Zen trip to the Balkans and to the Alpes

wildbilly · Aug 26, 2011

TO BE CONTINUED...

wildbilly · Aug 27, 2011

Day 5: Kotor-Budva-Split (340 km)<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
The day begins with unbearable hangover. I consume plenty of coffee and decide to take some morning photos of the old town.

Its hot, very hot, I am dizzy so I leave early going south to see Budva. After driving for about 1h I arrive in Budva. The old town is impressive and there is a very nice big beach just before you reach town. The tiny St. Stefan island is just opposite Budva. I understand that the whole island is a big luxurious resort

The hours pass so I must hit the road going north again. At Kotor, I use the ferry to pass to the opposite side of the bay within 5 min (the route around the bay is majestic but I don`t have the extra time needed (aprox. 1h).

I continue driving on nice tarmac, the curves are very nice and the view at the sea bellow is fantasticI enter Croatia, the road is even better, I catch myself driving dangerously so I reduce the speed and I enjoy the route.

Melt tyre...

I pass Dubrovnik, its very late and I want to reach Split a.s.a.p. so I skip entering the town (I hope some other time) but I get a close look from a telescope I find at a parking area (2 for the telescope and 1,5 for a small bottle of water, if that`s not robbery what is?!).

Anyway I continue and I finally arrive at Podstrana, a small village close to Split (6km). The hotel is very nice and clean with a nice view to the sea. I rest for a while and then visit Split. Unfortunately I forget the money and the cards in the hotel so I have to go back and return again (damaging my nerves!)The town is very nice, it looks like Kotor, a lot of yachts, tourists and beautiful women, loud music, night clubs, cozy bars, nice restaurants
I am very tired though so I head back to the hotel after having a nice dinner<o></o>

wildbilly · Aug 27, 2011

Day 6: Split-Trogir-Sibenik-Zadar-Opatija <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
I leave Podstrana heading north and my 1<SUP>st</SUP> stop is at Trogir, a very nice town close to Split. Again yachts, tourists and stone walls, nice old town

I continue driving and I arrive at Sibenik. Hm, I don`t like it very much so I don`t get off the bike and I continue towards Zadar. This is my 2<SUP>nd</SUP> stop as I am already very hot, hungry and thirsty. The new town outside the old town walls is very cute, I drive around and finally I get in the old town. I get some nice photos and have some restSoon I must leave again.

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I am heading north, the road runs along the sea coast, the nature and the sea are magnificent and I am very happy driving on this perfect road with very good tarmac, nice well designed curves and with almost no traffic

After driving for some hours I finally arrive in Opatija. I have been here once before travelling with my wife and daughter and I remember the town which is very beautiful with an air of old age, nice previous century buildings, wide promenade by the sea, restaurants, ice cream shops

My hotel is great, I find a very nice restaurant with live jazz music and I really enjoy it!

Today there is a fest and for half an hour fireworks hit the sky. After that theres a live and loud performance of a rock band, a lot of people dancing in the front. I blend in slurping an ice cream and the night ends perfectly!

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tserts · Aug 29, 2011

Good stuff, keep it coming! I have been many times over there, but it never seizes to amaze me...

Cortez · Aug 29, 2011

KHVol · Aug 29, 2011

Terrific ride report and pics, WB..... gotta talk my cretin riding budies into riding this area...looks like the ride of a lifetime. Many thanks.

wildbilly · Aug 29, 2011

Day 7: Opatija-Postojna-Idrija-Tolmin-Bovec-Predel Pass-Hermagor-Lienz
I wake up having a bad toothache and I feel cold! I get a rich breakfast and a lot of coffee and hit the road again towards Slovenia.

At Rupa I enter this beautiful country! I love Slovenia very much, I have been here many times because my wife is Slovene, but so far I havent gone to the mountains
The nature is magnificent, I pass Postojna (I have visited the Postojna Jama before, a very impressive underground cave) and I arrive at Idrija.

Nice stop for refilling body fluids...

The nature is great and I am enjoying driving on that road! Great tarmac and curves!

I pass the Predel Pass and descent towards Italy and Treviso.

After a while I enter Austria and I pass Hermagor driving on a very nice road (not so good though as the Croatian and Slovenian tarmac) heading towards Lienz.

