europe ,here we go again and a question

[fernando]

i have put together a small 4 week trip thru europe.

 

the trip will take place the 2 nd week of june for 4 weeks.

 

renting bikes and departing from heidelberg d. from here we head to switzerland,

 

thru luzerne up the alps thru brunig p. right turn to zermatt,up to chamonix,to annacy,thru grenoble and on down thru provence on napoleon's route to auguas mortes and nimes to andorra and from there either to barcelona or up to biarritz ,bilbao ,san sebastian ,castro urdiales down to pamplona and back to marseilles and trhu riviera to italy and back to heidelberg thru austria .

 

the ride is not just for the sake of riding but will stop and smell the roses in many places and will stay in some cities for as long as we like as a group and then ride on.

 

anyone interested please post or e-mail me.

 

going--------

 

1--myself

2 -- les , a rider from mass. from group that meets in vermont once a year for a week.

3--- mike , a rider from connecticut from the free to ride .com group.

 

so far this is it.

 

i do hope to meet up with some of the guzzi riders from the spain club. and one in germany.

 

if any interest from you guys in europe to meet up please post.and if so ,i can post the route and estimated dates.

we are going with only hotel reservations first day and last day in heidelberg.

 

all other is open .

 

 

fernando

[Orson]

excellent routing!

 

especially la Route Napoleon...excellent....in fact all of the south of France is one big motorcycling playground. I enjoy it more than the Alps. The weather is nicer and the roads are in better condition (due to the milder winters I reckon).

 

Andorra is a tax haven that is overun with motorcycle apparel shops. Excellent prices on helmets, leathers, boots, etc, etc. Buy some stuff and ship it home

 

Take pictures and post them in the travel section!

[richard100t]

I would love to do that someday! I still need to ride here in the States first though. My ideal vacation ride is to go out to San Diego & ride the PCH to Canada & then take the badlands back to Ohio. Oh & I'd take the desert southwest route to SanDiego from Ohio. Think I'll need a Goldwing type bike for that kind of action though. If I did that trip on the Rosso Mandello I'd definitely be a candidate for Iron Butt of the year I think I'd need a month maybe 6 weeks to do it. Then someone would have to watch my dogs,bang my girlfriend, collect my mail while I was gone etc...Man sure would miss my dogs while I was gone Lmao.

[Martin Barrett]

Sounds great - Do you know what you'll be riding yet?

 

There are a couple of rallies going on whilst you're over.

I think you'd miss the Erin in Ireland as 9-11 June, Then there's the V11 one in Germany the following weekend 16-18 June. And the Boxmoor one in Holland the following week. These are all north of your route.

 

If you have a look at Pexi.blogs.com he has various trip reports around the south of France including the route Napoleon on his Brevas

 

Remember take lots of photos and post a trip report

[fernando]

orson,

 

i found that prices in andorra are no longer that good. that is ,as compared to the usa.

but ,if you think it worthwile i will shop around for sidi boots and dainesse all weather riding gear.do you have any experience on these items as far as pricing is concerned ?

i know that i was able to recoup the vat tax when i left europe 17.5 % .

therefore andorra ,last time i was there , was not that good.

andorra is good or used to be ,prior to the euro for citizens of france and spain. but i am not so sure any more about actual day europe.

 

as far as european prices for european manufactured goods i do not know any longer . but given the fact that most brands ,whheter they be italian or german or whatever , are now produced in asia,mostly china,their retail prices are about the same all over with the usa pricing somewhat lower than europe for the same item.

[Guzzirider]

If you are spending some time in Luzern, get the steepest train in the world up Mount Pilatus, get the cable car down half way, stop for beer and sausage then carry on down again.

 

Attached view from top of Mt Pilatus looking down on Luzern from a photo I took last November 2004.

 

Guy

[Martin Barrett]

If you are spending some time in Luzern, get the steepest train in the world up Mount Pilatus, get the cable car down half way, stop for beer and sausage then carry on down again.

 

Attached view from top of Mt Pilatus looking down on Luzern from a photo I took last February.

 

Guy 

72568[/snapback]

 

I thought that was a fly or a smudge on your picture, but on full size I can see that its a broad winged raptor of some sort. Eagle, buzzard what do they have there?

Last year going up the Wye valley I saw a buzzard and kites allways nice to see.

[Guzzirider]

Hmm not sure Martin- just zoomed in on it and its too blurred. I'm no twitcher so I am guessing its an eagle of some sort.

 

Saw plenty of large eagles in the Black Forest last year- an impressive sight.

