European Convention, Croatia
1 - 11th June 2009
‘There and Back Again’.
A Trip of Ice Creams,
Bubble Baths and Muddy Brandy
Monday 1st June 2009: Having packed and repacked several times as the capacity of Goldwing luggage is not what one would call cavernous, although with a tow ball attachment that allows a Givi pannier to fit on the back giving us extra space we packed for the last time, zeroed the clock and set off at 17:00hrs for a trip to Croatia and the European Convention Rally weekend. We had arranged to meet Tina and John Cooke and Leslie and Muddy Waters from England XIV at the pub on the road into Portsmouth Ferry port but found a rubble heap was all that remained of the pub. Being Blue Knights we conducted a little bit of detective work and soon located them at the Ship and Castle pub, already enjoying a pint outside. 149 miles had passed as we boarded the ferry for the overnight crossing to Le Havre.
Tuesday 2nd June: The L.D Lines ferry docked at 08:30hrs, just right for the rush hour traffic out of the town. Unfortunately our route also took us round the outer Paris peripherique and despite the hour of day the traffic was still horrendous and we spent miles filtering the queues, (who said you can’t easily filter on a Goldwing) but we all made it in one piece. Soon we were sitting enjoying lunch at a café in the medieval town of Melun. The next little detour took us into the town of Fontainebleau and a short stop for photographs. At 16:30hrs and 259 miles later we arrived at our first guest house: The Moulin d’Eguebaude (Gite de France), Estissac, France. The property included a beautiful old water mill and separate Gites. The house also had a working trout farm the produce from which we were to sample later.
The weather was very hot and shorts, chilled home brewed cider and wild strawberries formed the order of the evening. For dinner we enjoyed fresh trout and the company of the other guests including a German and an English couple. Not even Mr Grumpy ‘I don’t like fish and I don’t like crème brulee’ could spoil our evening and ‘After-dinner’ Cognac followed by a very bubbly Jacuzzi bath ended the first day of the tour.
Wednesday 3rd June dawned with bright blue skies. After a lovely breakfast of fresh fruit salad, croissants and Mr Grumpy complaining that we had eaten all the fruit salad, we packed the bikes. At 09:00hrs we left the little piece of rural France to the burble of the river. It was already hot and the miles tripped by.
Wednesday must be the day for moving ‘Convoi Exceptionelle’ as by 11 o’clock we had overtaken at least ten abnormal load convoys. We stopped for a welcome break in the village of Fayl-Billot and sat outside enjoying our coffee, however, the enjoyment started to fade as we watched all our good work and progress slip away as the convoys came through the village.
As we crossed the border into Switzerland we joined the A1 motorway and after riding through dramatic scenery, tunnels by the dozen and 334 miles we arrived in the very Swiss cuckoo clock town of Interlaken. Our Hotel the ‘Post Hardermannli’ had views of the Jungfrau, the Eiger and other high peaks although we didn’t hear any yodelling. The evening passed with a not so Swiss Pizza and ice cream, followed by a promenade around the town.
At 9 o’clock Thursday 4th June we left the town, the sun shone and we were looking forward to the days’ ride, which was to take in some of the most spectacular scenery available in Europe. The route was to take us over the Alps via the Grimselpass followed by a ride down the Rhone valley before crossing the Alps again and over the Simplonpass. They say you should always have a back up plan so as an alternative and without adding too many miles I had looked at a route using the Sustenpass. Alas the day was not to be as spectacular as anticipated the early warning signs advised us that the Grimselpass was closed due to snow and we were soon to find that the Sustenpass was also closed. So much for planning!! After quickly consulting the map we headed for Luzern and the possibility of crossing the Alps via the Gothard pass. However, the day continued to present problems and we missed the exit off the motorway and so entered one of the longest tunnels you can find, the Gothard tunnel at 17 km, at least the air conditioning was working.
