Day 10 Dolomites

Turns out Canazei isn't always a complete box of frogs. I just happened to catch the last night of the Dolomite festival, which was a bit bonkers. So if you do visit but don't get offered a miniature farm animal ride or see an umpa lumpa band playing the birdy song, you know why.

The stuffed animal display of carnage looks permanent though so fill yer boots.

Weather looked much better today. Certainly over Canazei. After breakfast, and a quick chat to the old Italian gent who takes his dog Lacky for a few laps of the site every morning on his little disability scooter, I headed out for the hills.

I rode Marmalada west to east for a change. There's a dam near the Fedaia pass which you can ride over. There's a couple of restaurants at the other side, one of which also houses a small bookshop and war museum. This area saw some pretty intense action in WW1. Entry to what must be the worlds smallest museum was €8 so I passed.

From Caprile I crossed Passo di Giau into Cortina. All pretty damn good so far.

North of Cortina the skies were black with huge forks lightning in the distance. It looked biblical. Figured I'd come this far I might as well risk it. I was keen to check out the roads north of Cortina and if I got a little wet then at least it was blazing back at base and I'd soon dry out.

Over Passo di Tre Croci all was good. As soon as I picked up the S51 though, the bad weather caught me. It pretty much stayed with me until Innichen, a few miles from the Austrian border. Considered crossing over for a quick coffee but knew it wouldn't beat any coffee in Italy so took the S52 south east. The weather cleared and the road opened up. There's a few sections reminiscent of the good roads in northern Spain. Fast sweeping highway. The Austrian influence is really obvious around these parts, especially in the bars and restaurants.

Looking back I could see the bad weather behind me. It was an epic sight, especially with the huge mountains and lightning.

As I descended into Auronzo di Cadore, from Passo del Zovo, I needed a coffee. There was a hotel and restaurant on the right, first one as you come into the town. The receipt says Albergo Elina so assume that's what it's called.

Looked pretty unassuming so didn't expect anything fancy. It was empty apart from an old couple playing cards at one of the tables.

Dear lord, I've found coffee nirvana! Definitely the best coffee I've ever had in my life. The old lady presented me with an absolutely perfect doppio espresso.

I like a coffee to kick me in the nuts. A double espresso should be a double size espresso, not gone in one hit. It should be so bitter that it shocks. It should have a silky smooth crema that covers the liquid right to the end.

This one ticked all the right boxes. It looked chocolatey and it was absolutely magical. It was also €1.80 which meant I could drop a couple of golden nuggets and the change covered the tip, rather than having to dig around for loose shrapnel.

Thoroughly satisfied I left town. There's a hydro electric dam on the way out of town, at one end of Lago di Santa Caterina. There's a couple of huge stone lions guarding the walkway over the dam. Very imposing and very impressive.

Took the S51b south to Pieve di Cadore then the S51 back to Cortina. The bad weather closed in again but nothing too bad. There was a huge diesel spill on one bend but thankfully managed to avoid it and it was a one off incident.

The entire loop was superb. Very entertaining and one to mark on the map.

Quick stop for provisions in Cortina then main road back to Canazai. Although it's not actually a main road as you'd picture one. Still got a couple of great passes and some monstrous climbs and descents. It is known as the main Dolomite highway though.

Back at the campsite I had some new neighbours. Gordon and Lucy, a British couple over to do some climbing. Really, really nice couple. We sat together under my basha drinking wine and Gordons stash of Old Speckled Hen all night. The bread and cheese came out after tea and we had a showdown of local cheeses. The one I picked up in Cortina with the black wax rind definitely came out on top. No idea what it's called but it was great. Something Nero, funnily enough.

Gordon said there's a great campsite up near Drei Zinnen if I ever fancy camping up there. It's not particularly good in terms of facilities but the views are second to none and it's by an amazing lake, Misurina. They also sell excellent local wine for peanuts.

We spoke about Venice. They said it's the done thing in Venice to take an empty jug or coke bottle to one of the back street wine vendors and they'll fill it up with top notch wine. Again, it costs next to nothing. The locals do it so don't feel cheap.

