Ah crap lost me job Trip to Ireland

[Irishdude]

Hello there
Not too long ago I returned from a trip to Bosnia, but before that I had a small trip to Ireland to see the folks.
Due to the Credit Crisis I didn't get the contract at work I was sure I'd get, so I was a bit disapointed and needed something to take me mind of the shituation..
Here is me on me bike just before I set off

I had left a bit later than planned due the amount of drinkin the night before, had to say all me goodbye's, ye know how it is.
Me first stop was here

But I got there at 17.15 and the place closed at 17.00, duh..

Ah well ,they will be still there the next time I'm down this way.
Made it all the way to Vaals where the 3 lands meet,Holland ,Germany and Belgium, a short days riding but I was wreaked inanyway.
Had a bit of bother with the stones.

But managed to get the bloody thing up ,

In the day it was lovely and warm but at night I nearly froze to death it felt like, it was me first time camping in years and it was May.

 

[Irishdude]

After setting up the tent I walked down to town to get me dinner and a drink,
I had a few drinks cause I thought it would help me sleep and it did till about 4 in the morning when I woke up freezin, so I emptied me bag of clothes and put them all on and fell back asleep all warm.
Here is what dutch cows look like at night.

Next morning headed to the 3 points to have me breakfast and as soon as me arse touched the seat 2 coach loads of old people came in to have their breakfast too.
So I was telling them all about me trip.

The back road into Germany

Tower with a view of the 3 lands

And ye all thought Holland was flat. The highest point in Holland 322.5mtrs

Bye Bye Holland

Hello there Belgium

Hello there Germany

After Breakfast I packed up the tent and started the ride.

this time for real

The 2nd of many reminders of the war

and the 3rd and so on

The names on these pillars are of soldiers that are missing but never found I beleive.

And then when they do find them they put a star next to the name on the pillar,

 

[Irishdude]

Very tidy and clean and very sad.

A bit further during the day I found this

Where is all the powder coming from in the end of me bag.

I was avoiding the big roads

And before I knew it I was in Bastogne

After freezin the night before in the tent I got me a Hotel room ,went the bar and had me dinner

It was late

 

[Irishdude]

The very next moring I followed the sign.

Alot of this stuff was found in the feilds around the place

 

[Irishdude]

And into France

and out of Belgium

Had to stop for a bit of Jambon en Fromage

Came across this place

Here is where the french held out for ages against the Germans in the first world war, and when the Germans finally took over the base they awarded the french for their bravery.

Still some fellas buried down there

A bit further down the road after zigzaging me way across the way

To be continued

 

[Tarka]

I`m looking forwards to the next instalment...it`s all good up to now.

Great photos...very interesting.

 

[Buz]

Thank you, very good report.
Have you the ride saved anywhere? looks an interesting one with places worth visiting.

 

[Irishdude]

Thank you, very good report.
Have you the ride saved anywhere? looks an interesting one with places worth visiting.

I could have gone the quicker way but I thought what the hell I have all the time I might as well go the scenic route,
I followed roughly the route rotterdam to Vaals,Bastogne,Verdun,Riems,Avent,Omaha Beech,Cherbourg,Rosslare,Dublin,West Meath and back, except on the way back from Cherbourg I rode up the coast on all the small roads to Zeeland and then Back to Rotterdam.

 

[Irishdude]

Here I am at Verdun.

Amazing the many ways man has thought how to kill other men.

One of the trucks they used to ferry the poor men to the front lines and to carry away the wounded.

Before and after shots

They even had planes , death from above.

Around about this time they changed over to camaflage it was safer and cheaper to make.

Talkin about cheap

This reminded me of a computer game Halflife2 but it was real life back then.

The blokes that arranged this little war where miles away from all the fun.

Anti Tank weapon

even the colonies joined in

 

[Irishdude]

And when the war was over they built this as a reminder never ever to have a war again till the next one .

For a small charge for upkeep you could go up to the top after watching a small short film.

It wasn't only christians that died in the war.

More names on walls

He was there

Died for France

All politicians should be made come here

Verdun town was ok little place

Can ye see the irish flag Must be a bar near

I heard Music being played on a piano it was kinda cool to hear faintly in the background up these stairs.

Around the corner was a church

And there was some lovely Asian Chick playin the piano, she was very good.

