Woohoo! My arm and leg have just triggered the scanner alarms at Berlin airport!
Conversation as follows:
Hallo
Hallo
*tweet, chirp, tweet*
I gesture towards my manly scars which are then scanned again with a hand held scanner...
*tweet, chirp, tweet*
Ahh, motorrad?
Ja, motorrad
Ohh, kaput?
Ja, kaput!
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Monday 17 September 2012
Berlin by bike
Hired a bike from the hotel. It’s about 10 quid per day. The bikes looked good, but it soon became apparent that mine had been involved in a fight with a bus and was generally unloved. The basket and bars were bent and scratched, brakes badly adjusted, chain slack, gears not indexed, the stand too short and the basket so loose that it kept spinning round. I bodged what repairs I could with a Leatherman, but it needed proper tools. Unloved bikes make me sad.
Headed south into Tiergarten and rode through the park. Passed a fat bloke sunbathing in the nip. That wasn't a pretty sight. The rest of the park is nice though. Stumbled across the Global Stone Project. Or Berlin-henge. The Africa stone was damn cool, but the Asia ones made better seats.
There are some spectacular sculptures in the park so it's worth taking a ride around. Worth noting that any trees left standing after Berlin was flattened during WW2 were cut down for fire wood. The trees that you see now, and there are thousands, were all planted after the war.
I headed towards the East Side Gallery with a slight detour en route to check out some of Berlins street art. The most famous is probably the spaceman by Victor Ash. It dominates the side of a huge building opposite an elevated railway line. It's awesome. I like.
There are a couple of other Ash projects in Berlin and they're all worth a little detour. He did one in support of minimum wage on the side of a huge building facing the parliament buildings. You can easily see it from the Reichstag dome. Which was obviously the whole idea.
Rode into Gorlitzer Park. I was told that this is real Berlin, away from the tourists. That maybe so, but it doesn't mean it's a particularly pleasant place. I mean, don't go there for a romantic walk or anything. The place has an interesting history but I wasn't gonna stop to read up on it. Sticking out like a sore thumb on my Best Western hire bike I buggered off. There’s a Turkish kebab shop on the north corner of the park. Apparently the best fast food in all of Berlin. I was told there’s always a queue, which indeed there was. I didn’t eat there but they were having a good turnaround.
There's loads of Turkish kebab shops in Berlin. In fact, it's difficult to find any good traditional Berlin food. I was reliably informed that one of the best places for authentic food is Max und Moritz, but this is actually run by an Irish guy. Nearly all the other restaurants are kebab shops. There are a few Italian restaurants, except all the Italians are actually Palestinians pretending to be Italian! I couldn't find a decent local brew either so I continually fell back to trusty Bavarian wheat beer. I did have some excellent food this lunchtime though. Cafehaus am Petriplatz across the road from Spittelmarkt U-Bahn station (near Museum Island). I think it is family run. Mother cooks all the food and brings it out to you. I had rabbit with braised red cabbage and potato dumplings followed by rice pudding with caramelised apple and cinnamon. The main was excellent. The rice pud was average, as was the espresso. My quest for decent coffee in Berlin continues.
Continuing to the East Side Gallery, I crossed the river on the spectacular Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum Bridge). I passed a tramp that was sat near me on the tube last night. He was still singing random crap and annoying strangers. He recognized me, but not before I recognized him and made my escape.
The East Side Gallery is a long section of wall that’s covered in street art. Proper graffiti. Some is run of the mill and a bit obvious, but there’s lots of emotion in some pieces. If you think of the time and context in which it was painted, some of it stop you in your tracks. It’s a long walk on foot. There were tour buses stopping nearby but a bike is definitely the way to go.
The other highlights and lowlights of my jolly little bike ride:
Checkpoint Charley
This just plays to the tourists. You can pay a couple of Euros to have your photos taken at the checkpoint with guys in guard costumes. It's somewhat disrespectful. Nothing to see here so skip this one.
Topography of Terror (Topographie des Terrors)
This was excellent. A free exhibition around a long stretch of Berlin Wall near the old Gestapo and SS headquarters. It discussed the history of Berlin from the early 20th century and the rise and fall of the wall. The propaganda stories were very interesting.
It talked about the persecution of Jews, gypsies, homeless and disabled people in Nazi Germany. Rather ironically, there were gypsies walking around the exhibition pestering you for money.
Nearby there’s also one of the few remaining watchtowers. It’s tucked away down a side road a few streets away so you need to look carefully and it isn’t signposted at all.
Hitlers Bunkers (Führerbunker)
This is now a carpark. Don’t expect anything more than an information board. The actual bunker, deep underground and heavily fortified, was blown up shortly after the war.
The Berlin Wall Memorial
A memorial site next to Nordbahnhof – a station that was is East Berlin but crossed by trains coming to and from West Berlin. It therefore became a disused ghost station for many years. There's a visitors centre but this had closed by the time I'd arrived at 6pm.The memorial is worth a visit if you're in the area though. I think the wall is reconstructed here rather than following the original path but you get a good idea of the layout, the construction and the death strip.
I got chatting to a lad from Israel while I was here. I don't think he quite got Berlin. He said there are walls and graffiti back home in Israel and Berlin is boring. He was looking forward to getting the train out to Hamburg tomorrow to spend a day or two at a big theme park. Apparently rollercoasters aren't boring like Berlin!
Headed south into Tiergarten and rode through the park. Passed a fat bloke sunbathing in the nip. That wasn't a pretty sight. The rest of the park is nice though. Stumbled across the Global Stone Project. Or Berlin-henge. The Africa stone was damn cool, but the Asia ones made better seats.
There are some spectacular sculptures in the park so it's worth taking a ride around. Worth noting that any trees left standing after Berlin was flattened during WW2 were cut down for fire wood. The trees that you see now, and there are thousands, were all planted after the war.
I headed towards the East Side Gallery with a slight detour en route to check out some of Berlins street art. The most famous is probably the spaceman by Victor Ash. It dominates the side of a huge building opposite an elevated railway line. It's awesome. I like.
There are a couple of other Ash projects in Berlin and they're all worth a little detour. He did one in support of minimum wage on the side of a huge building facing the parliament buildings. You can easily see it from the Reichstag dome. Which was obviously the whole idea.
Rode into Gorlitzer Park. I was told that this is real Berlin, away from the tourists. That maybe so, but it doesn't mean it's a particularly pleasant place. I mean, don't go there for a romantic walk or anything. The place has an interesting history but I wasn't gonna stop to read up on it. Sticking out like a sore thumb on my Best Western hire bike I buggered off. There’s a Turkish kebab shop on the north corner of the park. Apparently the best fast food in all of Berlin. I was told there’s always a queue, which indeed there was. I didn’t eat there but they were having a good turnaround.
There's loads of Turkish kebab shops in Berlin. In fact, it's difficult to find any good traditional Berlin food. I was reliably informed that one of the best places for authentic food is Max und Moritz, but this is actually run by an Irish guy. Nearly all the other restaurants are kebab shops. There are a few Italian restaurants, except all the Italians are actually Palestinians pretending to be Italian! I couldn't find a decent local brew either so I continually fell back to trusty Bavarian wheat beer. I did have some excellent food this lunchtime though. Cafehaus am Petriplatz across the road from Spittelmarkt U-Bahn station (near Museum Island). I think it is family run. Mother cooks all the food and brings it out to you. I had rabbit with braised red cabbage and potato dumplings followed by rice pudding with caramelised apple and cinnamon. The main was excellent. The rice pud was average, as was the espresso. My quest for decent coffee in Berlin continues.
Continuing to the East Side Gallery, I crossed the river on the spectacular Oberbaumbrücke (Oberbaum Bridge). I passed a tramp that was sat near me on the tube last night. He was still singing random crap and annoying strangers. He recognized me, but not before I recognized him and made my escape.
The East Side Gallery is a long section of wall that’s covered in street art. Proper graffiti. Some is run of the mill and a bit obvious, but there’s lots of emotion in some pieces. If you think of the time and context in which it was painted, some of it stop you in your tracks. It’s a long walk on foot. There were tour buses stopping nearby but a bike is definitely the way to go.
The other highlights and lowlights of my jolly little bike ride:
Checkpoint Charley
This just plays to the tourists. You can pay a couple of Euros to have your photos taken at the checkpoint with guys in guard costumes. It's somewhat disrespectful. Nothing to see here so skip this one.
Topography of Terror (Topographie des Terrors)
This was excellent. A free exhibition around a long stretch of Berlin Wall near the old Gestapo and SS headquarters. It discussed the history of Berlin from the early 20th century and the rise and fall of the wall. The propaganda stories were very interesting.
It talked about the persecution of Jews, gypsies, homeless and disabled people in Nazi Germany. Rather ironically, there were gypsies walking around the exhibition pestering you for money.
Nearby there’s also one of the few remaining watchtowers. It’s tucked away down a side road a few streets away so you need to look carefully and it isn’t signposted at all.
Hitlers Bunkers (Führerbunker)
This is now a carpark. Don’t expect anything more than an information board. The actual bunker, deep underground and heavily fortified, was blown up shortly after the war.
The Berlin Wall Memorial
A memorial site next to Nordbahnhof – a station that was is East Berlin but crossed by trains coming to and from West Berlin. It therefore became a disused ghost station for many years. There's a visitors centre but this had closed by the time I'd arrived at 6pm.The memorial is worth a visit if you're in the area though. I think the wall is reconstructed here rather than following the original path but you get a good idea of the layout, the construction and the death strip.
I got chatting to a lad from Israel while I was here. I don't think he quite got Berlin. He said there are walls and graffiti back home in Israel and Berlin is boring. He was looking forward to getting the train out to Hamburg tomorrow to spend a day or two at a big theme park. Apparently rollercoasters aren't boring like Berlin!
A day at the museum
Picked up a three day museum pass for €19. I didn’t want three days of museums but using a pass means you can skip the queues and waltz straight into any of the participating museums. The New Museum always has queues for tickets and you need to book an allocated time slot. No such fear with a Museum Pass. You can pick one up from any of the participating museums. If you don’t buy one, the Welcome Card gives you 25% discount for entry to most museums.
In order of attack:
Bauhaus Museum (Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin)I'd heard mixed reviews on this but I was keen to pay a visit. Some complain that it’s just a small room full of chairs while others bang on about it not truly supporting the movement. I really enjoyed it. It’s small, but really not too small. You can take in the permanent exhibition, the annual awards display and the shop in less than an hour. Which is exactly how it should be. There was some genius stuff there. I love the efficiency of it all. The chessboard and the charcoal life drawings were highlights for me. If you haven’t seen the chessboard, the pieces are about as simple as you can make them but each one is carved to suggest the moves it can make. I really liked that. There were some ingenious winners from the annual awards on display. The mobile hospitality unit was brilliant, as was the fridge sized food storage unit (no, it wasn’t a fridge!). The video showing the manufacturing process for the gravity stool was beautiful (do a search online) but the actual stool itself, although interesting, was more novelty than practical. Finally, pop into the shop and pick up some cool tat.
