Best of Europe with Tilmann and Fabian

Before the whole group met in our start hotel in Erding the tourguides gathered all bikes at the headquarter to shuttle them to Munich. Even a flat tire couldn’t stop them to pick up the last bike at bmw which meant an upgrade for the lucky customer 🏍️ After polishing the bikes it was time for the welcome briefing and handover of keys. You could see everybody’s smile when they first sat on their toys for the upcoming days. We finished off the night with a hearty Bavarian dinner, where the route for the upcoming day was discussed already

The thunderstorm from last night has cleared, and we can start our first day of riding on dry roads. After the briefing, we head towards the Hallertau in pleasant 18-degree weather – the largest contiguous hop-growing region in the world. We are lucky that the hop plants are still standing, as the harvest is about to begin next week. To get a better view of the huge hop-growing area, we climb the Hop Tower and enjoy the beautiful, although slightly shaky, view. We continue to our first coffee stop in Wolnzach, the heart of the Hallertau. After some refreshments, we head into the Altmühltal towards Eichstätt, where we have lunch at a traditional brewery. The brewery is located right next to the Schutzengelkirche (Church of the Guardian Angels), which we explore after lunch. The church's 567 angels are not quite as easy to find as you might expect! A short rain shower doesn't stop us from getting back on our motorcycles and continuing our beautiful first day on the road. We follow the winding roads along the Altmühl towards Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where we will spend the night. After dinner, another highlight is waiting for us: the Night Watchman’s Tour is the perfect way to end our first day!

Welcome to the river coaster through midevil Germany. We set out early to follow the jagst river towards our first stop at castle langenburg. With a friendly shared cappuccino we continued to admire the craftsmanship of a wooden bridge to continue onwards towards the traces of „Götz von Berlingen“ the most famous German knight. His funeral site in the monastery of Schöntal was impressive until Tilmann was awaiting us with an awesome picnic at the river banks. Filled up with new energy we conquered our way towards the Neckar river, which was stunning since the rain feed it in the last days. Waving at cargo freighters we visited Hirschhorn castle and were impressed by the features of the fortress. Next up we rode up to our hotel siting on Königsstuhl overlooking Heidelberg. By furnicular we rode down the mountain to stroll around the city center and enjoyed dinner in a traditional brewery. The day was a blast :)

We start the day with a beautiful view of Heidelberg from high up on the Kaiserstuhl. To reach the northern Black Forest as quickly as possible, we first take the A5 motorway and ride around 50 kilometers to Ettlingen. From there, we follow the Albtal valley towards the spa town of Bad Herrenalb. It doesn't take long to notice how the valley becomes narrower and the landscape steeper. It's no coincidence that this area is also known as the “Gateway to the Black Forest.” In Bad Herrenalb, we take a short break, recharge our batteries with coffee and cake, and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the spa town. Feeling refreshed, we finally head onto the winding roads of the Black Forest. We ride through the picturesque Murg Valley and eventually reach the famous Black Forest High Road B500, one of the region's best-known motorcycle routes, with countless sweeping bends. Of course, we enjoy the road while keeping a close eye on the speed limits. 😉 A small, narrow and wonderfully twisty road eventually takes us to our lunch stop: the Renchtalhütte. Here, we can enjoy not only delicious Black Forest cake, but also a variety of local specialties. The perfect reward after all those winding kilometers. After lunch, we continue winding our way through the Black Forest until the landscape gradually opens up and we reach the Rhine Plain. Shortly afterwards, we cross the border into France – and suddenly the scenery changes. Instead of dense forests, vineyards and picturesque little villages now dominate the landscape. Our destination for today is Riquewihr, a beautiful little town in Alsace. We will be staying here for the next two nights in a roughly 500-year-old hotel. What a wonderfully varied day: From the views over Heidelberg to the narrow valleys and winding roads of the Black Forest, and finally to the vineyards of Alsace – it would be hard to imagine a more diverse day of riding.

