Motorbike Diaries -Day 60 (Friday 17th )

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”no” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=””][fusion_text]
Final Thoughts, Why Biking, What I Noticed,, Essential Resources, What Did I Miss and a little bit more.
Well – Home at last-I got back a day or so earlier than I had anticipated-which has worked out quite well.
Time to get back on top of things.
TOTAL Distance Covered 5982 miles = 9571 kilometres
Countries 20 –
UK- ( home) – France, Belgium, Netherlands,, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Transnistria, Moldova ( again ) Romania ,Bulgaria, , Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Italy ( again) Switzerland, France – Home 🙂
20 Individual countries
The last few days while making my way home has given me time to pause and reflect on the 60 day journey.
Some people have asked why 60 days ?
Well, most years I just go away on my own on my motorbike for about one week perhaps 10 days at a push –as I have a wife, family, a business to run, commitments etc.
However, this year I was 60 in April so decided to mark the occasion by having a 60 day exploration adventure.
Perhaps I will make this a habit !! at 65 – 65 days – at 70 – 70 days – and just keep going 😊
Here below are some of my final thoughts and reflections-
.
WHY BIKING
Biking is very different to driving a car- The three main differences to my mind are that it is
Meditative, Elemental and Sensory.
MEDITATIVE
When you are on your motorbike there is no passenger to talk to, no radio, no music, just you and your thoughts for hours on end-giving plenty of time to think, reflect, plan and so on –
ELEMENTAL
You become very aware of the elements, you feel the heat, and the cold much more — you feel the rain, you become aware of the landscape and terrain, you look at the clouds to judge whether a rainstorm is coming or if it is raining to judge how long it will take to get through the rainstorm. You become aware of the ground and gradients whether it is rising or falling in front-
none of which you really take in when you are driving a car.
So you become hugely connected to your environment.
SENSORY
Especially smells- you can smell the rain, you can smell new mown grass, as you are driving through rural areas you smell the harvest that the farmers are collecting in– it makes you very aware of what is going on around you and the landscape you are in.
THE BIKING COMMUNITY
When riding a bike and another biker passes, they usually acknowledge or wave, that does not happen in a car.
If you happen to have pulled in and stopped in a layby, ( in an out of the way place ) quite often other bikers will stop to see if you are OK –
share a flask of coffee, chat about the road ahead or behind.
I notice that in Western Europe it was very common to see groups of bikers on holiday together-typically from UK , German, Italian, French, Dutch etc.
However, as you move further east they tend to peter out. Then you get a different type of biker- a different breed – The Lone Biker –
You see these occasionally in the mountains- and sometimes you will stop and talk to each other for a few moments-
they tend not to say very much
USEFUL RESOURCES
booking.com and hostelworld.com are very useful to find somewhere to stay.
For Campsites – I use https://en.camping.info/campsites
https://coolcamping.com/campsites/europe
AND more importantly a good mindset and attitude – those are probably your biggest assets.
USEFUL KIT ( see photo )
Open faced Helmet – I find having the open face helmet so much better than a typically enclosed one, the field of vision improved dramatically which leads to a greater experience.
Leatherman, Swiss Army Knife, Sink Plug –
Ceramic Cool Longjohns -these have got some sort of metallic element which actually keeps you cool when it’s warm and warm when it’s cool – they were worth their weight in gold
In terms of what I took – see the photo – Just one carrier bag of clothes-
My riding rules
Always use the two second rule ( quite often the three second rule)
Dominate your lane – ride on the outside of your lane – so cars that want to overtake have to go right around you as if they were overtaking another car – Not push you into the gutter !
Don’t worry about your actions affecting people behind you and what they think- never let them stress you out.
What I noticed
All over I noticed that people are totally addicted to their smart phones.
they have lost the ability to see what is happening around them.
FINAL THOUGHTS
PEOPLE
Most people are good and kind and helpful. In fact the people who have the least are usually willing to give the most.
Dealing with Difficult Situations
When things go wrong as they invariably will. You don’t have to worry. You WILL be able to cope and people will always come to your aid – Even in the most difficult and out of the way situations
WHAT DID I MISS
My wife and my garden
WHAT DID I NOT MISS
All of my stuff, all of the things I have spent my life accumulating, I didn’t need or miss or want any of it
COFFEE RULES –
Having spent so many days in 20 countries drinking countless cups of coffee
I have created my own 5 rules for a perfect coffee
1. Good quality coffee
2. At a fair price
3. In a nice atmosphere/ ambiance
4. With pleasing views
5. Served by a friendly waitress with a welcoming smile
DISLIKES
Service stations that provide no or very bad Wi-Fi – or make you pay for it.
Having to pay to go to the Toilet !
QUESTION ?
Where have all the insects gone- 10 years ago at the end of every day I would have had to have cleaned my visor all of the insects strikes.
In 60 days and 6000 miles I actually have not had one single insect strike on my helmet
That is incredible to the point of almost not believable
MY ROUTINE
Some people have asked me what my daily routine was.
Generally speaking it was a bit like this-
Up early most mornings 6am ish – breakfast, spend about one hour catching up on emails and work-
pack my bike and on the road by 8am – 9 at the very latest.
Ride until about 2pm – with frequent stops for coffee etc- -find a place to stay.
Shower, change, wash my clothes- and then take all afternoon and evening to explore that particular area.
Sometimes I would stay for a couple of days.
In the evening I would do one more hour on emails and work and then generally in bed by 10pm ( not very exciting )
Never had a huge amount of alcohol in the evenings- as I knew I had to be clearheaded to ride the next day-
WHERE DID I STAY
Mainly in Hostels, Guesthouses and very small hotels.
