18 OCT - We went to a McDonald's for breakfast with Ray. He'd been touribg in France for a week so had no food at his home.
The rain held off until about the time we were leaving the McDonald's, at 10:30. After about an hour the rain cleared. A blue sky day followed.
190 miles later we were at Jane and Jullian's farm, near Clun, after crossing Wales.
16 OCT - Hard to leave our friends Josephine and Gilles so it was 10:00 before we departed.
We enjoyed about seventy-five miles of scenic two lane backcountry roads before hitting what we'd call interstate highways that took us to Le Mans.
Before getting on the major highways we stopped for lunch in a small village. Enjoyed the food and the people, but as usual in this part of the world kept a close eye on the moto.
Saw the Harley-Davidson sign in the parking lot and had to 'tag' it with one of our High Beemer Club stickers.
Coming into Le Mans we made a stop at the track. Its a big, big facility. Ended up at our hotel at 17:00 for a 251 mile day. Typical fall day, overcast but no rain.
Tomorrow is an easy 140 mile ride up to Cherbourg where we'll catch the 18:00 ferry to Portsmouth, U.K. So there will be no hurry to get on the road in the morning.
14 OCT - Got up early and got the bike out from the underground garage and packed the gear. Then had the hotel breakfast and was on the road at 07:15.
Traffic leaving Paris was very heavy but not nearly as bad as those coming in to town. And of course being able to lane-split is a blessing, although I'll never be able to drive as fast as the locals do.
Stopped for coffee along the autobahn for coffee and of course parked the bike so we could watch it while having a break. Along came two French moto cops. Guess what they ride, BMWs.
Got to Gilles place at Le Terrier, Coulaures at 14:30. Gilles and I met three years ago in Argentina and ride together the last three days leading in to Ushuaia. Last year, after nine years motorcycling around the world, Gilles came through Reno for a visit. He was on his way to Vancouver, B.C. to complete his Adventure. While he was in Reno we met his wife, Josephine, vis Skype, and she invited us to their ranch. And here we are. So much fun to finally met her.
Tomorrow will be a rest day and I'll get new tires for the bike at the local BMW shop.
15 OCT - Rode to town with Gilles and got tires for the bike at the BMW shop. Have 10,000 miles on them (very good for a moto) and the mechanic said I could get another 1,500) but don't want to waste time in Manchester or Toronto finding a shop that has tires, etc. Plus Gilles is friends with the owner so they knocked 30% off the price. Couldn't resist getting it done. Coming back to the farm Gilles took me on some great back country roads, about 1 1/2 lanes wide with fun twisties.
Picked up the gals and went to a small cafe for lunch. Very good. Then toured the Chateau Hautefort and the grounds, dates back to the 16th century.
Fun getting to meet Josephine and catching up on news with Gilles, a true world traveler - 160 countries, in ten years, on his Beemer.
Tomorrow we'll be back on the road. Have to catch the ferry from Charborg to Portsmouth at 18:00 on Friday. It'll be a 3:45 minuet crossing. Hope we have calm seas but this time of the year one never knows.
13 OCT - Left at 07:50 to avoid some traffic but made a wrong turn on the freeway and it took 25 minutes to get headed in the right direction. Problem being we got on the 'express lane' to Amsterdam and there was no exit.
That said, the traffic was terrible. 10 lanes in each direction, all stop and go for miles. Lane-splitting saved us but it's tough on the nerves. I never go more than 10mph or so. The locals come by us at 30mph.
It was 57 degrees when we left and hit 64 in Paris For the most part blue sky with two rain squalls we rode through.
Enjoyed a great lunch upon entering France. Held out for some of the bread that only the French can bake. Good as ever!
313 miles and we were at the 'Grand Hotel Bel Air' in the heart of the city, at 15:15, giving us time to walk around before meeting Mary Ellen for dinner. The bike is secure in the underground public garage that is just in front of the hotel.
12 OCT - Columbus Day in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, at the Schiphol Hotel. From the name, we're near the Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam's airport. I've stayed in this hotel a number of times in my NWA days. Brings back memories.
After yet another great European Hotel breakfast, a Thanksgiving buffet compared to the sorry excuses we get in the U.S., we were on the road at 10:10. Being Sunday it was easy getting out of town and up to speed on the autobahn.
Heading southwest toward the Netherlands the land got flatter and flatter, even flatter than North Dakota, and below sea level. We did stop just before leaving Germany to take the photo of the barn. Amazing, they're brick and most have solar panals on the entire roof.
Then we started seeing the canals, then the sea. The best part was that the rain hit Bremen last night and today was a blue sky day. At 15 degrees celsius a perfect temperature to ride.
Banged out the 228 miles to get here with most of it on autobahns - an easy way to log miles, arriving at 16:10.
Dinner tonight with Lars Reuter, the NWA station manager at Airport Schiphol in my NWA days.
11 OCT - Left Uglit this morning at 08:30 after a Danish breakfast and goodbye to Else Marie.
School holiday just started here and the 382 mile ride to Bremen was quite an adventure. There is no speed limit on the autobahn and I love it. I just set cruise at 76 and am amazed when cars fly, and I mean fly, by us at maybe 120 to 150 mph. The drivers are very polite and appesr to have a good sense of their vehicle.
There were many sections with stop and start traffic for 4 to 6 miles so I did what the locals do - lane split. 99% of the drivers see the bike coming and move to the far side of their lane leaving a 'bike size' lane for us. Even Sara sees the logic in it and has accepted it. (Wow!)
We got to our hotel at 16:00, went for a walk along the river and had a good dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Tomorrow we're off to Amsterdam.
