High Alps & Dolomites Special Tour
11 Jun 2016
Departure day - Erding to Mieming/El Salvador/Holland/Rome
Also from my side some final words :)
Thank you Ted for the great work with you together, it was real fun.
Even at the departure day some of us got together for a funny morning, others unfortunately had to leave already. The tour was great fun. Thank you seniores for the beautiful moments we spend together. They are an great enrichment for my collection and I really look forward to more of them.
The tour seems to be so nice that they couldn't stop riding after loading the bikes :)
So the best ride there was, take care and good luck with riding
Final riding day - Warth to Erding
And so this fabulous tour came to an end!. Everyone had a great sleep in the cool alp in Warth, so we started a little earlieer this morning to be on time for the tour in one of "mad King Ludwig's " castles: Castle Neuschwanstein. This day the rainmakers decided to give us a grand final of enormous rainshowers, so the tour in Neuschwanstein was a welcome break! The last part of the day took us up through Erding, were a very welcome cool beer was waiting for us.! After everybody had freshed up we had a nice farewell diner and after some nice words to each other it was time to say good bye to this fantastic group of friends from El Salvador and Guatemala! So goodbye to Fernando, Andres, Edwin, Jorge, Francisco and Eduardo: you are an awesome group of riders! Take care and we hope to welcome you all at one of our tours in the near future! Adios!
Ted & Peter
Day 10 - Livigno (Italy) to Warth (Austria)
Last night everybody seems to had a good night rest up in the ski resort of Livigno...although some of us' night rest was a little too short..;-)
Again a bad weather forecast but also again the weather man was wrong! Only an half hour of drizzle today couldn't spoil the great atmosphere of this group! Riding 5 passes today, starting with the Livigno pass and crossing 4 countries was again a great experience . Passing glaciers, numerous cascades and breathtaking views was again a good recipe for a succesfull day of this tour!..
The diner was concluded by a small surprise of tourguide Peter , who has prepared some "poor man's" fireworks in the high alp next to our hotel. Fantastic!!
Unfortunately we are already facing the last riding day tomorrow. But before we are entering Erding near Munich we have another full day of riding and a visit to the famous crazy King Ludiwg's castle in Neuschwanstein!
Day 9 - Riva del Garda to Livigno
The weather in the morning was perfect for a ride no clouds and pure sunshine. But even all of us have been a little sad to leav this beautiful place. After the first roads along Lago Tenno to Madona di Campiglio al sadnes was blowen away from the great riding and the panoramic view.
In Madona wie had a beautiful coffe stop in the sun and than an amazing ride up to Passo Tonale. But now our climbing started with the very tiny and twistie road up to Passo Gavia were an incredible snowlandscape was waiting for us.
After delicious Spagetti on the Pass and passing Bormio we could ride the very spectacular south side of Passo dello Stelvio in pure sunshine and nearly no trafic :)
On the Pass Bruno was already waiting with his delicious Hot Dogs and we also meet Miss Stelvio and have been allowed to take a picture with here. The weather stayed sunny and so we had again an awsome ride to Levignio were a long and beautiful day ends.
Day 8 - Riva del Garda (Lago di Garda) Rest day
The Rest day in the motorclist paradise promised us a lot. Nice Weather, incredible roads, beautiful nature and wunderful food.
First road of the morning rout was with Andreas and Eduardo through the Valle Ledro on side of the beautiful turquoise Lago Ledro, than a short coffe stop at Lago Idro and finaly the very twisted road of the Valle Valvestino.
Ending up again on Lago di Garda we had a very delicous lunch in one of the nice panorama Restaurants in the rock walls around the lacke.
After that we ride back to the hotel were they joint the rest of the group relaxing on the beach.
Edwin finished working and asked for a short afternoon ride, so we went up the beautiful street to Tremosine for a nice view and a perfect italien coffe.
Fascinated of the road Edwin want more and so we ride again up and down the Valle Ledro which makes him freaked out.
In the eavening we meet again in Riva for a nice dinner and every body was happy.
Ende gut alles gut :)
Day 7 - Collalbo to Riva del Garda (Lake Garda)
What a great day we had! Together with our fantastic groupof friends from El Salvador and Guatemala we started with a dry ride into the Dolomites for the last time. After a short stop at the amazing green water of Lake Karer, the direction changed south with final destination of Riva del Garda at the most northern point of the famous Lake Garda in Italy. Besides a short rainshower on top of a ski resort the weather god finally decided to warm us up! The environment changes slowly to a very Italian one: beautiful cypress trees, the smell of jasmin everywhere, astonishing views! Riding into our beautiful spa resort hotel, soon everybody changed clothes and we headed into town for a well deserved beer and some real pizza's.
To conclude this great day, there was a awesome band playing near the lake side whcihc was playing all the great 80's hits. What an superb atmosphere! Around midnight everybody was back in the hotel and probably have a nice sleep in in the morning. Up to the restday!
