Europe trip to Romania (lots of photos!)

[Phoenix]

When I say to Romania, it was litterly just to Romania, hopped over the border, stayed the night and came back, most of the trip was in the Alps, I took a very scenic route. I did this trip back at the end of June and have only now got around to posting it up,

I did start doing a proper writeup for this offline but it got to day 6 and it's resembling a novel and I don't have the time to finish it so I'm just gonna stick a load of photos up and some text to go with, afterall a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's 72,000 words. If you have 56K, either leave now or go to bed and read it in the morning when it's loaded.

These are just a few of the pics, if interest is ther I could upload the rest to photobucket for browsing, but these are my favourites so here goes:

As always my pre-trip planning and organisation is flawless, I start gathering items and other essentials about 6 weeks before the trip once i'd booked the time off work. I also pulled the bike to bits well before this in order to pretty much totally rebuild it and check/replace/regrease, bearings, linkages etc. Fitted new fork seals and oil, C&S, regulator, battery, had a new tyre fitted 2 days before I went and got the MOT sorted only the day before that....cutting it nice and close. I ran out of time rebuilding it when I found the head bearings were fudged, so took it to my mechanic who sorted that for me as I didn't have the time with work.

Lots of faffing around anyway and I got it all sorted, had breakdown cover (or so I thought) and plenty of tools, spares etc so couldn't see anything that was lilkely to break being a problem.


Day 1

I work sort of night shift, varies, and the night before I went away I was at work until 2am, so I got home at 3 and had to catch the ferry from Dover at 1pm.... wasn't looking good. My panniers were partially packed and rest of kit was mostly gathered but not sorted or packed so the only option was to not go to bed and get it all sorted. Come 7am it was all done and I rode off to Dover.

For some reason, I blame it on tiredness, I took the main road into Birmingham to get to the motorway and got stuck and ended up taking me 30mins just to get 4miles onto the motorway. Was a clear run down to the ferry mostly, felt something hit my foot on the M25, pulled over worried it was somethng crucial like a brake caliper but couldn't see anything missing so rode on.

Jumped on the ferry, rode off at Calais straight onto the motorway and headed south. Dog tired at this point but wanted to make some progress, met an English guy on a Bandit in services somewhere and he was headed to Croatia, was gonna tag along for motorway trip but he was far more awake than me and aiming further. I got to Reims, had fun navigating city centre which was being entirely dug up and stopped at an Etap where I fell asleep about 30mins after unpacking the bike and didn't wake up until 10am the next day


Nowhere near but meh
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/1.jpg



Day 2

Woke up at 10am but slept in for ages, I was just wasted and finally got going about midday. Back on motorway down to Troyes where I came off to take the N71 to Dijon, gives you a break from the motorway and tolls and is quite a nice road, empty and fast, plus I wanted to see the WW2 half track I missed the last time I came back this way.

Continued on to Lons Le Saunier where it was heaving it down so I found another Etap and booked in, didn't make much progress at all due to the late start and not wanting to ride to Geneva in crappy weather.


WW" half track near Chatillon sur Seine
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/2.jpg

Ooh, a bend, the N71 near Dijon
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/3.jpg



Day 3


Sleeping patterns were back to normal now so I got going for about 9ish, and headed along some A roads then onto the N5 to Geneva, wasn't a bad run, was a Saturday so a good few bikes out. Got suspected of shiplifting in a little village somewhere along there, checkout girl at the Super U wanted to inspect my tankbag thinking the dirty biker type had nicked stuff... Carried on to Geneva, got lost, as usual, the sliproad onto motorway that I wanted was closed so had to carry on into city centre, then join it later, also got robbed for the Swiss

Vignette which I decided I may aswell get as I'd be using more motorway later too. Headed south out towards Annecy but motorway was also shut so had to take a looong detour along small village roads, and around Lake Annecy was just incredibly slow, tourist traffic.

