martinvrs
Registered user
Great reading Aidan.
Two bikes. Three weeks. Five countries. 5450 miles.
- Thread starter Aidan1150
- Start date
Those amongst you who have been paying attention and actually reading this stuff will remember Jochen losing his waterproof trousers in the topbox incident last Sunday. Up until yesterday we had been lucky enough with the weather and he hadn't needed them anyway. But we lost over two hours yesterday sitting out the weather and clearly that wasn't an option for making any kind of progress should the rain come.
So, first thing this morning Jochen headed off to the tourist information office in Batumi to enquire as to where he might purchase waterproof trousers. The lady there suggested that he try the local bazaar and wished him well. A chance encounter with a taxi driver was, as it turned out, a major stroke of luck. He guided JR around the bazaar questioning stall holders along the way as to where they might find this specialist clothing. And finally, in a far flung and dark corner of the bazaar they found the one and only wet weather motorcycle suit in all of Batumi. The YingBo Waterproof Motorcycling Travelling Suit.
By the time he got back and I had examined then laughed at his purchase it was late when we were leaving the city of Batumi. The Turkish border is only ten miles distant so we headed off for our sixth international frontier crossing. Twenty minutes or so later we were back in Turkey and heading west along the Black Sea Coast.
A short while later we stopped for lunch and as quite often happens were accosted by a local chap who wanted to practice his English speaking prowess on us. Fair enough. So he joined us at the table as we dined and we had the craic. What was most unexpected, and thoroughly decent of him, was that he paid for our lunch which was a kind gesture and typical of the Turkish.
We spent Thursday night in the Belde Hotel just outside Ordu. Sitting with a Jim Beam with the balcony door open I could hear the sea gently kissing the shore. It would be very easy to get used to. All too much so.
240 miles
So, first thing this morning Jochen headed off to the tourist information office in Batumi to enquire as to where he might purchase waterproof trousers. The lady there suggested that he try the local bazaar and wished him well. A chance encounter with a taxi driver was, as it turned out, a major stroke of luck. He guided JR around the bazaar questioning stall holders along the way as to where they might find this specialist clothing. And finally, in a far flung and dark corner of the bazaar they found the one and only wet weather motorcycle suit in all of Batumi. The YingBo Waterproof Motorcycling Travelling Suit.
By the time he got back and I had examined then laughed at his purchase it was late when we were leaving the city of Batumi. The Turkish border is only ten miles distant so we headed off for our sixth international frontier crossing. Twenty minutes or so later we were back in Turkey and heading west along the Black Sea Coast.
A short while later we stopped for lunch and as quite often happens were accosted by a local chap who wanted to practice his English speaking prowess on us. Fair enough. So he joined us at the table as we dined and we had the craic. What was most unexpected, and thoroughly decent of him, was that he paid for our lunch which was a kind gesture and typical of the Turkish.
We spent Thursday night in the Belde Hotel just outside Ordu. Sitting with a Jim Beam with the balcony door open I could hear the sea gently kissing the shore. It would be very easy to get used to. All too much so.
240 miles
Commercial Interlude
Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you a genuine first in Ireland and indeed the UK.
May we present to you the YingBo Waterproof Motorcycling Travelling Suit? Yes, now you too can achieve levels of sartorial elegance as you ride your motorcycle in inclement weather conditions that were previously only dreamt of.
The suit as modelled above by eh, Ying and the lovely erm, Bo will make you the envy of all your motorcycling friends both at home and abroad. Your CG125 Honda with the five bar gate stylee crash bars will only be enhanced by the elegance of it's passengers as they waft along completely dry in their YingBo Waterproof Motorcycling Travelling Suits.
Fabricated from the finest plastics the suits are double layered. This will ensure that no water gets in and also that no moisture is wicked away leaving you with that "boil in the bag" Uncle Bens rice feeling. The suits are also available in a wide range of sizes with the minimum of a 3XL rating needed to fit even the smallest Western European physique.
Do not delay. Place your order today for the ultimate in wet weather functional design motorcycling clothing, the YingBo Waterproof Motorcycling Travelling Suit.
YingBo the only way to go.
Apologies for the poor standard of model for what is a garment of unsurpassed elegance and quality.
Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you a genuine first in Ireland and indeed the UK.
May we present to you the YingBo Waterproof Motorcycling Travelling Suit? Yes, now you too can achieve levels of sartorial elegance as you ride your motorcycle in inclement weather conditions that were previously only dreamt of.
