My new favourite fruit - flat peaches

While I was in the Alsace at the market in beautiful Colmar, I took advantage of seasonal pricing on flat peaches (an amazing €2.90/kg!!!) and rediscovered this delicious fruit. I’ve fallen in love!

They are like a regular peach but with more peach flavour, if that makes any sense, and a bit of almond flavour mixed in. Absolutely delicious. The texture is slightly drier than round peaches which means they don’t dribble all over your hands and face when eating them.

I bought a bagful and they were gone by the next day...

Simply devine.

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Review: Vins Jean-Baptiste Adam

My blog is, of course, normally about motorcycles and travelling, but these are not the only things in my life. Anyone who knows me knows I love to cook and go mad about anything you can put in your mouth. This includes looking for new and unusual beverages.

I enjoy the odd glass of wine, but I'm certainly not a wine critic—I don't do the whole 'hints of cloves, peach and cinnamon with a suggestion of smoked apple' thing. I know what I like when I taste it and I generally stay far, far away from white wine because I find it too astringent and sharp for my liking.

My friend Laure lives in the Alsace—she is the 15th generation of her family to run the winery Vins Jean-Baptiste Adam in Ammerschwihr. I was first introduced to her family's wine when she brought a bottle along for a dinner gift while she was studying in London.

I gratefully received the bottle but it sat in my wine rack for some time because of my prejudices to white wines. I'd no idea what I was missing until a couple months later when I opened the bottle, poured a glass and had a sip.

The wine was sweet with dark, rich flavours and reminded me of the complexity of red wines. I had no idea a white wine could have so much personality and taste so delicious. The bottle was gone by the end of the evening.

Last year I had the pleasure of accepting an invitation to visit Laure's family winery. I was treated to a private tasting and tour of the cellars. During the tasting I was reintroduced to some wines I'd tried before but didn't much care for—but the Alsatian versions were a completely different experience. I was also introduced to some wines I'd not tasted before—Pinot Grigio and Gewürztraminer—and found out just what white wine can be, unlike the plonk you get at the local supermarkets in London.

As this visit was on the outbound leg of my trip I was unfortunately not able to take along any bottles.

During my trip over the past couple weeks I stayed for three days with Laure and her family. This time I didn't miss my opportunity to buy a bottle of special selection 2007 vintage Gewürztraminer which is only made periodically (every 7–10 years) when the conditions are just right. The grapes are hand picked near the end of the season when they are at their sweetest, and only a hundred or so bottles are made. Bottles of wine like this go for £50+ in the UK, but direct from Laure's winery it was only €28—what a steal!

Laure herself said that I don't have to like all the wines (ie just because I'm visiting), as everyone's tastes are different. I'm not mad on champagne style (sparkling) wines at all, and while I haven't changed my stance on this, the sparkling wines from Laure's winery really were much more tolerable to my palette than others I've tried.

Another variety I particularly liked was the Pinot Grigio—another wine with rich, dark flavours. I would have brought back 10 bottles if I had the space, and I like the idea of knowing all the money I've paid is going directly to the winery and not to distributors etc.

Sadly, Laure's wine is not widely available outside the Alsace but if you have the opportunity to travel in the region, you would be missing out greatly if you didn't stop by for a tasting. There is a lot to be said for a small, family run winery which has a 400 year heritage (the winery was founded in 1614)—they have the ability to create wines on a smaller scale which are special in ways the mass producers cannot match.

In my travel report I raved about the beauty of the Alsace—growing up there and then having a career in the area is something to envy. I can't imagine a more rewarding way to live life.

I am looking forward to my next visit to Ammerschwihr—I'm tempted to do a long weekend trip sometime as it is possible to make the journey in a single day if using the main routes.

• Find out more about Vins Jean-Baptiste Adam

Looking up the road with the winery in the distance.

Just a small part of the winery.

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.

Quirky plant arrangement.

An old wine press in the tasting room.

I'll take the whole bottle please.

With Laure.

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Europe 2014: Wrapping up

How to wrap up... well I’ll start with the negative bits of which there are only a few. The elephant in the room is of course the oil slick between the Czech villages of Leontýn and Karlov which caused the bike to spit us off at 70kph—you can read more here. Coincidentally this is by far the most read entry about this trip on my blog—you guys are bloodthirsty!!

A big negative was missing out visiting our friends in Austria—we were really looking forward to seeing them, but given the mishap, we felt it was best not to go even further from home before the bike could be repaired. Unfortunately this also meant I wasted €40 on vignettes for Austria and Switzerland but that’s not the end of the world.

Perhaps minor in the grand scheme of things, but it really pissed me off that the cleaners came into the room two mornings in a row at the hotel in Berlin at stupid o’clock (around 8am)—with the ‘do not disturb’ hanger on the door. Few things wind me up but I do like my privacy—why bother making these hangers?

Oh, and the rubbish timing of Berlin traffic lights—needlessly causing congestion—the worst I’ve come across in any city.

