Back in England, prior to heading to Spain, I took the chance to head down to the coast of Devon for a few days out of busy London.
Dawlish is a major coastal town. Dawlish Warren is the main beach, but at the western end of the town, there is a cove with a beautiful red sand beach..
Slapton is a cute little seaside on a long shingle beach. The road runs between the beach of a fresh water lake.
And the town that really caught my eye was Salcome. A lovely sailing and fishing hub.
I arrived back in London to catch thr summer blue supermoon rising over Perivale Park.
And find a latest Banksy…
A hint where to find it.
That brings me up to date, dear friends and followers.
In a few days, it will be another ferry trip . This time to Spain and beyond.
The Ace Cafe is the true Cathederal of Motorcycles. Founded in 1938 its been the go to place for motorbikes through many iterations of the art of motorcycling.
On a fine Sunday, all those iterations can be seen in Ace’s car park. Custom bikes, lovingly restored classics, and the latest models are all there.
It’s a place where you can get a good feed, a pint, or a cup of tea and wander around the bikes and chat with other bikers.
Custom bikesSpeedway bikeScootersClassics
And modern bikes, maybe even a bargain.
For a biker visiting London the Ace Cafe is a Pilgrimage
It’s hard to believe I left Australia over a month ago, and have been travelling around the UK and Ireland.
I’m back in London staying with my sister, so it’s time to get my blog up to date.
Mmm, I think I may be becoming a lazy social media content creator (is that the right term) since creating an Instagram account. (@piecemealadventurer)
London does have its own beauty, as the view from the balcony at the Tate Modern shows
Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate what a great art city London is. Melbourne, my hometown is no slouch, but the breadth of art in London makes one feel spoilt.
There is the public art around the streets:
In London, suburbs like Ealing there are wonderful galleries doing exhibitions such as Grayson Perry’s tapestries.
Or The Expressionists at Tate Modern:
And the work of the Barbadian, Taveres Strachan at the Heyward Gallery;
Above the arts precinct, there was the sign
You belong here
And on a hot day every young person was at home with art.
It was late September, and with my adventure in the Balkans complete, I bordered the overnight ferry from Split to Ancona.
From Ancona, it was an easy ride across Italy to Civitavechia, the Port of Rome to catch the ferry to Barcelona.
A restful way to travel and 14,000 km touring.
The village of Civitavechia is a little way from the port, but it is a nice place for a bit of sightseeing while waiting for the ferry.
There is a certain chaos at Italian ferry ports. There are no electronic tickets, and the ticket office always seems to be placed a long way from the ferry dock with a myriad of one way unmarked lanes to be negotiated between the two.
But the Italian ferries are relatively inexpensive, and it was a restful 20 hour crossing from Rome to Barcelona.
From Barcelona, I took a route across the Pyrenees through Andorra. Agh the beautiful Pyrenees.
I stopped for the night at Ax les Termes in the Midi Pyrenees. A beautiful hot spring village. With public hot foot baths.
My next destination was to Cahors and its famous bridge. Travelling along the tree lined back roads, past the Midi Canal, rivers, and beautiful villages.
Cohors is a vibrant city. To complement the famous bridge.
My last stop in Europe for this trip was the port city of St Malo, with its old walled town right on the Atlantic Ocean
Of course I had to join in for a swim!!!
For lovers of the maritime world the port at St Malo is a treasure.
The overnight ferry had me soon back in England and my sister’s house in London.
Before boarding the flight back to Australia, I caught up with a mate for lunch in the Cottswalds. A beautiful part of England and reputedly an inspiration for the writing of ‘The Hobbit’ and the ‘Lord of the Rings’.
It’s February in Australia as I reminisce about last year. There are some adventures to be had here at home, but my mind keeps back to a sign at Civitavechia.
I’ve been to Spain (Spagna). Ive been to Greece (Grecia), Sardinia (Sargegna), and Sicily (Sicilia): but I haven’t been to Tunisia.
It’s hard to believe that a week ago I arrived in London and now I’m sitting in Cherbourg, France at the start of this year’s European Adventure.
A new discovery in London was the Regent Park Outdoor Theatre only a short walk from Baker Street Station. You can’t miss it there is a statue of Sherlock Holmes stands there.
My time in London was filled in by my sister (and cultural guide) and collecting and preparing the Mighty Breva for this year’s 3 month trip across Europe.
I took the ferry from Poole to Cherbourg. Poole is the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney Harbour and there are some great views sailing out on the ferry.
It was a smooth crossing to Cherbourg and it didn’t seem long till France was in site.
You do get a special welcome when you arrive in France on Bastille Day.
The small town orchestra come out to play.
And when finally gets dark around 11pm, the fireworks fill the sky.
Cherbourg is my favourite gateway port into France. It’s a charming city with a rich maritime history. Also beautiful seafood and loads of that great European moto culture!