New Museum (Neues Museum)This is the mother ship and the queues outside reflect that. Skip straight past them with your Museum Pass. The Egyptian exhibition is amazing. The highlight is the bust of Nefertiti. A limestone and plaster bust created some 3,500 years ago but still looking startling despite receiving no restoration.
There are some early Egyptian displays, including a natty little 5,500 year old carving.
Pop upstairs to see the Berlin Gold Hat – a beautiful, yet not entirely understood Bronze Age astronomical device. It's not been completely deciphered yet. In fact, it's not quite understood how such a complex item was manufactured some 3,000 years ago.
Pick up a free audio guide before you enter the museum to get the best out of it.
Pergamon Museum (Pergamonmuseum)If I want a quick fix in a museum, I want things that are really old or really big. Those ancient builders certainly listened at school. Go here to see the enormous Pergamon Altar, Market Gate of Miletus and the Ishtar Gate.
The Pergamon Museum also contains the Museum for Islamic Art. Take a wander upstairs to see the astrolabe - a beautiful and amazingly intricate astronomical device.
Again, a free audio guide is included.
Jewish Museum (Judisches Museum Berlin)In all honesty, the building itself is far more engaging than most of the exhibition. Its floor plan is a broken Star of David. The building is designed to disorientate, which is very impressive but doesn’t necessarily lend itself to an engaging display. A lot of personal effects and stories are viewed through little glass windows which means you are constantly waiting for other visitors to move out of the way. The Memory Void contains big empty spaces to highlight the void left by the absence of Jews in Germany. This also contains the Fallen Leaves installation - a huge erie tower with 10,000 heavy metal faces on the floor that you can walk across.
The Garden is worth a visit – it contains the only parallel vertical lines in the entire structure. As you walk out from the uneven floors and walls of the main building, you’re immediately thrown off balance by the vertical columns and level floor outside. The effect was excellent and surprising. The Holocaust Tower is chilling and thought provoking – possibly the highlight for me. A huge angled tower with no light except for that shining through a small slit down one wall. Dark, cold and silent. I really liked the idea of the pomegranate wish tree upstairs, but the rest of the exhibition about early Jewish history and culture really didn’t do it for me. It did handle the history of Jewish persecution in the early 20th century very well though, although this section was too brief.
I also popped into the Bode Museum as I was walking past but the collections and sculptures just weren’t for me. This is one of the five museums on Museum Island (Museuminsel), along with the New Museum and Pergamon Museum. Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) is also here. All are housed in amazing buildings in a beautiful area of Berlin. Rather than visit the Bode museum, I’d recommend you go to the park opposite the side of the Cathedral. There is (or certainly there was) a bar and deck chairs set up. You can grab a bottle of cold beer and relax in the sun and people watch for a while. I didn’t, but plenty of others did.
There’s a little bit of duplication with the museums too. You’ve got to remember that a lot of Berlin was annihilated during the war. Before it was completely rebuilt, the wall went up and the two halves remained divided for several decades. The two sides grew independently of each other and still feel a little disconnected.
In order of attack:
Bauhaus Museum (Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin)I'd heard mixed reviews on this but I was keen to pay a visit. Some complain that it’s just a small room full of chairs while others bang on about it not truly supporting the movement. I really enjoyed it. It’s small, but really not too small. You can take in the permanent exhibition, the annual awards display and the shop in less than an hour. Which is exactly how it should be. There was some genius stuff there. I love the efficiency of it all. The chessboard and the charcoal life drawings were highlights for me. If you haven’t seen the chessboard, the pieces are about as simple as you can make them but each one is carved to suggest the moves it can make. I really liked that. There were some ingenious winners from the annual awards on display. The mobile hospitality unit was brilliant, as was the fridge sized food storage unit (no, it wasn’t a fridge!). The video showing the manufacturing process for the gravity stool was beautiful (do a search online) but the actual stool itself, although interesting, was more novelty than practical. Finally, pop into the shop and pick up some cool tat.
New Museum (Neues Museum)This is the mother ship and the queues outside reflect that. Skip straight past them with your Museum Pass. The Egyptian exhibition is amazing. The highlight is the bust of Nefertiti. A limestone and plaster bust created some 3,500 years ago but still looking startling despite receiving no restoration.
There are some early Egyptian displays, including a natty little 5,500 year old carving.
Pop upstairs to see the Berlin Gold Hat – a beautiful, yet not entirely understood Bronze Age astronomical device. It's not been completely deciphered yet. In fact, it's not quite understood how such a complex item was manufactured some 3,000 years ago.
Pick up a free audio guide before you enter the museum to get the best out of it.
Pergamon Museum (Pergamonmuseum)If I want a quick fix in a museum, I want things that are really old or really big. Those ancient builders certainly listened at school. Go here to see the enormous Pergamon Altar, Market Gate of Miletus and the Ishtar Gate.
The Pergamon Museum also contains the Museum for Islamic Art. Take a wander upstairs to see the astrolabe - a beautiful and amazingly intricate astronomical device.
Again, a free audio guide is included.
Jewish Museum (Judisches Museum Berlin)In all honesty, the building itself is far more engaging than most of the exhibition. Its floor plan is a broken Star of David. The building is designed to disorientate, which is very impressive but doesn’t necessarily lend itself to an engaging display. A lot of personal effects and stories are viewed through little glass windows which means you are constantly waiting for other visitors to move out of the way. The Memory Void contains big empty spaces to highlight the void left by the absence of Jews in Germany. This also contains the Fallen Leaves installation - a huge erie tower with 10,000 heavy metal faces on the floor that you can walk across.
The Garden is worth a visit – it contains the only parallel vertical lines in the entire structure. As you walk out from the uneven floors and walls of the main building, you’re immediately thrown off balance by the vertical columns and level floor outside. The effect was excellent and surprising. The Holocaust Tower is chilling and thought provoking – possibly the highlight for me. A huge angled tower with no light except for that shining through a small slit down one wall. Dark, cold and silent. I really liked the idea of the pomegranate wish tree upstairs, but the rest of the exhibition about early Jewish history and culture really didn’t do it for me. It did handle the history of Jewish persecution in the early 20th century very well though, although this section was too brief.
I also popped into the Bode Museum as I was walking past but the collections and sculptures just weren’t for me. This is one of the five museums on Museum Island (Museuminsel), along with the New Museum and Pergamon Museum. Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) is also here. All are housed in amazing buildings in a beautiful area of Berlin. Rather than visit the Bode museum, I’d recommend you go to the park opposite the side of the Cathedral. There is (or certainly there was) a bar and deck chairs set up. You can grab a bottle of cold beer and relax in the sun and people watch for a while. I didn’t, but plenty of others did.
There’s a little bit of duplication with the museums too. You’ve got to remember that a lot of Berlin was annihilated during the war. Before it was completely rebuilt, the wall went up and the two halves remained divided for several decades. The two sides grew independently of each other and still feel a little disconnected.
Berlin by foot
Took a walk around Berlin yesterday. It's huge. The scale of
things screws up your perception too. I started from the Zoological Gardens and
walked through Tiergarden Park. The Victory column in the centre is absolutely
enormous. The walk therefore took far longer than expected. Still, you can see
over into the zoo so I got to say good morning to some llamas and an emu.
There are two spiral walkways – one leading up and the other down. At the top of the dome is a viewing platform. A column of angled mirrors at the centre of the dome provides light into the chamber below, a huge revolving shield moves with the clock to control the amount of light, and the open eye of the dome maintains natural air circulation and cooling. I was completely in awe.
Stopped for a quick bite to eat at Cafe am Neuen See. By the
lake, obviously (to those of you who speak German anyway). Potato and sausage
soup and a mediocre espresso (I’ve yet to find a good one in Berlin). The soup
was surprisingly good though. Salty, as you’d expect, but it hit all the right
spots.
The park used to be a royal hunting ground. There’s a couple
of awesome statues near the cafe depicting victorious hunts which you’ve gotta
check out. Slightly less impressive was the stretch Trabant limo I saw driving
through the park. There’s a couple of Trabants still belching out fumes around
the streets of Berlin. If you’re really interested, there’s a Trabant museum
and hire shop at the other side of town.
There was also a juggler working one set of traffic lights
in the park with an ingenious pitch. She’d wait for the lights to go red then
step into the junction and do a little juggling. She’d time it perfect to throw
some clubs, do a little bow, remove her hat, and then skip through the
stationary traffic accepting any coins that were dropped into her hat. It was
kinda cute.
The Soviet war memorial lies between the Victory column and the
Brandenburg Gate. As you’d expect, it’s huge.
I called into the ticket office for the Reichstag building. It’s
free to visit the dome, but you need to book in advance. Two full days notice are
required for online bookings but you can join the queue at the ticket office to
book entry at short notice. I queued for about twenty minutes and just as I got
to the front they came round handing out instant passes to anyone who fancied
going straight in. This is a working government building so you need to clear
security. The usual airport type checks are performed. My backpack got
rescanned and they confiscated my whistle of all things! Completely forgot it
was in there - I clipped one in when I went walking in the Lakes.
Bear with me on this, but the Reichstag dome is amazing. It’s
another genius creation from the mind of Sir Norman Foster. The same chap who
designed the Millau bridge - beaten only by the Humber Bridge in a game of ‘bridge
Top Trumps’ with Catherine. The whole concept is of a transparent parliament. Anyone
can take the elevator to the top of the Reichstag and look down on government
sessions through a glass ceiling. Space permitting, members of the public can actually sit in on government sessions in the public gallery. I learned all this from the free audio guide, which runs continuously once started and is timed perfectly as you walk around.
There are two spiral walkways – one leading up and the other down. At the top of the dome is a viewing platform. A column of angled mirrors at the centre of the dome provides light into the chamber below, a huge revolving shield moves with the clock to control the amount of light, and the open eye of the dome maintains natural air circulation and cooling. I was completely in awe.
The 2nd coolest thing in Berlin
Grillwalkers! Mobile grills. These girls and boys walk around with their fancy contraptions selling filthy food to hungry folk like me. The kit looks like a jet pack. Well, a jet pack with an umbrella and a grill. Grill front, fuel behind, umbrella overhead. Sausage sangers on the go for a quid. Brilliant!
Sunday 16 September 2012
The coolest thing in Berlin
If only I ate smaller portions.
Saturday 15 September 2012
Ich bin ein donut
With jollies to kill and Airmiles to burn, I fancied a
little trip away. Berlin looked good for a solo trip and I only had to part
with a measly £27 for BA to take me there. Granted, it wasn't a direct flight
but the flight times were good and it was only a short connection via Heathrow.
BA is a revelation. They're how all airlines should be. You get a checked luggage allowance, snacks, drinks (hot and cold, including booze) and a proper old school service. Some other airlines consider it perfectly acceptable to sting you for such basics. They have a cracking little smartphone app that you can use to check-in online and then download an online boarding pass straight to your phone. If you're a technophobe then old school airport check in is free. They don't have credit card surcharges either, at least not when paying your Airmiles/Avios fees. All things considered, I was about £200 up against option B - a Jet2 flight from Leeds Bradford.
