Back in the USA...

So I am here in Boston waiting for my 7:40pm flight to Denver.  My 5 hour layover turned into 4 since my flight from Dublin to Boston was delayed.  It is really sinking in now that the adventure is over. I am here in Boston and my bike is still back at the port in Liverpool - a strange feeling.  I guess the consolation prize will be sleeping in my own bed tonight - after 20 hours of traveling today it will undoubtably feel pretty nice.  

The plane ride was pretty uneventful - but the security/customs/pre-clearance process in Dublin was a cluster.  It was taking people 3 hours to get through - hence the delayed flights.  Ken's flight to DC was delayed as well due to the customs problems.  Apparently the U.S. pre-clearance in Dublin was understaffed.  My Global Entry access probably saved me an hour in lines but I still had two hours of lines to wait in.

My seat mate on the flight was Belinda - a professor at Boston University.  It was nice chatting with her off and on throughout the flight.  You don't want to get stuck with a bad seat mate on a 6.5 hour flight and I certainly didn't.  

I will get into Denver (hopefully) at 10:10pm - then a two hour ride up the mountain.  Lots of time to reflect but mostly feeling a bit down that the journey is over.  Time to start prepping for the next adventure in less than two months - 25 days on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

The day it began over three months ago - riding out from the farm...

Dublin...

Dublin is a fun and interesting city.  One day is not enough and I will definitely be back.  Yes, it's true that the Guinness is better in Ireland than what gets exported.  Not just a little bit better - a lot better.  Anyone who says different has not had the real stuff in Ireland.  Even the UK gets the pasteurized stuff.  

The Temple Bar area is a hoot.  Lots of pubs, restaurants and street performers.  I know there are other areas more fun, more local etc. but Temple Bar was close to our guest house.  Also we wanted to have dinner at Carlos' restaurant - Acapulco Mexican Reataurant.  I worked with Carlos years ago in Vail and he is now in Dublin as the Chef at Acapulco. I have to say that this was the best restaurant meal we had during the whole three + month trip - really authentic Mexican food.  Thanks again Carlos - hope to see you again sometime soon!

I am here at the Dublin airport at the gate waiting to board my flight to Boston.  I have a 6 hour layover in Boston befor my Denver flight.  Good thing it is Saturday and I can pass the time watching college football.  I get int Denver after 10 pm - no shuttles run up to Vail that late in the offseason.  Thanks in advance to Jason for driving down to pick me up - I think I see a 10 year bottle of Bushmills in your future...thanks buddy! 

Yummy.

The Temple Bar.

Dublin.

The Foggy Dew.

Temple Bar area.

Liverpool - End of the Line...

We finally got the bike shipping sorted and dropped them off at the port this afternoon.  They will sail out on Friday and arrive in Baltimore in about two weeks.  It is the end of the line for the bikes on this side of the pond.

Yesterday we rode into Liverpool with no idea where to find the company we had targeted to handle the shipping.  They had not responded to email or voice mail and we had no real address - just the name of the company and the Liverpool port as a general location.  We rode to the security entrance and made some inquires then were directed to Lee in the building next door.  Lee could not receive the bikes but made some calls and pointed us in the right direction.  We made contact with Debbie who would expedite the process from Liverpool and she referred to us a broker in Baltimore that can receive the bikes in the US.  Since it is after 4pm we can't get much more done at the port so we head to the Park Hotel which Lee had recommended.

We email the necessary paperwork and less than 24 hours later we are taking the bikes to the port.  We have a few more things to sort remotely from a paperwork standpoint but for the most part are good to go.  The bikes will be on a ship sailing nex Fruday and should arrive in Baltimore on 10/30.

It's a strange feeling - knowing that tomorrow nor the next day or the next day I won't be riding anywhere on the motorcycle.  It's been over three months ago that we left Virginia and began the journey around the world - living out of two boxes and a duffle bag and riding somewhere new almost every day.  Friday morning we get on a plane to Dublin and Saturday from Dublin back to the U.S.  The journey is pretty much over and the finality of it is sinking in - you just want the journey to continue.  There are so many more places out there to see and experience.  

