Belgium

Limbourg

We first crossed the border to Belgium.

Strange feeling, because we rode so many times in this part of Belgium, from our home. But this time, we didn't return the same day.

As you see, there was construction work to some of the roads, so I could practice for the roads in Romania...

More pictures of riding through Begium on the Dutch nl Day 1 .

Entering Germany

It starts to rain...

Once in Germany, we rode on, taking the byroads, towards Idar Oberstein .

Unfortunately, it started to rain at the end of the day, as you see here.

The photograph at the top of this page shows Idar Oberstein in daylight: it has an old fortress on a rock (well, to be honest, it is more a ruin of a fortress).

More pictures of riding to Idar Oberstain on the Dutch nl Day 1 .

Riding on in Germany

Crossing roe

As you see here, the byroads in Germany are very beautiful. Germany is in many regios a rural country, with a very pleasant atmosphere.

More pictures of riding through Germany on the Dutch nl Day 2 .

Frankischer Schweiz

Village

On the second day, we came through a region called The Frankischer Schweiz , where I had never been before.

There was a vally, with picturesque villages, and high rocks on either side of the river, sometimes with houses on top, or a church, or a castle.

More pictures of the Frankischer Schweiz on the Dutch nl Day 3 .

Bayerisches Wald

The Bayerisches Wald

The next region we rode through was the Bayerischer Wald . It is a vast area, which lies for a part in Germany, for a part in Austria, and for a part in the Chech Republic.

The German part stretches alongside the border with the Chech Republic.

It is a region of mountains of middle-height, the higher regions covered with grass, and the lower regions forested.

There are endless beautiful curvy roads for motorcyclists (fast curves, as the mountains are never steep). And in the lower parts, there are rural villages and interesting small towns, with glass industry ("Bohemian glass").

There are plenty of small hotels and pensions: this region is made for motorcycle vacations.

More pictures of the Bohemian Forest or Bayerisches Wald on the Dutch nl Day 3 .

Passau

Passau, Saint Christopher

Passau has always been an important city, at the border between Germany and Austria, surrounded by three rivers: the Danube, the Ilz and the Inn.

The inner city is old and very well preserved. There are cobblestone streets, and beautiful houses, with ornaments from the Baroque.

Paasau has an impressive cathedral, the St Stephan , with cupid-like angels and golden ornaments wherever you look.

The dom st Stephan in Passau

As you can see, Passau looks beautiful from the other side of the river. The towers with copper roofs are the towers from the cathedral.

More pictures of Passau on the Dutch nl Day 3 and
nl Day 4 .

Austria

The 38 in Austria: made for motorcyclesu

The 38 in Austria leads you through the Bayerisches Wald-variant of Austria: high hills or small mountains, very green, with villages where each house has balconies with flowers. It is a very pleasant road for motorcycle riding.

The landscape became flat when we reached the north-eastern side of Austria. This is where all the Austrian wine comes from, so it seems.

We ended our journey in Hohenau , at the border with Slovakia.

More pictures of Austria on the Dutch nl Day 4 .

The Tricker, by the way, proved to be a good bike to spend hours on in the saddle. But in Germany, I often longed for a bit more power...