Treviso and area

Today I decided not to go into Venice but wait until tomorrow as there would be a festival downtown and too many tourists today.  I took the bike out for a solo ride once I figured out how to set the hotel as home base on the GPS and then I was good to go where ever the road took me.

I went through several small villages stopping to take pictures at churches and clock towers.  Beautiful villages but most everything was closed on a Sunday.  I was able to find the outlet stores but of course they were closed.  Too bad - I was ready to buy!!  I also headed downtown Treviso where there is a large area that is cobblestone streets and I drove around weaving in and out of streets looking for great picture opportunities.  I saw a few other Posse Riders walking around and waved as I went by.  I saw a neat area that I wanted to go take a picture in an archway but sure enough around the corner walked a police officer. So I asked him if I could go that way and he said no.  Oh well it turned out he heard the bike and just wanted to see if I knew where I was going and then we chatted for about 5 minutes about the fact that he has a Harley and is a member of the HOG Chapter here in Italy.  I don't think he quite understood that I had rented a bike and I was with approximately 100 other bikers as at that time I was alone.  I should have taken a picture as well - but I was too busy talking about bikes.  LOL.

After coming back to the hotel I hit the pool for relaxation.  Anton (12) is Jela and Geert's son.  He has been so much fun to have on the trip - always with a smile and always up to no good.  Well not really but he loved playing in the pool with whomever would with him and splash sunbathers while they were not looking.

The final party was tonight and the supper was absolutely fabulous.  Geert and his Posse Team had a number of goodies for us and everyone was so pleased with the pictures and certificates along with a great zip up hoodie.  As most people were heading out in the morning it was an early night and pretty calm.

Tomorrow we return the bikes and have the final Posse Song at 11:00.  It will be a smaller crowd by then though as quite a number of riders are leaving right after breakfast.  Ride safe my friends and until we meet again!

Australians decorated table!  

Kransjka Gora, Slovenia to Treviso, Italy

Today was our last day of riding.  This morning while having breakfast with Betty we talked about not riding through the mouthing as we both felt we had had enough and that a nice ride through the valleys would be a better option to get to the hotel early and relax.  While there were some Posse Riders that we're giving us a hard time - it didn't matter to me.  My hands and arms were so sore that there is no way I could have completed the ride in the mountains without giving more stress to them.

Our ride was led by Tony and the sweeper was Kelvin who both did a fantastic job leading us leisurely through the mountain valleys to the beautiful resort in Treviso.  We travelled through small villages and country side while in awe of the mountain views.  We stopped often, coffee break to take layers off, and finally to get gas before the resort.  We arrived at our destination around 2:00 for lots of pool time and I also booked a massage.  I am pretty sure my body has never been full of this much knots in my muscles from riding.

Upon our arrival we had found out there were a couple of incidents up in the mountain and one that resulted with an ambulance being called.  Thankfully They will be fine and returned to the hotel later in the evening with a broken arm and lots of bruises I am sure.  A few bikes ran into the wall - yes a wall that was part of what sounds like a crazy tunnel that had hairpin turns in!  Then to my horror I also find out that one of the mountains had a number of hairpin turns with cobblestones right at the corner.  I can't say how happy I was that I made the decision that I did by not riding the mountains even though under normal circumstances I would have been so happy to do so and would have enjoyed it the whole way.

In the evening we were picked up by a bus and taken to a beach party that was hosted by the Treviso Chapter and a former EPR rider.

A great view in my mirror of Betty!

Tomorrow I will head to Venice for the day and then the final farewell party at night.

Bratislava, Slovakia to Kransjka Gora, Slovenia

Today we travelled from the foothills to the mountains - through Slovakia, Austria and into the border town of Slovenia.  The roads can be quite nice but then again can be extremely bumpy.

The scenery was amazing and I need to remember never to look down when you are travelling the mountains because it just freaks me out.  The roads are so narrow and absolutely no railings in sight - not even a small rock wall that we had on the previous Posse Ride.  As you ride around a corner you just never know if there is a car coming or what you are going to meet and it is really hard to put that all out of your mind and to just enjoy the curves when you are in the middle of 20 or so bikes!  My hands and arms are very sore from being so tense and clutching and revving as you go around hairpin turns.

We stopped at the top of a mountain in the Alps for hot drinks and to take some pictures.  The temperature was around 10 and it was chilly.  Tomorrow promises to be in the 30's and everyone is looking forward to the hotter weather but certainly not the last day of riding.

