Time to go!

Place: Home in Leuven, Belgium.

Tune of the day: The Verve - Love is Noise.

It is finally time to pull the finger out and get moving. There is some kind of a demonstration on the street and I need to ask the most incompetent and uncooperative police person standing out which ways are open to leave the town.

This is a surprisingly "clean" looking bike. Not too many things strapped on - yet.

This is the bike "good to go" – at least for now. More equipment, like small Jerry cans for fuel and off-road front tyre will be wrapped on later. Also, inner tubes and some smaller things remain to be bought, but in Finland I can do it easier than in here.

I decided to leave the top box behind as the combination between it and the big Ortlieb bag (fully loaded) is just too big. I did not feel comfortable sitting in front of it. I probably should have picked the smaller Ortlieb bag, but what's done is done. This way I can also take a small day-bag, which will hopefully be quite useful when not on the bike. Also, I really need to figure out how to get on this thing without a ladder.

This does not really feel like a start of a big adventure, it’s more like a packing and logistical exercise. Maybe it will sink in at some point.

The plan today is simply to drive the 600km to Travemünde, where the ferries to Helsinki depart. The weather is nice and I should have plenty of time. Not a bad way to start.

I am sure reality will bite at some point.