HERE BE DRAGONS

On ancient maps there appears a phrase to warn the observer that beyond this point nothing is known. “Here Be Dragons” appeared on my gps on Monday morning as I was leaving Zagreb. I tried to enter the name of a major town, and nothing showed up. I tried an address. Nothing. So I went to my paper maps, which I still keep for good reasons like this. 

The reason I had sailed off the edge of the known world was simple. I had a version of European maps created in 2008. That is a long time ago in gps history. And I knew I was out of date many times when my gps showed me crossing plowed ground, when I was using new asphalt. 

I made it down the road to Slavonski Brod and found a good room with freaky fast internet. Then I looked on my gps to see if Istanbul streets were on my current maps. Nope. Nor were Belgrade or Sofia, or anything east to Zagreb.

At this point some economic bullet biting took place. Do I pay $80 to update the maps for 10 days of travel before I go off the edge of the earth again? Or do I buy paper maps, and hope I can find the street address with the help of strangers? I bit the digital bullet. 

So now my gps has all of Eastern Europe, Turkey, and the streets for major cities. I will be able to find my hotel in Istanbul! 

Then I made another decision. This one may not be smart at all. I went to Sarajevo instead of Belgrade. I thought it would be a shame to be this close and pass it up. The problem is that to get from Sarajevo to Sofia, Bulgaria is a poor, winding road. Google maps says 7 hours. I’ll bet it takes me two days. I have found that Bosnia has a 100 km speed limit, unless it is 70km per hour. Guess which is more prevalent. Yep – 70 km/hr or a whopping 43 mph. And that is moving along without being behind a truck.

The really poor part of my decision is the weather. It just poured on me as I got about an hour outside of Sarajevo. I had checked the weather report and it said scattered showers. It was scattered enough that it soaked me. That is unusual because my gear really is water tight. This time it managed to leak through. I really need a weather break.  

Sarajevo is the first Ottoman city I have been in. There are mosques all over, and the call to prayer is announced. But at the same time the city is very much a European place with visitors from all over.

 

 

RIDE THE DOLOMITES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has taken me some time, but I finally have this GoPro thing down – kind of. I blew up one of my videos. I cannot figure out how. Then my original video has music with it, that happens to be copyrighted. So I had to remove it. Also detracts from the video. So I may have to repost later.

 

In my last post I talked about how great the Hotel Dolomiti is. I forgot to say that Daniel speaks excellent English. So do not be afraid to call him to make a reservation.

 

I entered Slovenia on Thursday. The hostel was really a dorm for high school girls who boarded during the school week. They all left Friday morning early when the parents showed up. So the hostel billed as "the funnest host ever" was somewhat overstated, to the point of fraud. The room was fine, but it was not a  hostel or a hotel. Someone was just trying to earn some Euros renting out any bit of extra space. So I am back on Hostel World.

 

Zagreb is basically Omaha. It was founded about the same time, even though it claims some small medieval portion. But it got stuck in a 50's time warp and it saved its tourist trade. They never tore up the trolly trackes. So trolleys go everywhere, and it is a pretty liesurly ride throught the city. A tourist can buy a 3 day card for about $17.

I am sick. Caught a cold somewhere along the line. So I am holed up in a hostel in Zagreb getting rest and doing stuff like this. It took me 4 hours to put this little piece together. As I said, it is a learning process. 

Hope you enjoy.

 

http://youtu.be/wAdpxnLKQw8

WELCOME TO THE HOTEL DOLOMITI

I have found a gem.  On a whim I decided I should ride the Italian Alps and see the Dolomites. So I went on line and found Hotel Dolomiti in Vattaro, near Trento. The place is wonderful. The owner is Daniel Ducati. And he is a motorcycle enthusiast as well. The rooms are very reasonable, and Daniel is also an excellent chef.


View From My Hotel Balcony

 

Viale Vicenza, n°15 Vattaro Trento 38049 Italy

0039 0461 848540 Skype 0039 0461 848540 FREE   
0039 0461 847496 Skype 0039 0461 847496 FREE   
http://www.dolomiti-hotels.com

 

So after getting checked in Daniel helped me with bike stuff. The chain was a mess, and we got that all cleaned and bright. Then I ate real food. Daniel made his own pasta, ravioli, appetizers, and served the local cheese. Truly a great meal.

