As has now become at least a habit, we were off to ride our motorcycle in Europe for the summer months of 2025. In June, we traveled back to Heidelberg Germany where our motorcycle, a Kawasaki Versys 1000, is stored to begin our trip. This year, our third in a row traveling Europe, was focused on (1) visiting the Anne Frank house, (2) exploring south-eastern England with long stays, and (3) brief visits to villages and museums of the former east Germany headed to the city of Dresden.

On previous trips, we've learned that visiting the Anne Frank house requires advanced planning. Tickets are very limited (it is a small space) and sell out as soon as they become available. So, months in advance, I set an alarm for the minute they became available for the dates we would be visiting. Success! We purchased two spots to tour the house starting at 11 am on the day we would be near it in downtown Amsterdam in the Netherlands. We rode from Heidelberg through the country area along the Moselle River, staying overnight right on the river. Then rode north past the cities of Nijmegan and Arnhem (famous from Operation Market Garden in WWII) to Amsterdam. Our overnight in Amsterdam was at Nando, a unique and perfect hotel. Just 1 mile from the Anne Frank house, Nando is a restaurant in a city park with a few rooms upstairs. It is a pleasant and quiet oasis in a otherwise busy city. Our room was big with a sitting area, balcony, and large tub separate from the bathroom, which also had a shower. The Anne Frank house was a very impactful visit. It is very hard to describe the feelings standing in the rooms the Frank family lived in for two years. We have no pictures to share as they are not allowed in the house. I recommend that you visit. On our way back to our motorcycle we came across a wedding couple on paddle-boards in the Amsterdam canals. Something you don't see everyday.

From Amsterdam we were off to meet our ferry at the Hoek van Holland. This was an overnight trip with us boarding the ferry very late in the evening and arriving in Harwich England about 6 am the next day. So as with any overnight ferry, a room was in order and we selected a four berth room so we would have two beds at floor level. Our experience with two berth bunk type beds has been less than fabulous.

Arriving in Harwich at sunrise was quite enjoyable. Rather than the usual rush to get packed, back to the motorcycle below decks, loaded and leave, the ship seemed to be moving in slow motion. We were encouraged to go have breakfast, take it easy and then load and leave. They were in no rush so we weren't either.

Once off the boat, our destination was Bournemouth on the southern coast of England. We had a very good previous experience with the Kawasaki dealer in this town and so I made an appointment for major service work to be done on our bike. The work would take a bit more than one day so we reserved a room in a resort hotel on the beach for a few days to explore while we waited. Bournemouth is a popular beach holiday town with many restaurants along a sandy beach. The work on our motorcycle was completed on schedule so we packed up and rode north to Alcester where we would meet our fellow US motorcycle friends to attend the Adventure Bike Rider Festival (ABR).

The ABR is an annual event held at the Ragley Park south of Birmingham in England. It is the largest gathering of adventure motorcyclists in the world with some 17,000+ people attending. It is a temporary city with every motorcycle manufacturer bringing their full line of bikes, accessory firms, live presentations in four simultaneous venues, live music, food, drink, camping, and so much more. It was impossible to even walk around and see it all in one day. You would need at least two just to see it then more days to participate in the various demo rides, presentations, etc. We had a fantastic and busy one day there. We listened to Simon and Lisa Thomas, Elspeth Beard, and Noraly Schoenmaker aka Ichy Boots present to the audience. A few purchases and good eats later and we were on our way back to our accommodations at the pub in Alcester.

After saying good-bye to our friends (they would be returning home to the US in a few days) we headed north and east towards our first longer-term stay in Lowestoft. But first we stopped at Cadbury World chocolate factory. This was an entertaining visit with many activities, a tour of chocolate making and many sample chocolate products. Coombe Abbey Hotel was our half way overnight accommodation, and unique it was.

