Today is my last day in Paris.
Tomorrow I will leave with my motorbike to Erik in Amsterdam.
The last 3 days I did a tour with my friend Rob through the Belgian Ardennes, Luxemburg and North Eastern France. Last checks of the bike, does everything work well, how do I pack my stuff, what is practical, what do I have to change.
One thing I need to change for sure is my saddle. I am not a tall guy (178cm) and my legs are relatively short too.
So sometimes I feel that the R1200GSA is a bit too high for me. Especially when I try to maneuver it when at a stop. But for me it is the best bike for this kind of trip. So no question about taking a different one.
When I bought this bike, BMW offered me to scrape out the saddle and make it lower. Big mistake! For me this saddle is now so uncomfortable that I won’t go on this trip as it is now.
Luckily, I did this test weekend to find out in time. I still have more than a week in Holland to change it. And I had many tips, hints and propositions thanks to the Facebook pages of Horizons Unlimited and the GS Forum in Holland.
Today I have signed some last things in the office, said goodbye to the team, bought a tent and some other goodies, went to my hairdresser Vee (she is also a biker) and did the last packing, unpacking and repacking.
My emails have been forwarded, I don’t receive any copy anymore. I don’t want to see any work mail by accident while checking my private mail.
Carolien and Ichraf in the office are taking care of it all, together with the rest of my team. Thank you team for letting me live this adventure!
So, this is it, 3 months of holidays. That’s a first…. Should I call it a sabbatical leave? I did, in my out of office reply.
It is a weird feeling. I know I am going on this great trip, people are wishing me lots of fun and are telling me to be careful.
There are Facebook and Instagram messages and likes left right and center, and still, I don’t realise it completely.
I guess I will only feel the true extent of it, when I cross the Bosporus or so.
Can’t wait…