Back on motorway at Albertville and came off at the Col du Telegraphe and then along the Col du Galibier, a great road (one leads into the other), Galibier was very cold, quite a bit of snow still around there. Then headed down into Briancon where I camped, had a quick ride upto the walled city for a mooch and back to the campsite as the storms came in from the mountains. I also noticed at this point that the item that hit my foot on the M25 was my right bar end, I had to space it lastyear when I fitted heated grips, obviously worked loose, also lost a mudguard screw somewhere.


On way to Geneva
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/4.jpg

Lake Lusanne
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/5.jpg

Col du Telegraphe
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/6.jpg

And again
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/7.jpg

Col du Galibier
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/8.jpg

the way up
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/9.jpg

the summit
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/10.jpg

the way down
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/11.jpg

Briancon walled city
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/12.jpg




Day 4


Woke up suprisingly to sunshine and blue skies, and dry everything, was expecting worse as it had rained and thundered all night. Got straight onto more mountain roads, up the Col d'izoard then down onto the road to Guillestre which was in a Canyon of sorts, very nice along there. Following the Alps route then up the col de vars and onto the Col de la Bonnette. From the col de la Bonnette I took the Col de la Lombarde via Isola down into Cuneo, Italy. The road once past the summit was still covered in inches of snow, I had to ride in the car tracks which was fun, brilliant views though as the pictures show, and hardly any traffic, quite a narrow road, not really one for riding fast as it's just not appropriate much like a lot of the roads I took.


It was then a long slow road into Cuneo, stuck behind slow ass Italians who wouldn't overtake, admittedly it was majority double whites but it seemed to take forever. Asked for some directions as my map showed that the Autostrada I wanted was supposed to be finished in 2008, apparently it wasn't so I just headed for the A-roads. Turned out parts were constructed but it was on-off-on-off all the way to Asti where I stopped. Took me ages to look for a hotel/campsite as it was Sunday and there was nobody about, 3 hotels I found were all shut? Eventually found a friendly guy at a B&B who directed me to the only campsite in town and I got there about 9pm and pitched up just as I lost the light, I roasted that night, Italy is always boiling hot, soon as you come down from the mountains.


Campsite at Briancon
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/13.jpg

Leaving Briancon
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/14.jpg

Col d'Izoard
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/15.jpg

At the top
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/16.jpg

Road to Guillestrie
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/17.jpg

Col de Vars
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/18.jpg

at the top
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/19.jpg

Way up to Col de la Bonette
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/20.jpg

Lots of snow
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/21.jpg

Lots of Marmots scurrying around on the scree slopes up here
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/22.jpg

Mini avalanche meant I couldn't actually reach the summit
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/23.jpg

Even more snow, and me
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/24.jpg

Good view on way down
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/25.jpg

And a waterfall where a man decided he'd walk along the wall, only a raging torrent and 30ft drop below, his life...
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/26.jpg

Way up to Isola
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/27.jpg

Snow on the road, got a lot worse on the way down but couldn't really stop to take pics
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/28.jpg

Summit
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/29.jpg

Way down to Cuneo
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/30.jpg

Further along
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/31.jpg

Nice roads
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/32.jpg

Still lots of snow around at the bottom of the mountains
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/33.jpg





Day 5

Jumped onto the motorways today to get back to Switzerland, up towards Milan via Alessandria and then on to Lake Como where I took a breather. From Como I headed up towards the San Bernadino Pass, taken from the Top Gear episode a couple of years ago, I was epecting an amazing road, instead it was very very short, but up at the top the scenery was quite unusual, once up into the mountains I hit more bad weather but i was above it once atop the pass it was still very windy though which made for some strange effects on the water, also nearly lost a glove off the edge of the road, very, very windy.

