TRAVERSE Issue 05 - April 2018 | Page 66

‘breakfast’ at night with a Danish pa- per-and-toothpick flag in it! Happy Birthday! On to Germany. Time to rest and get the mechanics of the bike in order! Every section south, the weather was getting warmer – how hot? I was not truly ready for the ex- tremes as I rode south. In the end, the temperature got up to 48C (118F) – a bit toasty for sure! My bike got a full tune up of new tyres, valve adjustments, new brake pads, all fluids changed, a fresh set of Jesse Luggage, and a few USB plugs to charge on-the-go. I was ready to go and said goodbye TRAVERSE 66 to the fine people at Knopf Tours. There are so many different ways to head south, including a load of fer- ry options. I selected the direction through the Balkans as I had not been there since my first European motor- cycle tour in 1986! And I was so glad I selected this route! When I was there in 1986, I just entered Yugoslavia and exited into Greece (Albania was strictly off the list!). This time, I was able to travel to these ‘new countries’ that I had not experienced before and learn about the foods, customs, and people along the route. New countries and regions seemed to come out of nowhere, in-