10th July 2012

Debs:
 
Other than being worried about the dubious parking at the Formule 1 we managed a reasonable nights sleep and had a very early start, as having made our decision to get back home we ensured we were quickly away and grabbed a sketchy breakfast on the motorway services, and from then on only stopped for fuel.

The 5 hour bum-numbing motorway ride seemed far longer than it was, but we eventually arrived at the Eurotunnel Terminal a full three hours early to be faced with a DIY check-in machine that totally baffled Steve, so he pressed the help button and we were told by a disembodied voice that we could board in 10 minutes.. Great, back in Blighty by 3pm!

Steve:

On the train, half an hour then off the train, a quick stop in Ashford for a rather plastic steak & chips before making the final dash of 1.5 hours to home. It seemed so weird riding on the left again, but apart from an aborted attempt to go the wrong way round a (fortunately empty) roundabout we eventually made it back home, where a lovely cup of tea and our comfy bed and pillows were waiting - utter, absolute heaven.

It’s great to be home again! I'll wash the bike tomorrow.. maybe.



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Some fond memories.. and others:

 Debs:

Good -
Dolly the sat-nav having a hissy-fit in Italy, it really was funny.
Having peaches thrown to us by a travelling veggie man when we were swimming at Lefkada.
The wonderful food, especially small fish and fresh bread (and wine) in Greece.
Breakfast on the top of the mountain in Austria, which had not been on our itinerary.
Meeting my friend Pat in Linz after knowing her for so long, but sad at never meeting her husband Marcus.

Bad -
My disappointment in Austria having more Italian restaurants than native Austrian, and having to pay 40p to use the toilets in the motorway services and never having the change!


Steve:

Good -
Getting to Valentino Rossi's cafe

Riding 10 hours of S-bends and tunnels between Serbia and Montenegro
Throwing myself into the sea in Montenegro after a 10 hour ride, I was so hot!
Cold beer in hot countries - Hah!
Lots of small fish and white wine in Greece.
The fabulous varied views and smells throughout the trip and just riding through so many different countries, exciting and at times bewildering.. but aren't motorbikes just wonderful?

Bad -
Dolly the sat-nav having hissy-fit in Italy, a very worrying moment at the start of the trip as all the hotel locations and routes were stored in its memory.
The numerous garage forecourt tyre pumps that didn’t fit and deflated my tyres, I've since bought my own pump.
Bitten by bedbugs in Bulgaria… (shudder)

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And just for interests sake, the entire trip covered 4982 miles and our trusty Honda ST1300 Pan European gave an average of 50.004mpg over the trip - considering the loads it carried and some of the terrain covered I am very impressed, needless to say there were no dramas at all, not even a puncture!
We learnt a lot from the trip and despite our best efforts we still took too much clothing and clutter, but nearly a year of planning paid its’ rewards.. We can’t wait to do it again.



Byeeee…


PS - I recently discovered a bike travelers website called Horizons Unlimited (www.horizonsunlimited.com) and really wish I'd found them before the trip! The advice and suggestions have been invaluable, and some of the trips that these people go on really fuels the imagination.  If you've ever considered doing a bike tour but are worried about it or think "I'll do it next year"

DON'T.....
.
Plan it now and do it very soon, or you'll be old before you know it and then all you can say is  "I wish ...."