By 2pm we crossed the border into Italy and delighted in annoying the border Police as our Bike to Bike intercoms were on their channel, soon we were sitting down by Lake Como, eating lunch and soaking up the atmosphere. After lunch we fought our way around the traffic of Milan and finally arrived at our next guest house by half past five and 288 miles. The Villa-san-Pietro in Montichiari (‘Alistair Sawdays’) was the beautiful 17c home of Anna-Marie and Jacques, complete with ancient frescoed ceilings and oak beams by the dozen. We parked the bikes in a large barn before sitting down with a cold beer and enjoying the evening. Anna-Marie proudly informed us that Michael Schumacher had stayed in our room the previous year and we made out that we were suitably honoured. We enjoyed before dinner Ice creams before settling down to dine with the family and a rather strange guest called Howard or Henry or whatever it was that Tina insisted on calling him.
Well, actually it was his name. We found him to be a very nice man and Muddy, Lesley & Tina enjoyed some good conversation with him. Anne-Marie and Jaques are wonderful hosts and really make your stay very special. The B&B is to be highly recommended and one we will definately return to.
Friday the 5th June dawned another beautiful day and we waved goodbye and headed out on the last leg of our journey to Croatia. However, you cannot drive along the northern coast of Italy without visiting Venice, so by half past eleven we were parking our bikes in a very small managed car park one of the islands of Venice. We enjoyed a very small very expensive coffee at a small restaurant by one of the great canals and watched the Gondola plying their trade before rejoining our route and our onward journey.
By half past four we rode over the bridge and onto the island of Krk, Croatia and so to the Dependence Primorka 1314 miles three days and four nights and later.
After the class of the guest houses that we had sampled, the Dependence was somewhat basic. Within the first hour; Tina was enjoying a bubble bath and flooding their room and Muddy had broken the loo seat in theirs, but we were soon renewing friendships, meeting new friends, exchanging stories and enjoying a well earned sit on the terrace with the requisite glass of cold beer.
Having travelled for three days we all decided to take a day to rest and recuperate on Saturday, so we did not join the organised ride-out. If only the weather had known of our desire to sit on a beach and swim in the Adriatic, who could have believed that we had ridden over 1300 miles south east in sweltering temperatures only to arrive at our destination to sit shivering in the drizzle. Only joking as it wasn’t that bad but not skinny bikini weather so we took the boat ride, hoping to see dolphins, however it was probably too cold for them also as barely a seagull braved the wind. In the evening we joined the other Chapters from across Europe and Blue Knights President Dave Mulford from across the pond for the usual get together and exchanging of gifts and supporting their Charities. The evening included a wedding celebration down by the sea.
Sunday 7th June weather improved most of the guests packed up so Steve and I spent the day relaxing and exploring some Roman ruins whilst the others had a little tour of the island.
Yes, that true, Muddy, Lesley, Tina & I rode down to the capitol, Krk and enjoyed a pleasant walk around the town in brilliant sunshire. It was very relaxing, but just as we stopped for afternoon tea, the heaven open with a fantastic thunder storm. We stayed for more tea! However, the roads dried so quickly, that by the time we were ready, the roads were almost dry.
Monday 8th June we set off for our return journey. Our route took us up through Croatia and into Slovenia, where a rather officious Border guard came close to drawing his side arm when Steve ignored his late order to stop. The roads through Slovenia were on occasion’s breath taking, with mountains and chateau. Our spirits were further lifted as we drove up the steep drive to the Hotel ‘Schoene Aussicht,’ near Salzburg in Austria. 264 miles. This beautiful Hotel stands on one of the hills overlooking the town of Salzburg. From our balcony, the pool in the garden looked very inviting and we quickly unpacked and headed out to the warmth of the sun views to die for and a very, very, very cold pool, in fact it was so cold that it seemed to turn Tina into a monkey Oooh, oooh, oooh, aaagh, aaaagh, aaagh, but very invigorating and good for the skin. The Hotel receptionist was shocked to find that we had all been in the pool stating that the ice had melted the previous week, ‘Mad English fools’. The Hotel also had a Sauna, Steam bath and whirlpool if only we had found them we may have relaxed in the heat rather than the freezing pool. Instead we watched the sun going down over the mountains, enjoyed a lovely supper and then sat on our balcony and sampled a large brandy overlooking the lights of Salzburg.
