#GreatestRides 11 - Denmark - Germany - Netherlands - Belgium - UK
Goodbye to Norway
The time has come, he said goodbye to Norway, yes, the country fascinated him very much and literally held him like a magnet. Scandinavia is incredibly beautiful and inspires many motorcyclists every year with its long routes, peace and calming nature, sea, mountains and adventure.
DENMARK
His path now goes to Denmark, then to us in Germany and after a short night in Hamburg, he relaxes and sets off to the Netherlands, Belgium and then to the island in order to conquer the UK as the last.
As everywhere on his route through Europe, he met a few Harley bikers in Denmark who really wanted to get to know him so that they could take a short tour with him to get to know the country better.
He took a short tour with them, Denmark also has its beautiful facets, you should go a little off the beaten track to get to know Denmark a little better.
The long highways are really just a straight stretch, there isn't much to see left or right, but as soon as you appear somewhere on the coast the picture changes!
Had a great time. Thanks Denmark
And if there's one thing Denmark has a lot of, it's long beaches and coasts, some of which, like in Romo, you can drive on.
But anyone who has Danish bikers around them is well looked after and gets to know a lot about the country and its people in a short time.
Luis got an invitation from a Danish radio station, just like in Norway - he was live on air in Kristiansand.
Hello Germany
But he's heading further south, at the Danish border with Germany. We had actually agreed to meet, but he was too fast and I was too slow, and on the way to him in Rendsburg I got stuck at the gas station with two Harley riders.
I didn't even know them, but there was so much to discuss about the bikes we were standing in front of that the time suddenly ran out and Luis tried to reach me by phone, where would I be?
Hamburg
Shit happens, I was annoyed afterwards, but he also reached the limit unexpectedly quickly and I was driving the old EVO, which doesn't like being driven wildly over the track.
But that's exactly it, you meet complete strangers at the gas station with Harley riders and somehow they're not that strange, you talk, exchange ideas about Harleys and everyone has their own bike quirk!
Ok, but Luis drove his Street Glide Special directly over the motorway to Hamburg, took a look at the city with his team and continued on towards the Netherlands the next morning.
THE RIDE TO > Denmark – Netherlands
Belgium
Well, he got through Belgium quickly, but time is running out and he is particularly interested in Scotland, so he can be forgiven.
But we continue towards Rotterdam and ever closer to our next big goal!
In Rotterdam, after a short tour with Matt from Amsterdam (his cousin), we go to the next press event, the television has heard something about Luis, it doesn't help, together with a few Harley riders from Rotterdam and Amsterdam a report is made for television , that's also part of it when you're on a European tour for Harley-Davidson!
UK awaits him!
Now he is ready for the last trip, he is already expected in the UK, London, but he is particularly attracted to Scotland, he already has an idea of what awaits him there. Maybe not always the best weather, but the nature is wonderful and if you love Norway, you can't love Scotland much less.
This is also the peace, beautiful landscapes and great routes that can sometimes challenge you. Anyone who spends time in the remote corners will have this experience.
Whether asphalt roads or gravel, he gets to his destination with his Harley-Davidson without any problems.
He visits the castle of Donald Cameron of Lochiel, Luis is very interested in the history of the places he can visit. And many of them have a long history; there is not only the old malt whiskey, which has a long tradition.
He was now interested in where it came from, there is a distillery in Kinggussie - Scotland, you don't need to know much about whiskey, but he particularly liked it!
Netherlands
It's the 8 week that he's on the road, from Hamburg it takes him to Amsterdam, Breda and Rotterdam!
Amsterdam in particular is a city that has it all, there was already the Amsterdam Harley Days here, I don't even know what happened to it, the city has its charm, something could have become of it.
Everywhere there are these beautiful canals that run through the whole city, open-minded people and yes, Amsterdam is also multinational, it's not surprising with the entertainment on offer. There are world-famous museums to visit, countless coffees and also a beautiful surrounding area if you know the right places.
Image gallery Netherlands
As you can see in the photos, the landscape is pure madness, very varied, just like the weather, good equipment is mandatory, the good fairing of the Street Glide Special is ideally adapted to the needs.