The suit as modelled above by eh, Ying and the lovely erm, Bo will make you the envy of all your motorcycling friends both at home and abroad. Your CG125 Honda with the five bar gate stylee crash bars will only be enhanced by the elegance of it's passengers as they waft along completely dry in their YingBo Waterproof Motorcycling Travelling Suits.
Fabricated from the finest plastics the suits are double layered. This will ensure that no water gets in and also that no moisture is wicked away leaving you with that "boil in the bag" Uncle Bens rice feeling. The suits are also available in a wide range of sizes with the minimum of a 3XL rating needed to fit even the smallest Western European physique.
Do not delay. Place your order today for the ultimate in wet weather functional design motorcycling clothing, the YingBo Waterproof Motorcycling Travelling Suit.
YingBo the only way to go.
Apologies for the poor standard of model for what is a garment of unsurpassed elegance and quality.
I'm still not quite sure how I managed it but I had yer man JR up, breakfasted and on the bike with wheels turning just before half eight this Friday morning. There are those of you reading this who will recognise and indeed marvel at the magnitude of my achievement.
I'm not altogether sure that it was all my own work to be honest but I suspect that a large carrot by the name of Istanbul dangled metaphorically in front of himself was largely the reason for the abnormally early start.
From the outset Jochen has said that he wanted two clear days in Istanbul and when I pointed out last night at Ordu that we could be there on Saturday afternoon and stay until Tuesday morning there was no stopping him. We took 385 of the 555 miles out of the equation today and will head on into the big city tomorrow.
The police were hiving on the road today. We had a narrow escape at one speed trap as I used a line of trucks to hide myself from the view of the policeman waiting to stop me. They flagged Jochen down but sent him on his way immediately. We were flagged down twice more but again were waved on but told to go handy. We were only doing 95kph the first time and even slower the second at 85kph. Strangely enough though, after a forty-five minute lunch stop we never saw another speed check the rest of the day. Go figure as they say.
Regrettably tonight saw my first "food fail" of the trip so far. We went to a nice enough restaurant only to find that they only serve ishkender kebabs. From Wiki;* It is a kind of doner kebab prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb basted with hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread and generously slathered with melted sheep butter and yoghurt. Tomato sauce and boiling butter are sometimes poured over the dish, at the table.
Anyway, after a wait of thirty minutes I was still without dinner and was up from the table ready to leave to go elsewhere but was persuaded to give it another three or four minutes. Just as I was about to leave it arrived. What a disappointment. It had the consistency of mushy peas and none of the flavour. The pita bread was so soggy that it reminded me of feeding Farleys Rusks to Natasha as a baby many years ago. It was the sort of meal that will probably be served to me in thirty years time when I have no teeth and neither know nor care where I am nor what I am eating. It was dire. The only good thing about was that it only cost me £4.50. I will suffer the loss.
On a more positive note, I have known for quite a while now that we are a day ahead of schedule. Well when I say that, I mean we don't really have a schedule, just more of an idea of where we need to be and when, in order to stay kind of on track, especially this last week as we have an appointment to keep on Friday.
But I have a plan.................. Yes I know what happened the last time but this one might just work for us.
385 miles
I'm not altogether sure that it was all my own work to be honest but I suspect that a large carrot by the name of Istanbul dangled metaphorically in front of himself was largely the reason for the abnormally early start.
From the outset Jochen has said that he wanted two clear days in Istanbul and when I pointed out last night at Ordu that we could be there on Saturday afternoon and stay until Tuesday morning there was no stopping him. We took 385 of the 555 miles out of the equation today and will head on into the big city tomorrow.
The police were hiving on the road today. We had a narrow escape at one speed trap as I used a line of trucks to hide myself from the view of the policeman waiting to stop me. They flagged Jochen down but sent him on his way immediately. We were flagged down twice more but again were waved on but told to go handy. We were only doing 95kph the first time and even slower the second at 85kph. Strangely enough though, after a forty-five minute lunch stop we never saw another speed check the rest of the day. Go figure as they say.
Regrettably tonight saw my first "food fail" of the trip so far. We went to a nice enough restaurant only to find that they only serve ishkender kebabs. From Wiki;* It is a kind of doner kebab prepared from thinly cut grilled lamb basted with hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread and generously slathered with melted sheep butter and yoghurt. Tomato sauce and boiling butter are sometimes poured over the dish, at the table.