He also found some parts for me, as he knows every motorcycle shop in Trento.

 

Daniel Ducati - Best Host Ever!

And now the best part. He mapped out a trip to the Dolomites that I could never have found on my own. Even with gps way points supplied by Daniel I got a bit turned around ever so often.

 

 

  
I have made a short GoPro flick and I will fill it in. But for now these are the pictures. Along the way I saw what I thought were Italian Army trucks. Turned out to be German tourists with converted German Army trucks - now super campers!





Super Camper

And here are photos from the trip up to Trent along the shore of Lake Garda

Hard To Believe This Is An Alpine Lake



I AM NOT LOST. I’M TOURING

It is overcast in Piacenza, Italy as I write this post. And I am a bit down. Rick and I left Collieure, France (which is a great place) and went to Toulouse for the Easter weekend and to get Rick closer to the ferry. 

In Collieure we stayed at the Hotel Fregate. It is a very nice place and I recommend it. It is not expensive. If you click on the map, it comes up right next to our marker. 

We stayed at the Hotel D’Orsay, 8 boulevard bonrepos, Toulouse, France Tel: +33 (0)5 61 62 71 61. It is very well located and has super secure parking. It is located right across from the train station. So it is easy to get to. But the streets behind the hotel are a bit seedy. Having said that, the hotel was full of Spanish families visiting for the Easter weekend. It is a 5 minute walk to the happening part of the city. 

But let me tell you about the ride to Toulouse. The winds were horrendous. They were so bad that we had to leave the 4 lane toll road and get on a 2 lane. This was not a rare occurance. There were permanent signs warning truckers and camper trailers of violent winds. Rick and I were both freaked out. The problem was, I had to return on the same route 2 days later. This time the winds had subsided, and I made good time. 

So I had to visit the Riviera. There were no topless women on the beach at Cannes this morning. It was a bit cool and windy for that. Lots of runners and people enjoying Easter Monday holiday were out and about. I had set my gps to drive the coast road. After an hour of stop and go I had it and went to the toll road. It made a lot of sense. I would still be crawling along the coast otherwise.

I wanted to take a route that did not use the Italian toll roads. So I set my gps and promptly got lost in downtown Genoa. I saw a lot, but never could get to the road because the gps kept sending me to a parking garage. My maps on gps are 6 years old. That may explain it. 

Anyway, I am in Italy. Rick takes the ferry to Ireland tomorrow.  I have decided to ride the Italian Alps for a couple days, even if the weather is crap. I do not expect to come this way again.

 

Oh yeah. I am working on my Turkmenistan Transit Visa. The agent that seems most helpful and knowledgeable is Real Russia Ltd, in London. http://www.realrussia.co.uk/  They are arranging visas for the Mongol Rally and seem to be very reasonable on charges. They are one of the few outfits I encountered that have contacts with Turkmenistan Consulate.

BLUE SKIES AND NEW FRIENDS

Dear Friends, 

Serge - j'espère que vous lisez ceci. Vous êtes généreux et un véritable ambassadeur de bonne volonté. Appuyez sur le bouton traduire sur ce blog. Rechercher sur le droit et choisissez "Français" pour lire le blog. Votre ami – Fritz 

 



View From My Hotel Window in Lourdes

When I last left you I was being chauffeured around San Sebastian, Spain in an articulated bus at 11:20 pm on a Saturday night.  Since then I have been to Pamplona, my last post, then to Lourdes, France, Andorra, and now back to Collioure, France on the Mediterranean.

 

As you have probably noted, I am the recipient of acts of kindness from complete strangers. Remember the cop in San Sebastian? A great guy. Then there was the bus driver. Also a great guy.

Well, today I was in France and another great guy came into my life. If you will look back in my blogs you will see where I managed to dump the bike in the first 20 seconds of the trip and smack my right ribs pretty well. The wreck also trashed part of my brand new, never been to Vegas, Caribou luggage system. It has the well-earned reputation of being indestructible, unless I am riding. So I cracked the hinge and lid on the right pannier. Rick was anxious to get the tour underway. So I put a piece of duct tape on the part, smacked the hinge pin back straight with a punch and hammer; and got under way.

 

Damaged Pannier After Rivets and Repairs - See the crack?