Onwards to Splugen where the motorway was closed once again, weather was pretty atrocious so riding along the mountain roads wasn't much fun, made it to Tiefencastel for a fuel up and to decide where to stop and opted for Davos, wasn't much time to go further as weather wasn't good and it was getting late. Tried a campsite enroute but they wanted 21 Euros, got to Davos and all the hotels were booked as there was a conference on so I carried on through the crappy weather over the Fluela Pass, not something I wanted to do but was the only way to go. Got to the top and and it was virtually a Blizzard, found a guesthouse with vacancies but the lady said they were expecting significant snowfall overnight so I decided to carry on to Susch. The snow was settling but wasn't a problem, couldn't feel my hands

though, certainly not what I was epecting at the end of June. Found a hotel as I got in Susch, had left the snow in the mountains. Lots of hassle with the git who owned it, let me garage my bike then got me to move it out again only to let a group of Swiss bikers take the garages instead.


Top of San Bernadino Pass
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/34.jpg

Bit further along
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/35.jpg

Near Davos
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/36.jpg

Snowstorm up Fluelapass
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/a.jpg




Day 6

Decided to head along the Ofenpass towards Stelvio, but as I wanted to make some progress I headed for the Umbrail Pass, a small unclassified road leading directly to the start of Stelvio, I was sure if it was the top or the bottom, turned out it took me up near the top. First part was fun, nice tarmac and tight hairpin after hairpin, chased a Merc SL up here who was having a go. After about 5miles things went bad when the road turned to gravel, thankfully it only lasted a couple of miles before returning to bad tarmac and joining the Stelvio Pass. At the top of Stelvio it was snowing again, nothing bad just a dusting but it was foggy so couldn't see a great deal.

Headed off down the Pass and passed the group of Swiss bikers who'd been at the hotel the previous night, they recognised my bike, weren't many old bikes out there at all (classing mine as old), nearly everyone I saw on the whole trip was on a fairly new bike, mostly BMWs.

I was back in Italy and carried on to Merano, was back on main roads and once again progress was really slow. Got to Merano, had some directions as the signposts didn't exist for where I wanted to go and found my way up to the Giovo Pass. It was quite nice but nothing spectacular when compared to what i'd seen so far, some nice lakes though and fairly quiet.

Jumped back on the autostrada for a bit and then off towards Brunico, into Austria and stopped to camp just before Lienz, fantastic campsite, let me get myself pitched and have my dinner before he wanted paying and then only wanted 10 euros rather than 15, showers and toilets were better than i've seen in most hotels!


Gravelly bit along the Umbrail pass to Stelvio
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/37.jpg

Joining the Stelvio, was a rally of these old cars
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/38.jpg

View from top of Stelvio Pass
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/40.jpg

Nice valley shot from up the Giovo Pass
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/39.jpg

Clear lake hidden off Giovo Pass
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/45.jpg

Another lake at the top of Giovo Pass
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/46.jpg

Somewhere in Austria near Brunico
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/41.jpg




Day 7

Got up early and spent an hour or so fitting my 'Loobman' chain oiler, i've had this for about 4years and never got around to fitting it due to the stupidly awkward mounting system. My chain was new and I couldn't keep it well oiled due to the on/off rain so I wanted to get this fitted. With that sorted I left down the Dolomiten Strasse, ran along a valley besides the Dolomites for the most part, views weren't bad. Followed this road down to Hermagor where I came off along the Nassfeld Pass back into Italy, some really good views of the mountains as I got over the summit, couldn't get any pictures that did it justice unfortunately. Carried on down Chiusaforte where I was looking for the Passo di Nevea but there were no signs for it. Eventually found some signs for Sella Nevea so followed those and I think that was it, about 15 miles of absolutely nothing, saw maybe 2 cars the whole way, no villages and just the occasional house buried in the woods somewhere.

Crossed the border into Slovenia here and onto the Predil Pass, shocking road surface but improved quickly as I headed into Triglavski Nat Park and onto the Vrisic Pass which I'd looked up before I came, apparently has 48 hairpins, unfortunately the weather turned to crap

Got onto the main road and followed it down to Bled which I'd looked up before I went so wanted to visit, weather still wasn't great but had at least stopped raining. Booked into a hotel right on the lake which was suprisingly cheap, had planned to camp or get a hostel but at £30 for a nice hotel I didn't see the point. Went out for a drink and a meal that night which was good, weather held off too, was a band playing right next to the hotel until about midnight so stayed out with a few drinks to watch them. Eastern European phrase book was proving pointless as everyone spoke English rather than Slovenian, was the same in Croatia and Hungary, think it's more difficult to find English speakers in Western Europe.


