The all over the place (shortened) trip...2005

[Anonymous]

This year I wasn't able to holiday until the balmy month of August. So I booked the ferry, and packed the GS for over two weeks of riding in sunny alpine and central europe 8) :D . No especial plan, other than what turned out to be a slightly overambitious one. I declared a huge list of countries to visit to my insurer and complained bitterly when I was denied Bosnia :lol:

Departure was from sunny Dover in the south east, a good 200 miles of motorway from Bristol over in the west. Destination was Dunkirk. Readers may like to know the return crossing was with the simple but excellent Norfolk Line and cost the grand sum of £58 (with no surcharges for changes in departure time and returns). Quite inexpensive.

Picturesque Dover
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I left Bristol early as a rain front was going to pass over and I didn't want a dirty bike for two weeks of sundrenched riding on the continent..haha!

I decided as the ride over to Dover was fairly long to just ride a couple of hours on the other side, so after the somewhat uninteresting and windy Pas de Calais stopped of in the town of Mons in Belgium. Mons had a good municiple campsite, in other words in the centre of town, so I was able to pitch camp and wander around what turned out to be the stag and hen party town of the entire nothern continent or so it seemed. Strange. Anyway, I started to celebrate the trip with some of this..a highlight of Belgium:

Belgian beers are great!
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I awoke in Mons to find the weather front had caught up with me and it was somewhat wet. C'est la vie. So I packed up the tent and rode south. The border area between the somewhat uninteresting countryside of Belgium (sorry Belgie's ;-) and Germany turned out to be rather nice. But is was an elevated heath and I was cold and wet after only half a day's ride. But the trip was getting more interesting.

Forest and heath, border of Belgium and Germany
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So the plan now was to head down to Koblenz in Germany, run down the Rhine and through the Blackforest to the German Alps, starting the trip proper near the Bodensee (lake Constance to you and me)...start forgiving the spellings locals, I'll come back and correct them when I have my atlas.

Passing the famous Nurbergring (hmmm....shall I go round in the wet with a loaded GS...oh, a race is on..what a relief ) I headed south. So it was still raining very hard at Koblenz and so perhaps the Rhine wasn't looking it's best. But I found a nice campsite in a vineyard up above the Rhine and the sun came out for an evening walk in the forests above the river.

Hazy evening in the Rhineland
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The Rhine is a major shipping river, this barge was one of the smaller ones. I guess it connects to the Danube...unsure...and therefore allows you to move goods all over central europe.

Rhine traffic
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It was a picturesque area, but I think I would get bored on one of those Rhine riverboat cruises. But I did find out that the German guys keep all the good wine for themselves and ship us the sweet crap . Anyhow.....the rain restarted, my mobile phone was soaked and not working and I wished I had a four season geodesic dome tent instead of my Black's cheapie. Yes, the rain had caught up with me again. The following morning I unpitched camp in the rain, got back into my wet riding kit, and dropped the bike in the gravel leaving the campsite..a good start. You'll know the feelings ..wet, cold, bad night, dropped bike.:cry: So I picked it up and had a big cry into my helmet as I headed on through Germany. It'll be sunny in the Blackforest...

The Blackforest was somewhere I has always wanted to visit. As a child I was always fascinated by confused ideas of trees, bears, cuckoo-clocks and cake with cherries in it and cream on top. Fortunately for the tourist there's a rather nice twisty-turny road well signposted that you can take out of Baden-Baden (I think...) ..the Schwartzwaldstrasse, running almost due south. It was pretty but guess what... yes, it was raining, so the riding was not quite as enjoyable as it might have been and the views limited. But in any case a pic of a GS in some woods

Blackforest
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After a rather lengthy day, I neared Lake Constance, the Bodensee. This is a rather touristy spot, but having had two wet nights under canvas (or nylon) I thought at elast I would find a warm hotel. Well after a huge traffic jam due to an accident oitside the town of Landau, I found a decent hotel over the Austrian border (the border ducks in and out around there) and unpacked all my gear to dry. I guess a few hotels had tents laid out to dry that eve. So time for a walk on the lake shore and some pics of Landau under an angry sky.

'Is it going to rain tomorrow, Dad?'...Landau
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But this was the gateway to the German alps...so tomorrow the trip really begins (again).

[Grinch]

Nice... so many plans for the future... such a long wait... hopefully it will be me, Jax and PJ though... :D

Oh and fix that Forest and heath, border of Belgium and Germany pic.

