music was blaring until the wee hours in the morning. My room directly overlooked where all the festivities were taking place. Here is a warning to all future travellers planning on coming to Albania with their own vehicle. Be very afraid of driving in this country!! There are no words strong enough in the English language to describe how horrendous Albanian drivers are. I like Albanians but they truly are the worst drivers in the world. Albanian is by far and away the most dangerous country I have ever ridden through. I have been ridding motorcycles for a long time and usually when riding, I can leave my brain on autopilot to safely get around, but in Albania I had to switch off the autopilot and take manual control, either wise I would have not survived my first day on the roads of Albania. I remember an arcade video game from back in the 70's call Death Race 2000. The idea of the game was to run over little gremlins with your car and score points, each time you did, a tombstone icon would appear in place of the gremlin that you just ran over. Albanians seem to be playing this game in real life. There just doesn't seem be any rules of the road. I was forced off the road multiple times by drivers trying to make a passes on blind curves, or guys refusing to allow another driver to pass them. Albanian is very much a machoism society and that certainly shows up in their driving behavior. The worst though is driving in the city and attempting to go through a traffic circle, or what I began calling them "Circles of Death", In Albania, drivers do not yield to oncoming traffic when entering a traffic circle, instead they force drivers already in the traffic circle to yield to those entering it. Add to the frightful experience of driving in Albania, the state of their roads. I must admit I was surprised at how good some of their main highways were, especially the highways in the southern part of the country, but! .. the roads in some of their cities are pretty frigging awful to put it mildly. I took a tour around Fier, it was like navigating through a war zone. Streets all tore up. giant pot holes, missing manhole covers, trash everywhere. People everywhere double parking their vehicles, blocking traffic. And did I mention already, that Albanian are the worst jaywalkers in the world. On my last day as I headed for the border of Greece, the police were out in force. I must have ridden through 10 or 12 police check points. Only twice did a officer make an attempt to wave me down, both times I just pretended to not understand and just waved back as I rode on past them. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...banian-cop.jpg Albanian Cops trying to pull me over, No way I am stopping After 4 days in Albania I was feeling pretty stressed out. Albania does have a lot going for it, some great riding roads in the southern part of the country, fabulous mountains scenery and I really did like the Albanians that I got to meet, but until each and every Albanian takes a driver's Education course, I will not be coming back again. Video Riding Albania https://vimeo.com/173665560 https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0282.jpg Rozafa Castle https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0286.jpg Steep climb up pathway to fortress https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0290.jpg View of Shkoder and surrounding area from fortress https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0294.jpg Main entrance to castle. costs 200 Lek or $2.00 Cdn to enter https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0296.jpg Entering the fortress https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0299.jpg Views around the castle. Current construction dates back to Venetians circa 1400 AD https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0302.jpg Imposing view of fortress walls and towers https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0305.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0307.jpg View of one of two rivers in area. Town was severely flooded back in 2010. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0312.jpg Some interior views of castle. It s very large complex https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_0314.jpg" https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0316.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0321.jpg I like this view of castle with mountains in background https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0322.jpg Stop along highway in southern part of Albania. |
Hi Brian,
Future Canadian traveler here as well. If you don't mind me asking, what insurance are you using while overseas? Thanks |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Motorcycle Insurance
Quote:
I got my from MotoTouring in Italy. I applied online for my Green Card before coming over. From their site they will issue you a policy and send you a copy of the Green Card as a PDF or else you can pay extra and have them send you a physical copy of the actual Green Card ( Which I did) URL Link to their website Mototouring - GreenCard insurance for non european vehicles This policy (3rd party liability only) is for foreign motorcycle travellers. Policy cover most parts of Europe. When crossing over into Montenegro I had to purchase a separate Green Card insurance for that country 10 Euros good for a month or something. Not sure where you are planning on heading down to . When passing through Mexico and Central America I just bought insurance at the border crossings. Brian |
Lovely pictures.
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I would love to get my hands on one of them.
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Motorcycle Wanderings - Greece
I crossed the border into Greece and Albania at the Kakavia crossing. No high drama, showed my passport, vehicle registration, insurance and I was on my way. I survived Albania !
The first city of any size that you come across on the Greece side is Ioannina. Nice Greek sounding name. I was not able to find any hotels in Ioannina that provided secure parking for my motorcycle so I found lodging at the nearby tourist town of Perama, just a few kilometer north of Ioannina. One of my biggest concerns while travelling is making sure I am able to find a safe secure place to park my motorcycle each night. So far I have had no problems in this respect I did not know this at the time that I booked a guest house in Perama, but Perama is famous for its caves. In fact the whole existence of Perama seems to be to serve the tourists who come to visit this landmark. Its a town of only a few hundred people, one main street with a couple of restaurants, jewellery stores, food markets all clustered around the main entrance to the cave. The guest house I stayed at was only a block away from the entrance to the cave. I took a guided tour of the cave. There were not many tourists in town. The entire group for the tour consisted of myself and a fellow from Holland. I have been to many caves around the world, and as far as caves go, the Perama caves were near top of my list of best caves I have been into. The tour takes about an hour, the guide leads you about a kilometre into the depths of the cave. They would not allow any photography inside the cave, so I have had to cop a few photos from the web to show what the caves looked like inside. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0323.jpg Guest house I stayed at. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...01-580x390.jpg Some of the formations inside Perama Cave https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/07/cave1.jpg Some of the formations inside Perama Cave. You notice from the photos below, not many people in the streets of Perama. Aside from myself I may have counted 4 or 5 other tourists in town. I really do not know how these local businesses exist. And this this is during the peak tourist month of July. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0328.jpg Main street in Perama https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0330.jpg Main street in Perama I really had not mapped out a travel plan for Greece. Whatever direction my front wheel is pointing is usually where I am headed. I meet up that evening with the Dutch fellow I had meet earlier in the day. he and his girlfriend have been down here to Greece many times before and he recommended that I should visit Thessaloniki and Kakamaria which have some of the best beaches in Greece. If you look on a map of Thessaloniki there is a large bay there called the Therminian Gulf, up and down the coasts on both sides of the gulf are numerous beach resort communities. I found a place on the western side of the bay, riding around all the way to Kalamaria would have added another hour to my riding day and I figured a beach is a beach and found a hotel on the western side of the gulf. I decided to take a mini-vacation break from my travels and booked myself in at the Edem Holiday Club in Olympiakis Akti for 4 days. They claim to be a 3 star establishment, but I think a couple of those stars have dimmed over the years. This place and many like it along this stretch of coast south of Thessaloniki do not serve a North American clientele , so standards are a little less demanding. Most people who come here are mostly from eastern European countries, Poland, Russia, Romania. The hotel I was staying at was the only place in town that had a swimming pool. Most of the lodgings in this beach resort community were apartment units catering to family groups. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0352.jpg Pool side at my hotel For those who travel to Greece, you probably already know this, at many parts across Greece, you can not flush toilet paper down the toilet, you have to dispose of it in a special little "shit paper bin". A local explained it to me. Greek plumbing uses only 2" drain pipes while the rest of the civilized world uses 4" pipes. Toilet paper clogs up the smaller pipes. How did Greece get accepted into the EU? I thought the assessment criteria for entry into the EU, were good governance, free and fair elections, rule of law and 21st century plumbing. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0349.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0391.jpg Nice sandy beaches https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0385.jpg Many bars and restaurants along beachside promenade https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0383.jpg scene at the beach https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0377.jpg Scene at the beach This resort as I quickly discovered catered to eastern European families. There was another beach resort just a kilometer north of where I was, it had a completely different mix of people, single, fewer family types, after my second day in Olympiakis I started spending more time hanging out in Paralia. I have discovered where all those stout, matronly babushka women vacation, its here in Olympiakis, and another reason why I deserted the beaches of Olympiakis for Paralia. Take a look at the picture bellow, can you spot the guy in the speedo? You see a whole lot that down here, 40 -50 year old portly gentlemen wearing speedos. didn't they get the fashion memo years ago. A Polish gentlemen told me that's common beach apparel for the Russians, they like their speedos. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0375.jpg Scene at the beach https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0372.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0364.jpg Scene at the beach https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0360.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../07/dsc_0355.j |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Greece Continue
After having spent 4 days lazing about at the beach resort in Olympiakis Akti, I was anxious for a change of scenery. Lying about like an iguana on a beach is not my thing.
