Cool video! I've been looking forward to seeing it.
Interesting to hear you too - now I can imagine your real voices in the writing

Really nice video! I recognized moest of the roads too
Does this mean we missed you passing through Leuven again?

Unfortunately our blog is very far behind, so all these events are a few months behind. We had missed you already the first time you invited us!

We'd like to see our friends in Leuven again later on this year, if we're coming by, we'll let you know.

We had plans to see the UK this summer, even went so far as to reserve a spot on the Isle of Man ferry for the TT. We had to book the tickets so far in advance, when my brother announced his wedding for this summer, we had to give up our spot on the ferry as well as the rest of our British Isles tour.

We don't really do well with plans, so although we are not looking at going to the UK anytime soon, things always change.

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

Any plans for Asia? or sticking to Europe?

Congrats on the video Gene & Neda.......most excellent

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My memory is becoming that good, I should be able to organise my own surprise party soon

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/238.html



Toronto is busy with people and traffic jams, expensive food and even more expensive housing. It seems to have changed quite a lot in the time that we've been gone. We don't really like it.

We do like our friends though. We miss them so much and they make it all worthwhile. They fill the short time that we're here in the city. We're invited to lunches and dinners, and we see two, sometimes three different sets of friends every day. All the time eating, talking, eating, laughing. And eating. My waistline is expanding and I've already given my tuxedo measurements to my brother months ago for his upcoming wedding. I wish now that they had a draw-string pants option...

"Where are you guys from?", "How did you get your bikes here?", "How long have you been traveling?", asked nobody to us the entire time we're here. Our friends don't want to hang out with Neda and Gene comma world travelers. They call us up and want to hang out with Neda and Gene period. Neda and Gene, the same two people who left them three years ago. Nice.

Neda goes to Yoga classes. I jam with my old band. I even try learning the cello. It's very nice.


There's always room for cello!

We revel in everyone's company and catch up with each others lives. The last time we visited Toronto, only 12 months had passed in our travels. We'd observed no discernible change back then in the people and the city that we had left behind. But now, the trajectory of their lives had progressed much further, those paths yielding new jobs, new weddings, new cars, new houses, new human beings that didn't exist back then who are now walking and talking around us!

We used to travel on similar, parallel trajectories before our trip. But now comparing their lives to ours, it feels like that tangent, that fork that we took three years ago has led us further and further away from the direction that life normally moves here. We don't notice it at all while we're on the road, but this Divergence is so much more evident when we can see it in stark contrast to the echo outline of where our path would have led.

Being back here now is like putting on clothes you haven't worn in a long time. It feels so familiar, but yet it doesn't fit quite right. Probably because of all those damn lunches and dinners. Thanks a lot, guys...

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

My little brother Nick and his bride Diana, on their wedding day!

Our family hopped in a car and drove across the border. A little road trip to Illinois where my brother and his bride-to-be live. This wedding is yet another reminder that the lives that are connected to us are constantly in motion while we are away.


I am very honoured to be standing beside my brother while he says his wedding vows


Remember that needlepoint that Neda was working on in Europe? It's a wedding gift for Nick and Diana!
2 months in the making in 10 different countries!


I can't remember the last time I wore a suit!

Neda and I spent our third anniversary of our trip with our old family and our new family in the United States. It was a fitting way to celebrate, to still be on the road somehow.


I was in the wedding party, so Neda took over photographing duties!

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

Our hectic schedule continued in Toronto. We've been corresponding with a few travelers who have contacted us through the blog and they were going to be in the area, so we made plans to meet up.


Where else, but at the most Canadian of motorcycle rendez-vous spots: Tim Hortons!

Stephanie left her life in Rhode Island behind in May 2014,just up and sold everything. See, we're not the only crazy ones! She's been traveling all across the US ever since on her Vespa scooter. She's dipped into Baja Califonia, Mexico and now she's crossed into Canada so we're giving her a friendly Canuck welcome. On this leg, she's traveling with her friend Davide. He's got his own motorcycle, but you wouldn't know it from the picture above.


And then another traveler from the US meets up with us!

Brent is from Virginia, and he's on a 12-day tour up to Canada, which you can read about here Loving Living Adventuring | Brent's RTW on a Motorcycle: 2016-2017. When he heard we were in Toronto, he made a special pit-stop to see us on his way to Ottawa. We're overjoyed that so many people took time out of their travels just to hang out with us. We hogged a table at the Timmy's and chatted for what seemed like hours about travel, logistics and life on two wheels.


Stephanie gives us a sneak peek at future blog entries

I've been reading Stephanie's blog for a while. Because she's an illustrator by trade, she accentuates all her blog entries with a cartoon about her trip. She's done one for every single day she's been on the road, over a year's worth of drawings! So neat! You can check out her blog here: 250cc Superhero.

