On the Road again...

[Kristof]

...Happy New Year! I am enjoying your trip!

Thanks! Happy New Year too!
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Friday 1st - "St Florent"





Saint-Florent was created by the Genoese in the 16th century as a base to carry out repressive operations against the Corsican patriots in the surrounding villages. France later used it to disembark hordes of mercenaries and colonists during August 1764 in order to subject the independent Corsican people. After the defeat at Ponte Novu Bridge, the army of Pasquale Paoli, sometimes called "the Father of Corsica", helped by the fleet of Horatio Nelson, reconquered Saint-Florent in 1794 during the brief Anglo-Corsican rule.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Flo ... aute-Corse

[Kristof]

Monday 4th - Bastia / Ajaccio
This is the end of the stay in Corsica. Today back to Ajaccio and tomorrow the plane to Paris.
The direct road which passes by the mountain was open to all vehicles, otherwise I was ready to go around by the South, the road is "wider" than the one of the North which passes by the creeks of Piana.

It's an island that really deserves to be discovered and I hope to be able to come back there one day.






The site which allows to see the situation on the road of the pass (webcams):
https://www.corse.fr/Visualisez-en-dire ... a3472.html

[diogenes009]

[Kristof]

Luckily we are here on a site with an open mind, otherwise you could have been accused of feeding a troll that makes soft propaganda for Corsica.
Yesterday, Ajaccio:


Today, Metro "Grands Boulevards" Paris 11am:


Wednesday 6th - Paris Shopping
With the Covid there are few people in the streets and metro of Paris, even the Galeries Lafayette are relatively quiet ...

This morning I visited a motorcycle accessories store near the Bastille (an area with many motorcycle and accessories dealers), to look for Sidi Adventure 2, (Having used the Adventure 1, I wanted to use the same model again) he kindly told me that I could find them in the other area with motorcycle stores, namely the Avenue de la Grande Armée near the Arc de Triomphe.
Except that when I got out of the metro the first store I saw was a Klim dealer so I made a small purchase in addition (...) But it's a "mistake" to make a purchase like that with my wife because afterwards I had to go to the Galeries Lafayette for her...

Avenue de la Grande Armée:

Klim Badlands Pro - Sidi Adventure II


Galeries Lafayette:

[Delicate Snowflake]

My beloved a.k.a. Mrs Snowflake would L-O-V-E to spend some 'quality time' in Galeries Lafayette

[Kristof]

Bretagne, "Le Conquet" - Plage des Blancs Sablons - 01/17
A bit of sunshine today (+11C) and so there were people on the coast.

[Delicate Snowflake]

Covid-safe travel

[diogenes009]

[Kristof]

June 2021, 170km North of Dakar:
(nota I wasn't in Senegal with a bike)



Lac Rose, near Dakar:



Thierry Sabine monument:
(founder and main organizer of Paris Dakar)


the beach that was the finish of the rally:



Dakar, many GS too:




-----------------------------------------------
La Baule in Avril with a rented 1250. Nice bike but I don't like the TFT screen and there was a 2020 XTZE Raid Edition with low mileage.


La Baule in June with the XTZ:



Quiberon:

[campfire]

Very nice.

[diogenes009]

[Kristof]

Very nice.

My last visit to West Africa was in 2010 in Gabon, Port-Gentil and before that Libreville in 2003, 1998 Bangui in Central African Republic, 1995/1997 Nigeria Lagos, Port-Harcourt and Ivory Coast from 1979 to 1983, so I "know a little" the region, the sad fact is that nothing changes...

"Lompoul sur Mer", 150km North of Dakar


















When the driver closes the doors with the key in the ignition

[LadyDraco]

[Kristof]

This week I headed south because I have a small mission for a few months and with the current situation still "troubled" not only are there few missions abroad but there is a risk of being "blocked" (Thank you, but I have already tested this in Turkmenistan ...)
Moreover, if I know a bit about the coast, I've never been to this region near the Gorges du Verdon, so I have something to occupy my weekends...

One thing I can't share with you is the "smells" if in Brittany there is the smell of the sea when you go along the coast, there is also the smell of the manure from the pig farms and there is a lot of breeding...
Here the smell that comes back very often is that of lavender with many fields along the roads.

-------------------------------
07/15 - Brest / Montluçon - 836km
Rain all along...


(My support for the GPS wasn't delivered on time so I bought a Givi support in Nantes. I find the mounting light but there is a safety clamp in the box, just in case...)

07/16 - Montluçon / Manosque - 700km
Small detour to visit the Ural dealer in Manzat
and then instead of continuing on the motorway which was very busy on this day of departure on holiday I decided to "cut" by small roads, it is longer in time but much prettier and if I "know" the motorway of the South (l'Autoroute du Soleil A7) I had never made this diagonal between Valence and Manosque.

[Kristof]

07/18 Les Gorges du Verdon
Some pictures, today's ride.


The road to the construction site, the temporary offices:



In this season there are many people on the road and many motorcyclists, it is a very famous place in France as well as internationally but in front of the behavior of some I fear that one day, as it is the case in Germany, Austria,... the access becomes forbidden to motorbikes...
That would be a shame...

[diogenes009]

Very nice!

[Kristof]

On Wednesday 11th , a fire started at the exit of the village, the houses being close, the Canadairs came as well as a helicopter. I could not see the place of the fire but on the other hand the helicopter passed every 10 minutes above my building to take water in a pond near the river.

The firemen of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence intervened around 6 pm this Wednesday, August 11th in Gréoux-les-Bains. It is the blaze of a quad which would have spread to the vegetation according to the information of the firemen of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
With the strong wind and the drought that affect the area, the fire spread quickly and touched eight hectares.
https://actu.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-a ... 04800.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some pictures from my balcony:

[Kristof]

Sunday, August 8th Plage St Julien located on the lake of Esparron.









Esparron:

[Kristof]

Sunday August 8th the "road" between the beach St Julien and Gréoux les bains.








Gréoux les bains:

[Kristof]

08/15 - Lake Sainte Croix
These last days there was a heat peak in the region with 40°C (104°F), today it went down to 35°C (95°F).
Short ride around the St Croix Lake:










Bauduen