Touring Europe 2008 with the CMA
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Transcript of Touring Europe 2008 with the CMA
Wild Hogs Mild Togs Mad Dogs
Going around Europe: 3 bikes, 8 days, 2100 miles
Day 1: Wed 25 June 2008
Early wake up – 02:00. Stephen sends texts to Phil & Cliff. Wakes them up from constantly
needed beauty sleep ☺ Both complain & set
new early start meeting time of 03:15. It
didn’t work, Stephen arrived at 03:25, and he
only lives around the corner.
Uneventful ride to Dover, just stopping for
Phil to put on his wooly jumper cos he was
cold.
Got to Dover at 5:45. Gave a tract and CMA
info to a foot-passenger before embarking
onto the 06:25 ferry. Strapped the bikes down on the Car? Deck (must mean vehicle-deck)
and went upstairs for a jolly fry-up.
Arrived Calais. Lovely warm weather. How come we’re only 20 miles from UK and already
the weather is great?
Rode towards Dunkirk (Dunkerque!) and stopped further on at Brays Dunes for 3 café’s
(coffees) at a café. Riding on the right hand side of the road wasn’t too hard (would have
been better if we had left-hand-drive bikes!), but it was a bit confusing to think about which
way to look first at an intersection. Look right, left & right again. Or is that left, right and left
again? We played it safe, and all looked left, right, left, right, ok, and drove off quickly just in
case ☺
Went round in circles at De Panne due to roadworks but got back on track and arrived at
Knokke-Heist in Belgium for tea on the beach. It’s funny to think that England is across the
sea, and everything is so different just a few
miles away. We all bought postcards and sent
them to their respective new homes. Stephen
tried speaking Afrikaans to a policeman who
thought it sounded like German and asked him to
converse in English because it was easier!
After tea it was back onto the bikes heading for
Antwerp, went around the tolled by-pass and the
tunnels. Stopped on the other side of a toll-gate
for a sleep on the embankment. Nick Sanders
(world motorcycle tourer) says he survives on cat-naps (some of the places he goes he’s
lucky he isn’t kid-napped!!). And the cat-naps work. Back on the road for the last leg
through to Holland and our first night.
Rode up the A19 towards Breda, then East
towards our objective of Deurne. Cliff’s
SatNav guided us to a pleasant campsite in
Eindhoven. We were told to put our tents
under the trees. No-one else had tents
there but we set up camp and made the
first of lots of lovely cups of tea & coffee.
Cliff’s little gas burner and kettle was
probably the most important item with us.
____________________
Day 2: Thursday 26 June 2008
Broke camp by 8-ish and set off for Venlo, a town on the Eastern border of Holland and
Germany to find some breakfast.
Parked outside the Politia (Police station) with
permission from a policeman and settled down for the
first of many yummy and filling Continental
breakfasts. Had cheese, ham, breads, jam,
coffee......
The town was still very quiet and we browsed past a
few shops. We popped into a leather shop and there
were 3 small motorbikes on display. Stephen asked if
we could borrow them for a photo shoot and the
answer was yes!
We walked around town and took photo’s of the lovely architecture, bought more postcards,
bought some fruit including “flat” peaches which tasted like peaches!
Phil asked a truck driver if he knew where there was a motorbike shop – Phil was saddle-
sore and wanted a cushion (Gel padding or Air-Hawk cushion). So we followed the trucker’s
directions and made it to the bike shop where we looked at all the bikes, had a coffee, left a
Biker’s Bible and some tracts on their information and brochure stand. Unfortunately special
bike cushions were only available to order and we couldn’t wait there for a day!
Headed South towards Koblenz, with lovely scenery, valleys, mountains, big bridges over the
gaps and a little tiny white house all lonely on a mountain-side. We missed the turn-off to the
Nurburgring, but now we know where it is so have got a reason to come back!
We stopped at an Autobahn Kirche (Church) and were
about to leave a Biker Bible on the altar when 2 men
walked in – Walter and Andreas. We chatted to them
and discovered that Andreas is a biker – so our stopping
there was a God-arranged-moment! We gave him the
Bible. They invited us to visit them any time we were
ever in Cologne.
