Belgium to Italy by Bike - 1

Realising our fifteen-year-old dream

​'Can we book a bit earlier?' I asked my friend, Lynne.
'Any time in May is okay, just give me dates.'

I couldn't give her a precise date. We weren't sure how long it’d take to get there on the motorbike.
We found a secure and reasonable spot for the boat in Ypres and planned to scoot through Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, reaching Italy to head for Abruzzo, east Italy, where Lynne owns a recently renovated ('I warn you it isn’t finished yet!') property.

​My friend would be in the UK, trusting us with her house.

Our 'stead' for the next few days. Usually we have a sheepskin on the seat for comfort.

I know little of Italy. Noel and I spent a few days on her toes, in a port on our sailing escapade around the world, some fifteen years ago. We'd sailed up to Sardinia and Corsica and spent more time there, before traversing the French canals and sailing on to the UK. We made a promise to return on a motorbike - and here we were with that very opportunity.
 
Keen to spend most of our time in Italy, we rented Lynne’s house, to avoid lingering in impersonal hotels.

A grand house for our stay in the village of Tornelli, municipality of Palombaro- it is even grander inside!

What transpired was the greatest adventure: remarkable sights, memorable sounds, surprising people, and mind-boggling foods – so much we didn’t expect.
 
That journey begins here… every few days I’ll share a short story. I hope you enjoy the ride.
 
Next: Flying by the Seat of our (many) Pants.