And I'm spent...

So before I get all soppy with a closing paragraph about how this whole adventure has finally come to an end, let me first give a brief account of my last day/ride from Luxembourg back to Herne (my home base in Germany)...

I spent a few brief hours on Thursday morning exploring the city of Luxembourg (in the country of Luxembourg). I had already written it off as a flash in the pants (is that the expression?), a brief stop-off for Euro tourists more eager to move on to either Germany or France. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised, a common theme on this trip, by the cities modernity and overall strength of presence. You know what I mean? Like it had impressive character...The historic part grew up on a plateau surrounded by cliffs on three of its four sides. On those three sides, massive walls were built that have helped (in large part) give Luxembourg its charm...they are ever present, no matter where you wander in the city. A lot of the stores, restaurants, and shops were young and up-beat with funky products, great food, and prices that didn't crush me...a factor that became more and more important in each city as the journey continued (note: Berlin killed it in this category...). But time moved on and so I was forced to do the same...off to Herne!

About 1.5 hours into the ride my navigation buddy "Tomtom," who I've referred to less-than-amicably before, totally let me down (again). Luckily I was just outside of Koln and was able to find my way back from there. But still, I took it as a sign from whatever forces may be that the trip needed to be over, STAT. Two more hours of jostling winds (aka the prodding younger sibling that I've also referred to before...less-than-amicably), and feeling entirely insignificant on the autobahn where cars were blowing by me like I was riding in mud, I pulled into the garage at my good friend Markus' house and officially called an end to my adventure...

In a lot of ways my heart was/has been sinking since then. This journey has been the spark in the back of my mind for a long time now, pushing me along a path that guaranteed its realization. I suspect that I'll never be able to do anything quite like it ever again, but am having a tough time understanding exactly what that means...ya dig? Regardless, I've got more time to sort that out, and in the meantime, I am hugely thankful to have completed it in good health and with minor frustration. I sold the old lady today and have closed the door on what has been an absolutely amazing, life-changing 5 weeks of riding...guten riding.

I hope you've enjoyed following my adventures as much as I've enjoyed living and sharing them. There were moments when I truly wished someone else was there with me, and this blog helped me keep it in perspective that way.

My flight tomorrow gets me back to New York at about 4 PM, apparently just late enough for Bloomberg to have arranged a welcoming party. I've been told to expect a red carpet, escort (police kind and also  Eliot Spitzer kind), and champagne on the runway. I'd prefer a more low-key arrival, but in the event that I can't get my way, I'll throw up one more concluding post...

ALSO...as promised, I'd like to elect one city as having had the most positive impact on my trip (for whatever reason...food, architecture, lodging, purchases made there etc.). I'm a little wary to do so though, because I hate to indirectly bash the other stops along my way. So don't let this be a minus for the majority, but rather a positive for one. Clearly the options were ridiculously competitive, but all in all, one stands out in my mind above all the rest...

BERLIN, get there.

Enjoy these pictures...wrapping it up and also including a collection of my personal favorites from the trip.

LUXEMBOURG & HERNE

Luxembourg, city wall and all...

 Welcome back to Herne

 Comfy in the stable...for one more night

POSE SHOT, duh...

You probably think that that's a dog. It's actually a cat. And yes, it's on a leash...

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
 Pete's top picks...

 Day 1, Münster...

Day 1, Hannover...newspaper building by night

 Day 4, Berlin...Berlin Cathedral and the Fernsehturm (TV tower)

Day 4, Berlin...WWII Memorial

Day 5, Berlin..."Neues Nationalgalerie"

 Day 6, Prague...Frank Gehry's dancing building

Day 8, Novy Dvur Monastery...guesthouse

Day 13, en route to Fussen...first peek at the Bavarian Alps

Day 13, Austrian Alps...en route to Innsbruck

 Day 14, Bolzano...a look at the Dolomites just before she broke down

 Day 17, Lake Como...dreamy

 Day 17, Lake Como...a hike up into the mountains

 Day 20, Nice...