Carried on to a road-side Services for a rest and a cuppa. There were some comfortable
seats (especially for Phil). Stephen bumped his head twice on the low-lights that were
hanging there! Rode on further and Cliff used the sat-nav again to direct us to a camp-site in
the town of Ludwigshafen near Heidelberg. The camp-site was next to the Rhine river in a
suburb called Rheingold-Halle (very important so that we caught the right tram back from
town)
We set up camp and had a swim in the Rhine River. Stephen set off for the opposite shore
but heard a few cheery “good-byes” and realised that he was caught in the fast flowing water
so he swam quickly back again.
The intrepid trio caught the tram to town, walked around and had drinks in a busy square
with outside seating and tv’s all around for the patrons to watch the football. There were 2
pseudo-Harley bikes which looked quite mean and cool. Whilst waiting for the return tram
we fooled around on the tracks and took silly pics.
We caught the tram back to Rheingold-Halle and went to the local horsey community food
hall. We had yummy German grub and threw a stick for a little happy dog called Sally. Had
a couple more fine German drinks and then walked back in the dark to camp. We saw
glowing UFO’s (aka glow-worms and glow-flies) on the way. Went to sleep and Phil enjoyed
his little palace-on-wheels (a caravan!!).
__________________________
Day 3: Friday 27 June 2008
We were woken up at 07:15 with a cup of tea from Cliff which was very nice. Then we had
cold showers which were not very nice!
Back on the bikes and heading South. We all became grumpy in the traffic and stopped to
sort it out. Luckily there was an unmarked police van with BAD VD 32 on his number plate
which made us laugh or we might have had a fracas, and a speeding ticket! All was sorted,
hugs given, lots of Jesus love ☺ We turned off the main motorway so that we could enjoy
some back roads.
Had a leisurely break at Gaggenau, where our brunch
waitress (Martina) told us that she has a Honda Chopper
and her partner is also a biker. We gave her CMA info
and tracts, took a photo of us all which we printed in the
town, took it back and gave to her.
Looked for padded sexy cycle shorts for Phil but none make him look sexy!!! Phil and Cliff
exchanged money at the bank while Stephen played with the toy cars in the kiddies corner ☺
We left Gaggenau and rode through the
majestic Black Forest with lovely tree lined
curved roads and awesome scenery of hills,
farms and trees – slow progress to the
picturesque little town of Schromberg,
nestled amongst the rolling hills.
Refreshments were required so we had
coffee and delicious cakes while observing
the locals and listening to a lot of German
language.
Phil was feeling more and more uncomfortable in the saddle and he went into an Apotheka
(Chemist) to try and obtain some wonder-salve to soothe the affected areas. Unfortunately
he couldn’t speak German and the Pharmacists couldn’t speak English. Stephen tried
speaking in Afrikaans and they couldn’t understand that either. Luckily
a customer could speak some English and was able to translate Phil’s
request. We all had a good laugh and Phil was supplied with a tube of
ointment which presumably helped because we never heard another
thing about it....
Whilst in the Apotheka Stephen found a shopping trolley of his dreams
– filled with sweets. It was a bit of a small trolley but that didn’t stop
him!!
The road to Switzerland beckoned and we left the beautiful forest and
joined the Autobahn. This was our first taste of the “unlimited speed” on such roads and all
the cars moved swiftly, the slow lane going at about 85mph or 130kph and the fast lane
varying up to 100mph or 160kph as traffic allowed. So we covered a fair distance in a short
time!
Phil was feeling tired so we stopped at a service
station where he had a snooze on the grass while
Cliff and Stephen looked around the shop and fuelled
up. Stephen bought a map that included the Alps
into Italy because we had decided to try to go to Italy
since we were so close. There was another
Autobahn Chapel there and Stephen took some
photo’s. It was very modern and purpose built
compared to the previous one which was a church in
a road-side town.
Carried on towards Zurich and stopped to look at a Rheinfall (rapid flowing water) at
Schaffhausen which was very impressive. Wouldn’t like to get caught in that!!