Day 6 - Restday Collalbo (Klobenstein)
With the nice and relaxing evening before still in our minds (including the great diner at the hotel) we took off for a ride in the Dolomites. Most of us had a little sleep in before appearing at breakfast With our two lovely ladies Karin and Viktoria from the Edelweiss Office visiting us, we started to descend from Collablo down to the Bolzano valley. Fter passing the Valle di Egga we climbed some passes and enjoyed the dramatic views of the Dolomites. A few short rainshowers here and there but overall we were lucky with the weather. Back at 14.00 hr in Klobenstein we took the train and cable cart down to Bolzano to walk a bit through the city and had some food and drinks. A couple visited the famou Ötzi the Iceman in the museum. Again back in the hotel again a fantastic diner was waiting for us and after that most of us called it a day! Tomorrow we are heading south to the famous Lake Garda
Day 5 - Kaprun to Collalbo ( Klobenstein)
Aftea nice brakfast in Kaprun we could alredy recognize some strange blue points between the clouds. So we started the day with riding up the famous and beautiful Großglockner Highalpineroad. When we reached the Edelweissspitze we had already an incredible view at the steep rockwalls an the highalpine landscape around. There we also meet an asian group which was facinated of our bikes and want to have an grouppicture with us.
In front of the Hochtor at the top of the street we have been riding between walls of snow but after passing it the weather cleared completly up and the sun was shining on us and dryed the street so that the downhill ride was great fun. In Dölsach we made an early lunchstop to enjoy the sun and a delicious meal at the terrace viewing the first peaks of the Dolomites.
Befor we started to climbe the Dolomites we made a short stop in Aguntum an old roman city.
The end of the day was breath taking with incredible streets, views and only a few raindrops between nice sunshine riding to the famous Passo Falzarego and the Passo Gardena. Riding down the Valle Gardena we could already feel the south, the air got warmer and warmer and fullfiled with pleasant scents. After the last ascent to Klobenstein we reached our beatiful hotel and spent an relaxing eavening with an delicious dinner and the storys of the day.
Day 4 - Gmunden to Kaprun
With a beautiful view from the cosy breakfast room over the lake Traun the day started very good! Also the weather forecast looked better than yesterday. So after the briefing we took off in southern direction to our first stop in Bad Ischl at Cafe Zauner for a great coffee and pie. From there it was time for postcard territory: Hallstattersee or in English: Lake Hallstatt. And just if the weathergods heard us coming: the clouds opened so we were rewarded with fabulous views! A great spot for a very nice lunch at the lakeside in sunshine! Riding through the Lammer valley was great fun because it ws the very first complete dry road of the tour. So everybody enjoyed the afternoon very much. Going to Hochkönig over a beautiful mountain road with amazing curves we stopped for our second coffeestop.
Last part of the day lead us to the village op Kaprun , a well-known place for skiing and hiking. Great day, great fun!
Day 3 - Salzburg to Gmunden
07:30 - Rise and shine! Time to go up to the Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden! Unfortnately almost entire Northeren Europe is covered in rain and so is Salzburg. But rain never wins of the good mood of our El Salvador group! So up to the Obersalzberg where the special busses would bring us up to the Kehlsteinhaus, or better known as the Eagles Nest. This was a present to Hitler of the Nazi party in the Second Worldwar. After a very nice coffee and an even better apple pie and unfortunately no views, we followed our way to the beautiful roads of the Postalm. Up in the alp we enjoyed our warm lunch and were able to dry our riding gear a little bit. Finally in Bad Ischl the rain stopped and we were enoying the last part of our riding day along the astonishing lake Traun, up to our way to the hotel of tonight.
A nice diner and some good conversation later it was time to give our bodies some rest. Tomorrow we'll go down to Kaprun!
Day 2 - Erding to Salzburg
First riding day! Even the sun was peeping into the breakfast room of our hotel so time to ride! After a very rainy period in south Germany we couldn't wish for a better start. Although the weather gods were not pleasing us the entire day, at least the morning was a dry ride!
Starting to head more or less insouthern direction we drove through nice hilly area's and typical Bavarian villages untill the Alps showed up at the horizon. Driving on the German Alpine road soon gave the group the hunger for more curves and hills!
Practicing the ideal Edelweiss blue riding line, soon everyone got a nice pace and down at the ski jump in Reit am Winkl, we enjoyed a nice lunch (the cook also, but that's another story..,;-)
Arrived in Salzburg soon everybody changed clothes and we headed to the Old town to make a nice city walk. With the fast elevator train we also paid a visit to the big castle overlooking Salburg and it's environment.
We closed the diner in the oldest restaurant of Europe, the St peter Stifts Keller. After diner the waitress gave us a short tour in the interesting spaces of the restaurant and then soon everybody called it a day.
Day 1 - Munich
The first day of this tour we stayed in the Munich area. On the program was a visit to the BMW World and a tour through the BMW Plant. Since it was Monda morning there were no big crowds and we had really a chance to see everything at a nice pace!. The tour through the plant and seeing all the assembly of the BMW vehicles was very interesting.
After leaving the BMW world and Olympiapark we took the U-train to downtown Munich for a nice lunch and a small city walking tour. Seeing some nice highlights of this Bavarian city with its long history was a really nice exlperience.. At the end of the day we hopped again on the train which took us back to our hotel on the east skirts of Munich in Erding. Everybody prepared their bikes for the first riding day tomorrow to Salzburg.
We concluded the day with a real Bavarian meal in a nice "Wirtshaus" with real "Erdinger" beer.
Arrival day
Today all the tourmembers arrived in the starthotel in Erding near Munich. All looking forward to this special tour going through 4 countries and great Alpine roads. Soon we did the handover of the motorcycles and started the welcome briefing. Tourguide Peter did his very best to make a nice depict of the upcoming tour, which appeared to be almost a piece of art! Tomorrow starts with a visit to BMW World & BMW plant in Munich and afterwards for a city tour in downtown Munich. Let the tour begin!