We made some friends here at the Park Hotel near the Liverpool docks.  Adam was nice enough to pick us up from the port after dropping the bikes - and take us out to see some sights in Liverpool.

This is the home of the Beatles after all.

Ken with the bikes while waiting for our port escort.

Port of Liverpool.

The sign says around the world in 80 beers - I think we exceeded 80.

With Adam at the Park Hotel.

UK Weather...

I type this as I sit in a traffic jam on the M5 heading into Birmingham. We have been sitting still with engines odd for at least a half hour now - Apparently due to an accident ahead.

Yesterday we rode to Stonehenge and had decent weather on the way there. It started to rain however when we left and then pretty much all afternoon. To add to the rainy cold weather, I picked up a nasty sore throat and chest crushing cough - the kind that feels like your chest is exploding on each hack. The weather is forecasted to be shit until Friday - we think we are going to skip Scotland. I really wanted to ride up there but between the weather and my current state of health we are planning to get to Liverpool and try to drop off the bikes for shipping. Then find a ferry to Dublin and spend the next couple of days in Ireland - That is if we ever get off the M5 and this traffic mess.

Stonehenge.

Traffic jam.

London...

We took a train from Maidstone to London to do the tourist tour - and find a few pubs.  The weather has been crap and it was cold and raining when we left. The train ticket we bought was also good for the tube so we were able to move about pretty easily.  

We saw the sights and the day was pretty uneventful - fish and chips + a pint for lunch and sucked into a few random pubs along the way.  

The train was pretty packed on the way back to Maidstone.  We stopped at a pub near the station in Maidstone and later found a Thai restaurant for dinner.  Hopefully Tuesday the weather will be better as we make our way north to Scotland.

Classic red phone booth.

London bridge.

Buckingham Palace - the queen is in.

Lunch.

Amsterdam...

We camped about 20 km south of the city - with a short five minute walk to the Metro station. Since we were laying over we had all day Saturday to explore Amsterdam.

This is one quirky city! The buildings all have individual character and kind of all slant in different directions. The city was packed with tourists - and bicycles. I knew Amsterdam was big on bicycles but had no idea the scale. It was pretty amazing to see so many bicycles riding the streets and parked at the bike stands. We walked around getting our bearings throughout the afternoon stopping for the occasional beer at several of the streetwise pubs we happened along. We agreed that we would only stay for one beer at each pub. This strategy allowed for more walking and people watching - for which Amsterdam is brilliant in both regards. The weather was also a perfect 70 degrees with blue skies.

Amsterdam at night looks much different than during the day. The neon lights come on and the freaks come out - more great people watching opportunity. Apparently dressing in crazy costumes is something people do in Amsterdam. We also met some interesting people in the various pubs - mostly tourists like us from all over. Amsterdam is most definitely a hot travel destination.

We were having a great time meeting people, chatting with bartenders, etc. - until we came out of a pub just after having a late dinner and found it was pissing rain. It was one of those steady rains that you just knew would last a while.

We walked around a bit, visited a few more pubs and got really wet - we didn't check the weather and had left camp with no rain gear. Around 11pm we decided to call it a night and head back to camp. We had 12 hours in Amsterdam and that seemed like enough - especially in the rain. It ended up raining most of the night at camp and we got to pack up wet again. I hate having to pack up the gear wet as that is exactly how it will be when setting up at the next camp. We are currently on the ferry from Calais to Dover. The forecast tomorrow morning is 100% chance of rain - with 2+ inches and flooding so we are springing for a hotel room tonight and maybe tomorrow night too. I'm looking forward to a bed as I've been in my tent for 8 of the last 9 and 6 straight nights.

Castle with a restaurant on the first floor.

The canal.

Lots of bikes everywhere.

Lots and lots of bikes!

Bottle lady.

Crowded streets!

Chimay...

