HOLIDAY. A time of festivity or recreation when no work is done. Aye .. right!!!

I'm still knackered, and we've been back for a week !!

PROLOGUE.
Italy, southern Italy, ... Its not that far ...is it, she said at the beginning of the year.
Its not far when you fly half way there and back, I replied.

So, there was I, half way to Hull ... when a puncture happened. Its ok I said to myself. Its three hours till the ferry and the tyre weld stuff is in the topbox. Rode to a place named TowLaw, got the tyre plugged. It failed 50 miles down the road. More tyreweld (12 quid a tin), failed ... raining ...more tyreweld ....pissing down ....more tyreweld ...got to the boat with minutes to spare.
You cant come on board with a flat tyre ... Try to stop me mate!!

In Belgium ... riding with flat rear ...on a Sunday. No shops open till Tuesday. Eventually, tyre comes off the bead and I'm stuck.
Carol Nash to the rescue. A Belgian couple went out their way to phone round and found a bmw dealer. He kindly forgets his Sunday lunch and open his workshop for an already very weary traveller.
The breakdown truck took us 50 miles to LEIE MOTORS BMW in Gent. Fitted a new tyre. He never charged for fitting, and I would have thanked him sexually if he had asked, I was elated.
Rode for 150 miles and collapsed exhausted by the ordeal in a motorway hotel ... only to have the door bashed in by a dozen policemen with guns.
Wrong room . The husband murderer was next door and was arrested after a three hour standoff.
Noticed right side fork seal was leaking. Laughed at its measly effort and wrapped a sock round it. Feckyou seal, dyou think that can stop me .... HiHo silver...away.

Went to Basel airport to pick-up the wife. I was in Switzerland, she was the other side of the fence in France. The bloody stupid airport is split up the middle !!!
We had a cross-border fag and a kiss through the fence. The population of St Louie, next to Basel, where our lodging was, seemingly do not eat after six oclock and we starved till next day.

Then it got good.

Ambled down through the Alps via the Furka Pass, to Verbania on the shores of Lake Maggiore, Dya want to see a video? <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lrmgH4YC_0E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> then flew down the autostrada to Bologna, big city, boring and full of tourists.

Turning right we headed for Siena for a visit and onto our next hotel in Orvieto, which is a beautiful hilltop town with a huge church. I was impressed. I photographed lots of old folk on benches but have lost the sd card.

We were heading for a b&b in Positano on the Amalfi coast. Roads and scenery superb.
I feel another video coming on .....
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VpD8kCd-fkQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Video's are fairly rough and ready. Editing is crap and I couldnt be bothered adding music. Sorry. Watch in HD if you can.

That evening we watched a professional ballet performance on a big stage, all set up on Positano beach.
It was marvellous. Toes in the sand, bottle of plonk, food,the lights of Positano reaching far up the mountainside, a full moon .... and ballet fer fecks sake !!
How cultured were we ??
We had great photos, but they were on the 'lost card'.

I forgot to say , the previous night we stayed in a town called Terracina, where we watched another outside performance event. Less cultured than the ballet. It was a heat of 'Italy's got Talent' with its own wee italian Simon Cowell. It was fun.

View from Positano b&b balcony, not the best pic, but I was concentrating on making rubbish videos this year



After a couple of days absorbing the Amalfi culture, we wended northwards towards our 'house in Tuscany' what we'd hired for 5 days.
Right up through the middle.

Stayed a night in Rieti then up the road again.

Tuscany is a wonderful place. Another couple of crappy vids and some pics ....

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hNAIdTMMEtQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0cdWbH4YTys" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



All pics from outside our house for the night in Pienza, a truly stunning place.





I'm tired now, I will continue later.

nice

report,i fancy doing italy next year,good incentive to get my arse into gear and start arranging stuff.you were lucky getting a puncture,a couple of years ago me and the misses were travelling down the m6 on the start of our tour of europe in the dark only been on the motorway 30 miles and hit a big steel rsj that had fallen off a waggon. went straight over the top of it and buckled both wheels,got recoverd and taken to bmw in birmingham 2 new wheels and tyres 1200£ to you sir,paid it and carried on with the holiday it was one of the best tours we have had.p.s. claimed on the insurance for the wheels.

Great as usual
Other than the puncture/lost memory card
professional ballet performance

"What makes a good thread"

You have your answer right here !

Sounds a spiffing trip old chap.

I take it you forgot to stick the sprig of lucky white heather in your spokes afore you left the lang Toun?

