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John Bickerstaff
John Bickerstaff

John Bickerstaff

traveled in 54 countries Read more
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  • John BickerstaffAnother Balkan Bike RideJohn Bickerstaff

    Main road mania

    June 16, 2025 in Kosovo ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Unfortunately it became apparent that the route into Pristina was going to be an endless busy main road. Thankfully when route planning I'd spied an intriguing cave complex nearby - very good reviews & not too far out of the way. That now had become a blessing. Quiet roads Ahhh. Wasn't sure what to expect but didn't expect to get there & get on a tour straight away. 2€ was a bit of a bargain & a perfect way to cool off. Again a little football talk but the main event was the epic formations & some of the bizarre things they were likened to - an elephant's foot to an Albanian eagle. The guide had to get some Serbian bashing in - apparently there was a stalagmite that looked like 2 fingers denoting peace. When the Serbians came they sawed 1 off because they didn't want peace. An invaluable and interesting half hour cooling off & then back out into the heat. By now, the outskirts of Pristina were looming and roundabouts were a particular source of confusion - no idea. Don't think they had either. Weariness was setting in but with 10 to go it was a case of grin and bear it. Caught another rush hour or more accurately gridlock hour. Relieved to see a bike lane, no matter how shit. Still had to endure endless pedestrians ambling in & out, standing in it because it was shady, parked cars... Hot & very bothered by the hotel - couldn't even work the shower. Once cooled & clean managed to get a new bottle from a nearby bike store & took in a positively reviewed pizza place. Chilled & very good.Read more

  • John BickerstaffAnother Balkan Bike RideJohn Bickerstaff

    Playing Chicken with a BMW

    June 16, 2025 in North Macedonia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Picnic breakfast in the park blemished only by a big dollop of donut jam ending up on my t-shirt. Not quite as bad being a Liverpool jersey. Proceeded to have a whistle stop tour of central Skopje. Tried to get down to the riverside cycle route but 3 flights of stairs & full panniers put paid to that. Passed the parliament building or at least that was my assumption based on the copious number of Macedonian flags outside - got to be going for a record. Getting into Skopje on a Sunday afternoon had proved fairly relaxed. Getting out during Monday rush hour less so. Satnav directed my up a no left turn. Decided to ignore the difficulties of crossing the road, the barrier & the fact that no-one was going up there. With good reason - wrong way up a one way. Had plenty- ish space to start off. But then self important BMW & Land Rover drivers were choosing go 2 abreast. With nowhere for me to go, it was a case of move in or run me over. Thankfully they weren't going fast & they chose the former. Bit hairy. Glad to get out of Skopje, not so keen on the looming mountains. Stumbled on the border crossing - again Satnav sent me down road with a queue of juggernauts. One driver poked his head & wagged his finger. Indicated to go back to the main road. Checked it was ok for bikes and ended up at the border. No queue for me - just some footie chat with the border guard. Had to nag for a stamp. Got across & it looked like there was a police reception for a gangland drug lord. Didn't help they were built like brick shithouses & all in black. Got my head down. Didn't want to get pulled over by these. 5 mins a huge convoy sped past. Hmmm. The next 10 or so miles were nice & rural. Passed the real Allianz Arena - none of your Bayern rubbish. Then downhill rather quickly - hit a big town - no sign to let me know. Mad busy main road, endless cat show rooms, scrap dealers, furniture showrooms and bizarrely the odd hotel. If it was going to be like this for the last 30 that wouldn't be good.Read more

  • John BickerstaffAnother Balkan Bike RideJohn Bickerstaff

    Pick a gate, any gate.

    June 15, 2025 in North Macedonia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Yet another stupid o'clock start. Car dropped smoothly enough & so to the bike drop - no queue to check in. Security cleared & everything was going so smoothly. Then the delight that is thunderstorms over Frankfurt. Not the first time. 15 mins delay turned into 45, then 90. Ended up having to board, depart the gate & park up until Frankfurt gave the go ahead. At least the plane was only half full. Couldn't figure out why the email came through saying hand luggage could be checked in because the plane was full. Eventually made it off but the endless updates for connecting flights told a story of an airport in chaos. And so it proved. Endless people dashing for planes. There was a 3 hour layover for Skopje so that wasn't too bad. Just had to get to the gate. Frankfurt is so big they laid on a bus to get to the other side. Eventually made it only to find that it had been changed. Then again, and again and again. But each & every time you had walk to the gate to find it had been changed. 5 gate changes & the thunderstorms had wandered somewhere between Frankfurt and Skopje. Another 45 min delay on a plane full of toddlers and babies. Nice. And to top it off the steward trashed my water bottle moving it for some idiot that had bought multiple suitcases on board. This might have been why the email was sent. Not the best start to the trip. Hopefully it will get better. Hit Skopje Airport 1 hour late. Immigration wouldn't stamp my passport - 50th country & no stamp - how dare they. Pulled over in customs - thought they were going to want a full unpacking but took it at face value that it wasn't a new bike. Look at the packaging lad. The assembly went well enough & on the road just after 4. Roads seemed a bit sketchy and as for the bike lanes. The original aim had been to check in & then cycle up to the Mt Vodno cable car. According to Google they stopped at 8. Going to require a quick turnaround. Quick stop at the main square for cash - thankfully after I was accosted by an American YouTuber trying to get cash out of me. Lame video idea - do one. Was a bit more polite. Last mile was a bit of a climb. Warden suggested that the last cable car might a bit sooner. Dumped bags and off up the mountain. Urgh. Out of climbing practice. Didn't help the lack of water supplies. Could see at each switchback that the views would be good. Parked up & headed to the ticket office - to find no cable cars running & what looked a very closed ticket booth. Rats. Except it wasn't. Just needed to wait till 7 & they'd crank it for 30 mins. Just don't miss the last one. Got some recommendations for Montenegro from one of the people waiting. Quick dash around - lots of mountain bikers up here and a closed bike shop. No breaks being caught so far. Lazy snack tea & an early-ish night. Going to be a hard day tomorrow.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Accidental haggler.

