This is not our last blog……

To say we have been having the time our lives is an absolute understatement. Every day is an adventure and it is great to wake up not always knowing where we may be at the end of the day. It adds a certain kind of excited anticipation to each day.

We are regularly asked .. “What has been the hilight of your trip?” or… Which country have you liked the most? Our usual reply is simply that every country is unique in its own way and different to the next. It is the people that we meet along the way that make this journey so very memorable and special for us. We have been truly blessed by the wonderful people we have met. Their warmth and generosity of spirit in sharing not only their homes, their advice, friendship… and so much more, has made us the richer for having met them.

The last couple of months have gone by so quickly, and these two maps shows where we have been since travelling in Turkey.

This map covers the countries post Turkey

Countries visited after the Balkans to our final destination in the UK

We are now in London and fly out of Heathrow for home in just under 2 hours. Whilst we are excited to be seeing our family and friends again, we will miss being over the other side of the world, because we have had such an awesome time.

The bike was all scrubbed n dubbed prior to leaving it at Imorex (the shipping depot) last week. It, along with all our gear has already been loaded into the container for the voyage home, which will take around 6 weeks. Australian customs are pretty strict about the bikes being clean ……and rightly so. Every bike in the container has to be absolutely clean. It takes only one dirty bike for the whole container to be quarantined and everything cleaned, so we sure as heck don’t want our bike to be ‘the one’.

Overall the bike now has 102,885km on the clock, having racked up 71,400km on this trip…. Just call us ‘old iron buts’! We plan to calculate the distances travelled in flights, ferries etc when we get home too.. Should add up to quite a bit!

The 650 Suzuki Vstrom certainly is an honest and reliable bike and is now enjoying a well earned rest and sea voyage back home.

Some quick stats for the bike..

5 sets of tyres

2 sets of chains and sprockets

1 set of front brake pads

2 sets of rear brake pads

8 oil changes

9 bike washes

Averaged around 4.5litres per 100km for the trip.

John will do a more detailed blog on the bike when back home which will be very interesting. We shall also be doing blogs on the countries we have missed thus far, soooo As the saying goes… ‘Watch this space’.

For now, we leave you with some random pics of our wonderful adventure….

Scotland – the road to Applecross

Outside Macna with Stefan. Macna gave us both a new set of gear. They were keen to review our old gear after 12 months constant use

Looking very spiffy in our new Macna Gear – thanks Macna

France, Oradour-sur-Glane; Charles de Gaulle ordered this village to be left as is after the Nazis massacred 642 villagers, only 6 survived. they then ransacked, blew up and burned the village

Our ghost riders

Ypres – Menin Gate – John rubbing shoulders with the French general (shortie) who was also laying a wreath

A very special and proud moment for John to lay a wreath at Meniin Gate for his Grandfather and the men of the 3rd Pioneers

Ypres – Menin Gate – looking down over Ypres

Belgium – on the road again and looking mighty fine in our new Macna gear

Belgium – The highest point in Belgium These steps took us up to 700 mtr”s

The Alps – Belgium style !!

Luxembourg from the town wall

Germany – Nuremburg – the Nazi party parade ground – never completed

Warsaw – we took the bike right into the Old town square!

Poland – Warsaw – The Vstrom photobombing a wedding

Our bags may JUST make it to the end (6 weeks out)

Vilnius old town – the capital of Lithuania

Lithuania – old Soviet nuclear missile site during the cold war days – scary stuff

The Baltic Way sign posted

Crossing from Latvia into Lithuania

Old town of Tallin in Estonia

Tallin – the capital of Estonia. period costumes were everywhere

Bridge artwork in Porvoo Finland

Inside the magnificent Church of the Spilled Blood in St Petersburg

Russia – St Petersburg – Church of the Spilt Bloodhrch

Tallinn Old town was beautiful by night

Having fun in St Petersburg – Another KooWeeRup Motorcycle Club a long way from home

One of Finland’s many, many lakes

Russian border at the end of the Raate road in Finland. In this area the 105 day Winter War was fought in 1939

Finland – The Raate road – site of the 105 day winter war in 1939

Some artwork in a paddock in Finland

Finland – a nice campfire to have lunch by

Finland /Lapland -at Santa’s village on the Arctic circle

The end of the road near the North East corner of Norway in an old fishing village call Hamningberg

Norway – look no hands and no snow !!

