10 in 13

View attachment 262735

We set off from our home in West Yorkshire (just) in beautiful sunshine to get to Hull where the evening P&O ferry waited to take us to Rotterdam. Not a bad option to get to the Continent for us. About £250 including meals (buffet dinner and breakfast). The cabins are clean and reasonably spacious - what more could you ask for? My tip is wait until later before going for your dinner as there are massive queues as soon as it opens. Same thing for breakfast. Long irritable queues...wait half an hour walk straight in?

The boat sailed off down the Humber in bright evening sunshine right on time. A perfect start.

View attachment 262736

The next morning dawned on a grey and wet Rotterdam. The skies were overcast and a light rain dribbled down. Full waterproofs? No there were tiny patches of blue sky - must improve? No, within 10 minutes rain was bouncing off the roads and a stop under a bridge gave me and Jen, my wife a chance to go for the full gear. By the time we reached Venlo where my Satnag decided to go by a back road across the town (yes, it was set on fastest) I had discovered that my top half waterproofs were better suited to being a sponge! Luckily by the time we reached the Autobahn the skies had cleared and the sun shone. The second problem was that my wife's Cardo Rider stopped working. The base unit, for some reason would only transmit. Couldn't see anything wrong so we'd have to manage. We had decided to make the first day a long one, 498 miles to Augsburg, slightly damp and in silence, where we had booked a B&B hotel. Don't know if anyone else uses them but they're a relatively cheap chain of hotels which I've used for years. They're basic clean hotels where the rooms are en-suite, there's free wifi and they do a cheap optional breakfast in the morning. The tip is to pre-book on the internet as you can save a bit (around €5). The downside is they are usually on a ring road but invariably near a restaurant of some kind. However the Augsburg B&B is on a main tram route into the town beginning near the old Messerschmitt factory. So a wash and brush up and a quick trip into town to get some dinner. For me and excellent Mushroom and Swiss Cheese Burger with a mega ice cream to finish all washed down with some excellent beer.

Although we didn't intend to we decided to stay another day to look over Augsburg. When we tried to rebook the hotel receptionist sent us back to our room to book online as we would again save money. Top tip.

Augsburg received quite a bit of attention from both the RAF and the USAAF during the war thanks to the aforementioned Messerschmitt factory as well as lots of other businesses crucial to the Nazi war effort. This meant much of it had been rebuilt but luckily in the old style. One of the most important things I wanted to see was the Fuggerei. This was the world's first social housing and pre-empted the likes of Saltaire, Bournville and Port Sunlight by some 300 years. The enclosed village is still occupied and the rent remains unchanged from the 14th century (about 96 cents per year!).


View attachment 262737View attachment 262738

Here's the entrance. because it's occupied you are asked not to take photos.


View attachment 262739

This is Hans Fugger (yes - really). Hell of a codpiece.

We also had a look at Bertold Brecht's house nearby up a beautiful alleyway. I have always loved the Threepenny Opera so was pleased to have a look at his birthplace.

View attachment 262740

Later (after a light lunch) had to have a look at the Industrial Museum based in an old textile mill. A very interesting museum lacking only one thing ... visitors! I think they were disappointed we didn't want to see the machines running but as my wife had in the past managed a steam-powered cotton mill i think we've seen enough looms. However the first machines we saw were these.



Bit of a surprise. It's a long way from Accy to Augsburg!

The special exhibition upstairs was a bit of a surprise. A history of ladies stockings! Excellent exhibition with a touch of the erotic. I'd like to believe I rose above all the many photos and appreciated the movie of various women through the ages clipping and unclipping suspenders for the art it undoubtedly was...but I couldn't.

Augsburg is a surprising place with many beautiful nooks and crannies. I can recommend it instead of it's more usual neighbour Munich.

View attachment 262743View attachment 262742

As I was looking for a new waterproof top I did briefly consider Lederhosen but Jen reckoned I didn't have the legs ... or wallet.



