Another reunion

In '97 I rode a motorcycle from Australia to The Netherlands along the overland route. Two friends; Peter and Charlie were my companions. During this trip Charlie and I entered Rimini (Peter had left the day before to visit relatives in Tuscany) and where followed by a handful of bikers who were discussing our registration and AUS plates. They thought we were from Austria, except for one rider who assured his mates that we had come from Australia. At a traffic lights this guy pulled up next to me and said: Hello, could you tell my friends where you are from"! "Australia” I said. Minutes later we were sharing pizza and beer and were given a place to stay with one of them named Gabriele. A friendship evolved and I visited twice more and once Gabriele came to Australia and ride from Perth to Adelaide along the railway track with bike full of coca cola bottles filled with petrol- an interesting story by itself. Due to a change in internet providers we lost each other’s details and lost touch for over ten years. Recently I found his address in one of my diaries and thought it to good to go and look for him. It had crossed my mind that there was possibility that Gabriele could have suffered the same fate is my friend in Holland who’s grave site I had visited earlier this month- after all there was a sudden stop of communication for no apparent reason and we both engage in a hobby which puts us in a high risk factor. I called at his mother’s home ready to meet any news she would give me as to his fate but was relieved that she said that she would ring Gabriele.

Soon after I checked into my accommodation and half an hour later Gabriele and his wife turned up on an almost brand new BMW R1200GS. Happy times. We had dinner and shared what had been happening in our lives.

The next day Gabriele and I went for a ride; no maps, no GPS, just follow someone else- how relaxing. The first stop was San Marino- a country within a country like Monaco, Lesotho etc.

“I have an uncle who has a few old BMW’s“ Gabriele had said earlier in the morning. So Ok let’s have a look. After arrival at his uncle’s house I was stunned, here was collection of restored BMW’s in mint condition. One of them 90 years old, another of a model of which there is only one of in the world, a prototype which ended up being too expensive for the market. Anyway if you are interested have a look at some of them. I stayed another day at their house up in the hills surrounded by farms and orchards peace and tranquillity.

Next stop... Rome!