Round the World - Do you have beer we are coming to visit?

[michnus]

:sip: :sip: :sip: :sip: :sip:

I keep reading this. Amazing Michnus. Well done for making it happen. It is possible for anyone to do anything one desires, but one is often too bound by the fish bowl one is in. Nice to look out of the bowl at the greater dimension, but a dimension out of reach for the unwilling and the weak.

Very true words J-Dog.  :thumleft: It's all about the passion to start doing something you really want to do. And then go for it no matter what. Notwithstanding the fact that you grow as a person, learn new things and in the end the rewards are absolutely worth the effort.

 

[michnus]

We got back to Ulm where are bikes  took a bit of a rest for the winter. We left them with a German couple we met in Ethiopia. They both ride BMW R100 kalahari's and have been all over Africa with them. Birgit even did Van Zyl's pass all on her own with that bike!

We had loads to fix and do before heading for Holland to meet up with other Dutch friends we met while travelling.

Can not work on bikes without beer.  :biggrin:

Min of meer gatvol! The bikes sometimes have the ability to rob my sense of humour.​

 

[michnus]

Holland - Oost-Indische Compagnie
The Dutch was rated the happiest nation not so long ago. Or second happiest after Dagga rokers in the Transkei, I can't remember. This small nation of 15milj is quietly doing their thing and many innovative brands are coming from the Dutch.

Look, we are not the kind who does DNA testing and proclaim to be African-European and then go over to find our roots sobbing while walking around a village looking for our ancestors. The truth is that for South Africans from European descent we found it really interesting to see building and everyday houses older than the 1652 when Jan's skuit anchored in Cape town. The Dutch love their culture and history and it is evident from the way they preserve their building and heritage.

Old shed now is being used as a home. This place is also around 400-500 years old.

Still had some things to do on the bikes. The **** the Egyptians sold me as fork-oil turned out to be Nile mud. It took me half a day to clean up all the **** in the shocks and fitted new seals and oil.

When in Rome. We used friends bicycles to ride around Utrecht. The Dutch owns on average 4 bikes per person.   :lol8:

Houses build on small barges in the *****. And they own titles to those houses.

​

 

[Goose]

Fantastic mate...... still on my bucket list - my dad was born in Amstelveen and I've still got to make the trip to go and tread the family footsteps.  :thumleft:

LOVE the pics inside that barn...... can you post more pics - looks flippen awesome!

 

[michnus]

Will do  :thumleft:

The Dutch tells us Afrikaans sounds like old kombuis taal to them. But Dutch sound like old Afrikans to us.  :lol8:

 

[J-dog]

Will do  :thumleft:

The Dutch tells us Afrikaans sounds like old kombuis taal to them. But Dutch sound like old Afrikans to us.  :lol8:

kombuis - ship's galley.  :imaposer:

 

[michnus]

Man I love the Dutch. And when they are really de moer in...godverdomme!  :lol8:  eepwall:

:lol8: :eek7:​

 

[silberfuchs]

Man I love the Dutch. And when they are really de moer in...godverdomme!  :lol8:  eepwall:

:lol8: :eek7:​

Hi Michnus,

Ireally love your RR. I get my dose every day and it makes my itchy to go traveling again. Thanks for sharing with us.

BTW when I was abt 17 or so I went to Holland for a sailing trip on the Ijsselmeer and a bit of Atlantic. Met a girl there that could roll a cigarette with one hand in the pocket of her oilies. So these signs are no empty promises...

 

[michnus]

Thanks Silberfuchs, glad you enjoy it.  :thumleft:

Yip, I agree, it's quite refreshing the liberal, open minded and figerous way the Dutch go about life. 

 

[michnus]

There's whats called the bible belt in Holland. That did not stop this dude who was called to build a new Ark.  :lol8:

One big thing in Holland is the pubs, there are loads of them. Individually owned and past down the family. This pub's Poffertjie plate is close to 200 years old and still make the sweets everyday

Zakkenrollers. :lol8:​

 

[michnus]

We spend some time in Holland before heading towards France through Belgium.

Some more pictures of Amsterdam and surrounding towns

I have no idea don's ask.  :eek7:

The Dutch love their bikes. But you knew that.

