Mel & Trinity

I hit the road on Friday afternoon for the first of the two European motorcycle tours that I have planned for this summer. In stark contrast to my North American and South African tours, I left the UK with a broad plan, having only booked my Eurotunnel journeys, bought the insurance policies I needed and packed my panniers. My goal was, and still is, to visit 10 countries in 16 days. Well 16.5 days really. I have 11 days and 3 countries to go. Of course I will be backtracking through some of them on my way back to London.

The first few days were a bit of a haze. I was completely run off my feet for the three weeks leading up to my trip, hence the lack of planning, so I was feeling quite drained and tired. The fact that I was mainly on motorways for the first three days was not adding any excitement but it did get me to where I wanted to be faster, namely the Alps. That made it all worth it!

By and large living day to day has worked out pretty well so far. Because I was tired I spent my first night in Bruges rather than pushing through to Gent which was a great decision. I loved the old town of Bruges. Gent was lovely too but it’s a larger city and therefore less intimate. I like small and intimate.

Below are photos of Bruges and Gent to give you a little flavour of the cities.

My decision to stay in Echternach in Luxembourg (on the border of Germany) the second night came at the recommendation of the hotel receptionist in Bruges. It was nice but it didn’t blow me away to be honest.

I spent my third night in town called Mulhouse, France (close to the French/German/Swiss border) largely because I was too tired to push through the to Switzerland. I decided to travel via and spend some time in Trier, Germany which is a lovely city. I spent a long weekend there with my cousin, Deborah, and her family some years ago and it brought back wonderful memories. The city has a strong Roman influence which really appeals to be. I have a strong fascination with the Roman Empire.

The description in the photo below provides some information about Trier.

This is where my trip really started to get exciting.

I sent a friend from work, Migi, a message to find out where I should go in Switzerland. Her recommendation was Lucern and Interlaken. Migi nailed it! The Swiss cities are so refined and gorgeous and of course who can resist those mountains!

Lucern is a cosmopolitan city on Lake Lucerne. The lake is the fourth largest in Switzerland. It city has a similar feel to Geneva, both of which are quite stunning and centred around the lakes they are next to.

Below are some photos of Lucern.

From here things got better and better.

I took Highway 8 between Lucern and Interlaken. I hadn’t planned on stopping anywhere along the way but when I saw a gorgeous town nestled between the mountains and a lake I could resist a visit. The town is Lungern. The photos speak for themselves.

I spent the evening in Montreux which is on the eastern side of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. It was raining when I arrived and raining when I left so I sadly didn’t take any photos. The town is gorgeous though but then again all the towns on Lake Geneva are from memory.

Day five took me via the Aosta Valley in Italy and then back into France. I was now on the ‘back roads’ riding through the mountains. I’m not sure what I was expecting but riding through snow capped mountains was not it. Not in summer anyway. It was fascinating and I even managed to meet some tor the locals (see photos below).

The days amazing travels led me to Briancon which is the highest, in terms of altitude, city in France. I love this city! I could feel my spirit rise walking through the little streets and around the fortress like walls. It’s a must visit if you’re ever in the area. Below is a taste of Briancon.

I could not imagine my ride getting any more beautiful but yesterday proved me wrong. From Briancon I took the Great Alpine Road through the mountains before eventually heading to Monaco via Nice.

The Great Alpine Road is stunning! It has also elevated my admiration for cycling. Wherever I was riding there were cyclists. I have no idea how they do it. The roads are steep and winding. A clapped for a few as they passed me. They certainly have my respect. You’ll see why from the one photo below.

My summary of the last two days riding is that is doesn’t matter which town you stop in along the way, they are all gorgeous. Maybe that’s why I’ve been slightly underwhelmed by Monaco. There is such hype around Monte Carlo but in my opinion is really not that special. Nice is far nicer but I’m glad I can say been there, done that! Below is a photo of Monte Carlo Casino.

There have been a few unforeseen incidents along the way. The first incident happened on day 2 when my headlight bulb died in France and I had to find a BMW dealership to replace it. The second incident happened when my phone ran out of battery in Switzerland because the power socket (a smaller version of a cigarette lighter in a car) on my bike is playing up. This left me stranded in Montreaux in the rain until I could swap the SIM cards between my phones. Of course this meant I no longer had GPS and I had to keep stopping to check my phone. That’s not great in the rain on a bike. The third incident happened yesterday again in France when I planned a route on my phone but for some reason it took me on the alternative (motorway) instead. That little mistake cost me €72 in toll fees. I was not impressed! Today was another French incident. I was on the top of a mountain and the screw on my GoPro attachment decided to fall off. Thank goodness I saw it happening so I could stop immediately. It had fallen into my radiator so I managed to fish it out.

Today I’m off to Italy. It’s a very special day today as my eldest niece, Tyla, is officially a teenager. Happy birthday gorgeous! I can’t wait To see you at Christmas.

The adventure continues!

P.S. For more photos please visit my Mel & Trinity page on Facebook. 🙂