After two weeks of red tape, packing boxes and moving everything into storage, I was finally able to get my motorcycle ready. Two of my NY friends already knew I wouldn't hit the road on Friday, so they decided to bring together a bunch of friends for a farewell diner in Manhattan. Thanks for organizing, Jim & Sue! I had a great time.
On Saturday, Jim and Sue recommended me to stop by in New Hope, (http://www.newhopepa.com/, http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=New+Hope+PA&ie=UTF8&ll=40.367474,-74.951992&spn=0.030605,0.057163&t=k&z=14&iwloc=addr&om=1) and they promptly escorted me to this little town in East Pennsylvania. The name already sounded exciting and the promise was delivered when I saw all the little art galleries, stores and restaurants along the main road. After a delicious late lunch, Jim and Sue went back to NJ and I decided to ride a couple more miles to get closer to Lancaster, the center of the Amish (read Ah-mish) country, or Dutch country like they call it here. Anabaptist sects, persecuted in their native Switzerland settled in tolerant Pennsylvania in the early 1700's. Speaking German dialects, they became known as the Dutch (from "Deutsch" and not from the language "Dutch" as you would expect). Most Dutch live on farms and do not use electricity. They opt for horse-drawn buggies, a delightful sight this morning.
Tomorrow I am leaving the campground at Coatesville to get to my next destination, the neighborhood of Pittsburgh. I have heard and read that Pittsburgh has a couple of nice museums (Andy Warhol and Salvator Dali) but most importantly, I want to see the Fallingwater, a masterpiece of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
As a final note in this posting I would like to add a special thanks to my sponsor, Tele Atlas (http://www.teleatlas.com/), the world's leader in digital mapping. My PN client was so kind to provide me with a great navigation device, the Tom Tom RIDER (http://www.tomtom.com/products/category.php?ID=1&Language=1), including several mounting kits and a Bluetooth device to hear the navigation directions. Only after two days, I couldn't do without it. It saves you so much time and it's much safer than looking to paper maps on your tank bag. Imagine if I had to buy all the regional maps of the different states I am going to cross...
One disadvantage: the device doesn't work with the Tele Atlas maps but with the ones of their main competitor, NavTeq. And yes, already I could see that their map updates are not as good as the ones of Tele Atlas. When I typed in my home address in NJ, it didn't find it! This is a street close to the Hudson River, two miles from Manhattan and the road has been there for at least 5 years... Come on, Tele Atlas, you can do better!
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4 comments:
Jurgen, definitely stop in Pittsburgh, it's my home town! You'll love it. Go to the Warhol Museum, check out the Carnegie Museums, take a walk down to Point State Park, the prettiest spot in the Burgh where the 3 rivers meet, and don't forget to eat a Primanti Bros sandwich! Enjoy :)
Hoi Jurgen,
niet bij de Amish blijven slapen...? Waarschijnlijk staan ze daar niet zo voor open... Inderdaad, geniet van Falling Water... Bodje doen?
Enfin, lijkt me een leuke twee maand te worden. Geniet... wij volgen op de voet.
Vera
PS: In het geval je het niet wist ... jouw hometown is overstroomd. iets te veel regen op een te korte tijdspanne. In centrum Poperinge stonden een 15-tal straten blank. Ik hoop dat je vader en zus gespaard zijn gebleven:-)
Jurgen,
Greetings from PN! The photos on your blog are amazing. It's great to see you're having such a blast on your great adventure. We saw your plug for Tele Atlas and love to see that you're still a "member of the team." Good luck on the rest of your trip!
-Kerry
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