InvictaMoto's On The Road Again!

Fair weather biker status is officially mine. As soon as you see a bloke all togged up on a freezing day like we had today and you immediately think "how can he do it?" you know you are an FWB! That was me as I walked 300 yards to the sandwich shop at lunchtime!

* THIS IS NO LONGER AN IMTC EVENT * Further to the original post we have decided to drop the need to send a deposit and to book rooms over the internet and allow members wanting to come along that freedom. The hotel will still be the Campanile in Gouda. To book direct, go to their website and book the room yourself. Just let us know you have done it. The run on Saturday will more than likely be to Amsterdam for a full day on our feet unless someone can come up with a better suggestion? I have a suggestion of a motor museum and also the original idea of going to Arnhem and Nijmegen.   More to follow - Link to previous post.

This trip was by car. Scraping the ice off the windscreen in the morning was enough to convince me that I really am a Fair Weather Biker nowadays. As you can see from the murky pictures, it was foggy in Nord! I know I should have gone by bike and froze to death to be a "real biker", but in the end we were warm and were able to visit the hypermarket at Grande Synthe and carry back 4 cases of beer and a large selection of wines! Lille itself was difficult to navigate and I ignore "Doris" (my GPS) as she seemed to be off on one of her "funnies" but in the end she took us right to the Grand Place. Unfortunately, the car-park was full and we had to look for another, eventually finding one above the Tanneurs shopping centre. On the way we drove towards the Flandres Station along a road lined with elephants. Not real ones, but large models of elephants as part of the decoration for a cultural event about Hindus and Bombay. More on that on this website: htt...

Claire's first visit to the new stadium to see the Arsenal play and I took this picture. It's a popular spot at the top of the steps by the stadium end of the north bridge. Sadly with a mobile phone it is hard to get a decent picture, the quality isn't there and you can't get too much in without it all looking a bit an the small size. The game was a 2-2 draw with the Gunners coming back from two down to make a game of it.

Wipers for the Day Planning has started for a day trip on Easter Sunday to Belgium to take in a few WW1 Ypres Salient sites and then the "Last Post" ceremony at the Menin Gate before returning home. The run is open to SOC and IMTC members. Currently, the plan is to cross on an early Shuttle, 0920, and return on one about 2220 at night. The "Last Post" takes place at 2000 local time and we need to be able to get back to the bikes and then ride to the Shuttle terminal, so 2220 seems about right. Of course, lunch will be factored in. Depending on what everyone wants to do, I can plan a short trip around some sights after lunch arriving back in Ypres in time for tea and then a walk to the Gate for 8pm. More info on the ceremony etc from: http://www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/ypsalient/meningate/lastpost.htm See update to this page.