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From Hull to Everywhere Else
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From Hull to Everywhere Else

My trip from Hull heading eastwards. The aim is to reach Turkey overland, then into the 'Stans. Thence to India and further east. . After that who knows? But I'm not overplanning. Just going to see what happens. Læs mere
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    🇻🇳 Hà Nội, Vietnam
    LorroFrom Hull to Everywhere ElseRejsende

    Bordeaux

    18. august, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    So it turns out the trickiest part about doing a blog entry for Bordeaux is spelling Bordeaux. I am staying here for a day just to explore. So Chatgtp organised a nice little trip round the area taking in Blanquefort, Margaux-Cantenac, Sain Julien Beychevelle and Paulliac, then to Lamarque to get the very across the Gironde to Blaye and then along the Corniche Road taking in Passaic, Gauriac and Bourg. The Corniche road on this side of the river was very pretty. The other side wended its way through lots of vineyards and chateaux. Not too many photos cos when you're on a bike you want to ride. It wasn't the most exciting riding as it was a bit flat - a little like the fens. But pretty nonetheless. But French villages are very very quiet on a Tuesday afternoon. Felt a little dead.

    Was nice to ride the bike without any luggage on. It felt like a new bike. Light and springy. Need to do more.    Læs mere

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    Bordeaux

    17. august, Frankrig ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Big riding day from Pamplona to Bordeaux.

    Staying at a shared apartment complex called La Quinta. Had a little trouble getting in cos - as with too many things these days you need a phone to get the access information and my phone had no 5G and the other one was out of battery, and the connecting leads had decided to go on strike so charging was tricky. Eventually gained access. Decided to skip a restaurant dinner and went shopping at the local Spar (local - 24 minutes walk away!) and had a salad for dinner. Shared common areas with students and other friendly people.Læs mere

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    Pamplona

    16. august, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Visited the Plaza de Toros. The Bullring in the morning. Hemingway got caught up in the romance of the bullfight and much to my surprise I can see his point a little. I'm against all blood sports but I did get a tiny bit of sympathy for this one. At least the people doing it put themselves at some personal risk, so there is something of a fair fight about it. Not like shooting birds or fox hunting. There were videos of the running of the bulls festival. Looks crazy. Would like to see it irl.Læs mere

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    Pamplona

    15. august, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 36 °C

    Rode from Bilbao to Pamplona today. Arrived at about 4 o'clock and booked into the hostel by the cathedral in the old town. Then found a pintxo bar across from the hostel. Had about 6 of them, each one different. They were amazing. I have been so utterly blown away by the food in this region. I think it might be the best I have ever had anywhere and I haven't even been to San Sebastián which is supposed to be the best city for food in the region.Læs mere

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    Bilbao

    10.–14. aug., Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    So finally arrived at Bilbao on 10 August after riding from Thessaloniki. The reason was the 12 August eclipse, which finally everyone else seems to be aware of.

    I met up with Julia who flew over to watch it with me. We met up at the Pension we stayed up, in the old town up 4 flights of stairs and the most arcane login/entry method imaginable. Overengineered.

    Bilbao is utterly beautiful. One of the nicest cities I have stayed in. Lovely old town. Beautiful architure and the food, particularly the pintxos, are amazing.

    Found a place in the park on the 12th to watch the eclipse and made my way up there three hours beforehand to claim my place. Julia was struggling inn the heat, so she came and joined me later on.

    The eclipse was really interesting. We both had proper eclipse glasses, so were able to watch it from the beginning all the way through. It was like watching pac-man open his mouth ever wider. The sun overtook the moon moving from left to right and then there were 30 or so seconds of totally at about 8.27. What I was a ring of fire around the black circle of the moon with what looked like coloured jewels. I think I saw what looked like a ruby on the left side and a multi-coloured row on the right. I'm not sure if that really out there or just my eyes reacting to the light. It didn't go completely dark. And more a very dark shadow than total darkness. Went too quickly so I have decided to do it again next year in Egypt when apparently we get 6 minutes.

