POLICE WORLD
Vol 59 No. 4, 2014
11
the Dolomites. We arrived in Panchia to a warm
welcome from the IPA members from all over
Europe. Our host, Mauro, the owner of the Albergo
Panorama hotel updated us on the timetable.
The following day we all met in the local town
square in Predazzo with over 100 bikes on
display with Stuart’s 1992 BMW nicknamed ‘The
Steed of Steel’ being the oldest bike of the entire
gathering. Under escort from the Carabinieri, we
headed on a tour of the magnificent Dolomite
Mountains before some of us broke away, after
lunch, to tackle the famous Stelvio Pass. The
pass is one of the steepest and most challenging
motorcycle rides in Europe and it certainly lives
up to this reputation. At the top they
were still digging out the shops from
the snow.
On our return to the hotel we had
noticed that the international flags,
flying proudly outside the hotel, had a
notable omission... the Scottish flag.
Fortunately we had a couple of flags
with us and decided to climb up and
place them on the roof. Whilst up on the
roof we were spotted by the hotel owner
- Mauro’s dad. He shouted something
at us, which we immediately took as
appropriate chastisement. However,
a few minutes later he arrived on the
roof with his toolbox and proceeded to
construct two flag poles for our flags.
The following day we unpacked our kilts and
‘trews’ and took our place at the formal dinner
and presentations. Needless to say the kilts went
down a storm and it became a bit of a photo
shoot. Ian had also managed to get 20 sponsored
kilts from the Irn Bru company which were for
the Commonwealth Games but they wanted
them tested on a foreign audience. As you can
imagine they were a massive hit and all had a
real laugh. I think the kilts have now become the
standard dress for Mauro and his dad. We had
arranged with the hotel for them to get hold of
an accordion as Ian Buchanan plays in a Ceilidh
band in Scotland. At the presentation of gifts
we stole the show with Ian playing a medley of
Scottish tunes before playing an appropriate tune
for all the countries represented at the dinner. A
real talent!
After dinner Ian played into the wee
small hours and full Scottish country dancing was
taught to and performed by all our IPA friends.
The following day we headed west to the Alps
and to a place called the Albergo Rosa Hotel
in Carenno, situated in a village overlooking
Bergamo. It was a family run
hotel and ‘Mamma’ made our
evening meal that was to die
for. The car park was turned
into our exclusive bike park and
had table and chairs for drinks
overlooking the magnificent
views of the mountains and
distant Bergamo. Off we went
in the morning and headed for
France and Annecy. What a
beautiful city and we were glad
that we had a free day to explore
and relax. We hired boats and
sailed across the huge lake
adjacent to the city. The weather
was fantastic and we made it a
habit to gather every evening and have a laugh
and a beer. Most of us brought along a folding
chair on the bikes which is a brilliant piece of kit
and allowed us to gather in the evening outside
the hotels in relative comfort. We also used these
when we stopped for tea or lunch and were a
source of amusement for other travellers.
Onward north to Luxeuil les Bains and on to Metz
in northern France. We were met at our hotel
by Georges, the IPA president for the Moselle
Region, who had assisted us in booking the hotel.
Next day we had organised a trip to the Maginot
Line fort at Hackenberg - Georges kindly led the
way. We hooked up with IPA members from the
Toronto region of Canada who were also visiting
this attraction.
Off to Dunkirk to prepare for the tunnel home
the following day. The trip was fantastic and lived
up to the Group’s ethos…‘just a bunch of friends
going for a ride on our bikes’. On this occasion it
was a great bunch of people, friends, great roads,
great memories and all looking forward to the
next one.
Tom McInally
, Region 1 Scottish Motorcycle
Touring Group
The reception from the Dutch members
At the formal dinner
More
Delight
in the
Dolomites
Peter Atkinson, from Bolton branch
attended the same event in Italy.
The event is
named Fiemme & Fasse which is named after two
valleys in the Dolomites mountains.
Read peter’s story at:
/
delight-in-the-dolomites
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