 

Last year I was walking a few miles away from Malham Tarn and there were three guys, each with a massive Golden Eagle on their arm and they were hunting rabbits with them.

 

If you like birds of prey, if you are ever on the A303 near Thruxton race cicuit there is a bird sanctuary where once a day at teatime, they drive the birds about 3 miles away then release them. You sit on a bench on top of a hill and they are trained to swoop inches above your head- the most impressive bird being a South American Condor with an eight foot wing span that left a big breeze after it flew over your head.

 

Also saw a fight between a wild local buzzard and an eagle from the sanctuary- and the buzzard won.

 

Guy

[Van]

I would love to do that someday! I still need to ride here in the States first though. My ideal vacation ride is to go out to San Diego & ride the PCH to Canada & then take the badlands back to Ohio. Oh & I'd take the desert southwest route to SanDiego from Ohio. Think I'll need a Goldwing type bike for that kind of action though. If I did that trip on the Rosso Mandello I'd  definitely be a candidate for Iron Butt of the year  I think I'd need a month maybe 6 weeks to do it. Then someone would have to watch my dogs,bang my girlfriend, collect my mail while I was gone etc...Man sure would miss my dogs while I was gone Lmao.

72388[/snapback]

 

Hi richard100t !

if you ever make that trip, get in touch, lotsa fun roads in the Cascades of Washington, and through the Rockies, not to mention here on Vancouver lsland

Cheers

Van

[fernando]

my final dates are as follows in case any of you guys in europe can ,eet us somewhere

 

we arrive in frankfurt june 3rd

 

we leave heidelberg on june 4th for switzerland and from there we head south and east.

 

we return to heidelberrgjuly 1 st

 

fernando

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

Hi richard100t !

if you ever make that trip, get in touch, lotsa fun roads    in  the Cascades of Washington, and through the Rockies, not to mention here on Vancouver lsland

Cheers

Van

73645[/snapback]

 

I second that! Come and play with the Canada Goose crew!!

 

I also wish I could meet up with Fernando and ride in Europe. Someday .....

[rossoandy]

hmmm, all that way to Europe in early June an you not stoppin off at the TT..

tut..

[fernando]

anytime helicopter jim ,

 

is that you with the shirt off /

 

and, isle of man tt

 

i cannot do it ,too much of a circus nowadays . but maybe someday i will get up the nerve and go.

 

i was very dissapointed the last time i went to lemans for the auto races . it is not like it was back in the 60's and 70's , again ,a circus nowadays . but ,everything changes ,all over . and not usually for the better.

 

by the way ,if you guys want to see a great lemans racing movie ,there are many out there ,but i like A MAN AND A WOMAN because it is a perspective from ford motor company and it is in my opinion a commercial for the cobras and the gt40,s and mustangs of the era.

[Orson]

and, isle of man tt

 

i cannot do it ,too much of a circus nowadays . but maybe someday i will get up the nerve and go.

74009[/snapback]

I'd have to agree with the circus description. I went to the '02 TT. The racing was fantastic to watch and getting to ride the circuit was very special...

 

however, it was tempered by the excess of squidly riding I witnessed. It's normal in the UK to filter through traffic along the center line however, at the TT there is so much two wheeled traffic that the center "filtering" lane backs up quite a ways. Naturally, some brainiac decides that, he is going to filter past the filterers:rolleyes: He then encounters 4 wheeled traffic coming the opposite way bringing traffic in both directions to a stop

 

This does nothing to endear TT crowds to the local populace. I talked to some locals who say they go into hibernation during the TT fortnight just to avoid the banzai-ing motorcyclist traffic.

 

I also came upon several wadded up bikes during my visit. One that looked like it may have involved fatalities (appeared to be a head on collision).

 

While I'm glad I finally got to attend a TT, my desire to return is tempered by the squidly riding I witnessed.

[Van]

anytime helicopter jim ,

 

is that you with the shirt off /

 

and, isle of man tt

 

i cannot do it ,too much of a circus nowadays . but maybe someday i will get up the nerve and go.

 

i was very dissapointed the last time i went to lemans  for the auto races . it is not like it was back in the 60's and 70's , again ,a circus nowadays . but ,everything changes ,all over . and not usually for the better.

 

by the way ,if you guys want to see a great lemans racing movie ,there are many out there ,but i like  A MAN AND A WOMAN  because it is a perspective from ford motor company and it is in my opinion a commercial for the cobras and the gt40,s and mustangs of the era.

74009[/snapback]

Great period movie......neat cinematography, kind of like Steve McQueens, LeMans, in that it's a very bassic story not spoiled by over /poorly done dialogue. and phoney scenes

Cheers

van