Made it to Alesund

Made it to Alesund

show details Jul 9

Waking up with the sound of thunder as a water fall is just below us in the beautiful located hotel..

We find that again we have been fogged in or is it light rain. Any way we head for breakfast,Well I think all of Japan has emigrated to Norway the place is just full of tourist. It is hard to find any fish left  but of course we manage to push them aside and get fed.

We again put on our wet weather gear but are very disappointed the road from the hotel  has 11 switch backs but we can't see them. The guide Peter stopped at the top so we could take a good photo but it was a white out.

.Then it plateau out the then down the other side, but we had to be careful not to run over any "TROLLS" as we were in troll country, we crossed our last ferry of the trip and the sun came out .

Over another fjord and onto the  Trollveggen ( Trolls Wall) we look up at the sheer 6000ft rock.This is where the rock climbers climb (silly buggers) Then onto Trollstigen (Trolls Staircase Norway's most famous road) The road is a little damp but just fanatic to ride..

Manual has a picnic again ready for us but the side of a lake it is like our last supper with lots of fish and caviar, salami cheese and coke. it was very nice.. Apparently Edelweiss  puts on two picnics each tour 

Leaving our lunch stop we ride along the lake no traffic and it is so much better then the great ocean road, wonderful sweepers and a hot mix surface.

Arriving at Alesund Peter takes us to a look our above the city, the view is just beautiful with sun shine the place just glistens

Our hotel is right on the water front and little boats glide by our window, like a little Venice

The last supper again was a buffet and we were given our T shirts and a questionnaire to fill out .

The young ones and 3 Americans left on an early flight and the German couple and one American couple are left,so we shall spend the day exploring the City

Vic says he does not think he has put on any weight  that is cause we can't afford food.. last night one beer was 93Nk about $20 aus dollars  .

Well that's all folks sure hope that you have enjoyed our holiday as much as we have ,We catch a flight on Sunday to Denmark then to Thailand then to Sydney if all this go to plan..

Thanks a for all your great comments.. Yes Vic's hair is growing and he may need another hair cut in a couple of months  

love you all

Lyn N Vic

The professorial motorcycle travelers 

Sognal to Geiranger

Sognal To Geiranger
Leaving our wonderful hotel which was on Norway's largest fjord the breakfast was very good, again Vic tasted all the fish delights he could find... Pickled herrings, tomato herrings and blue vein cheese  a real combination, heaps of Omega 3.

It was raining when we left at 9am and our guide promised that it would fine up after the first tunnel..OK it did but the tunnel was 7.5 kms then we went into another long tunnel and came out the other side into blinding sunlight.. a beautiful day. 

What a fantastic riding day it turned out to be, after leaving Sogndal the first 35 kms was along the side of the fjord until we caught a ferry across to Hella and then the fun began, sweeping roads which ran alongside the fjord then we started to climb up and over several passes and had a picnic lunch at the top of one organised by the guides. Then off again to ride a narrow twisting road over a plateau still covered in snow drifts, surprisingly it was still quite mild. After climbing again to the top of another pass we descended into Geirangervegen on a masterpiece of a road that won a prize for road construction back in 1924 at the World Expo in Paris. It is one of the classic bike rides over here, photos don't do it justice.

The area around Geirangervegen where we are staying is on the World Heritage List and the view from our window is just staggeringly beautiful. Perhaps you might like to check out the Hotel Union Geiranger website to see what harsh conditions we have to endure.

Tomorrow is the last riding day and we are riding the Trollstigen (Troll's Staircase) which is Norway's most famous mountain road and will see the Trollveggen (Troll's Wall) a 6000ft vertical cliff. 

Rest day Bergen

Rest day Bergen  July 6

Wow a perfect day of rest. 

The sun cam out and the Temperature was 17.9c no wind  just sunshine all day, two days in a row it is a bonus.

Bergen is a UNESCO world Heritage listed.The whole town has been restored  as it has been destroyed by fire .The great fire in 1702 reduced the whole city to ashes

 It is also know for its wet weather as it rains for 265 days a year, one time it rained for 87 days in a row.

All the little coffer cafe had there seats out and sun umbrellas ,we started out with our jumpers and soon discarded them and went looking for t shirts 

We took a little train ride around the town to see the sights and to learn about the history After the little tour we set of walking we saw the Leprosy museum the city gate 17 century churchs. We had lunch at the fish markets and sat out side in the sun. Then we had an Ice cream  saw lots of Trolls  Many street markets, food stalls buskers  and thousands of tourists, three big cruise liners are in port that are caring many Americans and Italians. 

Now the saga of the passports

The young ones had to fly back to Oslo as the Bergen Canadian office is on Holidays ,They had to apply fro a temp passport in person. The office closes at 4pm the only flight was at 2pm..

They say that their motorcycle tour is over until they get a passport, but they hope to see us in Alesund (the finish) for the farewell .

Tomorrow we are off to Sognal 225 klm 

More tunnels  they say in the guide book it will seem like Swiss cheese as we ride through them all  one tunnel is 16miles long then a 30 mile one,or we ride the switch backs of Stalheimskleiva

Bergen July 5

Day 6 to Bergen July 5 2011

Wow another fantastic riding day,

After leaving Sola it was the best hotel and food so far about 9am

.David who had the crash yesterday is now riding a BMW 800 and his wife Sue is in the Van as she has been bruised and was feeling the  effects of the crash.

Peter the tour leader took us again onto a Highway and we were in 2 nd last position, remember no overtaking other riders, we headed to our first ferry ride it was 30 minutes across a fjord and the cost 183 Nk (about 35 AUD)we were told that morning tea was after the ferry so we waited as it was only 30minutes from the start.. 

