VIA MEDITERRA - The journey around the Med with an HP2

[Lee C]

Originally Posted by kimangao

Hi Lee,
thanks a lot!
It's still the prologue and some islands are to come. Unfortunately not Malta. But what about the Eolian Islands?



But first Spain, Morocco and then there should be a major problem coming up .... and the the Islands

Very Cool Thanks

[LavaBull]

Uh .... if you still plan to visit my native country Syria, I have a spare AK47, I can loan it to you ....



.........

[kimangao]

So this will be the end. Of the prologue ...

You'll remember that I was waiting to swap the grey HP2 into a white one. So I had to waist a bit of time till it arrives. A month in the end. A space of time a lot of people would like to have it as their holiday. And I had it to wait. But I don't regret a minute. I saw places I already knew and had the chance to see them from a different angle. Like magic Nice on the Côte d'Azur.

This is the beach of the rich and the beauties. Interesting that they've chosen a pepple beach and a six lane road for their sunbath.



Legendary Negresco Hotel. The basic room (if you can call it basic) starts from $225.-. Thank God I had better place to stay!





Francois and Valery are my hosts in Nice. Francois rides his 1200GS everyday from Nice along the shoreline to Monaco to work. There are worse duty strokes I guess.



I took some time to stroll around and found that though it is famous Nice it's like almost anywhere else. Among all this wealth there's also all that poverty. But Nice took it for me to a new level as far as Western Europe is concerned ....




... I was really struck by these people living on the edge between two highways.




A few meters away you'll find some ads for your (next) luxury wedding in Monte Carlo. I enjoy contrasts in photography. But in real life ...




Some more fun along the way was this signpost which I would have expected somewhere in Greece. But not in a French forest. Athens is roughly 2500kms from here. It will take me half a year going there via Northern Africa and the Middle East.




Anyway, I'm getting a bit impatient. Spring has arrived but not the bike. What the heck ....




Then the redeeming phone call: The bike is ready to be picked in Orange, 270kms from Nice. Francois and Valery accompany me and we meet with kktos and charming Frédérique near Orange.




And there she is! Just swapping the panniers and off we go!




HURRRAAAYYY That's it! Now the journey around the Med can start.





From now on there seems to be nothing that can interrupt my journey. But my destiny already works on different plans ...

Hope you'll enjoy!

Cheers


Dirk

[SoosCreek]

Thanks for taking the time to take the pictures and post here.

I am planning to ride Europe and the Med in the next couple of years so will be following closely!

How do you know so much about the locations and their history? did you research or did you take notes while you where there or are you just that kind of guy?

Also, is there actually a coffee table book or what was that reference? Or with there be one?

Pictures are amazing! And nothing wrong with a RRR if the food is as good as you are getting!

[kktos]

I remember a pict my beloved took while the guy was following us:



the man was ecstatic ! he got his bike, at last !

[jimmex]

Originally Posted by eakins

good lord you take the most amazing pictures.

+1

[kimangao]

Originally Posted by SoosCreek

How do you know so much about the locations and their history? did you research or did you take notes while you where there or are you just that kind of guy?

Also, is there actually a coffee table book or what was that reference? Or with there be one?

Pictures are amazing! And nothing wrong with a RRR if the food is as good as you are getting!

Thank you for your friendly words.

Guess it's a mixture of it. I try to understand what is there, why it's there. I'm interested in origins, roots of stories. But most of all I'm attracted by little stories besides the great history, weired circumstances ...

That was one of the reasons why I'd like to go on that trip. There are so many stories, people, cities linked to each other that it blows my mind. On the shores of the same rather small sea some people spend their holidays while others fight civil wars. The Alps border it as well as the Sahara. And (did some research on that) the Mediterranean Sea was once a dry salty desert and in some millions of years it will disappear, evaporate. So better see it now than later

The coffetable book and a movie DVD are already published. Details (book) here:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...php?p=12227554

and (DVD) here:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...=553143&page=2


Hope I'm not boring people to death with my history-stories ...

Cheers

Dirk

[Fiend138]

This is amazing! I thanks for sharing!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[kimangao]

Originally Posted by GB

Oops, I meant to sticky this thread when you started it... . the pics are pure eye candy! thanks again for the continued updates

Thanks mate, you make my day!

Cheers

Dirk

[vaish]

awesome photographs

[Mr Pif]

Originally Posted by kimangao

anyway, i'm getting a bit impatient. Spring has arrived but not the bike. What the heck ....

m a r v e l o u s

[kimangao]

Originally Posted by LavaBull

Uh .... if you still plan to visit my native country Syria, I have a spare AK47, I can loan it to you ....



.........

Thanks for the kind offer, but I thought that I'd already be riding a weapon




And, I've crossed your beautiful home country before the crisis began. Hope that the situation will change soon for the better.

[kimangao]

Because Marseilles was supposed to be the starting point of the Via Mediterra I need to do a proper start picture there. So welcome again to Marseilles.






My host this time is Victorine, as beautiful as intelligent.




I move up to the landmark of Notre-Dame de la Garde. It can't be bad to ride protected by the golden lady on top.
From now on the sea will accompany me, the waves, the spray, the coastlines. In eight to nine month I hope to stand here again.




Farewell Marseilles for now.

[achesley]

Wow! What photos and a story to go with them. I'm all eyes. Thanks for the time and work to share.

[Blader54]

I'm loving everything about this report! One question that may be on the minds of others who have applauded your stunning and beautiful photographs. Aside from your excellent composition, the colors are so saturated and vivid. Do they come from the camera this way, or is there some adjustments you do in Photoshop or its like? I had heard that Canon cameras have excellent software for color rendition. Thanks in advance, and bon voyage!