For a more detailed report, go to the 2012 Journal or the 2010 Journal

July 14, 2012 - Back in Tallinn, Estonia

Back in Tallinn again after a wet but otherwise uneventful trip back from St Petersburg.  The border crossing went even smoother this time than before if that's possible.  I did sort of crash the line on the Russian side but the line was not really that long.  Well, unless you were a truck in which case it was about 4 kms long.  I just pulled up behind the last car as there were only about 10 of us, but then some guy was yelling from behind the fence for me to move up.  Didn't understand a word of what he was saying, but then he probably wasn't using first year Russian either.  Instead of saying something like "Please go to the front"  he was probably yelling something like "Get your butt up there buddy, whad'ya waitin' for?"  If he had spoken slower, and with a little better diction, I might have gotten "there" and "waiting" but as it was I just drove up to the front.  Anyway, on the Estonian side, I got the same guard as when I left and so he remembered the whole Insurance Corporation thing.  So no problem there.  He also told me that there was just beginning at the castle adjacent, a two-day motorcycle meet and show.  Said I should go get my bike entered.  Would have been fun, but after the rain earlier that day, I looked more like a mud clod on wheels.  Besides, had to get to Tallinn.

So I got here last evening.  Back at Tiiu and Bill's place, which they have graciously allowed me to use in their absence now that they themselves are back in Kamloops.  Have just been packing and organizing for heading home.  Some stuff stays here, some goes with the bike to Turi and some goes home.  It's all quite confusing at my age.

I have tickets for the ferry to Helsinki tomorrow morning, returning tomorrow night and so just a quick day trip without the bike.  Unfortunately the weather forecast is for 90% chance of thunderstorms.  Now hopefully that is a 90% change of having a thunderstorm during the day and not a forecast for thunderstorms 90% of the day.  I'm never quite sure how that works.

For a more detailed report, go to the 2012 Journal or the 2010 Journal

August 16, 2010: Am sitting in a cafe in Oostende, Belgium... watching it rain and blow and be it's typical European self. I have eight hours to kill until the 1 AM ferry sailing that will take me back to England... arriving about 4 AM. Will have to sit somewhere there until it gets light. Don't fancy jumping back to driving on the left side in the dark. But am now coming from having spent a great weekend with Niels in Germany. He still doesn't have his bike back on the road... although it is back in Germany now getting looked at. Will be a few months yet.

So it is clear that this trip is almost over.  Just have to drive to London, where I will put the bike in storage and then get myself to Glasgow where I will meet Diane and the kids for a family vacation through the UK.  Then back to Canada.  Looking forward to that, but it will be a big change.  But I'll be back here sometime... well maybe not Ostende as it seems a little wet.  But thinking more and more about the northern all-Russia trip to the Pacific with a small detour through Mongolia of course.  I shouldn't have sweated the bike so much as it has been great once again.  2011 might be a bit soon as I have some things to take care of that I have been neglecting over the last little while, but 2012 would be good.  Hmm... sounds nice actually...