Today started with a rude awakening. I was dreaming of fluffy motorbikes and
bunnies with loud exhausts when a huge explosion forced me back to reality at 0459hrs. I know it was exactly 0459hrs because I
thought it was a attack and checked the time.
The first “round” was followed 4 minutes later by another and after a
further 3 minutes a third. I lay in bed
wondering what the hell was happening.
There was no movement in the house and, knowing that the sound must have
woken everybody, I relaxed very slightly.
I listened for a while and the explosions weren’t followed up by the
sounds of emergency response in fact just the opposite. I could hear music in the distance, as I
strained to hear it I fell asleep.
At breakfast I asked Theo what it was all about
and it turns out that in Bavaria when your daughter gets married you can get
out a vintage blunderbuss and fire three shots to let everyone know that
there’s going to be a wedding. Why it
has to be done at 5am is anyone’s guess.
This morning I had to say good bye to the Freys
who have become amazing friends. While I
stayed with them I was treated as one of the family and everything felt natural
and easy. I really can’t wait to return
to Bavaria and see them again, maybe in the skiing season next time.
As I rode away waving good bye I was hit by the
crisp, cold Alpine air. It was wonderfully
fresh and quickly numbed my chin through my open visor. I didn’t mind one bit, it was refreshing and
it felt good to be reminded of what cold feels like again.
I set a course for Liechtenstein and it looked
like I would be there in time for lunch.
Perfect. On my way I knew that
the road was going to be passing a large lake and I looked forward to seeing
the view from the road. This never
happened, riding in Switzerland is the same as I imagen riding in a crazy Alice
in Wonderland style rabbit warren to be.
You simply go from one tunnel to another with a brief glimpse of
daylight in between. Inside the tunnels
there are any number of junctions lit up and ready to catch you out. Given that the GPS stops working while you’re
underground it’s very important to stay aware of the next direction change. Fortunately, given my track record, I made it
through without error and was on time for lunch in Liechtenstein. Just before arriving I saw a massive air ship
gliding over the Alps, then I went into another tunnel and it was gone when I
came out otherwise it would have made a great photo.
Liechtenstein is a lovely principality and I
headed for its capital; Vaduz. Before
looking for a lunch spot I headed up the hill side to Vaduz Castle which is
perched high above the city with wonderful views into Switzerland. I snapped off a few quick photos and headed
back into town for lunch.
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| Vaduz Castle. |
Parking on the
high street I saw an Asian man getting off a heavily loaded Honda Cub 90 (very
small capacity scooter). I don’t
normally talk to Mods (scooterists) but this one had something about him so I
said “Hello.”
It turns out that Jae Yeong Lee had ridden from
South Korea and was heading to Portugal where he was shipping the Cub back to S.
Korea while he flew. His route was from
S. Korea to Russia where he rode through Sibria and eventually into
Europe. The time for this trip? 80 days.
He has to get back in time for the next term at university where he’s a
student.
Having head this I offered to buy him lunch and
we sat and chatted about his ride and my little effort at adventure. What a guy.
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| Jae Yeong Lee and his Cub 90. |
After spending too long having lunch and taking
photos I got back on the bike and took a direct route towards tomorrows
distention in the Loire Valley. I’m
writing this entry from my tent nest to a lovely stretch of river in Ranchot,
just south east of Dijon.
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