I arrive at Lienz late afternoon and tour the city to take some photos. Lienz is a nice small town with a cute city center.

A lot of power...

There is a live traditional band dressed in traditional clothes, singing on a stage and after that marching down the high street, so I hang around for a while.

Soon I get disappointed because as soon as the performance is over, the city is deserted! Nobodys outside! I find a pizza place to fill my stomach and later I get on the bike to return to the hotelHm, but for my bad luck, Ive left my GPS at the hotel and I don`t remember neither the name of the hotel nor its address, so I wander around for about half an hour without finding it! :ddog
I am very tired, a little tipsy but I remember that I left a list with the hotels at my place back in Greece. I ring my wife at 1.30 a.m., I wake her up, she finds the list and she gives me the name of the hotelI find a very polite female cab driver and she leads me to my hotel. I crush on the bed dead tiredThis was a lesson for me so as in the future not to forget maps or GPS or hotel names<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

wildbilly · Aug 30, 2011

Day 8: Lienz-Grossglockner-Zell am See-Gerlos pass-Innsbruck <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
Today is a great day! The weather is great, my mood is perfect, I say hello to my new friend and I hit the road heading towards Grossglockner!

I am enthusiastic that I am going to ride that route!

I approach the tolls and suddenly I see a group of 8 bikers with Greek plates on their bikes! Wow, I am happy meeting these guys, we say a few words, we pay 19 expensive and we start ascending.

The nature and the view are great!!!

The road leads to a vast parking space where every type of motorcycle is parked.

When we take off our helmets and gather all together to get properly acquainted, surprise surprise! One of the Greek bikers is an old friend of mine whom I haven´t see for 15 years. We are very happy, we remember the old times (playing music in the same band and getting drunk in rock bars) while admiring the glacier!

Some of my new Greek friends..

My old friend Alexis...

After shopping some souvenirs we start to descent the mountain making a promise to come back!

<o>You can see everu type of wheels on that mountains...</o>
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Next stop is the Edelweiss Peak where you can enjoy the panoramic view of the area. Very impressive indeed. It has got a biker´s nest on the observation tower. The altitude is about 2.500 m and I see many cyclists of all age ascending with their bicycles! Very impressive indeed!

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Next stop is at Zell am See. The lake is wonderful and I get some rest at a nice lakeside café. People are laying next to the lake harvesting the sun. Some others are sailing in small boats and the scenery is tranquil and clean!

Anyway I go on because there are still many km to cover. I pass Gerlos pass enjoying the nice tarmac but I am in a hurry because its getting late and the hotel`s reception in Innsbruck closes at 7 p.m.

I arrive at Innsbruck around 8 p.m. and I find everything closed. Anxious I search for an entrance and I find a paper stuck on a door saying that the key for my room is hidden behind a cactus pot next to the entrance! Searching for the key hundreds of cactus thorns got stuck on my hand! Auch! :eek1
After that everything is easy, I rest a bit and get out for a walk around the town. Innsbruck is a very nice city, the center though closes at 11 p.m. so I must be in a hurry if I want to have some dinner. After satisfying my stomach I wander around the city center and I take some photos.

It is obvious that the quality of life here is high, everybody drives a bicycle, the car traffic is low, there are bicycle lanes off course and everything is clean and tidy. Now I must sleep though, tomorrow is going to be a long day<o></o>

TO BE CONTINUED...

GreeKKTiNoS · Aug 30, 2011

oser

 The rest is cool !

Connito · Aug 30, 2011

Hey Wild Billy, thanks for the great pictures man! Very nice trip, very nice indeed! Very cool to meet Greek guys, especially cool that one of them is an old friend!

Cheers,
Pete

KHVol · Aug 30, 2011

Hey Sports Fans, how about awarding some stars to Wildbilly's RR...

drmracni · Aug 31, 2011

great!!!

tserts · Aug 31, 2011

5 stars well deserved! Keep it coming, this brings back so many nice memories and views!!

wildbilly · Aug 31, 2011

Day 9: Innsbruck-Garmisch Partenkirchen-Oberammergau-Linderhof palace-Fussen-Namlos pass-Hahntennjoch pass-Imst-Solden-Timmelsjoch pass-Merano <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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Today is a difficult day. I have a lot of km to cover and I am already tired. I drive through town slowly and I take some day light photos of Insbruck.

