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A Grand Escape
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Edelweiss Tour
Jeff Buchanan
03/01/2006
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Photography By Martin Bucher + Jeff Buchanan
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Although Edelweiss tours are steeped in sightseeing, cultural
highlights, and fine cuisine, the company understands its clientele are
motorcycle enthusiasts and designs every tour to include plenty of riding, with
an emphasis on finding routes well suited for motorcycles. The riding pace is
leisurely—with everyone riding at his own comfort level—and covers between 80
and 200 miles a day. Edelweiss encourages its tour participants to ride on their
own, if desired, for some private time and to seek out experiences and places
not in the tour book. Just let the guides know you are going your own way for
the day and you’re set. They won’t get worried unless you fail to show up for
dinner. There are several free days during the tour to allow people to lounge,
shop, or explore—though usually there were enough willing souls (read
“fanatics”) who chose to go riding.
Top: The possibilities abound at each fork of the road. Bottom: The essence of an Edelweiss tour: far away from the beaten track. (Click images to enlarge)
The tour guides are knowledgeable
regarding the regions being traversed and dole out entertaining bits of trivia
each morning during the route briefings, and again around the dinner table in
the evenings. Safety is a top priority and guides stay apprised of road hazards
and weather conditions and advise accordingly.
Spain is a country with
a propensity for festivals and holidays, and there seems to be a limitless
number of excuses to celebrate. As a result, it is easy to randomly stumble upon
various festivities and encounter the local color. Whether it’s a bicycle race
(which virtually shut down Seo de Urgel one morning) or the running of the bulls
in Laredo (a smaller version of Pamplona’s famous event), entire townships turn
out ready for a good time. In the villages, you can wander through street
markets or watch crusty old men argue passionately over a single point in a game
of boccie. The locals are always ready to engage foreigners in conversation. We
had attempted to brush up on our Spanish prior to traveling; evidently, it
wasn’t quite enough. No matter, Spaniards tend to be easygoing, patient people,
always willing to forgive a limited Spanish vocabulary in exchange for a
smile.
Top: A daredevil bull jumper. Bottom: The streets of Laredo are given over to
celebration and the annual running of the bulls. (Click images to enlarge)
Many people may have misconceptions about organized tours. It is all
too easy to conjure up visions of large, picture-windowed buses filled with
little old blue-haired ladies disbursing their late husband’s pensions on cheap knickknacks. You can forget all that. Edelweiss was created by motorcyclists for
motorcyclists and crafts its tours to accommodate our independent and nomadic
spirit that has a penchant for adventure and good riding.
During our two
weeks together, we had the opportunity to spend some quality time with all of
our travel mates. Everyone got along exceedingly well, due in no small part to a
shared passion for motorcycles and travel. Riding in close proximity demands
trust and respect that, once earned, creates a unique foundation for
friendships. Some of the women riding pillion had stories of being reticent
about getting on a motorcycle prior to meeting their husband. Now, years later,
after thousands of miles riding two-up, they said they couldn’t imagine
motorcycles not being an integral part of their lives. More than one of the
women told me that sharing the motorcycle touring experience had strengthened
her marriage.
If you have ever dreamed of traveling by motorcycle in foreign
countries, but trepidation of the unknown has kept you from pursuing it, an
Edelweiss tour is an excellent starting point. It is a perfect confidence
builder, getting you acquainted with the nuances of foreign traffic etiquette.
It will make your trip and future travel—whether solo or with
others—considerably safer and more enjoyable.
Since returning home, I’ve
noticed that we’re making our coffee a little stronger and taking longer to
savor it. I’ve also noticed we’re spending more time in the travel section at
the bookstore, perusing picture books of faraway places. The Edelweiss catalog
is now well thumbed, the result of frequently flipping through the pages and
contemplating other interesting places to visit on a motorcycle.
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