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Because my bike makes much to much noise with the missing exhaust gasket, I
have to repair it today. My nephew Evert Jan called a lot of shops and
finaly found a bikeshop that could repair my bike.
Together we drove into the center of Geneva. First we wentto the Touring
Club to buy some maps and then went to the bikeshop. After a little
searching and asking, we finaly found it. Evert Jan is fluent in French
and combined with my knowledge of German en English we got everthing
sorted out. They would fix the exhaust and I could come back in half an
hour.
While waiting, we had a cola at a café across from the street where the
bikeshop was and we walked around in the neighbourhood until it was time
to get the bike.
The bikeshop in Geneva
The price for a bottle of motoroil and the repair was 30.50 Swiss Franc
and I was very happy they fixed it so soon.
Near the bikeshop I saw a Yamaha XS750 with a special topcase on the back.
There was a black dog in the topcase ! (It colormatched the bike
 .)
A dog in a topcase
Without having to worry about my exhaust, we decided to do some
sightseing in Geneva. We walked to the cathedral but unfortunately
is was surrounded by scaffolding. I also walked past the Dutch church
that I had visited two years ago, the "Auditoire de Calvin", next to
the big cathedral.
The Dutch church in Geneva
From the cathedral, we went to Lake Geneva. I made a picture of my bike
near the lake and we had a cola and an icecream. The weather is very good
so I'm lucky.
At the lakeside
When the icecream was gone we walked to the pier where the famous fountain
of Lake Geneva starts. (The fountain of Lake Geneva reaches 130 meter
high !) Just when we walked there, the fountain started so we walked
back so could take some pictures of the whole fountain.
From the pier of the fountain we crossed the bridge to get back to Genthod
and took some more from the other side of the lake.
The 130 meter high fountain
Back at the Gingerbread house we had a drink and relaxed and later that
afternoon we got on the bike again to buy my aunt some flowers. On the
way back I did not notice a pile of gravel, almost half a meter high
on the middle of the road. Because it was right in the shadow of a tree,
I just noticed it on the very last moment so I ran right through it at
about 50 kilometer/hour. There was gravel everywhere. Even in my
underwear !
The Gingerbreadhouse is very close to the international airport and every
few minutes big planes came right over the house on their way to the runway.
It is a lot of noise but you get used to it.
Planes coming right over the roof of the house
Friday, July 20, 1979
I left the Gingerbreadhouse at half past nine on my route to the
Mediterranean. From Genthod, I drove to Geneva and then I took the
tollroad to Grenoble. Near Grenoble, I took the Route nationale N75
to Sisteron and ten the N85 to Digne. Offcourse I had to stop a few
times at small roadside cafe's for cola and sandwiches.
From Digne, I went to Barrême and took the N207 to Entrevaux and
from there on the N202 to Nice.
At half past four I had an eat and drink stop at a cafe-restaurant on
the road between Puget-Thénurs and Villars-sur-Var. I was sitting
under a tree with the leaves of the tree as a sunscreen. It was very
picturesque and the scenery was stunning.
The cafe-restaurant
The roads here are made for motorcyclists. The road is winding over
mountains, through canyons, over small stone bridges crossing will
streams and through tunnels. This is what biking is all about.
I could not park the bike right at the cafe-restaurant so I parked
it on the side of the road on a small distance from the cafe.
The SR500, parked at the side of the road
On the other side of the valley I saw a beautiful village, sticking
to the mountainside. I wonder how and why they build it that way.
Mountain village
After I had finished my cola and sandwich, I got on the bike again
and stayed on the beautiful M202 until I came on the freeway to
Nice.
In Nice I followed the 2x3 lane coastroute past Cap dÁntibes and
Juan la Pines. This was my first view on the Mediterranean.
I made it to the Mediterranean
After some sightseeing in Juan la Pines I tried to find a
affordable motel in Nice (I know, I was a little naive).
Offcourse I could not find one so I decided to go to Monaco first.
Riding on the boulevard along the Mediterranean is nice. The traffic
is insane but it is fun.
From Nice I took the tollroad to Monaco but the road was packed with
a giant traffic jam so I left the tollroad and took a small winding
road with a some nice hairpins and finaly arrived in Monaco.
I parked my bike near the Musée Oceanographique and walked through
a narrow alley to the palace of the royal family of Monaco
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