This is part of the fourth section of our around the world trip.
Complete Trip Overview & Map

Coming from  Great Britain or read our previous visit to Germany
 

1/11/98 350 km and we are in Germany and at the home of Patricia and Bernd Tesch. Bernd is famous for his annual “Treffen” for long distance motorcycle travellers. However his own travels are extensive having started in 1961 and in 1962 hitch-hiked 8000 km around Africa over six weeks with just 256 German Marks. In 1979, Africa on an XT500 for 13,500 km and in 1981 on a BMW which he still rides today. A total of 111,000 km has been spent in his favourite desert areas of Africa. Bernd's profession (hobby) is also collecting and writing books on motorcycle travellers, having collected over almost 30 years the largest collection in the world, some 274, many original editions signed by the authors. His other pastime (when he is not entertaining motorcycle travellers) is collecting information on who has been where by motorcycle. Records on some 99 world around motorcycle travellers with magazine and newspaper articles are carefully filed away in his office archive and hundreds more motorcycle travellers are detailed on his computer.
Busy as he is, he and Patricia still have time to spend with the odd Australian traveller wishing to call and exchange travel stories. Made most welcome, the three of us enjoyed Bernd's enthusiasm for the outdoors. He lives at the edge of a forest and we dragged in enough wood for a large fire, which we enjoyed till 2 am with some of his friends and much of his beer.

2/11/98 A late start with breakfast and more travel tales around a rekindled fire, exchange of information and updating records on the computer and photos, it was time to leave – an intense 24 hours of great hospitality.
With the temperature falling to 6 degrees and it getting dark, we arrived at Waldbrol. Jorn, our previous host here, is in India taking his first EURASIA tour. Six westerners riding India and Nepal on Indian Enfields for four weeks and having a great time. Judith, his partner, welcomed us and again we updated each other on our travel experiences and plans.

3/11/98 Relaxing after a few hectic days but it still didn't stop some friends coming over for pizza and a beer.

4/11/98 A last farewell as we don't expect to be back in western Germany again then it's 550 km to just outside Munich. Doris Wiedemann, our host for the night, is one of the few solo female motorcycle travellers. She has travelled the USA for 6 months, Australia for 6 months and her last trip through Africa north to south down the eastern route also for 6 months in 1997/98. After a long cold day, it was a warm reception again more travel stories and picking each other's brains. Us, hers for Africa, and she, ours for Asia, as we both hope to be in these destinations shortly. Doris’ BMW RS1000 has guided her for 100,000 km and she hopes for more.

5/11/98 Off to see another motorcycle traveller's machine in the BMW Museum in Munich. Helge Pedersen rode his machine to fame in the 80’s when he covered 350,000 km over 10 years and 77 countries (including the Darian Gap in Central America, being the first from south to north) on the one motorcycle. Helge is still riding (another BMW) and doing talk shows of his trip. The motorcycle is as it was, mud, stickers and mascots. We also visited Dachau, a more sobering place, and the first political and later religious detention centre set up by Hitler in the 1930’s.
All the atrocities of that era were carried out here, torture, medical experiments, starvation rations, suicide and executions. An inscription inside reads “If we forget the past we are destined to repeat it.” Lets hope we don't forget. Dinner in the evening was with Doris and her father at a very traditional Bavarian restaurant. In an old converted barn (hay shed) we enjoyed pork hocks and dark ale with the locals, some keeping alive the traditional dress.

6/11/98 Another sad farewell before a cold (down to -1 degree) ride into Austria over the Brenner Pass and into Italy. A gloriously sunny day with the newly snow capped mountains and the autumn colours of the trees contrasting perfectly, Verona, our destination to book return tickets for Australia.
 

Move with us to Italy
 

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