Croatia

[johnny80s]

Nik I don't really read ride reports too much anymore except for yours. They are always very interesting. I love your photos. They are just great. You have a great way telling a story and making me feel as if I was there.

Please keep posting them.

 

[Tyler]

Nik I don't really read ride reports too much anymore except for yours.

RR snob... <_<

 

[nik.hisham]

You have such a great eye, Nik... whether you realize it or not, you've definitely had an effect on my eye when photographing things!

Thanks Tyler. Over the years, photography has made me see things differently - I often look at something e.g. on my commute to work and think, wow, that would make a great picture. It has made me appreciate the beauty of everything around me, I try to capture that and share with my friends. I'm glad that you and the folks on this forum enjoy them.

 

[nik.hisham]

Great shot of the wall, Nik.

.

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Another great architecture shot, Nik.

You have such a great eye, Nik... whether you realize it or not, you've definitely had an effect on my eye when photographing things!

As always you are correct Tyler.Nik has a great eye.

These architecture shots can get quite tricky you know. Silly people always get in the way...

I think I have a few more of such shots.... buried amongst the 3,000 ++ shots I took on the trip....

 

[nik.hisham]

Just wanted to say - I'm a bit bogged down with work and at the moment

Hope to continue this RR this weekend, maybe sooner if I get the chance. Sorry for the delay.

 

[Tyler]

Just wanted to say - I'm a bit bogged down with work and at the moment

Hope to continue this RR this weekend, maybe sooner if I get the chance. Sorry for the delay.

Jeezus... making us other working stiffs wait?? The horror!!

Over the years, photography has made me see things differently - I often look at something e.g. on my commute to work and think, wow, that would make a great picture. It has made me appreciate the beauty of everything around me, I try to capture that and share with my friends.

Totally get (and appreciate) it, Nik!! B)

 

[johnny80s]

Nik I don't really read ride reports too much anymore except for yours.

RR snob... <_<

Not a snob but just not interested. Nik makes them interesting.

 

[nik.hisham]

Hi guys. We are back on air

GOODBYE PISA

Woke up early and met this guy in front of the hotel

Decided to take some last shots of PISA while waiting to breakfast with the others

The obligatory tourist shot. Our visit to Pisa is complete!

So we had breakfast..

and had a group shot before hitting the road

We were riding all along the Mediterranean coast all day

We enjoyed some twisties...

We enjoyed revving our engines as we coasted through tunnels!

We also enjoyed seeing the architecture as we passed through towns along the way

After a fantastic morning run, we stopped for lunch at Torre del Marre

While waiting for food, I snuck in this shot of Sandra's Diavel

Ian broke a tooth biting into his lunch. I told him he can audition for an extra on the next Pirates of the Caribbean alongside Johnny Depp

Back on the road and the wife does my side profile. I reeeeaaaaaaaallly like this Schuberth SR1.

This scenic coastal route is popular with cyclists too.

Just a street lined with palm trees

We had no particular destination planned. Just ride to get as close to Monaco as possible

So we continued along the coast until we got tired

Telltale signs of fatigue - Sandra standing up.

Another girl standing on a bike. She'd have some terrific road rash if she fell - they were going pretty fast.

We were finally to tired to continue and finally stopped at one of the hotels on the coast. Sandra goes in to check for rooms while the rest of us waited.

Managed to get three rooms. This was ours

And this was right across the street. I told Dave that there were quite a few topless sunbathers but none were women..

more to come

 

[Hudson]

Nik, awesome RR. I really feel like I am the third passenger in your adventures, and damn if you didn't manage to show all the pretty gals along the way. Croatia is awesome through your eyes. Thanks for letting us tag along.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Woke up early and met this guy in front of the hotel

That could be the same Italian cat we saw on the Alps Tour in August. Did he say "Miao?"

We had no particular destination planned. Just ride to get as close to Monaco as possible

Interesting factoid. The German word for "Monaco?"

 

-- Munich! (or is it that the Italian word for Munich is Monaco? Dunno.) :blink:

The way you're telling this story is very cool, Nik. It's coming in at about the same pace you took the trip, which adds to the sense that we're doing it along with you. I'm beginning to dread the end, probably like you were doing too at about this point.

 

[cruppelt]

-- Munich! (or is it that the Italian word for Munich is Monaco? Dunno.)[/b] :blink:

I can at least answer that one since I was born and raised outside of Munich: München in Italian is "Monaco di Bavarese", literally the Monaco of Bavaria.

I wish I could be in Europe on a bike myself right now!

 

[ice_station_zebra]

What and amazing adventure and report. Wish I could go riding with you sometime and be part of one of your wonderful 'documentaries'. I like the fact that you take the time to smell the roses a little.

 

[nik.hisham]

Thanks all, for the kind words.