First thing this morning we took a moment of silence in honour of France and the terrible news from Nice, France where over 80 people were killed the day before. Interesting how all of us from all over the world with different religions, backgrounds, languages can all get along and enjoy each other's company and come together to honour those that were killed for no reason.  This is one of the best reasons why I completely love the Posse Ride.

Tonight the "Ducks" were handed it out and OMG I got one (well I should have got two but I wasn't allowed to have the High Mountains Duck as you are only allowed one and I had a special one coming).  So my "Special Duck" was the "Charlene, who the fuck is Charlene Duck".  Too funny as everyone was singing my name instead of "Alice".  Geert are you happy now I have put the word "fuck" in my blog - lol.  There is a story behind all of this craziness and everyone seems to know who I am because of this blog that I do each day.

Tomorrow is our last day to ride!  Then a pool party and Venice on Sunday and the farewell party.  So glad I booked an extra day to relax by the pool on Monday to get ready to go home Tuesday.  Hard to believe it is the final days already after waiting two years to do this amazing Posse Ride!

Bratislava and area!

Today was another rest day which means a ride out to the local area.  Well local means two more countries - and why not when they are so close.  So we rode to Austria to a previous Posse Rider's winery where we tasted wine and had lunch at a castle.

Camille and Davey were our leader and sweeper today.  They did an amazing job (other than Fred and Betty missed a turn and were lost for the day) and took us on some great roads through small villages, farm country and grape country.  The farm land we saw had sunflowers, corn and a number of other crops planted in small strips.

The wineries that we drove on very small roads were amazing to see.  The roads were too small for me to ride and take pictures of as they were very curvy winding through the hills.  When we arrived at our destination the small village in Austria was very excited to see all of us and people love taking pictures of all the Harley's.  Our host was very generous allowing to taste four different kinds of wines from his winery.  Everyone thought they were wonderful and enjoyed his yard where people took lots of pictures and viewed his wine cellar.

On the way back to the hotel we drove through Hungary and then back into Austria for a stop at a very nice cafe where we had coffee (hot chocolate of me).  It is so nice that the borders are completely open other than you don't get all the stamps for your passport from each country.

Tonight the girls and I shopped (Chris and Connie) and I bought a pair of shoes.  Supper was left over  from lunch as there was way to much.  Early to the room to relax and get organized for a ride day tomorrow.

"Monster Ride" - Cottbus, Germany to Bratislava, Slovakia

This morning was an early morning rise and alarms (both Connie and mine) were set for 4:30 am!!  Luggage was on the truck between 5:00 and 5:30 so that the trucks could leave with our breakfast.  Yes breakfast was going to be a picnic.  It was great - two different kinds of buns - one with just cheese and one with cold meat along with 2 large hot dog wieners, croissant, banana, pear and two kinds of snack bars and a drinking box!  Not only was it enough for breakfast but most of us ate it for lunch as well.

Where we stopped was close to a construction site and we didn't think at that time in the morning there would be too much action - but we had an excavator come through (with all the bikes parked to the side) and it went into the woods somewhere to do work!  We had a couple of cars travel through and I am sure they were shocked to see so many bikers and bikes in the rest area!

Once everyone had eaten we were all put into our groups for the day and headed out to what turned out to be a gruelling "Monster Ride".  We had all kinds of weather - hot and cool with rain.  We had all kinds of sites - water, beautiful fields, quaint villages, and city traffic!  There were a few times we were backed up in traffic and thankfully Luc (our leader) decided it was time to split the lanes and pass between the traffic coming and going.  So we all followed with smiles on our faces and to much relief to our clutch hand!

Every kind of road except for gravel we travelled on today - smooth pavement, patched pavement, bumps (and more bumps), and yes of course more cobblestone!  My ribs are sore from getting bumped around on the bike.  However our group "Chip and Dale" was the only group to actually do all the route today and not just scoot to the hotel when running late and miss the mountains.  Now the roads on the mountain would have been beautiful in dry conditions but of course it was raining at that time.

We arrived at the hotel with just enough time to quickly shower.  OMG - so I got to the room exhausted and Connie was already there and showered.  I dropped my luggage and dropped onto the bed.  She then proceeded to say "okay you have enough time to shower" - so she started pulling off my boots and unzipping the bottom of my rain gear in order to help me get ready.  She is a riot!