Finally, the BMW Navigator IV (aka Garmin 660) wound me up a few times because it is bloody slow when calculating routes avoiding the main roads/motorways—I mean have a coffee and a sandwich slow. What takes the GPS app in my iPhone three seconds to calculate was taking up to 10 minutes to calculate on the dedicated Navigator. The workaround is to avoid calculating routes to places further than a few hundred kilometres at a time. I understand the Navigator V is much quicker but I’m not spending £500 on another GPS when this one otherwise works great.

Now the positives. Firstly the technology bits—a special mention once again for the Sena SMH5 bluetooth headsets. The best technology is that which works invisibly in the background and Sena have really nailed it with this product. Never a problem and two days’ battery life out of a single charge. My camera, laptop and phone all happily buzzed along as well.

The bike was great, aforementioned incident notwithstanding. All loaded up we were fairly close to the weight limit but there was more than enough power to go as fast as you like. Even fully loaded the brakes are strong enough to lift the rear wheel and the clutch feather light. With the Gear Shift Assist Pro system, touring is effortless—despite a few random missed shifts where the system seemed to get confused—overall, well worth the extra cost.

It seems the days of boxers engines drinking oil are over, as it didn’t consume any. Average fuel consumption was a very acceptable 51mph—better than many 600cc bikes (my old Honda Hornet got around 45mph), and only 9mph less than my F800GS on a similar trip. For reference, the worst I saw on the computer was 13mpg on heavy throttle accelerating up a long, steep hill and the best was around 75mpg on cruise control at 50mph on level ground.

There is a minor quirk of the fuelling system on this bike—modern engines cut the fuel flow while decelerating (to reduce pollution and improve fuel consumption) and this ‘feature’ made itself known at times while maintaining a low speed (30mph) while travelling on a slight decline, resulting in some roughness.

All in all, the new R1200GS is a reliable, well engineered machine that is great fun even while weighted down for full touring duty. It never leaves you wanting for something better and puts a smile on your face no matter what type of road you’re on.

Locations, locations... Loved Berlin, loved Prague—such different cities, both with something for everyone. The botanical gardens were a highlight—an oasis in the middle of a busy city.

The Fruithof Tack in Belgium, Louis Léger Hotel in Prague and Hotel Ambiente in Wemding all tie for best accommodation. Special mention to Hôtel-Restaurant Braas Sàrl in Eschdorf and Waldcafé Jäger in Bad Driburg for super-70s charm. Hotel Aldea in Berlin did the job, but the experience was tainted by the overeager cleaners.

Other notable highlights included unexpectedly being a part of a town celebration in Germany complete with a marching band, a few good runs on the autobahn and all the beautiful scenery from fields to forests throughout the journey.

But the standout of the trip was our time spent in the Alsace with Laure and her family at their winery. This region is so amazing it must be experienced first hand—so if you have the opportunity, don’t pass it up. A very special thank you to Laure for turning everything around for the better again on this trip.

Finally, thank you to Zev for putting up with the whole ‘grumpy cat’ persona—he’s not grumpy really.

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Europe 2014 quick links

Day 1: London to Sint-Gillis-Waas Day 2: Sint-Gillis-Waas to Bad Driburg Day 3: Bad Driburg to Berlin Day 4: Berlin Day 5: Berlin to Prague Day 6: Prague Day 7: Prague to Wemding

Day 8: Wemding to Ammerschwihr Day 9: Ammerschwihr Day 10: Ammerschwihr Day 11: Ammerschwihr to Eschdorf Day 12: Eschdorf to London Wrapping-up

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Europe 2014: Day 11 - Ammerschwihr to Eschdorf

It was very sad to say goodbye to Laure but after two relaxing days in the Alsace it was time to make our way towards London.

After breakfast we packed our things and left around 11am towards Luxembourg. The weather was a bit patchy which was slightly concerning as our gear is no long waterproof now that it is riddled with holes. However, the worst we had was about 10 minutes of light rain.

The roads through the Vosges are perfect for motorbiking, one curve after another, up and down hills and through beautiful forests. At one point we hit the clouds and the temperature dropped to 11°C but as we descended it rose again to a perfect 23°C.

With all the dirt roads coming off the main highway, it was too tempting not to explore a few of them—almost all of them seemed to lead to logging areas, a bit of a shame to cut down such beautiful forests.

After we came out of the Vosges the scenery changed to fields.

Zev was a hit with the ladies.

Nice to be off the tarmac for a little while.

More fields—the kind you want to run through with your hands in the air like you just don’t care.

Zev here. I will not be running through the fields today.

I contemplated what it would be like to ride over the stack of logs but decided against it.

Apart from the droopy left handlebar, the R1200GS looks almost in one piece still...

Not long before it’s good as new again.

Zev again. Bored of posing for photos.

Nothing like smiling in front of a pile of logs.

After missing our turn the GPS rerouted us on this amazing single track road.

The bike waiting patiently while Zev explores the plant life.

Dried up brook winding its way through the forest.