Along Dolomiten Strasse
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/42.jpg

Lizard I nearly trod on
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/43.jpg

Waterfall near the lucky lizard
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/44.jpg

Nassfeld Pass into Italy
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/47.jpg

Top of the Sella Nevea Pass
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/48.jpg

and again
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/49.jpg

lots of derelict abandoned buildings hidden in the woods, was a bit eerie out here with nobody around for miles
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/50.jpg

Lake near Slovenien border
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/51.jpg

View from the pass that heads over the border
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/52.jpg

The border, and an old fort
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/53.jpg

Bridge under construction in Slovenia
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/54.jpg

Big gorge in Triglavski National Park, was big this, I only saw a fraction of it while the rain took a break
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/55.jpg

View up the road
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/56.jpg

The bridge across the gorge
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/57.jpg

Nice steamy river in Triglavski
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/58.jpg

1st person view of the bridge, got a video too, it wobbles....lots
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/59.jpg

Lake Bled
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/60.jpg

Some Swans...
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/61.jpg

Hairpin 21 of 48 up the Vrisic Pass, 24 were cobbled, not much fun in the wet for sure
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/b.jpg

Bled at night
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/d.jpg





Day 8

I left Bled and got on the motorway to Ljubljana, kept passing through toll booths with no one in so figured I must have some kind of vignette here and got one from a petrol station in the city, 17euros for 6months so wasn't too bad. Carried on into Croatia, had thought about visiting Plitvice Lakes and in hindsight I should've but I wanted to get into Hungary so I pressed on towards Zagreb. Was roasting hot and spent all day riding with just food and drink breaks, finally made it across the Hungarian border at Barcs and headed towards Pecs where the rain returned. Pecs was lovely, I entered the city through a concrete tower block estate, very soviet looking, prostitutes lined every road and even the further into the city I got they were still on every corner. Was looking for a hotel as camping wasn't an option in the weather or the area, kept seeing signs but couldn't actually find the hotels, thankfully ended up riding up into the highest part of the city and found a nice one up there for bugger all, bike was safe, had a really nice meal and a good nights sleep, was a long day.


Bled during the day
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/62.jpg

Above Lake Bled
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/63.jpg

Croatian Border
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/e.jpg

Typical view from Croation roads in the north
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/67.jpg

Storks nests were ontop of telegraph poles in most of the small villages in Croatia and Hungary, scared the crap out of me when I met one coming in for landing
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/64.jpg

Near Hungarian Border
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/65.jpg

Just outside Barcs, Hungary
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/66.jpg

Typical Hungarian village
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/f.jpg

One manky looking bike heading into a big ass thunderstorm...again
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/g.jpg

View of Pecs from where I stayed
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/68.jpg

And from another angle
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/69.jpg





Day 9

Left Pecs in nice weather and headed for Romania, through Mohacs (with a quick stop at Tesco for food and drink), onto Baja and then I hit a gigantic thunderstorm and my waterproofs failed me big time. Bought them new before the trip for £30 off ebay and they lasted fine in drizzle and light rain but now they were pissing water in around the crotch and chest and I was soaked in minutes. Nothing worse than the cold squelchy feeling you get when your leathers are soaked and you can feel the water trickling down your legs. The storm lasted all the way into Szeged, got through there without too many difficulties, and saw a grand total of 3 smash ups at intersections :S Carried on to Nadlac and the Romanian border, rain was on and off now.

Romania border let me through without any hassle and as I crossed there was a queue of trucks waiting to get into Hungary about 600 yards long, no idea why. The gypos were everywhere hassling the truckers all queued up, as the border lanes all merged a large group of about 20-30 of them all swarmed out from some shacks at the side and blocked the road to directing me to pull in, obviously I didn't fancy this idea so I went into wrong lane, around other side of a truck and nailed it. All along the main road into Arad there were gypos hanging around, road surface was brand new suprisingly for the whole stretch, i'd been expecting meteor sized potholes. Got into Arad and, well it looked like a shit hole to me, I pulled over a few times to check map etc but every time I did same hangabouts would start wandering over to me so I'd ride off again. Got out the other side of the city and booked into a 4 star hotel for a grand total of £30 where I spent the night.