Landing in Berlin is a little confusing, especially when you're short on sleep and not fluent in German. The only public transport from the airport are buses. You can catch a cab obviously, but you'll spend 20 minutes sat in stationary traffic waiting to get out of the airport. Just squeeze on the first TXL bus that you can - they all head into Berlin. I jumped off at Beusselstrasse, as did everyone else, and changed for an S-Bahn (urban) train. The TXL terminates at Alexanderplatz if you need to go further east.
You can buy tickets from the BVG booth at the airport. If this is closed then there's a ticket machine outside near the bus stops. The guy selling tickets, despite having two credit card machines on his counter, was only taking cash. This is something I'd get used to - hardy anywhere in Berlin accepts credit cards.
You're supposed to activate your ticket when you first use it but the bus was too crowded to get anywhere near the machine. There's a machine near every door on the bus. I stamped it later that afternoon on an S-Bahn train station platform. Apparently most locals don't bother with tickets. There are no barriers at the stations so you can jump straight on any train or bus without a ticket. I was told by a local that you get occasional spot checks and he's seen every last person on the train gets stung with a €40 on the spot fine.
Checked into the hotel. Best Western Premier Moa. Very nice it is too. For reference, given that their website doesn't say, the nearest station is Birkenstr U-Bahn (underground). You can also use Westhafen U-Bahn or S-Bahn station if it’s easier. Not quite as close but it only adds a few minutes to your walk. I think it's a cooler station too, in it's own special way.
With hindsight, the best way from Tegel is the TXL bus to Turmstr U (not Turmstr/Beusselstr) and then the U9 U-Bahn one stop north to Birkenstr.
It's a new hotel and convenient enough for both the airport and central Berlin. The rooms have safes, amazing showers and very impressive electric curtains! Breakfast isn't included and the 'nominal fee' they mention on their website is actually €18. Which isn't very nominal in my books. The hotel is above a shopping centre though and the supermarket has a cafe that does coffee and breakfast if you fancy something quick and cheap.
There's also kiosks everywhere. We've used them in Munich but here they're all over, even on subway platforms. They sell beer, tabs and cheap snacks at all hours. €1 will net you a cold sandwich or a 'wurst mitt brot'.
I got showered and changed before heading into town. It's difficult to get your bearings at first. Berlin is flat, industrial and many buildings look the same. You can use the TV tower as a reference point. It is (was?) the tallest building in the EU so quite obvious. A symbol of GDR might, although as with all 'tallest structures' it claims it's prize by sticking a huge great aerial on top. This is probably acceptable for TV towers. Anyway, it's near Alexanderplatz station to the east.
Berlin is certainly not a pretty place, especially around the suburbs. It definitely has an old Soviet feel - there's lots of high rise flats, industry and graffiti. The tube stations are all the better for this though. The tiling and signs at most stations are from 50 years previous. Their decay just adds character. It made me smile but the lack of development was surprising. It felt like I'd taken a wrong turn at Westworld. You also get a full mobile signal in the subways. For someone who can't even get a signal at home I was very impressed. I really don't want to know how they do it though.
There's a public viewing platform at the top of the TV tower. You can pay to go up but I read a great quote along the lines of "Why bother? Berlin looks rubbish"!
The other thing that struck me was how dark it is *everywhere*. The hotel, bars and streets are all a few lumens down on normal. In fact, some of the street lamps are still gas. Very quaint, but a bit crap.
The centre (Mitte) around the government buildings is completely different. It's still dark, but the buildings are much grander. There's lots of glass and open space, as you'd expect in a capital city.
There's a lot of Buddy Bears around too. These are a bit like those painted cows that occasionally crop up in cities. Big plastic painted bears dotted around the city.
I sat and watched an AV display that was been projected outside the Reichstag building. It's a temporary installation showing the history of Berlin. It had footage of the wall coming down but surprisingly none of David Hasselhoff bringing it down with the power of Rock. A major omission I thought. They also showed JFK stepping up to give his legendary donut speech, but again they omitted the best part.
Berlin does appear to cherish that speech too. There were lots of advertising boards coming from the airport with 'Ich bin ein Berliner' tag lines.
Disappointed by the lack of attention they gave the installation I moved on to the Brandenburg Gate. It's bloody huge. The Victoria statue on top is super impressive. Despite a patchy history (it's been pinched by Napoleon, bombed, renamed and spun around a few times) it's now fully restored and looking good.
In front of the Brandenburg Gate it's perfectly obvious where the wall was built. There's very little of it left now but it's entire route is marked on the ground with paving and plaques.
Just south of the Brandenburg Gate, you can wander through the Holocaust Memorial. It’s kinda spooky at night. It’s unlit, or certainly it was when I was there, so it's really dark and imposing. It consists of thousands of big concrete blocks of different sizes and shapes and set at slightly different angles. Some of these blocks tower over you, others are much smaller. I unexpectedly bumped into another group of people and we all scared the crap out of each other.
Now in desperate need of food I took a wander away from the tourists. I ended up in a charming little restaurant called Weitzmann. It got a good mention in Time Out so I checked it out.
You probably wouldn't stumble across it. It's under some railway arches in what looks like a Soviet housing estate. I had an excellent pork schnitzel with fried pasta and gravy. Interesting, but delicious. 'Fusion food' perhaps? Beer came in porcelain tankards. They had a disco ball and lots of Village People, Wham and Queen playing. It was a tiny place but steady away. No English menus but the waitress spoke perfectly adequate English. A great find and definitely recommended. I ate at about 10.30pm but the kitchen is open until midnight.
Suitably fed I moved on and stumbled upon an excellent Irish bar called Lir. I'd normally avoid Irish bars in foreign countries but this place was exceptional. I didn't even know it was an Irish bar until I got chatting to the barmaids. It's way off the beaten track so the few Brits you tend to find there are ex-pats. It just looked like a cool basement bar and they had Bavarian beers. They also had a couple of local beers on tap but they did nothing for me. Weak and tasteless. I stuck to the bottled wheat beer. The girls behind the bar were really cool - an Australian and an Irish girl. I stumbled out at gone 2am and headed back to the hotel. The tubes run all night at weekends so no hassle.
BA is a revelation. They're how all airlines should be. You get a checked luggage allowance, snacks, drinks (hot and cold, including booze) and a proper old school service. Some other airlines consider it perfectly acceptable to sting you for such basics. They have a cracking little smartphone app that you can use to check-in online and then download an online boarding pass straight to your phone. If you're a technophobe then old school airport check in is free. They don't have credit card surcharges either, at least not when paying your Airmiles/Avios fees. All things considered, I was about £200 up against option B - a Jet2 flight from Leeds Bradford.
The Manchester connection to Heathrow was delayed by half an
hour. Thankfully, with less than an hour in the schedule to make the
connection, so was the Berlin flight. The cabin crew hunted me down and kept me posted. They said I
could take an alternative BA flight later that afternoon if needed.
Landing in Berlin is a little confusing, especially when you're short on sleep and not fluent in German. The only public transport from the airport are buses. You can catch a cab obviously, but you'll spend 20 minutes sat in stationary traffic waiting to get out of the airport. Just squeeze on the first TXL bus that you can - they all head into Berlin. I jumped off at Beusselstrasse, as did everyone else, and changed for an S-Bahn (urban) train. The TXL terminates at Alexanderplatz if you need to go further east.
You have to buy tickets before you travel. I bought a 5 day
Welcome Card for just shy of €31. It includes unlimited travel for 5 days (5x24
hours from activation) and also gives you discounts on various touristy things
to boot. I only needed 4x24 hours so could have saved a couple of quid with
separate tickets daily but didn't want to chew about buying tickets every day.
The transport system is integrated so one ticket covers all trains and buses.
Mine was an AB ticket (zones A and B) which covers Tegel airport and all of
central Berlin.
You can buy tickets from the BVG booth at the airport. If this is closed then there's a ticket machine outside near the bus stops. The guy selling tickets, despite having two credit card machines on his counter, was only taking cash. This is something I'd get used to - hardy anywhere in Berlin accepts credit cards.
You're supposed to activate your ticket when you first use it but the bus was too crowded to get anywhere near the machine. There's a machine near every door on the bus. I stamped it later that afternoon on an S-Bahn train station platform. Apparently most locals don't bother with tickets. There are no barriers at the stations so you can jump straight on any train or bus without a ticket. I was told by a local that you get occasional spot checks and he's seen every last person on the train gets stung with a €40 on the spot fine.
Checked into the hotel. Best Western Premier Moa. Very nice it is too. For reference, given that their website doesn't say, the nearest station is Birkenstr U-Bahn (underground). You can also use Westhafen U-Bahn or S-Bahn station if it’s easier. Not quite as close but it only adds a few minutes to your walk. I think it's a cooler station too, in it's own special way.
With hindsight, the best way from Tegel is the TXL bus to Turmstr U (not Turmstr/Beusselstr) and then the U9 U-Bahn one stop north to Birkenstr.
It's a new hotel and convenient enough for both the airport and central Berlin. The rooms have safes, amazing showers and very impressive electric curtains! Breakfast isn't included and the 'nominal fee' they mention on their website is actually €18. Which isn't very nominal in my books. The hotel is above a shopping centre though and the supermarket has a cafe that does coffee and breakfast if you fancy something quick and cheap.
There's also kiosks everywhere. We've used them in Munich but here they're all over, even on subway platforms. They sell beer, tabs and cheap snacks at all hours. €1 will net you a cold sandwich or a 'wurst mitt brot'.
I got showered and changed before heading into town. It's difficult to get your bearings at first. Berlin is flat, industrial and many buildings look the same. You can use the TV tower as a reference point. It is (was?) the tallest building in the EU so quite obvious. A symbol of GDR might, although as with all 'tallest structures' it claims it's prize by sticking a huge great aerial on top. This is probably acceptable for TV towers. Anyway, it's near Alexanderplatz station to the east.
Berlin is certainly not a pretty place, especially around the suburbs. It definitely has an old Soviet feel - there's lots of high rise flats, industry and graffiti. The tube stations are all the better for this though. The tiling and signs at most stations are from 50 years previous. Their decay just adds character. It made me smile but the lack of development was surprising. It felt like I'd taken a wrong turn at Westworld. You also get a full mobile signal in the subways. For someone who can't even get a signal at home I was very impressed. I really don't want to know how they do it though.
There's a public viewing platform at the top of the TV tower. You can pay to go up but I read a great quote along the lines of "Why bother? Berlin looks rubbish"!
The other thing that struck me was how dark it is *everywhere*. The hotel, bars and streets are all a few lumens down on normal. In fact, some of the street lamps are still gas. Very quaint, but a bit crap.
I think if you were of a nervous disposition then it could
be kinda scary in the suburbs. However I ended up walking home down pitch black alleys
around housing blocks at half two in the morning and didn't feel in the
slightest bit uneasy.
The centre (Mitte) around the government buildings is completely different. It's still dark, but the buildings are much grander. There's lots of glass and open space, as you'd expect in a capital city.
There's a lot of Buddy Bears around too. These are a bit like those painted cows that occasionally crop up in cities. Big plastic painted bears dotted around the city.
