InvictaMoto's Family Travels

We were up early to escape the ashtray that was and is the Etap Düren West. The idea was to stop at the first services on the motorway and have coffee and maybe a croissant. We happily sailed past the one at Aachen Ost as there was another signed at 14kms. Sadly we turned on to another autobahn and missed it. Finally 75 minutes later and after crossing the Netherlands we arrived in Belgium, and after a false stop at a weekday only services (one with no petrol) we arrived at one where we could sit outside in the sun with the wasps and eat!! As usual the monument to moronic driving and poor planning that is also known as Antwerp arrived in front of us. Solid traffic and lane swapping all make for tense driving. I was glad of another calming stop before we got stuck again in a huge tailback. No reason to be seen and no information available, but traffic as far as the horizon. My detour via the cobbles of Gent and the N9 might not have saved time but is was certainly more scenic although p

The YHA at Creglingen was relatively cheap for an en-suite twin room. Breakfast was the usual German youth hostel fare; rolls, cheese, ham and salami plus cereal and coffee. The coffee was some of the best all trip and I gorged three cups. The plan was to spend all day to meander to the Etap at Düren. And we did. The first part was along a bit more of the Romantische Strasse and then across the 'green' routes on the Michelin map towards the Rhein. First stop was Rüdesheim am Rhein. We have been here before, but on a river boat trip not by road. We had lunch. Here I learned that rindwurst is beef. Once again we had sausage and for the first time (and last!) chips. A walk round the tourist heart wasn't complete without another Käthe Wohlfahrt visit. In Rothenburg our beer was served in lidless steins and it kept it cooler longer, so I was on the lookout for one. In the end it was the afore mentioned shop that had them, and more surprisingly they were cheaper than any I had se

A largish breakfast to set us up for a day sightseeing in Bavaria. As previously mentioned this came about after the  Romantische Straße  was featured on "Worlds Greatest Motorcycle Trips". We escaped from Prague by a route I have never seen before but were soon on the D5 towards Plzen and the border. One stop for petrol as it is about the same price as home than more expensive Germany, and also to use up our coins to buy Kofola and lemon tea!! After Nürnburg we stopped for a sausage! This time we both had a 30cm bratwürst and fried potatoes rather than chips. I wanted to get off the motorway sooner rather than later for Dinkelsbühl and as luck would have it the A6 ground to a halt by a junction and we were off! By now we were back in TomTom's hands. Dinkelsbühl is very nice. Lot's of old buildings and hotels too expensive for our budget. No doubt Henry Wassisname gets rooms paid for him for his programme. We dawdled about and then set off for Rot

After consuming so much wine the night before we had quite a late breakfast. Jarek and Tomas joined us to try and eat our way through a mountain of palačinky. Pancakes to us. We'd packed and loaded the suitcases the day before and I had the Garmin sorted well in advance. Firstly, after saying our goodbyes, a nostalgic trip to the Gymnázium in Zastávka and then across to where I used to live in Sportovní 481. The plan was then to visit the Santini designed  Pilgrimage  Church  of Saint John of Nepomuk near  Žďár nad Sázavou  and then to The Church of Bones ( Sedlec Ossuary) . We were told by "experts" that neither was worth a stop. Wrong. Pilgrimage  Church  of Saint John of Nepomuk You can blame Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor for the Sedlec visit. They went there on the "Long Way Round" trip and I harboured the interest to vist. Both sights are well worth the detour.  The Church of Bones near Kutna Hora is weird rather than frightening. Macabre might suit. Se

In the first part of the day we went into Brno, ostensibly to do some sightseeing of places I hadn't been for years and that Claire hadn't ever been. We parked behind the International hotel and walked through to Svobody Nam to see the new clock. I thought it looked like a bullet but apparently is was supposed to commemorate the defeat of a Swedish Army and at 11am a ball drops and it sounds off. http://my.opera.com/Gaddag/blog/new-black-granite-clock-in-brno-post-100 . I was right huh!! After a few sights were struck off the list of things to see, we ate a slice of Czech pizza before visiting a large shopping centre. I needed new trainers and bought a good pair of Puma in the sale. Result. Once back at Lilka's we had a quick snack and then off to the wine tastings!! No spitting it out required although we could if necessary. We drove down to Mikulov and then into the countryside to a vineyard that Jarek already knew about and had already bought wine from. Reisten in Pavlo

After a coffee by the entrance we set off for home, stopping in   Křtiny . Here we saw a magnificent church. We stopped to have a look and it is another pilgrimage church. The legend has it that the Virgin appeared to villagers in the 13th century and of course it became a site for Catholics to visit across time. The current church is by the architect Santini and was built in the mid 18th century.  Santini has also responsible for another seven or eight similar edifices in Czech and surrounding countries. Tomorrow on the way home we will call into another one at Zdar. In the evening there was a big shower but we still did the rounds of Lilka's relatives. Everyone is so friendly and greet you like friends. Lovely.