Day  21, outside Aix-en-Provence...guten riding

 Day 29, Paris..doesn't get too much better

 Day 31, Paris...inside Kapoor's "Leviathan" at the Grand Palais

Paris, Kapoor, Luxembourg...

So I spent the majority of the day in Paris where I had decided to stick around for an extra 24 hours. Getting a little bit lost with Kevin on one of our last days eventually put us in front of the Grand Palais of the Champs d'Elysee where a massive sign reading "MONUMENTA" caught our attention...good thing. Anish Kapoor, global star in the world of sculpture, was invited to fill the massive nave of the Palais with an original sculpture. The 4th edition, this event is apparently a big deal and lucky for me, today was the opening. I also had the chance to listen to the exhibition's curator while he gave a few short and informal interviews about the project. Important paraphrases; "'Leviathan [name of sculpture] brings us into a dark place that we all know very well...maybe reminiscent of a womb, a place of creation or fertility, a Venus. Or maybe a place more cryptic..." and on he went. Too much for me to remember or accurately report, but that at least helped shape my understanding of it, and hopefully gets you interested. The sculpture was a massive inflation, literally....Pics below.

My ensuing ride to Luxembourg was a West-to-East one so the only amuse-yeux moments happened in my side mirrors. That said, a quick stop for gasoline had me wandering through part of the Ardenne Forest on the French/Belgian border before finding the pump. Two small towns, both crowned by castles on overlooking cliffs, were a few of the gems that I found on that adventure...

Arrived here in Luxembourg at about 9:30, set up shop, and have headed out to grab a bite.

ONE MORE RIDE! I can't believe it. So bummed that it's already coming to a close...

Enjoy the shots...

Centre Pompidou 

A leftover from two nights ago in Paris...

Kapoor's "Leviathan" inside the Grand Palais

Inside...was very strange. Quiet, glowing, and pressurized

 

 An admirer

 Passing through the eastern French countryside, approaching Belgium 

Bouillon, Belgium

"Oh, hi castle perched up on the cliff, didn't see ya there..."

The Ardenne Forest in profile

One of my favorite "places" on this trip...

A perch in the middle of the city, looking down on the gorge running through Luxembourg.

No tourists, no problems...

SCHEDULE:
Returning to Germany, right meow!

PARIS

First off, sorry for the absence. I have had far less free time and a far crappier internet connection since making it to Paris. Hope I haven't lost too many of you. Back to business...

This penultimate leg of the journey began on Thursday night after a 5 hour sprint from Geneva. I had a lengthy and saucy write up about that ride and its general amazingness, but "5 days removed" has taken its toll. To give you a taste... it was going to start with the defintion of the French culinary expression "amuse bouche." Then I was going to follow that by proposing a new expression..."amuse yeux" (kind of rhymes in frog-talk), defined by the kind of epic visual stimulation I experienced for 5+ hours driving due West during an extended sunset over French wine country. Needless to say, the post was going to be Pulitzer worthy and I know you're dying inside knowing that it probably would have helped you find your Buddha/reach full enlightenment...my bad.

Instead, I offer the following drivel...

Friday started with a couple treats....Kev's flight got delayed 4 hours and I realized that I had booked the wrong hotel. It was an ominous beginning, though quickly righted by his arrival and our ensuing baguette & brie feast in the gardens in front of the Louvre under a cloudless sky. After a ridiculously good typical French dinner, we met up with some friends/ friends-of-friends, who thankfully helped us sort out Paris' Canadian bar scene. Quite a scene...The next three days saw a lot of the same...visits to the must-see's (Musee d'Orsay, Louvre, Champs d'Elysee, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur etc.), baguette breaks all over the city, outstanding dinners, and a couple of entertaining nights trying to figure out the local scene. Even got up early one morning to catch the sun breaking over a few of the famous landmarks...definitely one of the highlights.

There's a lot more to share from this trip, but unfortunately I'm exhausted and dead set on getting some much needed sleep. I'll share all the deets with all those who care when I come home (IN LESS THAN A WEEK)!

Enjoy this small batch of photos....a couple priceless poses. 

 First, the Eiffel Tower. 

