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My European motorbike odyssey

July - October 2016
A 81-day adventure by MF's travel blog Read more
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  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    Day 29

    Lille Wasquehal

    August 11, 2016 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Hey all, decided to stay for 2 nights (might need to stay a 3rd....more on that later). When you travel light you need to wash reasonably often and usually you can tell when it's time, and if you can't, well some kind person sitting next to you on a train makes it obvious (great way to get a seat row all by yourself!!!). Most of the budget hotels I'm staying at don't have a fridge let alone a laundry so had to find one in town. You meet some other interesting travellers at self service laundries and I learnt that if you travel really light you sit around in your jocks while your two pairs of jeans are washing/drying - no not me, just a Kiwi travelling with nothing more than a very small backpack.

    Heading off to Belgium (booked a room with shared facilities cause that is one expensive country). Decided I'd lube/clean the chain and check the oil. 2 hours later and the bike was on the back of a trailer getting towed to a BMW bike shop. Went to check the oil, unscrewed the plug and heard a snap. The stick part of the dipstick snapped off and slid into the oil tank..yay!!!!

    Should be easy to fix, remove the bottom plate, take out the plastic, put the plate back and refill. Well thats what I hope anyway. At least I know the road assist works. Hopefully will be done early enough to let me get away tomorrow.

    Wasquenhal, part of the Tour de France in 2004, but not much else to talk about (but it is close to the Belgian border for a jump-off). Really just a place to do your washing and have some bad luck with your bike....

    Not my pic, but what the hell, I did buy lunch there.

    Bye for now    Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    Day 30

    I'm in Belgium - Verviers

    August 12, 2016 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Hmmm, an interesting city. I'm staying right next to the central station an area has a decisively seedy feel about it. Verviers has been in the news due to some extremist elements, maybe I need to research a bit more before heading off snd deciding where to stay. The ride here followed a pleasant river 'Vesdre' spoiled only by what looked to be a nuclear power station.

    Having said that, the hotel is clean and tidy and the recepetion staff are fantastic. My bike is just off the street in a locked-up fence area, I just really hope it is still there in the morning. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh...either way I'm looking forward to heading off in the morning. Thought I just heard something...whew, fireworks......

    Got the oilplug/dipstick fixed this morning, the guys at the shop were great. Had seen it all before and managed to get the broken bit of plastic out without having to loosen a single bolt. They didn't have any spares so took one from one of their showroom bikes. Did the lot for £40 and I was on my way by 10am. The taxi fare cost as much as the repair.

    Got a free hot chocolate while I waited by helping a cafe set up tables and chairs...I'll now call this a working holiday👍

    Heading off to Germany in the morning, via Spa, to have a look at the moto gp complex. The guy at reception has given me a mud map of what is supposed to be motorcycle heaven,to ride, for after Spa.

    Tomorrow night......Kerpen near Cologne in Germany.

    Bye...    Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    Day 31

    Kerpen - overnight

    August 13, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Not a lot to say except first night in Germany. Best thing about this place was getting here. If there is one glorious town in Belgium it's Spa. Stopped there on the way...beautiful place and a few hilly/windy roads on the way in. Good pic......Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    Day 33

    A couple if days in Hanover...Germany

    August 15, 2016 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    I wasn't sure what to expect but wow what a fantastic place - not your traditional "old" Europen city with much of it being new and modern. Why you might ask?. Well, a lot of it was destroyed towards the end of WWll and it's since been rebuilt. But, in the words of the great Basil Fawlty "don't mention the war". The people in general are really very nice, and whilst the hotel room is again small and cheap, it's clean, the staff are friendly and they even found some under cover parking at the back of the hotel for the bike. The hotel is on top of a Turkish restaurant/bar with lots of people of an evening eating drinking and talking...loudly - but all it does is really add to the atmosphere. I sat down on one of the sidewalk chairs and the owner gave me a couple of free teas.....really nice people (this time I didn't even have to do any work!!!).

    Like Aussies the Germans like to do a couple of things.....drink and drive fast. Unlike some Aussies they don't seem to mix the two. The driving fast i saw as I rode an autobahn way here.. You often see a crossed out sign this means drive/ride as fast as you like but do it safely.....police look out for vehicles driving unsafely. I had the bike cruising at 160 kmh to see what it was like (not that comfortable to be honest) and I looked behind me to see clear road. Next thing I was passed by a Lamborgini as if I was standing still. If he/she wasn't doing 250kph, then he/she was going faster. The noise as it passed me was awsome. You really do have to take care when you pull out to pass a slower vehicle, cars and bikes come from nowhere..but they can all drive/ride and they really do stick to the lanes..no hogs in the passing lanes.