So here I am, again on the road towards GarmischPartenkirchen and Oberammergau in Germany. The road is very nice, the nature wonderful and there are a lot of bicyclists, old people and whole families driving on the bicycle lane next to the main road<o></o>
I arrive at Garmisch Partenkirchen and later at Oberammergau. Driving around I admire the paintings on the houses and the nice and tidy area.

I continue driving and after a while I arrive at Linderhof palace. I realize that I must leave the bike at the parking area and walk uphill and I gather courage to do so. The day is very hot and I am dressed in cordura clothes. On the top of that, I must carry my tank bag, which is very heavy (17kg)You can image how that makes me feel like an idiot.

After walking 15 min, I finally see the palace in front of me and believe me it was worth the trouble getting up here.

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After taking some photos, I begin descending because I am short in time. I drive like a maniac and arrive to Fussen. The town is very nice and the castle also but in order to see it closer I must walk for over an hour or take a horse carriage and this could kill my day

So I leave again and I get really fast to Bichlbach from where I start ascending the mountainThe route is magnificent, the tarmac is perfect and a lot of bikers on various bikes enjoy their ride. <o></o>
I reach Namlos pass and continue towards Hahntennjoch pass, one of the highest Alps passes.

(Ha! Up to the right, flies from Balcans, down to the left, flies from Alpes)

Some rest for the traveller...

The scenery is breathtaking and I start to descent the mountain driving towards Imst in Austria. After a short break I continue driving. The road to Solden is nothing special but then I start ascending the mountain and the scenery is impressive. Passing the Timmelsjoch pass, I feel very tired but absolutely happy and moved at the same time. I am already on the road for 9 days and now, on the top of the mountain, I realize what I am doing. All these days I lost the sense of time, I left my problems back at home and somehow I feel relaxed now, I feel peace of mind after a long time!

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<o>Full of images and emotions, I start descending towards Merano. The nature and the route are magnificent, I am driving slowly and enjoy the vineyards bellow! </o>
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After a while I arrive at Merano and I find my crappy hotel. After resting for a while I manage to find the city center at about 10 p.m., which is totally empty! I walk around taking some photos...

I feel a little bit lonely walking alone so I sit to a very elegant restaurant to fill my stomach. The waiter doesn´t speak English and there is no menu in English so it is complicated to order something. Problem is solved when another waiter comes and asks me if I am a lot of hungry or a little. I say a lot of hungry and he says roasted meat, potatoes and salad, it´s ok?. Ok great and don´t forget the cold beersCheers! <o></o>
After that I am a walking dead so I beg my bike to drive me to my hotel<o></o>

TO BE CONTINUED...

wildbilly · Sep 4, 2011

Hey inmates! I delay finishing my RR but I am away from home for some days. Now I am in Ljubljana Slovenia where I came yesterday after driving my suv for 1750 km! I will try though to continue...

Day 10: Merano-Stelvio Pass-Umbrail Pass-Offenpass-Punt la Drossa (tunel)-Livigno-Bormio - Passo di Gavia-Ponte di Legno -Tonalle Pass-Mendel Pass-Bolzano<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
I wake up and the weather is wonderful. After a substantial breakfast I hit the road towards the Stelvio Pass! I am very happy that I am finally going to get there after dreaming of it for a long time!

Here are some photos from the route...

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<o>And some photos from an art garden...</o>
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The traffic is heavy, there are a lot of bikers, many cars and caravans and many cyclists! It´s hot and I wonder what´s happening and we drive so slowlyI start to ascend the mountain and I realize that there is a bicycle race up to Stelvio Pass! I am so disappointed that I can´t move at all! We are all driving v e r y slow. At one point, a group of crazy bikers begin to drive like nuts, overtaking everything that is moving so I follow them and I get on the top in no time. Unfortunately I don´t enjoy the ride at all but the view from the top is magnificent and there cyclists who manage to get on the top are in a festive mood! Very powerful images indeed when you see the enthusiasm in their eyes!

