´Stralia

Whoa...

boy time flies when you're having fun. 

I made the FHB ride, just waiting to hear back form the Irish IBA

Not that it was easy, guess that's the point. 

Long distance riding isn't for everybody.

I think I mentioned that I was heading to the Island of Hvar, Croatia for a few days.

My friend Valentina put me up in one of her apartments and I stayed there for 5 days.  

Enjoying their hospitality, the island, their village, the sea, the wine and good food.

What a totally amazing place, and an amazing time was had. 

If there were one place I could head back to tomorrow, it would be here.

Famous tree-on-bridge

I even made it to the UK and spent a week in Scotland with Lorraine. 

We even made it as far as Harris and was able to check out the actual Harris tweed at it's source.

A weekend away was a welcome break from my constant travelling.  

Scotland is always special for me and made even better by my mate.  

I did so much in the past few months, I've probably forgotten more than most have done.

A Scottish beach, noice!

The remotest tennis court in Scotland? Ask Andy Murray's mum!

The Most westerly point on the UK mainland.

Build it on a swamp? why not? 

Again!

Camden town

After Scotland, a week in London was necessary to say goodbye. 

Henning and Ronan made that possible, thanks.

Europe, Scotland, Europe...it all seems like a dream now.  The adventures, the dramas

The miles, the friends - both new and old, the places and the sights.

I made it back to Australia at the beginning of October. 

I've been working since the 21st, didn't waste any time.

It's a bit strange being back in the normal workforce, not that agency is normal.

Night duty at the moment.

Getting used to being back in Australia, near family and friends, looking for a home for the Wandering Sebastabator.

I may have found one, but time will tell. the bank wants 3 months work history...hummmmm

A coldie at the cricket

My nieces seem to like Melinda.

Girly car dayz

its been over 10 days since I had Melinda picked up by the breakdown service.
But, I've not let that put an end to my travels.
After picking up the hire car, what a rigmoral.
It took from the early morning till 1900 to get the car sorted, but eventually I Did.
I arrived in Ljubljana a couple of days ago & managed to catch up with an old friend, Tina.
Not before I bumped into Ivan, the crazy Serb-Croat at the bar in the campgrounds.
I just wanted a quick beer before I had dinner and met with Tina.
He called me over to the bar and started buying drinks. He was on white wine, so I had the same.

But wait, let me go back a little. Since I last wrote, I caught up with a few old friends in Kassel,
I attended Thomas' birthday dinner, spent loads of time with Jay.
Rode from Kassel to Trondheim, Norway to begin my FHB-48.
On the way to Trondheim, I was involved in an accident. No damage to Melinda, apart from scratched crash-bars. Guess that's why they're called crash-bars. Can't say the same for the car, though.
Couple o' new doors will fix her up.
Yes, I came off. Yes, I believe the car was at fault.
No, my life didn't flash before my eyes, I was too busy trying to avoid a disaster.
I made it to Trondheim, performed a few minor repairs and rested.
The next day o started my ride, to Fucking, Hell and Bach.
It was pure hell, but worth every butt-numbing kilometre
Around 3,300 km.
and I bloody loved every single one of them.

