Well people it has been awhile since I have updated you on progress. Today I am in a small town called Santa Maria d´Oló just north of Barcelona, having an experience of Catalan rural life! Its really quiet here, but there are some nice rides around. Yesterday I did two and a half hours of on and off road riding through the countryside, and across some rural tracks. I have to try and upload some pictures here, but need a connection for my laptop first.

Taking up from Germany, I left Ottobeuren with the Fritz´s who were kind enough to put me up for a few days and give me some trips on good routes etc. It was Dr. Fritz who organized my bike service with Seitz in Ulm. Who were great. They fixed up my bike, gave me a loan bike, and even had dinner with them one evening. Great garage!! I recommend them.

The weather has been kind of nasty since I got home, we had some heavy snow in the days before leaving for Italy, especially the day before leaving. I was kind of scared at first, never having ridden in deep snow on a bike. But most of the Autobahns were clear, and it was only when entering into Austria and Italy that I started to come across some snow. Fern-pass on the entry to Austria was great, just fields and mountains covered in a perfect blanket of white snow. It was amazing. The road is nice and twisty but it was difficult to enjoy because of the large volume of traffic on it. It was not until we got away from the main roads that the riding got to be fun, and I must say there was something unique about riding through a snow storm and cracking the ice of my visor!!

The Alps In northern Italy are kind of special, some really nice roads and great scenery, I will have to return here another time when the weather is better. As you descended from the mountains the snow was replaced with rain so really it was not so conducive to staying around. The first night I stayed north of Lago di Garda, and drove around the lake the next day, following the western shore. It looks like a great venue for sailing. Hope there are some fireball events here in the future! Originally I was going to head to Verona, but with the bad weather I decided to go south to Bologna. Near Bologna I started to follow the signs then got lost, after awhile of driving and not getting any closer I started to wonder where I was, then I saw this sign for Firenze.... 15 minutes away!!! So accidentally totally missed Bologna and ended up in Florence. By now I was soaking wet and a little cold! the coldest temperature that day was minus 4!! So i took a room near the centre and hung up all my gear, cranked the heating up to full and left the gear to dry.

I was lucky in that the rain cleared up for the evening and I had a change to explore the city without getting soaked. First stop was the famous Cathedral, which I had studied in Art class back in school. Was great seeing it and Giberti´s baptistery doors in person. Then it was into JJ´s Cathedral bar on the plaza, (yes it is an Irish bar). Also visited the other famous sites, the pont vecchio and the Uffizi while walking around the streets at night. Its a nice city but a nightmare to drive in!! got hopelessly lost the next day trying to get to Pisa. 

So Pisa! It was great to catch up with Nicolo in Pisa and have more than a few beers. This was the first place I was ever on a motorcycle, and I now have a foto of the current bike alongside the first ever! kind of cool. As always the hospitality was great. After a few days I set off along the Via Aurelia in the direction of France. Again it was raining!! and the traffic was crap, so eventually I gave up and took the Autostrade for alittle while before getting back on the Aurelia. Some more great twisty sections especially near Imperia. But they really slowed my up, and it was getting dark when I entered Cannes. I decided to head north to Sisteron, but stopped shortly after in a small place in the Alps as it was too cold and too dark to keep going. I found a lovely little hotel at a reasonably price and despite not speaking any french managed to get the room and my dinner and a nice jug of wine and beakfast the next day. Dinner was great, enough soup for three people, pasta with meat, desert, and wine.. for €3. oh and I forgot the coffee. I left early next day for Sisteron. Some fantastic roads! really good, twisty opening bends with amazing vistas. I was surprised how dry the area is. I passed numerous dry lakes and rivers. Has it not rained this winter in Europe? Sisteron is a lovely little town. I had arranged to meet to French bikers who live here, but it all when a little pear shaped. I forgot to ask for a telephone number and when I got there my only way of contacting them was email. So i went to a cafe which was closing and sent an email. Then the threw me out as they were closing so had no way to wait for a reply, so instead of thinking and waiting for a few hours I had a look around the town and left.

The weather in France was a definite improvement with sun all the way. In no time at all I was outside Marseille, and not liking cities too much I kept going on country roads to Montpellier and eventually into Spain.. (or Catalunya.. depending on who you talk to). Again I am avoiding the highways here, much preferring the country roads. More to follow with fotos.