Another good dinner Weiner Schnitzel for me!

tbc

Cant work out how to edit this to get the photos back in. Alternatively perhaps it can be deleted and I can start again!

The missing phots ....

Here's the map of our journey on Pilou, a 1200GS.

A nice glass of beer on the ferry.



This the reference to the Fuggers and their social housing, the Fuggerei.



Here's Hans with his Codpiece.



Finally Bertholds birthplace ...

Augsburg's nooks and crannies...



And that lederhosen shop again - nice



Proper door bell.

Sorry about the above cock-up - didn't realise you could only post 5 phots at a time.

Any road we set off from Augsburg and called at nearby Dachau (the death camp not the town). I don't intend to post any shocking photos but God knows they're there. I suggest you go and look for yourself.

It's hard to understand the industrial scale of hurt and death which the Nazi's meted out to their opposition, the Jews, Gypsies, etc, etc. How anyone can deny the holocaust is beyond me. However it did make me wonder. The Germans in the 1930's were not that different from us. Hurting from the loss of WW1, yes, but not that much different. I wonder what would have happened if Mosley and the BUF had been successful, would we have had a similar shame to hide? Thankfully we'll never know.

The entrance gate.



A rather moving sculpture.



Finally, a Brit they had locked up there. They kidnapped him from Holland at the start of the war in 1939 and kept him locked up in both Sachsenhausen and Dachau. He was liberated in 1945. It's a story I didn't know about but have looked him up, still lots of mystery! Also the details of Martin Niemoller, a inspirational man.

From Dachau we called in at the nearby Touratech shop to try and find some spares for Jen's dodgy Cardo. Sadly they didn't have any bits so still silence then. Thanks to the guy at Touratech, didn't get his name. he rang all around trying to locate a spare but no luck. Great shop though but full of stuff I couldn't afford.

We decided than to set off for a campsite in the mountains near Salzburg, however the weather had other ideas and it started p***ing down again. It was then I remembered my waterproofs didn't really work. Bugger! By the time we got to the little Tyrolean town of Inzell we decided to find a Gasthof and dry out. It then rained all night and most of the next day so we decided to hole up there until it stopped. Fantastic food and drink there though. despite the rain we managed to survive.





By late afternoon on the second day it was dry enough to go out so we had a great ride round Berchtesgarden and the surrounding area. i was rather hoping it hadn't been turned into some kind of Adolf theme park and I'm pleased to say there was no mention of the mustachioed madman.

The next morning we set off into the Alps and eventually turned up at the Tauerne Tunnel. We didn't intend to use the train but I was intrigued. It didn't look set up for motorcycles or am I wrong? Anyone used it? How far can you go? To Villach?

From there we went to the Grosglockner and passed (and were passed by) loads of bikers. €24 seems a bit steep for the experience, but there you go. You do get a sticker! The road was excellent and the weather was hot and sunny although there were clouds hanging around the higher peaks. made it quite special too.

As we approached the final bends to the top a guy on a KTM 1190 was desperate to pass and finally made his bid a little too late in my opinion. To show me how it was done he went into the bend like a train and then clambered down the side to get his knee down. As he went over his knee slider didn't! He caught it in a pothole and ripped it off his suit. This caused the bike to pogo around all over the road. Good job no one was coming and he kept on it. He didn't hang around at the top for a de-brief from me.






Over the top we went then down the other side and found a fantastic campsite. The sun was shining and it was next to a river. Only a couple of other campers there too. One of them was Dutch, more about them later.

Big hit here was our Thermarest chairs. Usually we don't take chairs because of the size and weight but these are a revelation. i can recommend them. Bit of camp cooking - pasta and frankfurters in arrabiata sauce. Excellent!



Guess what, the idyll didn't last! As the sun set the rain started along with thunder and lightning too. Luckily our tent was up to the job but it was like sleeping in a drum! Don't think I've heard thunder that loud before. Not just any rain - torrential.

By the next morning however, the sun was shining again, tent dried and everything packed away in its place. Top campsite - very well drained.