    October 13, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Out of the villa by 10 necessitated tidying and packing, though final bits and pieces could be put off till the car drop off at 8pm. Once sorted, keys handed over and thanks given it was off to the 'Capital' of the Konvale region where they hold a weekly folklore and culture day. Traditional Croatian dance, song and crafts. Not sure but there was substantial time to kill and it looked a pretty enough place when we drove through. Arrived to find numerous coaches and a car park pretty much full. Pulling in the punters in October - must be doing something right. Followed signs for our welcome drink which was a shot of wine liquor - bit early for that. Liz perused some of the local crafts. Apparently the performance started after mass at around 11.15 so settled on a central spec. The compere gave a welcome and narrated everything in 4 languages and in fairness it was very entertaining. The dancers were unfailingly smiley and very skilled at what they did. Must've been warm in the traditional costumes. The wife swapping dance was particularly funny - the blokes jumping and stealing the ladies when they could. Had a little mooch around the museum and church - apparently silk production and embroidery was big here and much of the historic artefacts had to be squirreled away during the war to protect from the Serbian invaders. Souvenirs bought, though little English was spoken - prices were written down. Liz ummed a little & it was taken as haggling - the price went down but not on what she was interested in. No matter - sorted & off to Cavtat to hit the 'beach' and get some swimming in. Soaked up lots of sun - banking it for the next few months. Walked both headlands and explored the backstreets of Cavtat. By 6 things were cooling down a little and fleeces were at the car but didn't really want to get to the airport too early as the flight was delayed. Ho hum - drop car off and hole up at the airport.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    The urge to scrump pomegranates.

    October 12, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Headed over to the local beach to cool off. Supposedly Prapatno Beach was one of the few in the area that is sandy - I knew Trstenik further down the coast was sandy so it was plausible. Liked the idea of getting in the sea without falling over or gouging feet on stones. Wandering around Ston there were beach shoes available which seemed a good idea, just as they had done 7 years ago then as now it was towards the end of the holiday - no point. If only I'd thought on 7 years ago that I'd need them next time I was in Croatia. Anyway they weren't needed at Prapatno. The sea was warm, the beach had benches on and there was a supermarket to get ice cream. Except it was only open when the camp site was open - out of season - no ice cream. Had a little walk to take in the colour of the sea - so clear. The only time in the whole holiday when there wasn't an abundance of pomegranate trees & yet to be able to pick one that is ripe.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Ston or Mali Ston that is the question.

    October 12, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Last full day - cast iron good forecast so explore a little further afield. Decided to try the Peljesac Peninsula - somewhere I'd been and was fairly sure would be quiet, though other than Dubrovnik everywhere had been. The road out was scenic, though plenty of Sunday drivers and not a chance of getting past. Admired if that is the right word the horror of the cruise liner sat in Dubrovnik and saw the consequences with the endless coaches out and about. Doubted that they'd make to our destination and so it proved. Opted to go with Ston first largely because the turn for Mali Ston had been and gone before awareness had set in. Half full car park and next to no-one about. Result. Decided to hit the walls before things got too hot. Wasn't worried about the levels of busy. Headed to entrance A - logic says the start would be A. Toilets and ticketing signs suggested we were in the right area but no-one at all to take money. Ah well do the walls and pay at the end. Doubts crept in when the few people walking the wall were all going the opposite direction - was it one way like Dubrovnik? Pushed to the back of mine and enjoyed the views. Tempted to walk the wall to Mali Ston but time wasn't on our side - a touch ambitious. Made it to entrance B where we found out that the ticket agent at A had been late and the ticketing system was down anyway so the only way to get tickets was to go online. Assured him I'd get onto it - he didn't seem too bothered so neither was I. Quick picnic lunch in the park while being glared down by a cat until he got scared off by a scrawnier cat - pussy. Back to the car and off to Mali Ston. Hit it just as a party of Japanese tourists were giving rounds of applause for getting off the coach safely (maybe) Ambled along the coast towards the 'beach' a loose term that didn't encourage swimming - left it to the confused ducks going round in circles. Couldn't find an ice cream so a quick look at the other side of the 'Great Wall of Europe' as they like to call it and the off to the beach.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Bite central.