A great piece of advice, one I wish I'd know years ago, then followed. When paying a bill in Germany, 'danke' means keep the change. If you want your change back then use 'bitte' instead.

He then told me of a campsite on the outskirts of Venice with water taxi links right into the city. Bit of a back packers paradise so he warned me that it's full of 18 year old Aussies. They pile into the campsite bar every night, where they serve huge quantities of great beer, and those naughty young ladies get free shots for flashing their pert breasts.

Sounds awful, but I definitely feel a change of plan coming on!

155 miles
 

Nuddy pics

Thanks for all your feedback guys. In response to all the requests for photos of the 'scenery' around Lake Garda, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Blame my copilot and navigator*. The one who kept slapping me and shouting 'KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD'!

* Calling Sam my navigator is probably stretching the truth a little too far. How am I supposed to follow instructions like 'it's at 12 o'clock, if 12 o'clock was that way' and 'it's straight in front of me' when both directions could mean any God given direction. If this were Topgun I'm afraid my wingman was more 'Goosed' than 'Goose'.
 

Day 9 Dolomites

Walked into town first thing to get my bearings. Picked up food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Grabbed what should be a nice bottle of local red too. Tried to find someone selling big bags of ice, like they do in Tesco, so I could chill yesterdays complimentary bottle of white. No joy but I can ask at reception later.

The Coop in town has the worlds smallest shopping trolleys. They're about knee height and honestly smaller than the hand baskets. At first I thought they were kiddies trolleys but they're definitely the full monty. Grown adults push them around completely oblivious to how ridiculous they look.

All of the 'fresh' bread in the coop has a best before date of 2 months away. Thankfully there's a lovely little bakery across the road.

Moved tent while kettle was brewing and then was away for the big mountains and twisties by lunchtime. Very excited about the Dolomites. They're definitely some of the best roads I've ever ridden and I can't think of many other places where I'd rather wake up on a Sunday morning.

Noticed the roads to the east of Drei Zinnen look particularly tasty on the map so thought I'd give them a shot. Reckoned on a big loop around the far side of Cortina. Headed out over the Sella pass but as I approached the Gardena pass the sky turned black. Cars coming towards me had wipers and lights on.
Pressed on regardless but there was thunder and lightning over towards Cortina. Figured that a black Alfa coming towards me beeping, flashing and frantically telling me to turn back was probably as good a sign as any so I dropped south after the Valparola pass towards Andraz. I could then take a short fast road back to base or press on to Marmolada if it cleared.

Stopped for a quick coffee and all looked fine towards Canazei so I headed down to Marmolada and the Fedaia pass. That's when the rain caught up with me. Nothing disastrous but enough to take the shine off the ride. These aren't the kind of roads you wanna ride in the wet. There was even one hairpin so tight that satnav didn't think it was possible in one swing. It told me to go straight on down a dirt track, do a U-turn then come back onto the corner!

Back at base all was clear. They'd had rain but it had definitely cleared. The remaining mist was rising quickly. Small consolation but the Dolomites look spectacular with the mist rising off them. Figured that I'd done enough for today so kettle on and quick snack then shower and into town to watch the footy.

World cup final. Assumed there'd be loads of bars showing it. I was wrong. One makeshift outdoor bar had a small tv in the corner. You could hardly see the picture and you sure as hell couldn't hear the sound. It was drowned out by the battle of the bands. Big bands that is. There were two battling for supremacy. For my money, the Larry Franco Swingtet had it in the bag. Their rendition of Mac the Knife in Italian had the entire crowd up on their prosthetic knees.

The night carried on getting stranger. I walked past an outdoor display of stuffed animals. A bit like the one they used to have in the visitor centre at Dalby Forest. Except there were no flashy lights on this one. And each animal was either eating, or being eaten by, another of the animals. The doves were having a particularly hard time. One was been carried off by a stoat and another was getting shredded by an evil looking owl. Probably some strange peace statement but it completely eluded me. Other notable highlights included a fox eating a squirrel, a lame deer and a particularly angry looking marmot.

