September, 2024
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
| 1 September |
2 Kansas Chicago |
3 Malpensa Milano Lecco, Italy |
4 Lecco, Italy |
5 Mandello Monno, Italy |
6 Wattens, Austria |
7 Arnstorf, Germany |
| 8 Beroun, Czechia |
9 Żary, Poland |
10 Karlshagen, Germany |
11 Sassnitz, Germany |
12 Ronne, Denmark |
13 Ronne, Denmark |
14 Parchin, Germany |
| 15 Blankenau, Germany |
16 Tries, Germany |
17 Langres, France |
18 Saint-Rémy-sur-Durolle, France |
19 Savines, France |
20 Mandello, Italy |
21 Milano, Italy |
| 22 Malpensa Chicago Kansas |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
Quite a few years back, while on a ferry across the Baltic Sea from Sweden to Sassnitz, Germany, I realized I was fairly close to the World War 2 German Peenemünde Army Research Center (below, orange arrow). This is where the V2 rockets were designed and tested, along with a number of other advanced weapons.
On that earlier trip, I didn't have time to pursue it further, but made a note to myself that this might be an interesting place to visit on some future ride. And, so I did.
The whole area along the border of Poland and Germany is a region that I've never been before, so this trip would also give me a chance to ride there on the way north to Peenemünde.
Europe Motorcycle
Trip #25
My next goal was to visit the Danish island of Bornholm, which has been of strategic importance in the Baltic Sea for centuries. I've long wanted to visit the island, but never seemed to have the time. For this trip, I'd make it a destination.
I'd sort out where I'd go next, after I reached Bornholm.
Kansas
Illinois
Chicago, Illinois and O'Hare International Airport. Since United Airlines inaugurated this long-distance route to Milan, Italy, there's been no need to put up with the Newark, New Jersey Airport or an additional flight leg. It makes the journey so much easier.
I have always liked the passage between United Airlines Terminals B and C.
The airplane (B787) I will be on has just been towed to the gate, but hasn't been serviced yet. The next photo is just after takeoff, flying over Chicago, and north across Lake Michigan.
Flying over Lake Geneva (Switzerland right and France on the left) and descending over the Po River Valley, Italy on the approach to Milano.
Landing at Aeroporto Internazionale di Milano-Malpensa, Italy (this airport is still a good thirty miles from Milano).
Boarding the Malpensa Express to Porta Garibaldi in Milano and then transferring to the next train, which will take me north to Lecco. In the past, I almost always used the larger Central Station, but the connections are now much easier at Porta Garibaldi, and it's not nearly as crowded.
Arrival in Lecco, Italy.
My usual hotel was full, so I'm staying at this obscure (but nice) place, that is accessible from within the courtyard. There are no signs, so they're not expecting any walk-ins.
Lake Como and central Lecco.
As always, I'll spend two nights in Lecco adjusting to the time zone change. This is another view of the train station.
I am walking up the steep streets in back of Lecco. Of course, you can only walk so far, until the streets reach vertical rock.
Lecco and Lago di Garlate. Lake Como is on the right (out of sight), with the city of Lecco next to the Adda River, which connects the two lakes (and drains both of them into the Po River).
The dealership: Agostini of Mandello del Lario, Italy. I've been here many times. I'll be riding a V100 Mandello with all the luggage removed. Everything is packed in the same yellow duffle bag that I've used for many years. Yes, it's raining (and nobody likes starting a trip in the rain), but it's not too bad at the moment.
A couple of riders were in the shop, and they had just returned from an attempted crossing of Stelvio Pass. Apparently, it's snowing. And it's raining at the lower elevations. I wasn't sure which direction to go, but events were deciding that for me. I'll stay south and aim for Edolo, which is considerably lower than Stelvio (or Spluga, which had been another option).
The town of Dervio (on the flat land extending into the lake) on Lake Como
A view of the north end of Valtellina (valley) with just a bit of Strade Statali, SS-39 seen on the right. Since I left Mandello, I've been riding up this valley, and it's just down there that a person has to decide which way they want to continue.
Edolo, Italy. It's now raining much too hard for good visibility, so I'm waiting for the heavy rain to subside.