I was looking forward to heading down to Athens, the capital of Greece, there are a lot of interesting tourists sites in the capital. There is a major tolled road from Thessaloniki all the way down to Athens, 650 kms which If I wanted to I could have done in an all day ride, but since I was in no rush, I stopped off along the way for a few days in Loutra Ypatis, which is about half way from Thessaloniki to Athens. Loutra Ypatis is a little community outside of Lamia. The town sits at the slopes of a mount Oiti. The area around the mountain is set up a nature reserve. Loutra Ypatis is noted for its thermal sulfur springs. There is a spa pool setup around the waters of the thermal spring. According to the Spa's website, bathing in the waters of the spring will cure just about every affliction known to man. So ...!! After spending a few days soaking in the thermal waters of Loutra Ypatis I should emerge new and revitalized. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0407.jpg In front of spa building I found an excellent hotel in Loutra Ypatis just a block away from the Spa complex. When I first rode into Loutra it was like riding into a ghost town. No one out and about in the streets. Maybe because of the oppressive afternoon heat, everyone was hiding out in the confines of their air conditioned homes. I rode around the village (too small to even call it a town) there is nothing here but a few hotels and a number of buildings that look like they are private condos, well everything here looks pretty deserted. The one thing I noticed right away about Loutra is ever present hum of cicadas chirping in the background. The noise is overpowering. I hope my room has good sound insulation. I spent two days in Loutra Yaptis. After an early morning hike up into the mountains I spent the afternoon at the thermal springs. The hot water pools are actually very relaxing. The waters are not much more than lukewarm in temperature. The pool area has a slight sulfurous smell to it. There were probably 40-50 people at the spa at the time that I was there. Already feeling like a new man. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0404.jpg Park near spa in Loutra Ypatis https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0409.jpg My hotel in Loutra Ypatis https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0410.jpg The dog days of summer https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0415.jpg Ornate church building in town https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0416.jpg Following trail up into mountains https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0429.jpg Some of the scenery around Loutra Ypatis My long anticipated visit to Athens did not turn out to be as eventful as I hope it to be. After my first day's arrival to Athens I was stricken with a bad case of the tourist disease. I have suffered bouts with Montezuma's revenge but this Greek variant of travellers diarrhea is even worst. I was laid up for three days trying to recuperate from my illness. The problem with travelling through some of these lesser developed countries is that you are prong to catching a bout of traveler's diarrhea. Coming down with TD quickly puts a damper on your travel plans. It has taken me three full days to recover. I managed to find my way down to a pharmacy which fortunately was only a few blocks from my hotel. While I was at the pharmacy talking to the pharmacist about treatment for my TD, a friend of the pharmacist came into the store who just happened to be a medical doctor. He gave me a free consultation and diagnosed that I had more than just a bad case of the "Runs" but probably had an intestinal inflection which would require an antibiotic treatment. I suspected that what I had was more than just loose bowls, the Imodium tablets I had been taking were not working. Turns out he was probably right, after a few days treatment on a antibiotic, I began feeling a lot better. During my three day planned visit to Athens, I had not ventured more than a few blocks from my hotel. I did not want to leave Athens with out at least spending one day visiting some of the historical sites, so I stayed over an extra day to do some sightseeing. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0446.jpg Inside metro subway station in Athens https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0447.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0448.jpg Finding my way to Acropolis museum https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0449.jpg Front view of Acropolis Museum https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0454.jpg One of the main display rooms in the museum https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0455.jpg A representation of what some of the sculptures adorning the Parthenon looked like. Many of the historical sculptures that use to adorn the Parthenon and the other temples around the Acropolis were looted from the site many years ago. The worst of the looters was a British fellow called Lord Elgin who removed the best parts from the Acropolis and had them shipped over to England, where they now sit in the British Museum. Greece for over the last 100 years has been pressing the British Museum to return the Elgin (Parthenon) marbles to the nation of Greece. At the time that they were looted, Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0457.jpg A view of the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0458.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0463.jpg Another interior view around the Acropolis Museum https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0464.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0469.jpg A closer up view of the Parthenon https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0473.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0475.jpg Athens has a surprising good underground metro system. |
Motorcycle Wanderings Greece
Changes to my travel plans. While I was laid up in Athens recuperating from my severe bout with TD, I made a decision to nix my plans for visiting Turkey. When I first started making plans for my around the world ride, I had intended on heading east across Europe from Ireland, eventually making my way across Russia, Mongolia and South Korea with my eventual return home to Canada via Vancouver. My plans where scuttled when I was unable to get a visa to enter Russia. I have talked to other people who have applied for the regular 30 day multi-entry tourist visa for Russia and was told that it normally takes a week or so to get. I am not going to go into the details about why I was not able to get my visa, I was not denied a visa, but after 3 weeks of waiting I kept getting told my visa was not ready, I had already booked my flight and scheduled a date for shipment of my motorcycle . I don't know why it was taking them so long, maybe because I had an entry stamp for the Ukraine in my passport ??? . I was not keen on visiting Russia, but to get to Mongolia you need to travel through Russia.
