For those of you who regulalryl travell abroad and for who this is not news - sorry. For the rest, read it and become a believer.
OK peeps, hope you?ve all been good while I was away.
Made my first trip to mainland Europe on the Bbird..
I?ll stick another post in with what I thought about the show itself. This ones about the trip ? excuse the length, I hope it?s interesting ? tough if it?s not!!
Cheshire/Bracknell/Folkstone/Clais/Paris and back again.
972 miles in all with overnight stops in Bracknell both ways.
One day for the Bracknell/Paris/Bracknell bit.
Eurotunnel across the channel is so easy it?s ridiculous. Outbound there?s no French immigration/passport check so it?s just roll up and away ? 30 mins later you?re in Calais. Met up with a couple from Uttoxeter on the train. They were on a matched pair of R1?s heading for a long weekend at Magny Cours. Chatted with them and in no time at all we were in Calais.
Filled up with petrol in Calais and set off on the E15/A1 peage all the way into Paris.
Easy travelling with good rest stops and good signs. Two hours and I?m entering Paris.
I?d taken the British abroad travelling method ? no maps of Paris city with me and I?d not brought anything with the address of the show venue ? in fact I?d not really looked exactly where it was other than the South West side of Paris!!
On entering Paris I mistakenly turned into the city proper?? oh what an experience!! Rule 1 ? there are no rules. To start with I road like in the UK but this just confused the car drivers. There were zillions of bikes and scooters everywhere with total disregard for any speed limits or road rules. The only rule seemed to be to stop at red lights. Filtering was obligatory in all lanes in all direction and at all speeds, failing to filter seemed to be a major offence. Having watched this without taking part for a while I found myself with a motorcycle gendarme behind me and one in front following a couple of bikes and scooters. I thought I?d see the filtering and speed toned down a bit ? nope so I joined in. In and out all over the place, wrong side of the road around traffic bollards and not a bit bother from the gendarmes who were doing the same. London couriers have nothing on these guys!!
It was magic ? I loved it ? filtering with extreme prejudice??the only way to go.
Anyway as I headed through Paris I eventually stopped to get some directions at a bike repair shop ? Doc?Biker (they have a web site). Really helpful used their street map of Paris to show me and wrote down directions. After that it was easy.
The inner perifique (ring road) was hilarious. Filtering takes place at all speeds up to and above the speed limit regardless of the speed of the cars. What?s amazing is that the cars actually move over to let you through (as they do everywhere).
I saw the locals moving through gaps where their jeans were rubbing the doors on the cars either side of them!!
At junctions and roundabouts you take you?re chances. There?s no lining up to take turns to pull out at a junction. The correct way is that if there?s a space you pull alongside whatever is already there and then race them away when there?s a gap. If there?s something else in the way you just weave around it. The only rule that does get followed is traffic lights. Even then it?s not unusual for the lights to go green, you move three feet and find you?ve been stopped again as you try to turn right by another traffic light for the pedestrian crossing on he next road.
Oh yes ? there?s no difference in France between scooters or bikes. All are friendly and acknowledge each other ? and the cars that move across to let them through.
No nodding heads in France ? they do what I decided to call the ?frog leg? (not very PC I?m afraid. A lift of the leg is the fashion ? I like it we should adopt that custom over here!! Sometimes they do a low down ?hand out?.
So I enjoyed the trip and want to go back again ? tomorrow please!!!
Didn?t see much of the countryside as on the way down it was a bit foggy and on the way back it was dark. But I have learned to ?filter with extreme prejudice? even on a blackbird ? London couriers eat your heart out ? no chance??
Forgive the length of this but I ramble on a bit when excited.
Would I recommend it ? you better believe it.
OK peeps, hope you?ve all been good while I was away.
Made my first trip to mainland Europe on the Bbird..
I?ll stick another post in with what I thought about the show itself. This ones about the trip ? excuse the length, I hope it?s interesting ? tough if it?s not!!
Cheshire/Bracknell/Folkstone/Clais/Paris and back again.
972 miles in all with overnight stops in Bracknell both ways.
One day for the Bracknell/Paris/Bracknell bit.
Eurotunnel across the channel is so easy it?s ridiculous. Outbound there?s no French immigration/passport check so it?s just roll up and away ? 30 mins later you?re in Calais. Met up with a couple from Uttoxeter on the train. They were on a matched pair of R1?s heading for a long weekend at Magny Cours. Chatted with them and in no time at all we were in Calais.
Filled up with petrol in Calais and set off on the E15/A1 peage all the way into Paris.
Easy travelling with good rest stops and good signs. Two hours and I?m entering Paris.
I?d taken the British abroad travelling method ? no maps of Paris city with me and I?d not brought anything with the address of the show venue ? in fact I?d not really looked exactly where it was other than the South West side of Paris!!
On entering Paris I mistakenly turned into the city proper?? oh what an experience!! Rule 1 ? there are no rules. To start with I road like in the UK but this just confused the car drivers. There were zillions of bikes and scooters everywhere with total disregard for any speed limits or road rules. The only rule seemed to be to stop at red lights. Filtering was obligatory in all lanes in all direction and at all speeds, failing to filter seemed to be a major offence. Having watched this without taking part for a while I found myself with a motorcycle gendarme behind me and one in front following a couple of bikes and scooters. I thought I?d see the filtering and speed toned down a bit ? nope so I joined in. In and out all over the place, wrong side of the road around traffic bollards and not a bit bother from the gendarmes who were doing the same. London couriers have nothing on these guys!!
It was magic ? I loved it ? filtering with extreme prejudice??the only way to go.
Anyway as I headed through Paris I eventually stopped to get some directions at a bike repair shop ? Doc?Biker (they have a web site). Really helpful used their street map of Paris to show me and wrote down directions. After that it was easy.
The inner perifique (ring road) was hilarious. Filtering takes place at all speeds up to and above the speed limit regardless of the speed of the cars. What?s amazing is that the cars actually move over to let you through (as they do everywhere).
I saw the locals moving through gaps where their jeans were rubbing the doors on the cars either side of them!!
At junctions and roundabouts you take you?re chances. There?s no lining up to take turns to pull out at a junction. The correct way is that if there?s a space you pull alongside whatever is already there and then race them away when there?s a gap. If there?s something else in the way you just weave around it. The only rule that does get followed is traffic lights. Even then it?s not unusual for the lights to go green, you move three feet and find you?ve been stopped again as you try to turn right by another traffic light for the pedestrian crossing on he next road.
Oh yes ? there?s no difference in France between scooters or bikes. All are friendly and acknowledge each other ? and the cars that move across to let them through.
No nodding heads in France ? they do what I decided to call the ?frog leg? (not very PC I?m afraid. A lift of the leg is the fashion ? I like it we should adopt that custom over here!! Sometimes they do a low down ?hand out?.
So I enjoyed the trip and want to go back again ? tomorrow please!!!
Didn?t see much of the countryside as on the way down it was a bit foggy and on the way back it was dark. But I have learned to ?filter with extreme prejudice? even on a blackbird ? London couriers eat your heart out ? no chance??
Forgive the length of this but I ramble on a bit when excited.
Would I recommend it ? you better believe it.
