I had always felt a naive romantic urge to vagabond my way across Europe on a motorcycle. To feel the wind in my face, to fall in love with the sun every sunrise and to leave it unnoticed when it sets. To use a flea market leather jacket as a pillow, duvet or a raincoat - whatever is needed. To follow the road wherever it might take me. Simply put - to experience freedom. To forget, to remember and to feel. Yeah, I know. Silly inspiration from Che (The Motorcycle Diaries), Easy Rider and The Wild One.
Anyway, I realized my long-time dream by taking my Triumph Bonneville (2006) on a 13 000 kilometer trip, driving alone from Finland to the UK via central Europe. I left Finland right after Easter holidays. The bitterly cold weather of North Europe was a challenge that contrasted nicely with the warmth of my friends I met on the way. Thank you everyone, I hope I can repay you sometime.
I would do injustice to the trip by merely describing the events, places or people I enjoyed the best. However awesome they were: wandering in misty and spooky Verdun in the middle of the night studying the incomprehensible cruelties of World War I trench warfare, or picking up a champagne bottle from Epernay and riding with it to downtown Paris to meet a friend, or cruising the winding roads of amazing Welsh countryside, or enjoying crazy nights in Lithuania, or drinking single malt whiskey in the barren islands of Islay and Skye. All truly unforgettable events that I will cherish. But, I feel that travelling is more than events. Travelling is about learning and understanding. I hope I did some justice to this ideal on my seemingly last longer trip... (in a while at least...)
After finishing my studies and finalising my master's thesis at Aberystwyth, I drove a big loop around the UK and finally across northern Europe back to Finland. Coming back - towards home - is always different and this time I was travelling with a friend too (forming the infamous "Triumph Ratpack"! see Mikko's pics) Yeah, come to think of it, that's just what you need wherever you are: friends.
