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Europe 2001, story and pictures
Ahh, the story.... have not managed to finish it. But here are a
few pieces to start with.
It was NICE, will do it again soon. (I did, went back to the alps in 2002 &
2003). Only tech problems was a broken speedo wire, fixed by the Triumph dealer in
Brescia, Italy. Good service ( they didn't know 1 word of English (except for
"Triumph"). My travelling friend Birger had to change 1 lamp in the rear light.
So regarding the bike's quality and reliability: 10 out of 10. Had only one encounter with
the Police, at the very start in Denmark, they lectured me about the dangers of speeding
and let me go without a fine. I did learn something, (about speeding & not looking in
the mirrors for the police...)
The nature views, cities, roads, feelings, people etc are difficult to describe in words.
All in all a breathtaking & beautiful combination that I will not soon (never) forget.
Reading maps, choosing the road, picking a city or village as the day's goal, and watching
the scenery appear, hundreds of new places one had never visited before...
ITALY: Driving in Italy was quite a shock initially, most car drivers in that country are,
gently said, crazy. In my opinion even worse than Portugal. Speed limits seemed to
not exist, even on the smallest roads. Combine this with their urge to drive halfway in
the wrong lane in bends and their frightening overtaking style. Do not trust a green light,
& they think STOP means drive. They also seemed to like driving 5 cm from my rear
wheel at speeds that would have left me no chance if I had to brake. But after a while I
got used to it, and changed my driving style to suit (= starting to behave like the
locals). This made it much more relaxing, and after some days everything felt normal. But
this country needs 100% vigilance combined with 100% forgiveness, think about it before
you venture too far into Italy, especially in hot temperatures. But what a nice country!
After Italy, Swiss & French roads seemed peaceful & safe in comparison. Made our
base at Sirmione, by the Garda Lake, 1st class camping at the shores of the lake. Can
safely say that a round trip of the lake should be on the agenda if in Italy, great place.
Found peace & sun. Even made a quick visit to Venice, just so I could tell I've been
there. Strange place with people walking in every direction everywhere.
MONT BLANC: Drove from Montreux to Evian then went south on some nice curly mountain roads
towards Chamonix. Fantastic summer weather & life was nice. These mountains &
valleys must be visited at least once in a lifetime. The road towards Mont Blanc had
spectacular views, driving in the valleys with the amazing mountains on both sides.
Went here & there in the area, all was 1st class. Stayed a few days in a the
pittoresque Hauteluce village, which I had visited on a holiday with my parents in 1967,
looked exactly as I remembered it.
SOUTH FRANCE: Collioure, by the Mediterranean, at the feet of the Pyrenees is one of these
special places one will want to return to. Stayed for a week, and took day trips to Spain
& deep into the Pyrenees. The roads from Collioure and into Spain are fantastic for
motorcycling, curling it's way along the sea, among hills, wine grapes, small towns.
Enjoyed my personal "rally" to the Spain border & back at least
once a day, pure driving pleasure of the best kind. Found some of the antique Pyrenean
mountain roads curling their way trough old forests, with high spots & superb views,
old villages & forts. A "high definition" map + asking local habitants
pointed out these hidden gems.
PARIS: Must mention Paris, arrived at 7.00 on a Sunday morning. Had the whole city &
roads for myself for hours. Really Great!! Drove all around the place in the middle of the
Avenues, hardly meeting a car, and quickly visited most known landmarks. But it didn't
take long before tourists & cars invaded the whole city. Stayed for a few days, making
my base at Marly Le Roi, 20 km outside of the capital. One more lesson... it's VERY
expensive to go low on petrol in the middle of nowhere on a French AutoRoute. Was all
alone in a rainstorm and misjudged badly the distances. Got help quickly trough the mobile
phone, but at a price... And another thing is reaching the destination city too late at
night, tired and aching and really needing a good rest, and finding all low price hotels
fully booked, then having to pay crazy prices at the local 5 star resort. Waste of good
money.
ENGLAND: Even put both wheels on British soil! On my way back I opted to drive from Paris
to Newcastle where there is a ferry going back to Bergen. Had a nice sunny trip
towards Calais, & took the "Chunnel" train, very practical but
expensive. Then arrived in England, it was dark, it rained, I was tired &..... I had
to drive on the wrong side of the road for the first time ever. I was sure this was it,
Doomsday! Somehow I managed to keep clear of trucks & cars that charged from all
directions. Had to be extremely careful, & with the rain\darkness it was scary. Then
after an hour or so of staying alive I felt better, got the situation sorted out and it
stopped raining, and had a fine night drive towards Cambridge where I spent the night.
Nice city! Next day was just following the A1 north to get to the ferry on time. Fine
weather. Was of course thinking that I should spend some more time in England, but had to
go home to make some money to pay for my motorcycles & travelling. Ending the whole
trip on the ferry was special, sat on deck & looked at the lights of England &
Europe vanishing on the horizon, thinking about all the fantastic places I've visited.
Started to plan the next trip there & then.
Will add more words and structure over
time
Email me if you want more info about any of the places on the pictures.
DB Autotrain from Hamburg to Munich... will the bike be there tomorrow?? From Austria into Italy.
Some of the nice views, Switzerland & Tyrol.
Austrian pass, and Birger wonders if he should buy the castle.
Erling by the Matterhorn, and Birger finds life enjoyable.
The Alps, first sights of Mont Blanc... Wow...
Collioure, South France
Beautiful small village with summer in October.
Stayed for a week, taking tours in the Pyrenées
Webcam Baie de Collioure
1st class Camping by the sea
English Triumph in front of the French version, Champs Elysees, and our hotel in Venezia...
The Garda Lake, Italy
Absolutely fantastic place.
Large animal park in south France, hundreds of animals in natural environment.
Reserve Africaine
Pyrenées, 1st class small roads trough forests, villages & mountains.
Pyrenees Orientales
Les Grottes des Grandes Cannelettes
(Pyrenées Orientales, France)