Andorra

This tiny country is situated between France and Spain. There is no taxes and buses loaded of French people go past the border to Le Pas de la Case ot buy cigarettes and alcohool.

It was a beautiful day, little traffic, a road like a shoe lace climbing to the cool air of the snowy summets

Lots of shops selling bike gear in Andorra La Vieilla, a busy, noisy city...it took me all day to find a pair of boots that would fit me, all too big...

I met Dave and Richard from England, we stayed in a small hotel at Soleus, another couple from Finland stayed there too and we had a great evening chatting motorcycle life in our respective country.

Saint Bertrand de Comminges

a crocodile caught in a nearby lake 300 years ago, is stuck to the inside wall of the Cathedral

My new cross country bike

Le moulin de St Lys

My brother restored this mill and it is working, we made the flour and degustated a traditional dish 'milla'

ancient ice box

before electricity existed and the freezer came into our kitchen, hundred of years ago, ice boxes were built underground like this one near a castle . In winter, ice was collected in the lake and stored in the box. it would last for months. The vegetation on top of the box keeps it cool

Les Pyrennees

Riding the mountains on a sunny day is sublime; storms tend to hit the Pyrennees in the afternoons; as soon as it rains, it is really cold; I left the lining of my leather jacket in Cairns.... forgot to introduce Kitty, the best burglar alarm one can get!

workers in a village had lunch by the river and drank red wine (see the red plastic bottle) no beer although it was a hot day

On a sunny day I rode a few mountains in the Pyrennees and met Arsene from Luxembourg on his way back from Portugal. it was a beautiful day but roads are narrow with lots of gravels in the bends, and many wondering dogs....

My new friends Jeff (R1) and Keshia (born in Sydney) who assited me in the purchase of the FZ6

A friend from the 1968 French Revolution, who had a Honda 125 in those days, caught up with me and we rode to Spain via the Bielsa Tunel, small box stretching over 6km, we visited some old stone villages in the province of Aragon.

My brother has a big garden with fresh peas, artichoks, asparagus....rasberries are just starting...if you want to know where he got the strawberry plants from...he found them in the rubbish bins at the local nursery. this week we collected from the same bins expensive rare bromeliads and anthuriums....so much waste...

Beautiful spring in France, aromatic strawberries, delicious cherries..

Goodbye Cairns Hello Armsterdam

beautiful sunrise over Cairns .....long flight to Amsterdam in a very very old Boeing shaking like hell on take off, but more leg room than in an airbus....cloudy over Amsterdam where the airport is squatted by a multitude of blue planes..