    In addition, did a bus and boat tour of Bilbao and many snack bars. Spent the last night at a campus due to the pension being booked up. No hot food nearby so had to go back to the old town.    Læs mere

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    Lourdes

    9.–11. aug., Frankrig ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I decided to spoilt the remaining ride to Bilbao into 2 portions. That made the half way point Lourdes so I decided to stop here and explore. And take the waters. Well almost. As with all these things it’s a little more to the myth than reality. The waters are collected through a series of taps built into the wall next the to the chapel of at Bernadette. There are people like me who are filling small bottles as tourists. And people filling up huge gallon containers. They must truly believe in the healing power of the waters. Next to these taps is the grotto.Læs mere

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    Trèbes

    7. august, Frankrig ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Was going to ride to Toulouse and make it the penultimate stop but it was too hot. At times the thermometer on the bike was showing 39 degrees. Even the wind was not cooling. So stopped an hour earlier than planned at Trèbes and made a last minute booking at a lovely B&B by the canal. Google maps took me through a pedestrian road so almost got into trouble but met some very nice friendly police who put me in the right track.Læs mere

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    The Riviera

    5. august, Frankrig ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Today I rode from Albenga to Grasse along the coast road though a selection of lovely Italian and French towns. Among them Nice which looked very nice. The towns and the scenery between them were beautiful. I wish I’d stopped to take more photos but when you’re. On the bike you just want to ride it.

    Stopped at a lovely hotel - L’Imprevisto in Grasse which had a lovely golden retriever named Joy    Læs mere

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    Albenga

    4. august, Italien ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    I did originally plan to spend the morning here and then ride off in the afternoon, but after having explored the old town I decided to stay. A very beautiful town on the Riviera. Moved hotels because the Magnolia was booked up. Moved to an apartment about 5 minutes walk away. Had octopus for dinner. Feel a bit guilty about that but they are so tasty.Læs mere

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    Albenga

    3. august, Italien ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Rode from Genoa to Albenga today. Not a huge long ride, just an hour and a half or so. Tunnels all the way - I would say half the ride was through tunnels. Not as scenic as I would have hoped.

    Still crazy hot. Checked into Hotel Magnolia. Ok but not worth the cost. I guess it's a seaside town so prices are inflated.Læs mere

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    Genoa

    2. august, Italien ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Today is a chill day. In the past 5 days I've ridden 1800km and yesterday did 666km. Am staying at the Best Western by the railway station. Had a relaxing morning - well relaxing apart from getting stuck in the lift briefly heading down for breakfast - before heading off to the old town at lunchtime. It was too hot to spend the whole day sightseeing but the advantage of the old town was that it has high - four storey - buildings with very narrow gaps between them which means the sun doesn't really penetrate.Læs mere

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    Thessaloniki to Genoa

    2. august, Italien ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Another month has passed since my last entry. I’m going to try to reconstruct some days but here is a summary. Has a lovely time on Réunion with Lisa as company. It’s an absolute gem of an island with a volcanic interior and loads of lovely beaches great food and a fantastic island vibe. Explored Cilaos Mafat among others.

    Flew to Paris on 18th where Lisa and I parted company. I jumped on a plane to Thessaloniki to reclaim my bike which has been in storage for - 2 years! - now. Would it be ok? Well I found a mechanics just around the corner and they managed to get it back into riding condition within a week.

    Then I rode from Thessaloniki heading for Spain to watch the eclipse. So far have reached Genoa. 1800 miles in 4 days. In 37 degree heat. Tired so having a rest day.    Læs mere

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    Ljubljana to Genoa

    1. august, Slovenien ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    A big riding day. 666km. Started at 9am. At that time it was a cool 27 degrees. Only 80 Fahrenheit. Divided the ride into 3 lots of 222km with one hour breaks. Seemed to work quite well. Only shock was the Italian toll when I got off at Genoa. 47 euros. Wow! Booked into the Best Western near the railway station for a days rest. Need it after three big days riding in extreme heat.Læs mere

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    Skopje to Belgrade

    30. juli, Nordmakedonien ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    After a couple of nights at the Ambasador Hotel (one s) setting out on a longer ride today from Skopje to Belgrade. Just one border crossing into Serbia today. They are the worst in this weather cos there is no option but to queue in this extreme heat. Twice. One out and one in. Said my farewells to Arjen. He’s got a more interesting ride I think. Mine is motorways for a few days.Læs mere

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    A Day in Skopje

    29. juli, Nordmakedonien ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Decided to take a rest day after the ride up from Thessaloniki. The ride wasn’t too far but it was quite tree stressful and therefore tiring. Stressful? Hasn’t ridden this bike in 2 years and it is a big bike. It’s hot and I decided to ditch the biker gear and ride in 2 short and shorts. Not happy doing so but it is sooo hot. Europe is on fire. And the border crossing. Hot and stressful. So did a little exploit. If the city. Saw the huge Alexander the Great statue.

