Two Wheels move the Soul

Gdansk Old Town We are drawn to Gdansk Poland purely because of the events that took place there with the Solidarity movement back in 1981-89. The fact is we personally and as North Americans only knew a small portion of the history of Gdansk, or the Solidarity movement, or the fact that WWII started here September 1, 1939 at just past 4:00 am in the morning. And a place we had found about 100 kms away, the little town of Leba, Leba Tall Ships is called the Polish Sahara desert, and was used by Rommel’s troops to train for the real Sahara desert later in the war. Our drive up to Leba is really pretty, this part of Poland is beautiful. About 400 kms from Berlin and 100 from Gdansk we wanted to stop here to see the dunes, a World Biosphere Site, unfortunately you have to walk 45 mins in to them, and it was threatening rain so we didn’t make the trek in. But there were a number of Tall ships in the harbor there and it’s a real tourist spot for locals.

Waving to Family at Christmas over the Wall The Wall, how it separated Berlin Berlin is really about two major things. WWII and reparations, and the Cold war as it affected Berlin. On this note we stop on Bernauer Strasse at the Nordbahnhof station Where the Wall was as it closed a street to take in another section of the Berlin Wall accompanied by an interpretive centre. It is very worthwhile. While the eastside gallery has the funny quirky graffiti to it, this deals more with the loss of life, the ridiculous attempts the GDR made to try and stop people from escaping east Germany. This location highlights where the wall was, and some of the photos and stories are very interesting. Definitely a must see. Remains of the Wall It was called Stalin's Bed, a nail landing pad hidden on the other side of the first wall. From there we continue into the city to Potsdamer platz, Potsdamer Platz the Tim

Us at Petra and Bernd's Machine Shop  Coffee and Cake Sandra getting a Demo Today we head towards a suburb of Berlin where Petra and Bernd’s shop is located. When they visited us this spring in Canada they described his machining business, a throwback to times where custom parts were needed since repairs to a machine were worthwhile rather than purchasing something new. Also he has an interesting collection of motorcycles which I wanted to see. Their shop is rather eclectic but he has a very sharp mind and knowledge of his craft.  However, some of the motorcycles, a one-of-a-kind NISA motorized bicycle Nisa Proto type which had the drive gear of the motor run directly onto a toothed inner edge of the rear wheel. Also a 1955 Metz 50 cc motorcycle that he used to ride in what was west Berlin and on an autobahn corridor passing through the GDR (German Democratic Republic) (a Soviet puppet state)to the west and actual Germany. From Bernd, now 73 and Ingo w

4 Amigos At Wannsee Late Saturday we are chased down by our friends Ingo and Patricia (whom we met in Sicily in 2014) to confirm our plans for Sunday. They've driven 6 hrs from Darmstadt to see us!  Scenery is Great! At their suggestion we then head out to Wannsee to catch the Heritage boat tour near Potsdam.  The Sunday we were there was beautiful sailing weather with lots of boats out. In this Laser one design series race the lead boat is helmed by a lady. Could be our daughter! Wannsee played a significant role in the 3rd Reich planning sessions as it was just outside Berlin, and later, it was part of the Berlin Wall barrier.  Sansoucci palace is located here, the home of Fredrick the Great, the last of Germany's kings. It's rumored Brad Pitt own a home on the waterfront.This boat tour is exceptional value and lots of easy going fun, and a lot easier on the feet than the day before.  Bridge of Spies From the water On

Berliner Dom   We begin our 2 ½ hr drive east to Berlin. Unfortunately it becomes 4 hrs. with traffic accidents and tie-ups on the Autobahn.  One you can’t lane split so the trip takes longer, and traffic inside Berlin on a Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm. At 31C is nuts! We finally arrive at our hotel, which is excellent and right in the centre core. They provide 2 beer (Berliner) and 2 water each day, and we freshen up and head out for a great supper at the Georgebreau pub just a few blocks away. After a goulash and a dark beer we are ready to walk it off on museum island and Alexanderplatz.  Alexanderplatz at Night We head in the direction of Berliner Dom, a beautiful cathedral on museum island. As we get closer we can hear symphony music in the square out front. Indeed as we arrive the grass of the central park has near 100 small parties of 4-6 people all listening to the music and conversing in the evening warmth. Near us a late teen, early 20’s girl gets up and attracts

Braunschweig Sandra and I enjoying peaches in Braunschweig's street markets As you begin reading this blog you will soon realize that we aren’t riding our Vstrom but rather we have rented a car. Blasphemy you say! Well, you will understand soon enough, and we’ll re-assure our friends this is a short term use of 4 wheels over 2. We planned our northern trip and took into account the northern climate, time of year, and terrain and determined that we’d possibly do it by a small RV or rental car. As it turns out the rental car was the practical choice but by no means the most enjoyable one. We begin by flying in to Amsterdam and renting the car from there. Since our trip will cover former eastern European countries many car rental companies especially in the Netherlands won’t allow them to enter those former eastern bloc countries. At this time AVIS and Sixt do, with Avis being the most reasonable, professional to deal with. With car in tow we head out for Braunschweig