Not that I am celebrating Halloween this being Dublin and I am sitting in a hotel room but there you go. My luggage turned up – hurray – as it had my motorcycle helmet in it – I just hoped it wasn’t bashed about too much.
I had to face the client today which was [...]

Got up this morning and Nuno gave me a lift to the airport on my motorbike. Quite strange to be dropped off at the airport by motorcycle. Turns out that Air Portugal’s check in system is pants. There are 10 counters allocated to all the European flights. As I was there [...]

Today was the last day that I will be able to ride my bike until The Che Guevara gang arrive in Argentina. It turns out that the Western most edge of the European continent is about 10-15kms from Cascais where I was staying so that was a must visit. It turns out that [...]

Portugal: Population: 10 million Size: 92,000 sq km (560km north to south and 220km east to west) Capital: Lisbon (Lisboa) 60% of the world cork comes from Portugal.
Saturday morning I started out at eight in the morning. Getting up after a nine hour sleep I carried my panniers and bag down the stairs and [...]

Spain: Population: 40 million Size: 505,000 sq km second largest Western European country after France. Capital: Madrid
On Friday morning I did a bit more dolphin spotting (I had seen some the day before) and was pretty much just waiting for the ferry to dock. I managed to see the family I waited with [...]

The ferry between Portsmouth and Bilbao is huge. 11 stories, 2 cinemas, half a dozen restaurants, swimming pool and gym. The best surprise of the trip is that it turns out the Bay of Biscay is one of the prime places in the world to see dolphins and whales. According to the [...]

Even though the ferry wasn’t sailing until after midnight I decided to head down to Portsmouth as I was hoping to beat the rain, I wanted to get the trip over and done with and I didn’t fancy staying at work.
Scott one of my colleagues kindly came down to take a couple photos of me. [...]

It was a poignant moment as I loaded up my bike this morning with everything I am taking down to Lisbon with me. It was a bit hard to pack for the cold and rain I am going to encounter from London to Portsmouth tonight (ferry has been delayed from 21:15 to 00:30). [...]

Last night I biked home in the pouring rain but luckily missed the huge thunder and lightening storm that came later on in the evening. Maybe mother nature is trying to compete with all the fireworks that the local kids are letting off with Guy Fawkes day coming up soon.
I have now lined my [...]

Actually I spent my whole weekend wondering if I am really doing the right thing by doing this trip. If I had wanted a change because I was bored, why didn’t I just change jobs and move to a different flat? Part of it is that although I like riding a motorcycle I [...]

Seeing as how I won’t have many more weekends to do nothing I am taking a break from all my preparation and spending the day lying around reading books that I got from the library. And scanning old photos that I am hoping to organise while I am on my trip.

It’s the last weekend before I have to take my bike down to have it shipped out so today was spent getting the heavy items that I want to be shipped in my panniers rather than taking them out in a rucksack. Most of the things were bought from Halfords (a car/motorcycle/bicycle parts supply [...]

Didn’t get the contract. Oh well. Ready or not Argentina here I come.

It is three in the morning here and I have been lying in bed having a panic attack. I think it has only just dawned on me that if I don’t get this job that I am shipping my bike down to Lisbon on Wednesday (five days away). And as I heard nothing [...]

I had a telephone interview with the consultancy firm last night and apparently they have two candidates that they have put before the client. So now I am just waiting to hear from them which one the client prefers. When I was told they wanted to speak to me I had prepared to [...]