Anyway, after a wait of thirty minutes I was still without dinner and was up from the table ready to leave to go elsewhere but was persuaded to give it another three or four minutes. Just as I was about to leave it arrived. What a disappointment. It had the consistency of mushy peas and none of the flavour. The pita bread was so soggy that it reminded me of feeding Farleys Rusks to Natasha as a baby many years ago. It was the sort of meal that will probably be served to me in thirty years time when I have no teeth and neither know nor care where I am nor what I am eating. It was dire. The only good thing about was that it only cost me £4.50. I will suffer the loss.
On a more positive note, I have known for quite a while now that we are a day ahead of schedule. Well when I say that, I mean we don't really have a schedule, just more of an idea of where we need to be and when, in order to stay kind of on track, especially this last week as we have an appointment to keep on Friday.
But I have a plan.................. Yes I know what happened the last time but this one might just work for us.
385 miles
Ships at anchor near Izmit
Crane porn for Ash.
Bolu to Istanbul was to be a handy enough ride of 160 miles or so. As we got closer to the city the temperature started to rise as did the levels of traffic we had to deal with.
Before the bridge over the Bosphorus we must have filtered our way through six or seven miles of stationary traffic. By now the temperatures were up at 30C and the bikes were enjoying it as little as the riders were. Once we crossed the bridge and turned off towards the Fatih area and our guesthouse the traffic eased considerably making life much easier.
We were earlier at the accommodation than we expected to be so whilst Jochen researched things and places to see I took an afternoon nap to myself. It was just before 6pm when we set off to walk the 300m to the Blue Mosque and thankfully the mad heat of the day had dissipated leaving a lovely evening for strolling about. The Mosque is a fine big building, very ornate and all that you would expect it to be. It strikes me though that all these big religious sites, of whatever denomination, are very opulent and grand whilst the majority of the followers live in abject poverty.
After dinner we headed off down to the river for a look around. The place was buzzing with people and the river was alive with shipping of all sorts from small pleasure craft, ferries and huge freighters. On our way along the riverfront I spotted a river cruise for only 10TL (£2.75) so we decided to give that a go. It turned out to be a great choice as we got about an hour steaming up and down the river on a beautiful evening taking in all the sights along the way. A great value trip all on the spur of the moment.
Although we are officially back in Europe now Istanbul does not feel at all European. It's a very vibrant, fast, noisy place and so far I don't mind it so much. I am not a city person at all so whether that feeling will last until Monday night is quite another thing altogether.
On Sunday we went to see a few of the scenic places the best of which for me was the Basilica Cistern. By Monday morning though I was ready to go again, but having agreed with Jochen that he would have the two and a half days I took it easy whilst he tried to drown himself in scenery and historic places. Horses for courses.
Sunday we went to see the Basilica Cistern which is an underground water storage facility built by the Romans in 532AD, fifteen hundred years ago. Whilst very difficult to take good pictures down there with just a wee point and shoot camera it was a fascinating place to visit. The level of engineering skill required to build it is incredible, and to have it survive all these years is testament to those skills. Apart from crossing the Bosphorous Bridge this was the highlight of this place for me.
Dinner Sunday night was a fish platter in a restaurant on Galata Bridge which mustn't have been very good since we both had dodgy tummies this morning. We'll not be eating down there again. Aside from what turned out to be a dodgy feed (it seemed grand at the eating of it) the whole touting for trade pisses me off as does how they try to rip you on the bill then at the end. Prices on the bill different to those in the menu etc. A robbing shower of bastards.
Went to the Grand Bazaar this morning to get some bits and pieces that I need expecting a bustling market type of thing but was dismayed to find a shopping centre with loads of wee shops. I don't go to those type of places at home so left, without items I was looking for. How very disappointing.
Tomorrow morning will see us leave Istanbul headed into Bulgaria then up into Romania. It's been almost three days off the bike now, which has been too long for me and I can't wait to get going again. We have an appointment with a truck on Friday afternoon, but lots of riding still to do between now and then.
Sunday we went to see the Basilica Cistern which is an underground water storage facility built by the Romans in 532AD, fifteen hundred years ago. Whilst very difficult to take good pictures down there with just a wee point and shoot camera it was a fascinating place to visit. The level of engineering skill required to build it is incredible, and to have it survive all these years is testament to those skills. Apart from crossing the Bosphorous Bridge this was the highlight of this place for me.
Dinner Sunday night was a fish platter in a restaurant on Galata Bridge which mustn't have been very good since we both had dodgy tummies this morning. We'll not be eating down there again. Aside from what turned out to be a dodgy feed (it seemed grand at the eating of it) the whole touting for trade pisses me off as does how they try to rip you on the bill then at the end. Prices on the bill different to those in the menu etc. A robbing shower of bastards.