The plan today was to visit one of the show caves in the Moravian Karst. This is an area near the small town of Blansko to the north of Brno. We found that to visit  Punkevní jeskyně    t hat we should have booked three weeks ago! Jarek called a business contact at the caves administration and they sorted out tickets. We drove up there, stopping for lunch at the hotel attached to the  Černá Hora  brewery. Claire and I both had gulaš and Lilka a healthier salad! The brewery here was first built back in 13th century. They have become very proficient. At the caves we took the cable car from the parking level to the entrance area. I have been here before but not into the cave. Lilka collected our tickets and we found they were free. The tour is about 800m of walking through galleries and caves with many stalactites and stalagmites in clusters. I took some photos (a couple here) and some came out okay in the low light. There is then an electric boat ride through the Punkevny river caves to

The focus of the entire trip! Up early to have breakfast and then walk a few hundred metres up the road from Lilka's house to catch one of the free buses that run between the city centre and the circuit. There's room on the first one and ten minutes later we are following a huge crowd to the viewing area G. We set up camp at the top of the bank about half way up the hill that sucks the power from the small classes. We are in the braking area for the series of bends that lead into the start and finish complex. Although I managed only three  laps here before the brakes on my Cavalcade overheated I can't remember any of it now! We see Moto2 and MotoGP warm-up and then a couple of Ducati's do some warm-ups. These are the pillion ride bikes with Randy Mamola and another rider. All the commentary is in Czech and German so we have no real idea what is going on! The 125 race is pretty close run all through as is the Moto2. But the MotoGP starts close. Lorenzo leads the three Re

A quieter day beckoned but still we crammed some visits into the day. Before lunch a trip out to Bystrc so Lilka could show Claire some garden centres. For me they could be at home except for the pond with large turtles basking in the sun. Next stop Lidl for more provisions and us to get lunch etc for race day. After lunch we had a short run to  Ostrovačice  to visit a former student of Lilka,  Jiří ,  who is into bikes. He has a small collection of CZ and Jawa motorcycles he is restoring plus a modern and modified Suzuki SV650. We eat and drink. Near his house is this sign: Guess whose campsite this is? Then it was off into Brno to meet old friend Ivan Benda. A couple of hours drinking more beer and visiting the bar where the local SOC meet - the Black Diamond. Heavy metal pub. Only us not in black T-shirts. Jarek and Lilka picked us up and we had another BBQ in the garden. More beer and a fruit based cocktail for the ladies. Then to bed ready for an early start for the free buses to

Today we were hoping to have a lie in after a thousand miles in the road, but instead we were up at a reasonable hour for breakfast and then out with Lilka in her Corsa to Lednice Castle. Tomas followed on his CBR 125. The castle is undergoing major renovation work and this includes painting it like a blancmange in a yellow colour. We had the tour for 150kč and opted to save the 50kč it would have cost for the English speaking tour. The printed explanation in the binder is quite sufficient. We then took a horse and card ride around the park to the minaret. A kind of folly built by the owners in the 1850's. The walk back was okay as long as the sun stayed behind the clouds. Lunch was in a nearby town Vlatice at a Czech restaurant. Luckily Lilka was there as my Czech might not have got us much more than "dva piva". From there we headed to Mikulov to check out the wine shop. Moravian wine comes in all shapes and sizes and we chose a reisling and a couple of chardonnay's

The final part of the day was the bone shaking run down the D1 to Brno. The junction we needed was closed do we went past to Brno-Bohunice and back along the 602 to Popuvky. Once we arrived outside the door we were met by Lilka and son Tomas. Shown to our room and then we sat to chat before BBQ dinner. It was after midnight when we finally went to bed, BBQ and two bottles of wine later...

This one turned out to be a very long day. After breakfast and then cleaning our room in the Castle we eventually set off about 0915. Using the Garmin we navigated to the border in good time and bought our motorway vignette. After just a few miles the road ends and there is a big gap to the final section to Prague. The traffic was heavy with trucks in both directions nose to tail. We stopped for petrol soon after Teplice and found the price was even higher than at home. A litre of unleaded was 35.50kč or £1.54! And we complain! The Garmin took us into Prague and then out on the D11 towards Hradec Kralové. Here a former student of mine,  Rostislav Kříž,   lives and I wanted to call in and see him. We stopped for lunch at a Motorest that shared its site with a Hummer dealers!! Rosta lives in a nice house with a massive garden in the outskirts. We had a chat about the old times and then we had to leave. The ordinary road 37 to the D1 took nearly two hours, passing through every town and

