30 Jun 2013

Day 8: Ruèras to Flachau


The next morning we woke up to blue skies and no forecast of rain after one of the best sleeps I'd had in a long time.

After a traditional Swiss breakfast of breads, meats and cheeses we packed up and headed towards Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Morning view—no HDR required.

A quick rest in the shade.

Arriving in Liechtenstein.

The roads in Liechtenstein are very similar to Switzerland with the same type of signs and the same speed limits. It is such a small country that we were in Vaduz within 20 minutes of crossing the border.

We parked illegally on the pavement to nab a shot of the art museum—a perfectly rectangular building among all the old-world architecture.

Obligatory shot in front of the Kunstmuseum in Vaduz.

The castle overlooking Vaduz.

We did a 50/50 mix of autobahn and backroad riding since we had a considerable distance still to cover to reach Flachau where we were invited to stay with some friends. By chance we ended up going through the Arlberg Road Tunnel, Austria's longest tunnel at a nose less than 14km in length. For most of the length there is a slight curve but it gets to the point where you almost get hypnotised by the overhead lighting and is not for the claustrophobic among us.

Coming out of the tunnel on the Tyrol side we paid the €9 toll and exited the autobahn to carry on through some of the Alpine villages and towns.

Tyrollean Alps.

Being Sunday everything was closed but that didn't stop us using the car park of the local Spar for another break.

Charly's Hundefriseur for Fido's short back and sides.

And another stop.

Near the bottom of the last pass before Flachau—Hochkönig—like a complete divvy I decided to see how hot the brakes were by touching them after 10km of 18% grade… no more needs to be said.

Looking down the hill toward Mühlbach am Hochkönig.

We arrived in Flachau at roughly 8:30pm and spent the evening sharing photos and catching up with our friends in their gorgeous new Austrian-style chalet home surrounded by the juicy green landscapes from The Sound of Music before checking out for the night.


Alps 2013 quick links


Day 1: London to Lille
Day 2: Lille to Hagondange
Day 3: Slow road to Ammerschwihr
Day 4: Ammerschwihr
Day 5: Ammerschwihr to Thônes
Day 6: Thônes to.... Thônes
Day 7: Thônes to Ruèras
Day 8: Ruèras to Flachau
Day 9: Flachau
Day 10: Flachau to Wemding
Day 11: Wemding to Urberach
Day 12: Urberach to Antwerp
Day 13: Antwerp to London

The gear and how it held up
The trip in hindsight

29 Jun 2013

Day 7: Thônes to Ruèras


We woke up to grey skies and non-stop rain so we didn't exactly rush to leave Thônes. After we packed up we had a walk around the Saturday market before setting off toward Switzerland.

Negotiating the narrow Alpine roads in the wet was a little bit less confidence-inspriring than in the dry as many are poorly surfaced due to the hard winters and the bike has a tendency to slip somewhat mid-corner if pressing on a bit too hard.

We arrived in Chamonix at lunchtime after nearly two hours in torrential rain. I was only damp on the undersides of my legs from the constant tyre spray but everything else was perfectly dry. Plus one for Icon's waterproof gear.

Not exactly under cover.

Over the road a shop selling biscuits, booze and candy, what's not to like?

Kitchen doesn't open for lunch but they threw together some delicious salads topped with fried egg.

After lunch we crossed the border into Switzerland where a few bored-looking border police were ignoring the cars and carried on to Martigny. The descent is an amazing drive, long downhill straights with hairpin corners on the ends and an incredible view of the valley lined with vineyards.

From Martigny we headed east and as we carried along the valley the rain eventually stopped.

A quick stop in the valley.

A chap and his wife were walking along and offered to take a photo—they didn't seem the camera-snatching type.

At the east end of the valley the rain started again as we started to climb. Little did I know that the GPS was leading me over the Grimsel Pass, one of the higher Alpine passes in Europe and a notoriously harrowing road. At bottom the temperature was around 17°C and as we climbed I was watching the thermometer slowing counting down.

Approaching the snow line.

A sign of what was to come.

Not the best panoramic shot but gives a sense of how vast this place is. Looks like the mountains were draped in green before a generous sprinkling of frosting.

