Featured Touring Cote D'azur And French Alps

Day 1:
Today in the morning we started our tour to the Cote d'Azur and the French Alps. At 0645 o'clock we started with the packed TIGERs. After a travel time of about 7 hours and 605 km on the road we arrived in our quarters in the area of Vicenza/Italy. At a very nice family we found accommodation for the night in a Bed&Breakfast.
Tomorrow in the morning we will continue to Impera near San Remo/Italy close to the border to France.
To be continued.

The TIGERs at a break


The TIGERs got new equipment


A small waterproof sidebag for a bottle of water and an additional jacket and swimming equipment


Our "Mum's Bed&Breakfast"






Our route of the first day

 

@Bikerman:
The weather forecast looks good for the next days.

 

@Mrs Visor: Thanks! It looks good this time. Due to the temperatures we aim to start early in the morning every day until we leave to the Alp-part of our tour.

 

@Dougie D: Thanks! I will try my best!

 

@andyc1:
There will be. In abundance.

 

@Sandi T: Thanks Sandi! Of course we have the coffee machine on board! I'll take a photo this afternoon, as it's already loaded in the kitchen box ready for the day.

 

@robert moore:
There is no sink in my panniers!
The TIGER has no problem with the additional weight. You only notice it when you brake. You ought to ride below 190km/h, because then the luggage acts like an aircraft wing.This ist really dangerous then!!!

 

Day 2 - Part 1:
Today we drove the second part of our journey to the coast. Our accommodation is still in Italy, as the price level is a bit cheaper than in France. The route was very monotonous at the beginning. There were 4 curves on 120 km of road. The second part over the mountains to the coast was more demanding, but with an endless number of tunnels.
When we arrived in Imperia/Italy, we looked for our flat and this time found a bargain directly in the centre near the harbour in a small side alley. We were surprised that the whole place was full of tourists. The solution came in the late afternoon, when the Italian aerobatic team "Frecce Tricolori" performed their tricks along the beach promenade for more than 30 minutes. That was really impressive. We finished the day's travel with a nice Italian meal and a good glass of wine.
Tomorrow we will continue to Monaco, St. Tropez, Nice and Cannes in France.
To be continued.

Our tour today:


Where is the TIGER of my wife?!?


In the following some impressions of Impera.

 

Day 2 - Part 2:

A special for @Sandi T:


The "Frecce Tricolori" in action






Very good italian wine


The stairway to haven in our appartement

 

Thanks Sandi! The Frecce Tricolori had heard about our journey and started therefore their programme in Imperia for us.

 

Day 3 - Part 1:
Today in the morning we started our 1-day 3-country tour. We rode from Italy to France and then on to Monaco and back again. The temperatures were between 26 and 32 degrees Celsius, which made it quite warm in the cities in our motorbike gear. Unlike the locals, who only ride with helmets and some in swimwear, we are more concerned about safety. We used the winding coastal roads for the outward journey and then the motorway for the return.

About the two cities today:
Monte Carlo in Monaco
Extremely magnificent buildings, beautiful vehicles on every corner and a lot of police presence. All of them friendly, but firm. After the annual F1 race had recently taken place, we naturally drove or visited the accessible parts of the racetrack with our TIGERs. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to stop in the area of the starting grid at the start/finish, but we were allowed to stop next to the harbour, as you can see in the photos. Navigating in the canyons of the city and numerous tunnels with underground roundabouts is sometimes complicated because the GPS keeps failing.

Nice in France:
Beautiful city, also many magnificent buildings and incredibly many tourists. Numerous hotels share the several kilometre long promenade with restaurants and cafés. From the city, you then enter the motorway through an eternally long tunnel.

A few tips for driving in Italy after more then 1.300 km;
Speed limits are only a guide and are generally ignored by Italians. At motorway construction sites with a speed limit of 60km/h, it can happen that you are overtaken by vehicles travelling at almost twice the speed!
Single-track vehicles (mopeds, scooters, electric scooters and motorbikes) supposedly always have the right of way and are entitled to overtake everywhere, to ignore road markings and to park in all possible and impossible places.

Due to our general condition after more then 4 hours on/off the bikes we skipped the ride to Cannes and rode back to our appartement in Italy.
To be continued.

Our todays tour:




Parts of the F1 city circuit in Monte Carlo/Monaco










The Casino of Monte Carlo

 

Day 3 - Part 2:
Now back in Imperia/Italy we pack our stuff for the ride to Istres/France tomorrow.

Some more pictures. This time of Nice in France.