Well bugger me they had morning tea on board .

 When we rode off the ferry it was like a" le Mans" start every body jockeyed for position cars, trucks bikes all super fast .again we were 2nd last .Back on a highway  well we had enough and stooped to put on our wet weather gear as it started to sprinkle and Vic a comfort stop,and  waved the last rider  through..

We had the best ride even going to 110 until we caught up again with the pack

We then headed to off to a beautiful waterfall it was just amazing cascading down from a great height.

Again Vic wanted to go a little faster so we took off again and we looked back and there were two other riders joined us. again it was great 

The weather had changed and the sun came out and it was just brilliant again we met the other slower riders with  Peter , at another waterfall,taking off all out wet and warm clothes and tried to get a Norweigen suntan.

Heading to another ferry which cost 84 NK as we were super fast, we left the guide and the rest at the dock and waved them good bye.

Then  the most brilliant road ever 160klm of perfect sweepers and bends along side a lake in and out of tunnels must have been over forty..(i think we spent more time underground in the tunnels...  like rabbits) They sure know how to build tunnels .The weather stayed perfect all day arriving in Bergen at 7pm it was a long but a great day.over 400kl in the saddle again

Peter the tour guide has raised his arms in despair with us as he like to keep all his charges  in check.

Tonight we are in the Best Western Hotel and the meal was served here it was the worst meal we have en counted. So we walked down the street to get an Ice cream   

Tomorrow is a rest day in Bergen and we are going to explore the town on foot but not to eat in the hotel

Oslo to Vardal July 4

From Oslo to Vardal July 4

Wow what a great day, leaving our Hotel in Oslo we fill up with petrol and Vic was in 3^rdposition we headed West onto a highway which was boring, although there was no traffic as it was Saturday morning,>After about ½ hour Vic had had enough of Highway riding and told Manual that we are going to ride our own ride into the mountains, we took off and “the beautiful young” ones followed as they were also fed up with Highway riding.

Vic had already put in his GPS what route he wanted to do as he picked out a great ride with many sweepers and corners around a lake. We rode away from the group , we never saw them again until we arrived at the hotel.

Manual told us that there was an ancient wooden church built in the 14^th century that we must see so off we rode. The road was fantastic no cars or any traffic the road just followed the lake, there were many beautiful waterfalls cascading down the mountain we saw a couple of signs in Norwegian which we could not read so we just rode on.. UNTIL the road had barricades across it  Just 6 klm from the road junction the road was closed as they were doing repairs to a tunnel, so we had to turn around and go right around the lake which was klms around, we took the detour road which they were repairing and it was in bad shape, big pot holes big bumps in the road, but it all made for interesting  riding. The V strom never missed a beat Vic is so happy with the motor and the handling

We stopped at the Church which Manual suggested and waited for the rest to arrive we waited for 1 hour but they never arrived, They took another road and saw another church built in the 12 th century..

Moving along we stopped and had a Pizza for lunch then rode the mountains and valleys saw so many interesting things along the way, there are house which has grass growing on the roof, with goats eating off them truly amazing, did many switch backs to our beautiful location on the lake..

We rode over 400klm s today and beat the group to the hotel by half an hour

The saga of the bags They arrived this morning

The passport woe , will be resolved when they get to Bergen,

So far Norway has mountains lakes,waterfalls good roads and very expensive beer..and food we should have eaten more Goulash we now are on a seafood die

Oslo Norway

We have arrived in Oslo Norway
Breakfast again at 6-30am with our usual cereal, smoked salmon and bacon and eggs followed by black coffee
Left at 9am brought our bags down to be put in the Van
The briefing was good, we are not to overtake fellow riders, if you don't like your position when we start you have to wait until coffee time to change..
We have many BMWs and one Ducati and the V strom Vic does not like his position which was 3rd behind the rattle of the Duke,( He has learnt patients from the previous tour and there is no Mary on this tour)

Most riders are over the 60 mark and all very good.They just want to ride so we set off North from Goteborg it is 27dec and beautiful, we ride into the flat country side with the rape seed in full bloom broad beans and a little wheat it is very beautiful, There is no hills or mountains just narrow twisty roads that run through small villages We meander pass the largest lake in Sweden and it just glistens in the sunshine'
Morning tea and Vic changes position he now is last so that he can corner faster the speed limit is very strict we saw many speed cameras and the fines are very expensive.

Lunch in a little place called ED and it was very quick service and we had a salad getting healthy now
Again Vic changes position he now is second behind Manual WE enter Norway just on peak hour and it starts to sprinkle with rain, the traffic is bumper to bumper and it is hard for the leader to keep tabs.One couple who I have called the beautiful young ones pull over to put their wets on, the rest just ride on( they did wave us on)
Arriving at our beautiful hotel on top of a mountain overlooking Oslo it is a sight to behold..It is right under the Olympic ski jump which holds the winter world championships for ski jumping.
Our bags are not in the room, Vic fetches ours from the foyer, another couple who is looking for there's finds out that they are still in the van which has gone to Aldesund with the bike trailer they should get them back tomorrow (Been there done that)

The beautiful young ones are now lost, Manual can't contact them they have not contacted him, We are sitting down to dinner, he gets a call they are lost somewhere in Oslo.But will get to the hotel by 9pm
It is now raining..
It has been a different sort of riding tour really sticking to the speed limits and watching out for radar very frustrating for Vic who knows nothing about speed limits.. hahaha
All the people are very nice
We are off to tour the Viking Museum and other culture stuff tomorrow catching public transport, and if there is time Vic and I will go for a ride in the country side