As I rode along I could see that the crack was getting a tad longer and that surgery was needed. So I was looking for a scooter shop with a drill and a shop this afternoon. There was none, but the Renault service dealer here in Collioure was open so I went in to see if they might be able to lend me a drill and cut a piece of aluminum. The owner is Serge Daider. He speaks no English, and I speak less French. His wife (I think she is his wife) spoke enough English to understand I needed some shop work. So I came back with the pannier. Serge and I had a discussion that consisted of looking at the crack and coming to the same conclusion. I needed a scab to bind the plastic and keep it from spreading.

 

 

Serge Daider - Generous Businessman

 

Well Serge had a bit of aluminum on hand, which I cut. But no nuts and bolts small enough. But I saw some rivets, and he drilled and riveted the pieces as I put pressure on the lid to force the crack together.  And it worked. I still need to find some filler or adhesive to repair the hinge, and make the lid completely waterproof. But the repair is good enough to make it to Mongolia.

 

When I went to pay Serge he would not take anything. So the next time someone says the French do not like Americans, I will reply “bullshit, I know a guy in Collioure France who is a great guy. And he showed great kindness to a clueless aging American without any thought of reward.”

 

Now for some pictures of the rides through the Pyrenees. Andorra was wonderful, but we had a time finding the hotel.

High and Cold

Slopes Still In Operation - Can you say "Apres  Ski"

Just Another  Hairpin Curve

THE ROAD TO PAMPLONA

It was a great day for a ride through the Pyrenees. I set the GoPro on automatic and picked the best pictures. No long explanations. Just great pictures of the ride. But note how Woody is packed.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

GREAT ROAD TO PAMPLONA FROM SAN SEBASTIAN

GETTING DIRECTIONS FROM JAY LENO

RICK WITH WOODY

FELLOW BIKERS FROM BARCELONA

 

WE NEED GUARDIANS APPOINTED

So friends let me tell a tale of two clueless American tourists.  We went out for dinner at 9 pm, normal Spanish dining time, and looked for the time of the last bus back to the hostel before we sought out a restaurant. 

Well we finished in plenty of time to make the last bus at 11:30 and got to the bus stop where we saw the number 28 bus, and climbed aboard. The bus took off and we were just flying to our destination as rider after rider got off. Finally we were the only two passengers aboard. The driver stopped and said “all off”. At this point I went up and asked when he was continueing to the hospital (our stop) and asked “is this the end of the line.” He looked as us with one of those “Oh my god, I am stuck with morons” expressions. 

The best part!  I said "we will get a taxi" and he said "I will drop you at a taxi stand." So we tore around town and the driver realized there were no taxi stands. So he drops us at the soccer stadium, which happens to be a stop for the 26 bus – the correct bus. 

Rick gets off to see the fans celebrating, a bus comes, and I ask if it is going to the hospital – because it is the 26 bus. But it is not going to the hospital, it is going the other way. A guy at the stand says “next bus – it is the last one of the night”.  And we made it.

 

So once again the kindness of strangers has saved the day. San Sebastian is the best place to be lost. And if you want to get drunk and sing rugby songs in Spanish this is the place to go.

OUR POLICE ESCORT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are in San Sebastian, Spain tonight and it has been a very amazing day. We woke early and punched our way to Bordeaux for lunch and then pressed on to the Spanish border. When we got to San Sebastian, Spain I realized I only had the address of our hostel on my pin drive. I followed signs to the city center, or as close as I could go, and finally pulled over to read maps and try to get an address.

 

I saw a motorcycle cop and waived at him. He came right over and I explained we were Americans looking for a hostel called Aussie II. The police officer’s name is Jon Villa and he is native Basque. He radioed in for a fix on the hostel. Then he started to show us on a map where it was. About this time he realized that the way to the hostel was complicated. So he said the Spanish equivalent of “saddle up and follow me boys.”



Officer Villa scoping the map and radioing for the address

 

 I wish I knew the name of his commander and the chamber of commerce president. I would write both a glowing thank you. He gave us a police escort up to the hostel, which we would not have found even with gps. Then he explained the bus system and made sure we got in safe. 

Don Ricardo with our official escort

The only problem was that the conversation was all in Spanish. So I was blathering away with Jon while Rick was standing around wondering what we were discussing.

