Category Archives: Travel Blogs

Hundertwasser

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In Vienna so popped into see Friedensreich Hundertwasser house – an Austrian artist and architect and whilst not a naturist in the traditional sense of the word he did have a deep appreciation for nature and the environment, which is reflected in his work. Hundertwasser believed that architecture should be in harmony with nature and that buildings should incorporate natural elements such as trees, vegetation, and natural light – there are 10 tenant trees in the house. While Hundertwasser did not espouse the naturist lifestyle, his work was deeply influenced by his reverence for nature and his desire to incorporate it into his art and architecture – plenty of pictures of his bits though 🙂

The Jura Massif and Mr Pasteur

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Rode through the Jura massif yesterday and came across Arbois, a little town in the Burgundy Franche-Comté region. Stumbled across a little garden and there was a memorial to Louis Pasteur who moved to the region as a child and undertook some of his most important work to make both cheese and wine taste a lot nicer… as much as I love both wine and cheese I guess for me it was the discovery of the rabies vaccine that puts him in a landmark position.

Time for a change?

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Running any older vehicle in the UK gets more expensive and more challenging year on year. I am in favour of air quality and vehicle safety improvements but I sometimes think regulators miss the whole life carbon cost of cars and bikes. With that in mind and now considering the Defender 90, Mary’s Vauxhall and one of my old bikes is now not allowed into London without paying the ULEZ or LEZ or congestion charge it was time for a change. With the R1150GSA tucked up in the workshop the XT660Z moved onto a new owner… enter a Moto Guzzi V85TT. 850cc, shaft drive, tubeless, all LED, cruse control and importantly E5 approved. With more and more cities imposing emissions regulations this bike should keep me free of charges for a few more years.

Reminders of things past

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Facebook is a funny old thing… I keep getting reminders of all the bike trips I have taken over the years and for some reason a collection of Euro Tunnel tickets stuck to bike petrol tanks seems to be the most evocative. I have a habit of leaving the UK at the end of August (coincides with the children back to school timeline) and travelling north east, ending up somewhere in eastern Estonia, normally then boarding cargo ferry back to Germany via Tallinn, Ventspils or KlaipÄ—da – I love the wild meanderings on the R1150GSA or more recently the lighter and easier to handle XT660Z, with no particular plan or route in mind I manage a few hundred back road or gravel track miles each day, either camping or stopping in last minute rooms overnight — roll on 2022 and resumed long distance multi country rides.

Campfire Shenanigans

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In my opinion, there is nothing quite like it… end of a long day, cold beer in hand, sitting round a campfire with friends and colleagues, sharing a tale or two of travels completed and actions yet to take. It got me thinking of the things I love most when on the road so in no particular order… the sound of rain on my tent, snuggling back into my Rab Sleeping Bag on a cold morning, that first cup of coffee (maybe in the same sleeping bag), the jet like roar of my MSR XGK-EX stove, clean socks and pants after a long day on the bike, therapeutic bike maintenance the morning of the ride (and the strange reassurance of correct tyre pressures) and the soothing rustle of my Terra Nova Quasar – maybe its just me then…