Went to the Grand Bazaar this morning to get some bits and pieces that I need expecting a bustling market type of thing but was dismayed to find a shopping centre with loads of wee shops. I don't go to those type of places at home so left, without items I was looking for. How very disappointing.
Tomorrow morning will see us leave Istanbul headed into Bulgaria then up into Romania. It's been almost three days off the bike now, which has been too long for me and I can't wait to get going again. We have an appointment with a truck on Friday afternoon, but lots of riding still to do between now and then.
Brilliant............................ I'll never again look at waterproof's in the same way and without having a giggle
Thanks Aidan and Bo!!
Thanks Aidan and Bo!!
Getting out of Istanbul was somewhat easier than might have been expected except that we ended up on a toll motorway. It's all electronically controlled so you don't get a ticket but the alarms were going crazy as we blasted through the exit peage without paying.
Passing Edirne on our way to the border took us back over two weeks to Sunday 1st June as we came this way heading east. Police and customs formalities were dispensed with in under thirty minutes and that was us back into Bulgaria once again. We did loose an hour and a half though trying to fix Jochens errant gps unit to no avail. Ah well.
After Stara Zagora highway 5 took us into the hills and the Shipka Pass in particular. From the valley floor one can see a huge spaceship like construction on the top of a mountain high above us. Little did we know that twenty minutes later we would be right up there looking back down at where we had just come from. More info on Shipka............ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipka_Pass
For those about to rock.
Bulgaria has over one hundred Soviet era statues and memorials most of which have slid out of favour and into disrepair since the fall of communism. The sheer scale of these constructions has to be seen to be believed though and there are none bigger than the House Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party which was built in 1981. There is much more information in this link which also refers to the Arc of Liberty, the huge arch we visited on our way south. http://www.archdaily.com/101626/forgotten-monuments-from-the-communist-era-in-bulgaria/ it is well worth a few minutes of your time.
Memorial to the Soviet Army
These mountains are littered with memorials and it is a great shame that the state doesn't realise the tourism potential scattered over the country and do something to preserve this history. Anyway, another hour or so saw us in Pleven at a hotel tucked away off the beaten track. We are acutely aware now that we have not given enough time to Bulgaria. It is a real gem and is somewhere we are both keen to explore further. 2016 perhaps.
345 miles
Passing Edirne on our way to the border took us back over two weeks to Sunday 1st June as we came this way heading east. Police and customs formalities were dispensed with in under thirty minutes and that was us back into Bulgaria once again. We did loose an hour and a half though trying to fix Jochens errant gps unit to no avail. Ah well.
After Stara Zagora highway 5 took us into the hills and the Shipka Pass in particular. From the valley floor one can see a huge spaceship like construction on the top of a mountain high above us. Little did we know that twenty minutes later we would be right up there looking back down at where we had just come from. More info on Shipka............ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipka_Pass
For those about to rock.
Bulgaria has over one hundred Soviet era statues and memorials most of which have slid out of favour and into disrepair since the fall of communism. The sheer scale of these constructions has to be seen to be believed though and there are none bigger than the House Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party which was built in 1981. There is much more information in this link which also refers to the Arc of Liberty, the huge arch we visited on our way south. http://www.archdaily.com/101626/forgotten-monuments-from-the-communist-era-in-bulgaria/ it is well worth a few minutes of your time.
Memorial to the Soviet Army
These mountains are littered with memorials and it is a great shame that the state doesn't realise the tourism potential scattered over the country and do something to preserve this history. Anyway, another hour or so saw us in Pleven at a hotel tucked away off the beaten track. We are acutely aware now that we have not given enough time to Bulgaria. It is a real gem and is somewhere we are both keen to explore further. 2016 perhaps.
345 miles
100km on fairly mixed roads took us to the little town of Oriahovo where we were to get a ferry across the Danube to Romania.
Solar Panel farming. Looks like he has a good crop.
Arriving at 10-30am meant that we had some time to kill until the ferry was due to depart at noon. Apart from a rather flagrant toilet block there were no facilities at all to speak of so after a look about which took all of three minutes I took a nap on a bench whilst Jochen read his book.
Then the ferry arrived. Well, when I say ferry, this was actually two seperate hulls welded together to form a pontoon style deck with a ramp sticking out the front, but she did our job well and at €2 for the bike and a further €1 for the rider was good value.