I sat and watched an AV display that was been projected outside the Reichstag building. It's a temporary installation showing the history of Berlin. It had footage of the wall coming down but surprisingly none of David Hasselhoff bringing it down with the power of Rock. A major omission I thought. They also showed JFK stepping up to give his legendary donut speech, but again they omitted the best part.
Berlin does appear to cherish that speech too. There were lots of advertising boards coming from the airport with 'Ich bin ein Berliner' tag lines.
Disappointed by the lack of attention they gave the installation I moved on to the Brandenburg Gate. It's bloody huge. The Victoria statue on top is super impressive. Despite a patchy history (it's been pinched by Napoleon, bombed, renamed and spun around a few times) it's now fully restored and looking good.
In front of the Brandenburg Gate it's perfectly obvious where the wall was built. There's very little of it left now but it's entire route is marked on the ground with paving and plaques.
Just south of the Brandenburg Gate, you can wander through the Holocaust Memorial. It’s kinda spooky at night. It’s unlit, or certainly it was when I was there, so it's really dark and imposing. It consists of thousands of big concrete blocks of different sizes and shapes and set at slightly different angles. Some of these blocks tower over you, others are much smaller. I unexpectedly bumped into another group of people and we all scared the crap out of each other.
Now in desperate need of food I took a wander away from the tourists. I ended up in a charming little restaurant called Weitzmann. It got a good mention in Time Out so I checked it out.
You probably wouldn't stumble across it. It's under some railway arches in what looks like a Soviet housing estate. I had an excellent pork schnitzel with fried pasta and gravy. Interesting, but delicious. 'Fusion food' perhaps? Beer came in porcelain tankards. They had a disco ball and lots of Village People, Wham and Queen playing. It was a tiny place but steady away. No English menus but the waitress spoke perfectly adequate English. A great find and definitely recommended. I ate at about 10.30pm but the kitchen is open until midnight.
Suitably fed I moved on and stumbled upon an excellent Irish bar called Lir. I'd normally avoid Irish bars in foreign countries but this place was exceptional. I didn't even know it was an Irish bar until I got chatting to the barmaids. It's way off the beaten track so the few Brits you tend to find there are ex-pats. It just looked like a cool basement bar and they had Bavarian beers. They also had a couple of local beers on tap but they did nothing for me. Weak and tasteless. I stuck to the bottled wheat beer. The girls behind the bar were really cool - an Australian and an Irish girl. I stumbled out at gone 2am and headed back to the hotel. The tubes run all night at weekends so no hassle.
Friday 6 July 2012
Day 12 - Home
The weather in Hull was atrocious as we landed. Only a short ride to drop Catherine off though so I didn't bother with waterproofs. I'd rather ride in wet leathers than a dry waterproof rompersuit, especially when there's a hot shower and dry clothes waiting for me back home.
Apart from one brief spell of rain, we've managed to avoid rain all holiday so simply looked on this as retribution.
Called in to see the folks on the way home then rode through the dismal British weather to complete the trip and park the bike up for a well deserved rest. It's behaved impeccably all holiday. It had a top up of oil in Gex (about 1,600 miles into the trip) and a mirror rattled loose so was quickly nipped up with a spanner. It asked for nothing else all trip.
It's been another great trip this year. Given that we only had 11 nights away, two of which were on the ferry, I wasn't sure how much we'd be able to achieve. As it turns out, we did pretty damn good. We rode three of the best biking roads in Europe - the Black Forest High Road, the Route Napoléon and the Routes des Grandes Alpes. We had a day off the bike to enjoy time with friends out in France. And despite the forecasts saying otherwise, the weather for the most part was superb.
A fair chunk of motorway riding was necessary on the first and last day abroad, but it's bearable. You just need to grit your teeth and get through Belgium.
Catherine was unsure of France, having experienced very little of it, but her opion has completely changed. She already knew that she loves Germany and Italy. She's now seen that France is a beautiful place full of great people, roads, food and drink. And marmots. Big vicious scary marmots.
Once again she's been perfect company. A fearless pillion, always up for banter with complete strangers and generally an all round good egg. And very very opinionated, but in a good way.
Next time, she is definitely* bringing her own bike.
* Ignore all similar statements made previously. This time she really means it.
61 miles
Trip total 2170 miles
Exchange rate was €1.19/£
1l of 95 unleaded was €1.50 - €1.60 in France, €1.30 in Luxembourg, 1.70CHF in Switzerland and £1.32 back home.
Apart from one brief spell of rain, we've managed to avoid rain all holiday so simply looked on this as retribution.
Called in to see the folks on the way home then rode through the dismal British weather to complete the trip and park the bike up for a well deserved rest. It's behaved impeccably all holiday. It had a top up of oil in Gex (about 1,600 miles into the trip) and a mirror rattled loose so was quickly nipped up with a spanner. It asked for nothing else all trip.
It's been another great trip this year. Given that we only had 11 nights away, two of which were on the ferry, I wasn't sure how much we'd be able to achieve. As it turns out, we did pretty damn good. We rode three of the best biking roads in Europe - the Black Forest High Road, the Route Napoléon and the Routes des Grandes Alpes. We had a day off the bike to enjoy time with friends out in France. And despite the forecasts saying otherwise, the weather for the most part was superb.
A fair chunk of motorway riding was necessary on the first and last day abroad, but it's bearable. You just need to grit your teeth and get through Belgium.
Catherine was unsure of France, having experienced very little of it, but her opion has completely changed. She already knew that she loves Germany and Italy. She's now seen that France is a beautiful place full of great people, roads, food and drink. And marmots. Big vicious scary marmots.
Once again she's been perfect company. A fearless pillion, always up for banter with complete strangers and generally an all round good egg. And very very opinionated, but in a good way.
Next time, she is definitely* bringing her own bike.
* Ignore all similar statements made previously. This time she really means it.
Trip total 2170 miles
Exchange rate was €1.19/£
1l of 95 unleaded was €1.50 - €1.60 in France, €1.30 in Luxembourg, 1.70CHF in Switzerland and £1.32 back home.
Day 11 - Metz to Zebrugge
We were straight on the motorway this morning and apart from a quick fuel stop in Luxembourg and a five minute breather in Belgium, we kept going until Brugge. This motorway is always a long dull slog but needs must. At least the weather stayed good.
Brugge was overflowing with tourists. Yeah yeah, I know we're not exactly locals but give me a break. It wasn't like this last time we visited. It's a pretty place though. It is also full of gorgeous women on pushbikes. Even Catherine had to admit I wasn't just been a pest - some of the residents are stunning.
We had a bit of a wander and settled on a little tea room. Not wanting to spoil the P&O feast that lay ahead of us, I plumped for a simple waffle with ice cream. Catherine had a liquid lunch.
We tipped our waitress all remaining Euro shrapnel from the kitty, which I think amused her more than annoyed her. We then saddled up and departed Brugge for the return ferry.
There were loads of bikes on this return leg. There were only four on the outbound crossing, but the bulkhead was rammed this time. We squeezed into the penultimate bike place and a Belgian couple behind us completed the jigsaw.
Forget what I said last week about P&O finally getting their act together with ratchet straps. This was old school blue rope. I had brought a hefty ratchet strap out with me but thinking it was unnecessary dead weight, Steve and Michelle threw it in the boot of their car and brought it back home. We were returning on the Pride of York. Maybe only one of their boats has ratchet straps or maybe they're only available on the elevated platforms and not the bulkhead. I dunno. I'd appreciate confirmation though.
There was a huge group of Belgian bikers on board. They were heading to Thirsk on old Nortons for a bike rally. Thankfully they were in hotels and not camping because the weather back home looks grim.
Time for a quick shower before hitting the bar. I must have been the only person using hot water at the time because the shower was powerful enought to strip skin. I also managed to flood the bathroom floor. It's more of a wetroom so eventually drained away.
After a decent pint of Hoegaarden, we hit the buffet. Top marks all round yet again for P&O catering. I polished off two very nice main courses. Catherine finished off with a huge piece of steamed pudding. And despite been adamant that she really couldn't face it, she also attacked the cheese counter.
The entertainment in the bar was classic. Think Vic and Bob club style cabaret. When she started her rendition of 'Sex on Fire', I really couldn't place it. Despite the fact that she anounced the song before starting. Amy Winehouse would be turning in her grave over her butchering of 'Rehab'.
245 miles
Brugge was overflowing with tourists. Yeah yeah, I know we're not exactly locals but give me a break. It wasn't like this last time we visited. It's a pretty place though. It is also full of gorgeous women on pushbikes. Even Catherine had to admit I wasn't just been a pest - some of the residents are stunning.
We had a bit of a wander and settled on a little tea room. Not wanting to spoil the P&O feast that lay ahead of us, I plumped for a simple waffle with ice cream. Catherine had a liquid lunch.
We tipped our waitress all remaining Euro shrapnel from the kitty, which I think amused her more than annoyed her. We then saddled up and departed Brugge for the return ferry.
There were loads of bikes on this return leg. There were only four on the outbound crossing, but the bulkhead was rammed this time. We squeezed into the penultimate bike place and a Belgian couple behind us completed the jigsaw.
Forget what I said last week about P&O finally getting their act together with ratchet straps. This was old school blue rope. I had brought a hefty ratchet strap out with me but thinking it was unnecessary dead weight, Steve and Michelle threw it in the boot of their car and brought it back home. We were returning on the Pride of York. Maybe only one of their boats has ratchet straps or maybe they're only available on the elevated platforms and not the bulkhead. I dunno. I'd appreciate confirmation though.
There was a huge group of Belgian bikers on board. They were heading to Thirsk on old Nortons for a bike rally. Thankfully they were in hotels and not camping because the weather back home looks grim.
Time for a quick shower before hitting the bar. I must have been the only person using hot water at the time because the shower was powerful enought to strip skin. I also managed to flood the bathroom floor. It's more of a wetroom so eventually drained away.
After a decent pint of Hoegaarden, we hit the buffet. Top marks all round yet again for P&O catering. I polished off two very nice main courses. Catherine finished off with a huge piece of steamed pudding. And despite been adamant that she really couldn't face it, she also attacked the cheese counter.
The entertainment in the bar was classic. Think Vic and Bob club style cabaret. When she started her rendition of 'Sex on Fire', I really couldn't place it. Despite the fact that she anounced the song before starting. Amy Winehouse would be turning in her grave over her butchering of 'Rehab'.
Day 10 - Gex to Metz
Headed north to Besançon with the intention of grabbing a menu de jour in town. We repeated some of the roads that we used when we headed down to meet la famille Tighe last week. All great stuff.
We left the campsite quite late and by the time we'd negotiated the damn roadworks in Besançon we were too late for food.
No idea what's going on in France at the moment but it's silly season for roadworks. I've never known anything like it. I can only assume the transport department has won the lottery or had a good rummage down the back of the sofa or something.
From Besançon we headed up to Vesoul then over to Lure. There's a huge chunk of green on the Michelin map which looked interesting and no doubt quite scenic. We decided to investigate, but first we stopped for a quick bite to eat in Lure. Croque Monsieurs all round. Or ham and cheese toasties as they'd be called back home. A cheap and easy lunch. It did the trick.