Today is our rest day, and we have several options to choose from. Some members of the group decide to take it easy and spend the day relaxing in Riquewihr. Another group of riders, however, isn't discouraged by the light rain and sets off early in the morning to arrive at Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle at 9 a.m. When we arrive, the castle is still mysteriously shrouded in mist. The medieval fortress towers impressively above the surrounding landscape, and we are simply amazed by this architectural masterpiece. During our visit, we explore the interior of the castle and can hardly stop marveling at what we see. Every room seems to tell its own story and gives us a glimpse into what life here must have been like many centuries ago. After this impressive experience, we get back on our motorcycles and ride over the Col de Bonhomme to our coffee stop at a typical French café. By now, the weather has improved considerably – and, of course, so has the visibility. We therefore make a short stop at Lac Blanc and enjoy the beautiful view over the picturesque mountain lake. A second group chose to ride on, visit the memorial de linge and made an extra loop to Munster to see how the famous cheese is made and tastes. Over the col de la Schlucht also this group made it back home safe. Afterwards, a wonderfully winding road takes us back towards Riquewihr. Once we arrive, there is still plenty of time to stroll through the beautiful historic streets, soak up the special atmosphere of the town and, of course, pick up a souvenir or two. A perfect rest day: a little bit of medieval history, a taste of French charm and, of course, plenty of twisty roads.

Tree countries in one day with a refreshing splash in the end. Today we made our way crossing rhine river back to Germany. The southern part of the schwarzwald welcomed us with sunny weather and new tarmac towards our first stop at mount kandel. Since everybody couldn’t stop smiling we made a quick photo session on the way down and headed for lunch. Tilman prepared an edelweiss picnic in the middle of picturesque landscape. In the afternoon we crossed the boarder to Switzerland went to the Rhine falls. We catched a boat ride which got us to the epicenter. Before dinner some people went into town and we finished of the night with “züricher Geschnetzeltes” served along traditional Suisse hash browns.

Our day starts along the Rhine as we make our way towards the charming town of Diessenhofen. Here, we cross the river using the historic customs bridge, an impressive wooden structure that has connected Switzerland and Germany for centuries. From Diessenhofen, the road gradually climbs into the surrounding countryside. Soon, we reach a fantastic viewpoint overlooking Lake Constance, giving us the opportunity to admire the vast panorama and take some photos before continuing our journey. Our next stop is in Bütschwil, where a motorcycle dealership welcomes us for a coffee break. For motorcycle enthusiasts, the stop is particularly interesting, as the dealership is also home to an impressive collection of classic bikes. After taking some time to admire the machines, we get back on the road. The scenery becomes increasingly mountainous as we continue south. The green rolling hills slowly give way to more dramatic landscapes, and in the distance, the snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps appear. One mountain immediately catches our attention: the mighty Säntis. At 2,502 metres (8,209 ft), it is the highest point of the Alpstein massif and, on a clear day, offers views stretching across six countries. For lunch, we stop at Schwägalp, right at the foot of the Säntis. With the impressive mountain scenery surrounding us, it is the perfect place to enjoy a well-deserved meal and take in the unique atmosphere of the Swiss Alps. In the afternoon, we leave Switzerland behind and make a brief journey through the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein. We stop for a quick photo at the border before continuing into Austria. The landscape immediately becomes more alpine again, setting the stage for one of the most demanding riding sections of the day. The climb towards the Furkajoch is a real highlight for experienced riders. The narrow road winds its way up the mountain with countless tight bends and very little room for mistakes. Once we reach the summit, though, the effort is quickly forgotten. The spectacular views make the challenging climb more than worthwhile, and we reward ourselves with another coffee at the top. With one more mountain pass behind us, we eventually make our way to Warth, where we finish another fantastic day of riding through three countries and some of the most beautiful landscapes the Alps have to offer.

Last day of riding has come. We started of at our lovely hotel in Warth to cover some distance, since a storm front was rising behind us. Riding through the outskirts of the alps was awesome. At lake Plansee some participants went for a quick swim, to get some refreshment. Across the German boarder we visited the famous monastery of Ettal. Due to a wedding going on we only got a quick glimpse of the baroque main church and we were able to stop Andrew from crashing the service :) Next up was a feast: the German autobahn. Bikes ran good and stable even at higher speeds and we were lucky since the rain catched up with us right at our last coffee stop. Fully equipped we made our way back to Erding. Last dinner was served with reminiscing about the highlights of our trip all around Europe, but the last surprise was yet to come. The Erding Herbstfest just started that night which left everybody in awe. Thank you for making this trip remarkable . Was a blast riding with all of you, Tilmann and Fabian