Goteborg Sweden

Have done the city by foot, small craft and small hop on hop off train.
A beaut breakfast was had smoked salmon and olives, scrambled eggs bacon and toast and of course black coffee
We set out on foot to explore this city, it is 23deg at 9am bloody hot.
We set our minds to do a boat sight seeing trip, we buy our tickets at the start. Vic was ripped off again as the exchange rate was dreadful from Euros to SEKs it was 120 sks each,

Never mind we are on holidays but his mood has changed..But the boat does not do a pick up, we walk back into the city and he explains to the boat ticket sellers people in what he says "was polite conversation" not happy Jan

The guy was very embarrassed and he gave Vic his money back and we got one free.. Little happier we walked about 1klm to the next boat stop and now were like any other tourist in a small boat.Look right look left
The ride was quite pleasant and the scenery and the history was very interesting, we even had to sit on the floor of the boat as it went under a very low bridge .all the kids had life jackets on.
.
Next we had a buffet lunch at an English Pub which did not speak English.

Then we hopped on a small train and did the sights of the old town again it was very interesting They told stories about life in the 1600-1700s and the trade with Asia during the 1700s..
Yes after all that we deserved a Swedish ice cream as we only had small change left.. next we found an ATM now we have thousands of funny money We need money tomorrow to get morning tea and lunch then we again have to get some different currency for Norway

it still is very warm and we are getting a Swedish sun tan.
Vic is now complaining about his hair, as he says all the Velcrow is sticking to it it is not short and curly just short
Off to Oslo next
Have met Manuel the tour guide in the lift as he was going to breakfast

Vienna to Denmark June 26

Gotenborg  June 26 Have arrived Ok

A little tired as we were picked up at 4-45am alarm went off at 1/4 to 4  we were packet and ready to go  Our private pick up was waiting for us at the door.The Stephanie Hotel provided us  with a beaut Continental breakfast croissants jam and coffee.

The plane was on time and we landed in Copenhagen at 9am  left again at 11-30am it is only a 25minute flight from Denmark.

Gosh now I find that I am in the land of the giants, the people are so tall the women are at least 5-8 to 6 foot  I am a dwarf compared to them.

We don't meet our riding buddies until to morrow night at a dinner.

In the Edelweiss book of travel we ride 370 klm s to Oslo 

Vic had changed 100Euros to Swedish Krone  740 sk  the bloody taxi charged 485 sk   So now we have to find an ATM  to get some more SK

We don't know how much a SK to the Australian dollar is.

Sweden is also in the EU but not with Euros.

More when we have met people.

Vic is getting used to his hair cut.. as nearly every body here has the same style

Vienna June 2011

It is goodbye from Vienna tomorrow morning at 5.45am
We had a great day walking and exploring by foot..
We both had a hair cut
Vic asked for a no 4 but got a 2 miss understanding ... language barriers... but at least he will save on shampoo and won't suffer from helmet hair only helmet head... he looks so different even younger if that is possible.
Mine is not that short but short enough we both had a good laugh at each other....tis only a week between a good hair cut and a bad one.. I reckon it will take forever for Vic's to grow back..
The weather is quite warm now and we are looking forward to the cooler weather in Sweden
We even went shopping in Aldi (Hofer) Neal eat your heart out....Took photos for you

Next Email will be from Goteborg in Sweden if we get internet

To Vienna then to Norway

Saturday to Vienna
After our great Farwell party last night, many of the Americans had an early flight and a Taxi picked them up at 5am to take them to the airport.
We said our goodbyes to Alan and hope that we shall see him again in the very near future,
Sharon was going home to see Charles as has now got a plate and screw in his ankle in The operation was done in the USA She had a great time but the past two days when it was raining so hard she went in the back up Van
Mary was heading back to the UK to practice a bit more as a she would like to do another tour with Rozle.
Slow and slower are doing a self guided tour of Germany.. with out a GPS good luck to them.
We just caught a train to Vienna and the ride was wonderful, the sun was out and the scenery took your breath away Leaving at 8am we arrived at our hotel at 4-30pm
A little R n R before we start our next tour..
Hope you have enjoyed our holiday as much as we have ....
If you don’t want to receive these reports please let me know as I don’t want bore you with our joy..
Love Ya

Day14 the end

Day 14 Salzburg to Ljubljana 380klm
As we have a long way to ride today Rozle decided that we should leave at 7-30am
We all mingle around the breakfast room with our wet weather gear on as it is still raining from the night before, juice coffee bread rolls, cheese salami cereal we are ready for a long ride.
AS we are just about to leave to boom gates come down and just misses Herb he ducks and just escapes, with much yelling and cursing the Hotel leaves it up into we all have departed.
It is just bucketing down a real test for our gear. The route was to be very scenic through the Austrian Alps and fast ha ha.
WE could not see much as the rain and the cloud would come and go, and it was quite cold. We stopped for first morning tea and waited for Mary as she did not have any experience riding in such heavy rain. Ron dropped his bike at this point no damage just pride lost .After the break Vic again took the lead with Alan on his tail as we speed through the puddles, he was having such a great time he missed the turn off.
Back on the right road we head up the mountain the To a beautiful Ski resort called Turracher Pass, the rain had eased off so we stopped for 2nd morning tea and waited for slow and slower to arrive, wonderful coffee on the top.
Rozle had a few kind words to Mary and he asked her to follow him through the next passes.
Vic was tail end Charlie and we watched Steve and Miki do a long slide on the wet snakes (tar patches) and keeping it upright he was shook up but he survived.
The next pass was Loibi Pass which is the bordering pass between Austria and Slovenia then onto the highway to Ljubljana.
Well Mary surprised us all she came into the fold of motorcycling, she stuck to Rozle’s back wheel in the most heavy rain we have ever ridden through.. Never missed a gear and kept up all the way with the bloody traffic that was doing 130kl an hour in the rain .She did good..
We got back to the garage like drowned rats now the ride was over..taxis took us back to the hotel we are all sad that it has ended we made some great friends and learned to be tolerant and patient.
The farewell dinner was at the hotel and it was a very happy and joyful time, and we are hoping we can all again ride with one another
Rozle is the MAN