[jonboy]

Very nice Rich, that pic of the Rhine was awesome - bike's not bad too ;).


.

[Grinch]

I think I want a GS now... whats the mpg on that like.. :lol:

[Anonymous]

I think I want a GS now... whats the mpg on that like.. :lol:

More pics tomorrow or later if Im bored at home :lol:

No idea of MPG. Very variable. Genteel riding gets over 200miles to a tank. Cant remember how many litres in the tank :lol:

Riding like a loon maybe 180

Riding fully loaded at 125mph....guzzle guzzle sh*t it says 20 miles to empty and next petrol 30kms.....the usual. Ill tell you what tho on the autobahn flat out loaded you could virtually see the guage dropping. I also think a couple of accidental fills with 98 did for the consumption big time...is that typical? I got confused as in southern Austria/Slovenia suddenly standard unleaded was 90 or 91, so I needed the 95 which they seemed to call super, and then on the way home super became 98...if you get my drift :lol:

[Cronos]

Looks like great fun.... not quite eating goat testes in Mongolia, but an adventure none the less. :lol:

[Anonymous]

Having missed the boat on missing the traffic I shall continue...

As well as the waymarked road through the Blackforest, there's a nicely routed out road that runs allong the German Alps, ducking in and out of Austria http://www.deutsche-alpenstrasse.de/ After a bright start....you should be able to guess by now. The scenary was still beautiful in the wet. The low (relatively) lying clouds added a certain something and it was funny knowing those peaks loomed above and you just couldn't see them.

The German Alps (probably)

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and more
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Goal for the first night was to ride this road as far as Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Not that far but as Jelster pointed out you don't do so many miles on these roads. I had hoped for a real scenic day and a bit of exploring off the beaten track as its a less than half-day run really. But as it was very very wet, by lunch I had had enough and was soaked. My hands were really suffering from wet gloves (Goretex Alpinestars :roll: ) and being boiled with grips on full. That day I was riding with Compede's on the ball of one hand where the wet had caused a blister to form. I actually thought all the skin on my hands was going to peel. Happy days!

The odd gem tho even in the rain. This lake Plansee was on a most beautiful twisty back road. I really wanted to camp here but needed a dry bed for the night.

Plansee
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So just short of Garmisch at Oberammergau I decided to stop for the rest of the day at a pension and dry out. I found a lovely pension, and decided to get a sausage lunch and some Bavarian beer and do some tourism. This is the village of woodcarvers where they have the passion play every 10 years.

Oberammergau
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Its full of some pretty and some tourtisy carver's shops
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And pretty little houses, some painted with fairy-tale scenes. They arn't that old actually, but very very pretty.

Little Red Riding Hood
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So after a good nights sleep and a good dry out there was some sight seeing to be done. Next day the plan was to get to the end of the alpine road and stop at Berchtesgaden, a favourite holiday spot of a certain dictator....well he had the pick of places and should know :lol: Its a little finger of land jutting into Austria and close to Salzburg. It wasn't too bad a day weather wise with some lovely sun early on. I decided on another pension though as they were cheap and warm (and I spotted a cloud in the sky) and took an early eve ride into Salzburg. Which I didnt like....a bit like Bath but less interesting :lol:
Anyhow, on route it was time to see some Bavarian countryside, alps and castles. First stop was a view from a distance of the famous castle of Mad King Jonboy II. I think the view on all the jigsaws must be from up the hill. The weather was good so I didn,t want to waste happy riding time looking around.

Neuschwanstein (I think)
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[Anonymous]

Looks like great fun.... not quite eating goat testes in Mongolia, but an adventure none the less. :lol:

They had better weather :wink: :lol:

[Cronos]

Neuschwanstein (I think)

It is indeed Schloss Neuschwanstein, one of mad King Ludwig II's fairytale castles.


...the famous castle of Mad King Jonboy II

Maybe I'm wrong! :lol:

[snoopy]

So you did all that by yourself? I got bored after a couple days on my own.

[TSM]

http://faq.f650.com/GSFAQs/FuelInjectionFAQ.htm
There are 3 standards to grade fuel: RON, which is the original standard. MON which is a more recent standard and PON, which is a blend of the two (and used in the US). The conversions between the different standards are not always straight forward, but generally"

95 RON ~ 91 PON (as used in the US)
85 MON ~ 88.5 PON

So, next time check what the fuel pump says (RON, MON or PON).