From Lure we headed north to Gerardmer then onto St Die. The Tour de France is about to hit these roads and the whole route is decorated with bunting and signs. It seems that any spare old bikes around here have been brightly painted and stuck up lamp posts or in trees and hedges. Think of the Wetwang scarecrow festival stretching for miles and miles and every entry is a scarecrow cyclist in an amusing pose on an old pushrod.
The roads are superb. Monsieur Michelin had it spot on when he got his green highlighter pen out for this map. There's a few passes (cols) but they're really low ones. As in, all about 1000 meters or less. Just hills really. Further investigation is definitely needed when we come back this way next time because the roads are lovely and a pleasant change from motorway.
We stopped in St Die for a very quick supermarket shop. Just the basics really - cheese and wine. By the checkouts, where you'd find Haribo sweets at kids eye level back home, the French had an interesting take on the impulse buy tactics. They had big chiller buckets full of Kronenberg stubbies at one euro a pop. Catherine had been a good girl, and it was scorching hot outside, so I let one sneak through.
After stopping in St Die we had to crack on so picked up the long dull motorway to Metz. We decided to investigate the campsite that the two English bikers had told us about earlier in the week.
It is indeed right in the centre, on the banks of the river. It's a municipal too so only €12.
On the downside it's rammed. The campervan before us was turned away due to lack of space. Tents weren't really an issue though. There's a free for all on the riverbank for campers. There's also lots of picnic tables for public use.
The biggest gripe with this place is that the ground is a complete minefield of dog eggs. It was disgusting. We found a clear spot but had to tread a careful path to and from the tents. If I could work out who was letting their dog do this then I'd quite happily return the favour on their bloody pitch.
Our neighbour was a Dutch lad called Alron, I think. I remember his name sounded like an anagram of Arlon. He came over to say hi and we spend a lot of the night chatting. He gave us a pack of biscuits as a little gift. They were Dutch waffle biscuits with maple syrup. A huge sugar rush but quite moreish. He's here to fish the Mosselle and had three lines cast out from the doorway of his tent.
Carp and catfish were his game. He'd already had a 22lb carp out this week. He said there's some huge catfish in the river. They grow up to 6 foot long.
They'll happily take a swimming dog if they're peckish. I may just be able to find him some bait.
283 miles
We left the campsite quite late and by the time we'd negotiated the damn roadworks in Besançon we were too late for food.
No idea what's going on in France at the moment but it's silly season for roadworks. I've never known anything like it. I can only assume the transport department has won the lottery or had a good rummage down the back of the sofa or something.
From Besançon we headed up to Vesoul then over to Lure. There's a huge chunk of green on the Michelin map which looked interesting and no doubt quite scenic. We decided to investigate, but first we stopped for a quick bite to eat in Lure. Croque Monsieurs all round. Or ham and cheese toasties as they'd be called back home. A cheap and easy lunch. It did the trick.
From Lure we headed north to Gerardmer then onto St Die. The Tour de France is about to hit these roads and the whole route is decorated with bunting and signs. It seems that any spare old bikes around here have been brightly painted and stuck up lamp posts or in trees and hedges. Think of the Wetwang scarecrow festival stretching for miles and miles and every entry is a scarecrow cyclist in an amusing pose on an old pushrod.
The roads are superb. Monsieur Michelin had it spot on when he got his green highlighter pen out for this map. There's a few passes (cols) but they're really low ones. As in, all about 1000 meters or less. Just hills really. Further investigation is definitely needed when we come back this way next time because the roads are lovely and a pleasant change from motorway.
We stopped in St Die for a very quick supermarket shop. Just the basics really - cheese and wine. By the checkouts, where you'd find Haribo sweets at kids eye level back home, the French had an interesting take on the impulse buy tactics. They had big chiller buckets full of Kronenberg stubbies at one euro a pop. Catherine had been a good girl, and it was scorching hot outside, so I let one sneak through.
After stopping in St Die we had to crack on so picked up the long dull motorway to Metz. We decided to investigate the campsite that the two English bikers had told us about earlier in the week.
It is indeed right in the centre, on the banks of the river. It's a municipal too so only €12.
On the downside it's rammed. The campervan before us was turned away due to lack of space. Tents weren't really an issue though. There's a free for all on the riverbank for campers. There's also lots of picnic tables for public use.
The biggest gripe with this place is that the ground is a complete minefield of dog eggs. It was disgusting. We found a clear spot but had to tread a careful path to and from the tents. If I could work out who was letting their dog do this then I'd quite happily return the favour on their bloody pitch.
Our neighbour was a Dutch lad called Alron, I think. I remember his name sounded like an anagram of Arlon. He came over to say hi and we spend a lot of the night chatting. He gave us a pack of biscuits as a little gift. They were Dutch waffle biscuits with maple syrup. A huge sugar rush but quite moreish. He's here to fish the Mosselle and had three lines cast out from the doorway of his tent.
Carp and catfish were his game. He'd already had a 22lb carp out this week. He said there's some huge catfish in the river. They grow up to 6 foot long.
They'll happily take a swimming dog if they're peckish. I may just be able to find him some bait.
283 miles
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Day 9 - Modane to Gex
Despite all efforts for a super early start today it was still 10.30 when we hit the road. In fact it's always 10.30 when we hit the road, give or take a few mins. I'm gonna give up and lie in from now on. It really won't make any difference.
The nice lass who runs the place was manning reception. I popped in to settle up. She has a lovely softly spoken French accent. It beats my ridiculous Yorkshire French accent hands down. I spoke to her in French but it was obviously too much to bear because was trying to steer the conversation into English. I much preferred it when she spoke in her native tongue.
First pass we hit today was Col de l'Iseran. It's probably my favourite Alpine pass. The road and scenery is nothing short of amazing. The views from the D902 are stunning and it takes true determination to keep your eyes on the road. At the top it's a bit of a glacier fest and the air up here feels as fresh as it comes.
And, despite the bold claims of the Col de la Bonette, this is genuinely the 'highest paved mountain pass in Europe'.
Just before Bourg-Saint-Maurice we pulled into a little roadside restaurant and bar called Auberge le Perce Neige. We fell into some nice wicker seats on the patio and ordered drinks. Catherines beer looked more appealing than my coffee in the blazing heat. There were plenty of locals eating the menu du jour which looked great but we just wanted drinks and a rest. The couple running it were lovely. They happily charged my depleted camera for me so I could take lots more pictures of Catherines looking smug with ice cold beer.
Onto Cormet de Roseland and more incredible scenery. As tectonic plates collided and created the Alps, I suspect that the area around here was the epicentre of some major geological action. There's craggy mountains and huge folds of rock jutting out of the ground at all angles. It's a proper car crash of mountains.
We stopped in Beaufort to pick up cheese, bread, wine and a few provisions for tea. Beaufort cheese is delicious. It's got a real distinct nutty flavour. You can find it back home if you look carefully. We bought a big slice of special reserve. The lass in the deli said it was hand produced on a farm and tried to emphasise the amount of time and effort involved by pointing to a grainy black & white photo of some old boy attending to important cheese duties. No idea if this was all true but we were sold and she made a good sale. We stopped just north of the town and ate lunch in a little picnic area on the road to Flumet.
By the time we reached Col de la Colombiere we needed a rest. Drinks at the passes can be nasty. Think of the vending machine hot chocolate we had yesterday. The restaurant up here though bucked the trend and knocked up two perfect espressos from a huge industrial gaggia coffee machine. It was only €1.50 a pop. We even got a cute little waffle shaped biscuit with it too.
The last stretch of Route des Grande Alpes before Thonon is always a favourite although you don't often see it dry like today. It constantly flicks left and right in a huge series of lovely bends at the bottom of a narrow gorge.
It was running late but we wanted to clear Geneva. The weather was good and the roads were quiet. If we waited until the morning it could be completely different.
We passed the scene of our accident from a few years back and the cafe that took us in after it. The fountain in Geneva harbour was turned on this time. It's huge. Riding past you don't realise just how massive it is until you notice the dots at its base are actually people.
Geneva is full of beautiful people but even that couldn't convince me to spend any more time there.
We took the shortest path through to the French border and found a little municipal campsite in Gex. Change from €15 and the showers seem great. The pitches are massive and all hedged off into individual plots. We couldn't ask for anything more.
208 miles
The nice lass who runs the place was manning reception. I popped in to settle up. She has a lovely softly spoken French accent. It beats my ridiculous Yorkshire French accent hands down. I spoke to her in French but it was obviously too much to bear because was trying to steer the conversation into English. I much preferred it when she spoke in her native tongue.
First pass we hit today was Col de l'Iseran. It's probably my favourite Alpine pass. The road and scenery is nothing short of amazing. The views from the D902 are stunning and it takes true determination to keep your eyes on the road. At the top it's a bit of a glacier fest and the air up here feels as fresh as it comes.
And, despite the bold claims of the Col de la Bonette, this is genuinely the 'highest paved mountain pass in Europe'.
Just before Bourg-Saint-Maurice we pulled into a little roadside restaurant and bar called Auberge le Perce Neige. We fell into some nice wicker seats on the patio and ordered drinks. Catherines beer looked more appealing than my coffee in the blazing heat. There were plenty of locals eating the menu du jour which looked great but we just wanted drinks and a rest. The couple running it were lovely. They happily charged my depleted camera for me so I could take lots more pictures of Catherines looking smug with ice cold beer.
Onto Cormet de Roseland and more incredible scenery. As tectonic plates collided and created the Alps, I suspect that the area around here was the epicentre of some major geological action. There's craggy mountains and huge folds of rock jutting out of the ground at all angles. It's a proper car crash of mountains.
We stopped in Beaufort to pick up cheese, bread, wine and a few provisions for tea. Beaufort cheese is delicious. It's got a real distinct nutty flavour. You can find it back home if you look carefully. We bought a big slice of special reserve. The lass in the deli said it was hand produced on a farm and tried to emphasise the amount of time and effort involved by pointing to a grainy black & white photo of some old boy attending to important cheese duties. No idea if this was all true but we were sold and she made a good sale. We stopped just north of the town and ate lunch in a little picnic area on the road to Flumet.
By the time we reached Col de la Colombiere we needed a rest. Drinks at the passes can be nasty. Think of the vending machine hot chocolate we had yesterday. The restaurant up here though bucked the trend and knocked up two perfect espressos from a huge industrial gaggia coffee machine. It was only €1.50 a pop. We even got a cute little waffle shaped biscuit with it too.
The last stretch of Route des Grande Alpes before Thonon is always a favourite although you don't often see it dry like today. It constantly flicks left and right in a huge series of lovely bends at the bottom of a narrow gorge.
It was running late but we wanted to clear Geneva. The weather was good and the roads were quiet. If we waited until the morning it could be completely different.
We passed the scene of our accident from a few years back and the cafe that took us in after it. The fountain in Geneva harbour was turned on this time. It's huge. Riding past you don't realise just how massive it is until you notice the dots at its base are actually people.
