A long way hame!

The way home simple it should have been.. simple it was not!
The masterplan was we we would be around 20 miles from Livorno station on  the final day which we were, in fact there was even enough time for a quick nip into Pisa for the obligatory photo's to prove Italians are bereft of spirit levels. Onwards to Livorno, naturally it would be sensible to signpost the station but not the Italians. Eventually we found it but without doubt the scariest moments I have ever experienced as a rider as we got swarmed around by very wobbly teenage moped riders there were 20 or 30 hovering around paying scant regard for any form of safety or self preservation. On arrival at the train we bumped into another Scottish tour and various classic car types heading to Holland.

Loading commenced, crash helmets off... and down about a dozen car transport wagons trying to hang on to your bike unable to sit upright without decapitation becoming inevitable. The rolling stock was worn but clean and on board facilities were spot on with a great dining car.

Like the UK the Dutch,Germans,Swiss and Italians use the weekend for track maintenance this resulted in us being about an hour late into Holland this coupled with utter chaos offloading the vehicles meant we missed our ferry connection from Amsterdam to Newcastle.

A lot of calls, head scratching and  soul searching allowed us to make  the decision to book onto the Harwich ferry from Hook of Holland. The 70 miles down in deteriorating weather had an ominous feel but to be fair it all went smoothly arriving in the UK at 05.30 am.

The 440 miles northwards was the most challenging conditions I have ever endured, there was a gusting south westerly wind making overtaking  a nightmare along with el wierdo gusts being lobbed out as you passed any HGV's. It took four stops for various forms of sustenance before we arrived back in Edinburgh around 17.00 with me feeling like I had been decapitated properly (even better than loading the bikes on the train).

In summary though, a great tour with the usual reprobates and a couple of additional ones. Roll on the next.

The filthy

Here we are on our last full day in Italy in Lucca staying in our first proper Parador like accommodation. Prue and I walked up a 1000m and got a great view of the surrounding countryside - out to the coast. The rest of the mob visited Pisa and Lucca town doing the usual boring tourist thing. We had a reasonable meal in the Villa but it did not compare to last nite's meal in the industrial estate in Vicopisiano. Overall a good day but depression is setting in as thoughts are returning to going back to the UK! Key events for today was JR denting a vehicle in Lucca then doing a runner, Roscoe going to sleep after only 20 minutes on his bike, Colin doing nothing interesting, Prue and John climbing a large mountain and almost falling on the Hilary step. We are currently in an alcoholic stupor rewriting history and telling takes of derring do which should all be taken with a grain of salt.

There was a table tennis challenge between Colin and Ross, then Colin and John. Colin was the victor. However, as a result of some bad behaviour, the table tennis bat had to be applied to John's posterior with a resounding whack.

Tuscany

Sansepolcro

We moved on through Tuscany, up and down hills, lots of twisty bends. The Italian roads go do with some investment and their drivers could do with some tuition. And their men could learn some manners. Morna has to dole her best grumpy looks.

As JR describes, the team’s progress resembles the big bang theory with a scatter effect in the morning as the satnavs take everyone in different directions, and reconvergence at the end of the day. We took our usual varied routes today, however there was consensus that the Tuscan towns were not as picturesque as expected and generally not well maintained.

We arrived at Sansepulchro which has on ancient walled town. Generally things seem quiet around here, as if Tuscany is closed for the season. Ross had a big slug of the blue stuff in the bathroom, thinking it was mouthwash, only to discover it was shower gel. Yum yum.

Pontedera

We set off again to explore more of Tuscany. This turned out to be the best day for scenery. There were some fantastic vistas. The route took us up and down twisty hills. The drivers appreciated this although road surfaces mostly resemble Scottish quality.

Ross and Morna came by a beautiful old town high on a hill called San Gimignano. It was spectacular and the spirits lifted.

However, on arrival at our next hotel on the edge of an industrial estate we felt deflated. We ate in thehotel restaurant which proved to be unexpectedly high quality. You just can’t guess what will be coming next.

We finished the evening with a spirited game of table football. Ross won, showing evidence of the most misspent youth amongst us.

Brisighella: Spa town or Bates Motel

At last some rustic Italian scenery, it seems that we all took separate routes from Padova down to here but the consensus is none were really up too much.

Morna and Ross opted for down the motorway one junction and off on to a central “A” type road. After 30 miles of “A” road following van after van through small little service type areas we decided that the motorway was at least going to be quicker. The motorways or Autostradas as they are known are a solid conduit of HGV of various types it seems nothing in Italy is transported by rail. 60 miles later to the south of Bologna we finally found some rustic charm, we followed a “B” type road for about 15 miles through little farm hamlets  and up into the hills.