RON = Research Octane Number
MON = Motor Octane Number.
PON = Pump Octane Number which is obtained by the average: (RON + MON)/2. (USA mainly)

[Anonymous]

Interesting faq, TSM. Maybe it said PON... :lol:

[Anonymous]

So you did all that by yourself? I got bored after a couple days on my own.

Generally I enjoy the freedom of going and doing what I want...no disucsions, no arguments. BUT when it gets a little bit against you when your tired and wet, two's definitely company. I found it tiring making all the decisions, having no one to take the lead a bit and lead the route, set the speed, take the lines you can follow. I think like most things if its sunny and alls well great.

Eve's can get a little tedious but if I can camp then its an early bed after a few beers anyhow.If you cant camp I find it a bit tiresome. But Im an up early and eraly bed person anyhow, Ive done a few trips on my own now and generally Ive found people to talk too and stuff. I spend all the rest of my life with people and talking so it can be a bit of respite :lol:

Howvever I know what you mean.

[Anonymous]

ISNT MY SPELLING TERRIBLE.....sorry, hard enough to find time to post let alone proof read. Im preparing the next installment.......

[snoopy]

Well you've picked a great bike for it. My dillema now is picking up some alu panniers; cheapest I've seen is £416, thats £160 for the panniers and £250 for the bloody fixings!

I guess yours are BMW? How much were they?

[snoopy]

Well you've picked a great bike for it. My dillema now is picking up some alu panniers; cheapest I've seen is £416, thats £160 for the panniers and £250 for the bloody fixings!

I guess yours are BMW? How much were they?

[amarko5]

Well done Rich :thumbsup:

great report so far :) I am expecting some nice twisty road pics soon though :wink:

[fizzwheel]

Cool thread this Dr Rich keep it coming, shame about the weather though

Did you do much damage to your GS when you dropped it in the gravel ? I hope not

[Anonymous]

This day turned out to be good. After the castle I followed some interesting looking roads (ask me about the error with my maps) and rode through some lovely countryside back near Plansee but under better conditions. It really was beautiful and peaceful.

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Isolated in the middle of these fields was a dull looking but rather large (seeing as there was no town) white church (not the one in the pic above). The ‘White Church’….haha! But inside it was amazing. Here’s just a taster.

White Church
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So plenty of tourism and onward to Berchtesgaden. A beautiful setting for an evening sitting on the balcony of my room.

Evening view Berchtesgaden
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Berchtesgaden is very pretty and attracts a lot of walkers, climbers, cyclists and bikers. In fact, serving bikers typically well, there’s a leaflet for a special loop road around the mountains, the Rosfelt Panorama Strasse. This is a circular toll road with some lovely riding and fantastic views

Berchtesgaden
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As I said before the wartime German leader holidayed here I believe and it’s the location of the Eagle’s Nest, which you can visit the site of. It was destroyed during the war. Wonder what he would have thought of the 12GS? :lol:

Eagle’s Nest
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The whole area is exceptionally picturesque and an outdoor paradise. Easyjet fly to Salzburg I believe so somewhere I hope to return to for some walking.

Around Berchtesgaden
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Again the weather was good so it was time to make a decision. Plan A was to now head north east in a loop via Brno, up to Krakow, take in Auchwitz, then drop down through Slovakia to Budapest then into Slovenia. This was a fair few miles and with the exception of Slovakia on less interesting roads than I had ridden up to now. The weather forecast that way was patchy and there would be a lot of dull miles. I was enjoying the Alps. It was a bit of a toughie and thinking about dropping that loop left me thinking the trip was a bit of a failure. On the other hand, there was more alpine riding in better weather to be had. I decided to drop the loop…it would be cheaper and less time absorbing to fly to these places nowadays. So Plan B was to shoot south through Austria and run straight into Slovenia now there was a promise of good weather.

This change of plan was a blessing in disguise. I had completely missed the idea of riding the Grossglocker, probably one of the classic alpine bike rides (doesn’t that mean big clock?) It rises up to 2571m (road) and is absolutely packed with bikes. It’s a 17euro toll road, and this is in part justified with special stops for bikers on the way up. But it’s an amazing experience….and you get a special sticker to say you’ve done it (well…you’ve been stung to the tune of 17euro). I wouldn’t say it had the best bends and twisties of the trip but the sheer climb and views are amazing.

Grossglockner
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When you cross over the top there’s still plenty of snow

Grossglockner snow in August
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You can get some idea of the scale of this thing here.