After our first night in the Colditz YH we went across the outer courtyard to the inner gate. This leads into the older part of the castle and it is where the PoWs were billeted. We joined the 1030 tour. The guide spoke good English and led us through the history of the castle from the 16th century to present day. All the tourists were English speakers including two blokes about our age on bikes. Good job I had ditched my GS Club shirt for a plain one. Embarrassing being in the car, but it couldn't be helped with Claire's soon to be replaced hip. We took quite a few pics and some have made it to Facebook and I have uploaded a lot to  Flickr .  We then had a walk to the town to get supplies for dinner. Eating out goes through money like a hot knife through butter. Bochum was nice but just short of €40 was too much. We stocked up at Lidl and headed back. We saw the bikers and spookily they were on a GS and a 1250GT Bandit... Once the shopping was stashed in the room we got the ca

As many of the buildings at Dora have been destroyed and the inmates parade ground turned into a communist arena by the former GDR government, the impact of the inhumanities that took place until it was discovered by the US Army in 1945 is hard to conjure in the mind. Dora Flickr From Dora we continued east towards Leipzig and finally to Colditz. Nothing could prepare the visitor for the sheer size of the castle on a rocky promontory overlooking the town. Despite sometimes torrential rain with near zero visibility, our arrival was in the evening sunshine.  The TomTom took us to the main gatehouse that is by the entrance to the German courtyard.  Checking in was easy and we then moved the car, humphing all the bags back up the hill from the Castle's own car park was  a little harder! Finally arrived a Colditz Castle.  This is the view from the window  in the corridor outside our room. Dinner was a 40cm pizza car of the Istanbul Pizza House in the town. Be warned. Eat early or

Up late and fuelled and on the road about 9am. Had breakfast in the little Cafe Ayer attached to the Aral petrol station near the hotel. On the way eastwards we went on BS1 right through the centre of Dortmund and past the football ground at Borussia. Heavy rain on the 44 autobahn reduced speed to about 80kph at times. Stopped at the services for a coffee. Next stop Nordhausen where we had hoped to find an imbiss kiosk and get a sausage (bratwurst or bockwurst I wasn't fussy) but could we find any traditional imbiss stalls? Could we buggery. In the end we had to make do with a lunch of noodles from a Vietnamese  stall!  Not the same Germany!

Up bright and early for the 0815 ferry Dover to Calais. One small and significant problem. Our neighbour that was due to take the keys and feed the cat was nowhere to be seen. It was too early to contact Seafrance or even our other neighbour. In the we loaded the car and set off about 9am. Our second neighbour was happy to do it and we always feed her cat when she is away. Sadly as we missed our sailing we have incurred a £19 surcharge on the ferry and a three hour later ferry. Once off the ferry we were soon on the way eastwards. The planned route via Gent, Antwerp, Eindhoven and Venlo, then across into Germany and a northern route into the Ruhr for our first overnight stop in Bochum. The TomTom took us right to the hotel front door. With stops for a snack soup lunch in Belgium and a coffee break in Netherlands we took about five hours Calais to hotel. not bad considering we stuck to about 70mph most of the way and the various roadworks between Antwerp and the E

A few days left before we go. I've been through all the paperwork to make sure that it is all printed and in the right date order in a plastic wallet.  This is turn will be kept in a bag and locked away or in a safe place in the car. Packing.  We have one suitcase each. One small suitcase each. Unlike the BMW, the car allows us to have two equally small suitcases. The BMW allows Claire to have the much larger pannier and me the smaller one.  Claire's CC , originally uploaded by InvictaMoto . As well as the suitcases that must fit under the "topless" screen, there is a warning triangle.  I have one that was given away to us when we took delivery of the company FIAT Panda cars that some colleagues and I had on the car lease scheme back in about 1983.   When you got one why pay £14.99 in Halford's for one half the size that looks as robust as a Twix wrapper? Some customer cars even came with an awning that fitted in the back to make the Panda into a sort of camper c

I blame Henry Cole, who's programme on the Travel Channel called "World''s Greatest Motorcycle Rides", for this amendment. The last programme we had on Sky+ was about the German Romantische Strasse . Places like Donauworth, Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. So we will be in the car but the roads looked pretty open and traffic free when he did the ride. Claire is most interested in a visit to http://www.wohlfahrt.com/index.php?article_id=1&clang=1  in Rothenburg.  Depending on time and miles we may "do" one or maybe of the places. On the run back from Prague the plan was Heilbronn and the Sinsheim Museum. This has now changed to a tour of some ancient and umbombed Bavarian towns. Due to the vagaries of the Tom Tom mapping where Czech doesn't exist I can't actually map all the way from Prague!! So to check the distances I have to map from Waidhaus on the German side of the border!! As a result, I have changed the booking from DJH at Hei