I still had planned on going as far east as possible from Europe, across Turkey to Georgia and Armenia. But while in Athens, I decided to cut the Turkey-Georgia route from my travel itinerary. It would have meant spending a week or so back tracking from Georgia and Turkey to return to Europe, a distance of 3200 km or more. I do not think that it would have been a good investment of my time and money, so I have decided instead to head down into Italy and Sicily from Greece. Note: I am now in Italy while updating my blog and it was fortuitous that I decided not to travel to Turkey after all. If I had left Athens and continued on to Istanbul as planned, I would have found myself in Turkey right at the same time as the attempted military coupe. Athens is a large metropolitan city of 3.5 million people. Navigating my way out of the city during the early morning rush hour was no fun. Even with the guidance of my GPS, it was a challenge to find my way from downtown Athens to the main Hwy heading north. My next destination is Delphi. Delphi is a little tourist town in upper middle part of Greece. It is located on the side of a mountain plateau overlooking a river valley. Some of the most important archeological sites in Greece are found in Delphi. The road west leading into Delphi off of main Hwy 3 was some of the best riding I have experienced thus far in Greece. Nice winding mountain roads, well surfaced with incredible mountain vistas at every turn. I stayed in Delphi for three days. That gave me sufficient time to visit the local museums and other historical archeological sites. Aside from all the touristy stuff to do in Delphi, its just a cool place to hang out in. The views from Delphi to the valley below awe inspiring. A local was told me that Delphi has a naturally high concentration of negative ions in the air which promotes a sense of well-being in people. I am not sure if there is any credence to this or not, but I know that I felt fully recharged after leaving Delphi after my 3 day stay. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_04811.jpg View from Delphi overlooking valley below[/caption] https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0485.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_04891.jpg Touring archeological museum in Delphi Greece https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0497.jpg Touring archeological museum in Delphi https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_04901.jpg Some of the early weapons of mass destruction used by early Greeks to bash in each others brains https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0498.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_04911.jpg Greeks borrowed this design from Egyptians https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_04951.jpg Carving of horse https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_04961.jpg Most of Greek sculptures based on stories about their Greek gods https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0501.jpg Lots of statues with the heads and torsos chopped off https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0503.jpg A few more headless statues https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0506.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_05091.jpg One of very few existing bronze statutes existing from 500-400 bc Greece https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0516.jpg Touring the main archeological site around Delphi https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0521.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0522.jpg Sacred navel stone (Omphalus) dropped by Zeus onto earth. Where it landed marked the centre or navel of the world. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_05181.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0523.jpg The treasury Temple https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0534.jpg View of Temple of Apollo https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0538.jpg Amphitheatre https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0540.jpg The Serpent's column. There use to be a set of three snake heads adorning the top of the pillar. The original was rem oved from site. This is just a copy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_Column link to article on serpent column To get to Italy from Greece without having to backtrack up through the Balkans I booked a ferry passage out from the port town of Patras, Greece to Brendisi Italy. The road between Delphi and Patras was even better than the section of road coming into Delphi. The mountain road hugs the coastline all the way to Patras. If you look at a map of Greece you will see that you need to cross the Gulf of Corinth to reach the Peloponnese area of Greece and the city of Patras . For the 2004 Olympics Greece decided to construct a bridge to span the Gulf of Corinth.. I knew there was a bridge or causeway or something that crossed over the waters here, but I was not aware of the sheer scale or size of the bridge. Coming down from the mountains from the east side of the bridge, I could see the massive structure from miles away. While riding across the bridge I thought to myself, "This is a masterpiece of engineering and art". The bridge is really that impressive. It is one of the longest cable-stayed span bridges in the world. I only wish that I had recorded my ride over the bridge with my GoPro. I did a little more research on the bridge and it truly is an amazing feat of engineering on how it was constructed. I found this National Geographic video on YouTube describing how the Rio-Antirio bridge was built and the engineering challenges they face during its construction. A video of my ride from Delphi to Patras. https://vimeo.com/175132713">Motorcycling Greece Some more photos from around city of Patras. I liked Patras. It a hub of tourism. main centre of town is setup for pedestrians traffic only. Lots of restaurants, bars and clubs. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0542.jpg Street scene in Patras https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0545.jpg Lighthouse in Patras https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0547.jpg Islands offshore from Patras https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0553.jpg Church in Patras Street scene https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0558.jpg Front view of church https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0563.jpg View of harbour from on top of my hotel |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Italy
I have booked passage on a ferry boat from Patras Greece over to Brendisi Italy. There are a couple of companies that sail this route, Grimaldi Ferries were the only ones who had any available bookings for the day that I wanted to leave on.
According to the ferry schedule, the ship would leave Patras at 15:00 and arrive the next day at 8:30 local time. Italy and Greece are not on the same time zone, so I would be gaining an hour on my journey west. The hotel I was staying at in Patras were good enough to allow me to delay my checkout until 2:00. The hotel is only a kilometre's distance from the main ferry terminal. I had expectations that the passenger-car ferry that I would be sailing on would be at least as good as the Irish Ferries boat I sailed on from Ireland to France. Well! I was in for a disappointment. The Irish Ferries boat was excellent in all respects, the condition of the boat, the food service, the staff, nice cabin, all first class. The ferry boat from Grimaldi was called the Engnazia. From a distance the ferry boat seemed ok, but when it came time for me to board, I could see that this old tub had seen one too many sailings. The ferry boat was originally constructed in 1995, so that makes the boat over 20 years old. What is the life span of a passenger-car ferry? Whatever it is, this boat was on its last legs. The boat was half the size of the ferry boat I took from Ireland to France. Everything about the Engnazia was worn out, unkempt and dirty. The difference between the Irish Ferries boat and the Grimaldi vessel was like the difference between a champion pure bred dog and a mangy stray. When I first booked my ticket on the vessel, I was not able to get an assigned cabin, instead I was offered an "Aircraft type seat" whatever that is suppose to be. As it turns out there were a number of people who did not turn up and I was able to upgrade my ticket from a seat to a private cabin. More likely, people showed up, took one look at this old scow and changed their minds. When I was upgrading my ticket the agent on the boat told me that they did not have any inside or outside cabins, only interior cabins. I told him anything would do, so long as I did not have to sleep in a chair tonight. An attendant led me to my room, after 6 or 7 right and left turns down different corridors we arrived at my cabin which was located in the very bowels of the ship. Now I know why they classified this cabin as an interior cabin. If this ship goes down during the night there is no way I am going to be able to find my way back to the surface. One good thing about my cabin, my port window gave me a panoramic view of the bow of the ship. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...ce-ferry-3.jpg Waiting at ferry terminal in Patras https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...ce-ferry-1.jpg One of the car ferries preparing to leave port for Italy https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...ce-ferry-2.jpg View out of the portal window of my cabin I checked the ships registry, the ship is capable of carrying 116 passenger, I did not count more than 40 people onboard and half of those were truck drivers in passage with their trucks. They had a restaurant onboard the ship which was only opened between 8:30 and 10:00. It is not hyperbole when I say that this ship served the worst food I have every tasted. I am fairly certain that the cook learned his culinary skills while imprisoned in a Russian Gulag camp. No meal choices, it was boiled chicken, (I think it was chicken?), cabbage and soggy pasta, all for 24 euros, ooh! and you got a piece of stale crusty bread to go with your meal. I may be not too far in my assumption about the cook, the ship's registry shows that the boat has passed through 6 owners since it was commissioned, before being taken over by Grimaldi Lines it was operated by TransRussia. I had some good company on my trip over, there were at least 5 or 6 other bikers making the passage with me, most were on short holiday rides. They all seemed quit taken by the fact that I had been on the road touring for the last couple of months. I was more than relieved to finally get off the boat when it finally arrived in port at Brindisi. What I immediately noticed when I left the port at Brindisi was how much cooler it was over on this side of Italy. For the last 3 weeks I have been riding around in 35 degree C temperatures. It was such a relief to finally be riding around in comfortable temperatures for once. I like it. On my first day in Italy I made it as far down as Torre Melissa which is a small beach resort town just north of Crotone Italy. as I have mentioned earlier in my blog, I am not into the beach scene. But I will say that I really enjoyed my time in Torre Melissa. I had a very nice beach side hotel overlooking the Adriatic. Unlike where I stayed at in Greece, this place was less crowded. I liked it because you did not have to contend with the suffocating heat and humidity that I was experiencing in Greece. The beach was a bit stony and the waters deep and cold, not best conditions for swimming, but still an excellent beach for just walking along the shore line watching the waves come in. I wanted to stay for at least 3 days but was told I had to leave after only 2 days. The place was booked for a convention or something. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_0567.jpg" Some castle I cane across while riding down from Brindsis to Torre Melissa https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0572.jpg View from balcony of my hotel https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0573.jpg Courtyard of Hotel Melissa https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0574.jpg Overlooking the Adriatic Sea https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0576.jpg Scene of beach below hotel https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0579.jpg scene at beach below hotel https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0584.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0588.jpg Front view of Hotel Melissa in town of Torre Melissa I left Torre Melissa early next morning, I was headed for the town of Catanzaro which is mid way across the bottom part of the instep on the boot shaped country of Italy. Google maps showed it to be only a 1.5 hour drive if I followed the main highway, as I was in no rush today and wanted to explore some mountain roads, I plotted a circuitous route through the mountains instead of following the flat lying coastal route. My ride this day turned into the most challenging of my trip to this date. The first sections of the road up into the mountains were along well maintained roads, easy riding. But this was to all change as I ventured onto some of the less travelled roads in the mountains that my GPS guided me to. I rode across some roads which I am sure that no human or goat has passed along in years. I spent several hours riding through these one lane trails which often times were so overgrown with brush that even with the narrow width of the motorcycle it was an effort to get through. I did not take any photos or films along this route, I was too busy in survival mode to even think about recording this adventure ride. The road to Catanzaro What I thought would have been a casual 3 hour ride through the mountains turned into almost 6 hours. I finally arrived at Catanzaro around 4:00 in the afternoon. At the end of a long hard day's ride I was looking forward to settling in to my B&B. Well! that was not to be, as I soon discovered Catanzaro is one of those ancient Italian cities with a street network inherited from the romans. To start with there is not one flat spot in all of Catanzaro, the road network is a maze of steep cobble stone street, narrow alleyways and the most frustrating of all, most streets are designated as one-way. Combine that with the fact that half of the downtown streets are either closed or under construction and you have the recipe for a navigation nightmare. I spent 2 futile hours riding around Catanzaro trying to located the B&B that I had booked for the night. Nobody I asked seemed to recognize the name of the street. I finally stopped and asked a couple of police officers if they know where the street was, they radioed ahead and had two motorcycle officers come by and escort me to the street address. The officers lead me to the street and then left. It turns out I was on the right street but not where my B&B was located. Seems they have another street with same name but a couple of blocks away. None of the locals even knew how to get to it, as there was no way to navigate from where I was, as all the streets around here were one way going the opposite direction to where I wanted to get to. Eventually, I just said screw it and stopped at the first hotel that I could find. I saw a bunch of comments on the Booking.com site about this B&B, most of the comments related to how difficult it was to locate the B&B and how they had to get the owner to come and show them the way to the B&B Add Catanzaro to my list of places I never want to visit again. On to Villa San Giovanni I am off to San Giovanni this morning, I plan on overnighting there and then catching the ferry boat over to Sicily. San Giovanni is only 170 km along a good paved highway from Catanzaro. It should be an easy ride. For anyone planning to ride through mountainous countries in Europe, be prepared to ride through lots and lots or tunnels. Over the last month I have probably ridden through a couple hundred tunnels, with tunnels ranging in length from a 100 meters to several kilometres in length. In each and every instance, the tunnels have been well lighted, with lights installed on the ceiling and sides of the walls, also the tunnels have reflective markers on the sides to help guide you through the tunnel. Along Hwy SS280 about an hour's ride west of Catanzaro I had a complete and total WTF moment. As I rode up to the entrance of the tunnel I immediately could see that something was amiss with this tunnel. Usually as I ride up to the entrance of a tunnel I can see a set of entrance lights and usually a strip of reflective paint on the pavement to give you an indication if the road entrance is straight or curved. I rode into the tunnel going about 80 to 100 kms and soon discovered to my horror that the tunnel was completely unlighted. Within a matter of seconds I was enveloped in complete darkness. There were no vehicles ahead of me to light the way or any cars in back of me. I was along in the tunnel now in complete darkness. I do not know how long I was riding in the dark, if it was a few second or more, I continued riding until I saw a bright light marking the exit to the tunnel. I kept my eyes focused on the tunnel exit, I had no sense of spatial awareness, I did not know if I was riding in the middle of the tunnel or was about to crash into the side of the tunnel wall. This went on for what seemed like forever, I could feel the bike began to wander off its course, I looked down just in time to see that I was now steering towards one of the walls. By now I was close enough to the exit that I could safely ride out of the tunnel. Between where I was on route SS280, I would have to pass through another 30 - 40 tunnel sections, all the rest were properly lighted. I discovered at a gas stop, that my low-bean headlight was not working. I still had my hi-beans and my accessary lighting which I now used when entering the other tunnel sections along the route. I do not know when exactly my headlight first failed. I usually do a safety inspection on my bike before riding off every morning. When I got into San Giovanni that afternoon, I was able to quickly determine that the bulb was burnt out and replace it with a new one. I have ridden through other unlighted tunnels in the past and even with a working headlight it is still difficult to ride through the tunnel especially at speed. I will not soon be forgetting this incident. One of the sad medical facts about aging, is that as you get older your night vision begins to deteriorate. Two things begin to happen, first you eye pupils lose their ability to adapt quickly to changing levels of light and secondly, the rods on the back of your eyes that help you see in the dark begin to die off. They say that a man over 50 has half the night vision of a 21 year old. Yea.. it sucks to get old!! Tomorrow I will catch the ferry from San Giovanni over to Messina Sicily where I will be visiting and planning a hike to the top of the Mount Etna volcano. |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Exploring Mt Etna in Sicily
The ferry schedule says that there were ferries crossing over from Sam Giovanni to Messina Italy every 20 minutes, yet I have been at the port terminal for over 40 minutes and still no sight of the ferry. The ferry is suppose to take only 20 minutes to cross over the straits of Messina. The straits of Messina is the channel in the Mediterranean Sea separating Sicily and Italy. At its narrowest point the straits are only a couple of miles apart. There has been discussions for over a hundred years about building a bridge across the straits but beyond talk and promises from a succession of Italian presidents, the project has never gone beyond that. They estimate that it would cost over 10 billion euros to build, something that the Italians and their current state of economy can not afford.
