The Long Way Home

A night in a castle

I spent a night in a castle. How many people can say that? Quite a few, probably. But since then, I’m one of them.

As far as I could tell, I was also the only guest. At least I didn’t hear anyone else rattling around.

The ride up the day before had been quite nice, with no real issues. The highlight was Halle (Saale), a city I hadn’t been to in at least 25 years. The contrast is brutal: a restored medieval old town on one side, and on the other the grey, blank, genuinely impressive Soviet-style apartment blocks of Halle-Neustadt.

If you’re ever in the area, go and see it. Both halves.

From empty roads into the Sauerland

Heringen to Cologne was the last leg of the tour.

I set off early, right after sunrise, because I didn’t want to arrive in the late afternoon. So early, in fact, that the castle’s main gate was still locked, and I had to climb over it. With all my gear and luggage. A morning workout nobody asked for.

The riding itself was easy. A bit of morning traffic, sure, but otherwise calm. Between Heringen and Brilon I barely saw another vehicle.

Then came Brilon, the Sauerland, and the day’s traffic, all at once. Two to three hours of it. Stop and go. Traffic lights. More traffic. At least the weather was nice.

Lesson of the trip

Western Germany still isn’t becoming my favorite place to ride. It’s just busy. Everywhere.

Final verdict

So, the verdict? I’m honestly not sure what it is. I haven’t done another long trip since — not on the motorcycle, anyway. With a backpack, plenty.

Did I like the trip? Parts of it, yes. Did I like the riding? Not always.

The NC750X is a fantastic bike. But I’m not the tallest person, and the handling always felt a bit rough for me. I never quite felt comfortable in the moments where my feet needed a reliable fallback in case something went wrong. A very tight corner. A slope. Or, ideally, both at once.