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It´s time now to start the descent and I am very happy that the Umbrail Pass is empty and quiet. The nature is OUAOU and the road is perfect. I am trying to catch the cyclists who descend with the unbelievable speed of over 80km/h. I like so much this route that at some point I turn back and start the ascend again just to enjoy this tarmac as much as I can. All the good things come to an end and unfortunately this route is not endless

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I pass the Swiss Offenpass driving fast and enjoying the natureThe road is wide enough and you can drive fast but you must be careful because the police here doesn´t play games

I reach at Punt la Drossa tunnel and after waiting for a few minutes I drive through and here I am on the other side and in Italy. The man-made lake is nice, I drive around and I take some photos

I continue and pass Livigno and later Bormio but I don´t like this type of townsmaybe during the winter time the snow makes them more interesting.

Being al little bit disappointed for the last 2-3 hours, I get on the road towards the Passo di Gavia!<o></o>

This route is fantastic but it ends so I am heading to Bolzano through Passo Di Tonalle and Passo di Mendola...

Very tired I reach my hotel which is fabulous so I have a delicious dinner :dg and I crush down on my bed for the night...

wildbilly · Sep 4, 2011

TO BE CONTINUED...

Connito · Sep 5, 2011

TRadventure · Sep 5, 2011

wildbilly · Sep 17, 2011

Day 11: Bolzano-Nova levante-karersee-passo di costalunga-canazei-passo di sella-passo di gardena-passo di camplogno-pordoi pass-canazei-passo di fedaia-passo di giau-passo di falzarego-passo di gardena-Verona<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
What a day! I feel great after a rich breakfast and I leave Bolzano. I haven´t seen almost nothing from the city but I must hit the road, Dolomites are waiting for me! I start ascending the mountain towards Canazei and the road is perfect, the nature around me calm me and I cope with the heavy traffic. I stop at Karersee for some photos, the scenery is breathtaking with the mountains reflecting on the still water of the lake!

I must continue though so I reach Canazei through passo di costalunga. The rest of the day is magic, driving on perfect curvy roads with lots of grip. Passing all that passes in one day is not ideal, I must come back again and stay somewhere for few days so I can enjoy riding my bike free of baggage and pass these passes again and again!
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It´s getting late though so I must leave this magnificent place and start driving south to get to Verona. The GPS leads me and tired now I finally get to the autostrada

and 2 hours later to Verona and my crapy hotelThe emotions are mixed, tommorow I must drive to Ancona to catch the ferry to Igoumenitsa GreeceI rest for a while and manage to get at the city center (5 km from the hotel) oposite the arena and have a delicius dinner

After that, I walk around eating an ice cream

and dead tired I finally crash on my bed<o></o>
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Day 12: Verona-Ancona<o></o>
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Today I am sad! The trip ends and it´s raining outside. I have a lousy breakfast and start packing. Suddenly I realize that I can´t find a case where I keep all my documents and the ferry ticket and I start panic
I hope that I forgot it at the reception desk so I call the reception and luckilly the case is there<o></o>
So I get on the bike and the GPS leads me through secondary roads until I realize that I didn´t set it to lead me through the quickest route! I also realize that I don´t have a lot of time so I drive like crazy, especialy when I hit the autostrada at Bologna and find a traffic hell! The cars and trucks are moving like snales so I take the risk to drive on the emergency lane:eek1
Anxious I finally get to the check-in building 20 minutes before ferry´s departure and I find a big cue of passengers waiting. I am tired, hot and nervous but finally I manage to get on the ferry 5 minutes before departure. Now, relaxed after the shower in my cabin, I think about all these days I am on the bike, all the countries I have seen and I give to myself the promise to continue exploring our world on a motorcycle as much as I can. This trip was only a test for me, to explore the limits of myself which I have not yet reached, to prepare myself for a realy big trip, why not for a trip around the world<o></o>
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<o> </o>Day 13: Igoumenitsa-Korinthos Greece<o></o>
Today I feel tired but satisfied. The ferry reaches Igoumenitsa and now I am driving again on familiar routes. I drive these last 350 km slowly and I am very happy to finally see my house. 13 days, 5.300 km, 10 coutries later here I am again, the same person but much richer. It`s time now to play with the souvenirs-stickers I managed to collect from some of the countries I passed ...

and send my old gloves to rest<o></o>
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THE END!<o></o>
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