Land at last, after three days clinging to the tattered rigging and being cruelly pounded by the North Atlantic’s icy waves, we stagger ashore in Denmark thankful to be on dry land again.  

What a load of rubbish! We had a generally smooth crossing and any thoughts of seasickness were caused by me, Anthony, having a small sinus blockage. We have found the M/S Norröna of the Smyril Line a comfortable and well equipped little ship, perfect for us especially with the forward facing cabin above the bridge.  We just had to open the window and shout our instructions down to the crew below.  Well I would have done if the window opened. We could watch the bridge camera showing the sea ahead on the TV screen in the cabin and then confirm it by looking out the window. One of only six forward facing cabins, luck of the Speeds I guess.

The arrival back in Denmark sees a small rise in temperature to 17 degrees celsius. It is surprising the difference a couple of degrees of extra warmth make while riding to us.  We have decided that we are not, and never were, the heroic all weather hard core riders that appear on the covers of the Adventure Motorcycle magazines; we are more the temperate domesticated variety, but we are happy so what else matters.

From the northern tip of Denmark, we head southwards ignoring the multiple ferries heading north to Norway, another time perhaps.  Our destination is the town of Billund in central Denmark and yes the home of Lego and the original Legoland.  I have not had an interest in Lego since my early teens, but the opportunity to visit the original home of Lego is too good to pass up.

What we discover is an interesting mix of rides, working models and clever little items almost hidden from view at times.  As someone who grew up with the basic bricks and not the multiplicity of sets that exist today I am impressed by the large scale builds just using simple bricks such as Mt Rushmore showing four US Presidents heads and somewhere we have been in 2015. The wildlife park is just as realistic, in my view, and a lot safer than the real thing, no-one has ever been seriously mauled by a lego animal. I will let you enjoy the photos without more of my commentary.

Onward towards Berlin leaving Denmark and getting onto the German autobahns with their fast flowing traffic. Unlike India where rear view mirrors are an optional extra, here one needs to have eyes in the back of the head literally.  With higher speeds, those small dots in the far distance grow large quickly, but we found German drivers have a disciplined helpful approach to fast driving which included lane discipline, something lacking back home in Australia.

Our friends in Berlin have moved further out and for the first time since 1994, we are staying out of the city, almost in the country near Potsdam.  This area was still in West Berlin as evidenced by the different shades of green paint on the bridge and the photos showing the progression of border controls from 1945 to 1989.

We decide that we will spend our days in Potsdam as we are focusing on smaller cities and towns and we have been to Berlin a number of times before.  The weather gods smile on us as we wander through the streets and parks of Potsdam in sunshine. I have not been there before but Anne has researched it and takes me on a leisurely tour through the city.

Knowing Anne’s interest in art, our friend Antonia took us to see a Street Art display at Yaam (Young African Art Market) which has been operating for some 11 years at the same location. Located near Ostbahnhof station on the banks of the river Spree, it is an Afro Caribbean venue with bars, beaches shops and art spaces.  Here we meet Frank, one of the street artists running the Street Art display and we find out the artist responsible for the piece we all like the most. 

Frank then introduces Anne to virtual graffiti using digital spray cans on an electronic screen showing the Berlin Wall.  Anne quickly got the hand of it and I think all clean walls should be worried if she passes with a bag full of aerosol paint cans.

With all the recent news around global warming and carbon reduction, it was interesting to hear from someone with whom we had ridden in SE Asia that he now travels long distance by train in Germany, not only to reduce their personal carbon footprint but also to demonstrate potential clients of their green credentials.  Something neither of us would have thought of in our careers.  As Bob Dylan said way back when “The Times They Are A Changing’ and in this context the words first verse is quite prophetic.

En route to Belgium and my cousin’s place, we stop half way at Gütesloh, a town of some 100,000 people.  A short walk through the town showed us a prosperous high street filled with a wide variety of shops with a more prosperous feel than those we have seen in the UK.  No empty shopfronts here, the high street in Gütersloh seems to be thriving, I wonder why the difference?

Leaving town, we pass the now deserted RAF Gütersloh / Princess Royal Barracks former bases for the British forces in Germany. For over 60 years British military forces were based here but all have withdrawn back to the UK.  The place has an unused air about it although a steady stream of vehicles through the main gate may mean some future use of the facilities.

As we return to my cousin’s place in Belgium with Streak and Storm, I recall that this was our first stop when we set off on the first RTW journey over five years ago with shiny motorcycles, all new equipment and no idea of what we were going to experience. This was the first time we had caught up since then so it was great the see the family again.

Onto the Eurotunnel and back to the UK, a quick visit to Anne’s mum.

Another week before we wrap up this motorcycle trip…

– Anthony