Finally after an hour of waiting, the ferry shows up. I ride into the ferry boat and park my motorcycle. There is another bike rider there that I was talking to while waiting for the ferry to arrive, he see that I was about to leave my bike helmet on my bike while I went up on deck. He comes over to me and says, "My friend I think you better bring you helmet with you. You are now in Sicily, many people here are poor, and the poor like to steal." Once I arrive in Messina and began my ride down to the town of Zafferana Etna where I would be staying for the next few days, you could readily see that Sicily is the poor cousin to mainland Italy, the roads, infrastructure and towns have a decidedly developing third world look to them. My hotel was located a few miles outside of Zafferana on the main mountain road leading up to Mount Etna. This place should serve as a good base from which to explore Mount Etna. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0593.jpg One of the ferry boats crossing between Villa San Giovanni and Messina Sicily https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0596.jpg View of Mount Etna as I start my ride from Zafferano Etna to Rifugio Sapienza at 1800 m It took about 15 - 20 minutes to ride up my hotel above the little village of Zafferano Etnea to the main tourist hub of Rifugio Sapienza. During the winter months there are two ski resorts that operate on Mount Etna. When I first visit Mount Etna many years ago, I did so during early April and took the opportunity at that time to ski on the snow covered volcano. I remember it being late in the ski season and there was a light covering of black volcanic ash over the snow from a recent flare up. It did not make for the best of skiing. In late July there is not a trace of snow up in the mountains here, even at elevation above 3300 meters. The main tourist hub is at an elevation of 1800 meters, for those more hardy than me you can start you ascent to the summit from here, but that would be a good 3 - 4 hour hike to the top, I like most of the tourists here took the cable car from Rifugio Sapienza to the 2500 meter elevation. At the top they have a number of restaurants, guides and buses waiting for people. They charged 33 euros for the cable ride up here and for those not willing to hike up the rest of the way, you can pay an extra 33 euros and be bused up to the summit of the summit. They have an army of these 4 x 4 mini buses going up and down the base camp to the summit. I elected to hike up to the summit from the base camp at 2500 meters . Most days I am told that the top of the mountain is covered in clouds and the winds can get pretty cold and nasty at top. I came equipped with extra layers of clothing knowing that it can get cold on top. I was surprised at the number of people attempting the hike, wearing nothing more than sandals, shorts and a T-shirts. It took about an hour to an hour and half to reach the summit. The hike was a lot tougher than I expected, it is really hard walking on the steeply pitching trails and walking on the loose volcanic ash makes the effort doubling more difficult. About half the people who started the trek with me, gave up before even reaching the summit. I made it. My legs were pretty sore the following day, but I made it all the way to the top. At the top of Mount Etna there is not one large volcanic crater but a series of 4 - 5 craters. The main crater that is observed from afar, was not accessible to the public, the route up to the very top of the main crater was closed off. The very top of Mount Etna is at 3329 metes, I probably got within a few hundred feet of the actual summit on my hike. Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanos in the world. It is in a constant state of activity, with daily minor tremors and smoke bilging out of one of its 5 craters. The last major eruption was recorded back in 2013. Many of the eruptions do not occur at the summit but along its flanks where a fissure will open up and lava will start spilling out from the fissure. Some of these eruptions will see lava fountains shooting molten rock a 1000 feet or more into the air. There are reported to be at least 300 lava vents on the flanks of the main volcano. Mount Etna has been active since before 1500 bc and since that time it has erupted over 200 times. Back in 2008 there was a major eruption that destroyed the cable car at Rifugio Sapienza, you can see the remains of the destroyed cable car when riding up on the newer current cable car. Makes you wonder why people would choose to live so close to an active volcanic. The volcanic ash makes the soil around here very fertile, its like a natural fertilizer for plants. Video of my ride and hike up to summit of Mount Etna https://vimeo.com/176051909 https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0598.jpg The cable car takes you from 1900 m up to 2500 m elevation https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0600.jpg It takes 15 -20 minutes by cable car to top https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0614.jpg Cable car brings you up to 2500 m https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0615.jpg You have choice of taking 4 x 4 mini bus to summit of Etna or hiking up to 3300 m elevation https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0617.jpg You know you are at high elevation when you are at eye level with clouds https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0619.jpg Starting my hike from 2500 m to summit of Mount Etna at 3300 m https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0625.jpg There are numerous lava flows and cinder cones on flanks of Mount Etna volcano https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...6/07/dsc_0627. Its a long tiring hike up to the summit https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0630.jpg Numerous trails to follow https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0633.jpg Getting closer to top https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0635.jpg Mount Etna is not just one volcano cone but 4 or 5 with several hundred smaller cinder cones along its flanks https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0641.jpg Looking down into the collapse crater of a cinder cone. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0644.jpg Spectacular view from summit of Mount Etna https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0646.jpg Amongst the volcanic ash is outline of more recent lava flow https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0647.jpg Most of these people took the bus to the top https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...7/dsc_0650.jpg Overlooking one of the volcano cones at summit of Mount Etna |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Riding the Apennine Mountains of Italy
I have been finding the weather in southern Italy a little too warm for my liking, so I am headed north for the cooler climes of the Alps.