Quickly became an obsession...

Great light...

Typical weather for the trip...got reallly lucky

 

Looking down and West-ish from the tower, towards the Palais de Chaillot and the Financial District

 

The ol' Arc...de Triomphe

 

 

Three pretty solid pose shots...

 

The first two are from when Kev and I stumbled onto a street hockey game (straight out of "Mighty Ducks," or specifically, "D2") going on by the Esplanade des Invalides...  

 

This kid's struggling after taking an epic, 5-star, stunt-man-worthy digger

Wish I'd had my camera out about 10 seconds earlier to catch his fall...on film

French hockey at its finest

NOMINEE FOR " PHOTO OF THE TRIP"

 Showing the artist a little sass was just one part of this girl taking her 

street vendor self-portrait entirely too seriously...

Hypocrite? Indian-giver? What's the word.....?

Alright, so maybe I screwed the pooch earlier with my semi-condemnation of Geneva. Turns out that being stranded in this little city for the day might have actually been a stroke of good luck.

After a morning spent in the nearby 'burbs fixing up m'lady, I found my way back to the city center where a couple of hours on a lakeside dock had me further rosifying my already burned cheeks and taking a few minutes to continue "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (which just keeps getting better...). Per a suggestion from Jan "DJ Swizz" Gromadzki (trusted Swiss native and good buddy from school) I took a stroll along the lake around sunset and got a good feel for the city during its first hour or two of post-work buzz. Bewitching hour, no? The weather was perfect and everyone was out. What looked like an impromptu lakeside party had me wishing that I knew some of the people and could join in on the good time being had. I did take a few minutes for myself here to enjoy the sites while munching my own gourmet European snack...nutella on a baguette, ha! Totally does the trick...

A quick visit to an architectural landmark (Ugo Brunoni's "Eglise Catholique Romane") raised my spirits (and Geneva's street cred) further. Dinner followed, at a cool  little restaurant in the old section of town up on the hill ("Le Crise,"Jan, you know it?). I spent well beyond my means but had an amazing amazing, amazing meal...little house salad action, bottle of red wine, and an entree of beef with a truffle oil sauce (or something like that...). The gourmandes in my life reading this should be jealous. What's more, the two women next to me (a pair of sweethearts) were decent enough to entertain a small conversation. In fact, small tangent here, on eo fhte benefits of traveling alone and eating at small restaurants by yourself is that you're always something of a spectacle. Conversation often times starts up with the people around you simply, I think, cause they want to know what's wrong with you!...why no one agreed to come eat with you! But anyway, back on track, one of the girls was apparently a wine lover and offered me a few must-visit vineyards on today's journey to Paris. Sadly, dinner came to an end and I headed back to that humble abode...my tent.

Still in Geneva now, about to head over and pick up the bike...

PHOTOS, finally. First some oldies from Avignon...

 The Pont Saint-Bénezet (or Pont d'Avignon)...bridge to nowhere

Another shot of the Palais des Papes

Geneva...I misjudged

Night time arrival...that'll do sunset, that'll do

Crowd, just out of work, enjoying drinks by the lake

Pete, just out of luck, enjoying a nutella baguette by the lake

Brunoni's funky li'l church. Unfortunately, it was all locked up and I didn't get to see inside...

Ahhh....blurry, but you get the idea. So good!

Schedule:
Paris tonight to meet up with Serena and then spend 4 days with ma boy Kev

Avignon to Genève to nowhere soon...

A quick update for those of you who read this just to make sure I'm still alive. Don't want you fretting over your lunch....

