Everywhere Virtually

The pace of my travels is outpacing my ability to blog, edit and process photos and videos so in no particular order I will upload material from the last week of travelling across Europe.

The video below was shot yesterday in Linz at the Pflasterspektakel (Street spectacle, ‘Pflaster’ being like the English word Plaster as in it covers the street.) The two artists are Estas Tonne from Russia and Yonatan Bar Rashi from Israel.

It was stirring stuff to hear this live!

Quite rightly French bikers are protesting at Draconian rules which would ultimately affect all bikers across Europe if the EU has its way. I salute and support these fellow bikers in every way!

À juste titre motards français protestent contre les règles draconiennes qui serait finalement affecter tous les motards à travers l’Europe si l’UE a sa façon. Je salue et soutenir ces motards collègues dans tous les sens!

Manifestation des Motards en Colère le 18 juin… by r2087r

Read the full article at: UK France bikers.com

I started putting together the footage of the Lech trip. It soon became apparent that there was quite a bit and not all of it great either. Some of it was underexposed or show signs of interlacing. At the same time friends were asking where the video was. So to give a small taste of what were up to I put together a one and a half minute teaser while I work on the “big one”. At the same time I don’t want to big it up too much. It is just a home movie after all.

I decided to relax and spend an extra day with my old and new friends. My host made the most amazing breakfast. Considering you can’t really get bacon in Germany she did a mighty fine job of getting the next best thing. having breakfast on the balcony really allowed me to get into the continental spirit. It also helps if the sun is shining and the air is warm.

After brekky we headed for the Rhine and some local castles. First up was the Ruine Isenberg

Count Frederick of Isenberg (Friedrich von Isenberg) (1193 – 15 November 1226) was a German noble, the younger son of Count Arnold of Altena (died 1209). His family castle was the Isenburg near Hattingen, Germany. Frederick of Isenberg was outlawed and excommunicated. He was stripped of all offices and stewardships and his entire personal wealth. In the winter of 1225/1226 the new Archbishop of Cologne, Heinrich von Müllenark, besieged and destroyed his castle.

Because there was a lot of walking involved time began to lag and we soon realised we were running a bit late for the afternoon tea appointment with our friends. There was one more castle to see but it was such a fleeting visit I could do no more than take one photo.

10 minutes later we had met up with Jürgen, Miriana and their friends.

After some light afternoon reading, tea, coffee and cake we decided to go for a walk down by the river ruhr.

It really was a very pleasant spring afternoon. I learned about many aspects of this part of Bochum and the Ruhr which I would not have know about otherwise. The story does not end there though. My Gemini colleague was far from done and there was more to see. As the light was beginning to fail I did wonder what else could be seen at this time of day.

While the museum was closed you could still walk around it. It comprised of two parts. The coal mining element of it and the steel works that were a kilometre or so away. I lived in Sheffield in my youth was no stranger to steelworks and coal mines but I had never seen one from this close up before.

Zollverein (Customs or Toll union as organised by Prussia in the 1830s) is a very impressive museum indeed. It reminds me a little bit of the Tate modern in London. I think in part due to the similar brickwork and era that these two structures were built in. If you read up on the history of the Zollverein it is very interesting. The Zollverein established an anti-Austrian tradition among the Prussians which is prevalent to this day.

Next up was the steelworks. It was a short drive to the other side of the site and this was something else all together. It was lit only in blue and red lighting. It was eerie but in a surreal way. Eerie because the mental image of a steelworks is of activity, of heat, light. The absence of all these things gave it a post apocalyptic feeling. I half expected the terminator to emerge from the cold dark pool of water that lay before me.

After such a sightseeing packed day I was bushed. My friend had one more sight planned which was the Tertraeder at Bottrup. It is a sculpture built on top of the coal mining spoils. A slag heap as they are known in the UK. It was 10pm and in the absence of any light I was less than keen to climb this structure.

This is what it looks like in the daylight. The photo is courtesy of my Friend Simon Parker.

In the end the more sensible plan of finding a kebab house was set in motion. It was the perfect end to a very interesting day.

I had a snooze but it wasn’t the most comfortable. The car was rammed with household belongings so I couldn’t recline the seat. I had a crick in my neck and a dead leg so it was time to traverse Belgium and slingshot around Brussels. It is a well trodden route by myself. I saw the old grooves in the road that I left from past trips.

By early afternoon I met up with my old friend Bernard in Gistoux. Set in the countryside his house is an oasis or tranquility. Whether on a bike or in a car to pause there really is a tonic. It is also an opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of the French speaking world before heading into Teutonic lands. Myself and Bernard watched as a feathered friend wanted to join in the ambience.