The brewery tour ending up being more of a museum of the history of Chimay beer, how it's made, the involvement of the Monks, etc.  Pretty cool but not exactly what I had expected.  Chimay also produces excellent cheeses.  Everything they do is organic and sustainable - plus the profits from operations go to charity.  Pretty impressive business model

We stayed for lunch after the tour and started with a cheese sampler plate - delicious!  Also had another Croque Monsieur sandwich  - this time Belgium style.  No Béchamel sauce but filled with delicious creamy Chimay cheese.

After lunch we rode the 300 km to Amsterdam.  We are camping about 10 km outside the city center - with a subway stop just down the street.  Tomorrow we will explore Amsterdam as we are staying here two nights.  There is a restaurant here at the campground that served me the best mushroom soup of my life - I wanted to cancel my entree order and just have two more soups.  The campgrounds here in Europe seem to all have really good restaurants on site.  Maybe I can order the mushroom soup for dessert?

Only 45 EUR - don't think it will fit on the bike.

Chimay the town.

More Chimay.

The Trappist brewery.

Chimay!

Paris to Chimay...

Today we rode into Paris and visited the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.  The traffic in Paris is pretty crazy.  My bike was overheating once again.  We spent about an hour off the bikes and were in traffic for probabably three hours.  We did see some very cool buildings, sights, etc. - but most from the seat of the motorcycles.  I think Paris would be a good city to visit again by foot and public transport.  Too much traffic to get around by motorbike or car.

The ride from Paris to Chimay, Belgium was very good - backroads through small villages and farmlands.  We are camping in the town of Chimay - home of the world famous Trappist monk brewery.  We will be doing the tour tomorrow - we are enjoying the beer on tap tonight at the Queen Mary bar in the town of Chimay.

The tower.

Close up.

Paris streets.

A random pic I got off while rolling through Paris.

Chimay - delicious!!!

Burgundy and Champagne...

We left camp early to get a jump on Paris.  We we wanted to camp around 100 km outside so we could go in and explore the city after morning rush hour.  Today's ride took us through the Burgundy and Champagne regions of France.  We stopped in Dijon for lunch and ordered the blue plate special - cheese Quiche starter and main of beef cheeks with potatoes, carrots and cabbage in a burgundy broth.  It was quite good.  We also shared a Croque Monsieur side car which was also good.  A bit of an upgrade from my Royale w/ Cheese at McDonalds last week when we were in France for a few hours on our way to Switzerland.

The roads in France are really good and we saw very little traffic.  We set the GPS to avoid tolls and expressways so the rid was through small towns, farms and vineyards.  The weather also turned out to be great even though the forecast called for rain.

We did find a campground almost exactly 100 km from Paris.  We won't stay too long as air cooled motorcycles and big cities don't mix too well.  We will head to Belgium after Paris - might even find a good beer there.

Near champagne.

Dijon.

Need to come back for a tasting tour.

Lunch.

Across the Alps to Chamonix...

We camped in a Swiss town called Chur. It was dark when we rolled in and didn't really believe the GPS was leading us to a campground as we were basically in the town. But it was a campground right on the edge near the river. Fairly expensive at 32 EUR for two tents, but Switzerland in general is pretty expensive. It was mostly RV's and permanent mobile homes - and one other tent besides our two. It rained just a bit in the early morning - just enough to wet the fly so it had to be packed away wet.

We were on the east side of Switzerland and our route was to ride across several Swiss alps passes and into the French alps down to Chamonix. The forecast was for rain and some if the passes topped out at 8500 ft. So we were hoping it would not snow and they would stay open. They did stay open. It did rain. And it did snow a bit at the top of one pass. It was chilly all day - but not nearly the coldest we have been. We have heated jackets - thanks to Marybeth bringing them to Milan for us - but didn't quite need them yet. I'm sure we will use them at some point as we head north.

Switzerland is definitely the big winner for best roads to ride. The scenery is beautiful and the roads are smooth with awesome curves - except when they are wet we have to take it easy. Missing a turn would be a fatal error. Some of the drops on the passes went down several thousand feet.