Sorry for going missing over the weekend. Had some friends over from Adelaide, Australia and we went for a ride the last four days - about 750 miles in all.

Anyway, back to the story.

IMPERIA

So after a short rest, the SO and I went for a walk-about before dinner

People hanging out on the promenade as the sun started to drop behind the buildings

Pearl white HD

It took me a while but I finally realized the sisters were swapping dresses the past few days

Imperia harbor

Dave giving some thought about owning a yacht...

and Ian, with missing tooth, giving some thought about becoming a pirate on the high seas...

The guys found a watering hole..

so the wife and I went shooting

Found this as we looked for dinner. A bit too tall for me..

The sun had gone down and we doubled back to the harbor to find this guy also in search of dinner...

We eventually decided to dine here

FINAL SUNRISE

Woke up in the morning to this

Went on a morning walk to take in the views...

the trip was coming to an end and we wanted to get one last look around

Because the wife and I knew it would be a long time before we got the opportunity to do this again

So we said goodbye to Imperia and began our final leg of the journey

We continued riding along the coast, in and out of towns that cling onto steep cliffs

Thought about how I would miss Italian and French coffee - Malaysian coffee just doesn't compare

We also made a quick stop to tighten the chain on Sandra's CBR1000 that Ian was riding

It was a quick job. We were off again in no time...

And soon found ourselves at the French border again

We were coming close to our final sight seeing stop..

I was amazed at how they built stuff on the cliffs...

Monaco, in the distance

Arriving at the Casino Monte Carlo

Lotsa money here

While the wife went to get some fridge magnets, I got some snaps

Just the sound of Ferraris and Maseratis in Monaco

(I finally figured out how to embed video)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGOJL79RItA

So we left the casino to do a lap on the Formula 1 street circuit

The bend in the tunnel beneath the casino is much, much tighter than it looks on TV (Didn't really get a good shot)

And the elevation change exiting the tunnel is not so obvious on TV than it is in real life

It's amazing how really tight this circuit is...

The famous bend that Michael Schumacher intentionally stalled his Ferrari in 2005 to prevent Alonso from getting Pole Position.

We parked our bikes and explored on foot. Fangio and his Mercedes at the beginning of the start-finish straight.

There was a boat / yacht show so there were tents put up every where

Another view of the Casino. A bit more manly pose this time - making up for the nerdy one in Venice.

next : THE END OF AN EPIC ADVENTURE

 

[frankenfeejeer]

That was OUTSTANDING!

The pictures with the stories and the fridge magnets. Great work. Can't wait to get back to Italy...

 

[MNFJR Pilot]

Awesome ride report!!! :lol:

 

[nik.hisham]

THE END OF AN EPIC ADVENTURE

We left Monaco and took a short ride back to Nice where we went straight to the train station to drop off the bikes

Our train would depart at 8pm. We had plenty of time to kill so we went for a final view of Nice - where the trip began just over a week ago.

We found a watering hole and had our last beer o'clock as we recalled all the things we did, all the things we saw, and the close calls that we had

Before boarding the sleeper train, we bought our dinner to go and decided to have our last dinner together in Dave and Sandra's cabin

We had sandwiches, kebabs, some fruits, and Sandra bought even a pack of white wine (the pack sitting on the ledge at the window...)

One last shot before bringing the trip to an end

So that brings an end to this RR. My wife and I had a fantastic time with Dave, Sandra, Ian and Chrissie. It was awesome to have my wife with me on this ride. And it was also awesome to experience the Hayabusa - so much power with it's gearbox smooth as butter. The more I rode the bike during the trip, the more I grew attached to it. I wondered if I could ever go back to the FJR at home...

We arrived back in Paris the next morning and had a good rest. Our flight back home was the next day. Dave and Sandra invited us over for a farewell dinner and while we ate, and recounted our adventures over the past 9 days, the question came up - what's our next adventure? I look at Dave and said, "Malaysia to Isle of Man in time for the TT?" Dave looks at Sandra and grins, "I'm in."

So that'll be our adventure in 2014.

Just as a closing, I got home and got back to my FJR. I wondered if I needed to get myself a Busa now. I sat on her and took her out for a spin and it was like seeing and discovering an old friend again. Nope. Don't need no Busa.

Thanks all, for your patience and time to view my RR. Until the next adventure....

 

[luvtoride]

Awesome, awesome ride report. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

[Shane]

Wow!

Thanks for sharing some of your photographic and storytelling work--great stuff!

Shane

 

[Chuck35]

Thank you!

I have looked forward to each installment

 

[Maggellanos]

Thanks for sharing!!

Always enjoy your RR and your excellent photography! :yahoo:

I was in Croatia and the rest of East Europe and Balkans last August!!

Great country!

Next time you'll be there keep in mind to visit the beautiful Plitvice Lakes!!!

You'll gone love it!!

Jim from Greece!!