Grossglockner
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Dropping down the other side you come into a beautiful part of Austria sandwiched between these mountains and the Slovenian alps. By this time it seemed a long And tiring day. One thing about Austria is the road signs seem much more confusing than in Germany. So I got sort of lost. More out of fatigue than anything else…so not really lost probably. I spotted a group of bikers in a filling station and asked them how to cross over into Slovenia. One chap, Uwe, was holidaying in the area on his Blade from Northern Germany. ‘I’ll take you’ he said. So after crossing into Slovenia (after 5 mins in Italy) (the Slovenia border guard was quite excited to see an English bike, I was surprised it’s a rarity these days) we stopped for a coffee in the tourist town of Kranty Gora. This is a walking and skiing resort. In a beautiful location.

Uwe
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Uwe told me that he travels down every year to this area for 2 weeks just to ride the mountain passes. Its right on the corner of Austria, Italy and Slovenia and is truly a biking paradise. Its worth spending time there rather than passing through like I did. Its completely packed with German bikes. So thanks to Uwe for that, a genuinely nice bloke. He also warned me about the Slovenian alpine roads in the rain…the roads there are fine but certainly somewhat worse than in Austria. But the piece de resistance is that they cobble the bends on the hairpins. What a top idea! Unfortunately I don’t have a pic of these bends but sportsbike riders would definitely enjoy them in the damp. Uwe wasn’t keen to stay to long on the Blade. Didn’t look too much like rain but he was basically running slicks (looks like a bit of tread in the photos but there was'nt much!).

So a nice eve and back into the tent. Cheap camping, cheap beer and outrageously cheap food. Lovely people. The villages were spectacularly pretty. This fellow was delighted to find me photographing his farmhouse. Either that or Slovenian’s smile while they tell you to **** off.

Slovenian farmhouse in the evening
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And the weather held. This area was the highlight of the trip and a mistake was not to stay longer (well it rained after, so maybe not!). The Slovenian alps are one of the most beautiful places I have been. Amazingly peaceful and lovely people who seem to truly enjoy and value this resource they have. Climbing, walking and cycling are very popular. Here’s a few pics.

Slovenian alps
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The white mountains surrounded by forests are truly out of this world. Superb passes to ride and valleys to ride down alongside crystal clear blue tinted streams. You don’t cover much ground here as you are stopping every five minutes just to take in the views. I hope you can imagine what the air smells like.

Slovenian mountain stream
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So after enjoying Slovenia so much albeit briefly, it was decision time again. I had the option of running over to the coast near Trieste and then dropping down into Croatia and taking a trip down the coast. I had spoken to a couple of bikers on the campsite and they had told me the coast road was rammed as usual. I had been to Croatia before so decided I would head west now and spend more time in the Dolomites. Also, I wasn’t covering the distances I had naively expected to in the mountains so didn’t fancy getting jammed up in the pretty but busy Croatian coast (if you’ve never been go tho, it really is very beautiful). So I decided to head into Italy, and stop the night somewhere near Cortina. Again the border lands between Slovenia and Italy were beautiful and I suppose this is the start of the Dolomites proper.

Dolomites
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After some lovely riding through the kind of countryside in those pics I started running into the alpine villages of Italy. Now apologies to Italian readers, but what a contrast. Suddenly hassle. Speed checks in every small village. Cars everywhere. Villages where no one had much pride in even keeping the church looking decent. It was also packed. August is the second high season in the Dolomites…or at least the money grabbing hoteliers told me so. I decided to take a room as it was high and flippin cold. ‘Room for one…not possible’. ‘Room for one…70euro’. Now this really ****es you off when you’ve come out of places where its reasonable, people are only too happy to welcome a drenched biker and even put the heating on specially. I’ve never had much luck in Italy, maybe they really don’t like me. Cortina was a nightmare, full of grey haired Italian-style car driving assassins so I rode on to the nearby town of Arrabia on the Sella Ronda ski circuit.

Near Arrabia
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I had always wanted to ski in the Dolomites but the infrastructure didn’t look up to much. I managed to get a beer and go for a wander in the evening, and thought I had found some Eidelweis. I don’t think it is at all with hindsight but its pretty.

Alpine flowers
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Now comes the bit that when you are back home you feel was a mistake…but probably wasn’t. The hotel room (for which I had to pay cash as the card machine wasn’t working…hmmmm) had a TV and I caught the weather. The forecast was poor. My new route was to continue through the Dolomites, heading for Bormio and then across into France. It was forecast to rain all day again. I really couldn’t face a repeat of the riding of a few days before on those kind of roads. The bike did the job fantastically but speeds were slow and you don’t really get used to the back stepping out a few times every hour. Well…its not comfortable. So, I decided that the next day would be a wet blat down across the boring top bit of Italy into the south of France. I was desperate to escape Italy! I was then planning to spend some time in the Alpes Maritime and Provence and then run back home. A decent plan.