We are camping tonight at an abandoned ski area outside Gex, France. We can call this one a Dutchman as we probably aren't supposed to be here - but free is good. Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France are crazy expensive so we have to conserve when we can. We tried to go to a legitimate campground but it was closed. Tomorrow we will go through The Burgundy region and hopefully stop in Dijon for some sight seeing and lunch - then on towards Paris. Our days left are getting numbered and we need to see as much as we can in the time left.

Swiss countryside.

More countryside.

Down the pass.

Chamonix.

Stelvio and the Alps...

I arrived back in Milan Sunday afternoon after a 500 km ride back from Croatia.  I took the scenic route from Venice to Milan to avoid the high tolls on the A4 Autostrade.  It was a good choice as the route took me through dozens of vineyards and small towns.  I stopped for lunch and had one of the best pizzas of my life.  It was a prosciutto and mushroom with a perfectly baked crust.  I easily ate the whole pizza - it was delicious.  Since I had skipped breakfast and it was 2:30 in the afternoon I was good and hungry.

I was staying the night with Cristiano and Sabrina who we had met in Mongolia.  Ken and Marybeth came over for dinner and Sabrina cooked up a delicious meal. It was zucchini with a tomato basil sauce, Parmesan and a mozzarella like cheese that isn't mozzarella - but the name escapes me.  I hope I can find that cheese in the US as it really made the dish.  We also had some sparkling red wine that Cristiano and Sabrina happen to have 100 liters of - they are Italian after all.  You can never have too much wine!

On Monday morning Marybeth got on a plane back to the U.S. and Ken and I headed for the Italian Alps - Stelvio and Gavia passes to be exact.  They are both famous passes not to be missed on a motorcycle.  In fact when Ken and I were debating on going that route, Cristiano said we would be STUPID not to go.  The weather was forecasted to be ideal and he said we just need to DO IT - so we did and Cristiano was right.  We would have been stupid to miss these mountian passes.  They were spectacular.  We hit Gavia first and then Stelvio. At the bottom of Stelvio we were just a short distance from Switzerland where we ran some more incredible roads and passes. The Italian passes of Gavia and Stelvio were technical switchbacks where you couldn't get much speed - but the scenery was amazing.  In Switzerland the roads have sweeping turns and are perfectly smooth - lots of fun running at speed.  We got to a camp after dark after a 10 hour day behind the bars.  Tomorrow will be more Swiss alps and then into the French alps.  I hope the weather holds!

Top of Gavia.

Top of Stelvio looking down.

Snowy peak overlooking Stelvio.

Rijeka, Croatia...

I rode all afternoon across eastern Italy and then down through Slovania to Croatia.  It was long way to go to just have a few hours of daylight and stay overnight but I had it in my head that I wanted to see Croatia.  The ride was very nice - except for the Italian Autostrada tolls.  I don't know how anyone can afford to drive here - between the tolls and gas prices it's a small fortune.  It's going to be a total of $150 USD in tolls by the time I get back to Milan.  If I had more time I would just take the back roads which are more enjoyable anyway - but I didn't have the time.  

Rijeka is right on the coast and has beaches and Marinas with the city built up the hillside.  It's pretty but I didn't want to stay in the city - I found a campground about 25 km in the outskirts.  I met a guy from Turkey at the campground that flew fighter planes for the military.  He had a 20 day leave so was riding to Italy and back.  We shared a few stories and beers together at the camp restaurant/bar.  The campgrounds in Europe seem to have much more amenities than I'm used to from US campgrounds.  The food is like you at dining in an upscale restaurant - but the prices are also.  Camping in Europe is pretty expensive.  I paid over $20 per night plus all the add ons.  Internet is extra, laundry facilities extra, pool access extra and in some cases hot water for a showers extra.  It adds up pretty quick.

Today I will ride back to Milan and meet back up with Ken an Marybeth.  It will be about 450 km so hence the early start.  Looking forward to also visiting with Cristiano again and Sabrina who I haven't seen since Mongolia.

Rijeka.

Rijeka from up in the hills.

Rijeka marina.

The beach - about 75 degrees today.

Somewhere in town.

 

Outside Rijeka near my camp.