The road was great going up but as we reached the summit the rain showers turned into a snowstorm and the temperature had reached 0.5°C, ice warning flashing away on the instrument panel.

Fortunately the snow wasn't sticking to the road but my windscreen was covered, and I was wiping my helmet every 30 seconds or so to see.

After the summit is one of the most nerve-racking, narrow roads I've been on. It's corner after corner of left-right bends with no barriers and a sheer drop to the unknown. I've driven and ridden some crazy mountain passes in my time but this one, combined with the snow, literally frightened the life out of me.

Out the other end, the temperature rose as quickly as it had fallen and before long we were in Andermatt where we stopped to [kiss the ground] have a pizza. The barman spoke fluent English and there were three chaps sitting at the next table who were behaving slightly oddly, as though they were looking for trouble. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I've travelled enough to know when it’s time to move on.

I got my booking.com app fired up and found a room at a reasonable cost at Hotel La Val about 30km away in Sedrun-Ruèras.

The hotel and the man and woman who ran it were absolutely lovely, like they were inviting us to stay in their own home (which, in some respects, they were). It was very 70s in style but warm and cozy, and everything was absolutely spotless. They even let me park the bike in their personal garage for the night so it would be secure. Cannot recommend this hotel enough.

A room with an HDR view.

Swiss-style in-room shower—quirky.

After feeling a bit shell-shocked from the ride over the Grimsel Pass, it didn't take long to fall asleep in one of the most comfortable beds so far this trip.


Alps 2013 quick links


Day 1: London to Lille
Day 2: Lille to Hagondange
Day 3: Slow road to Ammerschwihr
Day 4: Ammerschwihr
Day 5: Ammerschwihr to Thônes
Day 6: Thônes to.... Thônes
Day 7: Thônes to Ruèras
Day 8: Ruèras to Flachau
Day 9: Flachau
Day 10: Flachau to Wemding
Day 11: Wemding to Urberach
Day 12: Urberach to Antwerp
Day 13: Antwerp to London

The gear and how it held up
The trip in hindsight

28 Jun 2013

Day 6: Thônes to.... Thônes


We left Thônes around 11am with the intention of visiting my snowboarding haunt Les Alps—in particular Chalet Les Sapins where I stayed a while back. As we were already behind schedule, Nice and Monaco were knocked off the list and we intended to head northeast towards Liechtenstein after passing through.

Alpine meadows near Le Lencieux.

Up and down mountain after mountain and it keeps chugging along...

Along the way, the first pass is Col des Aravis, an easy ride up (freshly resurfaced) and a bumpy ride down (patch on top of patch). I have been having a lot of trouble trying to capture the enormity of these mountains and passes, my lenses don't do them justice.

Col des Aravis.

Flossy enjoying life in Col des Aravis.

Halfway down, we stopped briefly in La Giettaz to use the public toilets which are next to the roadway with a convenient lay-by large enough for a couple motorbikes.

La Giettaz.

We carried on towards Bourg-Saint-Maurice on some seriously narrow backroads—after doing so many hairpin corners I have completely got over my anxiety about doing U-turns on a fully loaded bike, practice makes perfect and there is no room for errors on these roads.

Not your banker's Mercedes... near Le Manon.

The highlight of the journey was Cormet de Roselend—a high Alpine pass connecting Beaufort with Bourg-Saint-Maurice. This road is literally made for motorbiking—a well-surfaced ribbon of tarmac snaking its way through the mountains and around the north end of Lac de Roselend with its steely blue-green water.

The stunning Lac de Roselend—photos cannot communicate how enormous and open this pass is.

Nearly ready to carry on.

From Lac de Roselend to the summit and down to Bourg-Saint-Maurice.



Arriving in Bourg-Saint-Maurice we stopped for a snack in neighbouring Séez before heading up to Les Arcs.

A snack in Séez.

It was when we reached Arc 1800 where things went a bit pear-shaped... Trying to navigate the maze of roads (which are ski runs in the winter) is like trying to untangle a bowlful of overcooked spaghetti and we inevitably ended up on the wrong road at a dead end. I'm not sure what I did exactly but in the process of doing a 3-point turn on a slope I overbalanced the bike and it ended up on its left side with us on the floor next to it, rear wheel still happily spinning along in first gear.

