Alps 2011 + 6
I awoke in the early hours to the strong smell of petrol and knew instantly it was coming from my bike just 10 metres away. There was nothing I could do until daybreak and so went back to sleep for few more hours.
Daylight had broken and despite numerous attempts to start the little 'F' she dug her heels in and refused to play any longer! There was little to do other than to call my insurance and wait for the breakdown part of my policy to kick in.
The bike was taken to a nearby repair centre whilst we waited for a taxi to collect us and all our belongings , panniers, top box, clothing etc and take us the repair centre.
The heat was ridiculous by the time the taxi arrived, some two hours after the recovery van had gone, and so wearing the bike clothing was completely out of the question.
The only good thing to come out from this problem was the air conditioning in the taxi!
We arrived at the repair centre just outside of Riva del Garda but nobody who was there could speak English and we certainly couldn't speak Italian. Another couple of hours passed before a dialogue was established with the mechanic who had been out at lunch.
He would look at the bike asap but nothing would be done that day.
I contacted my IC (Insurance Company) who then located a Hotel for us to stay at until it was established whether the bike could be repaired quickly or if we were going to have fly back to the UK until repaired , and then for me to be repatriated with it.
We checked into Hotel Al Maso not too far from the repair centre and had ourselves a refreshing shower each after what seemed a never ending day in extremely hot temperatures.
Daylight had broken and despite numerous attempts to start the little 'F' she dug her heels in and refused to play any longer! There was little to do other than to call my insurance and wait for the breakdown part of my policy to kick in.
The bike was taken to a nearby repair centre whilst we waited for a taxi to collect us and all our belongings , panniers, top box, clothing etc and take us the repair centre.
The heat was ridiculous by the time the taxi arrived, some two hours after the recovery van had gone, and so wearing the bike clothing was completely out of the question.
The only good thing to come out from this problem was the air conditioning in the taxi!
We arrived at the repair centre just outside of Riva del Garda but nobody who was there could speak English and we certainly couldn't speak Italian. Another couple of hours passed before a dialogue was established with the mechanic who had been out at lunch.
He would look at the bike asap but nothing would be done that day.
I contacted my IC (Insurance Company) who then located a Hotel for us to stay at until it was established whether the bike could be repaired quickly or if we were going to have fly back to the UK until repaired , and then for me to be repatriated with it.
We checked into Hotel Al Maso not too far from the repair centre and had ourselves a refreshing shower each after what seemed a never ending day in extremely hot temperatures.
The Hotel was very tidy even if not in the most photogenic of locations. Each room had a small balcony, I'm sure many a smoker sat out here for a discreet puff!
Our balcony immediately overlooked the outdoor swimming pool which both Jo and I would make use of.
The en-suite room consisted of all that was necessary as well as TV.
The mood had changed , not knowing how long we'd be staying here and so I decided I may as well tune in to the F1 Grand Prix , or was it MotoGP - I can't remember now! I also watched much of the Tour de France cycle race.
The weekend was upon us and it was clear that the bike wouldn't be repaired before the following week so we set off into town to have a wander about.
Our balcony immediately overlooked the outdoor swimming pool which both Jo and I would make use of.
The en-suite room consisted of all that was necessary as well as TV.
The mood had changed , not knowing how long we'd be staying here and so I decided I may as well tune in to the F1 Grand Prix , or was it MotoGP - I can't remember now! I also watched much of the Tour de France cycle race.
The weekend was upon us and it was clear that the bike wouldn't be repaired before the following week so we set off into town to have a wander about.
Riva del Garda
We walked many of the narrow walkways through the streets of Riva del Garda , many times too! It was an ideal opportunity to take some photographs as well as to sample the local food.
Without doubt the weather was exceptional , though I dare say it was like this every summer, unlike in the UK.
Being such a small town there are only so many times you can walk the town before you have seen it more times than you care to remember.
The weekend was generally a repeat for both days.
Being such a small town there are only so many times you can walk the town before you have seen it more times than you care to remember.
The weekend was generally a repeat for both days.