 
The hostel is great. Easily the best hostel room we have ever had. And the prices in Spain compared to France are very reasonable. We are going to stick around here a couple of days, then ride the Pyrenees. My first impressions are that this is a great tourist town, pretty inexpensive, great atmosphere, and the people are very friendly. So if you have three days to really enjoy the place I think it would be well spent.

JUST CALL ME WOODY

Rick and I have been on the road for 2 weeks now. I got a haircut in Scotland and look presentable. But Rick has been telling people he is from Nebraska and is trying out the Bruce Dern look.  In fact, he did not shave for about 10 days to give that grungy Montana look to him.  Rick thinks that if people think he is actually Bruce Dern and is from Nebraska they will give us free stuff and treat us like celebrities. So far that has not worked.

 

I have decided that the name of Ricks machine is “Woody”. It is a classic 2001 Honda Silver Wing 600 that keeps loosing parts. Rick wanted to borrow more of my duct tape to hold the fairing together in England, but I told him to just take the part off. So now he is riding around with a couple chunks of plastic tied on to his saddle.

 

Saturday through Tuesday we pretty lousy for weather. But Wales has some fun and beautiful roads. The only option was to suck it up and keep going.  The rivers in Wales were full to brimming over. It reminded me of the Rio Bamba in Ecuador where Marty and I slogged our way through for a week. But Wales was great and the prices were better than anywhere else in Brittan. 

By Tuesday the weather had cleared a bit and our ferry left at 10 pm or thereabouts. So we did the tourist thing and went to Avebury Circle instead of Stonehenge for two reasons (a) Stonehenge is not accessable and it is an expensive excursion and (b) I have been to Carhenge and know what old stuff piled on old stuff looks like. Avebury is 10 times larger than Stonehenge and you can walk up to the stones and survey it all. Rick was especially impressed with one stone. But I cannot reckon why.

 

So we later went to Portsmouth for the ferry. I love the ferry because it makes me feel like I am on a real adventure. The bad news was that they ferry guys wanted me to put my bike on the center stand. So I pulled my back again doing it. I have resolved to go to Lourdes for the treatment of my aching back.

 

 

 

 

 

We got off the ferry in Caen, France. We went to Bayeux for breakfast and then on to Omaha Beach. We took the small one lane back roads. I now understand the confusion and fear that must have gripped the troops when they tried to figure out where they were. And I really understand how exposed to fire the assault troops were on the beach. We were there at high tide, and it would have been a long way to cover.

 

So then we had a good French lunch. The food is superb here. Expensive but great.

 

Tomorrow is Spain. More later.

Tonight We Eat Haggis

South Scotland and Wales have been our destinations for the past two days. On Sunday the 5^th we stayed at the Carlyle House B & B in Ecclefechan Scotland, the birthplace of Thomas Carlyle. For those of you who may not be familiar with the writings of  Carlyle, he is the author and economist who dubbed economics “the dismal science”.  Well it was wet and dismal at his birthplace. 

Haggis Fritter

Haggis Gobbler

But since it was our last night in Scotland we went down to the Cressfield Hotel www.cressfieldhotel.co.uk for dinner. They served haggis and we felt obliged to eat it, which we did. Quite tasty. Actually, the food was the best I had in Scotland. And I would recommend the dinning room to anyone.

As is always the case, guys were hanging around the bar watching football (a/k/a soccer).  I got a job serving! 

Serving the boys on a wet Scottish night

 

 

 

Sunday was a tough day in the saddle. We went all the way to Welshpool, Wales. The problem is that in the UK there is no standard currency. I kid you not. When we were in Northern Ireland we got pound notes drawn on Belfast banks, and they were not well received in Scotland. Then Scotland issued pound notes on their banks, and the English did not accept them. And the Welsh would not accept the Scotch notes tonight for fish and chips dinner. Coins are good. But I would think that so long as the note has the queen’s visage on it the note should be good throughout the UK. 

So the threat of the Exchequer that the Scots will not be permitted to use the pound if they vote for independence is pretty empty. I am finding that the pound is kind of a local currency and not accepted around the world like dollars and Euros.