We then set off on a quest to find a camp-site SouthEast of Zurich. We rode towards
Pfaffikon and then couldn’t find the campsite that we expected there. We then headed
towards Lake Zurich to a campsite that was on the SatNav but when we got there it had been
closed for about 5 years. So we rode around the shore-line of the lake to a town called
Rapperswil. There was a lot of noise, traffic and people as there was a jazz festival all
weekend. We tried the Best Western hotel but they wanted 210 Swiss Francs! (about £130
per person for the night). Well it may have been the BEST western but they weren’t getting
our money. Back at the bikes Cliff was accosted by 2 Christian “Village People” who were
very impressed with the Cross on his back and his motorbike. We rode off into the hills and
the gathering dusk, feeling tired, hungry and needing a shower.
We stopped at a pub looking for a guest-house and they
advised Hotel Rossli at Schönenberg, about 2 miles further
on. We made it there and found lodgings at the Inn for £75
each which included the evening meal, bed and breakfast.
We promptly settled in and relaxed on their terrace
quaffing the local mead with a lovely view back over the
distant Lake Zurich.
We had a double room and a single room so Phil got his own while Stephen shared with Cliff.
Cliff put earplugs in before he went to sleep, which should have been a clue. Stephen didn’t
and was kept awake most of the night by midnight bells, snorting and snoring from Cliff!
Huh! Cliff obviously couldn’t hear anything so Stephen kept throwing things at him and made
sure that he also had a disturbed night. After all, what are friends for but to share everything
with!
________________________
Day 4: Saturday 28 June 2008
Saturday dawned with the excitement of the anticipation of riding our
bikes over the Swiss Alps into Italy – WOW!!!
After a yummy Swiss continental breakfast we loaded up the bikes
and had a quick photo shoot in front of the hotel before setting off.
There was a sign next to the front door of the hotel showing that it is
part of the GILDE hotel chain, so of course Stephen had to have his
photo taken next to it.
Onto the road in lovely sunshine riding towards Luzern (Lucerne)
through lovely hilly alpine settings we came across the Harley-
Davidson (Hardly-Dangerous) bike shop near a town called Zug.
The bike shop was on the side of the main road with awesome
views down to the lake and up to mountains beyond. Cliff
bought a T-shirt, we left a Biker’s Bible and tracts on the main
counter after chatting with a H-D assistant called Catherine.
We headed up to the big Alpine mountains, driving through
twisty tunnels and popping out to see amazing views over lakes,
Alpine villages, Swiss Chalets, and, as we rode higher and
higher, there was packed snow on the sides of the
roads. We stopped to take many photos, in awe of
this earthly beauty, a special part of God’s wonderful
creation. We also had a snowball fight and Cliff lay
down on a huge bank of snow but his shirt wasn’t
tucked in so he got a chilly bottom.
In a particularly twisty, hairpin bend, steep gradient
Phil saw a bike in front of him hit the barrier, bounce
off, hit it again and then slow down but the rider was
ok. There were hundreds of bikes, a few cars and NO lorries – hooray!
We stopped at a wayside restaurant and had a huge plate of thick melted strong cheese on
homemade toasted bread.
On we went, riding through a steep mountain pass into Northern Italy, now following Cliff’s
SatNav to get us to a campsite near Villadóssola. We were tired and hot. These last few
miles seemed endless. Yet another tight windy narrow pass, heading deep into the majestic
peaks surrounding us, the Matterhorn a few miles ahead. Suddenly a small village appeared
and we found the unimpressive camp-site. Cliff and Phil “spoke” (gesticulated and spoke
loud slow English) to some people already there. They managed to convey that we needed
to stay the night and the Italians said they’d
phone the campsite owner who would come
soon. A young man called Walter arrived and
we agreed on a price, got extra shower tokens
just in case we needed them. We asked him
where we could eat and he said there was a
Pizzeria in the little village or we could eat at
HIS restaurant just 2km up the hill next to a
lovely lake called Lago (Lake) Antrona. Having
set up camp we set off in shorts, T-shirts and no
crash helmets! to check out the lake and the
restaurant.
It WAS beautiful!! Stephen and Cliff wanted to do
the Wild Hog thing and skinny-dipped in the fresh
clear waters of the lake. Phil thought it was a
good time for a drink and said “bottoms-up” to
which Stephen & Cliff duly obliged – Phil has the
photo evidence! The Ristorante looked cool with
tables on an outside verandah surrounded by
lakeside and mountain views. Walter’s wife
Samantha interpreted a little and Anna waited
upon us. We enjoyed a carafe of vino Rosso and
delicious local food. Another patron, David,
introduced himself as he had ridden around Europe on a BMW a few years previously. He
wasn’t too keen on Harley-Davidsons but did sit on Cliff’s for a photo. He also bought us a
round of Grappa to drink.
