Just me and the significant other :laugh:
Down to Dover for a crossing to Dunkirk..
Nip to Ypres, settle in the hotel and then down to the Menin Gate for the last post at 8pm
Wednesday.... Baiersbronn in Germany ( betwixt Stuttgart and Strasbourg) for an overnighter
Thursday Down to Garmisch Parktenkirchen for two nights ( plenty to see and do there )
Saturday back up to Manderen France ( not too far from Luxemburg ) for another overnighter
Sunday 4pm Ferry back to the UK
Hoping the weather isn't too hostile..... the ride to the ferry looks promising tomorrow :banana:
sounds brill mate,just hope you get a good spell of weather, hope you have a fab n safe trip mate,,,,,bung some piccys on when you get back as well!! :yes:
Enjoy. :biker3:
Thanks chaps... at least the sun's shining this morning...... :biker3:
Bryn,
Enjoy, ride safe..
Clive
Have a goodun Bryn...pics and report on your return please :wink:
That is going to be a great trip .. enjoy. Oh, and Iv'e booked the weather for you ! :mfr_lol:
Rusty.... you booked some weather...but I don't think you booked the good stuff!
Fine down to Dover.. queueing for the DFDS ferry
(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r403/GSAnut/IMG_0207_zpsc8e2a1c3.jpg) (http://s354.photobucket.com/user/GSAnut/media/IMG_0207_zpsc8e2a1c3.jpg.html)
Fine as far as Ypres where we got to the Menin Gate in plenty of time for the ceremony... and time for a beer beforehand
(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r403/GSAnut/IMG_0208_zps80a540f7.jpg) (http://s354.photobucket.com/user/GSAnut/media/IMG_0208_zps80a540f7.jpg.html)
The local fire brigade play the last post every evening at 8pm... to remember the fallen of WW1
http://youtu.be/fvif8amSUbk
Having trouble embedding..... :hammer:
A night in Ypres .... 9 mossies killed in the room before getting some kip... and all of them had fed on the previous occupants by the look of it :rolleyes:
Next morning and a quick photo of the bike at the Menin Gate
(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r403/GSAnut/IMG_0223_zps1e26f87a.jpg) (http://s354.photobucket.com/user/GSAnut/media/IMG_0223_zps1e26f87a.jpg.html)
:cool:
We took the photo, and it was a bit overcast... and with 380 miles showing on the satnav to the next destination South of Stuttgart, off we went.... and within 10 minutes it was bucketing down... and continued to bucket down for over 150 miles towards Luxemburg... when we decided enough was enough...Pulled into services on the motorway , filled up... after having to pre-pay :2guns: and got out the ipad... cancelled the bookings we had at the hotels for that night, Garmisch, and on the way back....
Found a hotel in Bruges, and decided 2 nights there was preferable to another 250 miles of pouring rain, and questionable weather near to the alps...
So.... 150 miles back to Bruges still bucketing down... hotel a bit basic but it did what we needed....
Bruges is very expensive..... 2 large Leffe beers 11 euro :shocked:
Average 4 Euro's for any other beer....
(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r403/GSAnut/IMG_0233_zps7def1b24.jpg) (http://s354.photobucket.com/user/GSAnut/media/IMG_0233_zps7def1b24.jpg.html)
This is the bell tower in the centre.... the top portion was added around 1450 ( the year not the time :yes:)
(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r403/GSAnut/IMG_0231_zps76eac5d5.jpg) (http://s354.photobucket.com/user/GSAnut/media/IMG_0231_zps76eac5d5.jpg.html)
The next day we decided to visit the Paschendaele museum.... not far from where we started off in Ypres
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=passchendaele%20museum%20belgium&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.passchendaele.be%2Feng%2FhomeEN.html&ei=ND0JUv6wO-eM0wXPlIHwBQ&usg=AFQjCNEOBsmXQdhy9JOIgHusBizAWtXa3A&sig2=693_dTu3SNDAVU1y_tZjEw&bvm=bv.50500085,d.d2k
Very impressive grounds
(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r403/GSAnut/IMG_0226_zps5bef338a.jpg) (http://s354.photobucket.com/user/GSAnut/media/IMG_0226_zps5bef338a.jpg.html)
The museum is the house in the picture above, but there is an awful lot of it underground , and you pop out in to a re-created trench system
(http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r403/GSAnut/IMG_0228_zpsaf5edd27.jpg) (http://s354.photobucket.com/user/GSAnut/media/IMG_0228_zpsaf5edd27.jpg.html)
After that , back to Bruges to sit and have an expensive beer and people watch.....seems that football has the same loony followers everywhere, as Bruges were playing a Polish team, and there were lots of pissed up Polish supporters in the town .....some with their shirts off , doing a lot of chanting... Must be a genetic thing amongst football fans ( can you tell I'm not :innocent:)
Next day... cut our losses and headed back for the ferry...
In all 875 miles , mostly motorway unfortunately... Bike never missed a beat....and showed 52.5 mpg on the computer :cool:
Bryn, what a shame about the weather, but at least you enjoyed your trip, when the rain is as bad as that it really isn't any fun being on a bike of any sort even with the best gear, we came back from Cornwall last year in rain which was biblical and it fcuked us off big style.
The Somme is a special place which I visited with some chums on our bikes last August.
And, yes, you are correct Bruges is pricey...phew :shocked:
Bryan .... That looks like a good trip ... Sorry about the weather ! And the pricey beer !
Quote from: Rusty on August 16, 2013, 05:00:59 PM
Bryan .... That looks like a good trip ... Sorry about the weather ! And the pricey beer !
Who you calling Bryan :gun_bandana: :laugh:
That'a what happens when you are really tired on the way home after a long set of shifts !!!! :yawn:
I mostly like the shots of the beer.