Hostels are by far the best when it comes to meeting people.
..FINAL THOUGHTS
Don’t always listen to naysayers – the people who tell you it can’t be done.
BE A FINISHER — I always remember reading a bit about Margaret Thatcher ( it doesn’t matter whether you agree with her politics or not for this point )
When she was about 14 her father gave her some great advice. He said, Margaret- in life it’s very easy to start things – lots of people start courses, jobs, projects, programmes but they don’t finish them –
He Said- Margaret – Don’t Be a Starter- BE A FINISHER–. — That message has always resonated with me
Remember
Everything you do is building someone’s dreams – Where you buy clothes, food any stuff – you are building their dreams ( nothing wrong with that) , Just make sure you build your DREAMS.
And whatever you decide to do – My Advice is to set a Goal to – BECOME UNSTOPPABLE !!! 😊 😊 😊
[/fusion_text][fusion_content_boxes layout=”icon-with-title” columns=”3″ title_size=”” title_color=”” body_color=”” backgroundcolor=”” icon=”” iconflip=”” iconrotate=”” iconspin=”no” iconcolor=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_radius=”” circlecolor=”” circlebordersize=”” circlebordercolor=”” outercirclebordersize=”” outercirclebordercolor=”” icon_size=”” icon_hover_type=”” hover_accent_color=”” image=”” image_width=”” image_height=”” link_type=”” link_area=”” link_target=”” icon_align=”left” animation_type=”” animation_delay=”” animation_offset=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””][fusion_content_box title=”” backgroundcolor=”” icon=”” iconflip=”” iconrotate=”” iconspin=”no” iconcolor=”” circlecolor=”” circlebordersize=”” circlebordercolor=”” outercirclebordersize=”” outercirclebordercolor=”” image=”http://www.coaching-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/39467989_10156301385890199_5250676276175306752_o-1024×768.jpg” image_width=”250px” image_height=”250px” link=”” linktext=”Read More” link_target=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][fusion_content_box title=”” backgroundcolor=”” icon=”” iconflip=”” iconrotate=”” iconspin=”no” iconcolor=”” circlecolor=”” circlebordersize=”” circlebordercolor=”” outercirclebordersize=”” outercirclebordercolor=”” image=”http://www.coaching-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/39441348_10156301386000199_489277692198256640_o-1024×768.jpg” image_width=”250px” image_height=”250px” link=”” linktext=”Read More” link_target=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][fusion_content_box title=”” backgroundcolor=”” icon=”” iconflip=”” iconrotate=”” iconspin=”no” iconcolor=”” circlecolor=”” circlebordersize=”” circlebordercolor=”” outercirclebordersize=”” outercirclebordercolor=”” image=”http://www.coaching-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/39441620_10156301386235199_8540319271530528768_o-1024×768.jpg” image_width=”250px” image_height=”250px” link=”” linktext=”Read More” link_target=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][fusion_content_box title=”” backgroundcolor=”” icon=”” iconflip=”” iconrotate=”” iconspin=”no” iconcolor=”” circlecolor=”” circlebordersize=”” circlebordercolor=”” outercirclebordersize=”” outercirclebordercolor=”” image=”http://www.coaching-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/39406225_10156301386215199_5664326414699069440_o-764×1024.jpg” image_width=”250px” image_height=”250px” link=”” linktext=”Read More” link_target=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][fusion_content_box title=”” backgroundcolor=”” icon=”” iconflip=”” iconrotate=”” iconspin=”no” iconcolor=”” circlecolor=”” circlebordersize=”” circlebordercolor=”” outercirclebordersize=”” outercirclebordercolor=”” image=”http://www.coaching-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/39504472_10156301385950199_4972723945741484032_o-1024×768.jpg” image_width=”250px” image_height=”250px” link=”” linktext=”Read More” link_target=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” /][/fusion_content_boxes][fusion_pricing_table type=”2″ backgroundcolor=”” background_color_hover=”” bordercolor=”” dividercolor=”” heading_color_style_1=”” heading_color_style_2=”” pricing_color=”” body_text_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” columns=”2″][fusion_pricing_column title=”SPONSORED BLOG POSTS” standout=”yes”][fusion_pricing_price currency=”” currency_position=”left” price=”£65.00″ time=”one-off fee” ][/fusion_pricing_price][fusion_pricing_row]For a one-off fee, you are able to submit your own post on the worlds’ largest coaching blog. [/fusion_pricing_row][fusion_pricing_footer][fusion_button link=”http://www.coaching-blog.com/contacts/” title=”Sign Up” target=”_self” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”default” button_gradient_top_color=”” button_gradient_bottom_color=”” button_gradient_top_color_hover=”” button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” size=”” stretch=”default” shape=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]Contact Us[/fusion_button][/fusion_pricing_footer][/fusion_pricing_column][fusion_pricing_column title=”WEBSITE ADVERTISING” standout=”yes”][fusion_pricing_price currency=”” currency_position=”left” price=”£250.00″ time=”three month slot” ][/fusion_pricing_price][fusion_pricing_row]Above the fold rotating banner/box. Price is for a 3 month slot.[/fusion_pricing_row][fusion_pricing_footer][fusion_button link=”http://www.coaching-blog.com/contacts/” title=”Sign Up” target=”_self” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”default” button_gradient_top_color=”” button_gradient_bottom_color=”” button_gradient_top_color_hover=”” button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” size=”” stretch=”default” shape=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]Contact Us[/fusion_button][/fusion_pricing_footer][/fusion_pricing_column][/fusion_pricing_table][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]