Blooming Luvly in Holland

Despite my loathing of trips through Holland mainly due to flatness, constant heavy traffic, bad driving, poor service areas especially for motorcyclists, constant rain, confusing signage, even more confusing motorway junctions and stupid speed limits just to name a few, I was advised to visit tulips near Amsterdam on my return from Greek Easter celebrations in Wiesbaden. (Best not to go to Greece for Easter due to the fustanella outbreaks).

On the way from Europort Rotterdam to Wiesbaden: Last Saturday was obviously "bring out your caravan " day. OK until the German border was crossed at Venlo and some confusion set in as to the correct speed limit.

Wiesbaden: a nice Italian job by the Kur Haus

No seagulls here

GDR pedestrian crossing man wtf

Enough said but was actually  is it my German friends enquire?

Our Easter guests from England are told that this is a small egg by German standards

 With only a short time to show guests Wiesbaden we focus on our favourite communistic cafe Klatsch.

Closed for business unfortunately due to a party the night before!

No Coca-Cola available here

Pile driving.

Like "Fahrt" this always delivers a titter from English types

 Next day on the drive to back Europort I discover a new function on the car's electronic wizard TV screen displaying altitude.  The tulips at Keukenhof are in full bloom and is open only from March to May

Holland is mostly below sea level and this proves it.  My radio button also flew off - I blame Dutch roads for this obviously.

 The tulips are in full bloom and Keukenhof is open only from March to May.  Here is the official website ----> CLICK HERE

On approach to Keukenhof

My English companions

The lake - walking on water

We managed to walk around the whole estate in about 2 hours

lunch - no idea what it was

Tulips are Ottoman - here is the pasha who invented them.

Tulip naughty bits

More tulip naughty bits

Clogs

Realistic wax works sporting Dutch traditional dress

Safely installed on our super P&O cruise ferry I spot a coffee boat moored next to us

In August I'll be  trying the Stena service to Hook of Holland, which is just the other side of the Rhine estuary from Europort

Coming up next - May Day fun in Knutsford.

Please Do Not Feed the Sea Gulls BMW Motorrad Tour 1

Some in the blogging community choose to visit places in Wales portrayed on their Granny's old tea towel, or should that be "... their old Granny's tea towel."?  Quite a good idea but my Granny's tea towels got stolen by the Turks.

I have visited many places around the UK where seagulls have been problematic so this weekend I had lust for sea air, seagulls and crappy food eaten in the proximity of tatooed loud and incomphrehensible sounding Northern people. Please don't get me wrong, I am a snob.  So I took the opportunity to test the concept of a Motorcycle touring company specialising in problematic sea side locations with shitting sea birds open exclusively to BMW Motorrad riders - and I need to put some miles on my new machine prior to its "running in" service where I will be charged £150 or so for a free coffee.

I chose for the inaugral tour the Northen Welsh resort town of Llandudno and picked the cheapest hotel with a seagull problem on the marvellous website "last minute guano dot com".

That red motorcycle is actually mine at Llandudno - clever these BMW GPS systems? Stoke on Trent does not enter into it but I went past Rhyl OK.

Here we are: The Shelbourne hotel, the only place to have been bombed out of the solid esplanade front... I had to ride around a bit to find the advertised exclusive hotel parking area tucked around by the dustbins.

On approach to the parking area my first seagulls are spotted

Tucked in nicely

In Room 4 I feel instantly at home.

The explosion of motorcycle gear increases significantly the entropy of the room within minutes of arrival.

I had in mind a few things to do in Llandudno such as visit the  obvious Victorian pier and the Great Orme tramway.

An orienation stroll along the sea front

Spot the seagull

 

Some appealing buildings - I do like a good recessed balcony

The weather forecast for the weekend was sun cloud rain and wind, in no particular order.

I notice that there is a ski slope and cable car too

The decaying Grand Hotel heralds the renovated pier

Promenade

One is not amused...

..to have a tram staion named after one

***************READER WARNING - TRAM STUFF AHEAD********************

Splendour of Victoria station

The lower section tram arrives suspended on a cable

Fish Tram Chip WYSIWYG

Hard to understand timetable

Perillous view as we are dragged up the lower town reaches of the Great Orme

It's the Halfway point and we must transfer tram to the summit

The marxist styled concrete block masquerading as the visitor money extraction centre

Ships in a field as a Greek coach tour guide might say

Not a seagull - they can't make it to this altitude

View down the piste to Llandudno bay

Healthy fare

Following consumption of a lot of healthy fare, I forego my return tram fare and walk down back to the town next to the tram way (or in the local lingo Dramfffordboyo)

Both the lower and upper sections are cable powered but differ in their construct.  The upper has 3 cables linked to two tram cars and a winch at the top. The lower has a cable attached to each tram car wound around  contra rotating drums at the top... I think.

Wise warning to anybody who has suffered whipping from a flailing hawser.

Halfway station

The passing point and the cables diverge

The welcome arrival of a Honda breaks the constant drone and squaeking of sheep and moving cable pullies

The passing point - gravity is our friend and as one comes down another goes up

Anxious to investigate how the cable is picked up I lie on the line

Technical blurb

Town texture

This is probably not "do not feed the seagulls" in Welsh

Dim Fford is obviously no route and I suppose sgio could mean snow, but llethr? Leather??

The walk down the Great Orme was bracing in the cold spring wind that was to bring sleet snow and hail the next day.  The next priority was a restorative capucinno on the Guy Martin Pier -------> see, this is true!

The pier is in good Victorian nick

A bit windy at the end of the pier and my froth is blown over the side

Some visiting bikers wondering where the sea has gone

Anti seagull measures prevail -"Nid ydynt yn ei hoffi i fyny Mae eu gwaelodion" as Corporal Jones might have mused on C4C

Iechyd a Ffarwel da am y tro!