It's not too big, you still get enough wind around your nose, but in bad weather it's worth its weight in gold! It's a successful compromise between feeling and protection.
Scotland
It doesn't always have to be the wide world, Route 66 in the USA is certainly very attractive and an unforgettable experience. BUT, Luis introduced us to many beautiful countries in Europe, be it the Alps, France, Croatia, Norway or Scotland.
There is so much to discover in Europe, incredibly beautiful routes that completely captivate you, passes, long plains and it wasn't everywhere, Finland, and to the north-east, such as in Tallin or Riga, Europe is also very beautiful and worth a trip , I'll just go there!!
“The sweeping glens and endless lochs of the Scottish Highlands gave me a sense of freedom that you don't experience every day.” Find out more about what Luis got up to in Scotland from his latest #DiscoverMore2015 video, catch it here… VisitScotland
Posted by Harley-Davidson UK on Tuesday, August 4, 2015
From Bergen (Norway) to Fort William (Scotland) in twelve days
THE END
Every beginning also comes to an end, including the great DiscoverMore Tour 2015 by Luis Castilla from Mexico.
On August 3rd at 3:00 p.m. the GreatestRides Tour 2015 officially ended in London, Luis drove 15,000 kilometers through Europe.
Start in London, continue to Santander, Ordessa, Barcelona, Arles, Avignon, Sisteron, Grenoble, Aosta, Locarno, Bormio, Bologna, Rodi, Bari, Bar, Dubrovnik, Trogir, Ljubjana, Salzburg, Vienna, Berlin, Copenhagen, Oddevalla, Oslo, Otta, Kristiansund, Geiranger, Bergen, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Aarhus, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Breda, Dumfries, Fort William, Glascow, Kendal, Birmingham and London.
In Oxford, he parked his Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special, which now truly belongs to him, at the Harley-Davidson Company so that it could be shipped to his homeland across the pond.
He did the wonderful tour on the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special 2015, the bike reliably carried him 15,000 thousand kilometers through Europe. Equipped with the latest navigation on board, he always knew where he was, which is a challenge for someone who doesn't ride a bike every day.
If everything doesn't fit and fit, you'll fall off the bike after 5 days, but obviously everything was fine! It's also a great thing, you get sponsored for such a great tour and you get to keep the Harley too, that's something!
Like few people before him, he got to know Europe more as a visitor to the US and Mexico, and he only knew a lot through stories and the Internet. Now he himself has been to many interesting places. I once translated how he saw and experienced it!
His personal impression of Europe!
Europe is more than a place, it is an idea, an experiment. Of course it has flaws, big problems that need to be solved, that will test the Europeans and some key questions will arise. But it is also an idea based on a common basis and a shared experience that spans millennia.
I hope that the experiences that unite the amazing continent will prove stronger than its contradictions and I also hope that some elements of this concept will serve as a model for the world. Freedom of movement and basic social attitudes should be a norm, and not the exception.
How to transition from a system that produces everything to a system that produces ideas and fairness. Imagine the potential: hundreds of millions of people thinking about the important issues that are obviously at hand instead of worrying about their next meal.
A better world is possible in many ways, Europe has shown us how it can be achieved. Perhaps its existence is reason enough for us to be hopeful about what the future can bring.
A word about Luis Castilla!
My personal impression of Luis, it couldn't have been a better meeting, who is doing this tour and traveling the country on the Harley as a non-European.
He didn't look at this extraordinary tour exclusively as a biker, but also looked at the respective populations of the countries.
He cared about the circumstances and especially nature, how worthy of protection and how overwhelming our landscape in Europe is, but that you can still enjoy freedom on a motorbike without any worries, both have to be possible!
Otherwise we no longer see or appreciate the value when we no longer spend time in nature!
Thank you very much to Luis for sharing your private photos that you made available to me and your overwhelming impressions with us.
“The GreatestRides” project will continue in 2016, hopefully it will meet the right people in 2016 too! You can find out more about this on the official GreatestRides page
I hope you enjoyed and inspired Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special
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