Hadn't watched TV for a few days and the main news was "Michael Jackson ist tot", I watched Rambo down in the Restuarant instead, the hotel staff were enjoying it.


Lots of crosses and statues of Jesus dotted around in Hungary in the middle of nowhere, stopped here to eat and kit up before I hit the mother of all thunderstorms heading into Romania
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/70.jpg

Won't be going right (in Szeged)
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/h.jpg

Church type place in Szeged, took a wrong turn and found this
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/i.jpg

Arad, lovely
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/j.jpg

and again, took a grand total of 2 pictures in Romania, really wasn't anything worth taking pictures around here
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/k.jpg





Day 10

Woke up to more crap weather and my kit wasn't dry from the previous day, it was Saturday and I had to be back home the following Friday, I decided that I was probably best heading back rather than carrying on into the Romanian mountains, plus I wasn't liking the look of the place for lone traveling and the bike was attracting a lot of attention. I got back onto the roads I came in on and headed back for the border, I took the HGV route around the city rather than back through, the tramlines were nasty things (on roundabouts) and so was the driving, saw a few more accidents including an artic whos trailer had flipped on it's side somehow, think he might've run off the edge of the road. Also got stopped down some skanky road at a level crossing, were people going car to car trying to sell/nick stuff including a bloke pushing a legless man in a wheelbarrow down the middle of the road with an umbrella on hmmm, so I hid between a couple of trucks and turned the bike off til the crossing opened.

Was pissing down at the border so the gypos were hiding, rode all way through Hungary, back into Croatia, took a different route and spent a good half hour playing with some local bikers, got a bit mad for me though eventually, 140 along the straights so i left them to it.

Got back to Slovenia and found a campsite in Ptuj for a few quid. The weather held off for once and I had a good meal and a decent sleep.

Just puming his tyres up, Szeged on the way back through Hungary
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/l.jpg

Stopped for a drink and to take some random pics in Croatia near the Slovenian border
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/71.jpg

And again
https://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff264/kiowan/Europe%202009/72.jpg





Day 11
Woke up to torrential rain again, tent had done well, but trying to pack away, get kitted and stay dry was impossible though. Plus my leathers were soaked still from previous day, knew they wouldn't dry in a tent!

Jumped onto the Autobahn and into Austria, paid the vignette which was only a couple of quid for 5 days worth and headed up to Graz and then across to Salzburg. I kept passing through toll booths that weren't exactly clear on what I was supposed to do, I followed the motorcycle lane and it had a vignette symbol on (which I had) so assumed I could just go straight through. A barrier controlled it and it let me through after a few secs, the next one didn't so had to go to a booth. Apparently they were maut and not covered by the vignette, presumably for the tunnels/bridges I think so had to pay 4-5euros for the next two, got the first one free at least.

Got into Germany and past Munich and stopped at a skanky hotel in Augsburg, 45 euros and it was a dive, cheapest I could find though, bit of a difference to Eastern Europe. Oh it had rained all day, didn't stop for a minute for a good 12hours, and German motorway services are such a ripoff, £3.50 for a can of Red Bull!!



Day 12

Weather was back to being nice, leathers were dry, bike had been garaged so was off to a good start. Made it to Stuttgart then towards Manheim and onto Koblenz where I came off the motorway for lunch at services. Traffic had been moving at a good pace the whole way, I was averaging about 90-100 and the cars in the outside lane were mostly doing 120 odd as and when they came up and forced you over by tailgating you (still not as bad as the Italians though, they're lethal on the motorway).

