Mark Wallace travels the world on his BMW R1200 GS Adventure
I’m in my tiny hotel room in Bucharest, Romania trying to understand how an entire year has passed since my last blog update.
Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia – I’ve crossed them all since my last post. I’ve met amazing people, fought sickness, experienced great defeats, and celebrated hard-fought victories.
In my last post I think I gave the impression that the past few months have been nothing but gloom and doom. But that’s not the case at all. I’ve had many grand adventures in Europe, despite the challenges and changes. Although I haven’t had crazy desert crossings or eaten cow brains, I have enjoyed spending time with some really great people.
I’ve already posted about my wonderful time in Madrid, but here are a few more highlights from my time here in Europe.
Sometimes the the trip feels like a living breathing being, and sometimes that being doesn’t seem to like me very much.
Let me refresh your memory. I’d just shipped my bike from Nairobi to London (several thousand dollars), then my bike was stolen, smashed, and found. Bike needed serious repairs (many thousands of dollars) and I’d have to stay in London for weeks while repairs were being made (many more dollars). And then, after a wonderful stay in Spain, I arrived in Frankfurt only to discover that, somehow, I’d smashed my laptop. This was not good for a guy who’d just drained his bank account.
Yes, I’ve been gone a while. When I last left you I was heading south to meet Alicia Sornosa in Madrid. I did make it to Spain, but then I smashed my laptop and have been unable to update the site for a few weeks! I’m saving that craziness for a different post. First, let me tell you about Madrid.