At the top of the street was a selection of miniature animals. Live ones this time. Goats, horses, donkeys etc etc. The town planners obviously hadn't thought it through properly. There were a load of live farm animals penned up at the top of a busy pedestrian street. A steady stream of animal effluent was running down the street. Most of it under the food stalls.

Miniature horse and donkey rides were available. My Italian is obviously not as good as I thought because for the life of me I couldn't get them to let me have a go.

Sam, you definitely left one day too soon!

61 miles
 

Day 8 Lake Garda to Dolomites

Checked out of campsite. €28 a night but knocked down to €26 because I've stayed before. I'll defo stay again too. Can't say we noticed any better placed ones around the lake although there's plenty to choose from.

Had better luck today with Al Graspo. Main man Luca came out to greet us. Big beardy Italian chap. Told us to dump bike right outside restaurant on pavement so we could keep eye on luggage while we ate. Any bother from cops and he said we could just move it round the corner into his carpark.

There's no menu. Luca wanders down to the market every morning and picks up whatever fish looks good. He comes back and cooks it while his sons provide service. Really good service too.

They explained todays menu to us. It was a taster menu which they said was just like tapas. We'd sit out and enjoy a drink while they brought us a constant selection of small courses. And indeed they did. They had asked how hungry we were and we'd said so so. Don't stuff us but we were ready for food.

They then proceeded to bring us an endless stream of fine seafood. It was mint but we were fit to burst. And i certainly aint no stranger to food.

As course after course arrived Sam reminded me that we hadn't any idea how much this was costing us. And yesterday there was talk of 90 quid main courses.

We didn't have to worry. Food for 2 with a beer and a jug of water came to 40 odd euros. 40 for cash. In fact, he only takes cash so it was 40 anyway. It would of been 60 but we took a lighter option. How on earth anyone could manage any more is beyond us. Then he sent us on our travels with a complimentary bottle of wine. His own wine no less. Even has his face on the label. Which is obviously some guarantee around these parts of great wine. Probably a step up from DOC.

After food we rode straight over to Verona for a quick coffee before Sam's flight. It was on the way into Verona that we saw the finest sight yet this trip. And I doubt it will ever be beaten. It also made me feel some love for Harleys, which isn't something I'd ever expect to hear myself say.

A young chap was riding his Harley into Verona. No idea which model but one of the 'sporty' ones. Belt drive, no back rest or tassels or surplus crap. Nestled on the tiny pillion seat was his girlfriend. One buttock hugging each side of the seat, wearing skin tight leggings which obviously didn't have any support at all. Now to those of you not in the know, Harleys rattle and shake and pop. They're pretty medieval beasts. Every time the bike shook, so did her backside. Which was constantly.

It was like a rap video. Pure genius and kinda hypnotic. We followed them, the long way round, into Verona. Fighting for position at each set of lights with every other driver and biker who'd noticed this fine spectacle.
We eventually left them and peeled off for a coffee. I dumped the bike near the coffee shop where we could watch over it.

A copper on a moped soon clocked it and came over to make me move it on. You don't argue with the cops over here. Even the ones on mopeds have guns. Still, I can't believe I was rapped by a copper on a 50cc moped. Shameful.

Drank up and then delivered Sam safe and well to her flight home. Apparently Thomson get a big thumbs up. The flight was delayed by 30 mins so everyone got a complimentary snack box to keep them going. Staff were lovely and the whole process was delightful. Watch and learn Ryanair.
Cheers for everything Leeksie, that was a real pleasure. Shame you gotta go but catch you in a couple of weeks.

I decided to head north to the Dolomites and try lose some heat. Picked up the motorway and rode through the first rain I've actually seen this holiday. Only a brief shower and I could see it clearing further north east. Which it did. It actually cooled me down nicely so was a relief. Paid €8 toll then hit the Dolomite road.

When I tried paying the toll I realised Sam had left me one final parting shot. I'd taken my phone off divert and popped it in the map pocket incase Sam had any problems at the airport. I'd stuck the toll ticket in the map pocket too. When I tried paying I was reminded that phones destroy the strip on toll tickets. Bit of a messing around but all was soon sorted.