Our hunger satisfied, bellies full, refreshed by the cool lake waters we
rode back down to camp, stopping to take photos of Christ icons
amongst the trees in the Church yard.
________________________
Day 5: Sunday 29 June 2008
Down the mountain and onto a motorway towards Torino (Turin). Phil & Cliff’s water bottles
flew off their bikes (note – use cargo net in future). Phil tried to lead us off to Milano (Milan)
but we turned around after 5km and got back on track. We all agreed that Stephen should
be in front when any direction changes or turn-offs had to be made.
Stopped at an Auto-Grill for breki (had to ride a bit off-road, over the other side of the
highway first) but the main Grill wasn’t open yet. So we joined the queue (not really queuing,
just random Italian service) and shouted out our hopeful orders to
a lady behind the counter. We got everything to eat we were
hoping for, including marmalade croissants, paninis and strong
coffee. There were several other bikers there. Parked outside
was a customised small black and orange Honda V-twin engined
chopper with the words “Tiny Lady Biker” painted on the tank –
and the lady rider can’t have been 5 foot tall!
Rode on Autostrada towards Aoste and Montblanc tunnel through heavily queued traffic due
to roadworks. A rainstorm seemed imminent so a stop for rain-gear was called for. Onward
we went through many tunnels. A pale milky blue river was flowing swiftly parallel to the
road. Stephen stopped at a toll-gate but didn’t have a ticket because we had all just
“jumped” a toll-gate in the morning, not realising we were supposed to take a ticket then.
The lady in the booth wrote Stephen’s registration number down, and he joined Cliff & Phil on
the other side (they having jumped this one too). The signage was a bit confusing and we
didn’t know what we were supposed to do.
Phil was getting very tired and bored so we stopped for fuel at a road-side Services but there
was no shade to rest in so we carried on up into the mountains, towards the Montblanc
Tunnel.
Arrived at the Montblanc Tunnel (12km or 7 miles
long). It cost €21-45 or £16-00 each! The tunnel
seemed to go on forever. We all felt that it was
strange, almost disorientating. There were bright
blue lights at regular intervals of about 150metres
which all vehicles are supposed to drive that far apart
in case of any emergency. The tunnel must have
been well ventilated but we could still smell vehicle
exhaust fumes. It was a delight to arrive at the other
side and ride out into the welcoming sunlight with an
awesome view of the Montblanc mountain with snow covered peaks and incredible views.
A coffee break was called for and we stopped at the
beautiful town of Chamonix Montblanc with an icy glacier
visible as a backdrop to the picturesque famous skiing
town. At the coffee shop where we enjoyed delicious
pastries from the bakery across the road a group of
British bikers also arrived. They ride with a club called
the Perverted Centurions. We had a good chat with them
and gave them some tracts as we didn’t have any more
Bibles. The bikers asked about giving donations to the
CMA and we said they could send money direct to the
CMA, as well as requesting a free Biker Bible.
We walked around in the searing heat where we saw
cable cars, paragliders soaring above the slopes and
peaks, awesome snow-covered glaciers and a milky
white/blue river flowing swiftly through the centre of town.
Back on the road to Geneva, where we found a fabulous campsite on the shores of Lake
Geneva on the advice of the afore-mentioned Perverts (UK bikers). Set up camp, swam in
the lake, had a delicious meal at the on-site restaurant. Cliff insisted that we watch the
European football final between Spain and Germany. The tv was inside the restaurant and
their heating radiators were on, even though the weather was already boiling!! The coldest
thing there was the arrogant waiter/manager and we found our own dessert menu’s and had
3 different ice-creams.
Took a couple of dusk/sunset photos at the
lakeside with Phil posing for Charles Atlas
brochure ☺ The silhouette looked more like
Charles Chaplin!! He was very attractive to the
local mosquito population and was bitten all over
(well almost). Stephen went for a short walk then
we all went to bed to the cheers of the campers
watching the ongoing football match. Spain won,
much to the delight of most. Cliff and Phil sawed
wood all night. It rained at 2a.m. and was
spitting when we packed up in the morning.