After a very quick shower and wet hair I headed to the bus to go to the Harley Davidson dealer where we were met with a wonderful spread of food and an amazing two man band who played all kinds of music.  The restaurant on the same property has been set up like an old western town.  The bar was fantastic with some great decorations on the walls.  Food was delicious after such a long day on the bike.  Beer was even better and at the price it was well worth having more than one.

Most of the Possee riders headed out at 10:30 on the first bus back to the hotel but as usual the party people stayed until the bitter end.  We had so much fun - singing along to one of my new favourite songs "Alice - Alice who the F!@k is Alice".  Better yet though some of the songs people were also singing along and the two man band were very impressed (either that or stunned).  LOL.  After some crazy dancing and singing and drinking we headed to the bus disappointed it had come to an end.

Tomorrow is a rest day and hopefully the weather is nice so we can enjoy the ride out for a wine tasting and lunch at a castle - I am very excited!!

Miedzyzdroje, Poland to Cottbus, Germany

Today I was in a completely different group from everyone else so it was a quite ride.  Leaving this morning Geert was checking out my GoPro Claw that I have attached to the bike so I can take pictures while I am driving.  I have had quite a number of people check it out as it really works great. I can move it from left to right and even turn the camera right around without it coming unclamped - at least so far!

Apparently today we crossed most of the region Zachodniopomorskie, which is a low-lying region, dotted with moraines hills, river valleys and more than 1,500 lakes, including some that are former sea bays.  This comes out of our EPR book that we received at the start of the ride.  The towns were filled with older buildings and some new ones as well.  Some old factories are still working factories.  

Some of the roads were in very bad condition and this morning Geert told anyone with false teeth to keep their mouths closed - he wasn't joking.  We rode over several areas where the roads were very rough cobblestone which shook the bikes up quite a bit.  I'm surprised they are all still running! Some of the roads we also saw "ladies of the night" or in this case "the day" as they were waiting on the side of the road for customers!  Maybe this one was actually selling something but I am not sure as there didn't seem to be a difference.

Tonight we arrived earlier than normal to the hotel in preparation for the "Monster Ride" tomorrow!  The "Monster Ride" is a 570 km day and we leave at 6:00 am with the briefing starting at 5:45 am.  Luggage trucks are ready between 5:00 and 5:30 as they need to leave early with our food for breakfast.  We are going to have a picnic breakfast on the road somewhere!  Could be interesting for sure to see how many make the "Monster Ride".  There is usually a prize or gift that we will receive tomorrow night so everyone has headed to bed early tonight - or at least most.  The rest of the hotel guests have been warned that there might be noisy tomorrow early in the morning and there has been posters posted in the elevators to state that.  Hopefully no one gets too upset with the hotel when the roar of the engines starts up!  

Next stop Bratislava, Slovakia!!

Copenhagen, Denmark to Miedzyzdroje, Poland

Today we ride to Poland by bike and ferry.  We headed out of Copenhagen as one large group as we needed to ride through the tunnel and over the Oresund Bridge (the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe) across the Oresund strait between Denmark and Sweden.  Once on the other side we split into two smaller groups in to ride to the ferry.

We rode alongside the coast with beautiful views and smells of the Baltic Sea.  Winding through small villages and past tourist areas and beaches it was absolutely stunning. We all lined up to gain entrance to the ferry and each of us had to have our own ticket with our own name on it to be able to get on the ferry.  All this preparation and I don't think anyone was asked to see their ticket.

The ferry was quite large and had sleeping accommodations on it as well.  We arrived early and after an hour I decided I was going to get a room to have some quite time to myself and try to catch up on some sleep.  While the room was not the most luxurious it still was comfortable enough to have a good long sleep on.

Dinner was served just for us at the buffet restaurant and was one of the best meals we have had on the road.  I had enough time to go back to my room and enjoy the alone time.

Arriving in Poland we were welcomed with open arms waving at all the bikes as we headed out in one big group again.  The town was out (it seemed) in full force on the streets waving and videoing our progress through the town.  It was quite amazing to see so many people fully engaged with our bikes and it was very welcomed by all of the Posse Riders.

We arrived at the hotel and to a beautiful sunset on the beach.  Connie and I rushed to our room to get our bathing suits on and to go jump in the Baltic Sea.   The refreshing water was so welcomed after a hot journey through town.  There were very few who jumped in the Sea and some thought it might be too cold to go in but it was beautiful.

Afterwards we sat on the patio with beer in hand (thanks to Barb) and watched the rest of the sunset and some people on the beach were letting lanterns go up in the air.  We all wish we could spend another day here on the beach and relax but tomorrow we are off to Cottbus, Germany.