More about Brisighella and the hotel later on but it seems tranquil but slightly odd……….

The hotel in Brigishella is an austere 1960s extravaganza with no life and character. The girls went for a walk around the town and found the Terme (spa). It was deserted with a grotty swimming pool and buildings closed up and unkempt. We expected the tumbleweed to blow over at any minute. On a grey afternoon it had a spooky feel. We continued into the village where  the restaurants were closed and the locals stared. We could feel eyes following us from behind screens. We returned to the hotel with a feeling of foreboding.

Later we set off to find somewhere to eat, having been offered a choice of 3 dishes at the hotel. Yum. Again the suspicious looks followed us around. We found a restaurant offering good views and sent JB on a reconnaissance. He concluded it looked hopeful so we climbed the 100m to the restaurant to find the most fantastic restaurant set above the village with views of Tuscany. The meal was top class. We couldn't praise our lovely hosts enough. Finding such a place was so unexpected. As Ross often says, motorbikes take you to places you would never otherwise see.

The Bikers of Venice

Well... I suppose it was inevitable that someone would take a motorbike to Venice!

We left Slovenia, I was feeling a bit under the weather for the 168 miles from Ljubliana over to Padovo in Italy, however things picked up a bit along the way. We stopped for coffee in a small town where there was a a display of classic vehicles in the town square, then completed the journey missing the Autostrada (motorways) as the drivers are totally nuts in Italy.

Arriving at Padovo it turned out our Antipodean friend hadn't bothered to see the hotel was on an Industrial Estate at the back end of town. Once we got over the shock we resigned ourselves to getting on with it and had a nice evening in the town centre where the food and drink was very welcome.

As we were 20 miles from Venice it made absolute sense to head in as Morna had never visited before.
I remember it from a trip when I was 15 or 16 years old and unsurprisingly it hasn't really changed but it is sort of different if you are a free traveller rather than shipped in by coach to have your pockets  emptied in St Marks Square.

Venice is absolutely unique and beautiful and still well worth a visit although we were nearly boiled alive having to get changed in and out of motorcycle gear in a multi story car park.

It is Anita's birthday tonight so looking forward to that..

And now we are 8

We were all so pleased that Margaret has now joined us that we managed the first successful rendez-vous for coffee, since we set off. We met at Lake Bled which was very pretty with a castle overlooking a green lake.

Lovely Ljubljana

Ljubljana. I was worried as we approached the city as it appeared quite rundown and poor. The accommodation seemed a bit unorthodox too as we drew up beside an apartment building in central Ljubljana. However we had lovely newly furbished apartments and were actually very pleased. The general feel is of the former communist rule. Large square austere buildings all around, but also some beautiful buildings influenced more by the Italian and Austrian rule. The city is bouncing with activity and atmosphere at the moment as the European Basketball Championships are being held here. Also Slovenia beat Albania at football last night. The cafe culture down by the river is buzzing.

Padlocks on bridges and couples smooching nearby reminded us of Paris on the Seine - apparently the padlocks lock the couples together for ever, so maybe it is insane? We all  went up Ljubljiana Castle this morning, some via the funicular, others via the path. We were treated to a history of the  area over the last 5200 years, including the pole dwellers and all the various peoples who conquered the area over the centuries. The Austrians, the Huns, the Italians, the Slavs and even the French. In 1991 it became Slovenia and seems to be on the up ever since.  The commentary was so riveting Anita and Prue were chastised for ogling at one of the many wedding parties instead of paying attention.  The most interesting part was the hamster excercise wheel  capstain type arrangement whereby two blindfolded prisoners hamstered away for 10 minutes to bring a bucket full of water up from the well. The well survived the earthquakes in 1511 and 1895 but dried up when the congniscenti blasted a tunnel through the hill and upset the watercourse and the well was drained dry and the surrounding area flooded. The museum houses the earliest known wheel in the world, and as a bonus it is attached to a wooden axel.
The cars are all very new and the city looks to be on the up. The people are very friendly and are taught English at school. We feel safe here and it is 26 degrees centigrade.
I agree with the above \(JNB) - this is a fantastic city and gives hope for the demise of radical socialism! The beautiful varied architecture coupled with the lovely cafes and restaurants make this city a must to visit. There is a vitality about the place that is encouraging. We all had a lovely pre dinner drink at the art deco 13th floor of one of local highest buildings. Lovely vistas of the city were enjoyed by all and most of all the handbrakes left and allowed the boys there own time for 30 minutes - more later!