    October 11, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Lazy morning by the pool & other assorted bits and pieces. In fairness the forecast wasn't promising but both shitty forecasted days have yet to yield any rain so pinch of salt should maybe be considered. Anyway post lunch and a little more pool messing decided to hit a couple of local(ish) coastal sites. First was the Prevlaka peninsula - the closest we'd get to Montenegro. Supposedly some wild scenery and views. On the way it looked like things had gone awry with the navigation as the border crossing loomed - no passport so we wouldn't be crossing. Turned off and entered an episode of Abandoned Engineering - my Sunday morning geeky viewing of choice. Punta Ostro, the most southerly point in Croatia had various disused fortifications dotted around like the mossie bites on my leg. God knows when they were from but the ladder up the side of the main fort was hideously tempting. Just explored the various paths and acquired further bites - invest in bug spray urgently. Headed for safer territory - Popovici beach - supposedly one of the most scenic beaches in the Adriatic. In theory the 2km walk down numerous steps and it being off- season should ensure it wasn't too Dubrovnik like. And so it proved - nice walk, quiet beach and a gorgeous swim in crystal clear waters. The stony shore was a little harsh but the setting sun just topped it off.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Big Windy

    October 10, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    Though things had been quiet so far in Croatia - gut feeling said Dubrovnik might not be. In fairness not just gut - cruise schedule had 2 beasts docked. That was better than Wednesday - 4 with around 7000 passengers. Long story short - early start to get the first water taxi from Cavtat. All being well hitting the big Dub for 9:15. There in lay the problem - got tickets & was told it would be going in 3 mins, except it wasn't there. In fairness it did arrive at 8:15, it just didn't have any fuel. Waited for them to fill up. Got going and about half way to Dubrovnik he turned back. They'd forgot a stop. Doubled back for 2 people that could easily have been picked up by the next ferry. Onwards to the next stop - mass pile in of kids. Eventually rocked up at 10- not the early arrival planned. Before we left we were told the last boat back would leave at 4 due to high winds. Looked and saw tour groups everywhere urgh. Thankfully the walls were pretty quiet. Did notice the winds were getting up. Admired the city from afar enjoying not being in the midst of the hoardes. Amazed at what they crammed in to nooks and crannys - allotments, basketball courts, restaurants perched in the most inopportune locations. Unfortunately noticed that the cable car to Mt Ord seemed to have stopped running so opted for a mooch around the alleyways of the old town before walking up to a city vista in the new town. Nice enough. Equally another ferry trip to Lokrum Island seemed to be pushing our luck. Decided to head back before the wind turned nasty. As it turned out that ship had sailed. When ours sailed boy was it choppy. For much of the journey it felt like little progress was being made - just being thrown around. Liz was not happy. A 45 min trip again took 75 mins and definitely a few shaky legs & queasy stomachs on arrival. An experience - maybe should've driven...Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Belly flop

    October 9, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Had a little mooch around the base of the castle again marvelling at what it must have been like trying to attack. Then pushed on for the coast, not too hot and sweaty though. Again the road to Molunat was promisingly quiet & when we got there the sign pointing to the car parking pointed down to an empty plot of concrete with seaweed strewn across it and waves lapping at its edges. Seemed a bit dodgy. Parked on the road - there were spaces - Molunat was quiet. Had a wander, looking for suitable swim options. Bought and ice cream - the woman took pity on us and let us off the 5¢ we were short. Eventually settled on a spec with a slither of sand & proceeded to dodge submerged rocks and fail at diving off the protruding ones. Undignified belly flops. Headed back to enjoy the sunset from the edge of the pool. Nice.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Our own private castle (ish)

    October 9, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Overnight torrential rain didn't bode well. Neither did the forecasts so a combination of that & Liz's need to do her hair led to a lazy morning. That said all the forecast rain for the morning didn't appear too likely. Scooted out to the local shop to re-stock & by lunch time all was well with the world - well the sun was out. Opted for a two pronged attack on the rest of the day. First tackle the local castle & then after getting hot & sweaty climbing up & down the ramparts, head to a quiet coastal village for a swim. The car park at the castle - Sokol Grad (which means Falcon Town) was virtually empty - a couple of cars - looking good. Almost managed to go in without paying. As we climbed 50% of the car owners were on their way out - taking their crying kids with them (well 1 was crying) Had the castle virtually to ourselves. Some great views of the valley from the castle walls. Liz almost broke one of the cannons & did some Roman numeral detective work. There were some well set out informative displays & you could see that they did recreations here at times - the forge & kitchens definitely looked used. By the time we were nearing the top the couple we'd been following had left. Literally our castle. Looking down you could see how impregnable this place would be.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Another dose of Cavtat cherry goodness