________________________
Day 6: Monday 30 June 2008
Set off into the rush hour traffic using Cliff’s tv-game (Satnav) as a guide. Needed to stop at
the customs border post to put all our rain gear on as the heavens opened for the first time
on our trip. Rode on into Southern France where after a few miles the rain had stopped and
the rolling hills on either side were bathed in warm sunshine again. After 50 miles we
stopped at a Services for fuel and food. There was something strange happening there
because a BMW bike, Harley Davisdon and a car were all having problems with their alarms
and immobilisers. Cliff tried to help the Harley guy but to no avail. He had to wait for
breakdown rescue. We continued on the motorway but Stephen decided that N6 back road
looked cool so we stopped for a snack at Charlyon. Set off again and took the offramp
where there was a toll-gate. Cliff didn’t have a ticket because in the morning he’d ridden up
to the ticket machine too close to Stephen and the machine didn’t recognise two vehicles.
The lady was very firm, and wouldn’t back down so Cliff had to pay an extra €10-00.
Rode up the enjoyable old road (N6) which ran almost parallel to the motorway but was
much more scenic. We pushed past our original objective of Auxerre to Sens which is closer
to Paris with the hope of having more time to spend in Paris the next day.
The campsite was rudimentary but clean, and the owner Michel was a
friendly chap. We all used lots of smiles and hand signals to
communicate and set up camp again. Had a welcome shower and
then walked into the town itself – about a mile.
There was a beautiful cathedral there and interesting winding walkways
among the beautiful architecture of the town. We stopped for cooling
refreshments seated outside on the pavement while watching the locals
go by (always a fun and interesting past-time). Walked back to camp,
expecting to dine that evening at a pleasant inviting looking restaurant
across the main road from the campsite but it was “fermi” (closed), as
was the pizzeria nearby. Apparently they close on Monday nights.
So we tried to explain our predicament to Michel and asked him to phone for a taxi for us – it
was just too hot and tiring to walk back to the town centre again. He offered us a lift in his
little Renault van and we accepted his kind offer. Back in the town square we chose an
inviting looking restaurant and took a table outside so we could dine al fresco. The waiters
were JonJon and Rosa, who forced us to imbibe great quantities of liquid refreshment. The
food was excellent and being outside we interacted with the passers-by including a group of
young German tourists who insisted on having us in their photos, and them in ours. We all
laughed together like schoolboys. Phil and Cliff posed with a local lad on the edge of the
fountain’s pool in the town square. Eventually
we strolled home again, took photos under the
street lights hanging over the centre of the road.
It made us feel like we were going to be
beamed up (Scotty) ☺
Apparently Phil’s tent was pitched right next to a
mosquito nest, and he appeared the next
morning with more bumps than usual!
________________________
Day 7: Tuesday 1 July 2008
Both Stephen and Cliff woke with the joys of Spring and hope in their hearts, with not a care
in the world. Phil on the other hand was a growling bear. Ooops, sorry – wrong way round!
The contracted illness made Cliff feel quite queasy. He requested two pit stops. A strange
British biker was seen sleeping in the forest behind Fontainebleau Palace and again a bit
later in the palace gardens next to the “keep off the grass” sign. Stephen walked up to the
palace to get a happy snap while Phil cleaned his bike, mowed the grass at the side of the
road, raked up all the leaves and cleaned the windscreens of all the cars in the parking lot.
Then Phil and Stephen enjoyed a lovely coffee and omelette at
a bistro in Fontainebleau. In a phone booth next to the bistro a
grey cat was crouching in the corner, very frightened and
obviously lost. Most of the people walking by stopped to look at
it. One of the chefs put some meat down for it to eat.
Eventually a Community Support officer arrived and took it
away, hopefully not to the oriental restaurant across the road!
A large strong black take-away coffee was obtained for the sleeping vagrant in the park who,
when roused, was very grateful. The Coke we had stopped for earlier hadn’t helped much.
Phil & Cliff then spoke to a biker called Mike about the route to Paris while Stephen was
posting cards. He advised which route to take and they gave him a Biker Bible return form
and a tract.
And so, towards Paris we headed......