Awaking the next morning it was throwing it down. It looked like I might not get to France in a day. Who knows? So packed the bike and made a decision to point it the opposite way and run for home. A sad decision but a day later when I got to the ferry I knew it was the right one. I had seen the best parts of the trip (Grossglockner and Slovenia) in fantastic weather. So a bit of a nightmare ride back up into Austria, straight though stooping only for a motorway permit…shortly followed by a toll! and up the German autobahns. It rained hard for about half the time and I realised that there was no way I was going to make it all the way to Dunkirk. No idea how many miles that would have been. At one filling station I stopped at an English couple on a Pan told me they had been stuck in a Swiss village for two days because of snow on the top of the pass. August? So I stopped on a pretty campsite in the Mosel/Saar/Ruhr area in the vineyards and had an evening of sun to have a last beer and dry out the kit. No pics…holiday mood had gone a bit. The following morning was a run back to Dunkirk which turned out to be longer than I had expected, but in any case straight on the next ferry, despite being a week early. Excellent!

On the ferry on the way back I met a couple of bikers, both on Pans. One had been to Spain and had mixed weather. The other had been to Amsterdam. ‘But was it really that wet?’ they asked. The day after I got back one of my friends rang me and said have you seen the news. ‘Flooding all through central Europe’. So I was just there at the start and was pretty glad I hadn’t done the trip as planned and got caught up in that.
Funny how an easy tootle around Europe can become an adventure all of its own!

There’s a prize if anyone can remember what happened when I left Thailand. I truly think there is a curse of the South & West Surfers. Desert next time.

Oh, thanks to the Pan-riding off-duty bike copper who led me back to the M4 at 99mph steady and seemed to be indicating that many of the car drivers liked to ‘magic the beans’ along the way.

The end, thanks you for reading. More story than photos.

[Anonymous]

Well done Rich :thumbsup:

great report so far :) I am expecting some nice twisty road pics soon though :wink:

A weakness in my report. For you Ive dug this one out. You can just trace the middle bend by the blocks. Can't see the cobbles tho..the point of the pic

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When there's one of you its a little tricky to get some action pics :lol:

[Anonymous]

Well you've picked a great bike for it. My dillema now is picking up some alu panniers; cheapest I've seen is £416, thats £160 for the panniers and £250 for the bloody fixings!

I guess yours are BMW? How much were they?

About £380 think, but they are plastic and go on those minimalist rails. Probably less droppable than the older ones on rails.

[Anonymous]

Cool thread this Dr Rich keep it coming, shame about the weather though

Did you do much damage to your GS when you dropped it in the gravel ? I hope not

Matches other side. Just scraped crash bar, hand guard and mirror back. First one just gets filled and sprayed. Last two cheap to replace as and when. Thats the beauty of it really. Had to take as much off as could to pick it up tho. More a problem of finding a grip when it was all loaded possibly.

[fizzwheel]

Cool thread this Dr Rich keep it coming, shame about the weather though

Did you do much damage to your GS when you dropped it in the gravel ? I hope not

Matches other side. Just scraped crash bar, hand guard and mirror back. First one just gets filled and sprayed. Last two cheap to replace as and when. Thats the beauty of it really. Had to take as much off as could to pick it up tho. More a problem of finding a grip when it was all loaded possibly.

Thats good doesnt sound to bad. I bet a bit tricky to pick up with all that kit on it, I dropped e.d.s SV a few weeks back ( it landed on me and not the road so no damage ) and I got wedged underneath it and couldnt pick that up, god knows how I would pick up the hefty beast of a GS guess its technique rather than brute force ?

As for the curse of the south west surfers I am beginning to think there is one, or somebody from the other sections on this site does a rain dance when we have a rideout.

Great thread this enjoyed reading it 8)

[Quiff Wichard]

awwwwwweeesomee !!

actually given me butterflies in me stomach looking and reading

enjoyed very much-
thanks for taking the time to share- freat adventure-
however for me- the worse person I could think of to go on holiday with would be - ME !.... dunno if I could do it on my own.!

that pic using the mirror on the bike is absolutely superb--

thanks

[Akula]

Looks fanbloodytastic m8 nice one

[Anonymous]

however for me- the worse person I could think of to go on holiday with would be - ME !.... dunno if I could do it on my own.

