Best of Europe - BOE2601
After shuttling all bikes to Erding and preparing them for the upcoming ride, only thing missing were the guests. Six of which went on a stroll through Munich with our local guide Gottfried, who knows the Bavarian „beisl“ by heart. The rest of the group had some time for shopping and getting used to a different time zone. At 17 o’clock the official part started with our famous welcome briefing. A couple familiar faces attended and were curious about the picturesque route, safety on the road aswell as the highlights presented by Fabian and Claudia. In the meantime hotel Henry’s kitchen crew presented a hearty Bavarian 3 course dinner. Everybody got the chance to introduce themselves and share their favorite past edelweiss moments. With baked apples as a dessert it was time to head for bed. Stoked for the adventure ahead.
Kicking things of we started from Erding heading north trough magic woods passing hidden chapels looking for the best franconian sausage. Following the altmühl creek through sollnhofer marble we arrived in mid-evil Rothenburg where the nightwatchman lifted almost all secrets this treat of a city offers.
We’re kicking off the second day of riding on this beautiful tour. We leave medieval Rothenburg and make our way along winding roads through the Hohenlohe region. After marveling at the intricate artwork in the Schöntal monastery chapel, we descend from the rolling hills into the Neckar Valley, where the castles perched on the hillsides lend the landscape a distinctly romantic air. We reach our hotel atop Heidelberg via narrow forest roads, where we’re treated to breathtaking views. A funicular takes us down to the historic old town, where we head for dinner in the heart of Heidelberg.
After a fabulous stay in Heidelberg we set off to the south east. After a stretch on the world famous autobahn we made our way onto the black Forrest with its windy turns. As the weather was wet everybody enjoyed the lunch stop and tourguide Fabian helped deboning a trout. Weather cleared up and we made our way to France crossing the rhine river. At dinner a brithday child was surprised with a giftet kuckucksclock, jam from the Alsace and a chanson, to be reminded of that adventurous day.
Today we split into two groups, both went to Colmar in the morning. Colmar felt like a little fairy tale. We stopped for coffee at a cute café and then strolled through the market, where we simply couldn’t resist the cheese. We rounded off our half-day in Colmar with a typical Alsatian meal at a cozy restaurant in the old town colorful and simply enchanting. Meanwhile, the other half of the group still had plenty of energy left and set off for the Vosges Mountains to tackle the winding roads on their motorcycles. On track to master the edelweiss line on hairpins they set off. Visiting the WW1 memorial at Hohrodberg was a long kept dream of some contestants. Following the lac blanc they headed back to the hotel to meet the whole group and share their adventures.
Today, we have three countries on our itinerary. We leave France behind on long, wide country roads, with storks by the roadside waving goodbye to us; the Vosges Mountains lie behind us, and the Black Forest lies ahead. We turn onto small, winding roads and stop at the Hexenloch Mill, an 18th-century mill that is still in operation. After a short coffee break, we enjoy the most beautiful backroads of the Black Forest. Fabian surprises us with a lovingly prepared picnic in the middle of nowhere; finally, the sun comes out and we warm up too. With full bellies, we’re ready to hit the winding roads toward Switzerland. Our last stop is at the Rhine Falls, where we take a boat ride to get closer to the waterfalls and feel the 600,000 liters per second. As the grand finale, Fabian is waiting for us with a cold beer at the hotel in Schaffhausen.
Over the past few days, we’ve been honing our riding skills to prepare for what lies ahead: a motorcyclist’s paradise -the Alps. We ride along the Rhine from Switzerland through a village in Germany and are back in Switzerland again. Yes, it’s confusing to cross the border so often, but customs makes it quick and easy for us today. On the shores of Lake Constance, we head up into the mountains and make a quick photo stop with a sporty handstand by Andy, who shows us and proves that age is just a number. Riding through Switzerland via all these villages can be exhausting, but only because of the high fines for speeding. Yet the picturesque and perfectly maintained roads, which offer us stunning views all the way to the foot of the Säntis, make us quickly forget that. After lunch at a nice traditional restaurant and a few more twists and turns, passing by the third-smallest country in the world, Liechtenstein, we continue on to Austria. On to even more driving fun and endless switchbacks, surrounded by breathtaking views.
Riding towards tourend 🥹 Our day started with the castles of Ludwig ll. Before we were going through the last hairpins of the alps. Our lunch at „Lac Claudi“ turned out to be a marvelous picnic provided by Claudia at Plansee. Sorry Jeff for the wrong hint 😂 In the afternoon we headed for the famous autobahn, which lead us towards Munich. The Last stretch came with windy roads, green fields in full bloom, small villages and local breweries. Riding was great since all participants formed a bond in the last days, even red lights or roundabouts couldn’t split up. Our final dinner was emotional, remembering the adventure 12 individuals created all together ❤️ It was a blast….thank you Claudia & Fabian