The last few days since I left Pompeii, have been "travel days", no destination in mind, just riding north in search of mountains. Along the way I stayed overnight in a couple of small Italian villages which were along my travel route. The highway north passes through the regions of Umbria and Tuscany, I did not see much as I kept to the main Highway, stopping occasionally for gas and food. I was considering spending a few days visiting Florence but was not able to find any suitable accommodations close to the old part of the city of Florence. Hotels, B&B or any sort of accommodations located near the old part of the Florence was priced out of my budget ($200-$300/night). There were a few places 10 - 15 kms away that I could have stayed at, but that would have meant having to ride the motorcycle into Florence to do any sightseeing. For those of you who have not been to Florence before, much of the old section of the city is closed to car traffic, and finding a place to park even at a distance from the historical parts of Florence is very problematic. So I am giving a pass to visiting Florence. Here is what I missed out on!! https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...panoramica.jpg City of Florence Italy After two or three days of riding the toll roads north, I finally was able to get off the expressway and on to some mountain roads. I experience some of the best riding in Italy along section of Hwy SS45. Some of the best motorcycling roads in Italy are to be found in the upper regions of the Apennine mountains here. The road between Torriglia -Gorreto - Bobbio is one of the most memorable roads I have ever ridden. The road follows the course of a river that meanders through a series of river valleys below. Its a road of a million curves. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...to-gorreto.jpg What motorcyclists like to see on a map! Squiggly lines Video of My Ride along Hwy SS45 https://vimeo.com/177677090 https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0757.jpg My hotel in Attiglianio Italy https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0761.jpg Around streets of Attiglianio https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0764.jpg Around streets of Attiglianio Italy https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0769.jpg Around streets of Attiglianio Italy https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0770.jpg Around streets of Attiglianio https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0772.jpg Heading North along Hwy A11 https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0774.jpg My hotel in Gorreto along Hwy SS45 I stayed overnight in this motorcycle friendly B&B. The place is a favorite hang-out for local motorcyclists looking to ride the mountain roads along Hwy SS45 https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0792-copy.jpg Main plaza in village of Mori Italy https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor..._0806-copy.jpg Hotel I stayed at in Mori I found a good little Hotel to stay at in Mori. Its a Hotel-Bar-Restaurant. Very friendly English speaking staff who run the place. The place was great, located right in center of village, but as I soon found out, it was located right across the plaza from a Church. The bell tower of the church was on same level as my hotel room. Every hour on the hour starting from 6:30 in the morning the church bells are rung. When the bells were being rung, it sounded like the bell tower was right in my hotel room. What a noise!! Its like this all over Italy in all these little village town, you hear the constant clanging of the church bells. Make it stop!! https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0807.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0780.jpg Wall mural in Mori Italy https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0782.jpg Have not seen too many of these before! A Citroen 2 CV6 car 600cc 29hp The 2cv was design back in 1934. The design team at Citroen were tasked with developing a cheap affordable car for the many rural people of France. The stated design requirements was to build a car that would enable four small farmers in clogs to transport 50 kg (110 lb) of farm goods to market at 50 km/h (31 mph), and if necessary across muddy, unpaved roads. The car would use no more than 3 litres of fuel to travel 100 km I love this story about a French adventurer who got stranded in a Moroccan desert when he broke the frame and swing arm on his Citroen 2 CV. No problem, he took the Citroen apart and turned it into a 2 wheeled motorcycle. Link to story about the French adventurer http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/m...is-broken-car/ |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Innsbruck Austria
I am now in Innsbruck Austria. The immediate impression you get when you first enter Innsbruck is that this town is first and foremost an Alpine community. The town sits in a valley bookended on two sides by towering snow capped mountains. During the winter months, Innsbruck is mostly known as a skiing destination, but during the summer months its becomes a favorite place for cyclists, hikers and climbers and for tourists who want to take in the vibe of being in an alpine setting.
Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics back in 1964 and also in 1976. From my hotel room I can look out my window and view the ski jumping facility. Downtown Innsbruck is what you expect of any major tourist town, its a bit garish, again its looks like the folks from Disney were hired to design the Alpine looking buildings with their steep pitched roofs, turrets and spires. This seems to happen to many popular tourist destinations around the world, tourists have an expectation what a place should look like and over time, the town planners slowly transform the town to meet those expectations of further attracting more visitors to their town. I was planning on only spending two days in Innsbruck, two days is enough to take in all the sights of Innsbruck, but on the day I was set to leave, a violent weather system swept into Innsbruck, bringing in high winds and heavy rains. There was no way I was going to attempt riding a motorcycle across mountains roads in such weather, it would of made for a long miserable day of travelling. I am in no rush, so I'll spend another day in Innsbruck. One of the popular things to do in Innsbruck is to take the modern Nordkette cable car from the center of Innsbruck to the top of the mountain. It took rides in two separate cable cars to transit to the top of the mountain. When I arrived at the top of the mountain, it was under clear blue skies, providing fantastic views of Innsbruck below. At the top of the mountain you find a cafe. Lots of trails for hiking. No chance to take any photos, my camera battery died. I will need to return another time. They charged 32 Euros to ride the cable car to the top of the mountain. Travelling is not cheap. Some photos from my stay in Innsbruck Austria. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0809.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0811.jpg View of Triumphal Arc https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0818.jpg Walk along Maria Theresa Street in Innsbruck https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0822.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0830.jpg Scenic view along the Inn River in Innsbruck https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0833.jpg View along Inn River https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0836.jpg Colorful buildings along Inn River in Innsbruck https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0837.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0842.jpg Backside view of St James Cathedral https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0845.jpg Outdoor book library https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0847.jpg View of ornate Helblinghaus Baroque building https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0852.jpg Walk along Maria Theresa Street https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0853.jpg City Tower https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0859.jpg Walk along Maria Theresa street https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0862.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0863.jpg Street Tram in Innsbruck |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Stuttgart Germany
I am headed this day to Stuttgart Germany. The route from Innsbruck Austria to Stuttgart will take me through windy sections of mountain roads through the Alps and eventually the road connects up with the autobahn which connects with Stuttgard.