Copenhagen

Today was a rest day but again I chose to ride out with the local chapter.  There were only 10 of us brave riders as most thought it was going to rain all day and not be a nice ride.  I am glad I went as the roads were very nice – a little wet – but full of curves and all through the back roads.

We stopped at a Route 66 Diner for a break (I am always amazed at how many Route 66 Diners there are in the world).  The fjord beside the diner was very nice – we had two swans fly by (the national bird for Denmark) but was unable to take a picture as I was too late.  Once everyone else was finished with their coffees we headed back out on the road.

Turning unto the road we were stopped at a draw bridge to allow all the sailboats and one Viking boat that was being rowed by approximately 30 people through the draw bride.  It was very neat to see and was amazed at once they got going how fast they went through.

We then traveled to a small town which had a Viking museum down by the docks.  We walked around a bit, had a wonderful lunch and then headed back to the hotel.  We are very thankful for the two HOG members that took us on our route as it was much appreciated.

After a brief rest I got refreshed as we were supposed to meet down at the lobby for 5:00 in order to take the bus downtown.  Well Mike and I were the only ones that were still at the hotel as the others had left earlier.  We decided to head down anyway and take a look around Copenhagen.

The history of the buildings is amazing the archeticture is truly amazing to see.  Again the canals are very busy.  We could hear some shouting and chanting so we walked towards the noise and were surprised to see two canal boats – one full of people cheering for Portugal and one full of people cheering for France.  This went on for hours as we saw them later on as well.

Copenhagen has a “Green Light District” or the area they call “Christianhavns” which is an area where the hippies took over downtown.  It is essentially a park that once you pass through becomes a whole different world.  You walk through the paths and in the bushes there are some home made homes and later on it opens up and there are old buildings that appear to be apartments and people live there.  There was a band playing, a few bars selling beer and lots of vendors selling hash.  The vendors selling hash looked very sketchy as they were each in a tent with only an opening enough to conduct business and also their heads were covered with black face masks.  It is still very much illegal to sell drugs in Copenhagen and I am not sure how often the police actually go to this area but it appears they do not take any chances.  You are not allowed to take any pictures down in this area but there are a few spots that you can close to the entrance and exit.

Mike and I then left and headed to a more civilized area where we saw more buildings and shopping areas where they sold Prada and other expensive items.  I was able to pick up a little Viking for my desk as a memento and then we looked for a place to eat.  We ordered another beer and some food – the beer was huge!!  The food was delicious.

We were able to find the bus stop but the bus did not go all the way to the destination we wanted and we had to walk about 10 minutes to the hotel.  The humidity is so high here that by the time I was back at the hotel I went right for the shower.  So another rest day in which really wasn’t a rest – but that is okay with me as when will I ever get to see so much in one day again.

Tomorrow we head to Poland by ferry!

Goteborg, Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark

Today was a cloudy day and a little chilly - but when you are dressed for it you enjoy the ride!  So I was layered up and ready to ride.  Driving past the coast was beautiful.  The roads today were not as full of curves as in Norway but the scenery certainly made up for it.  The farmlands are lush and the coast line was beautiful.

We stopped for a break this morning near the coast and arrived at a little cafe to the delight of the owner who was more than willing to open for such a group of bikers.  Their two little girls were out with their grandfather checking out all the bikes.  They both were looking at my bike and seemed quite interested so I asked if they wanted to sit on it.  Well the look in their eyes was priceless when I allowed them to sit on the bike.  Of course grandpa had to take pictures and then their mother did too.  Perhaps new lady riders in the future.

We then headed to the ferry to make a quick crossing that brought us to Copenhagen.  We were met by the Copenhagen HOG Chapter and were toured through some very beautiful areas with beautiful homes along the coast.  Unfortunately my GoPro battery had died and was unable to take pictures.  Riding through the city and seeing all the beautiful buildings downtown makes me want to go downtown tomorrow.  I am hoping to take the ride out with the Chapter to see more sites.

There were quite a few biker clubs riding through the city as well and at one point we were riding alongside a motorcycle club.  Not sure who they represent and I was unsure of how they liked riding in and out of our group but they didn't seem to mind but took off at every stop light as if they were being chased by the police.  Well so did we but you know how it is - you get bikes together and you want to race from stop light to stop light - or at least make the engine sound like you are!!

Tomorrow another rest day with a ride and tours and hopefully dinner downtown!