Dennis man, should've given me a bell, I'm only 25 miles north from Towlaw near Hexham

Den said:

So, there was I, half way to Hull ... when a puncture happened. Its ok I said to myself. Its three hours till the ferry and the tyre weld stuff is in the topbox. Rode to a place named TowLaw, got the tyre plugged. It failed 50 miles down the road. More tyreweld (12 quid a tin), failed ... raining ...more tyreweld ....pissing down ....more tyreweld ...got to the boat with minutes to spare.

Click to expand...

Top post keep going, right off to the footie now

continued ...

And so thrugh Tuscany up the Chianti road to our house for 5 days. A wee town named Terreglio perched on the top of a mountain.
Twenty torturous hairpin bends to the top of the hill and our house. View from the balcony was amazing and we I had a chance to get the washing done while Louise relaxed.





Bottle of wine on the touratech coffee table and a good dvd.



After a meal with a view,



We even attended a local wedding,





The clouds and sunlight in the morning was picturesque as well.



Local exploring without the panniers or wife was a pleasure.

After a relaxing few days we set off again. A night in Como followed, then back up the Alpies ... woohoo!!.



Are you ready for another vid. Once again, not very professional but its the best I could do.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HQ-J_qT07Zc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Freiberg in Germany was crap because we could only get a hotel way outside the town.

Next day Koblenz .... which was lovely, with another stunning view from the hotel balcony. This time the Rhine with a castle in the background.



Up the road with one night left, we went to Utrecht. No hotels, so up to The Dam for the night. The visual quality of the whoors was not as good as previous years and we were disappointed.
Still managed to catch crabs though,





Dropped Lou at the airport next day and headed for the ferry where I met a charming Dutch lass called Ellie who was heading for a solo trip round Scotland on her Ducati monster.



We spent a nice evening in the bar and planned her routes. We also met two guys who lived in Aberdeen. One was canadian and one english.
We all decided (foolishly) to ride up from Newcastle together.
Next morning I had a Grolch induced hangover the size of a huge thing and let the Canadian lead. Feck knows what he had his satnav set to, but we were up farm tracks and across fords ..... one of which was his undoing. Silly pratt fell off.



The Dutch lass run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere, so I took her on the back of the GS to find a garage, which we did after about an hour.
Then we could not find where she left her bike for another hour !!
However ... we did find it eventually. I led the way to Kelso, she bought the coffee, and I got a nice hug and kiss for my efforts .... from the girl.
We swapped things like emails, phone numbers, but .. no bodily fluids.

And so to home. 4500miles, 11 hotels, 3 houses, 1 puncture, 1 hangover, but a great time

If I find anything else of interest .... I will add it later.

Enjoying this, punctures and peculiar continental eating habits included.



EDIT: Love the Susten Pass vid.

Ta!

neil 23 said:

"What makes a good thread"

You have your answer right here !

Click to expand...

Correct Gramps
Can't beat a cracking ride report
And this one is.
[Not that I expected anything less]

I forgot a couple of vids, sorry.

One for the ATGATT folk.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KjhHlrtkbr0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

end of the road.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XvZ4Adhljiw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Den said:

Dropped Lou at the airport next day and headed for the ferry where I met a charming Dutch lass called Ellie who was heading for a solo trip round Scotland on her Ducati monster.

Click to expand...

You must've been gutted

Fabulous report Den

Re - ballet on Positano beach

If any of you plebians are cultured enough to appreciate it, ive found the very performance we were at. Isnt the net wonderful

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XlR6-2_CcfQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Fantastic RR Den and enjoyed the photo's/Videos

Norrie

Did you go out from Hull - or was that just a ?
This year we put the bike on the train through the Lotschberg Tunnel in Swiss land. Good fun and Eur18.00 but getting the GSA with bars 40mm higher is a bit of a squeeze through the frame at the carriage entrance.
Pity we can't go from Rosyth any more.

Den said:

If any of you plebians are cultured enough to appreciate it, ive found the very performance we were at. Isnt the net wonderful

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XlR6-2_CcfQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Click to expand...

I must admit in recent years to taking a less blinkered approach to things, but I'm thinking balmy continental evenings and copious alcohol is wonderful.

Great report sir.

The dancer with the black short dress at around 6.30 is Natalia Osipova and ( I googled ) is reputed to be the top ballet burd in the world. So it was a classy doo. She also happens to be the double of a young Louise. Not facially, but everything else. It was spooky. Beetee ... (brother), if you read this, back me up on this one.

Incidently .. whilst Im back , I forgot to say that we happened upon Maranello which is where they make Ferrari F1 cars.
Sniffed Michael Shooomakers seat, but it just smelled of anusol.





Thanks for all the replies, videos turned out better than I thought.

Enjoyed yer rr Den thanks for taking the time

Classic Den style, especially the puncture in post#1 and the nicking of yoghurts from breakfast trays