Next day, it was time to head into the Alps. I left France and headed by motorway into Germany. As soon as the hills got close, I headed onto the back roads and into Switzerland. There were nice, twisty roads and great views asI'd expected, but what I wasn't expecting were the vast quantities of birds of prey. Mostly kites, but some hawks and falcons too. They were everywhere, hovering in the thermals, and occasionally diving down. I didn't see a successfull kill, but I saw some carrying their prize!

I continued on and grabbed some lunch - Switzerland isn't cheap, so I was keen to keep going to Austria for dinner and accommodation.

Later, I was following a couple of Harley Davidsons along some twisty roads. Then, suddenly out of nowhere on a blind corner was temporary traffic light for some roadworks. The Harleys stopped, and I braked hard to stop, but my bike didn't stop - I think I hit some oil, as my bike is very good at stopping! Anyway, before I knew what had happened (but also kind of in slow motion, they way these things always seem) I crashed into the back of one of the Harleys. Both bikes fell to the ground. I quickly got up, apologised, and we picked the bikes up and pushed them out of the way. The lady I'd crashed into was very nice and wasn't too annoyed and agreed it was a very dangerous place to put a traffic light. Her bike had damage to the rear, the exhaust and scratches to the petrol tank, but was otherwise fine. Mine had a couple of scratches, but was otherwise fine. We exchanged details, and then rode on. My wrist hurt a little, but I assumed it was just a bit bruised.

I continued on into Liechtenstein and on into Austria. I eventually stopped in Flirsch at a very good value hotel with a 4 course dinner, breakfast and spa facilities. I had a tasty dinner and sauna to help relax after the incident.