Page 18 - Shining On Winter 2022

rider! I’m obviously below average, because I would prefer having a lesser rated hotel outside of a city,
although I must say the hotels were excellent. After a cold shower it was down to the bar for liquid
refreshment and food, with my first taste of currywurst. A wonderful dish I would recommend to anyone
unless you’re a vegetarian, then just have the chips.
Friday 1st July (270 miles)

After an excellent breakfast I load the bike and
leave at 9am behind the tour guide. It’s a little bit
cooler today as it's raining - not a lot of fun on
cobbles and tram lines. Once out of the city the
roads are good, but rain continues, so we stop for
a coffee and cake at a nice café off the main road
with an odd fascination with stuffed animals. They
had a large display of various unfortunate wildlife
in an alcove next to the counter.

Refreshed we return to the road and more rain,
which continues until we stop for lunch. After lunch
the rain stops and the temperature rises to 30 plus
degrees again so the roads dry quickly making for a good ride on nice twisty roads, until we hit the
autobahn and enter Berlin just in time for the rush hour - wonderful. Another excellent hotel. Usual
routine: find room, shower, change, find the bar and restaurant.
Saturday 2nd July

There’s a ride out on the Saturday, but I decide not
to go as I want to look at Berlin and visit the event
venue. The temperature is back up in the 30
degree zone. After collecting my goodie bag with
tour polo shirt (to be worn at the evening party),
sticker, city map,and public transport weekend
ticket. The public transport ticket was essential as
the hotel was an hour's walk from the Summer
Garden event venue.

I left the hotel following the provided directions to
the correct underground station that went straight
to the venue. After finding 3 or 4 tube stations that

were all closed for renovation work I returned to the hotel
to be told by one of the tour team that the directions I’d
been given were wrong! I wasn’t too happy having
walked for over an hour in 30 degree heat looking for a
station that wasn’t there. With the correct directions I left
the hotel and easily found the station, where I still
managed to get on the wrong train so had to change and
return to find the correct one. No one’s perfect. It’s
surprising how easy it is to find places when you have the
right directions.
The summer garden venue was really good and on the
Saturday was packed with people and everything BMW.
There was a big push promoting the R1800, but if they
weren’t your thing the other boxer engine bikes were still
well catered for. I have a F750GS though and for the

18