While I was having a lay in the sun at services a BMW parked up and blocked my bike in, couple of plain clothes cops got out and approached me, started bombarding me with questions, had I drunk, taken drugs, got right in my face, presumably to try smell booze on me, then just as quickly got back in car and drove off....odd. Litterally 5 minutes later an Audi does exactly the same manoevre, blocks my bike in and 2 cops approach and go through the same thing, this time shining a torch in my eyes and making me stand on one leg and touch my nose :S they did the same to a couple of guys on KTM who'd parked up next to me, apparently it's common from the German Police.

Turned out the two guys on KTMs had been up Stelvio, they were riding two new KTMs on test for a magazine called Tour Fahren, spoke English well so had a chat about where I'd been etc and departed.

Nothing much happened from here on, I stayed on the motorways up to Belgium, helpd a French courier who had lost the diesel cap on his Transit, I had bags and cable ties, and in return he got me a coffee, all good.

Got to Dunkerque where I planned to stop in a hotel I used lastyear, was too tired and to carry on home. Unfortunately the police were using it as some kind of staging area and the one nextdoor wanted 75 Euros! it was 10pm so after some haggling I got the room for 45.



Day 13
My ferry was actually booked for Friday (it's Tuesday), so I went to tickets and swapped it which cost me £20, last year it was free but it was only one day out and the fare was the same, this year I'd only paid £18 for my return ticket so had to make up the different, was cheaper than hanging around til Friday anyway....

Hit the M25 and it's 30 degree odd heat and had to filter most of the way, hottest i'd been on the whole trip, not what i'd been expecting. Got home nice and early and had a few days off before back to work. Next time I'll plan less riding and more sight seeing,

3700 miles in 12.5 days isn't too bad, but when half of the trip was all mountain passes it's hard work.

[Fnatic]

I didn't read it as I'm like that but amazing photos.

[GeorgeCBR]

Amazing pictures, love reading through these things. Looks like you had a good time, a shame about the torrential weather haha.
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[The Artist]

Isn't Slovenia nice.

I would stay there next time. Food is fantastic in Ljubljana and the 2 lakes are fantastic.

Roads are awesome to.

[neatbik]

Brilliant write up Alex, im as jealous as hell
Hopefully i'll be doing something similar next year, if you dont mind me asking how much did the whole trip cost (roughly)?

[That_Hornet]

Looks brilliant....... I want to do something simular in the future.

[BanditJeff]

Great write up and photography. Really enjoy reading this stuff.
Pretty ironic that you only hit good weather back in Blighty, especially with the rain we've had this month.

[bob a]

Great story and great pictures - looks like a great time.

I thought my 2200 in 10 days last year was a lot

[Phoenix]

[Steve H II]

Top write up Pho - sounds like you had an adventurous trip
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Mellow Yellow
The BCF Top Ten - The Original, 2008, 2009

[Clanger]

Nice one, Phoenix....I even read the text... all of it, no skimming.

Do wish I had done a bit of bike touring when I was able bodied, but will definitely consider doing something similar in the car one day.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[The Artist]

[ram_doom]

Great writeup, no need to go further than Slovenia then
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TL1000s, KDX200

[Deano]

some amazing pictures alex, would love to this sort of thing one day.

[miguel_costello]

agreed, some amazing pictures you've taken here! you've done the alps some justice mate

wicked trip, thanks for the write up...

[Adrian]

You should have gone further than Arad, Romania is stunning if you go to the right places, like every country actually Arad is just a border place...boring.
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DAS 18/06/09 Off The Kerb Motorcycle Training. Proud owner of a Honda CG125 & a Honda Hornet

[Clanger]

[Banned]

nice pics and trip

steve

[Phil_Norwich]

Great write up. I'll have to do something like this next year!
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1990 VFR400 NC30 - 1992 Suzuki Goose

[Mungel]

Great write up and some great pictures.
I just can't put into words how fecking jealous I am.

I had started planning a trip like this a few months back and then the ZZR pushed a con rod through the engine casing.
Had to spend the money on a new bike instead of Euro trip.

Maybe next year?
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Mungel
ZZR600 (dead) - ZX9R (sold) - FZ1S