Most of those houses pre date 1652 and still used as houses to this day.

Have that in SA and I guarantee you it will be thrown upon and be demanded to be removed.

Comdon for every shape and size tottie. Even if your head boost some funny shape. :lol8:

The good stuff shop.​

 

[TVB]

What an experience this must have been.
I think we could do with more bicycles and bicycle lanes in our cities as well.
The old houses are just amazing

 

[michnus]

What an experience this must have been.
I think we could do with more bicycles and bicycle lanes in our cities as well.
The old houses are just amazing

Agree with the bicycles, we will also have less boeps.  :lol8:

They have special bicycles lanes and bicycles have absolute right of way. But that said, they also have a bloody public transport system that actually works and on trains even get free WIFI. They have parking lots for bicycles that can house 1000's of bicycles for people to park their bikes as they take the trains to inner city work.

Our friends have been riding bicycle to work their entire lives, winter and summer, doing around a 40km round trip every day. They laugh at us when they visit SA and we take the car to go to Spar. 

 

[michnus]

What a groovy feeling to actually park the Dakar that went all the way up Africa next to the Eiffel tower. Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup means: “Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly.”
Joie de vivre: Joy/happiness derived from life.

Travelling Europe is not about struggling with motorcycles through soft sand like we did in Africa. Europe is an easy and very comfortable adventure. What Europe offers instead is an incredible rich history, architecture and diverse culture and heritage. Best experienced when exploring the backroads and rural villages. But most of all on a motorcycle it is also relatively cheap to explore and much more fun! The true France we saw was so much more rewarding, insightful, quirky with lots of French flair, romance and passion.

Arriving back in Europe a little late in the summer, or really early winter, we high-tailed it from Ulm to The Netherlands to watch a Pink Floyd show with our Dutch friends and some friends from SA.  From there we rushed through Belgium, had a quick stop in Paris to ‘dry out’ and took the quickest route to the coast.

The Arch de Triomphe a magnificent part of history. Circling it is great fun while scaring the bejesus out of the locals.

We headed to Fontainebleau, just South of Paris, to do a bit of business and like the year before found it such a beautiful town. The forest around Fontainebleau and the Palace of Fontainebleau (one of many homes of Marie Antoinette) with its beautifully kept grounds makes it a worthwhile trip indeed. Not at all the images we have as South Africans of an over populated Europe.

​

 

[sidetrack]

Definitely needs to be in the WTF picture thread  :biggrin:

 

[TVB]

You are mentioning the 'view we have of an overpopulated Europe'
That is true, I also thought it to be more busy and over populated but it seems through your posts not to be the case even with countryside and farmland
Very interesting

 

[michnus]

You are mentioning the 'view we have of an overpopulated Europe'
That is true, I also thought it to be more busy and over populated but it seems through your posts not to be the case even with countryside and farmland
Very interesting

None of the cities even Holland gave us the feeling of cramped population living like what we experienced in Cairo, Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam and Kampala for example. I could easily live on the platteland of France or Spain. In fact Spain can take the entire Africa population and still have space.  :biggrin: Even Portugal as a small country still feels normal and not shoulder rub populated.

 

[TVB]

You are mentioning the 'view we have of an overpopulated Europe'
That is true, I also thought it to be more busy and over populated but it seems through your posts not to be the case even with countryside and farmland
Very interesting

None of the cities even Holland gave us the feeling of cramped population living like what we experienced in Cairo, Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam and Kampala for example. I could easily live on the platteland of France or Spain. In fact Spain can take the entire Africa population and still have space.  :biggrin: Even Portugal as a small country still feels normal and not shoulder rub populated.

This is something I would love to see.
A mate told me the same about Scotland and said it was the most beautiful countryside he has ever seen

 

[michnus]

For sure! Scotland got some of the best bike roads in the world  :thumleft: Add to that the Whiskey and it all add's up to a moerse lekker trip  :biggrin:

 

[TVB]

For sure! Scotland got some of the best bike roads in the world  :thumleft: Add to that the Whiskey and it all add's up to a moerse lekker trip  :biggrin:

We need a 'like' button here!