Another breath

The first sun and the silence of Henri-Chapelle

The air was biting — that sharp, bracing January cold that clears your lungs the moment you step outside. But, for the first time this year, the sun finally broke through. It didn’t bring much warmth, but it brought a different kind of life. It breathed new life into the Belgian landscape, and I knew I had to be out in it.

The bike is my therapy.

I’d missed this feeling more than I could ever put into words. Jumping back on my beloved Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited felt like coming home. To me, the bike is more than just a machine; it is my therapy. The moment the Milwaukee-Eight engine settles into its steady rhythm, the noise of the world simply vanishes. There is a healing power in the rumble. I started the day carving through the rolling hills of the Voer area, where the sunken lanes glistened under the low winter sun. With a bike this heavy, the curves require a deliberate touch — a dance of momentum that keeps you entirely in the present moment.

The ritual of gearing up

My setup for this journey was built for total freedom. I never carry my all-black Leica M6 in my jacket because the weight and movement would hinder me when carving through the wind. Instead, it is kept safe and sound in my WANDRD bag, tucked away in the Tour-Pak case on the back of the Harley.

I just love this camera. There’s an honesty to the M6 that matches the character of the Harley. There are no screens or menus, just the tactile resistance of the film lever. For this trip, I chose the 24 mm Leica lens for its immersive perspective, which forces you to step into the soul of the scene. Inside, I loaded a roll of Rollei RPX 400 film, searching for that classic, silvery look.

The Silence of the Asphalt

As the sun began to set, I reached the Henri-Chapelle plateau. I stopped the Road Glide, ensuring that the Harley remained on the asphalt. There is a line of respect here that you do not cross: the rumble of the engine stays on the road, leaving the green fields in the silence they deserve.

Rollei GPX 400

The ‘clunk’ of the kickstand on the dark tarmac was the last sound before the quiet took over. I took the WANDRD bag off the back case and stepped into the ‘forest of white’.

That Rollei feeling!

Standing among the 7,992 marble crosses, the experience was overwhelming. Through the 24 mm lens, the scale is immense. The low light of the setting sun caught the edges of the marble, turning the solemn rows into a field of glowing, liquid light.

When I finally developed the film, I was stunned. I loved the Rollei result — it has a certain something. It isn’t just a sharp image, it’s an atmosphere.

Rollei GPX 400

Rollei GPX 400

Rollei GPX 400

Rollei GPX 400

Rollei GPX 400

Rollei GPX 400

• The Silver Glow: The highlights on the marble have a soft, ethereal quality that digital photography can’t capture.
• The texture: The grain is tactile and authentic, capturing the mechanical integrity of the Leica.
• The soul: it captured the ‘golden hour’ at the cemetery with a silvery grace that matches the ‘mechanical truth’ I search for perfectly. 
  

  Rollei GPX 400

The ride home was cold, but the therapy had done its work. The Road Glide carried me home through the dusk while the M6 sat silently in the back case, holding thirty-six frames of the first light of 2026.

No distractions. Just the road, the bike and the feel of the frame.

Thank you