    October 8, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Autumn in this neck of the woods is subtle & easily missed. 7am looking out over the valley & the gentle coating of mist & the slight chill suggested it wasn't far off. Pre-breakie swim was off the agenda but things did warm up once the sun was out from behind the mountains. A couple of breakfasts, some lazing by the pool & a little planning. Decided to explore Cavtat - the local town & the villa guestbook suggested that there might be free parking somewhere rather than the main option which was somewhat expensive. The owners shed some light & post swim we were good to go. Luckily enough there was a spot left & just the small matter of a 15 min walk downhill. Lots of quiet walks around the various headlands protecting the sheltered harbour. Opted to nosey at the luxury yacht first & then take in the headland with the most 'beach' areas. The term beach is used loosely - mainly concreted sunbathing areas with access to the sea. Little evidence of sand. Still most of these areas were nice enough, plenty of shade as well. Ambled round, enjoying the sun & lack of hustle & bustle - all very quiet though there were quite a few British accents. Eventually settled at the most beach like offering and managed a swim. Bizarrely the sea was significantly warmer than the pool. Back to Cavtat for some lunch - sarnies & the most amazing cherry studel. My last meal in Cavtat was a breakfast of some superb cherries - seems apt. Found a bench looking out over the harbour & proceeded to be eyeballed by some very brave sparrows, not that they had any success. Headed round the southern headland dominated by the monolithic soviet era hotel (probably) Signs warned that food was not to be consumed & that sun loungers could not be reserved with towels or other personal items. That said the path became quiet & rugged. You could almost forget the hotel was there. Still, the circular route went through the grounds so it would be rude not to have a nosey. There was a finance and accounting conference on - don't think we fit in. Looked a nice enough place but the seaward side was definitely of the concrete monstrosity variety. Back to the car & back up the mountain to mess around in the pool & the evening sun.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Exploring the 'Bat Tunnel'

    October 7, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Thankful for the bits and pieces supplied by the owners - breakfast sorted but a supermarket stock up was the priority and a groggy Liz wasn't for being hurried. There are worse places to laze and admire the view. Dipped toe in the pool & was a bit chilly for a morning dip. Hang fire till things are warmer... Drive to the shops was fairly busy but thankfully it was the opposite direction - lots of coaches suggest that while it is very quiet at the villa there are still plenty of tourists. The car park at Lidl backed that up. Sorted for supplies back to eat & mess around in the pool. Getting in was a bit of a battle. Once in though there was the added bonus of inflatable assistance. Liz looked on in bemusement. Lounged in the sun for a while but boredom thresholds differed. Opted to see if the 'Ciro cycle route' that beat me twice on my Croatian cycle could be found. Apparently it ran a little north of the villa. Unfortunately no bike to explore it with but at least then there won't be numerous punctures or disastrous wheel buckling caused by aggressive dogs. Steep hike up & 2 options the high road or the low. Apparently one of the tunnels along the route has become something of a bat habitat - a bat tunnel (not cave) Went for the low - no tunnels but great views out over the Konvale Valley. Trail was quite overgrown - wouldn't have been great on my bike - definitely mountain bike territory. Back to the high route & the tunnels were located. The second looked more promising - 250m of darkness, dripping and puddles but not a hint of bats. Scanned further with torch still nothing but found a piece of artwork - hidden half way in the darkness. How many people would miss that? Back for tea & sunset.Read more

  • John BickerstaffCroatia Autumn 2024John Bickerstaff

    Manchester airport shocker...

    October 6, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    A late afternoon flight (5:15) afforded a relaxed journey to the dark side. That all evaporated at the car park - drop off / pick up lumped in with those wanting to park produced nasty queuing. Entrance had 4 lanes in that merged into 1. Terrible planning. Chunnered for a while. Hit the terminal to find all seemed quiet - worried about tempting providence before tackling security but literally no queue. Straight to the scan & didn't need to empty bags. Could it be that there would be a passable Mancunian experience. Once through - comfy chairs and no screaming kids - is this the fabled out of school holiday travel? Bizarrely seat allocation had been either side of the aisle. Hopeful that a quiet airport would suggest a quiet plane & so it transpired - cheery greetings either side of the air bridge & the promise of emergency exit seats that they charge £30 for - half full & no-one allocated to the seats. Can't think why. Extra leg room for free. Watched the sun set over Holland & onwards to a late arrival in Croatia. Apparently the keys to the villa would be in the door - sounds like a trusting little village. As it happened the arrival was early & with a half full plane the queue at customs, though the biggest all day was fairly insignificant. No bags to claim & everyone else seemed to be on a package with bags and a transfer - no queue at the car hire. Little Corsa & very dark & steep 20 min drive to the cottage. That said the directions given were spot on. Parked & the owner appeared as if by magic. Cottage all good - apparently the pool is a bit cold - we'll see...Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    Illegal apple strudel

