Sid and Doris Bonkers and their Epic Journeys
"Everybody is normal until you get to know them"
Big roads vs little roads – the human perception of slopes – potholes1. Big roads are boring but little roads always seem to be hard Every so often we take a step back from the Epic Journey, and we muse that the problem with Epic Journeys is that you tend to whizz through places on the straightest road you can…
Read moreRubbish – Donk-o – Disappearing cutlery – The Arm-o Challenge – Still more reasons not to compete in the Tour de France Oh gosh it is nice to be back on the open road again. Time to put the brain back into neutral and see what happens. 1. What a load of rubbish.Going out of Budoni yesterday Sid observed how…
Read moreYou may be able to work out the tune to this one. A versatile little number with plenty of room for improvisation, and the tune is easy enough that you can shout it out while going along. Look what they’ve done to my road, MaLook what they’ve done to my road.Well they’ve built the road straight up the hillIt makes…
Read moreAn explanation of this seemingly self-explanatory hashtag.When I was on the boat down the Danube with Doris’s Knee Problem I got talking to Anna and Alistair, and Anna introduced me to the concept of #bestviewedfrombelow. Originally it referred laughingly to anything that was Way Up There when you were viewing it from the river-level comfort of your floating restaurant/hotel/chill zone. …
Read moreFrom Sardinia to Santander on a relaxed timeline with only a few smallish obstacles remaining. Here we are in Sardinia (hooray!) so only one major section of the Epic Journey is left to plan – “simply” get to Santander in time for the ferry on the 4th September. The ferry only goes twice a week and all the cabins are…
Read moreSee it. Do it. This is a really important rule, and is perfect for Regret Prevention. Do not go past something you want to do (buy, eat, photograph etc) and think “wow that is really great, next time I see one of those I will do/buy/eat/photograph it. Because there won’t be another opportunity. This applies even if you have seen…
Read moreVegetation – Road Signs – The Sweet Smell of the Strimmer – Road Laying Machines – Roofrack Of The Day 1. Vegetation We’ve been in “Mediterranean Arid” (as I think Kew would call it) pretty well since crossing over the central Bulgarian hills, but in Italy it’s definitely different. Trees to inspire Roger Dean, often full of extremely noisy colonies…
Read moreSome thoughts about food. The right food in the right place – Is it dinner time yet? – Would you like a coffee with that sir? – Have you done your homework? – Self catering? Really?1. The right food in the right place We set off determined to eat the food of each country, and not to go for the…
Read moreHot air hand dryers – More reasons not to compete in the Tour de France – Vending machines – Stones on the roof – Major Bumsore – The Milestone Question – Prevailing winds, truly. 1. Hot air hand dryers I used to LOOOOVE hot air hand dryers when I had a motorbike. I remember sitting under one in a motorway…
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A place to park the occasional gem… “It’s a good job these shoes aren’t white any more or they wouldn’t match my trousers.” (In Amsterdam) “I wonder whether you get a lot of Dutch people going to Venice.” “I knew it (the route) was going to be bad when I rode past a construction site with all the bike path…
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