It seems sensible to check in early, so not far from Edolo, I'll stop at Monno, Italy. There's no sense just riding the whole day in the rain when I'm not really in any hurry to be anywhere.
The manager was accommodating, and I had an enclosed garage to keep the motorcycle overnight and out of the rain. Anyway, at least I would not need to unpack while standing in the rain. As is always the case, I'll be doing laundry first thing on entering my room. If you want to pack as lightly as possible, you really cannot take anything extra.
The Oglio River, across the street from the hotel. It's running full!
Riding SS-42 alongside the Oglio River. Yes, it is raining, not nearly has heavy as it was yesterday.
Riding over an extension of the Dolomites. Blue sky! Nice.
Between Dermulo and Bolzano there's a shortcut (but not a time-saver), that I've not ridden before. The fastest route to Brenner pass is to continue south to Mezzocorona, and then catch the Autostrada north; I'll be taking the shortcut.
What a remarkable road this is! There might be as many motorcycles on this road as cars, and there are quite a few bicyclists, too.
Near Pruno Elzenbum, Italy. That's Reifenstein Castel (below, left) on the south side of the valley and Sprechenstein Castel (below, right) on the north side of the valley--both seen while standing in the same spot.
Brenner Pass over the Alps, towards Innsbruck Austria.
Austria
I'm avoiding the Autostrada (in Italy) or Autobahn (in Austria) across Bremmer pass, but you have to admire the construction of this highway.
Austria (like Switzerland) requires a Vignette to ride certain primary roads. There's a healthy fine if you don't have the sticker, so I bought one at the BP station just in case, even if the chance of being found-out is probably very low).
Wattens, Austria for the night. It's not much more than a village, so the price of a hotel will be lower than anything nearer to Innsbruck. Something you learn while riding in Europe is that even these small towns will often have a good hotel (but, don't look for any of the major chains).
The motorcycle is parked in the narrow street next to the hotel, which is seen on the right.
The staircase within the hotel as well as my room, where I can put my head out the open window to see the parked motorcycle.
Daniel Swarovski was born in Bohemia, but built his crystal-cutting factory here in Wattens (where the headquarters remains).
As often seems the case, I think my hotel is really just a very nice restaurant, with rooms attached. Anyway, I'm having dinner here.
Hochnissl (Mountain peak in the Tyrol Alps) and the village of Terfens.
Kellerjoch (Mountain Peak). I'm riding through a long valley surrounded by these tall mountain ranges of the Austrian Alps.
Achensee (Lake) and its remarkably clear, deep water.
Germany
Tegernsee (Lake), near Ostin in Bavaria.
Near Mitterham, Germany.
I've stopped at Bad Aibling for lunch at the Gasthof Kriechbaumer. I'm stringing together small roads, avoiding anything larger or busier if I possibly can. There will always be nice places, such as this, even away from the major highways. As usual, the first thing I do is spread out my map over the table. In this instance, I've got the full Europe map out to make sure I'm heading in mostly the right direction. At this point, I have no idea where I'll be spending the night, and I'm not much thinking about it, either.
Looking back south towards the Alps. It always amazes me how suddenly you can transition from the rugged and impassable Alps to these rolling hills of farmland.
Haag-in-Oberbayern with the tower of Haag castle.
Arnstorf, Germany and the biergarten is open. If you want food, you'll order what you want at the window (and they may or may not bring it to you--or they might just call out your name), and if you want beer, you'll order that at the other window. It all has the feeling of a large family picnic gathering.
My room has curious details. No, I did not try to climb into this recessed bunk bed that was part of my room.
Walking through Arnstorf.
Schloss Mariakirchen has been here since 1550; my hotel (Schlossparkhotel Mariakirchen) and the biergarten are all on the same grounds, and are connected.
Hengersberg, Bavaria - low fuel as would frequently be the case for me. It's nice that dogs are given consideration, too.
Near Regen, Bavaria.
The Schlossauer Ohe (River).
Czechia
Hartmanice, Bohemia. It always feels so calming riding through the hills of Bohemia. There is rarely any traffic and the roads pass through dense forests and then break unexpectedly into open farmland. It's nice.
Eating at the Cafe L'Amour alongside the Otava (River) in Sušice.