For one reason or another we have changed to the car from the bike; then for a while it may have become "all change" as I looked at flying to Brno instead of driving. A fly-drive trip may have come out a little cheaper, even via Vienna instead of Brno. In the end I have simply shaved a day off the schedule and Poland has been dropped. The route now takes us from Colditz across the nearest border and to Prague and the dalnice to Brno. The TomTom mapping is pretty daft. They sold the XL with IQ mapping but when the first (and free) upgrade ran, the maps are too big to fit. Instead you have to choose a sub section. The only one that includes UK doesn't include the ČR! So. We have to hope that the free wifi at the hotel in Bochum will let me download the right maps or we simply shift to ancient Garmin power; which does have all the maps. Three weeks to go!!

To mark the 95th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, and more especially the Battle of Bazentin Ridge that kicked off the second phase of the battle, on July 14th 1916, Claire and I are off the France to visit the grave of my Great-Cousin William Devall. We went on the 90th anniversary and left a British Legion poppy cross to show that someone in our small family had remembered. Trying to find out more about how William came to be in the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry for a bloke that was born and bred in Vauxhall in South London has proved to be a little more complicated.  An email to the regimental museum didn't really help as they don't have many records any more, and what is available are on Ancestry.com. A visit there seems to have got nowhere really. It is a shame that national records that should be owned by the country and managed by the UK Government have been let go to a commercial site. From the regimental history book, I can see how the 7th Battalion made there

Not all of this trip will be about eating and drinking and watching bike racing.  There will be local sights, folklore and culture!!! On the way home from Brno we have a stop in Prague . As it is really about 160 miles that day we have a stop in Prague . I have two cultural stops on the way back. The first at Žďár nad Sázavou to pay a visit to the Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk on Zelena hora Hill. This was built in the shape of a star in 1719. More info on the Church  - http://www.santini.cz/zdar-nad-sazavou-en.html The other place on the Brno-Prague route is the Church of Bones at Kutna Hora.  I first saw it in a travel book many years ago and then it was featured in the "Long Way Round" TV series with celeb actor luvvies Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. This is a bizarre church where skeletons of the long deceased are used as decorative materials!  It must be worth a half hour to visit. More info on Church of Bones - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossua

For most of this years battlefield visitors the date they will be heading to the Somme will be July 1st.  This is the 95th anniversary of the first battle of the Somme back in 1916. William Devall My visit is slightly different. I will be making the trip to visit the grave of my Grandfather's cousin William Devall.  Although born in London, William was sent to the Kings Own Shropshire Light Infantry.  This regiment is better known as the posting of the war poet Sigfried Sassoon. The KSLI missed the opening day of the slaughter and arrived to take up their position as part of the second wave.  We don't know where William was wounded but he died of his wounds on July 16th 1916. He is buried in the Extension for the Corbie Communal Cemetery.

The choices for crossing Germany were the "A4" route or the "A3" route. The former being the run across East Germany and entering Czech from the north, or the latter, the route across Germany from Koln to Nurnberg and across the border in the west. When I saw that you could stay in Colditz Castle, and that part of the infamous PoW site was now a German Youth Hostel I was quickly on the email, booking two nights.   In their paperwork I saw that there are tours of the remainder of the castle as well.  After an exchange of emails I have booked us on the "standard" tour and then we can have the afternoon to maybe have run out locally to Leipzig or Dresden. Info: "Extended Tour:  10.30 am  and  02.00 pm which is showing you all places possible to go to, lasts about 2 hours and costs 15,00€ per person. Standard Tour:  10.30 am  ,  01.00 pm  and  03.00 pm  which is showing you the main places, lasts about 1 hour and costs 7,00€ p

Original planning for this trip started back in the autumn of last year.  It's seven years since we last went to Brno and the Czech Republic and I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate a trip to the MotoGP as well as see friends. We had been to the Dutch TT two years running and wanted another MotoGP visit.  I thought about Cataluña but as it clashed with the TT on the Isle of Man I decided to look at Czech. Tickets went on sale in December and the English version of the official website was easy to follow and I booked two general admission tickets for around €45 each for the weekend.  The weekend ticket covers Friday to Sunday practice and race days. The original plan was to go to by bike of course. All the initial planning, route and stops etc, was based on a bike day in the saddle.  Then Claire's hip decided to get involved and it has become far too painful for her to pillion anywhere, so we decided to bite the bullet and go by car.  Luckily, she has recently