Hotel I stayed in it was basic did the trick

On the road again

I was heading to Reims and on the way it was pissin rain

After getting a nice warm dry Hotel I went for a walk to the centre and I heard these blokes beatin the crap out of each other it was great
, they where shoutin in french all sorts of stuff that I didn't understand and wackin each other with the big swords.

Nice ole church they have there

this was cool an old laid for turnin wood

This scared the crap out of me nearly,I was walking along , next thing a really loud bang...

And here some poor girl got to test out medieval head gear

 

[Irishdude]

I found an Irish pub but nobody spoke english there except the english couple I met and had a drink with

Next day on the road again, I thought I was heading west cause the sun was there on that side and the ..... I was heading south for ages lost sort of.

I followed the Route de Champagne.

Don't drink the water Its probably like the champange

Loads of small towns on the way

Very windy day it was

Don't know where this was but it was windy

At least it wasn't raining

I was thinking it must be an old roman road

France would be perfect if only they could speak english or if I could only speak french.

I stopped here for a wee but couldn't piss on a war memorial so I held it a bit longer

 

[Irishdude]

I was getting tired so started to look for a hotel, I was worried I'd get blown away in me tent, I asked some french people where is the hotel in this village.
There was none ,so I went to next village same story, then I found a place called Avent there was one hotel and it was grand .

Parkin for me bike

Took a walk to find a bar there was none

Found this but it was closed and had no roof

Back to bed then and a bit of french TV

Here was me ready to go but wasn't ,Me lock should have been under the bags.

Later that day made it to the beeches

to be continued

 

[(RIP) Bin Ridin]

Go wan, go wan, go wan!

 

[Uncle Ricky]

Brilliant report and photos

 

[Irishdude]

Well I think this was at Longues sur mer.

On the morning of 6th june 44 this place gave the Allied ships a hard time

The guns where a bit back from the cliffs and in the middle of the field headin to the cliffs was the ammo being kept

A place for the mortars

From here they told the guns where to shoot, left a bit right a bit and so on,
very advanced for the time it was.

You can just see whats left of the make shift harbour the allies used

 

[Irishdude]

It was getting late and I was soaked from the liquid sunshine, so I said to meself, the next hotel I see i'll take ,feck this rain. What I should have done was take me time finding a cheap hotel, I went to the Mercure Hotel, it had a pool and a golf course , oh and a hair dryer in the jax hehe

The one and only blow job of the whole holiday

I didn't go for a swim incase I got wet from the rain

Hail rain or shine I'm gettin a game of golf in says the old men on the hill.

That road out there was like a river when I took this foto, i'd be better of in a raft than on a bike.

The rain eased of a bit so I was back on the road, which was grand cause I was sitting in the reception of the hotel chattin to the nice french chick when her boss came along and was givin me the evil eye for some reason, so I ignored him and kept chattin waitin till the rain stopped.

This was cool I thought notice the gateway into the church

 

[Irishdude]

Went into the American War Memorial Cemetery

world war

Interesting original films

Sad part was they where showing stories with photos of fellas growing up there in America going to school there getting married there joining the army navy or airforce and getting killed here and being buried 3rd row down on the left and how they died, very sad I thought.
Omaha Beech

Before and after

It was raining

More names on walls but not too many polititians names

Headed of down the road again

Here 225 men climbed the cliffs to take out these guns, 155 men made it and had to hold off a counter attack from the Germans and when it was over 90 survived and after all that the guns had been moved earlier and replaced with wooden poles to fool the cameras from the planes

The ships bombed the place to bits and when the lads went to attack they where delayed cause they where brought to the wrong place , which gave the Germans time to get there act together and be prepared for the attack

It looks like the moon there except there are no Germans or Grass on the moon

Couldn't get to see the monument it was blocked off

Here is me havin a shower from the inside out

Met this bloke, he liked me bike, He had just gotten a medal from the French President for Bravery, it seems he was in france the last time ,One day before d-day, he parachuted in, oh yeah he was also Irish American cool bloke.

I had arrived at the normandy Beeches one day after the D-Day 65th Celebrations
The big red one was the new medal

He was real proud of himself in his uniform it was cool

After that I had to tear down the road to make the boat to Ireland

I was thinking what I miss I can see on the way back to Holland .
to be continued..

 

[Bengaz]

Brilliant, more

 

[Mzokk]

Excellent Stuff!

 

[Aidan1150]

Looking forward to the return journey Dude.

Fáilte romhat abhaile.