We're in Wales

After leaving Plymouth we travelled down the coast to Cornwall and Lands End, then headed north to Glastonbury where we stayed in the pub in the centre of town for a couple of days. Climbed the Tor (puff, puff).

View from Glastonbury Tor.

The Tor.

We then headed north crossing into South Wales near Cardiff and then through the Snowdonia National Park.

The Welsh countryside
Michael in Wales
Welsh sheep with tails!

We're currently in Colwyn Bay with Michael's Mum and Derek for the rest of the week. Going back to Penmaenmawr (where Michael spent his first 8 years before coming to Australia) later this week to try and find anyone that knows him!

We'll be leaving for Scotland next Friday for a week to get to John O'Groates (and another sticker for the panniers)!

Catch-Up photos

Lands End - the start to John O'Groats.

Broken 'Bessie'.

Couldn't resist it (Burley, in the New Forest area of Sussex).

The 'beach' at Bognor Regis!!!!!

All fixed

Bikes fixed thanks to the guys at Ocean BMW in Plymouth - the rain shorted out a relay in the fuel pump. Getting new shoes tomorrow morning after the rain has passed - hate riding in the wet on new rubber - like skating on ice!
Should be on our way late tomorrow morning - heading towards Land's End for a sticker for the panniers - thn eventually we'll get to John O Groates for another.
Photos later when we can get a proper computer - not the tv in the hotel room!!!

Broken down!

We're in Plymouth.The bike wouldn't start this morning after riding to Torquay yesterday in the torrential rain. Got the insurance company to get us a tow and brought us to the BM dealer in Plymouth. They'll look at the bike tomorrow, but said it looks like water got into the injectors and something has blown!!! Hopefully they can fix it tomorrow; which is going to be a very wet day according to the latest weather forcast; flood warnings etc. So we're hunkered down in the local Ibis Hotel for a couple of days to wait until the bike is fixed (and the weather clears).
We'll continue on our journey on Thursday morning (everything being equal!).

Back in the UK

Got wet travelling across France. Caught the ferry to Dover yesterday and headed west. Weather has turned nasty again and it's raining and blowing a gale. Not good riding down the road at a 45 degree angle against the wind!
We wimped out this morning and decided the hunker down in a B&B for another night to let the weather pass. Going to head towards Cornwall and Land's End tomorrow, then north towards Wales to see the family. (Mum: should be there in probably 4 or 5 days).

From Nice to somewhere!

We're leaving Nice tomorrow and heading northwest to try and dodge some nasty weather that is coming this way. We're heading cross country towards Le Mans then north; bypassing Paris for the coast.

Photos from Corsica and Nice

Strapping the bike to the side of the ferry
Corsica coast
Colleen in 30 degree heat in Nice
Beach at Nice

Photos from Italy

Antonio and Michael
Volterra
Laura and Colleen
Coast of Corsica

Catch-up

We're here on Corsica. The story so far...... Whilst we were in Germany we got an email from a guy called Antonio from Pisa who saw our blog and invited us down to pick our brains because he and his wife Laura were planning a trip to the eastern block countries. So, by the time we contacted him we were in Switzerland.
So, heading down through Switzerland and Austria on some of the most amazing roads we have riden on; we crossed over into Italy and down through the Italian Alps; more amazing roads.
Turns out Antonio is planning to move to Townsville with his Australian wife at the end of the year. Cut a long story short; we hit it off with these guys qnd stayed with them in their house in Grosetto (half way between Pisa and Rome). Antonio (on his GS) took us for a ride through the Tuscany countryside - nice country. He also suggested we take a side trip to Corsica. So leaving Tuscany we caught the ferry to Bastia on Corseca; We've travelled the length of the island and now in Ajjecio suning ourselves on the beach for 3 days. Heading on the ferry to Nice next Monday and from there, who knows!
To Antonio and Laura - can't thank you guys enough for your hospitality and friendship. It must be fate we met you both. Looking forward to catching up with you in Townsville next Autumn. Laura - get your man another bloody beer woman (in-house joke)!
Mum - should be back in the UK in around 2 weeks - more later.
Photos later when we can upload them on a proper computer.

We're now in Italy

From the cold at around 0 degrees, we road down the Italian side of the Alps into 33 degree heat! From Switzerland we entered the northern part of Italy to travel down to Pisa to see a friend. Again, some of the most amazing riding roads we've ever seen. We're camped just on the edge of Pisa for a few days then should be heading westish towards the Med etc.

More of the Alps

The Swiss Alps

Over the next few days we toured Austria, Leichtenstein and Switzerland. Lost count of the number of tunnels we went though (the longest was 15km); also heaps of high bridges. We went over a number of high passes including Fliielapass (2,383m) and Furkapass (2,436m). We also went for a 'walk' up to the top of Mt Titlis (3,020m) and the Matterhorn (3,800m).

