Alpen tour part one

[TRIGGERHAPPY]

Hi,back home again from a fantastic tour down to the alps.
4550 miles in 16 days. Had a little rain just after take of and som rain when we got back in Norway.
And a few drops in Albertville.Got heavy fog down the east side of the furka pass. And few miles down it cleared up again The rest of the time the weather was lovley the temperature where good.

Drove first down from my home town Roervik(N) to Trondheim(N) where I meet up with my touring friend.
Went so down to Rena(N) where we stayed one night.
next down to Trelleborg(S),took the ferry down to Travemunde(G) Drove of the ferry 7.30 in the morning.
On to the autobahn and straight down to Garmisch-Partenkirchen...584 miles 10 hours. The GTR eat miles for breakfast,lunch and dinner Fantastic bike,got little bit unstable in high speed. Think this where caused by the big topbox,and a bike that wheren't properly set up for these kind of high speed. Do not blame the tyres,my friend has the same bike with michelin pr3's and he experiensed the same little unstable behavior.

The real fun started the next morning,early start from G-P with sun and blue skies.
Drove in to Austria over Fernpass down to Imst(A) futher to Solden stopped for coffe and ice and some wather.
The temerature where starting to rise.
Then the climb to the top of Timmelsjoch pass started,whery nice road and scenery.
And the GTR handled the turns whery well. Stopped on the top and took pictures and enjoyed atmosphere.
Where a little worried for my new break discs on the way down but the performed very good.
Got to Meran(I) where the heat was realy baking, 33C degrees no wind or clouds. And slow traffic.

Finaly the traffic opend up and we could head towards the Stelvio pass. The road and surrounding scenery up the east side must be one the most fantastic places to experience on a motorbike. Yes there was lots of cars and motorbikes and crazy people on bicycles,but it didn't ruin the experience. We stopped on the top and walked around out to the view posts. The view down the road and walley with the surrounding mountains are just....unbeliveable
Only one thing to say,get on your bikes and ride down and experience it your selves.
After Stelvio we stopped in Bormio(I) We found a nice hotel and went out for food and beer.

From Bormio we went over Gavia pass not so good tarmac but little traffic,better down but very narrow roads and very step.
Took left down in the valley and up and over the Tonale pass and up to Madonna di Campiglio. Nice piece of road, good tarmac and lots of fine bends through a pine forrest. Stopped for lunch In M.d.C but ended up in a fine resturant and had dinner instead...pasta... M.d.C. is a really nice and fine place. Same I has to say about the road down. Open scenery with small houses farms and green and yellow fields. Ended the day in Riva del Garda. A town in the north end of lake Garda. The tyres on my friends GTR where shot so we had to find a dealer to buy new ones. We got lucky. Drove in to the town looking for a hotel. We found a hotel and a dealer in the same street. Stopped at the dealer 5pm. At 6pm we had checked in to Grand Hotel Riva and picked up the bike with new rubber. Then some beer, food and beer

Woke up the next morning from somebody hammering on the hotel door.
It was the hotel clerk,babling in anglo italiano,that we had to remove the bikes or the police would take them.
Put on some clothes and grabbed the fob and helmet and ran down and out to where we had been adviced to park by the hotel clerk the day before. there I meet a really angry old italian women. She was angry because they where puting up a local markedplace and our bikes where in her spot.After saying sorry ten times and finaly getting her to understand that we came all the way from Norway,she changed to this sweet little grandmother smiling and giving us a hug.

They had a marked there two day a month,they did forget this at the hotel.

We also got a parking fine,39 euros  each for parking legaly. We gave it to the clerk and said make this disappear.
He looked at us first with a smile but when he saw us not smiling,he just said....mee fixe dise (me fix this) And grabbed the papers.

Planned to use the  day to drive around in the lake Garda area and finding a hotel at the south of lake Garda,but after driving up the fantastic piece of road up to Pieve in Tremosine,we changed plans and decided to go to Monaco or Nice instead. Found the autostrada south of Garda down to Piacenza,of the autostrada and on to ss45, a fine winding road down to Bobbio and further to Genova. A peg scraping piece of road  Took a wrong turn somewhere near Genova and ended up in the city in middle for the rush hour.
And lost each other in  between all the crazy italians Stopped and sendt a sms to my friend :go to Varezze!!!
We got there safe he 20mins after me. Drove so to Nice and found a hotel in centrum close to the beach.
First person I meet  where a woman I know from my home town,small world.

Next day was no riding on motorbike day,walked around in Nice and on the boulevard along the beach.
32C degrees. The women down there uses a lot less clothes than at home

Took a cab over to Monte Carlo and Monaco. Wandered round looking at the houses or buildings are more correct  I think and at the supercars and the super boats and up to the castle of Monaco.Had dinner in a small resturant in on of the narrow streets of Monaco.Really good food. A fine place but expensive. One of the bars we went to in Monte Carlo had a original Maclaren Mercedes formula 1 car hanging on the wall. And leathers of famus racing bikers in glas monters. And beer and a snaps or three. Cab back to Nice and went to sleep.
Starting on the frenc alps next morning. Thats another story. Pictures will come.

[O.C.]

that sounds great despite the angry granny 

Surely you must have some pictures to share ?

[Lonewolf]

Wow, an impressive journey. Got to agree the photos are essential. 

[TRIGGERHAPPY]

Pictures will come.

[O.C.]

Pictures will come.

good man.... don't be too long I've already fallen off the edge of my seat twice 

[TRIGGERHAPPY]

Some pictures from the trip

Garmich-Partenkirchen by morning



Stopped in solden,austria for coffe and icecream



Up towards timmels pass





Timmels pass









The stelvio pass...spagetti roads















More to come

[O.C.]

Brilliant pictures.. 

[Lonewolf]

Yep, brilliant photos. Looking forward to more. 

[TRIGGERHAPPY]

Thank you,pictures are taken with a small canon pocket camera. Ok for a 85£ camera.  Think i have to buy me a better one so I can get to zoom in motives far away,but farkels for the GTR are more important

[TRIGGERHAPPY]

Nice hotel in Bormio



Somewhere in Bormio



A bar in Bormio full of stuff.





The hotel after a few beers and some grappa.



The next day: gavia pass









The Tonale pass







The evil twins taking a break.



Still more to come,be ptient

[O.C.]

excellent    ... can't wait for the next installment

BTW I wouldn't change your camera as the pictures you have are superb 

[Rusty]

+1 ... the write up is great as are the photos .. thanks for sharing them with us all.
Some lovely scenery and some serious mileage too ... the Gtr took it all in it's stride I am sure 

[2kwacks]

very nice indeed.. ho... you can't beat a trip around the alps, maybe we should all arange one may even get Mrs wolf to let Mr wolf go then he can really stretch the gtr "legs" excellent pics as well next time we might make it 14 days so we can stay longer than one night in each place