Geneva is full of beautiful people but even that couldn't convince me to spend any more time there.
We took the shortest path through to the French border and found a little municipal campsite in Gex. Change from €15 and the showers seem great. The pitches are massive and all hedged off into individual plots. We couldn't ask for anything more.
Tuesday 3 July 2012
Day 8 - Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinee to Modane
It absolutely hoofed it down last night. There was some crazy lightning in the mountains and some mad storms but all was good by morning. The tents were bone dry when we woke up.
I'd set my alarm bright n early so grabbed an early shower then walked into town to the bakery to pick up breakfast. My more lethargic travel companion needed slightly more coaxing to pull her from her slumber. As usual, the waft of coffee did the trick. By her third cup of espresso she's able to talk about as much sense as you'll ever get out of her. It all goes downhill rapidly as the caffeine wears off though.
There was a helicopter overhead, flying construction materials back and forth from one mountainside to another on a huge winch. We watched it for a while over breakfast then made tracks.
First stop after breakfast was Col de la Bonette - the highest road in Europe.
Although that's not strictly true. The pass actually peels off before the summit but there's a tiny loop that takes you up a further 87m to the summit (Cime de la Bonette). I felt a bit cheated. It's like that tower in Malaysia (I think) that secured the title of the worlds tallest building for a while after they stuck a massive great aerial on the roof.
This little loop road to the summit (or cime in French) is more accurately the 'highest paved through-route in Europe'. Not quite so catchy now, huh? It's also the highest point reached by the Tour de France. However, there are several higher passes around here, including the Stelvio and the Col de l'Iseran.
Catherine also bestowed the Col the honour of the coldest road in Europe. It was certainly a bit nippy up there. Apparently she gets as grumpy in the cold as I do in the heat. I wouldn't have believed it, as I can get pretty damn crabby and short tempered when I'm too hot, but I can now confirm that she's a right miserable bugger unless she's super toasty.
We passed a Lotus Elise that was very gently winding up the mountain. Strange for such an agile little car, but it all became clear when we saw the Belgian plates.
We returned to Barcelonnette but alas could find no trace of any marmot sanctuary so we rejoined the Alpine route.
UPDATE - there is a marmot sanctuary in Montreux, Switzerland at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. Rochers-de-Naye Marmottes Paradis. The TripAdvisor reviews sound very promising! It's definitely on the list for next time.
As we moved on to Col D'Izoard the heavens opens. It was the first rain to hit us while we're riding this year but it more than made up for the previous long and very enjoyable dry spell. It proper hammered down.
We skipped a couple of sheltered spots under the trees and pushed on to the summit. We expected to find a nice restaurant but it was pretty sparse up there. Nothing but a tat shop selling marmot related memorabilia and expensive Clix drinks. We both opted for a nasty hot chocolate, but it was hot and we appreciated the shelter. The tiny gift shop soon filled up with French cyclists who all stripped out of their wet lycra and emptied all the Kronenberg from the fridge. The place started to smell of wet dog, and I know we contributed to that, but was just too many semi naked French men getting pissed for my liking so we moved on.
We threw on our hi-viz rave vests before setting off. A legal requirement in some countries now. You look like a learner rider again but after our incident in Geneva a few years back we felt far safer in a bit of garish day-glo.
On the way up Col du Lauteret a marmot ran across the road in front of us and dived into a hole in the stone wall. Catherine had jumped off the bike before I'd even stopped and went running over with her camera. He was kinda tucked up in his little hidey hole but she was happy to get a few snaps of his backside.
Quick supermarket stop in Briançon, where I mistakenly walked up to a complete stranger who looked a little bit like Catherine. In a bad light. Perhaps.
On to Col du Galibier the clouds descended. It was near zero visibility and freezing. If Catherine wasn't wearing her disco vest, I wouldn't have been able to see her sat right behind me in my mirrors. Then, to really keep us working, we hit the loose gravel. About 15k of freshly laid loose road surfacing on a hairpin mountain descent into St-Michel-de-Maurienne. It was awful. I spent the entire time educating Catherine with some news French words. Although they were more of the 'oops, excuse my French!' variety.
Riding through Modane I remembered camping here a few years back. Then I remembered the campsite was right next to a freight train line that ran all night. Sat nav guided us to another site 10 mins away in Aussois.
It was brilliant. A proper municipal site. Super cheap (it was only €12.40 when we settled up in the morning), free wifi, free piping hot showers, super clean and massive pitches. It restored my faith in French campsites. It was even hammock friendly. We chose a quiet secluded pitch surrounded by trees. There was nobody near us, apart from a French bloke who offered to help me take the bike down to the pitch. As our pitch was down a steep grass bank I thanked him but declined. The bike would spend the night sleeping above us.
We sparked up the stove, lit loads of citronela tea lights and dotted them around our pitch so it looked like some kind of satanic ritual would be taking place.
Catherine then polished off my red wine, despite the fact she doesn't normally enjoy red. From the little bit I managed to get, I could tell it was a mighty fine bottle though.
186 miles
I'd set my alarm bright n early so grabbed an early shower then walked into town to the bakery to pick up breakfast. My more lethargic travel companion needed slightly more coaxing to pull her from her slumber. As usual, the waft of coffee did the trick. By her third cup of espresso she's able to talk about as much sense as you'll ever get out of her. It all goes downhill rapidly as the caffeine wears off though.
There was a helicopter overhead, flying construction materials back and forth from one mountainside to another on a huge winch. We watched it for a while over breakfast then made tracks.
First stop after breakfast was Col de la Bonette - the highest road in Europe.
Although that's not strictly true. The pass actually peels off before the summit but there's a tiny loop that takes you up a further 87m to the summit (Cime de la Bonette). I felt a bit cheated. It's like that tower in Malaysia (I think) that secured the title of the worlds tallest building for a while after they stuck a massive great aerial on the roof.
This little loop road to the summit (or cime in French) is more accurately the 'highest paved through-route in Europe'. Not quite so catchy now, huh? It's also the highest point reached by the Tour de France. However, there are several higher passes around here, including the Stelvio and the Col de l'Iseran.
Catherine also bestowed the Col the honour of the coldest road in Europe. It was certainly a bit nippy up there. Apparently she gets as grumpy in the cold as I do in the heat. I wouldn't have believed it, as I can get pretty damn crabby and short tempered when I'm too hot, but I can now confirm that she's a right miserable bugger unless she's super toasty.
We passed a Lotus Elise that was very gently winding up the mountain. Strange for such an agile little car, but it all became clear when we saw the Belgian plates.
We returned to Barcelonnette but alas could find no trace of any marmot sanctuary so we rejoined the Alpine route.
UPDATE - there is a marmot sanctuary in Montreux, Switzerland at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. Rochers-de-Naye Marmottes Paradis. The TripAdvisor reviews sound very promising! It's definitely on the list for next time.
As we moved on to Col D'Izoard the heavens opens. It was the first rain to hit us while we're riding this year but it more than made up for the previous long and very enjoyable dry spell. It proper hammered down.
We skipped a couple of sheltered spots under the trees and pushed on to the summit. We expected to find a nice restaurant but it was pretty sparse up there. Nothing but a tat shop selling marmot related memorabilia and expensive Clix drinks. We both opted for a nasty hot chocolate, but it was hot and we appreciated the shelter. The tiny gift shop soon filled up with French cyclists who all stripped out of their wet lycra and emptied all the Kronenberg from the fridge. The place started to smell of wet dog, and I know we contributed to that, but was just too many semi naked French men getting pissed for my liking so we moved on.
We threw on our hi-viz rave vests before setting off. A legal requirement in some countries now. You look like a learner rider again but after our incident in Geneva a few years back we felt far safer in a bit of garish day-glo.
On the way up Col du Lauteret a marmot ran across the road in front of us and dived into a hole in the stone wall. Catherine had jumped off the bike before I'd even stopped and went running over with her camera. He was kinda tucked up in his little hidey hole but she was happy to get a few snaps of his backside.
Quick supermarket stop in Briançon, where I mistakenly walked up to a complete stranger who looked a little bit like Catherine. In a bad light. Perhaps.
On to Col du Galibier the clouds descended. It was near zero visibility and freezing. If Catherine wasn't wearing her disco vest, I wouldn't have been able to see her sat right behind me in my mirrors. Then, to really keep us working, we hit the loose gravel. About 15k of freshly laid loose road surfacing on a hairpin mountain descent into St-Michel-de-Maurienne. It was awful. I spent the entire time educating Catherine with some news French words. Although they were more of the 'oops, excuse my French!' variety.
Riding through Modane I remembered camping here a few years back. Then I remembered the campsite was right next to a freight train line that ran all night. Sat nav guided us to another site 10 mins away in Aussois.
It was brilliant. A proper municipal site. Super cheap (it was only €12.40 when we settled up in the morning), free wifi, free piping hot showers, super clean and massive pitches. It restored my faith in French campsites. It was even hammock friendly. We chose a quiet secluded pitch surrounded by trees. There was nobody near us, apart from a French bloke who offered to help me take the bike down to the pitch. As our pitch was down a steep grass bank I thanked him but declined. The bike would spend the night sleeping above us.
We sparked up the stove, lit loads of citronela tea lights and dotted them around our pitch so it looked like some kind of satanic ritual would be taking place.
Catherine then polished off my red wine, despite the fact she doesn't normally enjoy red. From the little bit I managed to get, I could tell it was a mighty fine bottle though.
Sunday 1 July 2012
Day 7 - Castellane to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinee
Was woken up this morning by the sound of bikes screaming along the road outside. There really is no finer dawn chorus.
Grabbed an excellent shower then we settled up. €25 and defo worth it. Castellane is expensive but this place deserves the business. I'll remember it next time I'm in the area.
Turned straight out of campsite onto the N85. The road rising out of Castellane is superb. In fact, it's excellent all the way to Grasse.
From Grasse we dropped over to Nice. Ignore the name - Nice really isn't nice. It's endless traffic and traffic lights and blazing hot.
We slowly made our way over to Monaco. Full of money and big yachts, but no more pleasant than Nice. They were preparing for some horsey event which made congestion even worst. We assumed racing but it looked like they were setting up a show jumping ring by the harbour. We rode some of the race circuit then headed north.
We intend to take the Routes des Grande Alpes north to Lake Geneva. The first section includes the famous rally stage of Col de Turini. The southern climb was treacherous. Very narrow with nasty drop offs and tight hairpins. At the top we took a late lunch break and felt far better for food and water. The northern stretch down from the Col is much nicer.
From Roquebilliere (or rockabilly as it's now known) the road is amazing all the way to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinee, where we stopped for the night. There's a little municipal campsite in the town. €14 for the night.
The woman on reception was lovely. They don't have drinking water on tap but she gave me two big bottles of mineral water, free of charge. There's not many other tents here so we had a good pick of places. They're not marked out - it's just a free for all but the field is plenty big enough for everyone here.
We took advantage of the free hot showers before knocking up an easy tea then popping into town. There's a jolly little footpath from the campsite into town. It's only a 5 minute walk.