I am recovering from the injury, but the beds in B & Bs are a bit soft and not helping to heal the muscle. I think I will need a chiropractor to  move some bits around. The B & Bs are nice and cost about 30 pounds per night. The hostel in Edinburgh cost 22 pounds per night. So I think the UK is a little costly.  

One last comment. When I tell people where we are going they always seem to have a route that the local motorcyclists love. It is usually described as a “lovely ride”. But when pressed they admit the route would take three days upon the slow back roads. Rick and I take a “lovely ride” from time to time when we get lost or the gps gives us the most direct route. That means it is slow.

MotoFeirme

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There a several ways to obtain a motorcycle to make this trip. The direct route is to buy one in the USA and have it shipped to Ireland, or wherever the start point is. Of course, a short excursion might be done with a rental. But I found a way to buy a used bike in Ireland. When I was cruising on ADV Rider website a couple years ago I saw a post by a guy called WheatWhacker, who ultimately turned out to be Martin Hurley.

 

Martin had inherited a piece of land in Ireland and moved back from San Francisco. He found that foreigners could buy and register bikes in Ireland. So he helped out a couple of guys for no gain, but has now turned the deal into a real business venture.

 

The way it works is that the budding adventure rider goes on line to DoneDeal.ie and finds a bike that looks like it meets the requirements. Then Martin goes out and scouts the deal for a fee.  If the bike looks like it is as represented the buyer gives Martin the money and he closes the deal. If the bike is not good, Martin passes on it and reports back. Martin calls the place MotoFeirme, which is a combination of Spanish for motorbike and Gaelic for farm.

 

Both Rick and me bought our machines through Martin. They have Irish titles and registration. The only glitch seems to be insurance. We bought EU in insurance through a guy in Bulgaria. Irish companies only seem interested in insuring residents.

 

When I showed up Rick had already been in Kinsale a couple days. I still had a lot to do on the bike. It took 2 days to prep the bike. So I hurried along and by Sunday morning we were ready to roll.

 

I made it 200 yards before I dumped the bike. The road into the B & B was a dirt track and I had been riding it for days. But when I came up on Sunday morning there was a small ridge between the tire tracks. And in this instance it was wet grass. So it dumped me. I had the wind knocked out of me and was in pain, but I could not believe the ride was over before it began.

 

We got the bike up and went to Martins. Then I hoisted myself into the saddle and we rode to Molls Gap in the Ring of Kerry. By 3 pm I was really hurting so we pulled into Killarney.

 

When I got up on Monday the 31^st  there was no way I could ride. For those of you who criticize European medicine this will be a heart breaking story.  I went to Killarney Medical Center and saw Dr. Michael O’Doherty. They asked 3 questions. My name, age, and nature of complaint. Fifteen minutes later I saw the Dr. He examined me, no x-rays, EKG, MRI or even a nurse. And with Irish precision of language he announced that I had no broken ribs but had badly pulled some muscles and I would hurt! So he said he would treat the pain with the most powerful stuff I could tolerate and prescribed 3 medicines. Cost – Euros 50 for the Dr. and Euros 20 for the pain. I was in an out in less than and hour, prescription included.

 

I spent Monday just resting, and was ready to ride on Tuesday. We rode in good weather (which means not raining in Ireland) to  Williamsferry House  in Nenagh. www.williamsferry.com. It was very nice, and not a tourist place at all.

 

So Wednesday we pushed to Northern Ireland. It was a miserable ride. Rain and cold.  It was a stupid plan to go north, but here we are . We made it in by 5, and we were the only ones in the hostel, Humphrey’s at Rathmore in Larne.

 

On Thursday we took the ferry to Scotland. The weather is not improved. Both Rick and I had some problems with the bikes. Rick’s are minor. Mine are a bit more expensive because somehow my front brake disc has become warped. So I am waiting to get my bike out of the shop at Motorrad Central in Dalkeith, just outside of Edinburgh. Tony Philipson is the service manager and got me in, even though the place is packed. The Scots are such fine people. The weather is crap and I now understand why they have immigrated to the four corners of the earth.  www.motorradcentral.com  .

 

 

We are at the Caledonia Backpacker Hostel right on Princess Street. So it is cheap and well located.

 

Hopefully the bike is ready on Saturday afternoon and we hit the road to warmer weather on Sunday.

 

That’s all folks.  Next post will be the sunny south of England.