Coombe Abbey Hotel has a long history. Founded in 1150 AD at the Abbey of Cumbe this place has seen a lot. Today it is a well restored and maintained hotel on a large park and woodlands. The interior is maintained with tapestries, rich woodwork, armor, statues, etc. appropriate to the history. The entry includes a narrow bridge over some water (very moat like) and stately circular drive. We were able to fit the motorcycle over the bridge and unload then expected to return down the road to the very large parking area (used for both the hotel and the park). However, at check-in, staff told us to ride around the building following the "staff only" road, which would lead us to the back entry and small staff parking. We were encouraged to park there so the motorcycle would be under their security cameras the entire time. Fantastically nice folks! Much to our surprise given how quiet the hotel and area had been since we checked-in mid-afternoon, around dinner time there was much activity and commotion out front. Looking out our window overlooking the entry, we saw many formally dressed young people. I inquired with the staff to learn that they were hosting what we American's would describe as a "High School Prom"¹. Out back they had setup a large tent were the evening's dinner and dance would take place. It was very interesting to watch it all take place and learn a bit about their teenage traditions, which include being dropped off by the coolest vehicle possible. We watched Mustang GT convertibles, Rolls Royces, Ferraris, and sport motorcycles deliver very nicely dressed folks while making as large a show as possible.

Another day riding brought us to our two-week "home", which was a small cottage on the river waterfront near Lowestoft called Broadlands Park & Marina Lodge on Oulton Broad. There were a number of such cottages here. We learned that many were owned by UK folks as a summer get-away. The Park included a marina (where they hosted sail and motorboat races) and pub. It was on a wide spot in the river known as Oulton Broad, which is just 2 miles inland from the coast. There was much to walk to around the marina, park and area of the town nearby. And, there was a train station right across the street from the Park entrance. We took advantage of the train for a few outings during our two weeks. Our very pleasant cottage provided us with a comfortable living room to watch movies and a complete kitchen so we were able to make what we liked. It also kept us dry and comfortable watching rainstorms pass over, which included a thunderstorm—a nice treat for us Californians. We rode the coastal bus from Lowestoft north to the "California" coastal area. How could we not with that name?! This area had a nice sandy beach with multiple "holiday parks", which we might call mobile home parks. While there we, of course, had lunch at the California Tavern. After two weeks you really start to feel at home but it was time to pack up and head off to our next longer-term stay location—Boston UK.

​By now it was mid-July and the coastal weather was just about perfect every day. With only 120 miles from Lowestoft to Boston we took to the back lane roads and enjoyed a cruise through the countryside along the eastern coast. Our next two-week "home" was a free-standing converted carriage house on the property of a home just a couple of blocks from the center of Boston in a residential district. Quite a large living space for us and an easy walk to all the town shops, groceries, and twice weekly (farmers) market. Our hosts had two children and a large backyard for them to play in so we often heard and watched them play on the equipment and treehouse there. And, they had both a pet cat and tortoise named "Apollo". He really liked people so if you would stand still he would approach and climb your foot. Boston might be most famous to an American as it was the home for the Rev John Cotton and the Pilgrims before leaving for what became the USA and lent its name to Boston in Massachusetts. Their church and much history regarding them is located in town. Besides exploring the town (there many museums, churches and other historic sites in town) we enjoyed a few excursions on the bike to visit Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Castle (which hosts one of the few original copies of the Magna Carta), and the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, which hosts one of the very few operating Avro Lancaster WWII bombers (not yet flyable but it does provide fast taxi rides). Finally, and possibly most importantly, we visited J and B Motorcycles just south of downtown. A small local shop, I went there to solve a minor problem with the motorcycle. In the process met the proprietor, Julian Button. He is very likely a relative and I believe he said he had never met another Button other than his immediate family. We visited the shop a number of times during our two weeks, had many a cup of coffee and spent a very nice evening in the garden at his place. I expect we will be seeing Julian again.

With our time now at an end in Boston, and more broadly in the UK, we raced for Folkstone on the south coast and the Channel Tunnel Train or LeShuttle.

After our uneventful ride on the train through the tunnel we arrived in Calais to begin our three-day run across France to get back to Heidelberg in Germany. We've made this trip a few times now and so wasted no time by following the French motorway at a rapid pace across the country. Arriving back in Heidelberg we unpacked, repacked for airplane travel, and stored our motorcycle. Off we went to the Frankfurt airport to fly to Bergen in southern Norway. Our next two weeks would be quite a different "stay" than the two we just completed in England. 

