The timetable changed quickly when it became necessary for
me to take a business trip to the UK and Germany. As planning for the business trip developed
and became close to finalization, I began to think: Germany is very near the
Alps! I knew there were several
motorcycle touring companies that do inclusive, guided motorcycle tours in the
Alps. After doing my research, I found a
trip through Edelweiss Bike Travel that fit perfectly into my schedule. I would be done with business on Friday near
Munich. The motorcycle trip (Touring
Center – Dolomites) was set up for people to arrive on Saturday followed by 5
days of riding the Dolomites, the Italian part of the Alps. Perfect.
I called Edelweiss and they said there was still 1 spot left on the
tour. The business part of the trip was
finalized and approved. I called
Edelweiss back and they still had the 1 spot so I booked it. Wow! That all happened really fast.
Travel began on Saturday, May 11, when I flew from
Minneapolis to London. I was at 3
different locations in the UK on Monday – Wednesday. Thursday morning I flew from London to Munich
and then drove about 1 hour north of Munich airport to Ingolstadt where I
attended business meetings for 2 days. I
actually arrived in Ingolstadt about 3 ½ hours later than planned because the
8:05 scheduled departure didn’t actually depart until 10:30. The plane I was supposed to get on had
“technical difficulties” and they were unable to get it repaired in time so they had
to bring another plane from another airport south of London. When picking up the rental car in Munich,
there a piece a plastic hanging down that someone had taped back up but the
tape had let loose. When shown to the
attendant, he said a different car had to be used. Oh well, the joys of travel. The attendant, a German of course, pointed
out that it was an Italian car (Fiat) and they are definitely not built like the
German cars! I ended up with an Audi –
nice car!
Driving to Ingolstadt was my first experience driving the
autobahn. As this was my first
experience, I took it easy – maybe 70 – 80 miles per hour. You have to convert everything because the
speedometer is km per hour. Driving back
to Munich on Friday afternoon, feeling a little braver and more confident, I
found driving 160 – 180 km/h actually felt very comfortable due to the car and
roads.
Saturday was the day to get from Munich, Germany to Bolzano,
Italy where the motorcycle part of the trip was based. My earlier plan was to take the train. About 3.5 hour – not bad. As I was looking again and was ready to book
the ticket, I saw the return train ride required 4 train changes. This sounded rather risky. That many train changes made it more
difficult to ensure I was on the right train at the right time and that the
trains were on time. After reviewing the
situation with my business colleague, we determined it would be about the same
price if we extend the car rental and I drive to Italy. I said “Sure, I’m up for it!” After looking at route options, I discovered
the fastest route was the autobahn but in Austria (between Germany and Italy) and in
part of Italy, there are tolls and stickers required. We found a more scenic route (yea!). This turned out to be a great idea.
I left Munich at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday as it was a holiday
weekend so many people are heading out of town.
Back on the autobahn for a while until I got near the Alps. What a gorgeous drive it turned out to
be. As I got into the Alps, the sky was
blue, the mountain tops were white, and the hills, valleys and meadow were
green, with some yellow dandelions mixed in!
What a sight to behold. Going
through the mountains on the “B roads” which is their secondary roads provided
many wonderful vistas
Near the Austria boarder, the journey temporally came to
stop. There was a semi sitting crossways on the road. Only the motorcycles
(and there were many of them) were able to squeeze by. There was a bike/pedestrian path that several
car tried to take to get around the situation but the person that was directing traffic (not sure of his official capacity) was not going to allow
this. Eventually (maybe 30 minutes
later), the police arrived and after evaluating the situation determined the
bike pedestrian path was the best way to start letting traffic through while
the truck was being dealt with.
The roads kept getting better and better. Many would be great motorcycle roads and
there were many motorcycle and bicycle riders on them. I am sure they would be more enjoyable on 2
wheels than on 4 but driving the Audi with the windows down a little was still
plenty to get the adrenaline pumping through the hairpin curves as you go up and
over the 7,000 foot pass! At about 6,000
feet the snow was still on the ground in many places but the roads were in
great condition!
At 12:30PM, I arrived at my hotel (Bemelmans Post) outside of Bolzano. I check in, got the room key, and check out
the room. Ah – a room with balcony and a
view of the snow and cloud covered Alps!
The trip is off to a great start.
Tonight we have a Meet and Greet with everyone on the
tour. According to the list, there are
13 people. Based on the name and address
matching, I am guessing 10 motorcycles.
During the next 5 days, we will begin and end each day at the hotel
where I arrived today. Each day is a
loop that goes out in a different direction.
I understand there is a short loop and a long loop each day. I will find out more at the meeting tonight
how this all works.
I must again thank my wife Cathy for being so supportive of
my joy of motorcycle riding! Her support
of this trip was unwavering from the beginning.
2013 has already been a great year.
Cathy and I spent 2 weeks together in Hawaii. We both loved it! And I rented a motorcycle
for a day to make it the 50th state! Now
this trip to Italy! I thank God often
for the blessings he has given my family and me.
That is all for today.
The Meet and Greet begins in a couple hours and will learn more about
what the next 5 days holds in store. I
can hardly wait
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