    In the morning got chatting with Arjen from Holland at breakfast who was wearing a BMW t shirt and who I deduced owned the other GS outside the hotel. We swapped biker stories and met for dinner. Has the national dish: pastrmajlija. Reminiscent of the Georgian kachapuri but with pork rather than eggs/butter.    Læs mere

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    Thessaloniki to Skopje

    28. juli, Grækenland ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    So having got the bike sorted I now have to set out to Spain to meet Julia to watch the eclipse in 12 August. We’re actually meeting on 10th so I have about 2 weeks to cover 2800km. Haven’t ridden my own bike for 2 years. (Apart form 1 km from the mechanics to the hotel). Today I have to load it up and then ride to Skopje (or Zagreb but I decide on the shorter ride).

    After experimenting with the best way of attaching gear I am dripping in sweat so decide to wear t shirt and shorts to ride. I am deeply unhappy about doing this. I really believe in the ATGATT Principle. (All the gear all the time). But it’s 37 degrees and while it can be cool when you’re moving, all the stops in the city will cook you. Literally in this heat. I had a water bottle in my day bag and at the end it was as hot as freshly brewed tea.

    As result of these two factors I was already quite stressed which isn’t the best for good or enjoyable riding. But had to be done.

    Had an iced cappuccino at the next door cafe before I set off. I think I’m just putting off the moment when I have to commit to riding.

    Then there was the border stress which cost me two maybe three hours. Took ages to get out of Greece and then entering N Macedonia I didn’t have their green card (for bike insurance). There was an office at the border where in theory I could buy it but their internet had had problems and was therefore shut. So I had to ride back into Greece ride to another border post at Evzonai. Exit Greece. They were very curious as to why I had exited and entered back in the same day. But let me out eventually! Got to the border and bought green card. That sums it up but from reaching the first Greek exit border queue to finally opening up inside N Macedonia would have been two/theee hours. I stopped at a Greek cafe near the second border post to ask if there was an ATM. I thought I might need physical euros for the green card. They said there was one 15 km away. So I asked them if I could do Cashback instead. They gave me 50 euros but charged me 5. Fair enough. The office took card payment anyway.

    Then rode to Skopje. Past what looked like an incipient wildfire. (If I’m reading this in the future this is the summer of European wildfires. ). Reached the Ambasador Hotel in Skopje exhausted. Had a sushi at the Japanese’s restaurant round the corner. Then to bed. Gonna have a rest day tomorrow cos today was hard.    Læs mere

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    Collecting the bike

    27. juli, Grækenland ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    So today is the day I collect the bike. I’m quite nervous. It’s been 2 years but the mechanic - who has good reviews - reckons it’s fine. He speaks no English and I speak no Greek so we’re relying on google translate. Or his son who speaks a little English. But the bike seems fine and having paid bridge it to outside my hotel. Very nervous ride. The GS is just so big. A couple of weeks back I rode a Honda 750 hornet and it seemed so much less intimidating. But this is all on my head. I’ve riding this bike all over England Scotland wales and a good portion of Europe too. Just need to get over the nerves. Well that is for tomorrow.

    Got a hair cut in the morning. It was getting out of control !    Læs mere

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    Thessaloniki

    19.–28. jul., Grækenland ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    I headed back to Thessaloniki where my bike had been in storage. The aim was to collect it, get it serviced and then ride to Spain to catch the August eclipse.

    I arrived in the middle of the night after a long flight first from Réunion to Paris Orly and then from Orly to Thess. Arrived at Thess at about 2am and got to the hostel about 4.

    Spent the day in bed after I arrived.

    As soon as I was able went the mechanics who were just round the corner from the underground car park where the bike was being stored. They told me they'd be there in 5 minutes so I had to run to the car park and pay for the storage. They were shocked to see me after all this time. The bike was under a cover but still covered in dust. Also thee was my biker clothes. This was covered in dust and had an odd smell. I think an animal of some sort had been there at some point given the smell. Anyway, the mechics helped me get the bike out. It was tricky because the lock was on and it can only be unlocked with a key and the key battery was flat. so they told me to go and they'd recover it later. Which they did. They next day I recovered the gear and took at all to the laundry. Cleaned the helmet and boots myself. They are all now smell free. They took a few days to sort the bike. I think they collected it on the Monday and said it would be ready the following Monday. I accidntally gave them the wrong contact details so they couldn't contact me and had to wait for me to visit them. That probably cost me a day. But it all went smoothly. It needed new tyres. They'd gone flat in the garage. And all the normal service stuff.

    I spent the time in Thess working on new courses. Discovered a great Indian restaurant (Masala Heritage) which I made my regular. Also caught up with Juliet (an old schoolfriend from St Gilberts, my primary school - haven't spoken to her for decades. Lovely to catch up)    Læs mere

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