I have been very negligent in not getting anything posted so far, but it is 5:00 AM, I am up, and have had coffee so I try to get something together.

We shipped Martha's F700 over to Rome by Air Canada. There special makes air freight cheaper than by ship and is so much easier. The hard part was two up on the F700 I had set up for Martha. Was a long haul to Vancouver BC, have to ship out of Canada due to screwed up shipping rules in the US.

Bike as shipped on arrival in Rome

We arrived in Roma a day before the bike and spent it touring Roma, (how it is suppose to be spelled).

The bike arrived at 8:00 AM but we needed wait for it to get transferred to cargo unit. Then it took two hours to process the paperwork and an hour to put it all back together. Finally headed north to Miriam's at 1:00 for another trip on a bike that did not fit me. took the toll road to limit the pain with speed limit of 130 kph. Made it to Briscia about 6:30.

Was so good to have a place to store my motorcycle and friend to help sort things out. Miriam had a presintation a on her Americas trip at a new BMW shop so we got to go to a party. Had a great time even though only a few spoke English. Got invited to lunch and to see some old bikes on Sunday.

Was an amazing collection of bikes most with sidecars. This one was Italian built and has drive to both rear wheels.

He just completed a trip on the "silk road" to China, hope I can keep going to 78

Riding in the Italian Alps along a lake.

Cooking breakfast at our campground near Venice. Hotels are very expensive in Venice so we camped and took a boat over in the morning.

Venice

Venice

Venice

We had gotten Miriam something in Venice but by the time we got it wrapped to ship the post office was closed so we set out to find how to ship in Italy, found a post office and got it done. Then off to Slovenia, they are doing very well. Everything as pretty as a postcard.
Saw a sign on the road for a motorcycle museum in Vransko. Was a wonderful private collection. checked into a room in the building next door.

Museum on the right and place we stayed on the left, great place.

Most of the borders in the EU this is all we would see. First is Austria and second is Hungary. OK question, why do they call their country one thing and we call it something else, shouldn't they be aloud to name their country?

This is the first real/normal boarder crossing. Was into Romania which is new to the EU and has not gave up on border control.

Old wooden church in Romania being preserved.

The road and country side of Austria

Found the strangest thing in Slovokia,

All of the "Eastern Block" counties seem to be doing well. Still see USSR influance in some of the building but no Lattas, (sic Russian cars that use to dominate the east).

View from a castle somewhere along the way

BMW dealer, car and motorcycle, in Bialstock Poland. Martha had a disagreement with a guard rail and we need a new head light assembly. Tomasz who has only been managing their for four months had them take one off of a new bike so we could keep traveling. This is not something most dealers will do because that bike can not be sold till it can be replaced. Once we had got the light on we asked him if there was a hotel close, he said we should wait an hour till he closed shop and stay at his place. Was a wonderful experience to spend the night in a local home and learn how things were going in Poland.

We toured the concentration camp where 1.3 million died or were gassed.
Although I have seen many pictures and documentaries on these atrocities it was still spooky place to visit. We must always remember and be vigilant so this kind of thing will not happen again as it has so many times in the past.

We are now in Estonia but have been lax on taking pictures. Have issues with F700's radiator, damaged in guard rail fight. Have made some repairs last night, hoping it lasts till be can get a new one. Has been a four day weekend so have not been able to get reply from two BMW shops that will be on the way so they can get one ordered up.

Today we go to northeast Estonia, will cross into Russia tomorrow.