I left Avignon and arrived in Genève last night after a long, but enjoyable ride through France's wine country (am still taking orders if you want a bottle...I charge a 50 Euro carriers fee + a glass upon opening).  The only issue on the ride was about an hours worth of harassment from the wind. Ripping along the highway in gusty weather with no windshield and no doors is comparable, I imagine, to an annoying younger sibilng (I "imagine" because I was that younger sibling), poking and prodding  until you just about lose it.  That was the first hour of the trip...the wind poking and prodding, jostling my bike around until I had just about lost it. Younger siblings are tangible, or rather, hittable...and they usually get the picture after a swift smack, no? I think I did anyway. But the wind is a trickier foe. So I bit the bullet, kept on riding, and eventually found smoother sailing. Swiss Alps loomed in the east, over my right handlebar, for most of the trip and I finally found myself looking out over Lac Lemar and downtown Geneva. Not a whole lot of character here from what I've seen (no offense to any of the yodeling Swiss that might be reading this...), although it's not an easy task standing up to some of the European heavyweights I've seen on this trip. That said, it is physically attractive and it is 80 degrees and sunny and it is on the edge of a massive, beautiful lake. So it is bearable, to say the least.

After a quick ride around the town, I retired to my campsite for the night eager to get up and check out the city in the morning. (Quick background....I've been planning on making it to Paris by tomorrow night where I'm meeting two people; best bud Kevin McCarthy from college and old friend Serena Wolf from high school. I told Serena that I'd be in town, "barring any motorcycle issues..." by Thursday night...same words I used when relating my travel plans to friend Julia before my arrival (*my delayed arrival) in Milan. Same words, same terrible consequence...) I woke up this morning with a flat tire. Awesome. After visiting three different mechanics and polishing up my French, I finally found a guy who could have it fixed by tomorrow, for a fat wad of Euros. Also awesome. Soooo, stuck in Geneva for the day/night with no easy means of transport. Pain in the arse!

That's my update. Send me suggestions on how to fill my time in this city if you know it well. Jan and H, I'm looking at you...

-Guten walking

(no pics right now cause I've temporarily misplaced the cord for my camera...will follow later)

Nice to Aix-en-Provence to Avignon...

Another quick two days and I'm already through three weeks of my trip...how terrible is that!? Flying back to the states on Sunday, May 15th which leaves me 14 days in Europe, but only about 10 more on the road. Trying to savor every second but time marches on and I'm constantly on to the next thing...

Yesterday had me leaving Nice after a 2 hour beach session (was properly burned while reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"...a recent rec, perfect for me right now) for the town of Aix-en-Provence, which is just about two hours due west past Cannes and St. Tropez. I arrived late last night and was in the mood to treat myself to some good French cookin'. Little did I know that the restaurant I chose, Les Deux Freres, was one of Cezanne's favorites back in the day. The painter spent a lot of time in Aix painting Mount St. Victoire, the mountain just east of the city that I meandered down en route from Nice...lots of switchbacks and hairpins.

Anywho, so I arrived in Aix, grabbed dinner, set up camp, and woke up this morning to do a little more exploring around the city. After visiting the market, doing a little reading and a lot of people watching, I saddled my bags and took off for Avignon, where I'm now resting my bones. My on and off again friend, TomTom the navigator, failed me multiple times en route and what should have been an hour trip took more like 2 1/2. There might have been some pilot error, but blaming plastic is too easy. Avignon seems dece, but I'll have cruise some more tomorrow before I give it the thumbs up...

NOTE: Everything seems better in southern France. It's sunny every day, it smells delicious everywhere, the food is unbelievable, the roads are great, and the people look good....

NOTE 2: There's a karaoke bar outside my window tonight blaring some classic Queen and ABBA. Now how much do you want to be here...?

PHOTOS...

In case you forgot, this is the main drag in Nice, looking out towards the Mediterranean.

Stashed the bike here, marched down to the beach, got burned, winced my way back up...

French Countryside after leaving Nice...

Mt. St. Victoire outside of Aix

The little dots in the sky are hang-gliders...

Hairpin coming down Mt. St. Victoire...unknown why Cezanne didn't paint this

 Night time arrival in Aix-en-Provence

Some townhouse action...

In Aix, struck me as "just right..."

From Aix to Avignon...

The "Palais des Papes" in Avignon, once the seat of the Papacy

Apparently the largest Gothic palace in the whole wide world...

Schedule: A little bit up in the air...Avignon tomorrow morning and then possibly to Lyon or Geneva. Original plans called for a long ride to Andorra, but unfortunately are being scrapped for time purposes...