Adriatic motor tours spares not expense to make your holiday a very happy experience

Rest day day 13 Salzburg

Day 13 Rest Day Salzburg
After another hearty breakfast of hard boiled eggs and cereal,
We had a big discussion about what to do, the sun was out and Vic and the boys wanted to ride the Grossglockner High alpine road which is 3798 m high it is Austria’s highest mountain which is motorcycle Mecca. With great corners and switch backs motorcyclists are charged 18 EUR to ride it. Rozle rang the cafe at the top, and suggested to the boys not to ride it today as it was raining very hard and cloud had taken over the mountain, it was to be 380klm day. It would be a very dangerous ride
Jack decided to go to Eagle Nest which was given to Adolf’s Hitler’s for his 50th Birthday .He took a tour and said when he returned that the cloud cover was dreadful and he did not see anything, just had a cup of tea and returned.
So the decision was made we are going to tour the Fortress on foot, and to leave early before all the tourists arrived, we walked through the botanic gardens which was beautiful and the flowers were in full bloom, passing through Mozart’s museum, which contained musical instruments ,sheet music and memorabillia. Then onto Mozart’s Square seeing his house where he was born and lived for 17 years. It was all so interesting.
We then caught the funicular to the Festung Fortress it was built in 1077 we wandered around from room to room seeing all the medieval artefacts which took us forever, and trying to capture the view from the top floor which was just magnificent.
The tourist all started to flow in so it was time for us to depart we had lunch in a small alleyway, and got back to the hotel just before the havens opened up, The boys just sulked all day because there was no riding, but when the rains came they had a smile on their faces once again.
Met Rozle for dinner and again it was a great night................. yes we are getting fatter and fatter but it is worth it..

Day 9 Prague June 20th

Day 9 Prague june 20

Leaving the High Tatras mountain it is a little cool,but no rain.We meander down the mountain side which you can just about hear Julie Andrews singing" The hills are alive with music."It is very picturesque the road surface is fantastic .Vic and I are tail end charlie for the morning as we are trying to keep the "SLOW: ones in check.
WE ride through little villages which look like they have been here for ever,the road twists and turns around houses that seem to be in the middle of the road churches and castles dot the country side.
The fields have many crops growing like poppy's ,rape,corn and lots and lots of potatoes.
We slow down and let the slow ones (yes Mary) get a few klms ahead so at least we can have a fast run to catch up.
We stop at the Bouzov Castle .It looks like the fairy tail castle that Disney has copied.
The castle was built in the mid 14 th century it is very popular with film making, so yes i was in my element.We stop and Rozle buys some waifer biscuits for morning tea and they were filming a medieval movie and all the extras were sitting around having a coffee break, so we had our photos taken It was a lot of fun off course nobody spoke English just a lot of laughs..
Moving along we are now up front as the road has many corners and we ride through beautiful forests and the sun is shinning .Vic is happy all the Auzzies are behind enjoying the ride with out having to slow down.
But again up front has its draw backs as we have to wait for the slow Mary and Ron...:-(
Having lunch is a wonderful cafe the service is very quick and again we have a traditional feast of Czech.
Us Aussies are so well prepared to ride on.. always ready to ride.
We had a complaint from (!) that we are trying to hurry them up and are always sitting on the bikes ready to ride and THEY are not ready.
Bugger me
The rain clouds have come over so now we stop to put on the wets.. Vic now has had enough of stopping waiting and speeds off just to let of steam.. He is Ok afer 50klms.
We stop again at the Ossuary Chapel of All Saints In Kutna Hora. A very bizarre place it is a small Roman Catholic Chapel . It contains approximately 40,000 human skeletons which have been artistically arranged to form decorations... weird.
Back on the bikes after some ice creams it starts to rain just a few spots so back on the wets.
We are heading or Prague and the traffic is very heavy again we have to ride the hog way. but it does not work the road is fast and the traffic does not give a fig about bikes it is just like dodgems if you can.
Arriving at our hotel in the middle of Prague we find we have lost RON who does not want to keep up. Pauline says a few words Vic is still not him self, as he had to follow Mary who keeps turning her head and taking three turns to get around the round about. She said that she kept an eye on him as she did not want him to get lost....:-(
Dinner was a short walk down to the old city and it was fantastic Alan ordered a knuckle which he ate in no time, the riding does make one very hungary...
I don't think the riders from the USA want to mingle with us Aussies I wonder why???
They all sat on one table and there was no room for us 7 (yes I include Alan as he is not like them he is nearly an Aussie)
To day is a rest day so we are doing a walking tour of the city..

Day 8 Olomouc 19th June

Day 8 to Olomouc June 19

Today's ride is a long one again 352 klm timing is to be 10 hours inc stops.