This is another hotel which is highly recommended and Leonie was quite correct, the water was FREEZING! By now Muddy was well into his invention - the 'muddy brandy' which he seemed to be enjoying every night from Croatia. He introduced Steve to the concoction, and that was that - it was all the drank!
Tuesday 9th June we made our way the 248 miles to Stuttgart in Germany and the ‘Romerhof’ hotel. According to the web site the hotel was set within a converted Roman Guardhouse and was equipped with a Sauna and whirlpool. After 248 miles we were all looking forward to relaxing in the whirlpool. Well I suppose you can’t believe everything that you read, the sauna was a cupboard and the whirlpool was a big bath. As for the Roman Guardhouse, there are probably more Roman remains in my garden than there were at the Romerhof. The quality of dinner and ice cream sundaes however made up for the lack of facilities. The journey had however taken it’s toll on Tina and she retired to bed suffering from an acute condition of travelling too far on a motorcycle when one has a bad neck.
Tina and I decided to seperate from the group, due to her pain and discomfort. We thought it better that we ride to suit her, and if it had meant stopping every half an hour, then thats what we would do. In the evnt, we left a few hours after the others and took it nice and steady. \we enjoyed the views and easily found our way to the next B&B in Epernay where Tina immediately took to her bed. I had walked around the town and looked at the Champagne Houses before the others arrived.
Wednesday 10th June took us from Germany back into France. The 334 miles were mostly motorway and by late afternoon we arrived in the town of Epernay the capital of the Champagne region and for the first time during our trip Mrs Garmin let us down. We spent a while driving around the council estates of the town with Mrs Garmin still adamant that ‘You have reached your destination’ and me praying that she was wrong. By the time my trusty map had come to our rescue and we reached the beautiful ‘Parva Domus’ guest house the rain had started and the prestigious cellars including: Laurient Perrier, Moet Chandon, Veuve Cliquot, Tattinger and Dom Perignon had all closed. Had the weather been fine we could have enjoyed a glass of the patron’s own vintage Champagne on the garden terrace of his guest house but the rain was by now running down the streets, so we bought brolly, had a wander and found some supper. Steve finished the evening relaxing in a Victorian bath accompanied by bubbles and a large Muddy Brandy. We were joined for breakfast by the other two guests. The two army lads had been dispatched from Germany to fill a hire van with Champagne for the Officers mess. How the other half live.
Thursday 11th June was a short 222 mile hop avoiding Paris back to Le Havre and the ferry back to Blighty. At Portsmouth we said our good byes and went our separate ways for the final leg home. Our ten day trip had taken us in roundabout route of over 2700 miles through eight countries, some twice. The hours spent organising this trip by Steve and myself were worth the effort. Other than the Romerhof in Stuttgart I would recommend all the guest houses and hotels that we stayed at. We all took loads of photos and have lots of memories, althoughwouldn’t class this as a relaxing holiday I wouldn’t have missed it and look forward to the next tour.
Tina and I again made our won way to Le Havre, taking time to ride in the brilliant sunshine and followed the Chapagne route - fabulous and a must for the future. We even had time to stop and buy a couple of bottles and somehow squeezed them into the panniers! We again met the others at the port.
For those uneducated amongst you who are wondering what a ‘Muddy Brandy’ is, it is well worth a try: Cheap Brandy any make other than Spanish and a spoonful of runny honey, blended to perfection and preferably supped whilst soaking in a very bubbly bath. Pure decadence.
Leonie Tromans
Secretary, England XIII PHOTO GALLERY