ABA 2102 Balkan Adventure
Welcome to the ABA Balkan Adventure with Holger and Axel During the next 14 days we will make our guests' motorcycle hearts beat faster. Because we will take them on a journey through the most beautiful valleys and mountains of the Balkan / South East Europe. We will create unforgettable memories - the endless curves will let our heart beat faster and the history part will let us step back in time . We are already looking forward, to sharing our passion - riding a motorcycle with you in a breathtaking environment. Let´s get started ;-)
Peter after the adventure of the border crossing to Slovenia. Slovenia?! A special wish of a couple of customers :-) Peters wife Georgia and John...as well part of the adventurers In the afternoon we visitied an aquarium. No, we visited the beautiful Plitvice National Park! John, Dharma and Peter And then the sheep experience. A rescue team tried to get a lost sheep out of the wall...and we were nailed down because we were not allowed to go either way. When the rescue team tried to put a rope around the sheep it fell. 35m down and it survived! Unbelievable! John, Wouter, Marcus, Georgia and Dharma...what a beautiful day!
Welcome on Day 3 What will we see and whats going on today - the answer was given in the daily briefing - Today with Axel - So the luggage is in the van all bills are settled from the last evening and Marcus survived the birthday suprise of Holger and Axel - a mousse au chocolate. Now it is time to leave because the ride today will be 400 km. At first we drove to a view point of the Plitvice Lake to have a last look from the top over the valley. Afterwards we have been take on the first challenge - crossing the boarder to Bosnia and Herzigovina and it was no problem at all. Well well after the first km we were ready for a coffee and so we did. As you can see on the pictures - the coffee stop is a unique place - I would say, it is a must do, to stop there. The batteries are charged and we are good to go, so we keep on riding towards the Una valley and mountains where we followed the river for a while. The valley itself is a paradise of mother nature. Doesn't matter where your eyes are looking to, the scenery of the crystal clear river of Una was breathtaking. The road was winding through the valley and it felt like it was just made for us. A little sandy road did not take the fun away. Once up on the top of the Una valley we enjoyed the view before we went on in the direction of Travnik and finally to a smal section of highway to get quicker to the Hotel. The last challenge for the day has been the traffic to the hotel - but we did it as we we would have done it 100 times before. Welcome to Sarajevo - the place to be for the next 2 days Tomorrow is a restday but some of us will be for sure on the bike and the rest will take over the town and dicover the world of sarajevo. Thanks for the ride Axel
Good morning Sarajevo Last day we had a long ride so everybody deserved to sleep a little bit longer. John and Holger will take on the backyard of Sarajevo and we looking forward to here the storys they will have after the ride. The rest of the Group will have a good time in town and will have a look at the historical part. The melting pot in south east europe is for sure Sarajevo the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina When you discover the center of Sarajevo, which is starting just behind our hotel you will discover a world what you might not have seen before. Small restaurants and bars lining up in between historical buildings. You can say, you always step back and forward in time. The mix out of all the centuries und empires have shaped a unique world over here. It is a town where life takes place on the street - the restaurant and coffee places are filled up with tourists and locals already from 10 am until late in the evening and you feel the vibes of the different faiths. At the moment Sarajevo rebuild after all the destruction of the last 25 years the Bobsleigh track, the library which was on fire during the war in the 90 and many places more. It is a town where you should spend a day and get in touch with the local life. Following just a few picture´s what you will see exploring Sarajevo
Welcome on Day 6 I could now write what is planned for today! But this time even a tour guide has no choice - i got to start how exciting and how incredible the day has been. If you've never driven across the plateau of Durmitor National Park - that's one thing on every motorcyclist's what you realy have to do! Once out of the Hotel of Sarajevo we drove into the backland and even this was breaftaking but our destination for today has been the Durmitor National Park with its plateau and its 48 Mountains and each at least 2000 meter high and all this in a dreamlike pannorama. Each turn braught us further and further to the point that this day will be a ride of a livetime. The road has been a pleasure, he was winding trough the valley and we could not see the end of the valley - all in one - this could not been better !!!! We have just been once with the bike and the nature As a bonus we ride down to the Tara Canyon wich was a like the cherry on top of the icecream. I still trie to find the words to discripe it but the pictures will tell you more then every word culd convey. That was so far one of my best ride´s even if i work for Edelweiss Bike Travel. Thanks to the Group for this unforgettable Ride and thanks to my colleg that he just took care of the van. Axel Enjoy the Pictures This is a sandwich! Nancy, enjoy! The first part of the gang arrived :-) The other sheep story...:-)) What can we do with these guys?! Obviously they have fun...just let them :-)) Road impressions in the Dumitor National Park ....just fantastic!