    July 22, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    A 6.50 flight is always going to be challenging but having an 8 hour layover probably doesn't help. Such is having a flight re-arranged. Thankfully a taxi wasn't necessary - the first tram got in at 5.15 which while not the usual 2 hours was pretty close and the airport itself wasn't too busy so a couple of Euros was better than a taxi fare. All nice and smooth - boarded just as the sun was rising over the hilly backdrop of Nice. Aisle seat helped with my ankle - not sure trecking around Frankfurt was going to be the smartest move but hey what else can you do with 8 hours to burn. Pilot caused concern with his weather update - rain in Frankfurt & a wintry 17° Made it to Frankfurt airport by 8ish - no rain. Lies. Locate station and grab some breakfast was the priority. Google rather concerningly was stating that the walk to the station was 35 mins - mad considering the train into the city itself was 12 mins. More lies - 15 tops - but then Google is American. Tickets sorted, breakfast scoffed. Off to Frankfurt. Just need to find the correct platform - first try suggested the next train to the city was in an hour - surely not. Went back up and located the sign directing to trains to Frankfurt. Duh. Limited wait and a quick transfer into town. A couple of options stood out from the tourist suggestions the internet had produced - couple of towers to go up - Main Tower and the cathedral. In all likelihood the cathedral probably wouldn't have a lift so was rejected. Main Tower's lift covered the 54 floors at 18kph no less. Great views of the skyscraper frenzy that is Frankfurt. Considered the hop-on hop-off (ho ho) bus to avoid too much walking but a combination of price and time kicked it into touch. Short walk to the old town and the market square and then down to the river. Walked across the Old Iron Bridge & spotted the river cruise quay. There was a 50 min option that offered a different perspective and avoided walking too much. Went to get some drinks and cakes first and made sure we avoided the loud teenagers when on board. Didn't strike me as their thing & the way they conducted themselves suggested they'd been steamrollered into it. Glided along the Main, eating our cakes and listening to the delayed English commentary. It was only on our way off board that we saw the sign stating that no food was to be consumed on board. Ho- hum. Walked back along the river to the station via a very eclectic part of town - all manner of different restaurants and shops. Train & back into the clutches of air travel. Wouldn't let us go though the EU passport aisle - "it's the rules" If so why were we allowed to do that just 6 days ago. Sod Brexit and all its shittiness. Once through discovered that most of the restaurants were located in the rest of the terminals which were open to all but because we were through passport control we couldn't get to. Overpriced sarnie it is then.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    Contre la montre

    July 21, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    The big day - the final day and the race of truth against the clock. Unfortunately there wasn't as much riding on it as the organisers would've hoped. Unfortunately also the blisters on my ankle weren't subsiding as I hoped. Putting any footwear on risked bursting and infection so a quick trip downstairs to reception to ask for help - fortunately she spoke great English and located a dressing, tape and some dodgy scissors. Also told us where to find an open pharmacy - Sunday meant most were closed. Couple of tram trips and thankfully minimal walking. Bandaged ankle badly and hobbled to the tram. All pretty easy except managed to miss the escalator up. Pharmacist spoke English & Google helped as well. Got some jumbo blister plasters which he assured would do the job. Just get me through the time trial will do for me. Managed to get back to the tram in time for the return to still be part of the outward price so that cheered me up. Got plastered up & by now breakfast had pretty much passed so early lunch it was - sarnies on the prom, drops of rain & angry seagulls into the bargain. Plenty of cyclists heading into town. Decided against the Promenade de Anglais - whilst you'd get 2 views of each cyclist, guessed that it would be hideously busy. Instead, got the tram to the port and walked out of town along the route until we found space & there was plenty of specs. Also meant that it should be easier to get the tram back - didn't want to be walking back - that's what caused this blistery mess in the first place. Saw Cav & his final stage & it turns out that I was at his first stage as well - the London prologue in 2007. Nice. Suspect he didn't do much better in that. The good thing about where we were was that we could wander about and get different views. Saw some of them haring downhill, some coming into a dicey bend (Danish corner) There was a raised side street which offered an aerial view of the race and someone's celebration BBQ. He offered - but we declined - the 20m drop and the heavy handed police meant crossing was impossible. All communicated with gestures. Wandered back down to our preferred spec opposite Danish corner. The cyclists slowed down for the bend and it was quite lively as well, also had some Slovenians. Managed to keep upto date with what was going on through the app and watched a little bit of the ITV coverage - a world away from the last time trial - a piece of paper with the running order and hoping to find a big screen to get some vague idea of the winner. Knew the stage winner before we got on the tram. Back to the hotel to see the presentations and to find out Liz had won the fantasy cycle game by 4 points. Quick dash out for tea and pack for a very early start.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    L'arrivee finale

    July 21, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    A unique situation requires a unique response & such was Nice's responsibility - organise a Tour finale outside of Paris. The first of 2 stages had passed off smoothly. Now to the party. Not being party people, the fireworks would have to suffice. Unfortunately they were the final flourish way past bedtime. Decided to play it safe for tea - find the highest rated Thai restaurant nearish to the beach. Took in a wander round the harbour, with all the ridiculously expensive yachts. The Thai was in the rabbit warren that is the old town. The waiter was taken with my Feyenord top - found out as a fake when asked who my favourite player was. Oops. Very nice food. Wandered down to the beach & realised things were busy & loud. Couple of photos and scarper to find somewhere to sit & wait in relative peace. The DJs eventually finished & the main event - a combination of drones & fireworks. Initially thought they were using the drones to skimp on the fireworks, but nothing could be further from the truth. The drone animations were stunning and the fireworks spectacular. Only catch was getting back - the trams would either be a sweaty sardine can or have finished so a walk back it was. Got back to discover the bites on my ankle had been rubbing on my trainers throughout the night & had blistered spectacularly or rather disgustingly. Opted to wash them & hope they eased by morning.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    3rd time lucky