I am having an apple-something, but it's not any more sweet than just eating an apple. Oh, I'm also having a coffee-something. It's true, I don't always know what I'm going to get after ordering from a menu that I cannot read...
Hrad Rabí (castle) taken from the road.
A typical Bohemian road: mile after mile...
Near the village of Pole on highway 174 .
You will often see a castle, or the ruins of a castle on top of the highest hill. For hundreds of years, any foreign invaders coming through these valleys would know that they were being watched.
Příbram, Bohemia. It's a good place (and time) to stop and pull out my map to figure out what direction I should take next, and perhaps where I might find a good place to stop for the night.
Beroun (Bohemia), Czechia. I've arrived during a market day. So, since my hotel is within the old part of town, and all the streets into this area are closed, I had to park a good ways off and walk to the hotel
I'm in the Hotel Anna. Later in the evening, I'll march off to recover my motorcycle and then ride it back to park in a gated yard nearby the hotel.
This is Husovo Square, the market-day vendors are packing and most of their customers have taken their purchases and gone home.
And Indian restaurace in Czechia. It was quite good.
It was still raining the next morning. It was raining so much, that I asked the desk clerk if I could stay another night. She said that a business had reserved quite a few rooms and that it was unlikely there would be any cancellations. So, rain or no, I was heading north this morning. As it turned out, the rains would continue for several more days, causing serious flooding from Austria to Poland. If I had waited another day, things would only have been worse.
Stopped at the Orlen station in Smečno.
The village of Hradčany next to Hradčanský rybník (pond). This is a natural pond; the region is covered with them.
Stopping in Mimoň for a bite to eat as well as to get out of the rain. Yes, it's raining, but not so much that it affects my vision.
Looking towards the small farming village of Větrov. The rain continue, but just now I am not in it.
Poland
Zawidów. Time to look at the maps.
Near Piaseczna at the intersection of highways 296 and 351, riding north through Poland, but never too far from the German border. This is farming and lumber country.
Zary, Poland and The Hotel Chopin. It's a bit spooky place. The date on the building says 1979, but it looks far older than that, and feels like a time-piece from the 1930s. I have a good-sized room with furniture that has been around many years.
Near the village of Bogaczów on a secondary road. It's charming, yes; but awful to ride. After many miles, you just want to see some black pavement.
Jezioro Dąbie Wielkie (Lake).
Near Kostrzyn nad Odrą. Germany is across the Oder river (to the right in the photograph). I saw some evidence that there was once (many years ago) a ferry at this place.
Droga Ekspressowa (motorway) S-3 near Babigoszcz. I believe the speed limit here is 80 mph (posted in kilometers, of course).
Germany
I've nearly reached the Baltic Sea, and it's time to turn west along the coastline. This is the farming village of Katschow, Germany.
A nice view of the Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello. On the side of the fuel tank, you can see an airflow deflector (with the orange trailing edge). This deflector opens (using a small electric motor) at highway speeds to reduce buffeting around your body. It seemed to work. It's odd to see it opening and closing depending on your speed.
Bundesstraße (federal highway) 110.
Karlshagen, Germany. I am near Peenemünde, but there's no reason to go into that small town. There are more options here. In fact, during the time that the Peenemünde was active, workers would live here, in Karlshagen. Their housing still remains. Naturally, British bomber-command would have included this town as part of their targeting of the Peenemünde facility.
My hotel (which caters especially to bicycle riders) and a fine example of hotel "towel art."
The walkway to the beech passes through the barrier dunes.
The Baltic Sea is calm this evening. You can rent these little shelters, but there's a bar across the front (with a padlock), so you'll need to pay the fee, first.
A fair bit of rain the next morning but I arrived at the old research center not long after they opened.
The Peenemünde Army Research Center
As I knew would be the case, nearly all the facilities devoted to the development and building of the "super weapons" of the Third Reich were either destroyed during the war, or were removed after the war by the occupying Soviet Army. Very little was left except for this coal power plant which was crucial to supplying electricity to the region of Germany, as it once was in the production of liquid Oxygen used for rocket engines during the war.
An example of a V1 and V2 have been brought back to the place that they were designed and developed.
The old power plant is itself worthy as a museum (once being one of the largest in the world), but this building also serves as the museum for the research center.
