Travel pages

Monday, september 14th, 2009 Because my sons and I had a lot of work on our regional news site www.regioactueel.nl, I spend most of my holiday taking pictures, doing interviews, doing some video work, recording and editing and writing articles. I also spend a lot of my holiday money on a new computer that was strong enough for HD video editing but after two weeks of working as a reporter I wanted to have a small holiday on my bike. My original plan was to go to the South of Germany so I left mondaymorning on the BMW F650GS. After getting a full tank at the gasstation close to the Belgian border, I started on secondary roads in Belgium to avoid the rushhour traffic on the freeways but after an hour or so I had to get on the freeway because that was the only way to get to the South of Germany in the few days I had. Unfortunately the weather was not so good. It was raining and there was a hard wind so I had to pu on my rain overall. Close to the German border I stopped for a coffee and bought a map of Germany. First coffee stop Then I crossed the border into Germany but after riding in the rain for some time, I decided that riding in the rain and wind on the autobahn was not my idea of fun so I changed my plan, left the autobahn a few kilometers after the Trier exit and programmed Echternach in Luxembourg in my GPS. By that time I was getting hungry so when I saw a big M sign in a village, I stopped there to get a Big Tasty with Bacon and a big McShake. McLunch in Germany

It was very cloudy and often raining but when I came closer to Luxembourg, the scenery was very nice. I enjoyed being on the road again and looked forward to the rest of the trip because the weather forcast for the rest of the week was good. Because of the rain, I did not stop very often for pictures but I enjoyed the wide views when riding on top of the hills and the nice villages I passed. Wide view in Germany Small monument with beautiful flowers around it After a few hours riding, I crossed the border into Luxembourg and after a short ride along the Sūre river, I arrived in a very wet Echternach. Arriving in a wet Echternach First I wanted to find a hotel so I could park the bike and explore the city on foot. In the center of town, close to the town square, I found "Hotel Le Postillon". They had a room available so I parked the bike in front of the entrance on side of the street and put my luggage in my room on the second floor. Le Postillon Hotel in Echternach The BMW parked in front of the hotel It was a nice room Finaly I could change from riding clothes to "normal" clothes and get my Nikon D70s camera to get some nice pictures of Echternach. Well, that is what I planned but unfortunately it was raining very hard so most outdoor pictures I took are done with my small compact camera. First I went to the St Willibrord Basilica. It was originaly build in 1031. In the end of the 18th century, the basilica was badly damaged by French Revolutionary troops and in the end of the 19th century it was finaly restored. The St Willibrord Basilica in Echternach After being kept in the Parish church of St Peter and Paul after the French Revolution, the remains of St Willibrord, where transferred back to the St Willibrord Basilica in Echternach. The remains of St Willibrord Nice chapel with stainedglass windows The interior of the St Willibrord Basilica Another picture of the St Willibrord Basilica