Took a stroll across the park into town this morning. There's a boulangerie and patisserie called something like, but not exactly, patisserie valerie. Even the sign writing is almost identical to the overpriced cake shop back home.
The pain au chocolate was very poor. I grabbed two, plus a tiny raisin loaf to burn my remaining shrapnel.
The stove thankfully had enough juice for a couple of rounds of tea and coffee. I drank a constant stream of caffeine while packing away the camping gear for the final time.
One of the chaps in a nearby motorhome looked approvingly over my pitch and commented on how much stuff you can get on a bike. I'm not sure it's designed to carry so much but everyone overloads their touring bikes and the big tractor never complains. It actually behaves better when it's loaded.
I gave it a quick splash of juice then hit the road. The bike reckoned it had less than 10 miles left in the tank. I stuck a tenner in to guarantee i could clear Luxembourg. I stopped at the last motorway services before leaving Luxembourg and brimmed it. It's far cheaper over there and 33 litres makes a noticeable difference.
Stopped again near Brussels to stretch my legs. Polished off the second pain au chocolate and the raisin bread, which I'm pleased to report was delicious. The fruit had started to melt in the heat and it was a big sticky sweet mess.
Got chatting to a Belgian chap on a KTM Adventure who was stood nearby having a tab. He's just been down to Slovenia but ridden some of the same Italian passes as me. We talked about the Stelvio and the Gavia. He's had a few near death moments on the Gavia too, but with hindsight we could laugh about it. He reckons the Stelvio is better from north to south. I've always ridden it the other way but can definitely see his point.
His bike looked good. He said you need to adjust your riding style before you can master them. Even the tractor, for all its quirks, is fairly conventional by comparison. He said if you throw yourself into the KTM without taking time to learn how it behaves then you'll be off at the first roundabout. He said the new model is too conventional so he hopes they'll still run the old one alongside it.
I do love the agricultural looks and the huge tank on the GS though.
In Belgium, he said 'chicken bands' are called 'shame strips'. We nodded approvingly at each others back tyres then departed.
There's roadworks in Belgium and a big nasty contraflow. After a few hundred miles of motorway it was nice to play between the traffic and enjoy a bit of filtering. Most vehicles move aside. You can slalom around the rest. It was nice to start clicking through the gears again after so long sat in top.
Stopped off in Brugge. I was early for the ferry and thought I'd rather people watch in Brugge than the ferry terminal. It's a beautiful place full of beautiful ladies.
A French lass came over to 'chat about the bike'. She asked if i spoke French. I said a little, but it quickly became obvious that i speak less French than i thought. I think i got away with it though.
Made it to the ferry in good time this year, without any younger siblings around to hold up proceedings. Gave the bike and the satnav a little pat to thank them as i approached the ferry. The satnav had a bit of a hissy fit around Annecy, but it's done good. The bike has soldiered on regardless. I've seen everything from 1.5 degrees to 36 degrees on the dash and ridden through hail and torrential rain. The bike's coped far better with the extremes than i have. The tyres took a complete hammering and constantly surprised me with the weight they've carried and the abuse they've endured.
Once passport control was cleared, all bikes were directed up the ramps rather than the bulkhead. I prefer the ramps. It's like having a little play in a skills area before you park up.
Handed a ratchet strap and the guy offered to help. P&O defo starting to get their act together. It's about bloody time.
Apparently tonights kids show is called either 'elves kitchen' or 'elves bitches'. I was in the shower so didn't quite hear the tannoy announcement. The second one definitely sounds more entertaining though.
236 miles
The pain au chocolate was very poor. I grabbed two, plus a tiny raisin loaf to burn my remaining shrapnel.
The stove thankfully had enough juice for a couple of rounds of tea and coffee. I drank a constant stream of caffeine while packing away the camping gear for the final time.
One of the chaps in a nearby motorhome looked approvingly over my pitch and commented on how much stuff you can get on a bike. I'm not sure it's designed to carry so much but everyone overloads their touring bikes and the big tractor never complains. It actually behaves better when it's loaded.
I gave it a quick splash of juice then hit the road. The bike reckoned it had less than 10 miles left in the tank. I stuck a tenner in to guarantee i could clear Luxembourg. I stopped at the last motorway services before leaving Luxembourg and brimmed it. It's far cheaper over there and 33 litres makes a noticeable difference.
Stopped again near Brussels to stretch my legs. Polished off the second pain au chocolate and the raisin bread, which I'm pleased to report was delicious. The fruit had started to melt in the heat and it was a big sticky sweet mess.
Got chatting to a Belgian chap on a KTM Adventure who was stood nearby having a tab. He's just been down to Slovenia but ridden some of the same Italian passes as me. We talked about the Stelvio and the Gavia. He's had a few near death moments on the Gavia too, but with hindsight we could laugh about it. He reckons the Stelvio is better from north to south. I've always ridden it the other way but can definitely see his point.
His bike looked good. He said you need to adjust your riding style before you can master them. Even the tractor, for all its quirks, is fairly conventional by comparison. He said if you throw yourself into the KTM without taking time to learn how it behaves then you'll be off at the first roundabout. He said the new model is too conventional so he hopes they'll still run the old one alongside it.
I do love the agricultural looks and the huge tank on the GS though.
In Belgium, he said 'chicken bands' are called 'shame strips'. We nodded approvingly at each others back tyres then departed.
There's roadworks in Belgium and a big nasty contraflow. After a few hundred miles of motorway it was nice to play between the traffic and enjoy a bit of filtering. Most vehicles move aside. You can slalom around the rest. It was nice to start clicking through the gears again after so long sat in top.
Stopped off in Brugge. I was early for the ferry and thought I'd rather people watch in Brugge than the ferry terminal. It's a beautiful place full of beautiful ladies.
A French lass came over to 'chat about the bike'. She asked if i spoke French. I said a little, but it quickly became obvious that i speak less French than i thought. I think i got away with it though.
Made it to the ferry in good time this year, without any younger siblings around to hold up proceedings. Gave the bike and the satnav a little pat to thank them as i approached the ferry. The satnav had a bit of a hissy fit around Annecy, but it's done good. The bike has soldiered on regardless. I've seen everything from 1.5 degrees to 36 degrees on the dash and ridden through hail and torrential rain. The bike's coped far better with the extremes than i have. The tyres took a complete hammering and constantly surprised me with the weight they've carried and the abuse they've endured.
Once passport control was cleared, all bikes were directed up the ramps rather than the bulkhead. I prefer the ramps. It's like having a little play in a skills area before you park up.
Handed a ratchet strap and the guy offered to help. P&O defo starting to get their act together. It's about bloody time.
Apparently tonights kids show is called either 'elves kitchen' or 'elves bitches'. I was in the shower so didn't quite hear the tannoy announcement. The second one definitely sounds more entertaining though.
236 miles
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