Arrived in Canazai about 7.30 and pulled into the same campsite we used last year. It's perfectly placed. Only real downside is the ground is rock hard so pitching a tent takes a bit of effort. Goes with the territory so no real problem.

It was also rammed with climbers but it is the weekend so expected.

When i woke up the following morning it was deserted so i moved my tent and staked out a huge pitch. Not quite towels on deck chairs but damn close.

 
174 miles
 

Day 7 Lake Garda

Breakfast by the lake this morning. Not moving on today so nice and chilled, no need to pack up our homes or rush. Not that we've ever rushed before.

Weather is absolutely gorgeous. Lake is a welcome relief from the heat but it's not cold, just really quite pleasant. Unless you're Sam in which case it's 'bloody freezing' and demands nothing more than a mere paddle up to the knees.

Took a gentle ride around the lake today. This has got to be one of the most dangerous roads in the world. The road itself is full of impatient Italian drivers and daydreaming tourists. Then all along it's edge are stunningly attractive topless Italian women sunbathing by the lake.

As Sam observed, 'there's no ugly birds in Italy are there'. Indeedy! You honestly need blinkers, or very strong will power.

These stunningly attractive Italian women also have another amusing ace up their sleeve. If indeed they had any sleeves. When they want to cross the road they just walk up to a pedestrian crossing. All of Italian life instantly grinds to a halt allowing them to cross. Try the same if you're not a stunningly attractive woman and you'll be stood waiting an awful long time. You probably won't get loads of drivers beeping their horns at you as you do cross either.

We passed Al Graspo restaurant in Garda. Intended to grab lunch there after a sterling recommendation last year but it wasn't open. Sam went to check it out. I think she said opening hours are 12-3 and 6-1. It was half 3 so we moved on.

We eventually grabbed a sandwich and a coffee at a cafe in Sirmione. Nice as it was, it was far too late. I can still feel the wrath of Sam from when she quietly expressed her displeasure, in that special way that only Sam can!

All sorted after food and drink though and we sat back and chilled. Got chatting to an English couple. They were saying how expensive Sirmione is. They'd seen a few restaurant menus with main courses just shy of 90 quid each. They said the town is full of very nice young ladies with very rich old men.

They also said they fancied visiting Verona tomorrow. They had absolutely no idea about the Shakespeare connection so I educated them. And they thought we were just dirty bikers. We're very cultured you know and they were no doubt suitably impressed!

There is a castle in Sirmione but the town lost my vote when we got to the main parking area and realised bikes are banned from entering. Looked like it's to keep the noise down so the locals don't got upset.
Picked up the pace again after Sirmione and carried on with our scenic ride around the lake. Just before getting back to the campsite we passed a gelateria in Riva del Garda. Actually, it might of been in Torbole. Spun around, dumped the bike on pavement outside and grabbed a seat. Very nice indeed and thoroughly recommended. Proper good Italian ice cream. We also got offered a complimentary taster of champagne by a promo lady at a little champagne bar. I declined because I was on the bike. Sam also declined but would of snapped her hand off if she'd offered us cold beer instead.

Quick stop at the shops before getting back to campsite to stock up on meat and cold beer for a BBQ. Then back to the lake for a swim. Or paddle.

If you fancy exploring the lake then I reckon stick to the northern section between Salo and Garda. You'll get all the nice towns, restaurants and cafes. There are enough tat shops to keep any tourist happy. You'll see all the nice views, plus take in the James Bond tunnels. There is also a couple of good vinyards that offer wine tasting and sell direct. After Garda the road veers away from the lake and the heat picks up. OK, but definitely not as good.

 
91 miles

Congratulations!!!

All you doubters owe Catherine a huge apology. She's just contacted me to say she's passed her bike test!

Well done sis!

Now start looking for bike hire places around Lake Garda and bring your licence with you next week.
 

Day 6 Lake Como to Lake Garda

No pain au chocolat left this morning so apricot croissants for breakfast. Definitely an acquired taste.
Checked out of the campsite and the price hasn't changed one cent since last year. Still a complete bargain at €19 for this part of the world.