Inside the museum of the Peenemünde Army Research Center. There are some artifacts, and plenty of photographs, but especially there is information.
Photographs of the place when in operation, and a more recent photograph.
It's low-lying land and without constant pumping, the water table will take back the land. The photo on the left shows one of the rocket testing facilities. The photo on the right shows the engineering building lobby as well as the working area.
An enormous production building was planned even before the war, and well before the rockets had been fully developed. The photo on the left (below) was taken during the opening ceremony of this grand factory. I'm sure the screened off part was meant to keep people from seeing any details of what was to be built there. Of course, working conditions were atrocious, and the "contract workers" (as they were called), were really forced labor. All this, is covered in good detail in the museum. And, of course, the British bombed this before it had a chance to fulfill any of its purpose. Production of the V2 rockets was shifted south, away from Peenemünde.
I spent perhaps four hours here, before mounting up and heading further west, in mostly dry conditions.
The ferry for Bornholm, Denmark leaves Sassnitz tomorrow morning. I'll stay here, tonight.
Sassnitz, Germany
My hotel on the left (photo, below)
Some years back, the ferries departed here, within the town of Sassnitz. But more recently, the terminal has shifted just a few miles south of here.
I've just passed through the gate and stopped for this photograph. From here, I'll find my proper lane to wait for about 40 minutes before riding into the ferry. Tie-down straps are provided, and I know the routine to strap the bike down.
I spent most of the smooth crossing here in the dining area--where I also had breakfast.
Denmark
Rønne is the largest town on the island, but it's not a large town.
That's my hotel on the left (photo, below).
It's an easy town to talk though. Very clean. Danish.
I had two nights, and one full day on the island. It made sense to make a large circle, but that meant that I missed the central area, which was unfortunate.
Nylars kirke, built in 1160, is considered the best preserved round church on the island.
The murals on the center-support column tell the story of Adam and Eve and their ultimate banishment.
Sose Strand
The ring-road that I'm mostly following is two-lane and plenty wide, but off that, the roads are more like this.
There are quite a few windmills such as this one. Some of them continue to turn.
Bakkerne Havn. The whole beach is yours.
The Bornholm Tower was part of a post-war surveillance and listening post (lots of antennas on that tower) used by Denmark and NATO towards the Soviet Union. It was active until 2012.
Aarsdale and one of the nicer windmills. This one was turning.
The view down the road to Bølshavn...
...and, a very tidy farm.
Døndalen Vandfald and a chance to walk through a beautiful Danish forest.
Hammerhavn with a nice view of Hammershus.
Hammershus: this was the largest medieval fortification in Scandinavia. It was built in the 1200s, and has changed hands numerous times--mainly it seems between the Danish Kings and the Bishops. This continued to the end of the 1700s when it was given up as a fortress and became a ruin.
The view looking west from the fortress.
Let's look at the weather (the blue dot is me). I need to know what route south to take that will avoid all the rain that I had coming up. Amazingly, not much has changed. All that rain that I had while riding north is still where it was--it hasn't moved for many days. The flooding in Poland and Czechia and Austria has been horrible.
But west of that, all looks clear, and it looks like it will stay that way for the duration of my ride back to Italy.
The ferry is ready to load.
The journey back to Sassnitz will be even nicer than it was coming out. This is my new friend in the stern lounge (below, right).
Germany
Sassnitz, Germany. I can just make out the hotel I stayed in three nights ago.
Outward bound, it was last-on, first-off. But, on this return trip, it's last-on, last-off. I'm in no hurry; I'll just sit here and wait for these cars to move along before I start the engine. If you're in a car, your best bet is to fold your mirrors, if you can. It can be pretty tight.
Filling the tank and in my right hand is a bottle of Mezzo Mix, a pretty common soft drink in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (it's a Coca-Cola product).
Three useful things:
1) The white clip holds my ferry boarding pass or my Autostrada toll-ticket, or whatever. It's a lot better than fishing in my pocket for a crumpled bit of paper.
2) My GPS device is a Garmin Oregon® 700, which is very rugged (dropping it is uneventful), waterproof, and it runs all day on a couple of rechargeable AA batteries that I swap out every evening. No wires to hook up, and I can easily carry it with me. All of Europe is on this thing.
