Italy - Ragin' with the Sinners Nomads

The trip seemed like it was winding down, but we still had two weeks to go...France knocked us out and we were sort of at a loss as to what the last days in Europe would be like. Never having been to Italy before, Scotty was excited even while dealing with some heavy issues. Growing up Italian-American it's hard to keep telling people that you haven't yet been to Italy, this was going to be his first trip to the motherland with Milan, Venice, and Florence on the ticket.

We arrived in Milan and were immediately hit by a blast of unbelievably hot, humid air...July in Italy is no joke. Our buddy Romano's amazing wife Anna Maria met us at the airport and we all took the train into the city. They live in a beautiful suburb and offered us their pad for the night before the next morning's trip to Jesolo Lido near Venice. They treated us to a fabulous dinner and we all talked about how hot it was, in fact that's all anyone was talking about! I got a quick Anna Maria special buzzcut that night and we were all off to bed.

The next day we headed off to Jesolo Beach to visit our good buddy Alberto, proprietor of the unbelievable Gasoline Road Bar and Sinner Nomad. Once a year, Alberto throws a crazy biker party in his little town and turns it on its head. He brings in friends and builders from all over (thanks Al!) and it turns into a free for all with bands, bikes, cars and insanity until dawn. We had the pleasure of meeting so many cool guys, but Corner and Krantz from the Swedish Sinners were really a class act, they make some of the sweetest rides around. Here's some pics from Independence Weekend '08.

















































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Paris - City of Light

Our heads still spinning from our last night in Barcelona, we boarded the last vintage train in Spain for the six hour ride to Arcachon, France and our waiting buddy Laurent. He'd been threatening to kill us for years for not coming out to visit him and his family and he'd been raving about the beauty of his new surroundings about an hour outside of Bordeaux. He wasn't kidding. Arcachon literally means "Arc of the Ocean" and it sits in a long cove protecting it from direct exposure to the ocean and giving it the nature of a secluded paradise. We spent three glorious rejuvenating days with Laurent and his family climbing the Dune du Pyla (Europe's largest natural sand dune), drinking wine straight from Bordeaux, and eating ourselves into a coma from fresh mussels, oysters, calamari and other "sea fruit" as they like to say. A quick stop in Bordeaux and we took the TGV up to Paris.

What a fantastic city. Wandered the streets in a thunderstorm, hid out in a tiny shack guarded by a tough lady behind Notre Dame (it's very important to tip for the loo!), discovered empty corridors of the Louvre piled to the ceiling with ancient artwork, stared out the window at the Eiffel Tower lit up at midnight, and ended up in a Brittown party at the Frog and Princess Pub on rue Princesse in St. Germain-des-prés (best burger in Paris award).

To see all those bikes pull up and take over that posh street, "civilians" jumping out of the way, must have thought a gang had arrived to wreck the joint! Haha... Huge thanks to everyone who came out and supported the event; Gaby from Wild Motorcycles, Charlotte and Marie-Aude from Poulain-Proust, the rulers from the 59 Club, Richard, Bertrand, Nico, and everyone else. Merci!

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