If you need a campsite around Lake Como then Camping Solarium in Domaso definitely gets a thumbs up from us.

Followed the edge of the lake south to the town of Como. There's quite a few tunnels on the northern stretch and not those nice James Bond car chase open tunnels like Garda. Still, if you're not in a hurry then give it a shot. We tucked in behind a 911 Carerra on German plates. He was doing exactly the same as every bike does in these situations. Entering a tunnel, dropping it down a couple of gears and winding it on. His mrs would then give him a dead arm at which point he'd change up again!

Como is full of hot Italian chicks on mopeds. They zip around in tiny summer dresses looking stunning. Italy is also the only place in the world where blokes can look cool riding mopeds. And a bloke can ride pillion on another blokes moped and they somehow both look cool. Not queer. Go figure.

Went through Bellagio where we enjoyed more sightseeing. It was jam packed with stunners. Sam said there was some mountains and a lake too. Or something like that.

Pulled into a little restaurant on the lakeside near Onno, gagging for a coffee. Just as we did a stream of cop bikes rode past announcing over the tannoy that the road was about to close. I was about to complain under my breath but then the waitress translated the announcement for us. There's a female bike race circling the lake today.

We sat down, put our feet up with a coffee and enjoyed a huge procession of lycra clad honeys hoofing past. Hour or so later, 3 cappuccinos and a double espresso came to a fiver.

Headed south to Bergamo. We originally planned to take a scenic route east between Lecco and Riva del Garda but it was getting late and satnav said it would take 5 hours. We noticed it last year on the map marked with a green border but didn't get round to riding it. There is also a short section marked by Mr Michelin as 'difficult or dangerous'. Memories of nearly getting cleaned up on such a road last year came back so we gave it a wide berth.

Stopped at Bergamo absolutely desperate for food. Struggled to find anywhere between Lecco and Bergamo but there was a huge supermarket just outside Bergamo. Sam popped in for provisions while I planned our next move.

A chap came over for a chat as I stood with the bike. He was Italian, living in India but on holiday at the moment visiting friends and family. He gave me some great pointers.

He said the best way from Bergamo to Lake Garda is up over Passo del Tonale. Take the S42 all the way from Bergamo over the pass and on to Lago di Sta Giustina. On the way he said Lago d'Iseo is lovely and there's natural hot springs at Darfo and Boario Terme where you can get cheap rooms if you want to stay over. The springs are a constant 37 degrees. Why the fudge you'd want to sit in a steaming hot spring over here in summer is beyond me but it's always great to pick up local knowledge. You'd have to be mad.
Onwards to Lake Garda take the S43 south then the S12, careful to avoid the motorway that runs parallel, then finally the S45b down to Riva.

We then chatted about the Isle of Man for a while. He rode over Europe on his Speed Triple four years ago for the TT with some mates. He'd love to go again but it's just too far for one week of racing. He is about to do a mammoth trip across India on Royal Enfields though.

He told me about a couple of his mates in the Dolomites after I said I'm hoping to head that way. One, a chap called Mackenzie, runs a pizza restaurant in San Vito di Cadore. Best pizza in the Dolomites apparently. Not that he's biased I'm sure. Told me to drop in. Mackenzie lives for bikes and is a huge Ducati fan.

As he walked off I thought it's a good job Catherine wasn't with me otherwise it could of been embarrassing. Young stocky Italian bloke with shaved head, Ramones t-shirt and a huge passion for bikes and travel. It would of been Andermatt all over again. He then climbed on his scooter with his little shopping bag and rode off with a huge ciao. Obviously looking cool.

We just didn't have time to take his route over the mountains. Need to be in Verona on Saturday and we both really fancy a day off tomorrow and a couple of nights around Garda.

We took the motorway towards Lake Garda. Bit dull but not a massive stretch and we made great time. Only cost 3 quid.