    July 20, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Just the small matter of getting the car back safely, getting to the hotel, hopefully dropping off the bags & then catching the penultimate stage of the tour and all likely to be in mid 30°s
    Local roads - no tolls but slower. Left plenty of time which was a good job. Found the car hire easy enough but had to fill up within 5km. Had one in mind but it meant crossing the tram line. Uncertain where & ended up going the wrong way up a 1 way. Swift turn around and around the block except it was the most tortuous route taking in the car hire as well. Eventually filled up & headed back. Couldn't figure out how to get into the car park. Liz scooted in to check. We'd gone past, so had to go round the tortuous block again. Made it & dumped the car no probs. Tram to town from where we were (classed as the airport) was €10 but if we walked 5 mins to the Phoenix Park stop it became €1.70 - no brainer. Nice Aircon to the hotel & the hotel didn't bat an eye to us dumping the bags. Breakie and off to the tour. Pastries on the Promenade de Anglais and even at this early(ish) the temperature was hot stuff. Once at the road closures decided to head onto the road for some shade. Had a couple of blocks and was then told off by a jobs worth gendarme. Don't argue with them. Later saw one literally drag a guy over the hoarding off the road. Headed back a block for a shadier walk into town. Took in the fan park - very busy & very hot. Weren't giving away stuff - had to do competitions or stuff. Tried to get a fan but got pasta. Strange that the only bike manufacturer there was Brompton. Took in the Caravan for a third time and settled down in a shady spot to await the cyclists. Turned out we weren't on the route so a quick rethink scoot & re settle in a shadyish spot. Again very busy. Hate to think what it'll be like tomorrow. Chatted to an Elderly English couple that had flown in just before all the computer chaos - lucky. The cycling wasn't chaos. Glided by as if 35° was nothing at all.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    First swim.

    July 19, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The small matter of getting to Nice or more accurately a distant (but cheaper) suburb of Nice. Either way a 4 hour drive with under half a tank of petrol and no idea how to adjust the display to show range. Worry about that when the light comes on. Was followed out of town by the Movistar bus - the first of many tour vehicles we stalked. The lunchtime stop at the services had too many tour / team employees to mention. The table behind us were watching it live but in Dutch / German. Couldn't get to the petrol station as it was blocked off for some strange reason so pushed on hoping the light wouldn't come on or at least Liz wouldn't see it come on. By my calculations we were 6 miles short but that didn't help when the light did appear. Thankfully avoided service prices but the price plumped for invariably was 10¢ more than the one just round the corner(ish) . Was now being followed by the Norwegian team bus. Unsurprisingly they weren't staying where we were. Checked in and delighted in the Aircon. Not so sure about the showers. Took a walk to the beach for a swim - at long last. There was sand which is an improvement on Nice & the water looked clean which was better than the lake. Stopped at the Marina for tea - which took a while - French don't do fast food.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    Remco's piss.

    July 19, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Another day, another stage - an absolute beast so the tour briefing goes. Starts at a tranquil lakeside retreat & ascends to hell and back, again according to the briefing. Cav'll be really looking forward to this. The ideal would be to head up into the mountains but pragmatism suggested otherwise - a 4 hour drive to Nice would've turned into 8 or more being stuck up a mountain behind 10 tonnes of tour traffic - a tour jam if you will. Decided to head to the lakeside start point which Google was saying was just 30 mins drive. Pleasant enough drive along the lake & dumped the car at the out of town supermarket. Toilets out of order there & McDonald's was closed. Good start. Followed the masses across the bridge & a friendly guy with a tour lanyard told us where the caravan of crap would be & where the start was. Onwards to battle with kids for fun size packs of snacks, hats and other assorted junk. It was at this point that an oversized strawberry shaped car approached that it dawned that glasses had been left in the car. Going well. Admired the tackiness and banked snacks, hats & suchlike - no weird beer though. Ambled back to the start - far less spacious than Gap & yet somehow managed to find ourselves at the team presentation. Cheered on Cav. Less enthusiastic about Jasper Philipson. Went back to the car for glasses & cold drinks / facilities. Back on site for the roll out up hill. Pog looked suitably relaxed. Cue everyone descending down to the retail park - even the team buses were queuing - this wasn't a good situation. Some poor guy was draining the shit & piss out of them before they left & as he unclipped there was spillage. Having to jump across Remco's piss wasn't on my Tour to do list.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    Double dose.

    July 18, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The absence of Aircon provided heat control issues particularly when most of the time was being spent outside in mid 30° heat. McDonalds and a river side walk through a park helped but an extended drive was called for. Decided to try to take in the race as it drew to a close - 80km to go. Google seemed to be saying traffic was ok so it was merely a case of finding somewhere to dump the car & somewhere shady to have lunch. Stopped off in Lidl for supplies and the journey was as easy as suggested. Found a car park & sat on the kerb in the shade. The gendarmería came round suggesting we move back a little. How close can the cars come & they can't be going that fast. Turns out wrong on both counts. Retired to an alternative shady spot. One of us darted around between spots. One stayed put cheering on Cav. Second dose of Tour mayhem done decided to take in a local chateau oh and a little more Aircon. Got there to find it was being renovated. Still a nice walk up and some good views of the surroundings.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    Roll out.

