ScanBaltic 2022 Episode 10, The end part 2

I wrapped up the video part of the trip but when i got to Suwalki with the story it was already a long read and i decided to split that up, here’s the rest.

Not long after leaving Suwalki i met up with the TET Poland section 2, here the TET had a nice portion along the logic route to my next destination.
This part of the TET is an easy going part without any technical riding, off course you will come up to some surprises good or bad depending on your skill level and bike you ride but for my level with this bike it was easy and i even would have no problem doing this section with Ragnarok. At least in these weather conditions.

Maybe the most challenging was the navigation. This leg of the trip i also made some adaptations to the TET because it was not routeable or i was afraid it took too long.
Too long is only in time and i hope i get some miracles done at work this year so my boss grant me a 4 week holiday as an exception for my next trip but more about that in the next blog, that will be about the plans for this year.
The adaptations did end up to be controversial again and Garmin messed up this part too as you could have seen in the video.
The unrouteable TET turned out to be a perfectly fine dirt road and the routeable part went over some tracks in the grass probably flattened by a tractor or other agricultural vehicle.
As i did most of the skipping of the TET because of the time it was my logic choice to follow the TET because a clear unrouteable dirt road should be faster than some flattened grass in a meadow.

About halve of this section i followed the TET and the other halve i found my own dirt roads because i had to go a bit more northward of the TET and following the TET a bit longer meant more asphalt in the end.
If you follow Itchy Boots you might know she had a camera mount on the handlebar that broke at some point, i had the same mount and it also broke at some point.
Like i said it was not technical but i made the lack of excitement up with going fast.
The suspension did a superb job but an often made mistake is thinking offroad suspension is soft and comfortable but it isn’t, it has a long travel but it still has to maintain contact with the road and going fast over dirt tracks still cause a lot of vibrations. It doesn’t bottom out like the OEM or even mid level suspension but the mount broke at the same spot as Itchy’s.
Luckily the Insta 360 was just fine.

In Danzig i booked a room just outside the Old town in a new apartment building with a shared bathroom between the 4 rooms but just 2 where occupied i think.
Parking was unclear and nobody seemed to know how parking for motorcycles was regulated in Poland.
I ended up parking the bike right under my window just off the street.
After freshening up it was time to head to Old town Danzig for a little sightseeing and have a bite to eat at another Hardrock Café with more affordable beer as the last one.

The next day it was raining, time to gear up including the rain gear and no camera as the helmet cam is no use in the rain and the mount for the backwards facing camera has broken.
Next destination was Berlin and with 472km i had to stick to the main roads a bit more.
Off course i did a bit offroad because once in Germany that is over but it was not much, also because of lack of dirt roads in the right direction.
For the border crossing i mounted the camera to the crashbar like i did also in Finland at some point and form there it was all main roads (bundesstraßen) until Berlin.
Berlin is a huge town and it took me almost an hour to get from the edge where i entered to the centre where i had a hotel room for 2 nights.
As you know i don’t like big city’s but Berlin has a lot of history until as recent as 1989 when East and West Berlin where reunited.
A major historic event even i remember vert well, maybe also because Faith no More did an Epic cover of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs at a concert celebrating that event.

The receptionist at the hotel was great, he let me park the bike in the courtyard of the hotel, for free. That was a much better place than on the busy side-walk.
Germany is a funny place though, i started in the Netherlands and then crossed Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland and nowhere was any sign left of Covid.
In Germany i had to reserve a time slot for breakfast the evening before because just a certain amount of people where allowed in at the same time, same goes for the mall. There was a line packed with people rubbing against each other but the mall was safe and almost empty and every country i mentioned had no problem with me buying a single coffee or other cheap ass product and pay with plastic. First night in Berlin it was too late to go somewhere but too early to go to sleep so i figured i buy a few beers at the evening store next door and watch some TV or YouTube. Grabbed 2 halve a litre bottles costing €5 and i presented my card… “sorry but you have to pay cash, card is from €10″…
What!!! All over the place they (still or again) have regulations to prevent (indirect) contact but money is still going from hand to hand!!!

Next day was sightseeing day, i have all day to stroll around and i had some tips from Stephan back in Tallinn as he lives in Berlin.
Let’s show you instead of writing everything down…

From Checkpoint Charley i went on to the Bergmannstraße end the Graefestraße, the tips from Stephan.
Overall i had well over 10km under my feet and had to go about 7km back to the hotel. In Riga i downloaded an app for a taxi ride back to the hotel but with this app i also could rent a scooter and they operate is several country’s, also Berlin and that’s why there is a scooter in the pictures. That was my ride back because the 7km route was not a route with sights to see and not worth walking. I could, i also hiked 20km in Croatia when i visited the Plitvice lakes but the boring route would be a waste of energy.
The Hardrock Café was just around the corner from the hotel, a 250 meter walk so it was a nice coincidence that one of the cheaper hotels was so close and in the centre. Off course it was not a high rated luxury hotel but it was in the centre and the room was clean, what more do you need?

Time to head home.
There where some moments i would have needed the few days i had to spare but the weather in the Lofoten was too bad to follow up on the tip to go to Senja that would cost me a day and the split of one of the days was made up when i did 3 sections in 2 days because it went faster as i thought.
Because of that for a short moment i had the idea of not taking the autobahn back home but split it up and take a scenic route.
I didn’t do it because it was an expensive time due to Covid and the situation between Russia and the Ukraine and halve of the time i spent in 2 of the most expensive countries so 1 or even 2 more days would be more costs.
I already spent more this trip than the Balkan trip and this trip i camped a lot, cheap and even free while i never took the tent out in the Balkans.
The parts i would be riding i also have been and possibly end up another time.
To start up i didn’t went for the autobahn right away but first took a few main roads through some towns you might recognise from the few pictures i gave a capture, Potsdam and Brandenburg.
And to make things complicated, there is also a Brandenburger tor in the town of Potsdam.

That was the last picture and there is also nothing worth telling left, it would be why we call “Bondesrepubliek Deutschland” “Baustellenrepubliek Deutschland” and complains about the driving so i spare you that.
Thanks for your interest and on to new adventures and shenanigans to fill the time in between.