Day 3: Heidelberg

We planned to drive further than we did today, but we completely avoided the motorways and so it took us much longer. The road was beautiful though, lots of vineyards and we crossed some rivers and through forest areas. I'll have look in a minute which photos I've got. While riding I take photos and video with the gopro which I have with me all the time. Here at the moment I can only show you pictures taken with the iPhone since we can't download from the camera at the moment so the photos I can show you now are limited to our stops every hour while on the road.

 

Anyway, we're here in a town called Heidelberg in the Black Forest area. When we saw this place o the map before our trip we thought it might be interesting to stop here since we have a Heidelberg back in SA too. It's rather different though. We used to pass the SA one on the way to Andre's dad on the bike. There's really not much at all there, nothing to see, especially compared to the German version of Heidelberg.

 

Here's a photo I found online of the SA Heidelberg.

As here's the Heidelberg in Germany where we are tonight.

 

 

We had to stop at an Internet cafe to find and book a hotel as we got a bit lost finding the old part of the town where we wanted to be. We hadn't booked a hotel as we didn't quite know where we'll end up so didn't actually have any address to drive to.

 

This one is right by the old part of the town which is the area you want to be at when on holiday, all the little shops and restaurants are here. There's also a huge castle on the hill.

 

Oh I was saying how the road got a bit longer than we imagined it would be- we left at 9.45 this morning and arrived here at 4pm. We've left about the same time every morning and driven about the same distance but usually arrived at our destination around 2pm. An extra two hours can feel very very long on a motorbike. We tried hard to ride for longer than an hour at a time today, but once you get to that hour mark you just have to get off! We usually then stop for about 15 minutes. We've had some breakfast bars with us which we would eat on the way and then have an early dinner. Tonight we were both particularly hungry and the food tasted especially good! Andre had his first schnitzel since arriving in Germany for this holiday which he's happy about since he was so ill last time we were in Germany and couldn't have any then.

 

Ok, bed time. I'm so tired tonight!

 

(Sorry, looks like I won't be able to show you any photos tonight. Seems like the Internet password we got here is only for one device and have already connected the iPad and now can't get the photos off the phone. Will do a double blog tomorrow! We're at mom and Juergen's tomorrow night.)

 

Day 3: 185 miles Nurburgring - Heidelberg

Time on the road: 9.45 am - 4.00 pm

 

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Day 3: Leaving Nurnburgring

It's raining!! Today we'll find out what is waterproof and what isn't. I know my trousers should be fine as I've been in the rain with them before, but my jackets new. It said waterproof on the label... Andre's is really old so might not be as waterproof anymore. We'll see. Also not sure whether the boxes are watertight. I said before we left that they better be. Why make boxes that aren't? But then also why make bike clothes that aren't, but BMW's clothes aren't apparently... Anyway, for that reason we have packed all our stuff in a big bag and then in the panniers.

 

Going to have breakfast now and then the plan is to ride toTitisee, which the guys here says is really nice. It's on a lake.

 

Staying here at the guest house is another South African who comes here every weekend of the racing season. He lives in London though. He's a biker too but takes photos at the track. Has a bike he leaves at the airport. The rest here are all English. One couple who came by car. A guy who it sounds like does training at the track and a lady who travels by bike all on her own.

 

Ok, really should go for breakfast now, Andre has gone downstairs already!

 

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Day 2: Nurburgring!

 

 

We left Bruges this morning and are now in a village 20km from the Nurburgring race track called Dollendorf. We're staying at a guesthouse (Sliders) and Brendan, the owner, offered to take us around the track in his mx5 this afternoon. He obviously knows the track so well and took us around it nice and fast! It was something Andre really wanted to do and I never really thought about getting to go around the track myself. I wasn't all that interested. But when we got there I thought this might actually be fun and I might not get the chance to go around a race track again. So I did it and it was absolutely AWESOME!! Really fast and really fun!

Andre with Brendan's mx5

 

I went round with Bren in his mx5 first and there was another guy there who he knew and who said Andre can go round with him as he's still learning and was going to follow us. He had a corvette which Andre really enjoyed! Andre then got to go round again with the mx5 too.

 

 

Ordering pizza in tonight with the rest of the people staying here at the guest house. The guest house is really great and it's been nice chatting to the others here. I'm sure we will be back at Sliders again sometime and also of course to visit the Nurburgring again. It's addictive, after I've been around the track the first thing I said to Andre was, "I want to go again!!"

 

Day 2: 250 miles Bruges - Nurnburgring

Time on the road: 9.00 am - 2.00 pm

Sliders guest house, Dollendorf

 

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Day 2: leaving Bruges

We're off to find some breakfast now and then leaving for Nurburgring in Germany. It's a race track and was on Andre's wish list as one of our stops. We emailed a guest house there last night, they're and English couple who owns it.