    July 18, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    A new Tour de France experience - the start. Post Lidl breakie, a gentle walk into town to catch the tackiness that is the caravan parade. Found a shady spot & proceeded to chase tat. Mere amateurs by comparison to the locals & as for the class of infants brought down to watch - they swarmed out snaffling anything going. Managed some hats, snacks, cold drinks, a bottle opener and some detergent. Eclectic. Followed the masses & assumed they were heading out to the 'Tour Village' Rested at a shady spot & discovered the lemon & lime drinks were in fact lemon and lime flavoured non-alcoholic beer. Hmmm. It was cold though. The volume of people involved in the tour came into sharp focus on entering the village - town more like. Vast numbers of support vehicles, police, mechanics, tour officials. Tried to get into to see the presentations but only for VIPs. Watched the comings & goings for a while. No sign of Cav or Jonas. Headed off without Liz, phoned but no answer could be an interesting afternoon. Apparently she'd got stuck at a crossing when tour cars were going past. Found our shady spot for the roll out & watched as they 'lazily ambled' by. Just the small matter of 100+ miles in the Alps to go.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    Monkey on a bike.

    July 17, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    The tour starts here, well it doesn't figuratively or in practice but at some point they will fly past and be gone in seconds. The small matter of getting the hire car then driving from Nice to Gap - 150 miles. Easy to underestimate how big France is. Due to pick up the car at 10 at a nearby hotel. 5 minutes walk but already it was sweltering. Manager was a friendly guy (though I'm sure that's part of the job description) from Martinique who had lived for 20 years in Montreal. Got a little Quebec travel advice. Car sorted, time to negotiate the busy Cote d'azure motorways. Decided to take a hit on the tolls rather than the shorter but slower direct route. The small matter that somewhere along the way there seemed to be a road closure sealed the deal. Once beyond the main urban areas the roads cleared - Google took a detour to cut out a dog leg on the motorway which was a bit tortuous. Made it to Gap with a couple of hours to spare. Checked in to the Uber budget hotel - no air con. Argh. Walked into town to find the route - opted to head up the very lowest of the lower slopes of the days first climb. Found a shady spot. Turned out the race wasn't too far away. The saying goes that the French would cheer on a monkey on a bike and there were definitely a few characters around us like that. Every sponsor's car was getting rowdy responses. Each to their own. Chatted to a lady from Oxford whose husband had headed further up. The race was split into 3 groups and the slope slowed them a little. Once done wandered into town to see if there was anywhere to watch the culmination of the stage - other than a couple of bars there was not. Found some ice cream. Headed back for a rest out of the sun but the room was stifling. Eventually resorted to the car - took a drive to the beach at exactly the same time the hoardes were descending from the race. Something of a queue towards the lake. Was pretty enough but the water didn't look too inviting so back for tea.Read more

  • Le Tour July 2024

    Stresses & strains.

    July 16, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    All the stress started the day before. Online check-in is supposed to make things easier. Didn't help (in so many ways) that the booking was from Liverpool and the flights had been changed to Manchester. Initial attempts on the app were met with the disconcerting statement that no booking existed. A number of phone calls in amongst bike building eventually established primarily that there were flights and that patience would be the key. Eventually tried checking in on my lunch & dawned that passport info was needed. Cue Liz texting. Boarding passes sorted - travel day stresses to come. As it happened the main source of concern was numerous delays. M6 decided to add 20 mins to the journey - Warrington is such a joy. Thankfully an extra hour was built in so plenty of time to play with. Drop and go parking was a breeze and just a 5 min walk to the terminal. Got through easy enough to find the Frankfurt flight delayed firstly till 12.10 & then 12.40. A claimed arrival time suggested an hour to get across Frankfurt airport. Normal sized airport - that would be fine but Frankfurt is a beast. On arrival discovered that passport control had to be negotiated within the hour or so remaining. EU queue - nothing. Brexit idiot queue - massive. Sent Liz to negotiate with the passenger assistant. So happened he was Irish. Much ducking and diving out of the queue & just had to wait for the Spanish school party we'd been sat amongst on the plane to clear & happy days. Irish passports are great. Think we might just have been ok but probably would've involved running. Flight to Nice went smoothly - Liz is a firm fan of Lufthansa - 'free' choccy. Nice airport was much smaller & the hotel was walkable, though even at 6.30 the heat was still there. Checked in, quick sort and a little walk to the beach via the supermarche for a baguette. Bizarrely all the parks on the way were locked up & closed but found a spec and watched the world go by. Kids pretending to be superheroes & bullfighters. Teenagers preening and posing.Read more

  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to BerlinJohn Bickerstaff

    Soviet times.