Leaving our hotel at 8.30 am after our briefing by Rozle we ride quite fast through these beautiful high mountains with just a touch of snow on the high peaks. The air is cool but not raring,The road has a beautiful surface and we wiz though the sweeping bends, Vic is in his element.We rode through some very poor villages which need some TLC.
We stopped to take photos of the spectacular Orava castle which was perched on a mountain top.
Rozle stopped a road side stall to buy some plaited sheep cheese for all of us to try.. Some just spat it out and some just could not get enough, it tasted quite salty and it was tough like beef jerky.
As it started to sprinkle we all put on our wet weather gear,
At lunch time Rozle ordered us a Slovacian meal, which was a potatoe pancake stuffed with meat, it was quite tasty .
After lunch we crossed the Czech border and had many turns and we had to corner mark. Due to the fast pace in the mountains Mary was left behind Vic and I waited and waited and waited at last she arrived and we all went along the highway.
A few klms we had another turn and Neil and Pauline were corner marking and Mary did not see them and she rode past.We waited for 20 minutes but she had not joined the group.
Rozle asked Vic to take the rest to the hotel as he had to find Mary .
Mary turned up after Rozle left .
Rozle returned in time to bring the group into this city,,
We arrive just as the police were closing the road, and we could not turn into the street where the hotel was. So Rozle with all his charm talked to a nice official and he let us all ride through the barriers.
Arriving at 5-30pm we all need a big beer. It was a long day
Dinner is in the old town . We walk for 15 minutes to find we have no access to the Restaurant as the town square is packed with people as they were running the annual half marathon.
Again with Rozles charm we were allowed to cross the track between the runners.
The meal was superb and the restaurants decor was very pretty.
We walked back in a little drizzle about 11pm

These emails are written from 5am as I am to tired after the ride in the evening

Todays ride is to Prague 277 klm 8 hours

Day trip to Auschwitz June 17

Day trip to Auschwitz
Again after a hearty breakfast of bread rolls cheese and spicy sausage and black coffee.the bus picked up 12 of us at 9am.I packed us some nice ham rolls for lunch as the trip was going to be a long one
The trip is over 150 kl ms from High Tatras to Auschwitz .The roads were very busy trucks and all sorts of transport, horses and carts, tractors and pedestrians.
The scenery was very rural with many crops growing a lot of haystacks and even gypsies with their wagons.
The hills are very green.
Arriving at Auschwitz at 1pm Martise (our guide) organised a English speaking guide .The tour was to be 3 hours but took 4 1/2 ..We must have walked over 5klms
The guide was very good ,She took us to the general sights and our tour also included a visit to the second part of the camp Birkenau,and was blown away with the size .over 400 acres
The experience was very strong and very sad.
We arrived back at our hotel in Slovakia at 8pm

Day 6

Day 6
Leaving Budapest at 8am to start our long day it is 340klm ride and the time estimated 9 hours, including stops.
Vic is now on the BMW gs 1200 and he rides out from the underground garage with no effort .There is no road to park the whole 12 bikes are parked on the footpath, the steam of traffic that is going by is quite daunting, the sun is out and it is a warm 23 dec c.
It takes us a good half hour to get out of Budapest,as bikes are aloud in the bus lane.We ride along side the Danube River.
Then the road is nice and fast to our ferry, but before we cross we see a an old fortress in Visegrad and we climb up the many steps to see the S bend of the Danube. The fortress has been partly reconstructed and many of the original walls are still standing.
We then ride down to the ferry crossing, the road need a lot of repair many holes and lots of bumps.
Arriving at the ferry we buy our tickets 1500 ft. Mary have a lot of difficulty getting onto the ferry ramp, and nearly falls. She went so slow then put her hand break on. lucky Rozle was near by and caught the bike before it fell.The crossing took 15 minutes .
We ride along the Danube through little picture postcard villages, the places are in need of TLC .
Crossing the boarder into Slovakia, Rozle takes us up over a country road which is being repaired, many many bumps and holes. Jacks top box decided to fall off,it was picked up by Miki and Stephen and they had it on their bike between them. As the lock was now broke Alan came to the rescue with his super strong okey straps.
At our lunch stop at Brezno (3pm) the heavens opened up most of us put on our wet weather gear.On the road again Rozle stops to check if everybody has there gear on Vic takes the lead as we meander along the small country road in the pouring rain.
The going is very slow and we wait on each turn off for them.
At last we reach our destination and we need to refuel, all but Mary and Stephen they rode past us at the petrol station, and went to the hotel they did not see us... duh They were not impressed when we saw them at the hotel
We are staying in Stary Smokovec the oldest settlement in the Tatra and arriving at 6-30pm it was a long and a very adventures day dinner is in a nearby hotel at 7-30pm
It has many ski and toboggan track and very very pretty.
.We have a rest day to day and we are going in a mini bus to Auschwitz

June 15 2011

Day 4 to Budapest
Another great ride to Budapest, the weather again was just perfect, so a change of plans .We will ride the long route 163 klm
Riding a short time on the highway we turn of onto some twisty back roads, the road needs some TLC as it is quite bumpy feels like we are back in NSW. The country side is very flat but it is good for the food bowl as many vegetables and wheat are grown in this area. Some villages have wind power generated as it is quite remote
After a quick regroup at a bus stop Rozle gives us directions into the main city of Budapestthe ones with the GPSs stay at the back the ones without stay behind him..Sounds good in theory but it did not quite work out, the traffic was very heavy and it started to rain.
We did not lose anybody but it was quite a task keeping everybody in sight.
Arriving at our Hotel Mediterran parking the bikes in the underground garage, getting our allocated rooms, a quick shower, a quick lunch in a nearby cafe. Rozle has organized a mini bus tour of the city.
It was a very comprehensive and very interesting tour; the local guide took us to all major places and explained the different activities that we could do on our rest day.
He explained that the city is divided in two by the Danube River, Buda on one side and Pest on the other. The oldest bridge is the Szechhenyi Chain Bridge was built in 1849, but was destroyed in the war and was rebuilt. There are nine bridges spanning the river
Our dinner was again very enjoyable, many laugh’s as we get to know our fellow travellers, Alan tried a liqueur that was recommended by the guide, it was bloody dreadful it had a red cross on the bottle and it was called Unicon it left a awful taste in the mouth, so we had to wash it down with some Hungarian dessert.
A taxi brought us back to our hotel in bed about 11pm,
Another wonderful day..
Rest day today, we are out to explore the city by foot

June 14 2011

Day 3 Balaton
Wow what a exciting days riding, the weather is perfect..
Rozle decided to take us on the long route of 364 klm as the mountain twisties were not to be missed as the roads climb over the range to Hungary,.
Briefing was at 8.15 and clutch out at 8.30, as it was a holiday in Austria there was no difficulties with the traffic getting out of the city of Graz.