Today we rode in the morning on the Tresnjevik pass and everything was just about riding. Wow! After flying up (each one according to his/ her individual comfortable riding speed) we flew down the hairpins into the valley. After a coffee break we made our way via another remote pass towards the border crossing into Kosovo – not acknowledged by all countries yet. The different driving behavior of the locals changed already before the border…always an experience John and Markus trying new vehicles Our morning flash mob over the Tresnjevik Pass - what a ride! Welcome to Bajram Curri! Peaceful and quiet, just with a Kling Klong, the cattle goes home...Nice! :-)
The day of the day´s - the 100 km curve challenge day !!!!! Welcome on day 7 - If anybody will ask you one day, when ever, where ever - if you know a road where one turn/ switchback/ sweeper hits the other one and that for 100 km - then have to be the answer - you have to do this: ride from Fierza Reservoir to Kukès. It is just blowing your mind of - how can a road like that exsits down here!? It is just breathtaking, of curse the road is challenging and you should never race but over all this is so great tarmac meats sometimes a little gravel but all good still no trouble for us. The road is winding along the reservoir and goes for ever through the woods.After challenging road we went back to Kosovo where we stay tonight before we take on the next adventure day.The road on The reservoir was simply the Highlight of the day - there is nothing else what you need mor to be a happy biker. See you tommorowwwwwww i have to get some beers for the group and will enjoy the chats about this 100 km day. Axel
IT is Bike washing day - what means: it is just poring water from the sky But we are tuff as we thought on the beginning. After sneaking out of Prizren trough the narrow little one-way roads we finally made it out of Town. At first we where hoping that the rain will might miss us today but after 3 km up the mountain it hit us hard, as you can see on the little video. The road was half tarmac half water but we went on and on. On the Top we had to stop because thunder and lightning has been quite close to us – Tea Time and one or the other took the chance to empty his boots (Wouter was just swimming in his boots and on Top he did as a dry of striptys so the entertainment has been great) After a hot tea we took off again and the rain was just disappearing so we past by the UCK Monument and arrived with sunshine in Tetova at the Painted Mosque witch was impressive and on top we have been able to enter and could enjoy the art of the painting. Now it has been time for Lunch and Holger organized a really good Italian restaurant where some of us had 3 plats of food !!!! The power has been back so that we managed the last kilometers quite easy to the hotel at the famous Mavrovo Lake. That has been a raining day
Streetlife in Mazedonia Selfie with Dharma and Wouter and the St.John Cathedral in the background Some of the curves on the way up thru the beautiful Nationalpark at Lake Ohrid, one of the oldest lakes on Earth! Nancy, Marcus and Dharma... ...and a view on Albania in the background Skopje: Monumental, impressive and lively!
After the Dinner yesterday some of us discovered Skopje on a really good way !!!! what hast been challenging for the coffee machine and the waiter in the Hotel today – but we got Nancy she took care of it that the waiter kept on producing coffee for us. After the breakfast it started to rain again so – we had a flashback from the days before, but lucky it was just for the first 2 hours and then it cleared up – that was just a perfect timing because we have been on the way to the Vlasina lake!!!! – The lake was alright and the view still great. But the most important thing has been this winding road to the lake. At first there have been a few twisty´s but than it kept on going – it was a small road but so much fun going uphill. The only problem there no pictures because no time for that – we have simply been on a mission , and the mission was: enjoying live on a bike!!!! Finally we made it to the lake where we got lunch and in Serbien it is true – all we need is meat – so we did. The power came back so that hoped on the bikes and have been looking forward to see what kind of road was waiting for us. I have to say it was a real deal of road – simply made for us. The historical part today was still existing but we have seen already a lot on tour, sooooooo the road was our highlight today so that I skip the part of telling you about the mosque of today. Thanks to all the bikers to this ride – it was good with a big smile in our face if we would interview Marcus. See you tomorrow Axel Oooommmhh...Axel swearing for the day or the rain away :-) Our Monastry visit right after the remote border crossing into Serbia, our 7th country!!! Today another birthday: Klaus'!
Today we covered 370 km from Niš to Belgrade...a ride like on a train + a bit of video gaming :-) Thank you for the great day! In the background the Danube and Romania on the other side The Golubac fortress on our way at the Danube river
Let´s put it this way – There are day´s where you can make a plan and organize 120% of the day!!! But when the day start the unexpected things turn up you can’t do nothing as to solve one after the other, and today has been one of this day´s. After the breakfast we tried to get out of town and on one point well there have been different opinions witch way we should go so on the end all good because after all this day´s we are a bunch of riders who know what to do when there is a need to. So that is a insider but Wouter got the group back on track ;-) lets say it was “the beatles” moment of the ducklings. Well after reunion we went on to the Petrovaradin Fortress where we had a coffee to warm up after a cold morning ride. Later on we took of to the hillside around the corner to ride some nice curves. So far so good but as I sad before ,when you plan everything it will come something what you not can plan for. Here we go on the way to the next highlight of the day, we had been on the only road what had been there to go there and exactly there was a traffic jam because of an accident and of curse there has been no way to pass. Well next plan lets try something else so that we will come to the hotel. The rest is our little secret of the group!!! But it will be a day in our tour where the name is program – The Balkan Adventure – That was our day 12 – we won’t forget him J See you tomorrow on Day 13 – back to Zagreb Axel out
On our last riding day we were lucky again: Bright sunshine forecasted with temperatures around 20° C. What do we want more? To ride! On winding roads with a cool wind we reached Lipik where we visited the Lipizzaner horses stable which was built in 1843 under the Habsburg Monarchy. We spent a beautiful hour here wandering around and getting first hand information. And these horses are so lovely... Later that day we visited a dark chapter of history: The Jasenovac concentration camp memorial. For rememberance what human being is able to do! Following the river Sava on small, twisty and partially bumpy roads towards Zagreb we passed the Sisak triangle fortress and had a stop here. After arrival in Zagreb we had our farewell evening. More than 3.000 km on adventurous roads on the beautiful Balkan peninsula - still a hidden treasure in Europe! Thank you very much for a great tour! Holger and Axel