We arrived in Belgium after a night in Dunkirk, no surprise it rained heavily, we made our way to our friend Geerts house and got settled in. Lunch by the river, very pleasant and much cheaper than the UK, the place was crowded which once again is different from Home.
Then off to meet Eddie and the other guys from the BBA meeting to give them to set up for the weekend, a full afternoon and evening with a stop at Eddie's House for a nightcap before getting back to Geets house for a sleep.
Saturday a surprise visit from our old friend Evelyn a lunch once again in a packed cafe and then on the bikes and to the meeting. Saturday night was crazy, there was a pink theme which some people took very seriously, only pictures do it justice . It was cold and wet But a bit of dancing heated us up.
Back to the tent at 3am ! We were up at 8 and took a while to pack the gear and an even longer while to say cheerio to everyone. A cold but dry run to Metz in France but it started to heat up, woo hoo
The raffle prize
Switzerland and Italy
We decided to get up early and see how we would get on, no rain which was a bonus and it started to heat up which was excellent. Into Switzerland, the usual rip off 40 euros each for the vignette so you can use their roads, why don't we charge them in the UK?
Just as we passed the border there was roadworks chaos but eventually we got cleared, and then the snow covered Alps appeared, an impressive sight. We had to stop for fuel, expensive and a sandwich also expensive but we had only stopped for a pee and petrol all day so justified. Through the St Gottard tunnel and it was roasting, 38 degrees, our air cooled Guzzis complaining especially since we had filled up with E10, big mistake.
Glad to escape the tunnel and into Lugano, slow ride through the town as we hit it at teatime and all the Italians who work in Switzerland but live near lake Como were heading home. Finally the ferry from Mennagio to Varenna and then to the home of Moto Guzzi Mandello Del Lario, just under 500 miles but glad to get the tent up, a much needed shower and food. One thing was the amount of tourists, never seen so many here, mostly Americans, overtourism is here as well.
A well deserved day off Tuesday, a look at the factory which is being rebuilt and a visit to Agostinis the famous Guzzi dealer in Mandello to buy a couple of T shirts.
Wine holder !
Norton Rally , Albania and Macedonia
We had a run down the autostrada to the Norton rally just North of Pescara, a very hot run, no point in using the small roads they are busy and you can't make progress. The Autostradas are expensive, 150 miles costs around 25 euros each!
We arrived eventually, some signs would have been good, also some organisation would have been good but it is Italy and the chaos is part of the charm. It took us 3 hours to check in despite having provided all our details months ago! Great to meet up with old friends and a nice party on the beach on Thursday.
The site was in two parts, the bungalows on one part and the camping on the other , separated by a 300 metre path and a big fence which nobody told us was locked at 9pm, a small group of us poor people camping had to help each other over a 8 foot gate, very dangerous and totally unnecessary as we found out the next day you could get a key!!!!
Apart from that, a great weekend with a stunning beach nest to us plus 30 plus degrees weather.
Our Dutch friends
Monday we said our goodbyes and headed south in very hot weather to Bari to catch our ferry to Albania. More examples of classic Italian bad organisation by GNV and motorcycle riders being treated as a nuisance, one of the deckhands started shouting at me as I tried to park the bike because I didn't understand his hand gestures, he quickly ran away when I shouted back with some hand gestures of my own. A overnight crossing to Albania followed by a pleasant passport control and some laughs with the insurance guys (15 euros each for 15 days) wait a minute, suddenly we realised the people were organised and courteous, not expected at all. The roads were a bit potholes but no worse than the UK and the driving was controlled by speed limits which most people seem to stick to. A couple of stops at the plentiful cafes at the side of the roads was a good experience as well.
Through the mountains to the Macedonian border where we had the usual grumpy Border guards and an expensive insurance (50 euros each for 15 days) it started to feel like we were travelling again, lots of papers and 2 border crossings in a day, we could have been back in Central America.
I booked into a nice hotel on the lake for a couple of days R&R and to figure out what's next
We had a run down the autostrada to the Norton rally just North of Pescara, a very hot run, no point in using the small roads they are busy and you can't make progress. The Autostradas are expensive, 150 miles costs around 25 euros each!
1st in the ferry queue
last on the boat !
ready for Albania
First stop, nice place
2nd stop
Nice food
just before Macedonia
our digs, not too shabby
We arrived eventually, some signs would have been good, also some organisation would have been good but it is Italy and the chaos is part of the charm. It took us 3 hours to check in despite having provided all our details months ago! Great to meet up with old friends and a nice party on the beach on Thursday.
The site was in two parts, the bungalows on one part and the camping on the other , separated by a 300 metre path and a big fence which nobody told us was locked at 9pm, a small group of us poor people camping had to help each other over a 8 foot gate, very dangerous and totally unnecessary as we found out the next day you could get a key!!!!
Apart from that, a great weekend with a stunning beach nest to us plus 30 plus degrees weather.
Monday we said our goodbyes and headed south in very hot weather to Bari to catch our ferry to Albania. More examples of classic Italian bad organisation by GNV and motorcycle riders being treated as a nuisance, one of the deckhands started shouting at me as I tried to park the bike because I didn't understand his hand gestures, he quickly ran away when I shouted back with some hand gestures of my own. A overnight crossing to Albania followed by a pleasant passport control and some laughs with the insurance guys (15 euros each for 15 days) wait a minute, suddenly we realised the people were organised and courteous, not expected at all. The roads were a bit potholes but no worse than the UK and the driving was controlled by speed limits which most people seem to stick to. A couple of stops at the plentiful cafes at the side of the roads was a good experience as well.
Through the mountains to the Macedonian border where we had the usual grumpy Border guards and an expensive insurance (50 euros each for 15 days) it started to feel like we were travelling again, lots of papers and 2 border crossings in a day, we could have been back in Central America.
I booked into a nice hotel on the lake for a couple of days R&R and to figure out what's next
Keep on keeping on
Looks like great times apart from when it rained. Good job you didn't win the raffle prize at the BBA, that would have never fitted on the saddlebag like the bottle of wine. And the pink Barbie BM mechanic, not going to get many of them in Scotland. Carry on having a great time, Budge.
ReplyDeleteAye Budge that's why I never bought a ticket! To cold to be dressed like that in Scotland, especially going to work in a bike shop! Cheers mate and let me know when it warms up!
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