Finland/Lapland – we were lucky to stumble on the annual reindeer roundup

Nordkapp as the sun was setting Nordkapp is as far north as you can go by road in Norway

midnight at Nordkapp – and it is still light

Finland / Lapland – reindeer antlers to fit the Vstrom

Finland – dried fish heads for sale – quite macabre

Magical clouds near Lodingen spilling over the mountains into the sea in Norway

Passing through the Arctic Circle in Norway

Stunning waterways in Bergin , Norway. We were lucky to have no rain!

Møre og Romsdal County – awesome bike roads in Norway

Norway – beautiful statue of fisherman’s wife looking out to sea, waiting for his return

Section of the Atlantic Way – Norway’s west coast – a most impressive bridge

One of Norway’s many magnificent Fjords. looking down over Geiranger

Norway – Bergin

Norway – Bergin waterfront

Norway – always on duty

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Norway – what to do when it is absolutely pissing down with rain…. stop for a BIG ice-cream

Norway has so many magnificent waterfalls

Norway – soo many great roads and the tunnel system is amazing

Not everyday is sunny in Norway….

Norway – grass roofed huts for insulation but hard to mow..

Copenhagen gardens – funky mirrors

Proposed Olympic ski jump in Oslo, Norway- now that’s b;body BIG

Copenhagen – the bike always attracts many people who are keen to sit on it

yumm.. yummm

Outside Princess Mary’s ‘house’ in Capenhagen. Unfortunately she was not home

Czech Republic – Ceskykrumlov from above

Great artworks in Bratislava

Now that’s just a great pic –

Budapest

Romania, Transylvania – Trans Fagarasan road – a bikers dream and according to Top Gears – The Worlds Best Drivers Road

The roads bikers dream of in Romania

Czech Republic – Ready to face the rapids !! Ceskykrumlov

Sunflowers a plenty in Eastern Europe

Norway – that’s a rock tunnel!

Now that’s a spit roast

Bosnia – near Mostar bridge – This poor little girl was left begging in the hot sun – she was crying and seeking a little shelter from the pole

The thinks one finds in Serbia

Bosnia – famous Mostar bridge where men jump off for money

Bosnia – stunning blue

Bosnia – water falls near Medugoje – enjoying a cool drink after a swim

Bosnia – water falls near Medugoje – waterfall from the inside

Bosnia – water falls near Medugoje

Croatia – Dubrovnik

Croatia – Dubrovnik – on set of a new movie

testing the underwater camera at Dubrovnik

Kosovo – Village of Brod – The whole village came out to welcome us – so very friendly

Kosovo – Village of Brod – this guy wanted to take John for a ride over the mountains

Kosovo – Village of Brod – this guy was so proud of his saddle making, he took us inside for a closer look

Romania – donkeys work very, very hard

Beautiful village of Lin on Lake Ohrid in Albania

Beautiful butterfly at one of the Commonwealth War grave cemeteries on the Somme in France

The words on this headstone are so very poignant. “I fought and died in the great war to end all wars. Have I died in vain”

France, Oradour-sur-Glane:

Wooly Bully Scotlands Highland cattle

A lovely white sandy Scottish beach

Normandy – one of many bunkers that still remain

High in mountains of Serbia – just stunning

France, Oradour-sur-Glane: the church into which women and children were herded and the church set fire – only 1 lady escaped

A bunch a happy campers in Greece, just over Turkish border. There were another 4 in the cabin

We visited many memorial to Aussie diggers. It made us feel so very proud, yet sad that so many gave their lives for us. We can never thank the enough

Scotland – Tobermory – birthplace of my great x 3 grandfather, who was given a ‘free passage’ to Australia fro stealing 15 guineas.. lucky he did or I would not be here!