GS Touring

A British pile of rock

I am crossing part of the UK this week.
Despite knowing 80% of the territory of her majesty, I always avoided the pile of rock known as ‘Stonehenge’.
I will not argue the value of this famous stone circle, but I always considered the place a massive tourist trap, and as such I never set foot there until today on my way to Cornwall.

One is suppose to feel some magic while visiting. But the protection ropes, the security guards staring at you all the time, took the magic away from me. Anyway, I can now say … ‘been there done that’.
At least it has some authenticity when compared to the one in Washington state.
Funny that I managed to see both within a six months period.

Last European Miles

This is it. The European adventure is drawing to a close. The bike is back at the dealer and up for sale.
I am ending the trip in my hometown and in front of the most recognizable building, which is the railway station. It is one of a kind and an attraction in itself.

And to finish in beauty I shared a meal with a biker who suffered a pretty nasty crash many year ago and lost part of a leg in the process. Far to stop, he is now a big fan of side-cars. His house is full of references. And he owns no less than three himself. One is actually a competition bike purely designed for the track. Next time I am around the neighbourhood, I will have to do everything in my power to go watch one of theses races.

Le Chauchet

Meet my old school mate Eric. Eric knew how to fly a plane before driving a car.
My first flight was with him in 1994 I believe.
I trust the guy because he is one serious individual who, for one knows what he wants to do in life.
I finally visited is remote hideout in the heart of France today on frozen roads.
Eric has managed to accumulate a small collection of jet engines, ranging to a few kilos to a few tons in sizes. It is one impressive sight, and even more impressive when you sort of realize what the next few years hold in terms of work.
Some of this equipment enclose precious metals. Metals that Eric needs for his life project.

Bordeaux by night

A quick overnight trip to one of the largest city in France. Most famous for its wine Bordeaux has been refurbished along its quays. After years of road-works, I must say that the result is pretty good.
In the name of cleaning the town, the authorities have removed many road signs and it is now trickier than ever to navigate the streets especially around the tramway tracks.

Riding in Aquitaine

On my way back from Bazas I rode through some quiet countryside roads at this time of the year.

Crossing a few times the Canal running parallel to the Garonne.

And doing a quick detour through Monbazillac, home of my favourite sweet wine.

Bazas organ wonder.

Off to visit a friend in the wine country south east of Bordeaux for a couple of days. Today we visited the local wonders.

The cathedral of Bazas was more or less close when I rode there in late July, due to a couple of funerals taking place. This time I had no problem looking around. And since my friend Luc is a musician he did not hesitate to climb up to the organ to have a chat with a very friendly organist.
we had an absolute blast taking a lesson in everything link to organs.

Paris at last.

I am getting close to the end of my time in Europe, and I was starting to wonder if I would manage to reach Paris for a few days.
Mission accomplished thanks to the Canadian authorities. I saw as many peoples as I could in a short three days, and I was glad to head back to the countryside. Enjoy a few views as I had very little time to see some sites of interest.

11 November ceremony

I took part today in 11th November ceremony in the little village of Cornil in the heart of France.
It was a very moving moment.

Champagne Capsules

Today I learned that collectors truly come in many shapes and forms.
Little did I know that Champagne bottles capsules were items with a values. Stamps collectors beware. I saw some caps being sold for over $1,200 US. That is some serious amount of cash for a tiny piece of metal.

So next time you open a ‘prestigious’ bottle of champagne you might want to keep you hand on the capsule.

Champagne

This week-end I discover another region of France where for no special reason I have never set foot in.
After a quick morning visit to a house of champagne called ‘Castellane’, we headed to the main town of Reims and its famous Cathedral.