I was already on the road in April. Back then, I took the old lady to the Jura mountains in France – I guess that’s what you call using your remaining vacation wisely. The tour was great, but one small wish remained unfulfilled: the Alps.

I could see them from a distance, but that was about it. Most of the passes were still closed, there was still plenty of snow around and so I just looked longingly towards the mountains. But to be honest: once you see the Alps on the horizon, it’s not the end of the story. That’s when it really begins.

It’s now the end of May, beginning of June. The temperatures have risen, the vacation has been approved and so it was clear: I have to go there again. This time I’m going to Italy, to the lakes of northern Italy. The idea actually came from a YouTube video. Someone was riding a motorcycle through this region, past lakes, mountains and bends – and I sat in front of it and thought: that’s exactly what I want to experience.

Will it end up as beautiful as in the video? Let’s see. Experience shows that YouTube videos are rarely honest when it comes to rain, roadworks, detour and mediocre coffee.

Of course, my colleagues asked me: “What, you’ve only just been on vacation?” Yes, that’s right. I had. But that was leftover vacation in April. So that only counts for half. At most. Besides, the old lady and I have wanderlust. And when motorcycles and drivers have wanderlust, it becomes difficult to stay sane at some point.

Technically, there is no longer any excuse. The slave cylinder has been repaired, a fresh rear tire has been fitted and the old lady is ready. Well, at least as ready as an old lady can be: dignified, slightly oil-philosophical and with that look that says: “All right, if you say so.”

Nevertheless, the preparation was not entirely relaxed. The Alpine passes were still closed for weeks. The vacation was approaching, but on the pass websites it looked more like hibernation than a motorcycle adventure. In the meantime, the first routes are gradually opening. Not all of them yet, but enough to be cautiously optimistic. I just hope that a few more passes will open before I arrive. Otherwise the planned tour will quickly turn into a creative way of driving around closed barriers.

And then there’s the weather. Just as we are about to set off, the forecast doesn’t exactly look like a postcard picture. In the last few days we’ve had sunshine galore, sometimes almost 30 degrees – and it’s supposed to rain just in time for the vacation. In the Alps too, of course. It will rain, no question about it. The only exciting question is: how much?

So will the tour fall through? Hopefully not. I’ll probably get wet anyway. The old lady will cope with it. Whether I can cope with it remains to be seen. But maybe that’s exactly the point: a motorcycle tour is not a perfectly edited YouTube video. It’s weather, road, detour, doubt, anticipation – and hopefully a lake, a pass and a really good coffee somewhere in between.

So: waterproof your motorcycle gear, don’t forget your hope and off you go.