Un bier sil vous plais

Well, here's the first update since getting away and I'm in the French alps having a beer in the town square.

It's been a good trip so far from meeting up with Dave the Harley rider on the way to Greece while on the ferry to Chris and Gordon on the way north in their Ural combination. Then there's my family in Germany who looked after me very well indeed, plenty to eat and drink with a trip to a beer festival in the middle.

I've already learned (again) that curbing the miles per day is a good idea after waking up in Heidelberg by a river and trundling down through the black forest. As I made my way toward Switzerland I realised again (for the third time in three bike trips) that it's not all that small a country and I made it on to the motorway to cruise my way to the south of Lac Leman. The dusky trip over past some ski resorts was good and I made it to my destination before dark. It's not going to be good for me to do long days all the time for the rest of the trip so I expect my progress to slow as I leave the familiar.

It's funny travelling through Europe with the absolute lack of border controls nowadays and I'm sure I'll long for that again in a few months as I wait for hours with shady customs officials taking their time. What's still evident though is the change between nations as you pass with roads, building styles and plenty more changing immediately as you pass. The passage into Germany from Holland being particularly striking as all the trees spring up. It's not that Holland is like Orkney, just that the north west of Germany has so many forests!

In the time I've written this I've had a bird leave a wee present on me, been buzzed by any number of small bright insects as well as a child on an electric toy Ducati and finished a beer. Where's that waitress again...

Location:Samoëns,France