No health and safety shite here.
We were running a bit later than expected after the ferry but headed on north and after a lunch stop in Craiova the ground started to rise, slowly at first then very much more dramatically as we started onto the TransAlpina.
But it was raining, heavily and even the YingBo couldn't help to make matters any better. By the time we reached the top we were in thick cloud and heavy rain with winds swirling about us. Luckily though, for just a minute or two the clouds opened to give us a view of where we actually were and it was spectacular. High jagged peaks were all around with the road winding it's way through them, there are no barriers, no run off areas, just steep drops off to either side. You are on your own up here.
The rain started to ease off as we dropped down the northern side of the mountains towards Sebe and for a while we enjoyed a completely dry run towards town at a good strong pace. Jackets and trousers were even starting to dry out until, just outside town, the heavens opened again with a vengence ensuring that we arrived at our hotel well and truly soaked. Lovely.
I wonder if the previous owner knows where his van ended up?
250 miles
Solar Panel farming. Looks like he has a good crop.
Arriving at 10-30am meant that we had some time to kill until the ferry was due to depart at noon. Apart from a rather flagrant toilet block there were no facilities at all to speak of so after a look about which took all of three minutes I took a nap on a bench whilst Jochen read his book.
Then the ferry arrived. Well, when I say ferry, this was actually two seperate hulls welded together to form a pontoon style deck with a ramp sticking out the front, but she did our job well and at €2 for the bike and a further €1 for the rider was good value.
No health and safety shite here.
We were running a bit later than expected after the ferry but headed on north and after a lunch stop in Craiova the ground started to rise, slowly at first then very much more dramatically as we started onto the TransAlpina.
But it was raining, heavily and even the YingBo couldn't help to make matters any better. By the time we reached the top we were in thick cloud and heavy rain with winds swirling about us. Luckily though, for just a minute or two the clouds opened to give us a view of where we actually were and it was spectacular. High jagged peaks were all around with the road winding it's way through them, there are no barriers, no run off areas, just steep drops off to either side. You are on your own up here.
The rain started to ease off as we dropped down the northern side of the mountains towards Sebe and for a while we enjoyed a completely dry run towards town at a good strong pace. Jackets and trousers were even starting to dry out until, just outside town, the heavens opened again with a vengence ensuring that we arrived at our hotel well and truly soaked. Lovely.
I wonder if the previous owner knows where his van ended up?
250 miles
Well, it was dry enough setting off on Thursday but we could see that it was never going to last.
We had the north side of the Transfargasan on our minds since the second day when we had to turn back. In hindsight we should have turned back today but if himself and meself are known for anything it's our thickness so we motored on.
By half way up the mountain I was already soaked but we kept on going, up through the clouds and rain to the tunnel at the top. We rode through the tunnel to see where we had stopped almost three weeks ago then turned around and high tailed it back down the mountain again.
Our room in the hotel in Brasov is strewn with drying clothing as we make one last attempt to ensure that we will be riding in dry clothing tomorrow. 100 miles will take us to the rendezvous point at Otopeni Airport where the bikes will be loaded onto their truck home.
Not many pictures today, the weather was just too bad.
175 miles
We had the north side of the Transfargasan on our minds since the second day when we had to turn back. In hindsight we should have turned back today but if himself and meself are known for anything it's our thickness so we motored on.
By half way up the mountain I was already soaked but we kept on going, up through the clouds and rain to the tunnel at the top. We rode through the tunnel to see where we had stopped almost three weeks ago then turned around and high tailed it back down the mountain again.
Our room in the hotel in Brasov is strewn with drying clothing as we make one last attempt to ensure that we will be riding in dry clothing tomorrow. 100 miles will take us to the rendezvous point at Otopeni Airport where the bikes will be loaded onto their truck home.
Not many pictures today, the weather was just too bad.
175 miles
Awesome report Aidan, and a thoroughly superb read......
Early on Thursday morning Jochen got word from home that his Father had been taken into hospital overnight. It didn't appear to be too serious initially so we carried on with our plan for the day.
We arrived at our hotel in Brasov at about 4-30pm on Thursday afternoon to a flurry of phone calls. Jochens Dad had been taken to hospital late on Wednesday night and his condition was now giving serious cause for concern. All through dinner the calls continued and upon our return to the hotel we set about changing Jochens flight home from Sunday to Friday lunchtime.