One bruised wrist (Zev's) and a slightly scuffed plastic corner piece on the pannier later, we picked ourselves up and headed back down the hill toward Bourg-Saint-Maurice again.

I've come off my bike riding off road enough times and it has never shook me up but for some reason I experienced a significant loss of confidence for the next hour or so, running over in my head how I managed to tip us over in the first place. I was a bit surprised how something so minor put such a damper on the day.

Safely reaching Beaufort again we figured it was time for a drink and another bite to eat. We contemplated heading toward Chamonix but decided we were tired and it would take the same amount of time to go back to Thônes and have another delicious dinner at Hôtel du Commerce.

Having another snack in Beaufort.

One last stop before heading back to Thônes.

We reached the hotel, stuffed ourselves silly with some of the best food I've had and passed out asleep, ready to try again tomorrow.


Alps 2013 quick links


Day 1: London to Lille
Day 2: Lille to Hagondange
Day 3: Slow road to Ammerschwihr
Day 4: Ammerschwihr
Day 5: Ammerschwihr to Thônes
Day 6: Thônes to.... Thônes
Day 7: Thônes to Ruèras
Day 8: Ruèras to Flachau
Day 9: Flachau
Day 10: Flachau to Wemding
Day 11: Wemding to Urberach
Day 12: Urberach to Antwerp
Day 13: Antwerp to London

The gear and how it held up
The trip in hindsight

27 Jun 2013

Day 5: Ammerschwihr to Thônes


We woke up at 9am, packed up the panniers and took Laure out for breakfast before heading out in the rain at 11am. We crossed over into Germany for about 5 minutes before reaching the Swiss border where the border police didn't care to see our passports or our mugs under our helmets.

It was interesting how Basel instantly felt old-world with church bells ringing and trams sharing the road with the cars, bicycles and motorbikes. Unfortunately the whole city was under construction and the GPS eventually gave up trying to reroute.

A quick stop in a Swiss industrial zone.

We headed to the motorway and took it for about 5km until we were out of the city and could move back onto the secondary routes through the mountains and villages. The commuter train runs beside the road with only a kerb separating the road from the tracks.

Switzerland is a much more densely populated country than I had imagined with villages and towns only a couple kilometres apart from each other, one after another. The Swiss also drive more aggressively and erratically than the French and like to bully their way into roundabouts without waiting their turn. We nearly got knocked off by a crazy woman who didn't feel like yielding and it was the first use of my horn so far on the trip—in the one country where it's as good as illegal.

A charming Swiss village.

We stopped at a supermarket to grab a few things for lunch and then drove another hour trying to find a decent spot to stop and eat. A car park with some planters ended up sufficing.
Zev makes a new mate...

...but he only spoke filth.

A Swiss army Unimog stopped next to us (I didn't figure I'd been busted for using my horn earlier in the day). There were 5 or 6 young army cadets inside and they quite excited about our journey, as they'd spotted my UK numberplate. To be fair I didn't see any other foreign numberplates at all in these rural areas.

Time was ticking and the going was slow, despite wonderful roads with scenic views. We decided to do an hour on the motorway which would allow us to cover the same distance as we had in the previous 4 hours on the backroads.

Earplugs in, we slabbed it to about 25km from Geneva and then took Route Suisse 1 alongside Lake Geneva the rest of the way.

Vineyards near Geneva.

Heading straight into the rain.

For the last few kilometres before Geneva, the skies opened, compounded by the heavy stop-and-go traffic as people travelled home from work. The roads in Geneva are too tight to filter through the traffic with panniers so eventually I turned down a sideroad to have a break.

A more colourful side to clean-cut Geneva.

Eventually working our way out of Geneva we somehow crossed back into France without so much as a sign. This was peculiar since it is not an open border but I can't even recall seeing any border offices.

We continued on and stopped briefly just outside Pringy near Annecy to fill up. In the evenings most petrol stations are fully automated and there is no option to go inside for a human being to process payment. The French machines are notoriously unfriendly toward non-French cards, and indeed my HSBC debit card was spat out faster than broccoli from a toddler’s mouth, but strangely my Post Office Platinum Mastercard has been accepted without incident at all the automated machines. Note to others living in the UK if you have had this problem.