Bikings not to bad as its fine just you and bike, except its a little tedious never having someone else to take the lead or decide to stop. I generally find its ok if all goes well. If spirits get low its a problem.

I do find I do different things tho. Just countryside. Cities and touristy things are a bit rubbish solo, IMO.

You usually find someone engages you in conversation from time to time.



that pic using the mirror on the bike is absolutely superb--


Idea stolen :lol:

[Grinch]

we've all done that one...

http://www.the-earth.ndo.co.uk/Link%20images/photoingsv.JPG

nice mate.. I'm very envious of you I must say...

[Cloggsy]

Grossglockner snow in August
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Awwww look, they all match :love:

Just kiddin' mate - fantastic adventure... Where was the invite :?: :(

Awesome pictures by the way, particularly like this one (below)

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8)

[WildBill]

Hey Rich

Looks like you had a good trip. I can't help but be a little jealous.

[Amanda M]

Good pics Rich :)

[Tara]

Excellent Pics Rich - great thread!!

[Cazza]

Wow, what a fantastic looking trip - and great piccies too. I'm very envious - good on you for doing it! :D

[greeno76]

Excellent :!:

Thanks for sharing the story and photos.

JG

[amarko5]

Great review Rich

only wish I could emulate that run (mrs and kids would lynch me if i tried) :(

great account and lots of useful info (cobles on hairpins ,,, yeuck)
snow over the passes did not surprise me really, as i have seen snow on the top of great dun fell in august before :lol:

enjoyed the review looking forward to your next one mate :D

[Richie]

so can we find Hedi then..?
Narr must be milking some goats....
Rich, fantastic photo's Keep em coming...
please post all full size pic's some-where to download as a screen saver...PLEASE
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[Jelster]

Looks like you had a great time Rich. A number of people have recommended Austria but the weather is very unreliable. Some of the photos are brill too (especially the reflection of the mirror).

And I know what you mean by losing the holiday mood.... Once you are on your way back you just want to get to the ferry don't you.....

Glad you enjoyed it.

.

[Cronos]

Great pics and great report. Makes you want to just jump on and go right now.

[Anonymous]

I'm pleased you all enjoyed it. :D

I haven't got the full size pics uploaded but can doi if specific ones are wanted, PM me.

I just bought a new tent. One with a bit of room and a bigger 'vestibule' for new time it rains...

I'm thinking about repeating the trip next year, possibly June/early July and this time 2days down to the Austria/Slovenia/Italy corner bit...then making base camp in one place and just playing for a week and then two days back. There's plenty to do and see without touring.
But that's next year.

[Scoobs]

Looks absolutely superb Rich.

I have spent some time in and around the Blackforest (and NO I don't mean Gateaux) and Lake Constance and the Bodensee. Absolutely beautiful areas to visit, but unfortunately I was driving. I would love to do it on the bike. Pictures have made me very jealous. Absolutely gorgeous scenery.

[Jelster]

I'm thinking about repeating the trip next year, possibly June/early July and this time 2days down to the Austria/Slovenia/Italy corner bit...then making base camp in one place and just playing for a week and then two days back. There's plenty to do and see without touring.
But that's next year.

After comparing this years trip with last years, although the roads were better I've decided that I like the idea of a "base" like we did in '04. It means you carry less every day, have a chance for clothes to dry and get to experience bars & restaurants in one town. Just have to decide where to go next year....

.

[bluebell]

Great review, great pictures thanks for sharing them we us.

[wyrdness]

Thanks for posting your "Short Way Round" pics. I'd agree with you about the Belgian beers. I bought a couple of bottles of Belle-Vue from the off license last night (Tescos also sell them). However, I keep looking at photos like this....

http://premium1.uploadit.org/RichHelyer//germanalps3.jpg

and wondering what the f*** I'm doing living in London when the world is full of so many far more pleasant places. I'm seriously tempted to sell up, resign and bugger off somewhere nice.

[Anonymous]

When Im in these places I always wonder what people do for a living and how hard it really is to live there. Seeing as I'm stuck here I do hope the answer is 'not a great' deal and '**** easy' :lol:

[Mogs]

What a fantastic tour. you must be the Micheal Palin of the forum.

Either that or you spent the summer scanning pictures from brochures, and a cut a paste job to put yourself in shot :D