Our plan had been to drop the bikes off at the cargo terminal at Otopeni airport in Bucharest on Friday afternoon then spend the weekend in Bucharest before flying home on Sunday afternoon. With Jochens flight now changed to Friday lunchtime we tried to get the pickup time for the bikes changed from 3pm to 11am but that proved to not be possible so I decided to stay with the bikes to get them loaded then take a later flight home. €116 bought me a flight home late on Friday night which was still a cheaper and better option than a weekend alone in Bucharest.
I awoke just before 7am on Friday morning to the news that Jochens Dad Hans had passed away peacefully at 5am our time, 3am at home in Dublin. Whilst it wasn't completely unexpected it was still a shock that he had passed so suddenly. I think that Jochen was glad then that we had changed his travel arrangements the night before.
Just over one hundred miles separated us from the drop off point for the bikes and they were despatched with in two hours of steady riding. We didn't stop, nor did we take any photos, we just rode along, deep I suspect, in our own thoughts. Jochen caught his plane home and after getting the bikes loaded for the trip home I too made my way home to Dublin.
An eventful end to the trip and certainly not one that we had anticipated.
We arrived at our hotel in Brasov at about 4-30pm on Thursday afternoon to a flurry of phone calls. Jochens Dad had been taken to hospital late on Wednesday night and his condition was now giving serious cause for concern. All through dinner the calls continued and upon our return to the hotel we set about changing Jochens flight home from Sunday to Friday lunchtime.
Our plan had been to drop the bikes off at the cargo terminal at Otopeni airport in Bucharest on Friday afternoon then spend the weekend in Bucharest before flying home on Sunday afternoon. With Jochens flight now changed to Friday lunchtime we tried to get the pickup time for the bikes changed from 3pm to 11am but that proved to not be possible so I decided to stay with the bikes to get them loaded then take a later flight home. €116 bought me a flight home late on Friday night which was still a cheaper and better option than a weekend alone in Bucharest.
I awoke just before 7am on Friday morning to the news that Jochens Dad Hans had passed away peacefully at 5am our time, 3am at home in Dublin. Whilst it wasn't completely unexpected it was still a shock that he had passed so suddenly. I think that Jochen was glad then that we had changed his travel arrangements the night before.
Just over one hundred miles separated us from the drop off point for the bikes and they were despatched with in two hours of steady riding. We didn't stop, nor did we take any photos, we just rode along, deep I suspect, in our own thoughts. Jochen caught his plane home and after getting the bikes loaded for the trip home I too made my way home to Dublin.
An eventful end to the trip and certainly not one that we had anticipated.
Loving this report (appart from the sad bit, obviously).
Francis Maxey and I will do very similar in Autumn 2015 - 1150GSA & 1200GSA - but we shall ride down from UK. Possible camp north and hotel south. We may well try to get into Iran as well - present time estimate 3 months, but as we will both be unememployed that is open ended. We are both experienced riders with I hope a keen sense of self preservation.
Anyone else want to join us let me know.
Francis Maxey and I will do very similar in Autumn 2015 - 1150GSA & 1200GSA - but we shall ride down from UK. Possible camp north and hotel south. We may well try to get into Iran as well - present time estimate 3 months, but as we will both be unememployed that is open ended. We are both experienced riders with I hope a keen sense of self preservation.
Anyone else want to join us let me know.
Excellent Report Aidan (and Some damn Fine Modelling from Jochen for his Ying Bo suit
Once again Sad for a loved one's passing even if not unexpected
Hope to catch up with you guys soon
Once again Sad for a loved one's passing even if not unexpected
Hope to catch up with you guys soon
Thank you lads, I appreciate your comments. 
Sorry to you both for taking so long to get back to you on this, but I wanted to get the report finished first.
We shipped our bikes from Dublin with Bike-on-Board at a cost of €975 (£775) per bike return. Add in the €133 (£105) Ryanair return flights to Bucharest and you are looking at €1108 (£880).
The average spend per day was €76 (£60.50) which covered all our hotel, fuel, food etc for an overall spend of €1675 (£1330) for twenty days away on the bike.
All in all just over £2200 (€2785) covered everything for the three week, five country, 5450 mile ride. Not as expensive as you might think, but sure what else would you rather spend it on.
Great report Aiden, sorry about the tragic news of Jochen's dad at the end.
Did the Basilica Cistern appear in the Bond movie From Russia with Love?
Did the Basilica Cistern appear in the Bond movie From Russia with Love?
Thank you LS.
Wikipedia says that you are correct about the film. I hadn't a clue.
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