The roads are just great with a good road surface and the scenery again is picture perfect, just before morning tea, a bike goes down on a corner, Alan was first on the scene and attended the injured as the bike and Sharon and Charlie have gone under the guard rail. After checking out there injuries he finds the Charlie has a very bad swollen ankle as the bike BMW GS landed on his right ankle, and Sharon has a very sore shoulder.They are shaken but back on the bike ,

Vic takes the lead when Rozle goes back to the injured. We stopped at the designated place and Mary does not see us and rides past, Vic goes in pursuit and turns her around, but she nearly has a head on with a car when she did not go onto the right hand side of the road (she comes from the UK).

Morning tea was a beautiful spot on a lake where again we indulge in with wonderful coffee and cake.

We are now a few hours behind schedule and lunch is in Austria, Rozle finds a beaut restaurant which has a buffet so we are fed and watered and back on the road within an hour, 20 people is a lot to look after for food.

After doing the last lot of fast twisties we are in Hungary where the landscape has changed, it is a very flat country, the roads are not as good as Austria and the traffic is a lot heavier. Hungary is not in the EU.

Our hotel for the night is right on Balaton Lake and opposite a marina in a small town called Tihany.

Rozle arranged a private mini road train to take us to dinner at a restaurant 3 kms up the hill from the hotel.
Again the food was great local fare and the service was excellent especially from the young waitress, who couldn't believe Vic when he ordered a 1.5 litre bottle of local wine thinking he was going to drink it himself. The wine was fantastic.

Today ride is to Budapest short route 95klm

Rest day in Budapest Day 5

Rest day in Budapest Day 5
After a hardy breakfast of cereal, cheese, cold meats and a boiled egg. Five of us decided to catch a bus and go to the central markets.
We bought a returned ticket from reception we caught bus 112 to town. It was quite an experience as nobody asked where we were to alight. We all decided to get off where we thought, and Alan and Vic got out their GPSs to get the directions to the markets. Alan ended up in a garden where he got reception from the satellite I don’t think Vic’s worked as he was reading from a paper map.
After a while we were headed into the right direction, the markets were in an under covered building built in 1896 and it was huge, Fruit , vegetables, all sorts of meats, clothing ,tablecloths by the thousands. Lots of paprika in all sorts of bottles tins, little canvases sacks, bottles of wine and even that horrible stuff from last night. Unicon Alan bought a big bottle he must have liked the taste.
We left the markets and walked the streets looking for an ice creamy parlour, but instead we found a Norwegian food out let and had a beaut salad. Then we found the ice creamy.
Seeing we had two ice creams we walked back to the hotel, our route was to walk across the chain bridge through the tunnel, carrying all the goodies from the market made it hard going for some of us.
Arriving back at the Hotel Rozle calls and said that Charlie has broken his ankle and is flying home to the USA his wife Sharon is going to finish the trip on the back of him as she is really enjoying the ride.
Vic has now got Charlies 1200 GS as it is much big to put in the van, and our little 600GS is a lot lighter and fits in the Van
We are now off to dinner in the little cafe on the corner
Tomorrows ride is to Smokovec 340kl

June 13 2011

June 13
We had our briefing at 8-15 on the road too Graz at 8-30am leaving in perfect weather from Luby.

Riding the highway for a short distance before we head onto the less traffic areas over the mountains. The scenery is just beautiful ,we reach the twisty bits and now the real riding begins, with Rozle in front there is no stopping Vic and Neil are like men possessed but there is one obstacle Mary (the Novice) who insists on being up front, but then there is a challenge to pass her on the twisties.Alan can't stand the pace at the back so he takes off over the mountain
,
We see many grape areas with small holdings the area is so beautiful and green
.Route 69 takes us over the mountains the road is just perfect for bikes, being Sunday there are many on this road
We stop for lunch and have a schnitzel with chips- as we are now in Austria. Kelly (the lost one) takes the wrong meal and it there is quite a lot of discussion in Austrian to get the another one .

Kelly drops his helmet as he fuels his bike then walks 20mts from the pump to have a smoke..duh. Neil is not impressed.
Arriving in Graz the second biggest city in Austria we stay at the Mercure Hotel again in the heart of the city , and only a short walk to all the town has to offer.

Vic and I are late for our town tour as we lay down to have a quick nap and over slept..
We walked to the Schlossberg which rises over the medieval town centre took the funicular to the top and had a wonderful view of the whole city.
Dinner was at a beaut restaurant where Vic and I had trout .
Another great day was had.
To day we are off to Balaton Lake in Hungary

June 12 2011 Ljubijania

June 12
We had a wonderful day exploring Luby, the weather was just perfect.
We walked around the markets and the flower stalls and saw some very different and interesting sights,
Picked up by Rozle and taken to our starting hotel on the outskirts of the city. We had bought some bread rolls and cheese and ham from the markets and Pauline, Neil, Vic and me sat on the hotel verandah eating these for lunch . Alan (our friend from America) arrived from the airport and we talked and reminisced about our trip in America. Jack and Warren, from Wollongong joined us and then all the other riders and pillions arrived making the total of 18 for the trip.

