I've loved my Trek 520 ever since I got it in 2002. It's done over 10,000 miles now, here are some highlights.
During a tour through the Alps with my wife, this is us reaching the top of the Umbrail pass between Switzerland and Italy at 2,505 metres (8,200 ft):
Here, I'm on a ferry that is about to cross part of the Rhine in Holland. This was towards the end of a tour from Switzerland to Holland via the Vosges mountains of France, the hills and valleys of Luxembourg, and the Belgian Ardennes:
I've also used the bike for many things other than touring. For instance, it made a decent, though heavy bike for cyclosportifs until I bought my Madone 18 months ago. This is me with with my brother-in-law just before we did 165 km / 100 miles and 3000m / 10,000ft of climbing in the Gruyere Cycling Tour in Switzerland - he beat me by 7 minutes:
I've made many modifications to my Trek 520. I recently looked at it closely and realized that only the frame, fork, seatpost clamp, and left-hand brake lever are original parts (I've even replaced the headset recently). This highlights another great thing about the Trek 520 - it is so adaptable and customizable.