From Pringy we headed straight to Thônes, an Alpine village I have visited many times in the past, and a real hidden gem. This village is really as good as it gets, unspoilt and full of personality. We checked into the Hôtel du Commerce which boasts one of the best restaurants in the area, and at €14 for an entrée, cheap as chips as well. The hotel staff were kind enough to keep the kitchen open an extra 15 minutes past the usual closing time so we could have dinner.

Our hostess at the hotel was a charming young Irish woman named Zoë (and fellow biker) who has been living in Thônes for the past 3 years. It was an absolute pleasure to meet her.

One thing that has stood out on this holiday is just how pleasant everyone we have come across has been. Perhaps travelling by motorbike is a contributing factor, but I couldn't have asked for anything better anywhere we've been.

After dinner, it was straight to bed, lights out by the time my head hit the pillow.

View from the hotel in Thônes.


Alps 2013 quick links


Day 1: London to Lille
Day 2: Lille to Hagondange
Day 3: Slow road to Ammerschwihr
Day 4: Ammerschwihr
Day 5: Ammerschwihr to Thônes
Day 6: Thônes to.... Thônes
Day 7: Thônes to Ruèras
Day 8: Ruèras to Flachau
Day 9: Flachau
Day 10: Flachau to Wemding
Day 11: Wemding to Urberach
Day 12: Urberach to Antwerp
Day 13: Antwerp to London

The gear and how it held up
The trip in hindsight

26 Jun 2013

Day 4: Ammerschwihr


Today was meant to a lazy day and we finally dragged our lazy arses out of our beds at noon. Despite the open window I slept through all the crashing and banging going on outside as part of the day to day running of the winery.

We were treated to homemade choucroute garnie courtesy of Laure's mum—this is a regional specialty of the Alsace which consists of meats/sausages cooked in sauerkraut. It's like the German version with a French twist. A lot of the food in the region combines German and French cuisine and cooking techniques which is just fine with me!

Pinot the other winery cat has a lie-down on the balcony ledge—he certainly had a lot of 'personality', grumpy face says it all.

After lunch we went off on the bike (much lighter without the panniers) to explore some of the local villages and forest roads. In Riquewihr we came across a very confident stork who was perfectly happy to pose for the camera.

Not bothered.

Most of the roads going up into the mountains are single track, making it tight for even a bike to pass an oncoming car. They tend to be rather unforgiving since the only exit if things go horribly wrong is into the trees, not ideal.

Made it up in one piece, although it was a shame the dirt/gravel forestry roads were closed to the public.

Coming down a particularly narrow lane the view was breathtaking in a way that just doesn't translate in photos.

Indeed, a bench had been installed just in case someone wanted to stop to enjoy the view.

After several hours we returned to the winery for a tour of the cellars.

Barrels are all 100+ years old.

Crystalised acids from the grapes which are in demand by pharmaceutical companies.

From a time where form and function played equal parts.

7,000 litres of grog.

Looking toward the tasting room.

How they used to press the grapes.

Quirky plant arrangement.

We had a final wine tasting to try Gewürztraminer speciality wines which are only made every 10 years or so. The late season grapes are hand picked when the sugar content is at the highest and only a few hundred bottles are made. These are very special wines indeed and taste like nothing else, like a liquid fruit basket. I still can't comprehend how a few grapes can end up tasting like a basket of fruit.

Comfortably numb we set off for bed.


Alps 2013 quick links


Day 1: London to Lille
Day 2: Lille to Hagondange
Day 3: Slow road to Ammerschwihr
Day 4: Ammerschwihr
Day 5: Ammerschwihr to Thônes
Day 6: Thônes to.... Thônes
Day 7: Thônes to Ruèras
Day 8: Ruèras to Flachau
Day 9: Flachau
Day 10: Flachau to Wemding
Day 11: Wemding to Urberach
Day 12: Urberach to Antwerp
Day 13: Antwerp to London

The gear and how it held up
The trip in hindsight