A long overdue conclusion to Adventure 2017: Part 1

Well, it’s hard to believe how time has flown. I am writing this on a train from Rome to Milan after three glorious months in the warmth of Australia keeping myself busy with projects, friends and family. Remarkably, in less than 24 hours I will be on the bike again for Part 2 of the adventure. How suddenly these events just creep on you. Sometimes it’s surreal to think you can be on one side of the world home amongst family in the comfort of your own home and then in the blink of an eye you are on your own again walking the streets of Rome. Of course, there’s a significant gap between my last post and now, so let me take you back a little… well, maybe a lot. I have a lot to fill you in on.

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Riding into Hungary, I discovered I was far too relaxed in Europe. The timing was late October 2017 and having “conquered” West Asia I was now quite comfortable in Eastern Europe. Whilst it never led to complacency on the road, it did mean I had no Forints on me when needed. Stupidly, I assumed Hungary was on the Euro, but I was to find out inconveniently it wasn’t. Furthermore, in an uncharacteristic mathematical error meant I ended up getting out 10 times the amount of currency I needed from the ATM for three days in the country!

Budapest would be my only stop in Hungary. From now on in I was pretty much like an express train, racing the weather and distance to get to Italy by late November. Like other Eastern capitals before it, Budapest had great charm. Apparently, the river splits the city into two parts: Buda on one side and Pest (pronounced “Pesht”) on the other. It is famous for its hot spring baths and sadly my disorganisation meant I would miss out on this experience. Interestingly, Budapest is now also well known for its “Ruin bars” which were set up in ruined buildings to keep leasing costs low. There were so many of these it would be impossible to visit them all in one outing. A small pub crawl with a Spaniard and two Scots made for great entertainment and our final destination was an incredible cavernous underground establishment. The arched red brick rooms housed different DJs and music styles and it was almost like a maze down there. Whilst these young bucks I was with were keen to go all out, I couldn’t help but wonder whether they would go the distance. Sure enough, the pace they set themselves was too frenetic and one of the Scots had to be carried home by the other. (I’m  sure there’s a joke in there somewhere.)

A short two night visit to Bratislava, Slovakia was next. I enjoyed it although the weather proved too miserable to do much. I squeezed in some sightseeing, in particular the centre of town and the glorious castle overlooking it. Conveniently, the distances between locations were now minuscule (relatively speaking). So I now had a new challenge – not arriving too early to check in at the next location! Something you have to consider when you have a motorcycle and 50kgs of luggage!

The quick jaunt to Vienna was most pleasant (was it even an hour?) and I was immediately enthralled by this city. Everything seemed so pretty and well laid out. It had a fantastic atmosphere and I kept busy seeing as many sights as I could. I was particularly fortunate that there was a Raphael display on at the famous Albertina museum (Note: Raphael is my favourite painter.) I enjoyed the walking tour and also took in a show that involved a chamber orchestra with some operatic pieces and with opera singers joining in for parts. Schoenbrunn Palace was particularly interesting and the audio tour about the Palace, the Habsburgs and the Austro-Hungarian empire was a real highlight.  Although taking in museums and palaces can become tiresome and somewhat repetitive after awhile, it’s always nice to visit a place that elevates you just a little bit more.

My socialising was enhanced by the Aussie pub where I met a fun group of Swedes who were on the board of a Swedish ice hockey team. They preferred the pubs too as they always got to meet people “like me”. Their associates would drink at the hotel bars and stay bored. Sadly I missed out on Vienna’s horse show as the “buy on arrival” option seemed to be what every other tourist was doing too. The second evening I made my way to the Irish pub.

Note: I vow and maintain that as a solo traveller, there is nothing better than an Aussie/Irish/English/Scottish pub to ease your loneliness as you are guaranteed to meet fellow travellers and have a great night.

This night would almost prove the benchmark. Whilst sitting at the bar struggling with the trivia quiz, a beautiful couple strolled in and sat beside me. The girl was stunning and friendly and they were both eager to chat with me. I soon found out it was in fact their first date (destined to be their last according to the girl) and within minutes a coaster was slipped my way with a phone number on it. And so it was, this girl was to have another first date the following evening… with me. We had a ball both nights and her date’s constant need to exit the building to have a cigarette on the first night gave us a lot of opportunity to talk. He even invited me to a party the following night (but by then I had other plans and left it as a tentative).

Czech Republic or now more accurately Czechia was next with an extra element of excitement – I would meet up with my little sister Helen and her boyfriend Daz! The initial reunion was less than picture perfect as my lengthy phone conversation meant I didn’t get my sister’s messages indicating they were waiting (im)patiently outside the accommodation – tired and grumpy! (Maybe that can be her website!) After a brief spray (which I thoroughly deserved), Helen improved in spirits and I was very excited to hang out with a member of the family so far from home. The three of us walked what seemed a thousand miles the next couple of days with both a walking tour and our own exploring. The beauty of these European cities is it’s very easy to just meander about. Every street seems to be rich in history and Prague is without doubt a favourite for tourists. It was here I noticed a “personal photographer”. This would be the second time. Apparently, you can now hire people to take photos of you (and usually a loved one) walking around seeing the sights! It seems selfie sticks don’t offer enough contrivance… we’ve now gone one better.

Perhaps the most horrific experience was the Museum of Medieval Torture. If you think you know how cruel humans can be to one another go inside this building for a stomach churning experience. Very few experiences in life lead me to think “I’ve had enough” but this was definitely one! The insane levels of pain experienced by the recipients are utterly indescribable and I still cringe now just writing about it.

At this stage, bike riding would require a constant assessment of weather. It was on my next ride to Germany that temperatures would drop to 2 degrees Celsius. Strong gusty winds would also prove challenging as I could easily be thrown left and right across the road without warning. Not too bad on a highway, but on a dual carriageway with no centre barrier, this was where I felt most vulnerable and scared. Germany would have just one stop – The Gemmingens. An amazing family I’ve known for eight years who’ve employed both my former girlfriend (Ally) and little sister (Helen) as au pairs over the years. They live on a farm outside Sinsheim called Eulenhof. It was great seeing them and their kids (who’d grown considerably) and I left with an invitation to return in January for the annual Hunt!

With the weather getting worse I was now on a mission to get to Southern France where the weather would be warmer. I had some cold patches to get through first though and this I was dreading.