Month: September 2016

Reflections on the trip south from Nijmegen to Sete

I’m sitting at balcony of my room in Sete looking down over the town

View over Sete

But before I write on Sete it’s time reflect on the 1100km run south from Nijmegen to Sete.

The side trip through the Swiss Alps into Italy is covered earlier.

A dominant feature in the Rhine

The river of castles

Running south beside it crossing it through Germany

Staying of the main roads

Lots of small villages

Bacharach village

Travelling further south at the top of the Black Forest the German high country spread out to see

View from the top of the Black Forest

The there was the taste of Germany epitomised by thick slabs of smoked pork, strong vinegary salad and scalloped potatoes at the Hausbraurei Feierling in Freiburg.

Washed down by the brewery’s beautiful beer

Across the Rhine

Across the border to southern France

The taste and river different

At Nueville Sur Ain

The river was the Ain

The village French in style

Nueville Sur Ain

Still castles on the hills

But the taste was different veal in the thick tomatoe sauce with green beans

Washed down by Cotes Du Rhone at the Le Faisan Dore

The Rhone alps as a companion

Till reaching the Mediterranean at Sete

Canal in Sete

Lake Como, Mandello Del Lario and Bergamo 

A key element of this journey was to visit Mandello Del Lario on Lake Como for the 95th birthday of Moto Guzzi.

An estimated 25,000 guzzista visited for the birthday celebrations

But discovering, seeing Lake Como nestled in the high mountains was the icing on the cake.

Or was the trip to Bergamo the icing????

View of Lake Como

So first to the Moto Guzzi the marque with the factory above the village of Mandello over looking Lake Como.

History on display

1921 normale
The first motorcycle to have a swing arm and rear suspension

Custom bikes to the individual taste

In the mountains around the lake there are many villages and towns.

Bergamo is one

The old part of the town, the Citta Alta providing views of the villas on the hills from the terraced restaurants and cafes.

View from the terraced cafe
Citadel from Castello Di St Viglio

It was hot on Lake Como

My bike is a Moto Guzzi Breva

Breva is the name of the light breeze that blows over Lake Como

At the end of a hot day the Breva provided welcome cool relief

And a ghosting breeze for the sailors.

Yacht drifting along powered by the Breva

Riding the Swiss Alps

High peaks

Touch the sky

Barren

Bare

Rocky pinnacles

Cold icy peaks

Glacial

Old as time

Witnesses to time immemorial

Sliced by roads

Fast roads

Curvy roads

Hairpins

Switch backs

Smooth sweepers

Clear sky’s on in late September

But in the mountains

Weather is changeable

Keep an ear out for thunder

But today

Hear the thunder bikes

Moto Guzzi

Rolling back through the Alps from Mandello.

The mighty breva at Maloja pass

 

A bit of reflection 

In the just over a week I have ridden through six countries in Europe

Open borders

Free travel

Wonderful friendly people

I’m reflecting on a this

And thinking of the past

The tragedy and waste of war so poignantly captured at the memorials at Villers Bretenneux

And the at the main train station at Nijmegen there was this sign

And I think

Let’s all just keep kissing

Let’s keep riding

And keep war and death in the past