Edelweiss European Rally Tour?

[tbdomenz]

Saw the ad in the Mar2009 BMWON for the Edelweiss European Rally Tour,
Anybody done this before? Anybody taken a Edelweiss tour? Anybody goin' on this trip? Thinikn about doin this 2up on a GS. Any comments and opinions would be welcome.

[widebmw]

Way back.:bolt
In 1990 we took the BMWMOA Edelweiss tour 2-up on a R100GS and loved it.

We went back in 1994 and took another Edelweiss tour on a R1100GS and loved that.

Don't let Globalrider put you off.

[tbdomenz]

thanks for the response. Anything special to know, watch for, understand, regarding this kind of trip? Never been ridin outside the CONUS:scratch
lookin for all the advice and tips I can learn before they happen TO me:confused:

[DarrylRi]

First of all, you will have a great time.

The general level of competence of the drivers over there is significantly better than here. Partly that's because most people don't have to have a drivers license and a car to live their lives, and so it is expensive and time consuming to get a license. But it's also because the conditions there are more difficult: their cities were laid out when people walked or rode horses.

Edelweiss will send you a pamphlet with the usual street signs used to inform traffic. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with them, they are all different than here. One thing in particular to know about is the blue circle with a white arrow. The arrow indicates where the lane of travel is. This sounds odd, but when you go through a bigger town, you will see them and they are very helpful.

Another important thing to know is the "priority right" rule. At an intersection, unless otherwise indicated, the vehicle on the right has the right of way. This is overridden when a road has a yellow diamond sign before the intersection. You will usually also see a limit line painted on the road for whichever side should yield.

Drivers over there are more aggressive. Passing is a way of life. You don't own the road, and regardless of the markings and signage, you are only entitled to enough of the roadway to get by. Similarly, the other vehicles expect that you will pass when it's clear. On multilane highways, you always stay as far right as you reasonably can while maintaining the speed you want to drive. When you pass someone, you should move back to the right.

[widebmw]

On our second trip we went a day early just so we would not be tired.
You can get a room at the same place that Edelweiss uses.

[tbdomenz]

All good stuff guys, thanks for the tips and holler if you think of any other tidbits. We have been to Italy and had a rental a car there for a week so we have a little experience in that area but it was a biz trip and not too much opportunity for adventure or travel in the area.
Thanks again.