The north – flat as a pancake. Nevertheless, motorcycling is fun, especially when you have the Weserbergland on your doorstep. But the higher the mountains, the more fun it is to ride. We head to the Vosges and then to the Alps.

Today was a relaxed start: my first destination was Winterberg. Only 200 km – a kind of roll-in for man and machine. I’ve set myself a target of between 300 and 400 km per day on the tour, but the start can still be a bit soft. After all, I don’t want to crawl into my hotel room on all fours on the first evening.

I ride my BMW R1200GS, built in 2005 – affectionately known as “the old lady”. She was in a good mood today: no grumbling, no growling – but a throaty sound that makes my heart beat faster. 98 honest horsepower, air-oil cooled, with character and patina. Who needs electronic gadgets when you want to ride a motorcycle?

This time I’ve kept technology to the essentials. No drone, no notebook – this is an analog adventure. Photography will also be a little less frequent this time, as Regine (a.k.a. Chief of Camera) is not with me. I’ll do my best to bring you some nice impressions anyway.

There were no spectacular highlights today – neither coffee nor cake, hardly any photo spots, no rain showers. Just a relaxed drive through the Sauerland. And to round off the day: a pepper bite, an apple, a few sweets – hotel room dinner de luxe. You live out of your pocket, so that has to be enough.

And the weather? Well… in South Tyrol it’s supposed to be pouring with rain. At least it’s stayed dry here – a good start! But as they say: when angels travel, it’ll be fine. 🐶🌈

Conclusion: The old lady runs, the weather is fine – what more could you want? We rolled gently into adventure, without a breakdown, without rain. If this continues, I’ll soon be writing travel tips for beginners. 😎