We've met a lot of "digital nomads" on our travels - people with jobs that are location-independent, and are able to continue working while traveling. We've met accountants, translators, web programmers etc., but Stephanie is the first two-wheeled digital nomad we've met.

As we were all saying our farewells in the Tim Hortons parking lot, a lady in a car was backing out and almost ran over Stephanie on her scooter! OMG, I would have felt so bad inviting her to Canada and then having her long journey end right here!


Brent says goodbye as he continues his trip

There is a tribe out there. The people in this tribe don't all live in one place. Though they may be scattered all over the world, they all share a dream of wandering across the face of it, discovering all the beautiful and wondrous things in it. Once in a while you will meet another member of your tribe. You'll recognize them by the far-away look in their eyes and their restless disposition. And you will talk and exchange stories and inspire each other to dream of new places to visit, new people to greet and new things to experience.


Over 70 people fought their way through horrendous Toronto rush hour to hear us talk about our trip, they made us feel so special!

Our friend Ehren asked us to do a presentation about our travels. He organized the venue at the local BMW dealership and we were so amazed at the turnout! Some people in the audience traveled great distances just to attend our talk. I think we only had an hour scheduled, but we stayed for over two hours because everyone had so many questions. Thanks to everyone who came out that day! We had a lot of fun meeting everyone and reliving and sharing our stories with you!

Also a big thank you to all the people who read our blog, who have sent us an e-mail, a PM, written a note to us or commented online.

Thank you for being a part of our tribe.

[And now, back to our regularly scheduled travels!]

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

Thanks!

We would like to go to Asia, yes! Not sure when that will happen though, still a lot of Europe left to see!

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/239.html



The plane from Toronto landed at Brussels airport - it felt like sliding into home plate.

We had sprinted around the world these last few weeks, the dates and schedules that we had to touch like the bases on a baseball diamond. And all of it had to fit inside this fleeting European summer. So now we're back on our own timetable but we're still exhausted. Our time spent in Toronto was too brief and hectic and now there are all these places we want to see that will be covered in snow in a few short months. And we're spent already...

After a brief train and bus ride back to Leuven, we let ourselves into Thomas and Eva's apartment while they were still at work (we didn't break in, they gave us a key!) and I slept the whole day, trying to burn off the jetlag but still woke up like a zombie when our friends arrived from work that evening. So much harder flying east than going west! At least with a motorcycle, the time zone shifts are gradual...


We brought back some Canadian maple syrup so Thomas made us all some pancakes!


In Leuven, every Friday in July is Beleuvenissen!

Beleuvenissen is a musical and cultural festival in the streets of Leuven. I hadn't taken any pictures of any indigenous Belgian people, so Eva and Thomas thought this might be a best opportunity to find a few. We wandered through the crowded city streets listening to live music on several stages, stopping for ice cream and then found this mobile bandstand.


Yes! Blue collar workers.

On the weekend, we stopped by Thomas' sister's house to see if our bikes still ran. Unlike every other time we go visit Toronto, we were smart enough to disconnect the batteries this time before we left, which Thomas had diligently kept topped up in our absence. Hopefully, now we wouldn't have to rush around trying to find new batteries for our motorcycles...


Neda reinstalls her battery. A nervous push of the starter button and *VROOOM* IT'S ALIVE!!!!

We celebrated with a nice farewell dinner that Karolien and her husband Kristof cooked for us. They were so generous and friendly, we even got to meet Thomas and Karolien's mom, and we can see where they got it from!


Thank you Karolien and Kristof for letting our bikes sleep at your place!

We weren't really dressed for the cool Belgian evening and we were shivering on the ride back to Eva and Thomas' place, but inside we were feeling very warm and fuzzy from the all the helpfulness and hospitality we've received.

I had one goal to accomplish while we were in Belgium getting ready for the next leg of our trip: Overcome my jetlag. This I failed at spectacularly, regularly climbing into bed around the same time as when Eva and Thomas were waking up to go to work.

On day we were supposed to leave, I think I only got an hour or two of sleep. Our departure time slipped later and later. Thankfully the days are long and the sun sets fairly late...

It was a bit of a sad goodbye for us, riding away from our temporary home in Belgium, because we're not sure when we'll see our very good friends again. I hope sooner than later.

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

So a funny thing happened on the way to Germany...

We took the highway from Leuven to Northern Germany. Not very exciting, so no pictures. But my odometer did tick over 200,000 kms along the way! We've been through a lot together, this old girl and I. And also my motorcycle as well...