After our briefing we were loaded into taxis and taken to the garage where the bikes were kept, having another briefing about the bikes and how BMWs work, Mary the lone woman rider tells Rozle that she has left her back support in the taxi. After a few frantic phone calls it is delivered back to the hotel.
We set off on our orienteering ride of about 45 klm for Rozle to see how everyone rides.
Mary has only been riding for 3 years and is very much a novice, and first time on a BMW, Vic and I follow her but I don't think we will be doing that again...

Nearly back to the Hotel a rider (not on our tour) overtakes and joins the group behind Rozle. At some traffic lights Rozle, two of our group, and the ring in get through the lights and the rest of us are stuck at the lights which take a long while to change. The rider that had overtaken had turned off and WE all followed him, of course we are then off the planned route back to the hotel.

Alan takes the lead as his GPS is working Vic's had a malfunction and Alan brought most us back safely to the hotel. Rozle and the other riders are not back as they were waiting for us on the road. One rider Kelly (male) did not see Alan take the lead and he went straight on and was lost... Sound like we are going to have a lot of FUN on this trip.

Our evening meal was back in the city and it was just wonderful, the food just melted in your mouth. Five of us and Matej walked back into the main square and bought some delicious ice cream and then caught a big taxi back to our hotel, we were back in bed about 11pm.

Our real riding starts today as we head for Graz about 220 klm, we hope to get there about 2pm as we riding through some very mountainous areas, The road after Lavamund gets very twisty so Vic will be in heaven.. Matej warns us about the speed cameras in the area. The route we will be travelling on is called 69.
More when we reach Graz.

The first day 10 june 2011

Hi all June 10
Have arrived safe and tired in Ljubljana Slovenia, it took about 30 hours of traveling to get here.
We had 175klm head winds leaving Sydney then after about 8 hours we had a 45klm tail wind and a few screaming kids we could not get any sleep.
Arrived in Bangkok and it was 30c , then off to Denmark which was a cool 12 then toLjubljana where it had been raining and humid.
We also met Pauline and Neil at the Luby airport as they flew a different airline Our friend Rozle pickled us up and drove us to the Hotel in the heart of the City.
We checked out this wonderful city by foot walked to the fruit markets and stocked up on wonderful local cherries (paying the price today with our delicate belly's) and enjoyed the great foods and coffee the place has to offer.
In bed about 10pm and slept through until 6am..
Rozle is taking us on a country tour around where he lives today.We are going in the van.Then Vic hopes to pick up a helmet.(a new one)
WE start our bike tour Sunday, as we are meeting the rest of the crew tomorrow for our pre amble and a short ride.
Thats all for now.

Ladies Garage "Party"

Ladies Garage Party

On a Wednesday evening in May I was invited to attend a Ladies Only Garage Party arranged by NF Importers Pty Ltd the importers of Harley Davidson motorcycles held at the impressive store of Fraser Motorcycles Sydney.

Upon arriving guests were offered a choice of champagne or soft drink whilst wandering around floor amongst the huge array of glistening new Harley Davidson motorbikes and the huge range of riding gear.

The evening opened with a welcome and the guest speaker Sarah McCloud from The Superjesus Band giving a short talk and saying that she had picked out her Harley Davidson and looking forward to riding it.

After which finger food was served before the demonstrations began.

Greg Ryan, Frazer’s Harley Davidson Sales Manager then ran through the extensive range of models available, from the 883 Super Low through to the “48”, and the Softail Deluxe, explaining the different features of each model and using volunteers from amongst the audience to show how each bike can be manoeuvred and explain how they can be modified to suit different sized riders.

The next sessions were on the different handle bars, seats and feet platforms to customise the bikes for individual riders, and a run through of some of the feminine riding gear available. These were a topic of interest with several questions being asked. There was also opportunity to sit on the bikes to feel how comfortable they are.

We then moved to a large glass window to view into a sound proof room housing a dyno machine where a mechanic on a Harley race bike demonstrated the machine. Another staff member gave a running explanation on how this is used in the tuning of a bike.

We then followed Greg and his team into another room at the back of the shop with what is known as a jump start block, where bikes can be stationary ridden on rollers. With many of the ladies present never having been on a motorcycle let alone a Harley Davidson it was a great opportunity for them to be shown how to start the bike and change up and down through the gears, all in a safe environment.

Those ladies attending were predominantly of the younger set with only a sprinkle of the more mature, and from functions such as this it can only benefit the industry in the future.  

I would recommend attending future ‘Garages’ for those interested in getting back to riding or those wanting to learn to ride, or to learn about the models available.

Mudgee Meet & Greet Weekend

After leaving the Mountain and Rivers group on the Thursday morning 5th May in Laverton (nth Albury) Vic and I travelled on new discovered  back roads.Cowra is our destination for Thursday evening.The air is cool and crisp the fog has got us doing a slow pace as we head over the mountains to Tumbarumba for morning tea it was 2deg when riding but now it is 7 quite warm.As the day warmed up we rode the back narrow roads to Cootamundra for lunch and arriving at our Motel in Cowra about 4pm. The Town and Country motel needs a little TLC.I plugged in my computer electrics and a fuses blew and my charger shortened out and now it is dead.

We walk up the street to a Thai Restaurant which was quite nice at the time. Friday the 6th May leaving Cowra again the air is crisp 2deg as we head for Mudgee, Stopping in Parkes I find a computer shop and buy another battery charger for the computer after breakfast we are back on narrow new  back roads which twist and turn through the country side. The paddocks have had the wheat sowed and the sheep are fat, it looks just beautiful  but the tummy is having a reaction, so now we are on a mission to find a lavatory .