It was VERY HOT! Got into Paris and stopped at the first
restaurant we found for juice and water, feeling
dehydrated and boiled alive.
We rode to the Eiffel tower where Stephen was twice
offered a gold ring by the local touts (touts, not louts) and
refused them, told them to clear off.
Phil and Cliff relaxed on the grass. Stephen, the usual
tourist, went on a lone photo shoot and took pics of
anything and everything around the tower. It was still
VERY HOT.
Left the tower and followed SatNav to Arc de Triomf, stopping for a photo before working our
way through the busy lunch-time traffic until we burst out onto the main Northern highway.
Within half an hour there was only the three of us on the road, and rolling grain fields on both
sides. We felt free, cooler, refreshed and enjoyed the great open views after the closeness
of the metropolis.
At Amiens we Cliff and Stephen went to the Tourist Information Centre to look for a camp-
site. It was still VERY HOT. We found the local camp-site which didn’t have any trees,
wasn’t by a lake that we could swim in, although some locals were diving off lock gates
swimming in the canal. Cliff & Stephen went to check in and returned to the bikes to find Phil
upset and annoyed. Phil had said earlier in the day that he didn’t want to camp or sleep in a
tent that night. There were no caravans or chalets available at this site, nor at any other site
in town. Phil decided he was going to ride to Calais on his own and sleep in a hotel! We had
a DEBATE and eventually agreed and decided that we would definitely all stay together
somewhere else, perhaps in a hotel. So we handed back the gate key and were given a full
refund. We then rode around Amiens looking for space in an Inn. But, it was the time of
university exams and there was no room in any Inn! A helpful man at a hotel reception
phoned ahead to Abbeville, a town 50km
further North, and arranged accommodation for
us all.
On the road again....... STILL VERY HOT. And
we were tired. We got to Abbeville about 7pm
and the town was quiet. Found the hotel which
looked very nice. The lady at the reception
desk was English but had lived in France for
many years. We had a good chat and a laugh
with her while arranging a “family” room for the
three of us at a good price, courtesy of Phil.
Up we went to our room which was lovely and cool with a
pleasant view down the town. After showering we went
downstairs again and decided to eat in the hotel rotisserie as
the other one we had seen apparently recycle their salads –
yuck!
The food was c’est magnifique. Cliff and Stephen had a brief
walk around town at midnight. When they got back to the hotel
room Phil was already sawing wood! It was wonderful to settle
down in luxurious comfort after almost 2000 miles on the road
in a week. Thanks Phil!
________________________
Day 8: Wednesday 2 July 2008
The Last Day..... Our last yummy continental breakfast with DIY boiled oëf on toast, as well
as cheeses, sliced meats and filter coffee.
We packed up the bikes and Stephen wrote on a tract which he put onto another bike parked
outside. Phil and Cliff bought zip-bags and trinkets for family back home. Phil left his bike
key on a shelf in the shop and had to go back. Luckily it hadn’t been sold as an ornament!
A quick ride up to Calais, through Boulogne and the last
bit of beautiful French countryside. It was cloudy and
warm. We made it to the ferry terminal in good time. At
the customs/passport control Stephen walked back to
take a photo of the bikes. He said “Don’t move” and Phil
and Cliff put their hands in the air as if they were being
arrested. The customs officer was NOT amused! Ha ha
ha ha!
Once on board we counted all our small change and had a huge meal
on the proceeds. Stephen and Phil walked around the ferry and went
outside on top where it was dry and cool with great views of the other
Channel traffic and England getting closer.
We docked at Dover and the large metal doors opened to reveal......RAIN! Why were we not
surprised? So we put on all our rain gear in readiness for the last 130 miles home. Except it
became 160 miles. Phil was in front at the split of the M20 to Dartford or Heathrow, and he
chose Heathrow. He had far-off destinations on his mind, and didn’t want to go home just
yet. There wasn’t another intersection or off-ramp until Horsham – over 20 miles in the
wrong direction. Oh well, we just laughed and enjoyed the ride.....
Arrived at Orwell Truck Stop near Ipswich in Suffolk at 4pm. 3 bikes, 2100 miles in 8 days.
It was great!
Cliff Lewis (Harley Davidson Night Train)
Phil Harris (Honda Pan European)
Stephen Gilder (BMW Rockster)
________________________