A Souvenir from the Curves

Some souvenirs are not bought. They are carved into the bike, one corner at a time. Day three was the one that made the whole trip open up. We climbed to the Col d'Aubisque, and this time the mountain allowed itself to be seen. I had ridden here before, but the fog had kept the road hidden. Today it was different: the pass, the views, the rhythm of the bends, the descent even better than the climb. Further down, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port appeared like a pause from another century — a medieval stop on the Camino de Santiago, full of pilgrims, old stones and the charm of places crossed by travellers for a very long time. Then came those kilometres where the story is not in the landscape photo, but in the small scars left underneath the bike. Hundreds of curves, drawn as cleanly as we could, pushed to the edge, knees down, footboards occasionally touching the asphalt. Of course there are dozens of prettier pictures from the day. But this one says exactly how much fun we had. The group has become its own small circus: Edo, the Ninja Turtle; Luca and his heroic T-Max in improbable colours; Giuseppe, the new rider, improving impressively every day; Chicco on his huge GS, wider than a truck with panniers like old family chests; and my poor little Harley, heavy as a lorry, still somehow dragging itself through the mountains and leaving a few silver souvenirs on the road. Tonight: Pamplona. Tomorrow: Biarritz. #motorbikeslowtravel #coldaubisque #saintjeanpieddeport #pamplona #pyrenees #motorcycletravel #slowtravel #mototravel #roadtrip #mountainroads #backroads #camino #twowheels #ridefrance #ridespain #motorcyclelife #harleydavidson #footboards

Location

Col d'Aubisque, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Pamplona

Route tags

france, harley

Travel style

Slow motorcycle travel