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Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Mid-life crisis, could be anywhere
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Well, that was an adventure... 3500 miles in Europe
Just returned from an interesting exploration of Europe. The goal here was to bypass the larger cities and concentrate on the parts of Europe most people don't take the time to see as tourists. I bought a Garmin Europe map on microSD for my Garmin 1300, and enabled the routing to avoid highways and toll-roads when possible. This made for really slow going, as most country roads were very narrow and windy, with slow traffic. But in the end, the payout was huge.
My travel buddy and I rented a car in London, ferried the car from Dover to Calais, France, and headed in a southeastern direction with the intent of making a giant loop, with the Alps as the center point. After Calais, France, we headed towards Belgium, and drove through the width of the country, from west to east. After entering Germany at Aachen, we drove to Weimar, then south along the Czech border to Passau, along the Austrian border. In Austria, we clung to the western part, staying at Salzburg for the night, then down to Udine, Italy. The goal in Italy was to take in Tuscany, so we made the beautiful town of Siena our goal. From Siena, we headed to the Cote d' Azur. Passing through Monaco and the congested French Riviera, we headed north through the entire north-south length of France, ending back up in Calais for the ferry. I had hoped to take in northern Spain, and Barcelona, but in the end we ran out of time. We covered about 3500 miles in 9 days, which isn't too bad for traveling in a gutless Ford Focus diesel. Next trip will be on a BMW or Multistrada, and I hope to see even more of the backcountry, and cover more miles, including Spain and some of the Eastern European countries. The European countryside really exceeded all my expectations, and opened my eyes regarding the problems we have here in the US and how other parts of the world have figured things out. Its a gorgeous place and we have a lot to learn from them. A few untouched photos here: Europe September 2011 - Imgur
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09-16-2011, 07:29 AM
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Location: N. Phoenix AZ USA
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You did almost exactly the same route as I did years ago. I loved it and it really changed me as a person, but then I was 15 and on a bike at the time, pedaling approx 100 miles a day.
Nothing like taking the back roads as it really lets you see the countryside. I need to do it again sometime and if you ever need help let me know! Joe A
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09-16-2011, 07:34 AM
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Sounds wonderful!
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09-16-2011, 07:36 AM
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It does sound wonderful. Glad to hear you had a great time! Please share more stories when you get a chance. I'm guessing there's more....
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09-16-2011, 07:43 AM
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durn for'ner
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: South of Sweden
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Wow! I can´t believe you managed to cover all those sites in just nine days! Brilliant!
Also, in the very last picture, I must say you very much resemble our famous former skiing champion, Ingemar Stenmark. 
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09-16-2011, 07:45 AM
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Good job Motion........You got off the main road and saw the real Europe. Trip of a lifetime for you.
I've done it that way 3 times, rental car and back roads. Most I've done is 2,000 miles in 2 weeks. Usually stop and stay with friends in various places along the way. Bet you can't wait to return!
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Bob S. 73.5 911T 1969 911T Coo' pay (one owner) 1960 Mercedes 190SL 1962 XKE Roadster (sold) - 13 motorcycles |
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09-16-2011, 07:54 AM
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Location: So. Cal.
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Wow, around 388 miles per day average. I used to like doing that sort of thing but as time went on, I preferred to choose an area and spend more time there rather than being on the road. I do still enjoy seeing the countryside rolling by though. The countryside of France is truly lovely.
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09-16-2011, 08:44 AM
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Slackerous Maximus
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Columbus, OH
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Looks like a great trip! *Jealous*
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09-16-2011, 08:54 AM
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Back in the saddle again
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Central TX west of Houston
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Very nice. I'm jealous.
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09-16-2011, 09:02 AM
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I've done most of that route between Belgium and Udine. Last time I really needed my GPS there was about a year ago and it did pretty well. The highway from Salzburg to Klagenfurt was closed around Gmuend for an accident and that's where the GPS really helped. And then going from Stuttgart to Strasbourg, the traffic was so gawd-awful, we got off and took awesome backroads. Driving due west at sunset made it a real challenge to read the road signs and the GPS was pretty good there too.
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09-16-2011, 09:11 AM
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Nice...the backroads change the impression of all countries.
One question after viewing your excellent pictures: Was wine involved?
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09-16-2011, 10:04 AM
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This was my favourite picture. Very evocative.
It reminds me of countless evenings spent in tiny cafes such as this throughout Europe. Sometimes with friends, sometimes with family, sometimes alone...and you are never alone for very long. I love the small and personal scale of such encounters. Europe can be so incredibly intimate this way. 
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_____________________ These are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others.—Groucho Marx Last edited by Dottore; 09-16-2011 at 10:29 AM.. |
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09-16-2011, 10:18 AM
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I see you found Villacher Maerzen, one of Austria's finest. Gawd, I love it.
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09-16-2011, 10:31 AM
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I'm guessing this is Udine, since I also found Villacher there and it's very close to Villach.
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09-16-2011, 10:33 AM
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Never been to Europe. Too many furriners there.
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09-16-2011, 12:53 PM
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Location: France
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Quote:
Wow, who would have guessed that!?!?!?!?!?
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09-16-2011, 01:03 PM
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Good effort Motion and as you say Europe has a lot to offer, especially if you avoid the big cities and keep to back roads.
Over the last 3yrs our summer holidays have been European driving tours, we've done 7000 miles in 6 weeks through 18 countries from Belgium, down to Montenegro and as far across as Romania. No two countries are similar. Hard to pick a favourite but I had to it would be Slovenia and the worse would have to be Serbia. Some other favourites are southern Germany, southern Czech, Hungary and Switzerland. My kids love it as you can't compare strolling around the streets of Pompei or walking around a WW1 cemetery or exploring a castle to reading about it on the web are seeing on the Histroy Channel. Best education they will ever experience.
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09-16-2011, 01:18 PM
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The wife and I would love to do this. Question...can you do this sort of trip and not be able to speak anything but English?
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09-16-2011, 01:18 PM
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Quote:
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09-16-2011, 02:21 PM
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Quote:
But it takes just a tiny bit of effort to learn a few words in the languages of the countries you want to visit. And the ability to say: Good morning Hello Goodbye Please Thank you Where Pardon me Water Toilet etc. will pay off in many many ways. They also have books with pictures divided by subject areas. You point and they read in their own language. Make it a positive adventure and it will be one.
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Who Dares, Wins! |
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09-16-2011, 04:34 PM
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1987 Porsche Carrera 3.2 
Only Porsche
Only bike