In the evening I had dinner with his wife and daughter and it was all very cordial and welcoming. It always makes me think that the hospitality in England is seriously lacking in so many ways.

The next day the plan was to drive to Dusseldorf. I was to meet up with an old work colleague and friend and talk strategy. I packed my laptop away and revelled at the ease of my departure in comparison to getting suited and booted when on a bike. My exuberance would soon be quashed when I turned the key of the motor and nothing happened. Nonchalance turned to concern turned to stress. The lights came on, the battery was good, it turned over but it was no go. Chug chug chug nothing.

How could this be? The car had been running fine since I’d bought it a month previously. I’m no mechanic either. beyond oil, filter, brake pad changes it becomes rocket science. I looked at the engine and between myself and Bernard we pondered on what might be causing the starting problems. We simultaneously spotted air bubbles in the fuel lines but instead of seeing that as a problem surmised that the fuel pump was working and that that was a visible indicator that fuel was moving along.

The oil was low but within tolerances and the next theory to be floated was lack of compression due to a lower oil level. I didn’t quite believe this and after further thought went back to the bubbles in the fuel lines. A car doesn’t run on air and so that amount of air in the fuel mix was not good. I would later notice a leak in one of the diesel injectors which was letting the air into the injector while the car was at rest. This is why the car worked fine the day before but not after sitting overnight.

Thinking further back it would also explain the diesel stain on my folks driveway. I had dismissed it as excess floating around the engine guard. The previous owner had said that there was a leaky seal and that he’d replaced it and the diesel in the bottom of the engine protector was from that. Wrong. It wasn’t it was from the leaking injector and so my guard was down. Hey ho.

After a lot of gnashing of teeth, expletives and calls of COME ON! it started in a puff of smoke. I’m a lucky bugger. Lucky because I’m on the tightest of shoe strings, I have a car load of gear and it needs to be delivered. I can’t afford breakdown cover at the moment and so Bernard does not know how close he came to having a Mercedes/IKEA installation in his garden!

Once I got underway I relaxed, put on some tunes and set the coordinates for Dusseldorf. Glitch number 2 was about to arise. My buddy in Dusseldorf had rather curiously forgotten I was coming and was not even in town. My gut feeling said something was not quite right in Dusseldorf world so I set a new course to Bochum which was 20 or so minutes North of Dusseldorf.

I arrived at the house of my old neighbour from Manchester. It was 7pm and I was tired but being a Gemini and the consumate socialite she had planned my evening in advance and I was the chauffeur to a Burns night in Dortmund. For someone so skint my life really is disproportionately interesting, surprising and unpredictable.

So there I am in Dortmund, eating cock-a-leeky soup, eating Haggis and listening to recitals of Burns two months after the official celebrations have passed. You couldn’t make this stuff up. I had a grand evening and I made some new friends.

In the video below listen to the address to the Haggis. Should you want a translation from the heavily accented Scottish dialect you might want to take a look at the original address to the Haggis.

I got the car loaded up and was ready to roll by 1am. The most incongruous item was an ironing board. Not just any ironing board but according to it’s owner a uniquely designed and sturdy board worth its weight in gold. I figured if I was quizzed at customs I could always claim I was heading for an extreme ironing competition.

I drove through the night because on previous trips on the bike, I would always be delayed by heavy traffic at Birmingham and London. This time around I also needed to be mindful of fuel economy as diesel is now £1.36 a litre in most places and £1.48 at the motorway services. It is also easier to drive at 60 mph at night. Gone are the pressures of the day where brash sales execs are tailgating or hurrying you along, instead you have courteous truckers with their left, right, left indicator signaling to thank you when you let them change lanes or flash them to move back into your lane.

My trusty old C-class that I picked up for a grand also imbibes you with a sense of zen like calm, unhurried and statesman like. That youthful desire to put your foot down disappears and the 3 pointed star at the end of the bonnet reminds you that you are driving a Mercedes Benz.

I managed to get past the toll on the Dartford bridge before the morning charges kicked in. 6am I believe it starts and I crossed it 05:54. It is only a few quid but if felt like a small victory. By 7am I was nearly at the port. A sea mist had rolled it and was in a battle for supremacy with the warm morning sunshine. I used to live in Kent and have fond memories of the “Garden of England”. It was if I had never left.

This Dutch adventurer caught my eye. I couldn’t get a clear view of the bike but it appeared to be sub 125cc. I have more respect for bikers like this because they may be on a limited budget and have a bike that exposes them to more of the elements which in turn requires more determination.