I was expecting to have an easy ride through the mountain sections of the route. When you are on a remote mountain road, the last thing that you are expecting to contend with is traffic congestion. There was so much traffic on the little mountain road along route 177, that progress was very slow. It took over an hour just to ride the few kilometers along the windy mountain road to the top of the mountain pass and then about half that time to make the descent to the other side. The mountain road had numerous hairpin turns along its course, and cars were lined up bumper to bumper along its entire length. It hard enough driving in traffic like this in a car, it is doubly more difficult on a motorcycle when you are having to control the weight of a heavy motorcycle at slow speeds, and constantly having to squeeze the clutch and brake levers. Your hands get pretty tired. I thought that once I was clear of the mountain roads and back on to the Autobahn that my progress would be better, but there were numerous stops and waits for construction all along the way to Stuttgart. Stuttgart is one of the larger cities in Germany. People probably recognize the name as many of the major car companies, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche have their headquarters centered in Stuttgart. The Germans proudly proclaim that Stuttgard is the cradle of the automobile industry as Stuttgart was where the automobile manufacturing industry first got started. I spent a couple of days in Stuttgart, I found a hotel not too far from the centre of town. Stuttgart is an eclectic mix of old historical building and new 21st century design. Much of Stuttgart was destroyed during the war. I read somewhere that as much as 60% of the buildings located in the main parts of Stuttgart were destroyed during the numerous bombing raids by the Allied forces. Over the span of WWII, over 140,000 bombs were dropped on Stuttgart. Some of the old historic building were rebuilt after the war, but much of what you see today in downtown Stuttgart is of more recent construction. I remember when I was travelling through Ireland, I was staying at a B&B with a fellow from Stuttgart and he lamented that Stuttgart no longer had any historical character, as much of it had been destroyed during the war. Regardless of that, I found it to be an interesting, vibrant city to visit. They have one of the longest pedestrian walkways in Germany. On the weekend that I was there, the downtown area was taken over for a local music and food festival. One thing I noted on my visit to Stuttgart is that the population of Stuttgart is not very Germanic looking. I did a little research on-line, 40% of the population of Stuttgart are immigrants, who have settled in Stuttgart seeking employment. The city certainly has a very diverse multi-cultural population. They have a mega construction project going on, called Stuttgart21,. Its a railway and urban development project in the heart of downtown Stuttgart. they are upgrading the current railway infrastructure and moving the system underground. This is all being done in order to better integrate their current railway system with the Trans-European rail network. Its a 6.5 billion Euro project. Its a big world class construction project. They have a well developed underground subway system in Stuttgart, so it is easy to get around. Both Porsche and Mercedes have major car museums in Stuttgart, paying homage to their automotive history. I liked Stuttgart, it was an interesting place to visit, lots to do and see. Be warned!!, the traffic congestion on the surrounding roads can be pretty horrible. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0869.jpg Lots of modern looking contemporary designed buildings in Stuttgart https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0872.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0882.jpg Main train terminal https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0885.jpg Hauptbahnhof train terminal https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0891.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0894.jpg View of new Mercedes-AMG GTS car. Out of my price range https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0895.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0896.jpg Stuttgart Museum https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0898.jpg Some more examples of modern contemporary architecture https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0901.jpg Walking along main pedestrian walkway in Stuttgart https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0905.jpg Old clock tower in center of Stuttgart https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0907.jpg Downtown Stuttgart taken over for Summer Fest https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0912.jpg In the Schlossplatz plaza https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0916.jpg View around Neues Schloss buildings https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0917.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0921.jpg Summer Fest setup in Schlossplatz |
Motorcycle Wanderings - The Rhinland Germany
I have been to Germany a number of times in the past, before but have never have had the occasion to visit the Rhineland area of Germany. So after leaving Stuttgart, I have plotted a route to take me into the heart of the Rhineland.
This is not the first time I have I travelled to the Rhine River. On a visit to Switzerland some years ago, I travelled to the headwaters of the Rhine River from were it first starts out in Switzerland. From its primary source in south-eastern Switzerland, the Rhine River flows north through the Rhineland and the Netherlands eventually discharging into the North Sea, a distance of over 1200 kilometers. Going as far back as the times of the Romans, the Rhine and Danube Rivers marked the frontier boundaries of the Roman Empire in Europe. The Rhine severed as a trade route and means of communication across the hinterland regions of the Roman Empire. The Romans developed numerous forts and signal stations along the Rhine, and kept fleets of ships based along the river to maintain control over their frontier territories. Over the years many I important commercial towns were established on the banks of the Rhine River. I was told by some local Germans that I met in Stuttgart that if I was interested in spending some time visiting the Rhineland I should visit the resort town of Boppard which is situated right on the Rhine River. Its a tourist town, mostly frequented by local Germans. Boppard is situated on one of the more notable sections of the Rhine River, along the Rhine Gorge, where the Rhine River is channel through a series of narrow valleys. This area with its unique physical geography, has been declared a UNESCO Heritage site. I spent a couple days in Boppard. A very interesting little town. Lots of tourist facilities. Many of the cruise ship companies offer cruises down the Rhine River on these long and narrow barges and some of the companies make stopovers in Boppard. I was surprised at the level of traffic on the Rhine. From my viewpoint along the riverbank in Boppard, there seemed to be at least a couple of cargo or passenger barges passing by at any one time. The town was full of tourists when i was there, many seemed to be here on a cycling holiday. One thing I observed about many of the cyclists who were here, is that many were riding these new ebikes. Boppard... An interesting place to visit!! Video of my ride along the Rhine River between Boppard and Koblenz in Germany. https://vimeo.com/179049431 https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_1005.jpg View of my hotel in Boppard. Situated in a forest reserve. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_1004.jpg Walking around backstreets in downtown Boppard https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0999.jpg Along backstreets of Boppard https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0998.jpg Market area in centre of Boppard Germany https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0996.jpg In main market area of Boppard https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0992.jpg In the main market square in Boppard Germany https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0991.jpg Numerous restaurants in center of Boppard https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0985.jpg Street scene in Boppard https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0977.jpg Passing cruise boat along Rhine River near Boppard https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0973.jpg Many of the cruise ship companies have their own private docks setup in Boppard https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0970.jpg View of the boardwalk along the Rhine River in Boppard https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0967.jpg There are numerous medieval buildings in Boppard. It has a long storied history https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0960.jpg Passing cargo vessel along Rhine River. There is a lot ship traffic going up and down the Rhine River. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0957.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0954.jpg Another view of boardwalk in Boppard along Rhine River. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0952.jpg There several parks and gardens along the boardwalk. Very nice. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0947.jpg Another passing cargo barge https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0944.jpg View of town of Boppard Germany https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0940.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0937.jpg The Rhine River near Boppard passes through a gorge. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0934.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/dsc_0933.jpg Many ornate building around Boppard |
Motorcycle Wanderings - Bremen Germany
I was undecided where to go next after leaving the Netherlands. I had considered heading further north into Denmark and spending some time riding *around this Scandinavian country, from where I was in the Netherlands It would be a couple days ride to Copenhagen.*I have to* be back in Frankfurt in a weeks time to get the motorcycle ready for shipment back over to Canada. So rather*then spend a few hurried days travelling to Demark, I instead headed over to Bremen Germany, a 4-5 hour ride away from where I was in the Netherlands. *Some local Germans I had met at my hotel in Beekenberg and told me that if I was to visit the northern parts of Germany that I should visit Hamburg or Bremen. Bremen is renowned as being one of the cultural centers in Germany. It is home to dozens of historical galleries*and museums. It is a fairly large city located on the banks of the Weser River.