[Hides from Neda]


Bernd and Katharina invited us to stay with them in Germany

We're just hopping from host to host all over Europe! I'm getting more used to accepting the kindness of strangers. I was brought up to be very self-sufficient and not to rely too much on other people, but this trip has taught me that there is a benefit to staying in other people's houses for free and eating all of their food...

But honestly, we gain so much when spending time with the locals, not just having a tour guide but also getting an understanding of the national and regional differences in attitudes, customs and their unique perspectives ie. trash-talking all those Big City Know-It-All Bavarians in the south!


Bernd and Katharina live just outside of Bremen, so they drove us in one day for a tour




Walking around the historic centre of Bremen

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

This is Bremen's claim to fame, you can see the spots where millions of tourists have rubbed the statue (ew)

Funny what a town can become well known for. The Town Musicians of Bremen are a Brothers Grimm fairy tale about four animals who outlive their usefulness and are cast out out of their home. They journey together to Bremen with the idea of becoming musicians. Along the way find a cottage being robbed by thieves. They surprise the robbers with a loud noise which makes them flee the cottage, but the next day, the thieves send one of them in to investigate. After being attacked by the animals, he later runs out of the cottage exclaiming:

"Ah, there is a horrible witch sitting in the house, who spat on me and scratched my face with her long claws (the cat). And by the door stands a man with a knife, who stabbed me in the leg (the dog). And in the yard there lies a black monster, who beat me with a wooden club (the donkey). And above, upon the roof, sits the judge, who called out (the rooster), bring the rogue here to me. So I got away as well as I could."

The robbers never return and the animals live happily ever after in the cottage.

What I find funny about the Town Musicians of Bremen is that in the story, they never actually become musicians. And also they never do make it to Bremen.


But there are statues everywhere in town dedicated to them...


The golden plaqued entrance to Böttcherstraße


Böttcherstraße is a narrow street in a part of the historic centre of Bremen that is well known for its brick architecture

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

More narrow streets in Bremen in the Schnoor Quarter


The Schnoor Quarter is Bremen's oldest district, dating back to the 15th century


Lots of quaint stores and cafes in the cobblestoned alleyways of the Schnoor Quarter


Back at home, Bernd's friend Klaus and his partner Ela pay us a visit on their cool bikes


Triumphs everywhere!

Bernd has a special fondness for Triumph motorcycles. In addition to Klaus and Ela's vintage-style Trumpets parked out front, our GSes shared garage space with Bernd's Tiger and Speed Triple.

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

We visit Klaus at his shop

Klaus and Bernd are planning an off-road motorcycle trip in Romania at the end of the summer. Klaus is preparing a Triumph Thruxton especially for this trip.


Bernd and Klaus go over the Thruxton build


Over dinner Bernd introduces us to his favorite German brew and that's when the deep conversations started!
At least they seemed pretty deep at the time...

Bernd is always quick with a smile and a joke! He really made us feel at home in his place and it was nice getting to know him and Katharina over the last few days.


Our hosts keep chickens in their yard, and Neda had fun feeding them! Or maybe she was in pain, can't really tell...


Thanks Bernd and Katharina for all the wonderful hospitality!

The open road is calling out to us! Time to ride!

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/240.html



It's always exciting to visit a new country!

Today we're riding into Denmark. We know nothing about Denmark. Neda says, "I think it's a kingdom". I thought it was a state, and that there was something rotten there. And also there are pastries that are named after the people. But other than that, nada.


Passing through Hamburg, we visit Neda's high-school friend Tamara

It's going to be a long ambitious riding day today, partly because we've planned to stop in nearby Hamburg to have lunch with Neda's high school friend Tamara. I left the girls alone to chat and ducked into a grocery store to stock up on supplies for our northern leg of our journey. We had heard that Scandinavia is very expensive so I'm trying to cram my topcase full of inexpensive, non-perishable items, but Germany isn't exactly cheap by North American standards either.

The value of the Canadian peso has plummeted vs the Euro since the beginning of the year, and it's reflected in every credit card statement as we've tried to adhere to a strict Euro budget and still the Canadian cost has increased by almost 20%!

Which makes it the *perfect* time to go riding in the most expensive place in Europe...


Riding across the bridge to the German island of Fehmarn

It's perfect riding weather, about 20C and the sun is out. It's very rare that we feel like we're in the right place at the right time, but I think we're timing our Scandinavia trip perfectly!


Quickest way to get from Germany to Denmark is to take a ferry

To save some time, we're crossing the narrow strait between Puttgarden, Germany to Rodby, Denmark. It's a 45 minute ferry ride and at €47 each, it's more expensive than gas to ride around the long way. So I purposely don't do the mental conversion rate while handing my credit card at the terminal. Sticking my head in the Scandinavia.


Trying to catch a quick snooze on the ferry before arriving in Denmark

__________________
Gene - http://www.RideDOT.com