We went to the only bar in town for beer and footy. Euro 2012 final, Spain vs Italy. We thought Italy would be the home team as the border is only a few miles away but Spain was getting all the cheers.
Walking home, loads of fire flies had come out. Never seen them for real before but they're wonderful little things.
141 miles
Grabbed an excellent shower then we settled up. €25 and defo worth it. Castellane is expensive but this place deserves the business. I'll remember it next time I'm in the area.
Turned straight out of campsite onto the N85. The road rising out of Castellane is superb. In fact, it's excellent all the way to Grasse.
From Grasse we dropped over to Nice. Ignore the name - Nice really isn't nice. It's endless traffic and traffic lights and blazing hot.
We slowly made our way over to Monaco. Full of money and big yachts, but no more pleasant than Nice. They were preparing for some horsey event which made congestion even worst. We assumed racing but it looked like they were setting up a show jumping ring by the harbour. We rode some of the race circuit then headed north.
We intend to take the Routes des Grande Alpes north to Lake Geneva. The first section includes the famous rally stage of Col de Turini. The southern climb was treacherous. Very narrow with nasty drop offs and tight hairpins. At the top we took a late lunch break and felt far better for food and water. The northern stretch down from the Col is much nicer.
From Roquebilliere (or rockabilly as it's now known) the road is amazing all the way to Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinee, where we stopped for the night. There's a little municipal campsite in the town. €14 for the night.
The woman on reception was lovely. They don't have drinking water on tap but she gave me two big bottles of mineral water, free of charge. There's not many other tents here so we had a good pick of places. They're not marked out - it's just a free for all but the field is plenty big enough for everyone here.
We took advantage of the free hot showers before knocking up an easy tea then popping into town. There's a jolly little footpath from the campsite into town. It's only a 5 minute walk.
We went to the only bar in town for beer and footy. Euro 2012 final, Spain vs Italy. We thought Italy would be the home team as the border is only a few miles away but Spain was getting all the cheers.
Walking home, loads of fire flies had come out. Never seen them for real before but they're wonderful little things.
141 miles
Day 6 - Laffrey to Castellane
We were straight out onto the N85 Route Napoléon today. There was no shop at the campsite and we had no milk in reserve so we kick started our day on simple granola bars and espresso.
The lake was still a bit nippy but the free showers were excellent. Campsite prices have definitely gone up in the last few years. Municipals used to cost peanuts but we're paying about €18 a night this year, for two plus bike. Catherine had read about camping prices going up in Europe. Visitor numbers are down and they need to make their money so prices went up. Apparently this is especially true in France.
Route Nap is amazing. It's the weekend so all the coppers we saw were fully expected and only in the posted speed limits. There were two lots of them but nothing south of Corps and other motorists gave us plenty of warning. Not that we ever knowingly speed in posted limits. There are signs in most villages that display your speed as you approach them. Get it wrong and it displays a sad face. Get it right and you get a smile. We always aim for a smile and cheer when we get one. If they had these things on all biking roads back home I'd never be tempted to speed again!
The road after Corps is excellent, especially the road down the mountain into Gap. There's a huge sweeping left hander right before Gap where you can get cranked over.
After Gap and down to Digne-les-Bains, I recall the N85 getting a bit dull so we headed east on the N94 to Savines-le-Lac. The last 10k before Savines are lovely and like most roads road here, very scenic.
We rode over the long low bridge spanning the river into Savines-le-Lac. I love this bridge. It always reminds me of the overseas highway in MI3 where Philip Seymour Hoffmans mates come to extract him. My unimpressed pillion hasn't seen MI3 and said Hull's got the Humber Bridge to which no other bridge can ever compare.
Running on fumes we pulled in to top ourselves up with a menu du jour. There are two restaurants overlooking the lake immediately after the bridge, both pretty busy and both bike friendly. We chose the second - Le Relais Fleuri. It was slightly more expensive but nicer and, as it turned out, far more popular with locals and bikers. They even have complimentary visor cleaner and screenwash by the entrance steps where you park your bike. They kindly gave us a table next to another unused table, which we could use for all our biking clobber.
The €18 menu sounded perfect. Catherine struggled to choose between the goats cheese salad starter and the terrine. I had a similar dilemma with the waitresses. I'd usually go for the brunette but the blonde looked like a slightly rough Caroline Flack, which really did it for me.
The food was equally impressive and the portions huge. We were just about full after the starter but the food kept coming. Veal for Catherine, Bass for me. Both were cooked to perfection. Catherine had salted caramel ice cream for dessert. A new one on me, but it's really popular over here and she's addicted to the stuff. Tab, with beers and plenty of coffee, came to a very reasonable €48. Our waiter filled up our water bottle with fresh cold water, then we rode around the lake and on to Barcelonnette.
Noticed there's a campsites just after the restaurant in Savines-le-Lac, on the D954 to Barcelonnette. It's a short walk to the town and right next to the lake.
Catherine saw a sign for a marmot sanctuary in Barcelonnette and said we have to visit it on our return journey. We also passed a zoo that had a bit scary marmot on the sign. One day, mark my word, marmots will become the new meerkats of popular culture.
The climb out of Barcelonnette on the D908 to Col d'Allos is narrow and sketchy, especially when it's full of cyclists. The descent to the south is much nicer though and from Allos to Colmars it opens up nicely. Where the D908 and D955 fork, we took the 955 all the way to Castellane. It's an awesome road and very scenic, all the way over the EDF hydro electric dam and into Castellane.
We stocked up on food and fuel in Castellane then headed out of town, back on the Route Napoléon. I've camped in Castellane before and it's busy and cramped. A few miles out of town we found a great campsite called RCN les Collines de Castellane. It's run by a young Dutch chap called Ari. It's huge and spotlessly clean with great facilities. The pitches are massive. Ari gave us the figures and the pitches here are something ridiculous like four times bigger than those in town. He rides around during the night on a golf buggy making sure everything is ok. He found us at one of the picnic tables about midnight, drinking wine and eating (yet more) cheese so stopped for a chat.
I picked up the wine, and some sausage, from a little store down the road that serves local produce. Both were produced in the area and were excellent. Catherine noticed that I'd chosen a wine called 'pervert'. It was actually pierrevert, but top marks for observation.
The lake was still a bit nippy but the free showers were excellent. Campsite prices have definitely gone up in the last few years. Municipals used to cost peanuts but we're paying about €18 a night this year, for two plus bike. Catherine had read about camping prices going up in Europe. Visitor numbers are down and they need to make their money so prices went up. Apparently this is especially true in France.
Route Nap is amazing. It's the weekend so all the coppers we saw were fully expected and only in the posted speed limits. There were two lots of them but nothing south of Corps and other motorists gave us plenty of warning. Not that we ever knowingly speed in posted limits. There are signs in most villages that display your speed as you approach them. Get it wrong and it displays a sad face. Get it right and you get a smile. We always aim for a smile and cheer when we get one. If they had these things on all biking roads back home I'd never be tempted to speed again!
The road after Corps is excellent, especially the road down the mountain into Gap. There's a huge sweeping left hander right before Gap where you can get cranked over.
After Gap and down to Digne-les-Bains, I recall the N85 getting a bit dull so we headed east on the N94 to Savines-le-Lac. The last 10k before Savines are lovely and like most roads road here, very scenic.
We rode over the long low bridge spanning the river into Savines-le-Lac. I love this bridge. It always reminds me of the overseas highway in MI3 where Philip Seymour Hoffmans mates come to extract him. My unimpressed pillion hasn't seen MI3 and said Hull's got the Humber Bridge to which no other bridge can ever compare.
Running on fumes we pulled in to top ourselves up with a menu du jour. There are two restaurants overlooking the lake immediately after the bridge, both pretty busy and both bike friendly. We chose the second - Le Relais Fleuri. It was slightly more expensive but nicer and, as it turned out, far more popular with locals and bikers. They even have complimentary visor cleaner and screenwash by the entrance steps where you park your bike. They kindly gave us a table next to another unused table, which we could use for all our biking clobber.
The €18 menu sounded perfect. Catherine struggled to choose between the goats cheese salad starter and the terrine. I had a similar dilemma with the waitresses. I'd usually go for the brunette but the blonde looked like a slightly rough Caroline Flack, which really did it for me.
The food was equally impressive and the portions huge. We were just about full after the starter but the food kept coming. Veal for Catherine, Bass for me. Both were cooked to perfection. Catherine had salted caramel ice cream for dessert. A new one on me, but it's really popular over here and she's addicted to the stuff. Tab, with beers and plenty of coffee, came to a very reasonable €48. Our waiter filled up our water bottle with fresh cold water, then we rode around the lake and on to Barcelonnette.
Noticed there's a campsites just after the restaurant in Savines-le-Lac, on the D954 to Barcelonnette. It's a short walk to the town and right next to the lake.
Catherine saw a sign for a marmot sanctuary in Barcelonnette and said we have to visit it on our return journey. We also passed a zoo that had a bit scary marmot on the sign. One day, mark my word, marmots will become the new meerkats of popular culture.
The climb out of Barcelonnette on the D908 to Col d'Allos is narrow and sketchy, especially when it's full of cyclists. The descent to the south is much nicer though and from Allos to Colmars it opens up nicely. Where the D908 and D955 fork, we took the 955 all the way to Castellane. It's an awesome road and very scenic, all the way over the EDF hydro electric dam and into Castellane.
We stocked up on food and fuel in Castellane then headed out of town, back on the Route Napoléon. I've camped in Castellane before and it's busy and cramped. A few miles out of town we found a great campsite called RCN les Collines de Castellane. It's run by a young Dutch chap called Ari. It's huge and spotlessly clean with great facilities. The pitches are massive. Ari gave us the figures and the pitches here are something ridiculous like four times bigger than those in town. He rides around during the night on a golf buggy making sure everything is ok. He found us at one of the picnic tables about midnight, drinking wine and eating (yet more) cheese so stopped for a chat.
I picked up the wine, and some sausage, from a little store down the road that serves local produce. Both were produced in the area and were excellent. Catherine noticed that I'd chosen a wine called 'pervert'. It was actually pierrevert, but top marks for observation.
156 miles
Saturday 30 June 2012
Route Napoléon
What better way to spend a blazing hot Saturday morning than ripping up the Route Napoléon?
It's the route wee Bonny carved to race north on his motorbike when he realised he'd left the oven on back home in Grenoble while he was enjoying an ice cream down on the south coast. Or something like that.
Yep, every day's a school day on this blog!
Day 5 - Doucier to Laffrey (south of Grenoble)
The Tigers had eaten here quite a bit and the fondue was well tried and tested. Despite Michelles talk of cheese hangovers and Steves morbid health warnings, they couldn't sway us or themselves from the idea. Fondue got a unanimous vote all round.
Very nice it was too. It's not just melted cheese and bread. They mix wine with the cheese, and give you a plate of filthy processed meats too. You couldn't live on it every day, at least not for very long, but I'll defo have it again. Catherine really enjoyed it too. Possibly a bit too much, but she's on a serious cheese binge after weeks of avoiding all dairy products on her faddy eater plan.
