Remembering that we had a crew of six in Canada preparing the move (Note: We had already packed up and boxed about 2/3 of the stuff ourselves.) we wondered how those two guys would make that happen within a day.
The Harley had been traveling all packed up and sitting on a custom skid on the truck, while all our other goods including the Vespa were on the trailer still tucked away in the same container in which it had been shipped overseas.
The motorcycle got unpacked while still in the truck, while the scooter crate was put on the lifting ramp and and unwrapped on ground level.
While we rode the two-wheelers out of the way (The motors fired up immediately!!!) the crew started bringing in the furniture.
At one point we had to literally force the movers to stop for a break. Roland offered to grab some coffee from the nearby bakery (There is no Starbucks around for about 60 km...), and made them breakfast, but those guys didn't idle for long, and continued to 'fly in' boxes, totes and other bits and pieces without further ado.
There was some minor transport related damage on a few items despite the extensive wrapping, but it was to be expected after this long journey. However, we are happy to report that most things have arrived at final destination unscathed. For those who need/want/have to move back to Germany we can confirm that despite some lack in professionalism on the admin side (communication and scheduling issues) we were over all very satisfied with the services of our provider.
Update: As of Saturday 1PM everything is unpacked, cleaned and put into place.
And now for the TuV!
ReplyDeleteFor the Vespa, it will be easy as the dealer is closeby, but for making the Harley road worthy in the means of German legislation... the dealer is 70 klicks away...
DeleteWhen I the registered the F650 last year I made the mistake of paying BMW €60 for a Type Approval Certicate. The very helpful guy at the TuV said that most of the Type Approval stuff is online and free!
DeleteGlad to hear that all your belongings arrived safe and sound, now it's the unpacking that will occupy your time. I hate packing and also the unpacking so I feel with you.
ReplyDeleteHi Bianka, unpacking is painful indeed but after ten moves in my life I have developed a certain routine...
DeleteHooray. Glad everything arrived mostly unscathed.
ReplyDeleteMust be nice to not only have the bikes but also the rest of your belongings too.
I like the one picture of the inside of your place - it looks o night and bright.
Nice to get all of your stuff again including the bike. Now the real work begins, i.e. trying to figure out why you shipped something or another half way around the world.
ReplyDeleteWhat is involved before you can ride the bikes? Are the different systems in Germany than Canada? Or do they just want to make sure that it's "factory original"?
I echo RichardM's query.....do the vehicles have to be certified for use in Germany/EU by some process?
ReplyDeleteGlad you've got your stuff. I really hated it each time I moved when in the Army, even though the Army paid for everything to be packed up and shipped.
Yes, of course there is a process for importing Motorcycles, there is a process for EVERYTHING in Germany :-)
DeleteFirst thing will be to get the bikes through TÜV (vehicle inspection) which hopefully will not cause too much trouble. But Bella has a Non-standard windshield and a life-saving Bad Boy horn, so this might cause some issues... Then we will have to go to the registry again and convince the local officer that these are really our bikes and that they are good to go! We will report!