Pulled off and headed north around the western edge of the lake. It's lovely. Lots of pretty towns and massive old villas. Lots of lemon trees lining the road too. Strangely enough there's quite a few in Limone.
Recognised the James Bond car chase tunnels too. I was very excited blasting through those. Sam didn't share my enthusiasm. Or join in singing the James Bond theme tune with me while we roared through them.
Checked into the usual campsite (Alpino in Malcesine) and Sam sorted out the tent while I shot back into Torbole to catch the shops before they closed at 8.30. There's a small but well stocked shop at the campsite but they don't sell fresh meat and tonight is BBQ night in the Lea tent.

Picked up briquettes, bangers, kebabs and cold beers. I remembered everything except damn lighter blocks. No worries. Sam improvised using dry twigs and petrol. And some scented tea lights that we found in the campsite shop.

Proper little Ray Mears she was. Although she's missing some eyebrows after getting a bit carried away with the petrol.

It took a while to remember how to put that travel BBQ together but once built it was mint. Big basket of white hot briquettes underneath and we were sorted.

Beer, BBQ and a lovely warm clear lake. What more could you ask for?

I really can't bring myself to tell Catherine. When I spoke to her from Como last night, while she was still working at 10pm, she put on her sad voice and was genuinely distraught that we were taking in all of Italy without her. I could picture her big sad puppy dog eyes. It was heart wrenching.

Anyway the ignorant sod never answered her phone when i rang to gloat so I left her a voicemail. Thought I best just pop it in the blog in case she ignores the message! Ha ha, Italy misses you sis x

 
188 miles
 

Day 5 Aprica to Lake Como

Last nights camping wasn't cheap at €23 but the showers alone were probably worth that. Superb.
Fancied going over the Stelvio Pass today. The bloke who runs the campsite said there's three options to get to Bormio and then on to the pass. Quickest is back to Tresanda and take the S38. We could also go over the Foppa Pass before joining the S38. The most scenic route and the one he recommends is over the Gavia Pass. One of the highest passes in Italy apparently. That's the one we took.

The views south of the pass are stunning. Stop several corners before the top for all your photos. The best roads are definitely north of the pass though. Super fast and grippy. Roads to the south, or what's left of them are dreadful. Single file, covered in gravel and full of craters.

Stopped in Bormio for a quick coffee. Needed to find a post office too but the signs, where they could be bothered to place them, pointed in completely the wrong direction. How very Italian. The nice lady in the coffee shop saw us right though so all sorted.

Had a mint run up the pass. Very little traffic which was soon picked off then had a clear blast to the top. The western side is awesome.

Obligatory bratwurst at the top and a bit of tat shopping. Got talking to a Swiss couple who were heading towards Bernina. Told them we came that way yesterday and they asked us if it had reopened. Don't wanna alarm anyone back home but apparently it was recently closed for a couple of days after an avalanche had blocked the road! We thought there was an awful lot of roadworks when we rode over it yesterday.

They also told us to watch our stuff around Lake Garda. Said there's been a lot of theft in the area.

Rode down into Switzerland. The eastern side of the Stelvio is tighter than the west but it's still great fun.
At Spondigna we turned north then picked up the S41 and 28 to Zernez, which is officially my favourite road so far this trip. The road west over Ofenpass is mint.

Stopped for a quick coffee and a chill at a restaurant on the way into Zernez then headed south west down past St Moritz and back into Italy.

Ignore what I said a couple of paragraphs back - the 27 down past St Moritz then the 3 down to the Italian border is now absolutely definitely my favourite road. No doubt about it. That entire stretch between the Italian borders at both ends is amazing. It's like a video game. Jaw dropping scenery, perfect tarmac and fast sweeping predictable corners. I have to go back there. It ends nicely with Passo del Maloja.

As soon as you cross the border into Italy the road literally falls apart. It's the same road but the Italian and Swiss sides are chalk and cheese. In fact I think the Italian side is actually made of chalk and cheese. You really couldn't make it up. We rode through border control from perfect roads straight into Italian roadworks. Although 'works' is pushing it a bit. It just comprised of two Italian blokes, one of them lazily kicking a cone across some crappy tarmac while the other one watched him and smoked a tab. Priceless!
Dropped down towards Lake Como. It was getting late in the day, the heat was insane and we were starting to get tired. I knew just the answer.