After completing the FHB-48, I rested. Not before noticing a problem with the front suspension.
I think Melinda developed a leaky fork seal and/or a problem with the front wheel bearings.
Not too sure, the next day I contacted BMW breakdown, they picked the bike up on the Friday and have had it ever since (14/08/2015)
That night I stayed in the Pullman, Toulouse, next day I picked up the gay-girly-fiat 500c in which I'm now travelling and mentioned at the start of this entry.
A bit of a different ride to Melinda, but it has a convertible roof :-)
Next day I headed south to Lagrasse, near Carcassonne.
After that I joined Anna and the kids at La Mole, Katharina's place.
Stayed the night, then we all travelled together to pick up Jay at Nice airport then onto Genoa, Italy.
We all stayed there 3 nights and explored Genoa.
Next, onto Lake Como where we spent 2 nights. Took a boat ride around the lake and a few local towns, Cernobio and Como. Had an awesome lunch together.
The next day we went our separate ways, they headed to Zurich and I, Ljubljana.
I was to meet with an old friend, Tina, in town.
Before that, I met Ivan the crazy Serb-Croat who insisted on buying me drinks in large quantities.
I don't think I was in any fit state when I met up with Tina, but I never am :-)
Next day I headed into the castle and spent the afternoon being entertained by the walking tour. It was informative & fun. That evening I met a young Italian couple travelling by motorcycle travelling through.
Next day, I decided to join the bicycle tour of Ljubljana and met Chris, a retired Emirated Captain. We got on like a house on fire and had similar interests - beer
So, we hit the brewery, ate, took a tour and then proceeded to partake of the amber liquid
We also found a great restaurant and (influenced by beer) decided to travel together for a while.
Tuesday, we headed for Zagreb via Novo Mesto. Novo Mesto gave us nothing more than lunch and we decided to head East, over the border, to Zagreb.
We checked out Zagreb, decided we liked it and had a great time.
Following day we headed to Belgrade. Trying to find a campground here was no easy task. After a 90min border crossing we wanted nothing more than a few beers and a bit to eat. Searching for the campground, we crossed Belgrade 3 times and found 2 camps that either didn't exist or had closed 3-4 years previous. Bugger.
At our 3rd attempt, we were successful, but the entry road didn't look too promising. We arrived there many hours later than planned, but as we had nothing planned, it didn't really matter.
At least the bar was open and Chris had some grub in his van. Dinner was served.
Next day we headed into Belgrade, after a late start.
We had a bit of a look round, some awesome ribs, several beers then decided on a walking tour. The trouble was quite long, the guide knowledgable but a bit long-winded. We then had dinner in "My hat" traditional Serbian fare - absolutely awesome grub. We felt a bit wiped out by the previous days' drinking but nothing a couple more beers couldn't fix.
Finally, we managed to get a train back to the camp, had a goodbye bevvy then the end of the day.
Today we said our goodbyes. Chris is heading into Hungary today, I've decided to head to the Island of Hvar, Croatia. I have a friend down there who invited me a while ago. And I need some beach time.
I don't expect to hear anything about Melinda till Tuesday at the earliest, so a weekend on the island it is.
No real plans except to travel. Truly, I am living the life of Riley.

Moving but standing still...

I find myself still in Kassel. Not that that's such a bad thing, it's only been a couple of weeks and there have been plenty of good times as well as reminiscing.

After landing in Denmark, I rode straight to schwaförden and my mate Michi.
Here, we fit new tyres (12,000km +) it seems that Iceland managed to kill my rear one.
I also was able to perform the service and get Melinda ready for another 10,000-15,000 km around Europe. You may scoff at the big numbers, but to me they are only distractions, markers to be glanced at as they roll by.
The achievement is journey, the destination is mostly only there to give direction and make it easier to explain to others. There is no real destination.
Rambling!!!

Anyway, last weekend was the 30th anniversary of Samhain M/C and I convinced Jay to join me there. He even rode pillion, 254km each way. Quite an achievement for a novice.
From the moment we arrived our proverbial cups overflowed with kindness, friendship and drink. What a night. It's always a good time up with the club. With the good food, good mood, 300-400 bikers, beer, cocktails, camping, ceremonies, shots, fire-breathing strippers, burn-outs, a night to remember.
The next day we returned to Kassel, a little worse for wear & decided to visit the thermal baths for some much needed recovery.  As I learned in Iceland, there is nothing better than swimming, sauna, steam-rooms to help the body and mind heal.

This past week I've been spending some quality time with Jay, Bomb (Anna) and the kids drove to St Tropez last weekend.
I even managed to sit in on Jay's band practice a couple of times and just do normal stuff.

Enough of that.
I've started getting ready for the next phase of my journey.
I shall embark upon my first IBA of 2015. This will be my second attempt of the FHB-48. Hopefully
this time I'll be successful.   The ride: Fucking, Hell and Bach in 48 hours. Over 2000 miles. Last time I started in Bach, France rode across to Fucking, Austria and on to Hell, Norway. This time I shall begin my ride in the north and travel South. After reading a few reviews, this seems the most likely route that will be successful.

So, today I shall wash, pack Melinda, pick up a few supplies, and ready myself.
Another important part of my preparation was to replace the original seat on Melinda. The old one was extremely soft, didn't offer much in the way of support and became uncomfortable very quickly.
I got the name of a guy who reupholsters motorcycle seats from Tobias, a German biker I met in Iceland.
I guess this ride will be the ultimate test.

Tomorrow morning I'll be back on the road again and heading north so I may eventually head South.

Back in Germany.

A total of 3165km in Iceland. Much further than I expected. Plus another 568km on the Faroe Islands.
Once again I was absolutely surprised by what I found on the Faroes, Although completely different to Iceland. In some ways they reminded me of Scotland.

Reykjavik was better than expected.
The first thing I did was visit a trey shop and had my rear tyre professionally repaired. I'd completed over 2177km on my repair but felt now was the time to have it seen to. The information in the repair kit stated no more than 10km and not over 50km/h.
The repair would not have held much longer. And I'd completed several hundred kilometres on gravel/dirt/mud roads. The repairman told me that if a stone had pressed directly on my repair, it could have had bad consequences. Phew!

The campsite was the biggest and best but also the busiest (naturally) it had everything one needed and more. I had decided to stay a couple of nights and maybe get to know the city a little. The campsite was situated next to the swimming pool, this suited me perfectly.

Next day I went for a walk around old Reykjavik. Visited the laundromat for coffee, museum 871 +/- 2, visited same small local markets, met some Vikings fron yorkshire and Iceland, and ended up at the "man cave".
In the man cave, as I was about to head back to the campsite, have dinner & go to bed, I met a great Icelandic couple who joined me and turned it into an awesome evening.
With tales of fishing & working on boats, the hardships & challenges of being a young person on Iceland, relationships etc. not at all what I expected. We talked into the wee small hours but it remained light the whole evening. Much fun & many drinks later, I headed back. Leaving this
amazing city behind.

The next day I headed to the obligatory blue lagoon. Smaller than I expected but relaxing. And exactly what I required after an evening out in Reykjavik. The waters were cloudy but warm, full of minerals and thermal goodness. The saunas were even warmer and perfect for an Icelandic summer's day.
The last few days on Iceland, after Reykjavik were a bit of an anticlimax. I had to travel predominantly on the "1" which did not excite me. But I did get to see the puffins, near Vik, along with more than 24 hours of solid rain. Here I discovered that the floor of my tent was no longer waterproof. And most things became damp. Not too classy in cold conditions.
One of the highlights from the south coast was visiting the Glacier Lagoon. What a totally amazing place. Once again I was blown away.
On my last day's ride in Iceland, i was following the 1 back to Seydisfjördur and my GPS indicated a shortcut (along the 939) which would save me 65km. I decided to take this as both roads were gravel.
After a couple of kilometres I discovered that I had perhaps underestimated the difficulty of my
chosen path. It wasn't 4wd country, but not far from it. The gravel was rough, at times very soft where it had been "repaired", slippery, muddy, loose and went over a 500 metre pass through dense fog.
Every single one of my motorcycling skills were challenged that day.
Later, when people asked me which way I'd ridden, I explained that I'd ridden over the 939 instead of the 1. Most would then take a look at my bike, tyres, the amount of gear that I had, me with disbelief. No way, they wouldn't believe that I'd made it through unscathed.
Sometimes I don't just surprise myself, but others too.

On the trip to the Faroes I met more bikers with tales tall & true. Everyone wanted to share and give/receive advice. It was a real get together. I got off at the Faroes and travelled the next 3 days with a German couple from Bavaria (Martin & Dagmar). Dagmar had broken a bone in her wrist after a tumble and I think they were glad of the company, I know I was. I'd previously met them the day after my puncture. Together we discovered the islands on two bikes (she couldn't ride properly and
was now pillion)

Each day we rode 150-250km. And loved every minute of it. Reaching out of the way places and Tiny villages that seemed to be cut off from the world.
One day, while out riding, we pulled I front of a large (20+) Icelandic & Faroes bikers. I thought this was a cool sight. After a few kilometres, the leader rode up beside me, opened his visor, I thought "oh no" and he invited us for coffee.  When a group of Icelandic/Faroes bikers invite you to coffee, you accept and enjoy their coffee and cake.
The people here are amazingly friendly and open.

After my visit to the islands I had planned to take a ferry to Norway and attempt the FHB-48 again. But by now Melinda needed a service and new tyres. So I decided to head south to visit my mate Michi, get new tyres and service Melinda myself. It's not a difficult thing and I'm learning every day.
I'd also heard from one of the guys who helped with my puncture about a company near Köln called
"alles für'n Arsch" who reupholsters motorcycle seats.   I stayed with Michi a few days, completed said service & tyres. After that I headed back South again to Kassel via Köln and ordered my seat.
I've been here in Kassel for the past week, spending time with Jay, Bomb and the boys. School holidays have begun and we've been having a blast catching up.

Yesterday I rode to Köln and back (588 km) to pick up my seat. I think it's an improvement, I hope so. it certainly gives much more support. I've also decided to invest in a new tent. There is no point in travelling around with a leaky house, I've still almost two months to go and looking out the window I think more rain is on its way.

Well, I think I need a coffee and to say hi to the boys.

Iceland - the north

Truly, I am in awe every single day.
I've spent the past week, or so, travelling across the north of Iceland.
What a totally, amazingly, awesome country.
After travelling through North Iceland, the westfjörds, west Iceland, I now find myself in Reykjavìk.
Aproximately 2350 km so far, phew.

From the first day my abilities were challenged with about 100km of off-road riding.
I've never really learnt to ride enduro, so it was a steep learning curve for me.
But I seem to have pulled it off.  With a couple of small mishaps.
Day one, after an hour or more of gravel road, I got my first puncture.
With help from a couple of German bikers, I managed to repair the tyre and limp 20km to the next campsite. The repair info states no more than 10km and no faster than 50kmh. That would seriously dampen the trip.
But I made it & we all went out for dinner & beers that evening.
Next day, I enquired about having the tyre professionally repaired, the mechanic advised he could do no better than I and my repIr looked good. I had to continue.
I met another couple from Germany & together we travelled the day with no problem.
I enquired with a tyre specialist who agreed that the repair was ok & he wasn't happy to do anything with it.
So I continued, a total of 2177km on the repaired tyre at normal speeds (90kmh)
Arriving in Reykjavìk, I enquired at a 3rd place and they agreed to repair it.
I removed the wheel and when the mechanic took the tyre off he was able to remove my plug easily, guess it was only a matter of time before it came away.

I feel much better now, But can't say that it held me back.
I tackled everything that Iceland threw at me. Dirt, gravel, highway.
I've learnt new riding skills and how to tackle off-road sections.
Although, I did drop Melinda in the middle of a particularly long gravel section.
I decided to stop at an intersection, unsure of the road conditions on the side road.
As I pulled up, the front tyre slid out and down she went.
Luckily I wasn't moving, guess that's why I fitted engine bars etc.   I'd hate to think of the damage without that protection.
My Icelandic journey could have ground to a halt.
As for the damage, some minor scratches to the bars, nothing more.

Since day 2, I've been heading to the swimming pool every day.  Every village & town has one and it seems to be Icelandic custom to go daily. I have totally embraced this and love to relax in the hot tub after a long day's ride. I could get used to this lifestyle.

So, the next few days I shall chill, discover Reykjavìk, relax and plan my return to the ferry in the east - Seydisfjördur.

Last dayz

What a great week it's been.
It started off a bit rough; delayed flight out of nice, missed connection in Gatwick, missed the last boat once I did make it to guernsey, unexpected hotel stay etc
But I finally made it to The island, packed my belongings and sent them off to be shipped.

I've spent every day this week preparing for the next part in my adventure.
Making sure Melinda is top fit for the trip, organising insurances, fitting a few final items to Melinda, getting my camera cleaned and finally ensuring that I will be fit enough to take on this mammoth feat.
3 months on the road, many thousands of kilometres, nights under the stars, strange and wonderful foods and people.
It will be epic.

I'll also be sure to catch up with a few friends along the way, go to all the parties I can, push my physical, emotional and spiritual limits.

From the glaciers and volcanoes in Iceland to the monkeys of Gibraltar, the German beer to the whisky Of Skye.  It just has to be done, and what better person to do it.
I invite you to follow my (mis) adventures.
Laugh because of me or at me, it's all the same to me. Just keep smiling.

I hope our paths will cross sooner or later.

Time and tide wait for no man...

Time just seems to be escaping me.
I've done nothing and plenty in the past month.

Charl, my successor, joined us and I suppose we've had an extended hand-over period. He's been given some time-off which works out quite well for me.
I can reflect on what we've covered and what's left to discuss.
It also gives me a justifiable reason for hanging on.
but he'll return next week and at the end of that week I'll leave the boat.
After that I'll have about a week to finalise everything and send my things on.

Last weekend was pretty hectic.
Saturday I got up early to see Charl off.
Later, whilst I was out walking, I stubbed my toe and broke it.
I didn't realise it was broken till I got back on the boat and removed my socks.
Somehow I thought a broken toe would appear...more broken
Just some bruising and a little pain.  I think it's ok now.
Then while having beers with the Chef, my tooth broke.
Admittedly, I'd been having a bit of pain and had visited the dentist in the week, but he'd given me the all-clear.

What a day!

Yesterday I sat down and decided that the time had come to start organising my exit.
I have provisionally made plans for flights (Nice-Gatwick-Guernsey)
I've booked my ferry from Guernsey-St Malo.

Now it's just a matter of waiting for the time to pass.
Think I'll try out my five-finger shoes and see if my toe has actually healed

The First of May

This morning, I find myself waking up in the Monte Carlo Bay Resort.
I am not at all surprised by the fact that we are in Monaco, a little surprised that I'm in the hotel.

It seems that some of the ship's crew have become ill and we are giving the Yacht a "wide-berth".
Although, with today being a public holiday and no-one willing to work, I'll be boarding the Yacht this afternoon for my final weeks.

My Final Weeks...
I'm quite looking forward to this.  My successor, Charl, shall be joining me on Monday and I shall take my time (6 weeks) to impart my knowledge upon him.
To be honest, it could be completed within a shorter period of time but hey, I can take it easy if that's how they want it.

Sure, there are plenty of things to discuss; what, where, when, who and why. What to drink, Where to do said drinking, What time do they open, Who will be serving the drinks and of course the all important Why.  Why don't I have another drink?
That should take us through till the end of the first month, by which time we may need a break from all the drinking.

If that happens, I suppose we could talk about the job itself!
That'd be an awful drag, but I guess it'll have to be done.

Anyway, For the time-being, I'll make the most of it.

Oh, and just to let you know that I'm ok, I'll add a photo from my balcony.

Au Revoir!

From here to there and back...

I don't know what you got up to last week but I do know what I did.
I suppose that goes without saying, for most of us.

Well, I managed to get some last-minute holidays approved so I thought I'd make good use  of my time and visit people I hadn't seen in a while.

After a few hastily written emails and some hotel reservations I was off to the mainland, yet again.
Basically I did a bit of an anti-clockwise route.

Firstly, from the islands by ferry and across France.
I spent a couple of nights over the weekend with Nathan, Monika and Emma.  It was good to catch up, just after Nathan's birthday and also to see how much young Emma had developed.  Was a good weekend.

Next, off to see the Whaleys. To tell you the truth, they didn't seem to have changed much since I'd last seen them.  Physically, there was little change but they are definitely exhibiting more individual personalities.  Of course, Bomb hasn't changed much but Jay's hairline is a bit like the horizon, you can't really say where it starts.

The ride across to Nathan's was uneventful, with an overnight stop in Le Mans.  North From there to Jay's was equally uneventful.

Although, I have just now realised how stressful it is riding through Germany, especially compared to France.  I don't know what it is.  I guess the Germans believe that they have the RIGHT to occupy the middle lane no-matter what speed they are travelling at, or other road-users.  The French tend to be more polite and keep out of the inside lane.  Or maybe they just get such a fright when they see Melinda looming up behind them that they get out of the way...
She is a beast of a bike!

The ride back to St Malo was just as uneventful but a little longer and I decided to take my time.  A short 1060 km in 11 hours, no stress, quite relaxing really.
But I was ready for a beer (or 5) and Calzone when I arrived.  The Hotel in St Malo was nothing special but exactly what I required.

I did somewhere around 2000+ km, all this to-ing and fro-ing has me looking forward to Summer and  the challenges that Lie ahead.  The bike was great but seems to have developed an intermittent fault with the cruise control. After a bit of an internet search, it appears that this is not an uncommon fault and should be covered by warranty. Guess it's a good thing it has occurred now and not in Iceland or some other remote place.  Blessing in disguise?

I was even able to catch up with Charl (my successor) and his wife.  Give him a few tips and information on what to expect etc. and show-off Melinda.

Lastly, I managed to get some nursing training done at the Institute. Woo-hoo
Some people were wondering if I was returning, others hadn't realise that I'd even left.

What a super productive week.

Now I'm back at work, just over 2 weeks before Charl begins and my final days are here.
I've got about 64 days left till my visa runs out and I can hardly wait.

Days of Winter...

I've not really been up to much since we arrived in Gstaad at the end of December.

Most days I head up Eggli (the closest Piste to Gstaad) and Snowboard or drink Glühwein, oft both.

I guess we've been pretty lucky with the weather. 

There have only been 4 days that I haven't been on the board. 

I'm gradually improving and able to push a little more, a little faster.  

At the moment we're expecting snow, but it's been like that for the past week or so.

It's been super sunny and warm, great for riding and sitting in the sun, not so good for the snow that is here. It's starting to melt and some of the pistes have become un-rideable. 

The photos are of Joana and I riding Videmanette earlier this week. It's a great run. The high point is around 2184m, the lowest point 1034m.  

Yesterday, we jumped on the train and went to one of the neighbouring peaks at Saanenmöser. 

It was good to experience something else, catch up with other people, see different faces and just change it up a little.

The last couple of months has been a blast. And to think, I also get paid when I'm riding the board. 

I shan't be too sad to leave here, but I shall continue to make the most of it.

Don't work too hard, I know I won't be.

Carving like a meister!