Friday 10 July Day 10

I got to St Omer last night Not the place I was expecting so today it was press on. France, Belgium, Holland and now in Germany. Aachen to be precise. At the Ibis and went down the road for dinner. Very German. The guy at the next table to me was alone and I thought nothing of it until I got back to the Hotel and he walked in behind me. We spoke, he is Daniel and is a Doctor from Brazil a helluva nice guy, renting a bike to ride with a group of 10 through Scandanavia. (How do you spell that ?) Anyway he is most excited and well he should be. Norway was one of the best riding countries I have ridden. Good roads dramatic scenery and little traffic. He will have fun I am sure. So I am here in Aachen to get some spares for the bike that were unavailable in the UK. No parts, no mechanics, no service, unless you get very lucky and expensive. How do they survive. Cross the Channell and halve the costs (well almost). But the ride thru from France was pretty special. Always is. I noticed the cemeteries this time. I was given to thinking the Poms died here by the truckload poor buggers and what thanks does France give.....Kiwi's died also fighting to defend the Poms and what thanks do they get. Go to the UK and find you are not really welcome there ! The Border Police are opposed. The local Poms however are great, but having said that I got more toots and thumbs up today than I did in a week in England. They all looked but here they support. The bike is pretty obviously not from here, covered in flags the first question a Poms asks is have you really been there ? However for riding the French and Belgium countryside is great but I have to say the Belgium drivers are more like NZ. Idiots. I got more car attacks in half a day today than in the last 10 days. And the road signs and German roundabouts oh hell I went round more than one more than once ! Changing lanes like Belgian ! However a cracker day about 24 C. I actually came to a place in south Holland called Hunsel. I met a chap with a bike parts shop de Hobyist. He is such a good bloke. Sent me to Aachen where the parts are cheaper and to come back in the morning and I will fit the parts for you. He also knows a guy that might be able to fix the flat spot on my front wheel. The road to stardom has some potholes ! All in all the bike has done great service, but unless you are going to ride across the US or Russia, or even to Ushuaia then get a smaller bike that is easier to handle in tight situations. My new friend the Doctor from Brail ride an BMW 800 for that reason. He is on a KTM 1190 (as I recall) so he is in for some fun. I watched one go through an intersection today on the rear wheel (in Belgium !). So what is my sort of riding like. Get a decent start if possible and a decent breakfast and make a general plan of where to and what to see. Today I know that I can go past the battle of Waterloo site and that way I miss Brussels ( I did not take that precaution one and spent an hour in wall to wall bumper to bumper traffic in the hot son. Pretty city lots of pretty significant buildings but if you would rather be somewhere else its not good, anyway, about mid afternoon it is time to think what else to see and where to tonight. If you get in too late its hard to find food (especially if staying B and B) and even harder to get the socks and jocks washed and dried for tomorrow. To write the Blog, first download the pictures, get out the 100metres of wire and the plugs and adaptors ( the clever person that sorts that mess out will make a lot of money) to charge all the tools, the GPS, the phone, the computer, the helmet, the camera's and so on. Write the diary, so much on the road gets forgotten. I rode through a village today and knew exactly where I had lunch many years ago. I had hoped that technology would have caught up so the GPS and the Camera would know where I was match the locations and produce a track with pictures. Well I do use Garmin ! Harmin are an American Company that get someone to make GPS monitors for them. They actually do not give a stuff about who uses their gear and what for as long as they get paid. They care not that they cause more frustration than happy experiences. Why would they you have already paid. I have thousands of miles of roads that I have travelled that should make their maps about 50% more accurate, but why bother. The software is rubbish, so use Tom Tom who maybe soon will develop a waterproof GPS for a bike, and until then shut up and put up with it. My rotations round roundabouts are due to the inadequacy of Garmin. Not hard to get directions properly recorded. So by this time it is late so finally I get to bed, usually with a head full of wonderful memories and experiences. So today we see a carriage of bikers on the Chunnell. A view of one of the many canals in France and beyond. The Waterloo memorial in France. The Brits do not have one like that in Hastings where the French kicked their ass !