3) I track myself with this SPOT Gen-4 device. It pings my position every ten minutes (or whatever I set it at) and communicates with satellites, not any phone network. The dots (latitude/longitude) that you see tracking my route on the map at the top of this report came from this thing. The four AAA batteries will last at least a month--probably two. I keep it strapped to the rear rack (which I don't otherwise need).
A view of the village of Tribsees.
Goldberg, Germany. Just passing through... I'm riding in what was once East Germany. It has been 35 years since reunification, but differences are still apparent.
Parchim, Germany. I'll stop here, I think.
That's my hotel on the left (photo, below). The motorcycle is parked behind.
Walking through the town.
The distinctive building on the right (photo, below) is now partly a restaurant. They were booked through the evening, so I did not eat there.
Schleuse Parchim (Lock) on the Elde River.
Near Möllenbeck, Germany. As always, I'm trying to stay off of any road much larger than this one.
Near the Elbe River (just beyond those trees)--having crossed from what was East Germany (Mecklenburg) into West Germany (Saxony).
Hankensbüttel and (at last) an open station. In this case, my tank had something around 2.7 liters remaining--I don't know how much of that is useable. Too many times, I was riding with the low-fuel warning light. The light comes on rather early, but I also kept track of my expected range and when I'm getting close to just 1/2 gallons remaining, I get nervous. There are not nearly the number of service stations around here as you'd expect.
Konigsdahlum - I am stopping at the little cafe to figure out where I should spend the night. It turns out that I'm not too far from the underground production site of the V2 rockets after the facilities in Peenemünde were bombed. In the end, I decided not to go (knowing that everything has long since been removed or destroyed by the occupying Soviet Army). Perhaps on another trip...
Near Lobach. The photos show gentle hills, but actually, the roads through here can be quite steep and curving and the forests very dense. The problem is that there are no easy places to pull the motorcycle to the side of the road for a photograph.
Approaching my hotel.
The Weser River (that's Saxony over there and Westphalia on this side of the river)
Blankenau, Germany, where I'll spend the night.
Stopping at the Esso station in Beverungen for fuel and to adjust the tire pressure at the air pump. I'm not sure what pressure the bike thought I should have, but the TPS was upset with what I had when I started out. I inflated the front to 2.8 bars (about 41 psi), which resulted in much better handling than anything lower. I set the rear to the same pressure, but the warning lights didn't care about that. Incidentally, this machine cost me 1 euro.
Nordenbeck Castle, from around the 1300's, it remains in private hands.
Tries, Germany is just short of Luxembourg. It's one of the oldest cities in Germany and turned out to be an interesting place to stop.
You'd really need to know this hotel existed, as you are not going to just stumble on it, or even recognize it as a hotel. I parked in the underground garage, which I would not want to try with a car.
I don't know why, but the place had a "frog" theme, which extended to the green details in the room.
The old city square.
The old cathedral has clearly been rebuilt and added-to over the centuries. You'll see lots of styles all merged together.
Once the town gate. This city dates to Roman times.
Luxembourg
On past trips, I've had trouble getting through Luxembourg, and this trip was the same. It's really easy to miss an exist and catch the next. I just wanted to get through as fast as possible, but it still took me more time than expected. Of course, the photo was taken well away form the city and all the traffic.
France
My first success fueling at a French pump without an attendant to accept my card. Most often, my card is rejected--American credit cards are not advised at self-service anything. I've been using a WISE cash card (a European company), and had mostly good luck with it. Anyway, "thumbs up", this felt good.
Domremy-Baroncourt. No space between the buildings, and hardly room for two trucks to pass (or people to walk). Of course, a motorcycle is easy.
I've been nearby, but had never before stopped at the battlefield of Verdun. Verdun: the bloodiest battle of World War 1 and one of the bloodiest in all history.
L'Ossuaire de Douaumont. After the armistice, the remains of some 130,000 dead soldiers were collected on the field of battle. Of course, it would be impossible to know if these are French soldiers or German soldiers, or soldiers from around the world. It no longer mattered; their bones were collected and placed here.
There are small windows just above sidewalk-level on the outside, where you can see just some of the bones. Within the building, are memorials, you cannot enter the area where the bones are piled, but you know you are walking above them.
Riding on D964 towards Void-Vacon.