Now in Bergen, the second largest city in Norway, we spent a few days exploring while we wait for our ferry, "the Capella", to arrive. Our next two weeks will be on this ship as we cruise north along the coast of Norway on the Hurtigruten route. The Havila Capella is one of four identical ferry ships, owned by the Havila Kystruten company, that all follow the coastal route from Bergen to Kirkenes then return. The ship has two restaurants and a 24-hour cafe along with cabin rooms to host about 300 people. It is comfortable like a cruise ship with many lounge locations behind huge picture windows but without the entertainment and recreation common to cruises. The lower decks are typical ferry stuff with cargo, cars, trucks and motorcycles. Along the route, the ship will dock an average of three times each day, most are very short 15 minute stops loading and unloading cargo, but some are hours long. We will be able to take advantage of the longer stops getting off to explore the coastal villages. The real attraction of the trip is the coast. The ship will pass through some of the most picturesque fjords along the coast. Starting about here we took too many pictures to write about all that we saw. Take a look and enjoy. A bit past half way up the coast we pass into the Arctic Circle, which is marked by a globe. At our last northbound stop, Kirkenes, just a couple miles from the Russian border, there we visited an ice hotel. Very unique and might be a good future overnight. At this point the ship turned around and we headed south for a week retracing our route to get back to Bergen. Overall a great once-in-a-lifetime experience I would recommend. Back in Bergen it is time to fly back to Heidelberg and get back to motorcycle riding.

Back on the motorcycle in Germany, we ride to the east where our target, after a few days, will be the city of Dresden. Our aim is to explore come cities in the former East Germany (DDR). I'd like to see, speak with locals, and learn more about how this area of the country feels, and how they are doing, since reunification. Eisenach is our first overnight, home of Automobile Welt Eisenach. This was an automobile factory for many years making Dixi, BMW, EMW, IFA, Wartburg, and Opel brand cars over the years since 1898. It is a very well done museum with a fascinating story.

Next up is old town Erfurt. A beautiful spot with many well maintained historic structures dating back to 800 AD. Erfurt is the home for a well known German TV channel KiKA. The channel has a puppet character, star mascot, and now pop cultural icon, Bernd das Brot. Similar to the US cartoon character Eeyore, a negative and depressed donkey, in Winnie-the-Pooh, Bernd das Brot is a perpetually negative gloomy character, really a chronically depressed loaf of bread. I like him. Erfurt has statues of these characters around the city so I went looking for Bernd—and found him.

Zwickau is our next host city. This time we rent an apartment two blocks down the street from our target museum visit, which is the August Horch Museum. The museum is in the building that was the former Trabant factory. These were one of the few car models made and available to East German citizens from 1949 until the fall of the Soviet Union and German reunification in 1991. It is a fascinating story and a very well done museum. In the parking lot we see two Trabant still being driven by their owners. So unique and cool to see.

Finally we spend a couple of nights in Chemnitz. Our hotel is walking distance to a large outdoor shopping center. Here we leave our motorcycle with a local Kawasaki dealer for a minor repair. They give us a scooter to use. It was very fun way to get around the area.

Our final stop for the summer is Regenstauf to visit our friends that live nearby. A few days later, after many great meals at the local restaurants, and we're off riding to return to Heidelberg to put the bike in storage and fly home. It is the end of August and we've enjoyed another fantastic summer riding around Europe. We'll be back. Next year maybe a bit earlier in the year to enjoy the cooler Spring weather in Spain and Portugal.

Pictures from the entire trip. Route map of the trip.

1 In the UK the school system does not have "High School" so their "prom" is most commonly a party celebrated either (or both) after year 11 or after year 13 when A-level exams are completed. The folks we saw were about 17 or 18 so this was a group after year 13. The entire concept is relatively new to the UK and seems to be driven by the US cultural norm of a High School Prom at the end of 12^th grade.↵