Rode into Domaso and straight to the legendary campsite that we found last year. Right on cue our friend Vicky was there to greet us, as were those huge bottles of ice cold Peroni. And they were still only €2 a pop.
'Hey, that's not Catherine'! Indeed Vicky. Meet Sam. Can't believe she remembered our names from last year. Said she knew it was me as soon as she saw the 'Mad Max' bike ride in!

Her and Mikey are on holiday for 2 weeks with Mikeys mum. They go back to Freiburg a week on Sunday. Just pure luck that our holiday times crossed.

Rang Catherine and put Vicky on to say hi. They had a bit of a chinwag then I disappeared to cook tea while Vicky went back to watch the Germany Spain match. They invited us in to watch the game with them but I was chewing my arm off so declined.

Quick dip in Lake Como then a Peroni night cap before heading to bed for a proper good nights sleep.

 
186 miles
 

Day 4 Lake Constance to Aprica

It absolutely hoofed it down over night but it had dried up nicely by the morning. Woke up and remembered why camping near a big body of still water is such a bad idea. I've been eaten alive by mosquitos. Covered in bites the size of eggs. My apparently less tasty sidekick has escaped completely unscathed.

Any ideas of lying in were scrapped once the chap at the campsite started scooting around on his ride on lawn mower. At the crack of dawn no less. We were out and about anyway so no great shakes. He was a friendly old boy and at only €12 for the night it's marked on the map for future reference. He even offered us some fresh home grown apples as we left.

Quick hi to everyone back home before I forget. Spoke to JP last night and she's been keeping up to date via 'flea boggles'. Bless x

Left campsite and rode east over the top of Lake Constance. Passed a zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen. Didn't want to stop after only just setting off so rode on past but I quite fancied popping in for a visit.

We did stop at Lindau though. It's a tiny island at the Austrian end of the lake accessible by bridge. We grabbed a coffee and pulled the maps out to plan our next move. Coffee was served by typically stunning German waitresses. Tall, statuesque, blonde girls. They were friendly and spoke perfect English.

We decided to head south to Davos along the Austrian Swiss border and through Liechtenstein. There are no toll roads in Austria or Switzerland but you need to buy a vignette to use their motorways. Austria isn't too bad - you can buy short term ones but in Switzerland you're stung for a full annual pass. From memory it's about €30 and they fine you heavily if you get caught without one. We only had to go about 20 miles or so before Liechtenstein so decided to use the back roads instead. I challenge anyone to do that same journey without satnav! It was a proper little back street adventure. Occasionally you'd have to take a road that was signposted as motorway but then it peeled off just before the expensive bit into a back road. It was quite a pleasant journey but you certainly couldn't rush it. Austrian drivers are even worst than Swiss though so bring plenty of change for the swear box.

Can't really work Liechtenstein out. Correct me if i'm wrong but it's a tiny principality. You don't really know you've left Switzerland although the currency appears to be the Euro and not the bloody Swiss franc. 90% of people there are tourists. The rest work in tat shops. I also thought it was tax free but the prices suggest otherwise. You can buy wine from the royal vinyards though. Anyway we stopped for quick bite to eat then moved on.

Down past Klosters into Davos where we stopped to swap the map over (for the Italian one - woo hoo!). Got chatting to a bloke stood watching the world go by from his shop doorway. He spends a lot of time around Lake Maggiore (Catherine - he was far too old for you). He said that on Tuesdays there's a ferry from Cannobio to a huge weekly market on the other side of the lake. He also recommended Cannobio as a nice place to visit. Said it's lovely and not expensive. We'd called in briefly last year so chatted about it for a while. He obviously realised he was talking to Alan Whicker, a distinguished gent of international travel. Back in Davos he pointed out a pavement cafe outside a hotel where he said the coffee was excellent. He also said we could dump the bike on the pavement and sit in the sun. It truly was excellent coffee, but at €10 for two it bloody well should of been!

That's Davos though. We had to pick a few things up and you can pretty much double the price of everything in that place.