    When I got here, at Hannover, there was a festival at huge lake walking distance (about 5 kms - I've been doing a lot of walking - the iPhone records it for you!!!) from my hotel (which is in the middle of town). This is the drinking part. There would have been 70,000 to 80,000 people there and not one person over 18 didn't have an alcoholic drink in their hand, or two.. Almost impossible to find a stand (see the pic) that had anything without alcohol and I ended up having a virgin sangria. There were bands playing and people eating and drinking but no one obnoxious or painful. Not as much overt security as you might expect given the situation over here.

    A little earlier today I went for a walk to find lunch and found (accidently) the red light district......I stayed for an hour, there was a Turkish restaurant that had the best lamb pide..even better than Sofra in Toowoomba. Ate and got the hell out of there (no pics).

    Am having a few technical issues...gps doesn't seem to want to recognise a few countries like Poland, Hungary, Czech Rep etc, which will make going there interesting, and cardo headset only has one speaker working...oh well.

    I had only booked in for two nights but have extended to a third..the place is that good. Going to the museum and zoo tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    Day 34

    Hanover - the last day

    August 16, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    I think I said this before, but what a great place. Just finished dinner at the downstairs Turkish restaurant, had a great Kusbisili Pide (even better than the one the previous night) and finished off with a desert of I don't know what, but it too was great...see the pic.

    Went to to the zoo today, a 4km walk each way. I'd like to say it was worth it but truthfully felt pretty sory for the animals that were mostly in fairly small enclosures. They havr an "outback" Australian area with the usual emus and wombats (who doing a pretty good job of digging themselves to freedom👍). There was a family that was pretty excited about getting a photo with what was sign posted as a great red kangaroo. The only problem was it was actually a Pademelon (cute little things that they are) and not a big red. I didn't have the heart to tell them, not that a Pademelon is a lesser marsupial in any case!!!!!

    This place, and probably Europe in general, is very push bike friendly and everyone rides them. From suited bankers to blued haired tattooed punks. It actually pretty funny to see see a tough punk rocker with red hair, tattoos and piercings riding a nice ladies bike!!!!

    Looking forward to getting on the bike again, but will be sorrh to leave here. Off the Leipzig tomorrow.

    Bye.....    Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    Day 34

    We need to talk about (road) signs

    August 16, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    There is quite a few I don't understand and I'll write about those in due course.

    I'm not sure what the "boob" sign means, but it was about 500 metres before the building (Have a good read of its name).

    Cheers    Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    Day 35

    Leipzig

    August 17, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Stayed overnight at the "Markgraf" hotel.....pretty much in the middle of a reasonably large city (say a million people). I'm getting okay at riding in big congested places, I can tell as I'm now only averaging a friendly horn blast every 2.5 kms instead of the previous 500 metres. I'm aiming for a whole day without a stern look or horn blast. The city itself wasn't too much to talk about, but the ride to and from was great with fantastic scenery. The hotel booking promised a mini-bar but they lied, so I did my chain clean and lube in their driveway without putting something down to catch the spill.......they won't forget me for a while (at least 3 weeks before it washes away).

    I got all the Europe maps working on my gps (used an Internet cafe in Hanover - really cheap and pretty fast over here. €1 an hour and I downloaded about 3 1/2 GB in 45 minutes). With my gps now working I've booked a couple of nights (this Sat and Sun) in the Czech Republic).

    I stopped at a place called Oschatz for lunch. You can never tell what a town/village is going to be like from the outside. Somehow I found my way to the square in the middle of town - just beautiful (see the first 2 pics). Had a great lunch (the food is fantastic and if you eat simple, pretty reasonable). Met and chatted with a couple of locals out for a motorbike ride. The road into Dresden followed a river, again beautiful.

    I'm in my hotel at Dresden now after checking in and having a walk round and dinner - my first pizza of the trip (I've been good). I just had to add in a pic last food pic at least until tomorrow. One last pic of the square in Dresden.

    Bye    Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    11
    Day 36

    Road signs (2) & driving (so far).

    August 18, 2016 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Okay..I did say there would be a follow-up to my road signs entry...

    General driving...it isn't hard but it us a bit different to Australia, (and not just riding on the other side of the road). And you do have to get right, well, right enough to make it home.

    Driving in Europe is based on "priority" which I guess is a little bit like "right-of-way" back home. And I do mean a "little" bit. Basically on an unregulated intersection anyone coming from your right has "priority" to continue. It doesn't matter if you are on a major road, if not regulated by signs they have priority. Priority on your road is shown by a yellow diamond, end of priority is shown by the same diamond with a black diagonal line crossing through it. Now what does this mean. It means be careful and don't take anything for granted because whilst you might be on a priority road there maybe:

    1. An "older" European (insert French, German, Italian) driver who has always had priority and doesn't give a damn about these new (after WW2) road rules and people always stop for me any way; or
    2. A tourist from (insert Australia, New Zealand, UK etc.) has just arrived and it can't be that different from home.