We all went our separate ways the next morning. Steve, Michelle and Zach had a ferry home to catch while we were heading south.
Guys, thanks again for everything. We gatecrashed your family jollies with empty hands and sparse panniers but left well fed and watered.
While there were ferry duties to the north, there were great riding roads to the south.
We worked out a route down south that, with the exception of a couple of unavoidable towns, stuck completely to the scenic twisties. At the end of the day, I'm struggling to think of a single bad road today. There was a nice mixture of fast twisties, some lovely towns and some tighter technical stuff. We rode through forests, tunnels and canyons. The weather was sticking around 36 degrees.
The bike is a completely different beast this year too. Gareth at Reactive Suspension near York recently changed the rear shock spring. I reckon he got it spot on. The bike always suffered when it was fully loaded. It used to wallow about and bottom out, which was neither pleasant nor particularly safe. Now it behaves so much better, especially in corners and on uneven roads. You can now throw it into a corner with absolute confidence.
While it was in bits, Marty at SmartRRRs fitted gel inserts to my seat. That's defo the second best investment I've ever made in the bike.
Roadworks are popping up everywhere, but we saw the same in Germany and Luxembourg.
One pass, Col de Porte, had patchy gravel on the way up but you were rewarded with lovely tarmac down the other side to compensate. The D520b was a superb stretch of road.
The temporary traffic signals are kinda cool. They have countdown timers under the green light so you know when they're due to turn green. There were two sets of lights, some distance apart, between roadworks on one particular road. We're convinced they were phased so if you stuck to the speed limit you would sail through the second set without waiting. We had a bit of a wait but the locals driving behind cruised up just as the lights were changing.
In my two year absense, I forgot just how courteous other road users are to bikes over here. Cars will part like the red sea and throw themselves into ditches to let you past. And other bikers will always wave, even if you're separated by 6 lanes of motorway or they're knee down in a corner.
The D991 next to Lac du Bourget and through Aix-les-Bains is defo worth remembering. The lake looks crystal clear and you can stop by the roadside for a dip. Loads of people were doing it. There's even a path in some sections between the road and the lake for safe access. South of Aix we stopped at a rather nice fish restaurant called La Maison des Pecheurs. We were too late/early for food, but a coffee and a beer was brought out to the patio for us. They have chalet rooms too, each with a balcony overlooking the lake.
The menu looked great and didn't appear expensive. There were very reasonable plat/menu de jour options.
Also south of Aix there's jetties for sunbathing and diving off.
Coming down off the D512 mountain road into Grenoble there was a lass sunbathing in the nip. She was by the roadside, hiding very badly behind a wooden shelter. An unexpected treat, but a bit of a dangerous distraction when you hoofing around twisty mountain roads.
We rode straight through Grenoble and picked up the N85 Route Napoleon. Once we'd cleared the city and the hit the wilderness we stopped at a municipal campsite in Laffrey. It's right next to the lake, which itself looks lovely. Too cold to venture in by the time we were sorted but the water looked perfectly clear. Maybe in the morning.
We were out of proper food and had no chance of getting to a shop or supermarket before they closed. The young lass on reception convinced the onsite restaurant to make up a couple extra places for dinner. Friday night is moules frites night. Every week. It's always busy and was fully booked up. They thankfully took us in and looked after us very well. The food was brilliant. Huge portions of delicious mussels and chips for €12 each. All washed down with cold beer.
170 miles
Friday 29 June 2012
Thursday 28 June 2012
Day 4 - Doucier
Not much to report today. The bike is staying put, holding one end of a washing line. We've done a bit of washing, been for a swim in the lake, had a nap, caught some rays, and the Tigers threw a lunchtime bbq so we're well fed and watered.
We're popping up the road for a restaurant meal tonight. Until then, there's time for another swim and a few beers in the bar.
We're popping up the road for a restaurant meal tonight. Until then, there's time for another swim and a few beers in the bar.
Day 3 - Oberbruch to Doucier
Planned on an early departure today but got chatting to a couple of bikers who were heading back home via Metz. They were into their military history so we talked about sites of interest and good roads in the area, of which there are plenty.
They'd swung by the Lochnagar Crater from the Somme which I'd like to see. It's been on the tick list for a while. I suggested they visit Fort Driant if they're going to Metz. Can't vouch for it personally but it's another one on the tick list.
They said there's a really nice municipal camp site slap bang in the centre of Metz, which is useful to know given that Metz is an easy days run back to Zebrugge.
They'd ridden through the Black Forest on Sunday. Said it was full of bikes and police speed traps. We rode it today and there was neither.
Headed north to Baden-Baden to pick up the B500 Schwarzwaldhochstrasse to Freudenstadt. It's truly awesome. Despite the weather forecasters conspiring against us, the sun was blazing and the temp around 28 degrees. Spoke to a German chap on a drop dead gorgeous custom built bike who said the weather's been like this for a week or two and it's gonna continue.
Stopped in Titisee for currywurst and chips. Convinced Catherine she was going mental because she just couldn't remember stopping at the same restaurant last time for Black Forest gateaux. Turns out it was Sam, not Catherine, who came here last time. Sorry sis. Anyway, the currywurst was pure filth and superb. White veal sausage with lashings of curry sauce and salty chips. I had a top notch espresso (which defo goes down as one of my top five ever) and Catherine had a weißbier.
Full of food, and with Catherine topped up on ale, we continued south and on to Todtnau.
Todtnau, as I understand it, lays claim to the record for having the longest dry tobogan run in Germany - the Hasenhorn Coaster.
We parked up at its base and took the ski lift ride to the top. The ride to the top takes ages - this thing is massive.
Bit of a carry on at the top while a family argued with the operator over taking their toddler down. Minimum age for riders is 4 but, despite them arguing otherwise, this kid was obviously just a nipper. The dad told the attendant to take his kid back down while he enjoyed the ride, which again had a frosty reception.
We stood in the queue bantering with a couple of young kids from Berlin. They obviously enjoyed stretching their English and were cool.
Eventually we got to front of queue. I convinced the attendant I was a pro and negotiated a huge gap between me and the kids in front. I flew down, with Catherine hot on my tail on the next sled. Not sure how safe they are. They're basically just plastic tea trays on rails. Big smiles all round though. Catherine picked up a souvenir snap then we moved on.
Next stop was Todtmoos just down the road. Cafe Zimmermann is apparently well renowned for serving the best gateau in the Black Forest. Dismiss all 80's memories of poor Sara Lee interpretations - this was the real deal and truly delicious. I understand the owner is a well decorated chef who runs masterclasses on making the perfect BFG. Catherine had one of those ice creams with a shot of espresso. She said it was delicious. I didn't get a taste, despite the fact half my gateau disappeared her way.
The waiter was a pleasant young chap with excellent English. When he told me he was from Cork in Ireland I realised why.
Rode east out of Todtmoos on some fantastic little roads to eventually pick up the autobahn out of Germany past Basel and into France.
At one point we got snapped by a speed trap. Catherine has categorized all speed cameras into two types - those that bikers can just wave at and those we need to watch out for. Thankfully this was a forward facing one so no bother.
Stuck on péage (about a tenners worth) through France to Besançon then took the N83 down to Doucier. The roads from Besançon are great and made a nice break from the monotony of motorways. Nearer doucier the road skirts around mountains and there's some very impressive landscape and some fine road engineering. We camped up at eastern end of Lake Chalain where Steve greeted us with some very well received cold beers.
We got the tents up by torch light then over to Steve and Michelles holiday bungalow for food and drink.
I think we're gonna stay put for a couple of nights and enjoy some serious chilling.
323 miles
They'd swung by the Lochnagar Crater from the Somme which I'd like to see. It's been on the tick list for a while. I suggested they visit Fort Driant if they're going to Metz. Can't vouch for it personally but it's another one on the tick list.
They said there's a really nice municipal camp site slap bang in the centre of Metz, which is useful to know given that Metz is an easy days run back to Zebrugge.
They'd ridden through the Black Forest on Sunday. Said it was full of bikes and police speed traps. We rode it today and there was neither.
Headed north to Baden-Baden to pick up the B500 Schwarzwaldhochstrasse to Freudenstadt. It's truly awesome. Despite the weather forecasters conspiring against us, the sun was blazing and the temp around 28 degrees. Spoke to a German chap on a drop dead gorgeous custom built bike who said the weather's been like this for a week or two and it's gonna continue.
Stopped in Titisee for currywurst and chips. Convinced Catherine she was going mental because she just couldn't remember stopping at the same restaurant last time for Black Forest gateaux. Turns out it was Sam, not Catherine, who came here last time. Sorry sis. Anyway, the currywurst was pure filth and superb. White veal sausage with lashings of curry sauce and salty chips. I had a top notch espresso (which defo goes down as one of my top five ever) and Catherine had a weißbier.
Full of food, and with Catherine topped up on ale, we continued south and on to Todtnau.
Todtnau, as I understand it, lays claim to the record for having the longest dry tobogan run in Germany - the Hasenhorn Coaster.
We parked up at its base and took the ski lift ride to the top. The ride to the top takes ages - this thing is massive.
Bit of a carry on at the top while a family argued with the operator over taking their toddler down. Minimum age for riders is 4 but, despite them arguing otherwise, this kid was obviously just a nipper. The dad told the attendant to take his kid back down while he enjoyed the ride, which again had a frosty reception.
We stood in the queue bantering with a couple of young kids from Berlin. They obviously enjoyed stretching their English and were cool.
Eventually we got to front of queue. I convinced the attendant I was a pro and negotiated a huge gap between me and the kids in front. I flew down, with Catherine hot on my tail on the next sled. Not sure how safe they are. They're basically just plastic tea trays on rails. Big smiles all round though. Catherine picked up a souvenir snap then we moved on.
Next stop was Todtmoos just down the road. Cafe Zimmermann is apparently well renowned for serving the best gateau in the Black Forest. Dismiss all 80's memories of poor Sara Lee interpretations - this was the real deal and truly delicious. I understand the owner is a well decorated chef who runs masterclasses on making the perfect BFG. Catherine had one of those ice creams with a shot of espresso. She said it was delicious. I didn't get a taste, despite the fact half my gateau disappeared her way.
The waiter was a pleasant young chap with excellent English. When he told me he was from Cork in Ireland I realised why.
Rode east out of Todtmoos on some fantastic little roads to eventually pick up the autobahn out of Germany past Basel and into France.
At one point we got snapped by a speed trap. Catherine has categorized all speed cameras into two types - those that bikers can just wave at and those we need to watch out for. Thankfully this was a forward facing one so no bother.
Stuck on péage (about a tenners worth) through France to Besançon then took the N83 down to Doucier. The roads from Besançon are great and made a nice break from the monotony of motorways. Nearer doucier the road skirts around mountains and there's some very impressive landscape and some fine road engineering. We camped up at eastern end of Lake Chalain where Steve greeted us with some very well received cold beers.
We got the tents up by torch light then over to Steve and Michelles holiday bungalow for food and drink.
I think we're gonna stay put for a couple of nights and enjoy some serious chilling.
323 miles
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)