It's been 10 days since we returned home. Sooz's back went out the next day with a severe back spasm. She has been taking care of herself and is doing a lot better. I have been feeling good, sleeping well and beginning to slowly re-start exercising. While I wasn't formally exercising on the trip, we did walk a lot, climbed up and down 1,000's of stairs and were very active. Both of us lost several pounds. This is despite having some sort of dessert (or two) daily. As an avid baker and a big fan of The Great British Bake Off, Sooz tried as many new cakes, tarts etc to replicate at home. Of course I supported her. Our all time favorite is Sticky Toffee Pudding with vanilla ice cream.
A couple of observations since returning:
- My immediate reaction when walking into our house was, "This house is huge!" Our house is average size, but it seemed really big when we got home. Some of the hotel/pub rooms we stayed in during the trip were miniscule.
- Much of the food here in the US doesn't taste as good as in Europe and the UK. Most food there contains less chemicals, preservatives and hormones, and it makes a big difference in the overall taste.
- Food seems much more expensive here, even Switzerland food prices in the markets were cheaper. It was a shocker going to Publix.
- We are going to try more local farmers markets here in Gainesville.
- It's nice to be home in familiar surroundings. I notice it takes less energy to do the simple things like shopping, driving, and making simple decisions.
- When we are traveling, everything is new and different, which is part of the fun of traveling. It consumes more mental and physical energy. Being back home, I find I can do similar activities like we did during our trip, but I get less tired.
- I am now fully convinced and accept that I am no longer 25 years old - my stamina and energy reserves are less than even 5 years ago.
- Sooz and I are amazed and grateful that after being together 24/7 for nearly 6 months we are still married 😀 and still enjoy each other's company. Not to say that we didn't get a little testy with each other during the trip. However, the episodes were brief and not serious. We mostly knew when to stop, take a breather and make amends, if needed.
- I'm also very grateful to our son Max for staying in our house, keeping an eye on things and taking care of our dog Bandit. Bandit will miss Max when Max moves into his new apartment next week.
- I estimate we rode around 7,500 miles on the bike and drove 1,500 miles in the rental car the last month.
- We visited 16 countries - Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Wales, and Scotland.
- I'm really glad we went on the trip. It was an incredible adventure and one we'll always remember.
- Both of our sons came to visit for a bit. Sam and his girlfriend, Miranda joined us in Andermatt, Switzerland. Max and Ash joined us in Cardiff, Wales, and our friend Sheila met us in Arles, France. Each time we had company we saw more sights, tried great restaurants, and just packed more in to each day. We had to rest a bit after they left.
- The most common question we are asked is "What was your favorite part of the trip? There is no one answer. It can depend on weather, accommodations, people we met, food, language barriers and just our overall mood. Sooz really liked Berlin. I did too, however I was sick and didn't explore as much as she did.
- No matter how much we saw or experienced, there was usually something more we could have seen or explored.
- Traveling on the motorcycle, especially with Florida tags, is a great way to meet people. Lots of folks, seeing we were on a bike, came up to us and asked if we were really from Florida, or tell us about some of their motorcycle adventures, or just wanted introduce themselves and chat. Something about being on a motorcycle breaks down some barriers and makes us more approachable, which is fun.
Entrance to the Frankfurt train station
Inside the Frankfurt train station
View from our room in Frankfurt
Night view of Frankfurt from our room
Barge on the Main River in Frankfurt
Holbeinsteg pedestrian bridge over the Main River