From Davos we took the Fluelapass down towards St Moritz then over the Bernina Pass into Italy. The Bernina Pass is excellent. It would have been even better if there wasn't road works every few miles. And despite the ridiculous size of my bike it obviously isn't quite big enough to trigger the automatic traffic light sensors to make them turn green. Coming down the pass we caught a local Italian chap in a 330 BMW absolutely caning it. Stuck behind him for a while for entertainment value before passing him near the bottom with a big thumbs up.

I'm constantly reminded by my bitter kid sister of her frozen tent in Livigno last year. Catherine, you'll be delighted to know we gave Livigno a miss and went south into Italy instead this time. I smiled as i watched the temperature rocket as we dropped down from the Bernina Pass. As we passed the border into Tirano it hit 30 degrees. And it was 8pm!

We picked the closest campsite which happened to be in Aprica. There's a mint pass over into Aprica from Tresenda called, appropriately enough, the Aprica Pass.

Just enough time for a pint served by a minxy young Italian barmaid then back to the tent for a late tea with a bottle of wine.

Not a bad day at all. That was 5 countries in one day, on good roads without really pushing it.

203 miles
 

Day 3 St Die to Lake Constance

I never got my swim this morning. No cockerals or churchbells so I slept soundly until 9.30 and missed my chance.

Last nights dose of french commercial radio was really quite something. If you think commercial radio back home is bad, you're not even half way close. Try listening to an evening of foreign radio ads. The stand up comedy hour was particularly strange, but not so strange that we actually changed stations. 'Strangely addictive' is probably about as much justice as we could give it.

Up this morning and south east to Colmar. The first pass, Col du Bonhomme, is great. Probably seemed better than it was but after 2 days of mildly interesting roads it was a really welcome change.

We also got a brief insight into why the roads over here are so damn good when we passed some resurfacing works. They don't just skim and patch the surface with cheap tarmac like they do back home. They completely gouge away all the old road then start from scratch. It's all topped off with a thick layer of super fine tarmac. The foundations are a couple of foot deep. Certainly enough to lose Sam. Which was tempting.
Crossed over the Rhine into Germany and straight into Freiburg. Didn't find anything of interest so we carried on into Titisee in the Black Forest.

I've been before but never by day. It's pretty touristy but definitely worth popping in. Even if it's just for some Black Forest gateau or apple struddle. I was just interested in gateau, and only because I missed out last year. Dumped the bike on pavement outside one of the cafes but some chap on a tat stall warned us that the traffic wardens are keen as mustard and it will definitely attract a ticket. There is free bike parking in the town but we wanted to keep it in sight because it was fully loaded. He told us to leave it next to his stall because it was a tiny patch of private land so would be safe. And indeed it was.

After some coffee and gateau we popped into a little produce store to pick up something for lunch. It looked like a complete tourist trap but it actually had some great produce and the prices were dead reasonable. They had a massive selection of wines, ranging from 'how much!?!' at one end to 'ah that's more like it' at ours. We bagged a cracking bottle of Chianti for not much cash at all.

Leaving town we passed a lovely public park by the lake. Looked like a great place to spend an afternoon chilling, and many people were doing just that.

We picked up the B500 road south to Waldshut. This is a legendary road. I was having a bit of a sugar rush after all that gateau. Sam thought I was getting 'a bit excitable' and enjoying it too much! Apparently i'm not allowed to ride after consuming sugar again. Pah.

We rode up to the Rhine Falls at Neuhausen. These are truly spectacular. We sat for a while and ate our lunch. When we left I got in a Japanese photo. I mean, I really got in a Japanese photo. This bird had a thing for tall men in leather and wanted a photo with me. Sam thought I was been stitched up but obviously the old boy's still got it!

We rode up to Lake Constance, which is where we pitched up for the night. There's a choice of campsites so we picked a smallish one near the lake. It's a popular holiday spot for the Germans around here so expect only basic facilities and plenty of campervans.

Very few facilities onsite but there was a great restaurant and bar close by at the lakeside. We sat on the terrace drinking huge glasses of Rothaus Pils all night then came back for an easy late tea of fresh tortellini from the supermarket. Perfect.

 
185 miles