Going to Northern Italy

[Pedro]

Didn't sleep more than one hour last night, was tired and sleepy but went to bed and just had to wait the night to pass. This was hard, but meant that it was easy to get out of bed at 6AM, a little past 6:30 and I was getting on the motorway.

Sun rise, it looked like a lovely day but it wasn't to be.

 

A  couple of hours after leaving the house, and I'm stopping for breakfast already in Spain. @Earache, your petrol station shops could learn a thing or two from spanish Repsols, generaly you have fresh half decent baguettes and full legs of proper smoked ham 

 

My breakfast, by now I was a little surprised it wasn't getting any warmer outside. To warm up a little, a little butter on the hot toast, some fresh orange juice, and an espresso. 

 

Theoreticaly, this bike shouldn't be a lot different than mine cruising on motorways, but it is. Mine has the touratech suspension that is always a little too firm for comfort, a short screen, and rough tires. This one, on new 100% road tires, rubber footpegs, stock electronic suspension with soft springs, and a proper screen, rides like a pillow and I listen to music in my helmet at 70% the usual volume. The result is that distance passes by a lot smoother, I WILL look into one of these stock GS screens for mine too, smaller than the massive Adventure screen but they work nicely. The seat is shorter than mine too, maybe that also helps to lower me into the bubble a little more.

 

What this bike seems to do a lot more is use fuel. It does have a substantially smaller tank but felt like I spent all day putting fuel into it. I think it uses more, and I do need a 30 liter tank, this is not funny. Does anyone know if the 1250 uses more fuel than the 1200 just cruising down a motorway?

 

Coming the other way, all bikers were wearing rain suits, I put mine on too to shelter for the cold winds that now were starting to get really strong, and in anticipation of the rain in the distance.

 

I have three days to get to Milan, including today. This is plenty of time, I gave up on doing the Via del Sale because of the weather, I don't fancy going off-road on a rental bike on gay tires after heavy rains. Also, I played with the idea of going all the way to Germany, spending one day stopped on the Nurburgring, and then the 800km to Milan on friday. There's less chance of rain in Germany than in southern France, which sounds ridiculous, but it'll rain there as well and I would like one nice lap of the track with no rain, plus that would be adding some distance to the bike and testing the rental company's goodwill. Gave up on all of that and headed to Pamplona. Got there to find perfectly dry weather, so stopped on a park bench to take all the plastic stuff off and figure out what to do.

Pamplona is a very civilized city, huge areas of motorcycle only parking:

I gave my friend from Pamplona a surprise call, but turns out he was away. All hotels were either too expensive or full, or in areas where I'm not leaving a bike outside. I found a little place in the hills, one hour away, deep in the Basque hills and got going, but not before fueling up again.

The rain did return, and I stopped, once again, to put my rain jacket on.

 

Got to my destination for the night at almost 19:00. Perfect timing to have a nice shower and a walk around town before dinner, it has been a long day.

Being lower, with a very much improved gearbox and clutch, this feels like a toy to ride around town compared to my bike. It has less braap thought, it's very smooth but seems like it's half asleep if you blip the throttle. Having said that, it is faster at speed, but not in such a way that makes it a reason for changing. What I don't like about it is all the electronic shit, the screen and you having to navigate menus to see things. I'm always checking my pocket for the keyless key, because it's not where it should be ... 

I'm staying in a very charming old country house in a very quaint village, so went for a walk:

 

 

A spot for playing "pelota vasca", but probably "pelota mano" which makes me wince just to contemplate. Look it up if you don't know what it is.

 

I was going to eat beef for dinner, but not after watching a veal scratch her face against a concrete pole:

 

The inside of the place I'm staying almost makes me want proper winter weather, maybe not really though 

 

Eating codfish cooked in what must be a very Basque way, with peppers and tomato, the fried egg adds a lot to it. Frankly, I'm not going to miss it.

 

Some cold basque cider to wash it down, and that's the day done.

 

I'm being confident, my rain pants and overboots are inside the pannier that is on the bike, I'm trusting. Let's see how tomorrow goes.

 

[Pedro]

 

 

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

Think this will be epic..

[Earache]

1 hour ago, Pedro said:

.. @Earache, your petrol station shops could learn a thing or two from spanish Repsols, generaly you have fresh half decent baguettes and full legs of proper smoked ham 

 

 

Nah - that'd never sell at an American truck stop. Too gay for even Starfucks to sell.