We finally entered Luxembourg at 6pm and stopped in a small town to find a place to stop for the day. About 15 minutes away was Hôtel-Restaurant Braas Sàrl in Eschdorf which had reasonably priced rooms still available. Unfortunately the road was closed due to works so we had to go the long way round and progress was slow as I was feeling tired.

We arrived at about 7pm and checked in before making our way to the hotel restaurant for dinner. I’ve not seen 70s-vibe style like this hotel in a long, long time—even the lift doors were painted 70s tan with actual pushbuttons for the floor... amazing!

Zev contemplates life as he waits for his dinner.

The hotel lounge—super-70s style!

At night this little village in the middle of the Ardennes is so quiet you could hear a cat walking across the road—not a sound anywhere, almost eerie.

Great day today, but I’m feeling it now and it’s definitely time for a good night’s sleep.

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Europe 2014 quick links

Day 1: London to Sint-Gillis-Waas Day 2: Sint-Gillis-Waas to Bad Driburg Day 3: Bad Driburg to Berlin Day 4: Berlin Day 5: Berlin to Prague Day 6: Prague Day 7: Prague to Wemding

Day 8: Wemding to Ammerschwihr Day 9: Ammerschwihr Day 10: Ammerschwihr Day 11: Ammerschwihr to Eschdorf Day 12: Eschdorf to London Wrapping-up

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Europe 2014: Day 10 - Ammerschwihr

I’m too old to party into the wee hours and slept until 11am. I’d promised Laure I’d look at her mother’s computer and then we all had lunch together.

I managed to remove the panniers without too much difficulty (despite the release mechanism being bent on the left side) so we could explore some of the narrow Alsatian roads in the hills around Ammerschwihr.

We went to Kaysersberg first to find a bar of soap Zev wanted entitled ‘the birth of a cat’—a very strange piece indeed with the shapes of a kitten and a womb incorporated into the bar. The soap maker hadn’t made this design for a while so we left empty-handed.

More colour, more flowers, more greenery—I never get bored of the scenery.

The Kaysersberg city hall with a madwoman in pink playing accordion while wearing sunglasses.

Another garden set into the roadway.

We carried on to Riquewihr and went up into the mountains. The roads are only single track so it is important to be very careful on the many blind corners as it’s very tight even for a motorbike to pass an oncoming car.

Out of the vineyards, the scenery changed to lush forests of evergreen trees. It was tempting to explore some of the dirt trails coming off the main road but I decided to leave these for another visit—although my confidence is back for the most part, I still find myself feeling nervous on questionable surfaces.

A quick break among the trees.

Zev kicks into action looking for more plant samples.

The single lane road winding through the Alsatian woods.

A snail about 4cm in diameter—it looked like a slug with a shell!

One of several water pumping stations—rather than ugly industrial pumps ruining the forests, the councils have successfully integrated them into the scenery.

Hello everyone, it’s Zev. I’m feeling somewhat nervous precariously sitting next to a steep embankment.

The bike’s ‘good side’ until repairs are carried out.

Yup. I had to get in on the valley background photo action.

A panorama of the valley.

We returned to Ammerschwihr for a mandatory wine tasting at Laure’s family winery which celebrated its 400th year in operation this year. Laure is the 15th generation of her family to run the winery.

This is Pinot, a Maine Coon mix which means despite his pissed off expression he is actually a very social and affectionate creature.

An old wine press in the tasting room.

I’ll take the whole bottle please.

Behaving myself this time—and I should mention my appreciation of Laure’s generosity to allow us to stay in her winery for three nights to recuperate.

Pinot is not amused.

Just a small part of the winery.

Looking up the road with the winery in the distance.

Of course my favourite wine of all was a delicious 2007 special selection Gewürztraminer made with handpicked, late season grapes. It is only made every five years or so in small batches, and sold in 500ml bottles (instead of the usual 750ml). It is meant to be a dessert wine, or one to enjoy with very rich food. A bottle like this would go for £70+ in London easily, but direct from the winery it was a shockingly reasonable €28.

Afterwards we went to a local restaurant Aux Armes de France for dinner—far, far more posh a restaurant than I would normally go to, but once in a while you have to treat yourself. After a 5 course meal I only had to roll 100 metres back to the winery.

On the way home I saw this sign—I can’t say I’ve ever had fine Alsatian colon wine before...

The flats at the winery.

It’s hard to believe in the morning we’ll be hopping on the bike and aiming the GPS to London, but our stop in the Alsace has been just what the doctor ordered to put the trip back on track. Next time I’ll bring a tent and squat in one of the vineyards...

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Europe 2014 quick links

Day 1: London to Sint-Gillis-Waas Day 2: Sint-Gillis-Waas to Bad Driburg Day 3: Bad Driburg to Berlin Day 4: Berlin Day 5: Berlin to Prague Day 6: Prague Day 7: Prague to Wemding

Day 8: Wemding to Ammerschwihr Day 9: Ammerschwihr Day 10: Ammerschwihr Day 11: Ammerschwihr to Eschdorf Day 12: Eschdorf to London Wrapping-up

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