The official stopintime & ungeheuer motorcycle tour of Alpine Europe 23

[koko64]

 

[Howie]

I believe speed never kills, it's the sudden stop. 

[ungeheuer]

I believe speed never kills, it's the sudden stop. 

Trouble maker 

Today the real fun begins to start.  We leave the suburbs of Baden Baden to ride the iconic B500 Schwarzwaldhochstrasse, the sweeping road that curves it's way through the Black Forest.  Over 200kms of joy all the way to the Swiss border.

[stopintime]

I ain't stopping for no bloody swiss customs 

[ungeheuer]

Now that we're in Switzerland the scenery quickly begins to change... Sweeping roads give way to steeper climbs and tighter mountain turns.

And rain.  The kinda rain that has you thinking "it'll stop soon..... no need to stop to put on rain gear...."   The kinda rain that keeps on raining... until it's pissing down.  But by then you're wet through anyway, boots awash  

Wet or not, we're headed to Gotthard Pass, via Andermatt.

















Cold and wet, here we are high up on Gotthard Pass....  where hotel staff want our "documents" before they'll allow us to check-in.  Neither of us in the mood to be make the beast with two backsed about... we nevertheless toss soggy passports at them before squelching off to our expensive pine-lined rooms to change into dry clothes and look forward to beer and a hot feed.  









For +/- $160 for the night we stay in this austere looking building....  but looks deceive because within it is modern, with all wooden Swiss-style luxury. And heating, so our riding gear can get dried overnight.  And an inexplicably bizarre method of key entry to the building and then rooms ... involving first inserting and turning the building key into a wall mounted locker in order to retrieve your actual... make the beast with two backsing room key    Just what we can be bothered with.... arms full of wet bike baggage and riding gear  



The beer was cold, the food was basic but hit the spot.  Utterly knackered, it's time I wasn't  

[monsta]

Stunning! 

[koko64]

Bravo gentlemen.

[ungeheuer]

Lots of helmet giggling mountain roads, cuckoo-clock towns and no rain for the ride down through Switzerland to Glorenza (aka Glurns) in the Italian Tirol - where rather than Italian, they speak a strange kind of German.  

[koko64]

Thanks for the updates.

[ungeheuer]

Sunshine and a day off the bike for some R&R taking it easy and enjoying a wander around Glorenza/Glurns...  a lazy beer in the shade....  bratwurst in bread (yup, Italy... go figure)... 







Yessiree, Stelvio on that sign...

[ungeheuer]

Stelvio Pass.  Today is the day  

Stelvio pass and Gavia pass in the same day... Perhaps the motorcycling highlight of the trip.

And it's make the beast with two backsing raining    So we wait.... and we wait.... hoping for the rain to clear.  But the rain continues to piss pour down and we have to make the decision to go.  Beyond Stelvio and Gavia we have some riding to do before arriving at tonight's accommodation in Tenno in the hills above Lake Garda.  So rain or not, go we must.  I really must've done something to piss the weather Gods off  













When I think of summer motorcycling in Italy.... somehow 5 degrees of cold and wet in low visibility isn't it....  But we're 2700 metres up in Alpine country  and the only thing you know is that it's not possible to know how the weather will be.  Even cold and wet, this still beats working for a living  












That's Lake Garda down there....  almost at out destination for today... and the rain is starting to ease...




Cold, wet and dirty, riding bikes covered in 1000km of murky wet road grime.... we're still greeted at the Hotel like long lost family - or more accurately, Lars is greeted like long lost family.... I'm just the hanger on  .  I don't care, I have beer.  The traditional, before anything else happens "well that was some make the beast with two backsing ride today" beer.  Then off to our rooms to shed the wet gear, and re-humanise before being allowed in the hotel restaurant to eat with the civilised people  

[ungeheuer]

Spectacular electrical storm last evening.   But.... sunshine today  

A not travel day today too, so job one is cleaning the bikes in the private garage for the family vehicles and.... our Ducatis.

all shiny again..


With no destination deadline pressure, we have the day to enjoy riding the shores of Lake Garda and up into the surrounding mountains..























Days like this, you wouldn't be dead for quids  

[Howie]

Wish I could be there.

[ungeheuer]

Borgo Panigale.

In 2009 my Ducati Monster 1100s was made in Borgo Panigale, Italy and shipped to Australia where - like me - it has lived most of it's life.  Now shipped back to Europe and today being ridden in Italy.... it would've been rude to not take the relatively small detour to take it.... home.







Getting through the Ducati factory security gate was an amusing exercise.....  
"Nah, mate I can't let you in.... it's more than my job's worth"...  
"... just to take a photo. please? "  
"Sorry pal"....    
"...but I came all the way from Australia with this Ducati... just to come here..."
"Australia?.... ahh... Si  "

And in we went  

Short video of our factory gate arrival here (I cant seem to post the actual video, only a link to the URL)  

https://clipchamp.com/watch/oueYBUtMN83

Grazie tanto Signor Guardia Giurata.

[stopintime]

Wish I could be there.

You can