I'm Back!!

[smileymiley]

Back from my travels on the continent..



Loaded up ready to go

Left home 06:50 caught the 9:50 shuttle got to my brothers in Solingen, Germany 14:30.. nice steady run.. no real problems.


Solingen
Wanted to change the Dunflops after i'd return.. but thought to see if i could get them any cheaper. Bike shop just down the road could do me a set of 021's for €270 (£187) fitted i snapped his hand off


Wuppertal hanging train (1903)

After 5 days off getting rather worse for wear from the beer.. set off to Ieper(Ypres), via Monschau on the German Belgium border.


Lovely village, narrow streets cobbled roads & alpine hairpins to get in & out



Got to my B&B just out side Iepers

Cloth Hall.. totally rebuilt after the Great War.

http://www.cherryblossom.be/
Excellant B&B, Friendly british hosts.. good meals, great beers, garage parking for bikes

Did a tour of the Great war cemetries.. Very sad.. very moving..



Menin Gate


Over 54,000 names of the dead with no known grave, just in the Ieper salient!

Tyne Cot Cemetery (Passchendaele) Biggest Commonwealth War cemetery in the world
11800+ buried.. 35000 missing on the back wall

Lijssenthoek.. 11000+ buried here

Talbot House (Toc H) in Poperinge this was were the troops of all ranks took some R&R. Closest safe place from the front.

Why did the generals keep throwing the troops in for 4 years for no gain whatsoever!?

Travelled home on the 26th.. caught the 09:12 shuttle.. home for 14:30..

Petrol consumption overall.. 46mpg

Top speed 165mph (on the autobahn)

Bridgestones brilliant.. no wobbles, shakes or anything else.

[blindboylank]

Nice one smiley - good colour that bike.
We did the Arromanches area in Normandy last year in our motorhome. We walked from the camp site to the American war cemetery via the coastal paths, read the distance on the map as 7 kms, turned out to be 7 miles, damn these eyes. Wife was bloody livid, not to mention knackered for days after We stood on the cliff top on top of an old German gun position looking down on Omaha beach, it is a bloody miracle any of the buggers got off the beach alive - talk about turkey shoot. As you say a humbling and moving experience. I salute them all.

[REEFER]

Solingen..make bloody good cooks knifes there ..they aint cheap tho

[Ladybird]

Thanks Smiley oh and back to ixxra

[aj]

.





you will be able te keep up then now you got some 1/2 decent rubber



see ya soon

regards
aj

[XXtremist]

Well done Smilely. Good report and pics.

See you again on the rides with your new rubber. Don't forget the pork pies

Chris

[Tim]

Welcome back Smiley....sounds like a good time was had....nice pics mate...now get them moved to the fookin Travelogue Section....they are worthy!!!

[duncan]

thats a flemish bond wall you know ,that means you have no cavities
If I were you I would see about a silicon injected damp course

[speedfreak]

nice write up

[Ladybird]

Now moved to Travelogues section of the forum