Final Report

28 June 2006

  

Location :Stockholm  Sweden

610 km since last Thursday

Finally the last 600 k. under the belt.  The weather and the temperature en route from Malmoe have been perfect for a motorcycle ride.  Sweden has shown its most beautiful side with its streams, forests and the fields that are in full bloom, displaying all kinds of colors.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you!

First and foremost to all of you who have made donations, big or small.

The team behind the publishing of the blog and all the P.R. around this trip.

RoSPA,  the motorcycling training and safety organization for preparing me for the long journey . 

All of you who have read this blog and followed my trip through Europe.

In short; a big thanks to everyone for your support.

This particular trip may have  come to an end, but that does not mean thatthe need for your contributions has ended!

Goran

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Sponsor Goran to support his trip or even send him an email to cheer him on.

D-day plus 4

23/6 20111

D-day plus 4

Location; Malmoe, Sweden

280 kilometers on today’s log.

In Sweden! 

I made it within the timeframe.  Everything has gone very well so far. Now only 600 km left to the final destination, Stockholm. I will however not cover this distance until Sunday as the major weekend of midsummer (solstice) is approaching. This means that the roads will be crowded bumper to bumper. 

The trip today was from Kolding onwards to Odense-Copenhagen and into Malmoe. I had hoped to be able to see some of Odense, the hometown of H.C Andersen, you know the one with all the nice fairy tales. The town is also known for its nougat and marzipan. But, all these towns are cordoned off and no vehicles allowed in the centers. I sneaked in though and at least managed to get some street images.

The interesting part of today’s journey was crossing the bridges in Denmark and from Denmark to Sweden.

There are now two bridges connecting the Danish islands and thus replacing the ferryboats, the longest one is about 2,7  km long and spans 65 meters above  the sea level. 

The connection between Copenhagen and Malmoe, Sweden is partly tunnel and partly bridge, the bridge is about 8 km long spanning 57 meters above the sea level. The tunnel is about 3 km long.

Goran

Have youmade your donations yet???

If you have… thanks for your support for a good cause! I am doing what I can to keep my end of the deal.

Goran

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Sponsor Goran to support his trip or even send him an email to cheer him on.

D-day plus 3

21/6 20111

D-day plus 3

Location; Kolding, Denmark

540 kilometers on today’s log.

Sorry no pictures today. It has just been a long transport from A-B

Gottingen-Hannover-Hamburg-Flensburg-Kolding Denmark.  Like pearls on a string l!

But me and the Honda really chewed some tarmac today!  The motorcycle has really been forced to show true colors!  

It was a lot of motorway, got lost a few times as I disagreed with the GPS!

German autobahn… It is like a racing track with lorries as obstacles to make it more thrilling.

So I made it to Denmark although with a slightly sore bum, but it is SWEDEN OR BUST!

The weather has been very good today except a few showers that I challenged on the bike. I hope the clothes will get dry until tomorrow.

I hope to be able to get some nice pictures tomorrow as there will be a chance for some sightseeing in Demark before I cross the mighty bridge into Sweden.

Tonight’s stop is at the Scandic Hotel in Kolding where they actually let me park the Honda inside their delivery area, protected behind big doors. I am actually parked next to two police motorcycles so I am not worried about it getting stolen during the night. 

Goran

Have youmade your donations yet???

If you have… thanks for your support for a good cause! I am doing what I can to keep my end of the deal.

Goran

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Sponsor Goran to support his trip or even send him an email to cheer him on.

D-day plus 2

21/6 20111

D-day plus 2

Location; Gottingen, Germany

460 kilometers on today’s log.

  

After a substantial breakfast at the Vogel’s house  I set out for Cologne.

Many thanks Friedrich, Christiane and Gerolf!

However, the rain started soon after takeoff so I decided to get another route and ended up in the picturesque town of Worms.

This was the only time for a bit of sightseeing and a Kodak moment.

With the rain pouring down, what else, I went north on B9 road along the Rhine valley. A most beautiful sight, but so sad that there was no chance to get any good pictures.

Still lagging behind 24 hours I made up my mind to push on until my legs resigned, so I made it to the good town of Gottingen about 300 km south of Hamburg. I have a chance to make it to the ferry crossing or into Denmark tomorrow. 

It has been a very nice trip through beautiful landscapes. 

As I write this report the sun started to shine outside the hotel window!!  Murphy’s Law or what?

Have youmade your donations yet???

If you have… thanks for your support for a good cause! I am doing what I can to keep my end of the deal.

Goran

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Sponsor Goran to support his trip or even send him an email to cheer him on.

D-day plus 1

20/6 20111

D-day  plus 1

Location;Wachenheim, Germany

400 kilometers on the log.

Started out from Lucerne in the early morning, general direction the Rheine Valley.

The day started out with plenty of sunshine, but as it progressed, the sky started to get cloudy and soon the rain came.

So I missed the beautiful scenery of the river as I had to stick to the main roads where I could frequently stop and get shelter when the downpour was too heavy.

The great thing is that we can now add also France to the countries visited.

I had a standing invitation to visit our Rotarian friend Friedrich Vogel and his family in Wachenheim so I set my GPS and here in the late afternoon. A bit wet though.

I have been treated very well with food and beer and a bed for the night here at the Vogel’s house.

Well, I guess that is all for today. Tomorrow I will be headed for Cologne, and hopefully some sightseeing there.

Have youmade your donations yet???

Goran

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Sponsor Goran to support his trip or even send him an email to cheer him on.

D-day

19/6 20111

D –day  (finally)

Location; Luzern, Switzerland

 

390 kilometers on the log.

Bike arrived this morning at 07.00 hrs. It is good to be together again.

I was hot to go so I hit the tarmac shortly after 08.00. I just fixed the most necessary adjustments in the packing. As I already lost 24 hrs I wanted to make up some time.

Today’s route took me north towards Alessandria and the up to the Swiss border near Locarno. Then onwards to entrance of the Gotthard tunnel. It was an eerie experience to drive in a tunnel for so many kilometers, but well worth it.

The bike purrs like cat and we are eating miles together.

Stopping tonight at Alfa hotel in Luzern.

Tomorrow I will set course for the Rheine Valley, Germany.

Have youmade your donations yet???

Goran

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Sponsor Goran to support his trip or even send him an email to cheer him on.

D-day minus 1

18/6/2011

Savona  17.00  local time

D-day minus one

What a wonderful day with plenty of sunshine. But what a waste of time!

I could have been hammering on through the Gotthard tunnel and into the land of chocolate, clocks and army knives. 

The good people of Savona have plenty of dogs they walk about with, they always say Bon Giorno even to strangers and they don’t like to speak English. The coffee is excellent at Euro 1.40 for a double espresso (served with a smile!!!)

I just received notice that the man from the port agency will pick me up at 07.00 hrs tomorrow (Sunday). This means I could be on my jolly way in the early hours of the morning.

The next report will be from Switzerland.

If you have nothing else to do, like me you, you can always log into your bank account and donate some money for our good cause. 

Goran

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Sponsor Goran to support his trip or even send him an email to cheer him on.