[boboneleg]

Good start @Pedro apart from the weather.  You've definitely made the correct decision about the Via del Sale , it's not the place for a rental bike on gay tyres 

[Saul]

Great first report Pedro 

 

[Buckster]

14 hours ago, Earache said:

Nah - that'd never sell at an American truck stop. Too gay for even Starfucks to sell.

They would sell in California but not for eating.

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

17 hours ago, Pedro said:

 

 

Try speaking the next time...curious to see what kinda accent you have...

[Pedro]

2 hours ago, Marcel le Moose Fondler said:

Try speaking the next time...curious to see what kinda accent you have...

Look at my channel, there’s a few videos in which I speak. 
 

Pete’s favourite: 

 

[Buckster]

5 minutes ago, Pedro said:

Look at my channel, there’s a few videos in which I speak. 
 

Pete’s favourite: 

 

Definitely Mexican.

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

2 hours ago, Buckster said:

Definitely Mexican.

I'd say like a refine Mexican...like high class Mexican  ?

[Buckster]

2 minutes ago, Marcel le Moose Fondler said:

I'd say like a refine Mexican...like high class Mexican  ?

Better class of drug mule?

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

9 minutes ago, Buckster said:

Better class of drug mule?

He would definitely make and excellent mule...they wouldn't even Xray him...

[Pedro]

I've got some sweet pictures from the Pyrenees, but a group of french people just tried to murder me with too much food and wine at dinner. I don't think I will eat tomorrow.

The weather is shit too, and tomorrow I need to make way towards Italy, I spent all day today meandering around the mountains and only did a total of straight line 100 or 150km, maybe.

[boboneleg]

Take it easy @Pedro

[Pedro]

4 hours ago, boboneleg said:

Take it easy @Pedro

I did enjoy that part of France, where I woke up, a lot more than I thought I would. Really very pretty. Now near Nice, after a full day on the bike.

weather has improved, and I’m tempted to try and squeeze the Via del Sale in on my way to Milan. Entering Italy via Monaco, to have a wiff of money.

[boboneleg]

YYou could always just do the Passo della Tenda (26 hairpin bends on gravel) to cross the border, then head to Milan via Cuneo .

It would be easier and quicker than the Via del Sale 

[Pedro]

8 hours ago, boboneleg said:

YYou could always just do the Passo della Tenda (26 hairpin bends on gravel) to cross the border, then head to Milan via Cuneo .

It would be easier and quicker than the Via del Sale 

Passo della Tenda is closed, I found today as I was going up that to the start of the Via del Sale. I went the long way around also via sort of gravel, but easier. 
 

Called the guy in the entry office and asked … 
 

I’ll leave it for the proper report, it’s funny 

[Pedro]

This is going to be a picture intensive thread, if I ever get to finish it. I planned on doing teo installments tonight but am still out in the street as it’s too nice to go to bed. It’s just the right temperature for cold drinks!

[Pedro]

Next day, I woke up with the certainty of having a very rainy day ahead of me. I intend to ride out of the hotel already with rain suits on, since my "main wear" for this trip consist of jeans and a very summery jacket, enjoy a b-road to Pau and then hop on the motorway and cover as much ground as comfortable before stopping for dinner and sleep, this is my plan drawn in resignation to suffer rain storms in a motorway for the majority of a day.

Reality didn't go like that, I did get the rain, and in fact put the luggage on the bike, and exited the hotel all waterproofed only to need to access my gloves in one of the sidecases to then remember the bike's key in my jeans. I hate these keys, since you don't need them to operate the bike they end up wherever and never at hand when you need them. After all the carfuffle I am now sweating, so come back in from the rain to take my sweater off. Most other people in that place are hikers, they agreed that rain and warmth is the worst!

I ride off, taking very tiny roads, after a short while I spot this place just right for an espresso with shelter from the rain. I walk in, and stand in front of the counter while the girl is very busy talking to someone, then she's very busy answering the phone, then she runs past, completely ignoring me and the other people now in line. I step outside and take a free seat while contemplating the rain.

This was the first taste of french hospitality, they're known for it but since this is Basque Country I thought it would be different:

 

A few minutes later, waterproofs back on, and I head out. Finally the girls in line behind me are getting served, could have taken 10 espressos in that time.

I head into the hills and following my phone's guidance through very small roads I start enjoying myself, so much so that when the phone goes quiet I continue from intuition. Roads are really small, very muddy and with lots of animal waste from herds of cows and sheep that are grazed here.

After maybe 30 or 45 minutes the rain stops briefly and I take the picture above while finally going for my phone safely tucked inside my jacket, turns out I'm almost back where I started! No worries, I had the feeling that's what was happening, and carried on the right way. I climb a little, and stop to admire the views, nice fog!