Over the course of a couple of days, I ended up with a sore left hand - it was because I was waving at the hundred and thousands of bloody bikes on the road! Every biker in the alps must have been on holidays. The roads are the best I've ever riden; abslutely bloody awesome.

The Matterhorn

A quaint little mountain pass!

Heading for Munich

After we left Belin, we headed for Munich (to see the BMW production plant - I thought!). Anyway, on the way, I used the back brake (don't need to use it that often because of the ABS) and heard a grating noise. Stopped and saw the back pads had totally gone, worn down to the metal. Bloody hell! So, pulled over at a servo and put on the spare set I was carrying and headed for Munich seeing we had the address of the BMW workshop. Good time for a service and put a full new set of pads on. Photo below is the parking lot of the service area! Room for 150 bikes, the wirkshop at about 20 mechanics on duty and there were 25 separate service areas. Not having much faith (seeing the long line of bikes to be serviced - thought it would take a week!) we stolled up to the boss, flashed the pearly whites and told him we just came half way round the world and needed a service - no problem, jobs done in 90 minutes and were on our way again. Thanks Fred and the other guys who helped us out.

We then headed for Austria - first sight of snow on the mountains.

Our time in Berlin

Went sightseeing on Saturday, weather was a bit kinder, no rain, but cold. Toured the old wall, Hitler's Bunker, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate and other sights. Strangest one was the bunker which is now under a car park for a block of residential flats! Not much of the old wall left.

The Gate
Checkpoint Charlie
Hitler's bunker somewhere under this car park
The original wall

Switzerland

Just a quick update: been to Munich, Austria, Lichtenstein, and now in Switzerland near St. Moritz. Heading south out of the snow! Will update later.

We're in Berlin

Made it to Berlin this morning in pouring rain (again) and freezing cold. Doing the city tour tomorrow. More later.

Re-cap on Russia for other travellers

Basically, ditto as per my previous post for the Ukraine. Petrol procedure the same; road signs and navigation the same. The TomTom this time didn't even show major roads - nothing; so the compass came in handy again.
I must have run about 7 or 8 red traffic lights. The bloody things are so old and dirty; it is hard to see them (usually hidden behind a bush or sign); they've never been cleaned, so it's hard to tell if they're on or what colour light is showing.
In all the time we were in the ukraine and Russia, we never got stopped by the cops - think that was amazing considering how many people told us to be ready to hand out $5 bills!. I even got a $100 US dollars in $5 bills to be ready - now I can change them for Euros!
I think I found the car drivers in Russia to be extremely polite and biker-aware than any other country we passed through - which was a bonus considering we were using a compass to navigate and wasn't concentrating that much on the traffic, but which way to go!
All the crap you hear about the Russian Mafia is just that! I recon we must have spoken to a few people who couldn't have been anything else - the theme is: you got to worry about the punks in the street; the mafia are into business and don't give a toss about tourists.
Finally, it would be helpfull if you could get a copy (in English) of the customs declaration form you need to bring a bike into the country (and also leave). We were luck to have someone at the border (entering Russia) help us filling the form out (it was all in Russian); but on the way out the customs guy handed us an English form. No real hassles crossing in or out of Russia. customs and border guards were courteous and very helpfull - once they saw we were aussies! And once again the comment - No! it's impossible, you came to see us all the way from Australia - I don't believe it!
All in all - we absolutely loved Russia - fantastic cities and even more fantastic people. Forget the communist/socialist/ political bullshit / or whatever - Russia is awesome. Anyone that is thinking of going, just do it. You'll never regret it; and you might even make some great new friends like we did. You know who you are - thank's heaps guys, we'll try and get back one day.

Our time in Warsaw

We spent today playing tourist and saw most of Warsaw including the Old Town, Jewish Ghetto, and lots of other historical sites. most of warsaw was destroyed in WWII, but the new buildings have been built in the old style. Also lots of new modern buildings. Very interesting history and pretty city; with friendly people.

Monument to Chopin

The Royal garden

Memorial to the Jews

The Old Town

We're going to stay a couple of days with Michael's son's girlfriend's sister and meet her mother; then we're heading for Berlin. From there, south to the BMW factory in Munich.

Few more pics

Me at the border
Stickers!
A beach in Latvia
An empty border post in Latvia

Estonia to Poland

We left Estonia (Tallinn) last Friday. Today (Sunday) we arrived in Warsaw - crossing Latvia and Lithuania (which weren't much to look at; nothing but flat open countryside with miles of fields). A couple of photos along the way:

Some images of St Petersburg

Tallin (Estonia)

Left St Petersburg for the Estonian border yesterday morning. The roads were woeful - one big pothole!. Crossed out of Russia in about 45 minutes with no problems. The TomTom came back on and we were able to navigate to our hotel in Tallin with no difficulty. We're staying in the Old City part of Tallin and went for a stroll this morning to find nothin but American and German tourists - thousands of them!
Some photos of the old city: