Vilnius to Frankfurt

18/08/12

   Headed out a bit late but was a nice ride down to Vilnius, I went off the main road down till Kaunas and found some nice littler roads with a bit of twisting in the forests. From Kaunas to Vilnius was more main road. Once there I checked into a hotel with a bed setup I had never seen before, and strangely everyone slept with the head out... I slept the other way round.

   Went for a walk around the old town and it is lovely, also very friendly people. I meet a local lady who was showing her man around town, and she was quite happy for me to walk with them for a while and show me where a nice place for beer which had local food. I then meet a UK man who had come China for his brothers Stag do, then later meet another beautiful local women who was happy to chat away for a while with me.

New to me but others seem to recognise them so must be more around like it.

Lots of churchs in Vilnius

Yes lots...

By lots i mean the most in europe in one town.

They had other things too tho.

And tea pots.....mmmm

19/08/12

   Road out a bit late leaving my travel towel behind mmm. I headed out down some back roads instead of main roads, this of course lead to me going on the wrong road a couple of times lol, but made it down to the border at Lazdijai, from there through to Elk and up to Gizycko to a lovely little town and probably one of the worst camp grounds I have stayed at. It was on a marina... so that's lovely, and the main rail line was behind... lol yes woke early for some reason.

 

20/08/12

   From Gizycko I headed north around the lake through Wegorzewa and then along towards the coast. I stopped at a petrol station and asked a couple of local bikers where I could get a Poland flag. Turns out they had left Vilnius the same day I had and had seen me going... so ended up riding together out to the coast and around to Gdansk. I did manage to loss them for a while as it started really pissing down, me being me and not knowing where the next petrol station was, I stopped and put my wet weathers on on the side of the road. The guys had gone into town where there was a petrol station to get changed. So when I carried on I followed the right road for where we where heading but the wrong road for where they where. Fortunately they realised this was possible and one come and got me lol.

The bikes
 

The guys who showed me the way lol, enjoy

   They found a flag makers for me and it was on the road I was heading so took me out to it to get the Poland, German, France flags. Unfortunately they did not have a Silver fern or Kiwi flag as mine is in really bad shape.

The new flag

  I ended up at a touristy spot called Ustka on coast, was a nice place with some interesting things on the beach.

How they stop you from using deck chairs.

I thought this was the coolest thing, you push with your legs for the back and pull on the front for the front legs, meaning you get to ride around as if you are on a real horse.

21/08/12

   Not a big trip from Ustka to Berlin so headed out along the coast road for a while, very... speed, slow, speed, slow, speed, slow. And the Polish can be a bit pushy if you don't travel fast enough when you can. I was surprised when I got near the border and the GPS started saying hey there is a road over the go there lol.

22/08/12

Did the 6hr walking tour of Berlin with a good guide, so lots of history info and beautiful building, Bit tired after but still managed to have a few beers and stayed up late.

We saw museums on the walk

And more museums

And of course the Wall, and the wall they had to put around the Wall to protect it lol

And everyone will recognise this one.
What you don't recognise it??
Haven't you studied history?
This is where Hitler got married and killed himself.....Thats all they can do with a concrete filled bunker.



Check point charlie is also recreated here, right next to McDonald's lol, nicely done

23/08/12

Went to a cool museum, Natural history one, which had lots of fish in jars, also some deformed animals in jars, heaps of skulls, rocks, Stuffed animals. Then wandered back for a few beers

Look at the dents in the knocker pads. this was at a Wall monument area i found from a church that accidently got knocked down 

Snake eating a rat

Deformaties

24/08/12

Headed out a bit late as I had a few to many beers last night. This meant I had to head to Frankfurt by motorway, unfortunately there was a lot of road works in a couple of areas so was very slow. Got to Miguel and Mia's about 19:00 in the village of Buedingen

Lovely breakfast in the village with Miguel and Mia

25/08/12

Went out for breakfast in the village and chatted and went for a couple of beers in the evening, a lovely relaxing day in a local town

Buedingen is an old style village.

26/08/12

Watching the GP and doing the blog...

Special thank you to Miguel and Mia for letting me stay with them for a couple of nights. I look forward to catching up in a month ish when back in Europe.

Enjoy Your Life

Motorbike service Lithuania

13/08/12

   Went to the church with the biggest pipe organ in Europe (apparently), which was really cool but you are not allowed to take photos of it.... so you have to buy photos of it lol (I sent you one Sandy, can you scan and send a copy of it to me please.)

The cloak in the tower of the church with the big pipe organ

View from the tower

   After doing that it was 12:00 and I had plenty of time to head down the coast to Lithuania so I decided to stay another night and watch the sunset into the ocean, I'm not positive but was possibly Goa when I last watch the sun go into water. It rained most of Norway and although I watch a sunset in Nordkapp it doesn't count as it didn't go into the water being the midnight sun and all.

In Liepaja town

Liepaja park on the way to the beach

Big drum kit

Great beach rubbish bins line it and port a loos al the way along it

Sunset on bean bags on Liepaja beach

The hostel in Liepaja, lovely lady works there.

14/08/12

   Rode down to Palanga as I had heard it was a nice town, unfortunately it is a bit full of tourists at the moment so carried on south to Klaipeda. I stopped at the tourist info and found out that the camp group was 14km back towards Palanga, but still in the city limits of Klaipeda mmm. So after getting some food I went to a motorbike shop to get the clutch adjusted as I was having trouble doing it with my tools.

   80Lt later (about $25US) it was adjusted and I headed out onto the Curonian Spit to Nida, unfortunately now the clutch started slipping at around 5,000rpm which it had never done before. I found Nida to be a beautiful area but like Palanga a bit full of tourists at the moment, I suppose this is because this is the on season lol.

The new flag, on the car ferry to Curonian Spit

Nida Beach

To the left is the lagoon, to the right is the ocean, straight ahead is Russia

15/08/12

   Headed back to Klaipeda with the intention of heading on to Vilnius, but once I bought some food I found that the bike was hardly moving so I pushed it around to the Yamaha place I had stopped at the day before....unaware of the fact that today is a holiday lol so everything is closed. I asked a man at a car cleaning place next to the Yamaha shop why everything was closed and he confirmed that it was a holiday, luckily he was also a biker and knew a man. So after a phone call we waited a bit and a man came round with his van and took a quick look, then took the bike back to his shop which wasn't far away. After a quick look found that the clutch is stuffed and as it is a holiday could do nothing with it till tomorrow. So with the help of Motodiada found a reasonable cheap hotel to stay in for the night.

Shopping center in Klaipeda

Yes that is an ice skating ring in the shopping center

What you can do with spare chain, and Motodiada

16/08/12

I  walked back to the bike shop with the hopes of going today but not expecting too much luckily, as they where unable to get the clutch plates today so set up my tent near by on some grass and went to the movies to see Total Rekall lol.

The chicken truck, and no i do not know what it is about lol but it looked good to me.

17/08/12

   I was thinking that if they couldn't get the parts today I would go and see Batman tonight and if not tomorrow go and see the new release of Expendables 2.... but it's all good the guys at Motodiada have been great and got the parts today.

   So now after a call to a man about some boots, and a quick test ride by me of going and buying some new boots I'm all ready to go, but it is after 14:00 and I haven't packed the tent yet so have decided to go tomorrow instead lol, it's nice here at the bike shop, good people, close to shops, and need to do a few things anyway. Total cost for the bike 650Lt about $230US, which included new clutch, filter and oil change, and labour.

Bye my old friends, but as you can see by the lighter in the back and the keys in the toe they had died.

Hello new boots hope your goretex works

Where i'm camping at the moment.

Special thank you to the Couple who run Motodiada and the other mechanics who work there for great service and help for a stranded traveller.

The shop and comfe couch out side lol

Enjoy your life

In Latvia heading Lithuania

02/08/12

   Went out to find a new back tyre and some new boots, and some shoes.... I managed to find out that tyres are expensive here so are boots and shoes lol. Yes I bought nothing except some wine.

03/08/12

   Decided to head down to Helsinki as Harri and Elana had a parent coming over and family meeting in the weekend. Was a very easy 170km ride got into Helsinki nice and early so checked into the euro hostel which is near the ferry departure point. Only 26euro for a dorm bed, yes that sounds a lot until you realise there is only 2 beds in the room, so not too bad really.

Tampere from the tower

Beleive it or not... this is 09:00 ie rush hour in Tampere

   I went out for a few drinks to see the night life on a Friday, nice enough although they do not sell pints only 400ml in a pint glass???

04/08/12

   Relaxed most of the day, went and got a ferry ticket to Tallinn for tomorrow 58 euro one way with the bike.

Some of the sights in Helsinki

Who wants double glazing, get triple it's even better.

05/08/12

   Once in Estonia the GPS doesn't work as I do not have the eastern Europe map...mmmm back to paper for a little while but not the biggest countries here so that shouldn't be a problem. I managed to find a camp ground near to town, but as it is a Sunday getting the bike done was out.

On the ferry to Estonia

06/08/12

   Headed to the bike shop and got a new back tyre, also found the back brake pads where done so changed them as well, this all cost less than the tyre in Tampere 221euro. I'm presently sitting at a place in the old town waiting for the rain to stop, probably will go tomorrow now as the tent will be wet...

I hope they didn't Poo up the job.

He's a bit camp this guy.

Some of the sights from old town Tallinn

The new flag, i'm starting to get a few of them now.

07/08/12

   Headed west out of Tallinn toward Rakvere, mostly motorway so nothing to spectacular, but then still running in the new back tyre. From Rakvere I head south to Tartu. I've noticed than almost all the pine trees here have the bark worn off above a couple of meters, I don't know if this is just the type of pine or a decease, or animal/insect related. I have found a couple of trees that did not. One had a rap around it similar to what you see on power polls in New Zealand to stop people/animals climbing them, in the same group of trees I did find one other tree with almost all it's bark? There is nothing major in the line of poo at the bottom of the trees so maybe it is natural...

   Anyway in Tartu I had trouble finding a camp ground so headed south a little further to Elva where there was a camp ground.

08/08/12

   Headed down to Riga which was a slow ride as most of the road is down to one way sections with traffic lights well they build a new road. Riga is a bit like Tallinn with a lovely old town area, and like Tallinn this makes it harder to find a place to stay where you can park the bike outside the hostel. So town camp ground again, although this one didn't have the very helpful lady that was at the Tallinn one.

Old town Riga

09/08/12

   Spent the day walking around old town and even found a Kiwi bar lol, so yes I spent some time there too having a sausage roll and bacon and egg sandwich lol. Of course this Kiwi bar is owned by an Aussie and a Pome lol, even when overseas they like to pretend they are from a great country hahahaa.

The Kiwi Bar

I'm guessing there is a spider and fly on the top but could not see them.

   Went into the St Paul's church and was a bit disappointed, you had to pay around $8US and got quickly pushed up the stairs where there are less and less photos of what the place looked like after the war until on the top floor there is 2 photos and a locked door to the viewing area.....

  So unfortunately I didn't go into the dome one which I found out later is suppose to have a wonderful pipe organ, bugger.

   I'm also really struggling with my boots, they are shot big time, hopefully I can make it to Germany where I will buy some more maybe even some new pants as they aren't so good any more either. In fact most of my gear is showing almost 2 years worth of constant ish work... strange that.

10/08/12

   Road down to Liepaja as it was on the coast and sounded nice for a relax, mmm well when I got here I discovered that there is the Fontaine Music Festival on for 3 night. So after telling the hotel lady I wanted to stay in the room for 3 nights now instead of one I headed out to see the bands. They don't seem to do music festivals quite the same here, this one started at 22:00 on the Friday night finishing at around 05:00 mmmmm. So after being up since 08:00 ish in Riga I made it to bed around 11:00 with a lot of beer in me lol

11/08/12

mmmm Eggs, mushroom, bread and that was hard work so nap time, the lovely lady from the hostel was nice enough to take this for me.

   Got up at around 21:00 and didn't feel to hot lol, but I made it down to the festival to see Louie Fontaine, unfortunately I was too tyred by 02:30 to see anyone else so come back to the hostel to sleep, I must be getting old or something.

12/08/12

   Feeling much better today so went for a walk along the beach then up into town as I needed a new power converter plug, somehow ended up leaving my in the Kiwi pub in Riga...

So sculptures in Liepaja

Have to say another special thankyou to Harri and Elana for letting me stay and also for taking me out to a Finnish sauna. Hope to see you next time and go to your summer place in the lake.

Enjoy your life