 

There's fog and muddy roads, those are horses in the distance down in the valley:

 

I've never had tires as good in the rain as these. These are Mitas Touring Force, granted the name can take some improving but on wet greasy muddy tarmac, they're great. If there's no tarmac they're not so great, but that's fair enough.

 

In the next three pictures, if you zoom in you'll see vultures. They're just standing there with their wings open, I don't know what they were doing but that was it as watched from the outside. I shouted, they flew 50 meters and did the same thing.

More horses:

 

There are a lot of tiny ponies roaming around, but I never stopped for pictures because they were too near the road and didn't seem to like my presence, and it was just raining too much and I tried to keep the inside of my gloves dry.

Up high, clouds were moving fast:

 

Filthy bike:

 

 

And as quickly as that, the clouds roll in again, same spot:

 

Now almost 2PM and I feel a little peckish, so stop to both figure out where to get something to eat and where to head after. I stop when it stops raining, and it happens to be in the middle of an amazing forrest. Really a very cool place:

 

I give up on finding a cafe, and go to a supermarket, buy a bread and some cheese, and make a sandwich:

 

Someone cut a tree down in the picnic area, it's growing back again:

 

By now I'm enjoying this too much and to hell with the motorway, so decide to follow the Pyrenees a while more, stopping near Laruns to check where I'm going:

 

Where I was heading was through the Col D'Aubisque and the Col de Soulor, very cool roads eve if it was pouring down, again I was amazed how good these tires were on a bike with softer suspension than mine, I don't think I could have had a more confidence inspiring combination.

 

Up at the top, stopped for a coffee and to decide on accommodation for the night, in the direction of France proper but not too far away as the rain was loosing it's charm:

 

Local cheeses in this whole area are amazing, I almost felt tempted to contaminate a whole sidecase in order to buy some. The smell would have lingered in whatever was sharing luggage space for ages 

 

I found this small place near Lourdes, about 45 minutes away, and off I went. It was a nice surprise, nobody spoke english but my broken french made up for it. I fool people into thinking I know french, this lasts 10 seconds, then the momentum carries me through the rest of the conversation 

 

One of their "guard dogs" doesn't know he's a guard dog yet, and quickly turned into a play mate, a game of fetch ensued and after a while he was broken and ready for a nap at his owners' door:

 

They knew the way to my heart and the madame of the house told me to help myself to beer on the fridge, (or tea if I preferred ) , her husband was cooking and I was to join the two couples they had as guests and themselves for dinner. 

After a day of wearing rain stuff it felt good to be having a beer outside in a tshirt. The other dog wasn't a friend of mine, though:

 

The gentleman waving in the picture below is quite a character, he is a belgium who used to race (as an amateur, I think), Sidecar Motocross, and has an old Maico 250cc at home (non sidecar). I didn't ask what color it was, though, so he might be a deviant and have a blue Maico 

He and his wife have been married for 58 years, which is amazing not only on the number of years but also because none of them look to be old enough, I enjoyed their company as both had a great sense of humor and were a joy to be around.

I was not, though, prepared to the amount of food. I misunderstood and thought we were going to have a few tapas or a few platters of stuff, so when the guy filled the table (table, I thought was platter as in board) with all sorts of entrees I assumed that was dinner, it was enough for everyone. But no, after I was full came the soup, which was delicious, then the duck magret with a type of patatas bravas, then the cheese, and then dessert when I was about to pass out.

I couldn't say no to dessert as Marie, the owners' daughter had made it. She's working as a pastry chef.

 

I had never over eaten so much in my life. I went for a stroll and then retired to bed feeling like I was going pass out. I had heard of the French and their dinners, but had never been in one. Good thing I had work to do as that helped me digest a little while sitting up and working on the laptop.

The next day would be a long one.

[Saul]

Great report Pedro, that was just what I needed after my nightshift.  

[Earache]

Cool pics, Pedro!

[boboneleg]

Great report @Pedro with some very atmospheric photos 

[boboneleg]

This photo could definitely win BOTM , unfortunately I think it says in the rules that it has to be a bike owned by you .  I don't know who made those silly rules .........  

 

[Pedro]

On 08/09/2024 at 18:44, boboneleg said:

This photo could definitely win BOTM , unfortunately I think it says in the rules that it has to be a bike owned by you .  I don't know who made those silly rules .........  

 

I might submit it anyway. 
 

 

 

 

 

But then I won’t be able to accept it