I really enjoyed my visit to Bremen. The town has over 1200 years of history behind it. Bremen sits on the Weser river, a historically important route for transportation and commerce**in Northern Germany. The city is another mecca for cyclists. The city is known as being a very walkable connected city. There are parks all over the place. They have over 800 kms of cycle paths throughout the city. My favorite part of the city is along the Weser river that cuts through the heart of the city. It is just a very liveable urban landscape. Very pleasant city. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11431.jpg Nice hotel I stayed at in center of Bremen https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11401.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11391.jpg Walking around center of downtown Bremen https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11361.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11331.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11311.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11281.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11261.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11251.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11241.jpg Interesting shot of art sculpture in atrium of building https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11221.jpg I just found this an interesting photo of truck and building https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11201.jpg Some of the interesting buildings to be seen in Bremen https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11161.jpg Glockenspeil House https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11141.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11131.jpg Entrance to Paula Modershon - Becker *Museum https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11111.jpg Area in center of Bremen https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11101.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11101.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11091.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11071.jpg Some of the Guild houses in main market square https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11051.jpg Statue of Roland the Protector https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11031.jpg Kids playing in main plaza https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11011.jpg View of Bremen Cathedral in Market Square https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_11001.jpg Deutsche Bank Building https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_10971.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_10931.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_10891.jpg Doomshof town square in Bremen https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_10911.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_10881.jpg https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor.../dsc_10861.jpg Stroll through park in center of Bremen |
Great adventure. Someday I would like do something similar.
Al |
Motorcycle Wanderings - The Return Home
It has now been over 2 weeks since I returned to Canada from Germany. I departed Frankfurt Germany along with my motorcycle.
I spent 3 days in Frankfurt Germany getting the motorcycle prepared for its journey back to Canada. I had no time to spend in playing tourist as I was busy getting bike ready for trip back to Canada. I had already made arrangements with Air Canada Cargo over a month ago to have the motorcycle air freighted from Frankfurt Germany to Montreal. I spent a full two days getting the bike cleaned up. I know that both Agriculture Canada and Customs Canada would be involved in the process of clearing my motorcycle back into the country and did not what to chance that some over zealous inspector would refused*to release my motorcycle*because they found some*clump of dirt or found an insect fragment struck to the bike**I remember *once returning from a trip to the Bahamas and having one of my running shoes confiscated because they found some tar like substance*stuck to the bottom of my sneaker. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...9/dsc_1153.jpg View of downtown Frankfurt as viewed from my hotel room. I*am not sure what is going on with all* the buildings being adorned with colored cones??[/caption] The process for shipping the motorcycle back from* Germany to Canada was similar to that I experienced* I had when I first flew the bike from Montreal to Dublin Ireland. First thing I had to do was to Contact Air Canada Cargo office in Frankfurt Germany . Both my bike and myself would be retuning to Canada on the same day. The motorcycle would be shipped out on an earlier more direct flight from Frankfurt to Montreal. I would fly out a few hours later, taking AC flight from Frankfurt - Toronto - Montreal. The AC Cargo agent told me that if both bike and myself arrived as scheduled,*I should be able to get the bike cleared through Canada Customs on the same day. AC Cargo told me to drop the bike off at their Cargo facility, located at the* Frankfurt Intl airport. Frankfurt Airport is a very large airport. The AC offices are found by entering through gate 26 (TOR 26) which is just west of Terminal 1 and 2. Entrance to the airport cargo facilities is restricted, so*you* need to sign in with the main control office which is to your immediate right as you enter the entrance to gate 26. The Air Canada Cargo building is at 455a, just turn left along the main road once your pass through the security barrier. Before I could drop off the bike at Air Canada Cargo*I *had to first get a dangerous goods certificate for the bike. AC Cargo gave me the name of a DG agent ( Deufol - 638 Cargo City Sud) the company is*located*on the south side of*the airport. I contacted Deufol**a week before*coming to *Frankfurt, they had the paper work prepared in advance of my arrival. For that piece of paper they charge me 40 euros ($60.00 Cdn), cheaper than the $100.00 I was charged when I first fly the bike over to Ireland. I* was surprised to learn that the cost of sending my bike back to Canada was the same as what I paid to first ship it over to Ireland. When I first discussed the details*of the*" Fly Your Bike" promotion with Air Canada representatives, I was told that the low fares only applied to flights from Canada to Europe and not between Europe and North America, but apparently it*must, as I was charged the same rate on the return shipment. To get the special Air Canada promotion rate, you must book your return flight with Air Canada. If you do not, they will charge you an extra $400.00 to the cost of your bike shipment. I got hosed by Air Canada when trying to arrange a flight back to Montreal. Air Canada as does many of the major airlines, charge a huge premium on single flight bookings on*their major international routes. I landed up booking a return ticked from Frankfurt to Montreal as the cost of a single fare between* Frankfurt and Montreal was twice that of a return ticket. The day before I was scheduled to fly out, I dropped the bike off at the Air Canada building, I signed a few more documents, paid them a bunch money, they gave me a Waybill number for the cargo shipment, and that was it! There was a bike in* the cargo holding area that was just shipped back from the US t Frankfurt. They just load the bike on the aluminum pallet, and then*secure *it to the pallet using 4- 5*ratchet straps. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/sam_1597.jpg In Air Canada Cargo facility art Frankfurt airport, getting motorcycle prepped for shipment back to Canada[/caption] https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...8/sam_1596.jpg Motorcycles are strapped down to an aluminum pallet for loading onto airplane[/caption] I flew out the next day, I arrived in Montreal early in the afternoon. I had no idea where the Air Canada customs facility was. I managed to track down a customs agent at the airport who made a few phone calls and located my motorcycle. Canada customs has a warehouse facility a few kilometers from the main airport, I was directed to go there. It should have only taken 10 minutes to get there by taxi but my driver was a bit clueless in trying to*find his way over to the Canada Customs office, he initially try to drop me off in front of a vacant lot, insisting that this was the* right*address as directed by his company's GPS unit. I pulled out my own GPS and*proceeded to *direct him the correct location. No tip for you !! Once I was at the Canada Custom office, it was just a matter of making a custom declaration on the bike and all the contents that were stored in the side panniers. I was in and out of the office in about 15 minutes with the customs release form. I handed this off to one of the Air Canada cargo reps and 10 minutes later my bike was delivered to the front loading door. The whole process was pretty painless, no high drama. https://ride4adventureblog.files.wor...9/dsc_1158.jpg The Canada Customs office, just down the hallway to the left, only about a 15 minute walk[/caption] Once back in Montreal I headed back to my home in Ottawa. I have decided to take a hiatus from my tour and attend to some personal*matters, I am relocating from Ottawa to Fredericton, New Brunswick. I sold my house in Ottawa before my trip and have now downsized to a condo in Fredericton.* My travels will continue but instead of travelling for extended periods of time I may now limit my travels to 3 or 4 weeks at a time instead. The world is a big place, no need to try and see it all at once. |
Thanks
Thanks Ride4Adventure,
I'm planning to ship my bike into Dublin this year w ACan from Vancouver, so your clear description of procedure helps a lot. |
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