The
destination was Biograd na Moru in Croatia, host for the 23rd Annual
HOG European Rally, returning after being there in 2011. But, the trip was more about the journey than
the destination. It took us 2,800 miles
through France, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Slovenia
and Croatia in 2 weeks and included visiting World War I cemeteries, riding up
and down mountains and enjoying some good food and scenic hotels along the
way. The weather was incredibly kind,
one small shower to contend with, although it was over 30°C for much of the
outward journey, which made for some hot riding conditions, especially when
stationary. We only donned wet weather
jackets for some extra wind-proofing on our first leg back from Croatia, so no
complaints on that front!
We stopped
at the Douaumont Ossuary near Verdun in France.
I had been once before and found it quite grim and depressing then, but,
perhaps for the centenary of WWI, the concrete had been cleaned and it was also
a bright sunny day on our visit so it seemed better. It is one of the three key memorials for WWI,
the others being at Menin Gate, Ypres, and Thiepval in The Somme. The display of bones below the building is
quite chilling, having been collected from the surrounding fields after the
longest and one of the largest battles in human history. They include German as well as French remains
piled into chambers viewable through windows from the outside. Casualties have recently been estimated at
nearly 1 million.
The memorial and ossuary
The graveyard (thousands of crosses beyond the trees)
The skulls and bones through a window
Not far from Verdun the next day, we came across the WWI American Cemetery of Saint-Mihiel, resting place for over 4,000 who mostly seemed to have been killed in 1918 in the closing stages of the war. The perfectly aligned marble crosses and manicured lawns left an impression of care and respect like those of ours looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Saint-Mihiel Cemetery Entrance
Perfect rows of marble crosses
Next, it
was through forest and into the hills near Munster, getting close to the German
border. High up, we stopped at a busy ski
lift adapted to carry mountain bikes, then came across the Hohrod German WWI
cemetery before our hotel in the hills above Munster. I noted again how the German cemeteries tend
to be smaller, simpler and somehow more sombre because of the dark metal
crosses, also that they are not so well kept.
Panorama to Munster with a memorial in the foreground
Crossing
Switzerland, we then entered Liechtenstein, for the first time, to climb some
more hills to our overnight stop with fine views over the valley below, and
probably most of the country! It has one
of the lowest unemployment rates in the World at 1.5% and the highest
GDP/capita, quite extraordinary for this small landlocked principality.
View from hotel balcony in Liechtenstein (rain coming)
Rain passed
Soon after
entering Austria, we first climbed and then descended through the stunning
scenery of the Dolomites, into Italy and to Cortina d’Ampezzo, a popular ski
and walking resort. It is obvious why it
has been used as a film set in several movies, including The Pink Panther, For
Your Eyes Only and Cliff Hanger, with its very pretty setting and mountains all
around. However, it was pretty devoid of
skiers and walkers and must have been between seasons during our visit, as it
was incredibly quiet. Even our hotel had
been closed for some renovations and only opened for the 1 night of our stay, just
us, closing again after we left! But, at
least it did that.
Hotel owner and friend - both enthusiastic Harley owners!
Owner has 16 bikes, mostly British!
More scenic
road was enjoyed south from Cortina as we tracked towards and around Trieste, deciding
not to venture into the town as it was so hot.
Then, it was across Slovenia to the last stop of our outward journey at
Opatija in Croatia. This was close to
where we had stayed in Rijeka last time, and offers a similarly great view out
over the Adriatic at sunset.
Rijeka across the bay of the Adriatic from the hotel balcony
Last time,
we rode the contours of the coastline’s many inlets all the way to Zadar, but
this time we crossed over by ferry to the island of Pag, one of the many of the
Croatian archipelago. It connects back
to the mainland near Zadar, not far from Biograd and gave us a very different,
straighter, ride for about half the journey. There is little life on the island
and it is pretty barren, but we did stop briefly at the small coastal town of Novaljo
near the ferry port, before riding down the single road of the island and back
to the mainland over a large bridge.
Roadside stop near Rijeka
Ferry arrives at Prizna
Ferry approaches Pag
Roadside stop on Pag
The Rally
was much like last time on the sea front near the marina, open to the public, but
this time bike parking on the front was chargeable. The charge (€20/day) seemed to be a discouragement
and many parked outside the main area, giving the impression of lower
attendance although I don’t think that can have been the case. The weather wasn’t the kindest, raining on
parade day so numbers were much lower than last time as most chose to watch, as
we did, rather than ride! However, being
within walking distance meant we could enjoy the restaurants, bars and music
more extensively than last time when we stayed in Sukosan along the coast from
Biograd. Other members of our Chapter
had ridden down separately and other Chapters were seen from from as far away
as Ireland, Norway, Finland, Latvia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey,
Jordan, Portugal and all others in between.
There were also groups from Balkan motorcycle clubs that are not HOG
affiliated.
Main entrance
Vintage WWII military Harley complete with Tommy Gun!
Saw him at the last Rally here!
Azerbaijan grouping
Waiting for my lasagne!
Sunset from the Rally site
Why not indeed!
Wet road runner!
Some cold high
winds on our departure made riding somewhat ‘lively’ on the exposed and high
road above Zadar but, once we had cleared the coast and got to the other side
of the mountains, it settled down as we headed inland. Once again, we transited Slovenia without
stopping, using a minor road trip to miss out the dogleg via Zagreb, which
benefited us as the border crossing was quick with both posts side-by-side in
the middle of a town. Thereafter, we rounded
Ljubljana to return to hills en route to Austria, stopping near Faaker am See,
very scenic and the location of a large rally every September. Our hotel was themed with Hollywood stars and
we stayed in the Sophie Loren room, enjoying magnificent food al fresco with a
sunset over the lake.
A 'cooler' by the lake!
Sophie Loren room
In Sophie's room
Shortly
after leaving Faaker am See, we crossed into Germany to enjoy some fantastic
scenery as we approached our next stop in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The tree-clad mountains rose steeply from
near the road and many had snow caps on their rugged rock peaks. We had enough time to enjoy a wander around
the town and soak up some of the scenery.
Lunch stop en route
Our hotel
The scenery
continued the next day, with a brief return to Austria, before our longest day
of riding took us along the northern shores of Bodensee, a huge lake with lots
of boating activity, then onward via Freiburg over the Rhine and back into
France to Saint Die, via some forested hills not far from Munster.
A long day
of mostly motorway riding got us close to the Tunnel for our final stop at
Wisques, in a hotel we have used before for a relaxed dinner. The final leg home saw some typical
congestion for miles on the M25, which was tiring and very frustrating, but we
were home early afternoon to get set for the next trip a week later!
