“I’m so close to London, of course I’m going to visit!” Here I wrote “London”, but could very well fit the name of any other major city. That’s the way I sometimes catch myself thinking, and, if I were to live by it, I would end up going places I feel I have to go, […]
New Adventure, Old Continent
Poland to Belgium: The Concept of Balance
“Oh, right, I forgot to warn you about the strip clubs here in Gdansk” our host told Petr after he had been tricked into going into one and buying a ridiculously expensive drink. When I arrived at my hostel in Gdansk, Poland, I met 3 other motorcyclists from Czech Republic, Petr, Michal, and Mikulas, who […]
Estonia-Latvia: Breaking Point
What if I just go back home now, three months into this motorcycle adventure across Europe with still three more to go? It wouldn’t be horrible, I mean, I went to the World Cup and that was my main objective. How much are flight tickets back? I would lose my non-refundable ticket I already purchased […]
Russia: Experience points!
What is one thing you’ve always dreamed of since a child, one place or event you always thought would be an amazing experience? As an avid soccer enthusiast I have passionately followed the World Cup every four years through television, imagining what it would be like to physically be present at the host country as […]
Moldova-Ukraine: Fear the unknown
I don’t think I had even heard of the existence of this country until fairly recent. Moldova is quite a small place, nestled in between Romania and Ukraine, with about my same age; a relatively new country. Online forums made me fear Moldovan police officers and other travelers made the young country sound so dull […]
Romania: “We don’t have money, but we have wine.”
I had previously been warned about the kindness of Romanian people, but still was not sure what to expect. The owner of the small restaurant, a tall and heavy man, became excited about what little I was able to tell him through hand gestures and a mix of English and Spanish regarding my trip this […]
Slovenia-Croatia-Serbia: A Balkan handful
I thought my skills at reading Italian were half decent, so why can I not understand some of these road signs? And the names to some of these towns are very different from what I had been seeing in Italy thus far. After leaving Venice and riding east, I unknowingly entered the small country of […]
Italy: One too many people
Several years ago I recall seeing a photo of a small village with colorful houses embedded in the cliffs along a sea coast. I remember thinking it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen a photo of, and wishing to be there some day, without truly expecting it would happen, kind […]
Spain/Portugal: An Iberian Lesson to Learn
Motorcycle enthusiasts enjoy different styles of bikes, whether it’s a cruiser, a sportsbike, a dualsport, a touring bike, or any of the countless other types. However, as varied as the preference for the type of motorcycle may be, I’m confident most riders will agree they find great pleasure when riding curvy roads. On my second […]
France: One savory ride
“It’s raining” the Frenchman who worked on the ferry said to me. I just shrugged my shoulders and made a face as if saying “Well, not much I can do about it”. The ferry arrived at Roscoff at 7am, where I would ride under the rain for most of the morning. Thankfully, all my gear […]