264 km – 29° C
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In the morning I was awakened by Bennis grandparents getting up and having breakfast around 6:45-but decided to stay in bed some longer until 7-ish. We had some lazy breakfast contemplating about today’s errands. After breakfast we tidied up the gear mess in the hall and packed most of our stuff. Then we made a drive to Bennis former flat and retrieved the Mokka pot (most critical piece of equipment) and a pair of carabiners. We swooped by a motorcycle supply store and got the missing clutch cable stops and replacement cable as well as a puncture kit for Bennis tubeless tires, a quick chat with the store clerk about the looks of Bennis helmet ensued. Where I tried to emphasize the nice fit, silentness and versatility, but he was just all about the looks. On our way to the apartment we stopped by a supermarket and bought some general food supplies, spices, herbs and other food related items. The decision to shill out the extra buck for a cold beer on the ferry instead of bringing one was made in contemplation of this utter lack of modesty when comparing to our prior journeys. When arriving home this was swallowed by our luggage without adding any extra bags, it seems my packing in the heat of Thursday (42° C) was not as optimal as I feared. After this it was near time to get going as Bennis grandmother celebrated this years birthday by going to a restaurant today. We met at the “Four Seasons” an Chinese styled restaurant inside a old train hall, which served an all-you-can-eat menu consisting of the widest varieties of dishes. We enjoyed and stuffed ourselves. Upon returning home the food coma hit us pretty hard: Benni was fiddling around with his navigational device, I read a book about the psychology of music (great tip Miriam) and started writing today’s entry.
Then we lavishly started packing. Some fiddling around with the straps was needed to get the proper snug but not too tight fit. Getting into the motorcycle clothes the tingling feeling in the stomach that precedes every bigger journey of mine finally settled in. We put in the last pieces of kit, Bennis grandparents took a picture and we got going. Halfway out of Berlin there were some navigation problems as the different devices had inconsistent advice on which route to take. The telephones app was chosen as most reliable and we set off once more. What followed was an uneventful ride through the Brandenburger landscape, weather was mild and sunny and we rode through the sunset amazed by the view of the newly harvested fields, the mellow lakes and the pine forests drenched in golden sunset light. We arrived in time at the ferry, half an hour before departure and still were some of the last. After securing the motorcycles and getting one of the straps back into working order together with one of the cargo crew. We hurried to have a go at the preferred sleeping spot under one set of stairs but to no avail: it was already taken by a family of 5, very unwilling to share. Thus we proceeded to take some dinner in the ships bistro (cheaper than the stena line equivalent) and enjoyed the last good beer for this trip.