In stark contrast as I am doing the pipe and slippers soft git method of travel I figured I might as well go the whole hog and become a VIP.

Becoming a VIP only cost £9 which mean’t any old ragamuffin, like myself could get in there. The last time I was on this ship it was 3am and I was soaked to the bone. I lay on a bench seat and shivered my way across the English Channel . Plus Jamais (Never again) as the French would say . VIP also gave me wifi access for the two hour crossing so it was a good deal.

The sea was like a milk pond and the air mild.

Once across the channel the plan was to head East. First to Holland and then Belgium. By now I was flagging somewhat and needed to have a power nap somewhere. I would find some rest in Flanders fields.

For the last 3 years I’ve done without a car. Spending my time riding bikes exclusively come rain or shine, snow or ice. This has been fine for me but there comes a time when even the most ardent rider needs 4 wheels. For me that time is now. I need to move some household items to Austria. I have moved stuff on my old 800 in the past, but if the act of overloading the bike with ski boots, DVD’s, cutlery, a copy of Marie Claire and ladies toiletries were not enough of a challenge I decided to ride the bike around the Arc de Triumphe just for shits and giggles.

After such smile inducing folly I realised that shifting a futon, books, crockery, ladies clothes and another copy of Marie Claire would be easier this time in the Red Baron. No not the Bi-plane but my old 250D Merc. I did a bit of a job on it so that I would have the same standard of gadgets and luxury as I’ve had on the bikes.

Crucially it has a tow hook. This is pivotal to my bike plans

Body work is in alright nick for a 17 year old motor

So this will be my office over the next few weeks.

Naturally there will be gremlins ready to raise their ugly heads. There always are with older cars. Always.

Well as part of my plans for 2011 my trusty CB500 that served me so well since May last year has to go. I have plans to acquire two bikes and fund a trip to Austria and without work it is impossible to do so the black Honda is my cash cow.

I sold it to a very decent fella from the Czech Republic. It was a smooth transaction and I only wish all deals were as straight forward.

Of course this now means I am bike-less for a month or two. Getting some regular income will determine when I am next on two wheels. I am hopefully attending a Horizons Unlimited do in May and I have committed hard cash to a new/old beast . All that remains is for me to raise the rest.

In the meantime I will think back to my two wheeled travels of the past.

The relentless procession of doom laden news is never ending. Whether it is the suppression of peoples rights, stock market crashes, job losses or natural disasters it really is enough to give anyone a permanent case of the blues. If you have your health though and can appreciate the birds singing as I can whilst I write here at 4am then it ain’t all bad.

I am currently self unemployed shall we say at the moment but as Charlie Sheen said last week “you can’t fire a man with plans” and I have plans. In true Gemini fashion I think I have too many plans all going off at once. You all know about the DRZ plan. I had an idea about that or should I say an evolution on the initial idea. It’s my 40th Birthday next year and according to some 2012 is also the end of the world. Some would say hitting 40 is the end of the world but we shall see. So I got to thinking that maybe I should ride my bike “to” the end of the world as in Tiego Del Fuego. The thing is these days I am struggling to identify the reasons for doing such a thing. It has been done many times before and has been well documented in print and film. Am I doing it for ego or to escape the rat race? Is the pull stronger than the push? I still haven’t found the answer or the motivation yet.

What I have done though is committed to a second bike. Or perhaps it is the first bike as the DRZ is not in my possession yet? Anyway I have been selling bits and bobs on ebay in order to raise some cash for a road trip across Europe in just over a week. I had a projector screen I wanted to get rid of. It was surplus to requirements and in the end it was just annoying me due to the space it was taking up. So I sold it to a guy who ran an Air Cadet Squadron. “Great”, I thought, I used to be a cadet so I felt I was giving something back. I met the guy and did the deal and we had a coffee and a chat. As we parted he said you could do worse than have an R1100GS or perhaps an R850GS if you can find one.

I didn’t think much of it until later when I did a quick search on Google. I find a thread on a blog that is advertising the rarer 850. Not only that but it belongs to a friend and he’s been trying to sell it since October last year! NO WAY! So I make a few enquiries, pull a few strings and before I know it I have laid claim to another GS. I can tell you now I don’t have the money for it yet and I won’t borrow the money. Thankfully my friend is not in a hurry and all being well the hand over will be at the Horizons Unlimited event in May.

It’s funny how things work out. All I need to do now is work like a madman, somewhere, anywhere, anyhow.