Arriving in Wellington (just in time) we again head to Mudgee riding through Spicers Creek towards Gulgong, then turn right to Mudgee.
Our Motel was the first one on the left called the Cudgegong Valley Motel is was very clean and comfortable.The only draw back was it was 2klms from the town centre.After showering and changing we sent of to walk the distance and to register for the event.Seeing an Aldi store I bought a 14 mg pixels it  is a   small compact camera.
Meeting up with friends from Sydney Pam ,Ron, Paul & Denise we all had dinner at the Oriental Hotel,then long walk back in the cold and dark.
Saurday morning we again made the big walk to the Town and meet up with other great friends Debbie & John ,we spent the day walking around the markets and eating, then the walk back to the motel. Showering and changing again ,we walk back to town for the evening entertainment at the RSL It was a fun night we caught up with some old friends and made new ones.Then we walked back to the Motel We must have walked about 10klms that day.

Sunday morning a small frost was on the ground and a little fog was over the creek.We packed our bags and the bikes and were going to meet everybody for breakfast in Town.My bike was packed ready to go. Vic is all ready BUT he has bike trouble. His clutch cylinder has no fluid in it and his clutch does not work.Bummer, he takes my bike to town to buy some clutch fluid for his bike then put it in the cylinder and tries to bleed the fluid through. after about 30minutes we are on our way very carefully.

Having a quick Breakfast and saying good bye to our friends we head for home.

Riding along the Mudgee road towards Sydney we come across our 4 bike friends just sitting under the speed limit, as cars were approaching from behind I overtook them on an overtaking lane very carefully and we arrived home at 11-30am it took just 3 hours for us to get home, we came down the Great Western Highway.. It was another great ride and meeting up with friends along the way.. Vic and I did 2300klms in 6 days.. now my bike needs another service as it has reached 20000 klm in 6 months

Mountains & Rivers Report

Tuesday 3^rd May

I was slow getting my wet weather pants on as I prepared for this ride. The result, it started to rain as I got the BMW out of the garage. BUGGA .

We rode in the the pouring rain to Pheasants Nest. Here the 16 riders on this three day excursion gathered and we set off under the very capable guidance of President Denis, via the motorway then Bungonia, for a morning tea stop in Goulburn. Here the rain had stopped and was not to be seen again on the entire ride YIPEE !!!.

Then it was down to Batemans Bay via Braidwood, for lunch. From here we followed the coastal roads past Mossey Point to Moruya. Back on the Princes Hwy for a few kms before making a left turn and enjoying the ride to Bermagui for a leg stretch and quick cuppa etc. It was now a lovely clear afternoon as we rode through Tathra to Merimbula and our motel. Dinner was at the RSL.

Wednesday 4^th May

8AM had us on the road in superb riding conditions. Crisp, clear and blue skies. South to just past Pambula then a right turn for the fun road to Bombala. I am sure some bikes tyres would have cooled down by the time I rode in to town but the riders grins were still apparent.I assumed the lead here and we set out for Dalgety. Those superb mountain roads were just to tempting for many who found my "sedate" pace not quite the speed they wished to enjoy. I was soon the only one in front of Rob who was TEC. So it was "run free" on through Berridale to Adaminaby for morning tea etc. Next stop was Cabramurra for a photo stop in Australia's highest town then down and up those fun mountains to Corryong for a latish lunch.

Refreshed and relieved we rode along the Murray Valley Hwy and took a right turn to use the fun Granya Pass to the Murray River Rd. What a fantastic view it was as we started the decent from the top of the pass. The mighty Murray River is now a big shimmering lake set in lush green fields with fantastic mountains behind. A scene I will remember for ever. From here we followed the river to Albury crossing it at Bellbridge. The last time I rode over this big bridge it was spanning brownish green fields with a little creek running through the middle. Now it spans a huge lake with the water level not far below the road way. A fantastic sight.

Next stop was the Hume dam itself  and the purpose of this ride, to see the water cascading over the spill way, a very rare event. Sadly we were a bit too late as the water was now only a trickle but never the less I felt being able to see the lake formed by this dam, so full, was reward enough.

Our accommodation and dinner was at the Boomerang Hotel Motel in Lavington ( North Albury). It was glaringly obvious that this establishment is not capable of handling any sort of group. The check in was messy, some peoples bookings were not to be found despite the fact I had checked the day before we set out and the meals were OK. In a nut shell, not recommended for future use.

Thursday 5^th May

The next morning I handed the ride leadership to our absolute "treasure" the one known as the human GPS, Ronnie K. He did a great job of guiding us to Wagga Wagga and beyond to Junee for Morning tea. We all invaded one little cafe and the selection and variety of food consumed was revolting to the few of us who were trying to watch our waist lines. People like Denis, Eric and myself. Those battered savs looked sensational, but I resisted, The Alan B had a cransky on a bun, drool and Allan S had TWO dim sims. I had to get on my bike and explore the historic railway station.

The straight roads of this morning compensated for all the "twisties" of yesterday. Ronnie stayed out in front as he guided us on through Harden etc to the motorway and Goulburn for lunch. Then it was free choice for the run home.

Special thanks go to Rob for the stalwart job he always does as TEC but also for all his help to me in planning this ride. Greatly appreciated Rob.

THANKS also go to Denis, Vic and Ronnie for their contribution as leaders.

And lastly my thanks go to the 15 Ulysses mates who rode with me for making this such an enjoyable three days.

Not that it matters much but I left home in rain and I came home in rain. YES it came down as I left "Doctor Dans" after buying some liquid that would settle the dust in my throat.

Always Ride With A Smile

Bob