*Update after breakfast: we were in a little grocery store opposite the hotel to just get some yogurts for a quick breakfast before leaving. Andre was standing in front of the croissants and other such pastries trying to decide which to have then trying to work out how to get it out the container the proper European way when two local guys around our age came and took one by hand (at the same time as I was pointing Andre to the tongs to use). He looked at us and I thought he was going to apologise for using his hand but instead told us in english that this is by far the best one to choose. We chatted for a bit and when he heard we're from South Africa he said "Jack Parrow!" And continued to speak some Dutch (I think) which we could understand some of. Now you can go and google Jack Parrow but just know that he by no means represent us as South Africans or where we're from in any way please. (Jack Parrow apparently did a show here and they all loved it and now also absolutely love South Africa!)

Not so glamorous looking while traveling... I always envy they other people in normal well fitting clothes whenever we stop for a rest. Now that bright jacket makes me look even worse but at least it's safer.

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Day 1: Bruges

Please excuse, there may be many mistakes in the blog posts while we're traveling. I'm typing on the iPad and might be a bit too tired to re-read everything!

 

We left home this morning at 8.15am. It was 6C! Rode an hour before we had a quick stop to stretch our legs , then another 45 minutes to the euro tunnel. It was our first time on the train so quite an interesting experience for us. We waited with 4 other bikes and were let onto the train last. You drive on, park and can then get off, but stay with your vehicle. It's a 35 minute train ride to the other side of the channel. (The train is half a mile long!) Much quicker and easier than flying! Before boarding the train you go through passport control, well you drive through passport control, where you have to show your passports. It seemed as though they were only doing random checks and seeing as we were on a bike and it being harder to get things out while driving they showed us right through. Little did they know we had a green passport on board!

 

Just over an hour after leaving the tunnel we arrived in Bruges. Our hotel is right in the centre of Bruges so we've had a lovely afternoon just strolling around. It's been really sunny and it's beautiful here. We didn't go see any specific sights. Just strolled around, sat in the sunshine, watched the boats on the canals. We shared a waffle and later had dinner at the large market square. I had mussels!

 

 

Day 1: 190 miles Burgfield Common - Bruges

Time on the road: 8.10am - 2.30pm

 

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Packed and ready to go!

I managed to get a surprising amount of stuff in my pannier box. We each have one and then there is the top box for other bits and pieces. Here's my side of the bike:

Plus toiletries all in travel sizes:

Heres what I packed:

3 t-shirts

Jeans

Thermals

Underwear of course

A pretty long sleeve top for evenings- after a day in a bike outfit you want to try to look at least somewhat presentable in the evening

A pretty jumper to go with above in case it's cold

Thin fleece top for under bike jacket

Thicker fleece top in case I need another layer

Flat crocs

3/4 lengths in case it's hot

Umbrella- I'm going prepared for any weather!

And bikini- I said I'm going prepared! No the bikini is actually in case we stay a night in the Black Forest at a spa.

I'm also taking a thin jacket for evenings

Oh and a sun hat. If you know me you know I don't go anywhere without sun cream and hat.

 

We've also packed some medical supplies of course and I've fit it all into this box with our German imported cold and flu granules. The theme here is keeping it compact! Nothing unnecessary is coming along.

 

Did you want to know what Andre is packing? He's been way more worried about what to pack than me. By the way if this is boring you go do something else, I'm also recording it for our own future use.

Andre's side of the bike contains:

Jeans, 4 t-shirts, thermals, another vest, jumper, trainers, body warmer, fleece, and another jacket if he can fit it. He's just a little worried about being cold. Maybe I should be more worried but a year ago this time we were boiling in Venice and I only packed one t-shirt that weekend as it was already so cold over here in England. Oh, he did pack a pair of shorts in case of a spa stop.

 

We've both basically only filled the bottom half of our panniers so still have some room left.

 

In the top box on the back we're packing other random bits: breakfast bars (very important for snacking along the way), puncture repair kit, a small towel (for some random use perhaps), the bike's papers and insurance stuff etc, our extra bike gloves (we're both taking summer and winter gloves). We also have to have a disposable breathalyser for riding in France. Interesting.

My only luxury is my kindle. Photos will be with the gopro only and then iPhone or iPad. Shockingly no other big cameras!!! Will we manage? This will be an experiment to see how we cope without proper cameras!

 

Of course we'll need chargers for all these bits and we're taking a MiFi as iPad is wireless only. (MiFi is for Internet) and a universal plug. I know this is starting to sound like a lot, but we surprisingly still have room left in all three boxes! We did consider getting a tank bag at one stage, more for having a map on for Andre to see while driving but decided against the extra expense. We are taking maps of France, Belgium and Germany although we'll have satnav too.

 

So that's it. I think we're ready. My nails are painted, hair washed and straightened, eyelashes tinted -no make-up going along but I'm thinking now I might just add a lipgloss. No fake tan necessary for this holiday as we'll be spending most of our time in protective bike gear, boots, gloves and helmet! Oh I also ordered us each a hi-vis jacket for safety.

 

Ok that's it now. I'll try to blog every evening on the trip.

 

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Test

Figuring out how to use blogsy on the iPad.

Andre's holiday hair 

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