A farm near Domrémy-la-Pucelle, France, This is the birthplace of Jeanne d'Arc and most everyplace near here will have some monument to her.
La Meuse River.
The Basilique Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc in the distance.
A view of Bourmont-entre-Meuse-et-Mouzon.
These are the roads taken as I rode south through France.
Langres, France. A good place to stop and find a hotel.
That's my hotel on the left (photo, below) and the center staircase. Note that the thing at the bottom of the stairs is just a steam radiator.
My room certainly had plenty of beds. This was the best sink over the entire trip to do my laundry: large and with a simple drain that my stopper could easily cover.
It's an old town, with the zigzag roads and leaning buildings that you'd expect.
The stone walls still surround much of the town.
The view looking out from the town, over the stone wall.
It almost seems that every town has a cheese that it calls its own. So, here in the town of Langres, I made sure to have some Langres cheese (along with a few other types).
Evidently, I am eating this cheese in a month that is suboptimal, but still excellent. January and February are apparently the only two months to avoid enjoying a slice of Langres.
Riding south of Dijon, through the Burgundy wine region. It's called Bourgogne, here, so why do we call it Burgundy?
Pinot Noir (I would suppose, but of course I do not really know) grapes.
The Canal du Centre, created in the late 1700s connects the Loire with the Rhone, thereby connecting the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean over some 60 locks. Yes, you can take a boat from England to Italy without passing through the Strait of Gibraltar (or the Suez Canal).
Saint-Léger-sur-Dheune and several canal boats.
Saint-Remy-sur-Durolle, France is my place for the night.
I have never seen an outdoor Laundromat (or Laverie Automatique).
I could take this same photograph twenty more times and never catch the woman, the dog, and the yellow ball-in-flight quite as well.
Every drain pipe should be as well-decorated.
Following D1089 along La Durolle (River) in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Prieuré de Saint-Romain-le-Puy, settled by Benedictine monks around 600 AD. The monastery was built around 1000 AD.
A view of the gap in the front range that leads to Grenoble, with the French-Italian Alps rising behind.
Snack Des Lacs in Laffrey. It's a tiny cafe with a couple of tables outside (where I sat) and ate some sort of tart.
While I've been on most all the roads in this area, there's a seventy-mile-long stretch between Grenoble and Gap (N-85) that I've never been on. Today I would take that road.
And, what a gorgeous road it is. Spectacular, really.
To look at these mountains, you might think it would be impossible for a road to be built across. But, these small valleys can be linked through gaps in the mountains, and I'd suppose that a road of some sort has been here for a very long time.
Savines, France. This town cannot be too old, at least not just on this spot. There's a reservoir (Lac de Serre-Ponçon) next door that perhaps displaced the original town site.
I normally take a photograph of my room before it gets all messy. A duffle bag has advantages, but it also needs to be emptied to reach anything inside.
The Durance River with the French Alps in the background.
Italy
The new tunnel on SS24, near Cesana Torinese...
...and the old route, now likely only used by bicyclists and walkers.
Once the road descends to Tirano, it's a level ride--not especially interesting--to Milano and then north to Lecco and then returning to Mandello del Lario, Italy
It's a tradition: having gelato in a cone, next to the lake. This Lucia boat has been here as long as I've been coming to Mandello. The canon in the park has been safeguarding Mandello for a long time.
An evening on Lake Como.
Arrivederci, Mandello.
Milano, Italy
This is the upscale Moscova district.
There are so many unusual and unique buildings in this small area, that it seems most any shape will fit right in.
The Pirelli Tower (the tall, thin building in the distance) perhaps started it all in 1961.
I happened to be here during "fashion week" which explained all the photographers and seemingly unusually dressed men and women near the Versace building--and all over Milano, for that matter. More than even usual for this city.
The Piazza del Duomo is the center of Milano.
Inside the Galleria.
One final night in Milano, and I was away.
The next evening, I'm approaching Chicago, Illinois for landing at O'Hare.
A very good trip. The worst weather was at the start, but it remained good after I reached the Baltic Sea. I rode some terrific new roads (see below) and saw plenty of new areas. The Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello performed beautifully (with the exception of that sketchy transmission with the designed-in clunk from neutral to first).