    June 9, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    While the hotel was situated in Alexanderplatz - very much a product of communist city planning, capitalism has well and truly taken over. The journey to the airport largely runs along Karl Marx Straße, originally named in honour of Stalin but that was dropped - can't think why. Before hitting the commie stuff I had a little mooch around the nearby Middle Aged merchant quarter. Very picturesque and quiet, though most places will be on Sunday. Anyway, the design of KMS and look of the route is very much of that time. Huge boulevards at least meant substantial cycle lanes. Passed the missing Stalin monument - mysteriously disappeared on his death. Some nice fountains instead. With an early evening flight there was plenty of time to kill before braving pulling the bike apart. The two main things on the way to the airport that were designed to eat up time was the Stassi museum and the Union Berlin stadium and or shop. The idea was to do the shop first as it opened before the museum or so I thought. The shopping centre was definitely closed - checked and it opened at 10 on Monday. Another protest this time on bikes - this time not a clue what about but the Polizei have been doing well on the overtime. The Stassi (secret police) museum was interesting if another rather sombre experience. It was interesting how all encompassing it was in East German life and how ingeniously they managed to obtain and achieve their aims. On reflection it was a pretty good job the flight was the evening - a 23 mile cycle as well as other bits takes time. Even so it was fairly relaxed. Onwards to the footie or at least the ground, however it turns out there was a match - the ladies team were playing the last game of the season and it was definitely pulling in the punters. Followed some fans heading there on their bikes. Wondered if there would be many bikes at the ground. The bike park was rammed, not so much the car park. Possibly the women's game pulls in more families, though it sounded just as raucous. Struggled to get through the crowds with my panniers. A couple of people clocking the Liverpool shirt. Apparently the right colour. As for the club shop - it was closed. Makes no sense, though there was no way I'd have been able to get to it. Nice to see a ground with people in and around it. Unsurprisingly the route to the airport looked a little convoluted but at least it didn't involve motorways. On arrival - quick wash and then the battle with the bike. Unfortunately that wasn't the hard part. As always bikes have to be dumped in a separate section - oversized / bulky. Had to go through three different people to just get it labelled. I was then sent the wrong way to drop it off. Ended up dragging the bike the entire length of terminal 1 and the back. Not HP. Dumped it and wondered whether it was really worth having the wash.Read more

  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to BerlinJohn Bickerstaff

    A little bit of politics.

    June 8, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The one thing booked in advance was access to the Reichstag roof and dome. Checked where to go on my way back and the impression was that the time was flexible. Decided to walk in taking my time in the parks between the hotel and the parliament. Clearly the area around the hotel was in the former East if only for the Karl Marx statue in the local park though the architecture and planning also smack of the soviet era. Wurst for lunch - as there was little hurry sat and watched the world go by for a while. Also took advantage of the quiet room in the Brandenburg Gate. It was quiet striking when you left it and had to brave the hustle and bustle again. Got to the Reichstag a full hour early and they weren't arsed. Very arsed about id checks and security which isn't wholly surprising. Huge lift up to the terrace and a great audio guide picking out significant buildings and sights. Also got an aerial view of all the fan park prep for the Euros. Really going to town on this. On the way back stopped of at the DDR museum, commemorating all that was East Germany. Lots of hands on stuff and recreations. I would imagine to younger folk so much of it looks really alien and validates the museum but tape players and type writers are just a bit old. Suspect that it represents peak East Germany when the rest of the West had moved on. Passed a bit of time before tea. Packing was postponed somewhat by nosiness - huge police presence outside the hotel. Turns out they were escorting a pro- Palestine march.Read more

  • John BickerstaffAcross the Baltic to BerlinJohn Bickerstaff

    Whistlestop bike tour.

    June 8, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    On reflection the amount to see, the time available and the distance either necessitated either using the u-bahn or the bike. Much as my arse needed a break - cycling was free and probably would be quicker. What also appealed was making an early(ish) start to avoid the mammoth scrums at the Brandenburg Gate. Hopefully the Berlin Wall memorial and Checkpoint Charlie could be ticked off fairly painlessly. Pleasantly the roads were quiet so despite a lack of cycle lanes all was good. Got to the park to find I was the only person looking round, a few were walking their dogs. The wall memorial combines a preserved chunk of wall in situ with a recreation of what it would have been like. There are also some memorials to those that lost their lives. The visitor centre unfortunately didn't open till 10. Onwards to the next point of interest. Checkpoint Charlie - a recreation of the border post. Bit cheesy but a nice photo of - managed to get in before the coach party - cue selfie frenzy. Potsdammer Platz is in essence a business district so lots of big skyscrapers. Also stopped in at Hansa Studios where loads of huge albums were recorded. There was a film crew outside - who might be working in there? Waited for a while but nothing happened - boredom set in quickly. Today's morbid chapter was the Holocaust Memorial. 2500 individual black concrete blocks of varying sizes. Felt a lot like a maze and buried beneath it a visitor centre again focussing on the stories. Not for the faint hearted. On the way back checked in at the Brandenburg Gate - not horrendously busy and the cathedral - not busy but horrendously expensive. If there'd been a guaranteed tower climb they would've been ok but nothing mentioned so nothing doing.Read more

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