The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)

By -
You will need the band to get the song connection!
 
It is time for my next cycling adventure and this time I will be joined by Neil (tan fading from NZ) and Knobby (so white he is almost blue).  YES, Knobby is back in the saddle so this is a true Grumpy Old Men production!  We are flying to Dubrovnik on the Croatian Adriatic coast.......and cycling home.  We will follow a mostly coastal route to Venice, then over the Alps to Lake Constance and along the Rhine to the Hook of Holland.  A night ferry to Harwich and a final day of riding back to Essex will take us to 1665 miles ...with some big old hills in the first half. Having looked at the elevation profiles I am a little concerned to note that we have 2 consecutive days with 10,000 feet of climb and a hill that promises a 30% gradient....gulp.
 
The most splendid thing about this trip is that it takes in no fewer than TEN countries.  In the order in which they are encountered:
 
  • Croatia
  • Bosnia Herzegovin
  • Slovenia
  • Italy
  • Switzerland
  • Lichtenstein
  • Austria
  • Germany
  • France
  • Netherlands
On some days we get to tick off several, sometimes more than once!  With this many nationalities to insult I shouldn't be short of blogging material ;-).  So, if you are easily offended by gratuitous xenophobia, or just plain tired or reading utter bollocks, you might want to look away for the next 3.5 weeks.  Otherwise....watch this space! 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/Mr Tamborine Man/I Write The Songs

By -
Image
  After an 18 month separation Plum and I are reforming the band for another tour.  The two of us, plus 6 others, are heading up to Scotlandshire for another crack at the North Cost 500.  I should probably introduce the full line-up:   Lead Singer - David.  David is the young(er) pretty one.....brother of John.  David also happens to be my Financial Adviser and is funding this trip (plus a yacht and a cocaine habit) out of what he makes from my account.   Lead Guitar - Nick.  Friend for 50 years.  At school Nick was a keen cyclist and consequently, quite rightly, bullied.  Nick has forgotten more about cycling than I will ever know.   Bass Guitar - Stuart.  Stuart and I worked together for many years; he has powerful legs and can push out big watts while looking like he is coasting.  I hate Stuart.   Keyboards - Michael.  Michael is a...
Read more

If I Could Turn Back Time

By -
Image
If ever you are in the Inverness area on a Friday and looking for a lively night you could do a lot worse than avoid Muir of Ord.  Our hotel, the only pub, wasn't serving food so we walked into town where it appeared that Steven Spielberg had just finished filming some sort of post-apocalypse movie: nothing open, nobody on the streets and the odd bit of tumbleweed blowing along the pavement.  Even the fish and chip shop couldn't be arsed to open...on a FRIDAY NIGHT!  We managed to find a take-away offering a rather odd choice of kebabs and curries (served in pizza boxes for added novelty) and purchased some food which made up for in calories what it lacked in food-hygiene standards.   I recall a meeting where a few of my co-riders and I met to kick around ideas for a group ride.  We considered all sort of destinations....mostly in those parts of Europe where the weather isn't consistently shite.  I'm ashamed to say that I thin...
Read more

Julia's Song

By -
Image
As some readers will know, Plum is no longer Chard's most eligible bachelor.  The lovely Julia has taken on the job that Social Services would otherwise have to do....making sure he changes his pants once a week whether they need it or not and loading routes onto his Garmin.  We are all very grateful to Julia, especially Chards most eligible bachelorettes who can get back on the dating scene now Plum is safely off the market. As we were starting our trip Julia fell, dislocated her foot and broke her Tibia so she is probably missing Plum more than usual. She has insisted that the show should go on so thanks for being such a trooper. Today was another with a shortcut that promised to turn a very hard day into something more manageable.  Some of our group took the high road and others took the low but I had a more cunning idea.....get in the van.  Whatever is ailing me, long covid or acute spinelessness, reached the point where pushing th...
Read more