Set off from the campsite at Flattach towards Villach. Great quiet place with fantastic views. Just the job if you've just come off the the Glockner and if you don't fancy cooking yourself there is a small bar that serves food on the campsite too.

From Villach we went over into Slovenia via the Wurzenpass. A fantastic road, narrow, but which doesn't seem to get much use. Didn't see any other bikers on it, just an odd car. There is a military museum on the way up which is about the areas use in the Cold War. Just a bit further on is this T34 on the side of the road.



As you drop down into Slovenia, the beauty of this part of the country, the Triglav National Park, becomes apparent. The area isn't particularly well known although the mountain passes are equal to many found elsewhere in the Alps.



We carried on towards the capital Ljublijana but turned off towards Bled and then on towards Lake Bohinj. Photos don't really do the area justice. It's very beautiful and relatively unspoiled. The roads are pretty good too.





Turning round we went back down to Bled. This has a picture postcard feel to it with the castle up on the hill and the small church on an island in the middle of the Lake. You can hire a boat to get out there but only by rowing. No motor boats on the Lake. Little wonder that the ex-Yugoslav dictator Tito had a summer palace here. It's now a 4 star hotel. It's a bit more commercialised but by no means Blackpool. The Castle is interesting and has an excellent bar overlooking the Lake!



I haven't seen any Brits, bikes or otherwise for ages. Don't they get this far? You're all missing out. What there is though is loads of Dutch folks. Is there anyone left in Holland? This seems to be the same everywhere we go.

Slovenia is a small country with a language all of its own. However almost everyone speaks some English and it seems to be the countries second language. All notices, etc seem to have an English translation.

Stayed in Ljublijana at a rather posh hotel I've stated in before. Shower then a walk around the city. Met up with an old Slovenian friend for dinner. She took us to a restaurant serving Slovenian cuisine. Sweet!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

C'mon where is the rest of it?

Enjoying this . . thanks for posting!
(climbed Triglaf many years ago)

Thought no one was reading it so gave up. No sticking power thats my problem. Right, you've asked for it now.
Next morning we set off back to the border with Italy. Went through the mountains, great roads and no traffic. Stopped at a castle which although built in the 19th century had been occupied by 5 different owners including the Nazis. Had a top via ferrata up a rock face to an artillery lookout.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Also discovered Maslo's heirarchy of butter. Bit of an in-joke there...apologies.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Nice one Monty. Great tour and nice pics. I'm off down to Slovenia myself this September. Can't wait.

. Nice report, enjoyed it!

Down into Italy where there's a disused mine. Did I say? I love a hole ... and if it's man-made, so much the better.


Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Crossed grom Slovenia into Italy via Predel. Not a well known crossing but worthwhile.

Then followed a great afternoon trip along the top of Italy and flipped into Austria once too. In itself not too exciting but a joyous ride along good roads with not much traffic. Warm sun. Ended up on a small campsite near Vipetano. English definitely not recognised but index finger pointing definitely was.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Next day a ride into the mountains and the mighty Stelvio. Well, it'd be rude not to. It was worth every bend. If you are any where near it ... do it. There are some very inviting foodie restaurants on the way up and we were weak. I have to say the first bit of the pass was underwhelming through forest but when you emerge from the trees and come round the first bend when you see it in all its glory ... f*** me!


Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Following on from this, over the top , quick descent through Switzerland, into Austria and head for the Zundapp Museum which is also ... a brewery. Top place! Brauerei Zoller-Hof in Sigmaringen. Nice town too!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Stayed on a little campsite near Tipihof. Very quiet and the elderly proprietor was most concerned the motorrad didn't sink in the soft ground. Found us a pitch with hard standing for the bike. Just as well cos it rained.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Next day, down to the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and finally found a bike shop (Louis.de) which stocked Cardo spares to mend Mrs Stubble's intercom, broken since Day 3. There's not a bike shop on our travels we haven't visited. They were excellent in the Louis branch, finding an English speaker to supplement our shit German and to ensure we got exactly what we wanted. Top marks to them.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk