February 2016...... Suzy Blue is back home..... the end of my amazing trip!

After the overwhelming welcome from my family and friends at the airport in Zurich I had a bit more than one week to settle back home; enjoy Christmas, wash and store the little bit of luggage I had with me - the bigger part was still on the trip together with Suzy Blue.

what a feeling!!!! I'm overwhelmed....

My everyday life goes on as before; family, friends and job require time and attention. But all the many impressions and experiences are still very near; I find myself sometimes with a big grin stealing into my face when I think back: moments, people, places from my journey come to my mind.
But the trip is still not really finished - the “dream team” is not complete yet, Suzy Blue still on her long journey home.

together with other adventure bikes.....they sure have a lot to tell!!

 Then in early February the the long awaited mail from Hamburg comes: the container ship from Chile will arrive in a few days, on board the most precious cargo in the world .... at least for me :- Suzy Blue reaches safely Hamburg and then is brought with a little truck to the south border of Germany to relatives of Michael. Michael, who was with Frauke together on his BMW on the almost same trip and I had then encountered on both the steel rat as the end in Valparaiso again. So by train and bus I drive late February to Hänner, about 110km away from Lucerne, just on the other side of the Rhein. I’m quite excited ..... will everything be ok with Suzy? Will the engine - after having attached the battery - restart immediately? and and and.....

The weather is perfect, even though with 2-3 °C not perfect motorcycle weather. But I wear my great suit and underneath as a precaution 3 merino layers to keep me warm. There she is!!! ..... my faithful little companion - and she starts without any problems; probably wants to get back home as quickly as possible! Even with a damaged right rear turn signals, a not working rear brake we both make it easily back to Switzerland. And we even have enough time to warm up my cold fingers at the Ace Cafe in Rothenburg, and spend the evening with a colleague talking about….. ? guess ;-)

Before Suzy lue gets her well-deserved big service and an extensive cleaning, she is presented in Malters at the motorcycle exhibition of the local motorcycle clubs "Speedy Gonzales". She is admired together with some photos and the maps with the route of my trip by many people. Many - especially men - can hardly imagine doing such a long journey with such a "small" motorcycle; it’s fun to tell them about my trip, the people I met. And so Suzy Blue is a little celebrity - at least for a few hours.

             

   

Meanwhile, she is at the mechanic; the engine is still in perfect condition, just the usual wear parts to change: wheel bearings, brake disc, brake pads, oil change, etc ......
I take the luggage off the bike and bring it home - a lot of memories back up when unpacking, the smell of gasoline is spreading in my garage. I'm looking forward to g back on the road with Suzy Blue even if it is “only” little trips around Switezrland and in Europe..... but even here there is a lot to discover ..... and who knows what the future will bring me…..

A big “thank you” to all of you who have been following me on my trip, I wish you to stay healthy and dare whenever to live your own dreams as well!!

Hasta luego mi amigos .... we'll meet again - sometime - somewhere - on the streets of the world :-)