    Speed limits - if I make it home without a fine, well it will be pure luck. As you approach a village/town it will have its name on a yellow rectangular sign. Miss this and you've missed the 50kmh speed limit sign...yep that's all you get. There's lots of fixed cameras and hopefully they are all forward facing (for those that don't ride a bike...no front number plate! ☺). Same when your leaving town, same town sign but with a diagonal black line through it. Now this might mean it's 70kmh, 90kmh or 100kmh but never mind as the helpful truck driver behind you will let you know if you are going too slow. He'll use the international signal (flashing his lights) to signify "your going too slow you tourist knobhead". He will actually be the same truck driver that used the international signal (gesticulating by slapping his left hand against his right bicep whilst honking his horn - see the pic) for "your going to fast you tourist knobhead" when you passed him on the way into town. Note: that pic is not the actual truck driver but probably his better looking cousin. Ohh, if your not sure what the guesture means GOOGLE " BRAS D'HONNEUR.

    Other things that make driving interesting. Tram tracks....sometimes the tack gap is just big enough to fit a front tyre into. This is great because you now have an automomous motorbike that self-steers. Cobblestones, just the thing to massage your sore ass after a few hours in the saddle, and to helpfully deodorise your clothes because the shampoo bottle leaked all over them - ust add water when you get to the motel.

    City streets (including roundabouts) that have no lane markings but manage to fit 2 cars, a bus, a motorbike and a pushbike in a space that really isn't quite big enough.But where there is a will, well you'll probably find a French man or woman.

    Oh yes, in farming areas tractors, harvesters and people walking cows apparently have automatic priority, even in the town itself - I've seen it!!!

    Now quickly.....signs.

    Ausfahrt..means ironically (see the reference to clothes peg for nose) an exit to nowhere, but usually a roadside parking spot with, maybe, a toilet. Two hints, bring your own paper/clothes peg to use on your nose, and when you see one stop. Europe is not big on public toilets - even the service stations charge you to use them!!!!

    The sign with the guy in the overcoat, no idea but I'm guessing there is a serial flasher near Hannover.

    Apparently you can go in any direction and still get where you want to go. Autres Directions means Other Directions and Toutes Directions means All Directions..buggered if I know.

    Ohh, not my pic, but looks like they knew I was heading their way!!!!

    It's actually not that hard and a lot of fun.

    Ahh well, am looking forward to the next ride.

    Cheers    Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    1
    Day 37

    Dresden.....2 days

    August 19, 2016 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    I decided to stay in Dresden for two nights for a couple of reasons. 1 - it's quite a nice hotel and I felt like a rest. 2 - a full day gives you more time to explore. Dresden, although dating back to the 12th century, is quite a modern city mixing old and new. It came under sustained bombing during WW2 (damn mentioned it again) and so lost a lot of heritage. Amazingly there are some beautiful old cathedrals and other buildings remaining intact. My photos don't do them justice.

    I spent a lot of time walking (did 18 kms today) and getting lost - a lot of fun.

    Had a traditional German dinner of cold pork, pickles, egg (and other stuff) on a dark, very dark, bread followed by desert made of potatoes and curd rolled in sugar and fried. It tasted ok. Potatoes for desert, who would have thought.

    Found a bike shop I hope will be able to supply me with replacement speakers/audio for my helmet comms. Will try and pick up in the morning before I head into the Czech Republic.

    Talk soon....cheers    Read more

  • TravelerMy European motorbike odyssey
    Day 38

    Czech Republic (Teplice) - yay

    August 20, 2016 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    After Dresden crossed the border into the Czech Republic. With open European borders I just sailed through from Germany - there was a border post, but no one asked me to stop so I didn't. There were some nice back roads from Germany winding up then down through dark pine forests.

    Teplice is a nice enough place though, as a "spa" town, I'm guessing winter is the time to visit when the place is covered in deep snow. It still has the remnants of old communism in some old dilapidated buildings. Oh, and as a visitor either you or (usually) your hotel has to register your passport with the local police.

    Two nights was probably one too many (see the next post I should have had 4 nights in Prague not 3). But I did have a pleasant start to my 1st morning when a local decided to sit right next to me at my outside cafe table (there were at least 10 empty other ones) and join me for breakfast.

    He was a big fit looking hairy bugger with long whiskers. He sat there saying little apart from making some munching sounds as if to make it obvious how much he was enjoying his food. He looked at me a few times but never said a word in Czech or otherwise. I'll put that down not to him being unfreindly, but the fact that he was a rather well fed rat!!!! And I mean rat in the literal sense. He ate, cleaned his teeth and went without leaving a tip.

    Okay... Next stop Prague    Read more

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