CAS 2102 Pearls of Adriatic Sea

Welcome to day 3 on our tour along the Croatian coast.     Today we started from Hvar, a beautiful place right on the coast of the island. After breakfast it was time for the first briefing with Axel, who was leading the group today - and the first goal was - let's catch the ferry, because at this time of the year: if you miss it, you have to wait 2 hours for the next one. But much more important was the good news that we have to ride back the same winding road we came up yesterday - which means in biker-speak: perfect tarmac and bends everywhere and on top of that we already know the road, which means it was just a pleasure to ride to the ferry. Once there, we got in line, had a coffee and enjoyed the view of the harbour of the small island. Next goal: back to the mainland and look out for more curves and beautiful moments along the coast, which we did. On the way to lunch we passed the lakes of Bacinska Jezera, which blew us away with their crystal clear blue water, but as breathtaking as it was, it was time for lunch and so we went to a small restaurant where we could fortify ourselves for the next leg of the day. All in all, we drove 225 km today and just managed 120 km. And the first border crossing was already waiting for us: Croatia - Bosnia and Herzegovina and back to Croatia.   Well, sometimes there are days when nobody wants to see your passport and this was one of those days ;-)   So we continued towards the stone fortress, where we got a little in touch with history, but much more with ice. After the refreshment we needed at 31 degrees in the shade, we set off again and drove up the mountains on the coast, on a road made for motorcyclists like us. It was a narrow road that wound through the valleys and the road itself was just perfect!!!!! Along the road, the breathtaking view to our right touched us - all the islands surrounded by the blue Adriatic Sea were an unforgettable moment. Even the road was perfect and we had to stop to take some photos to capture this day.   Finally, we drove down to Dubrovnik where our accommodation for tonight was waiting for us.   All in all I would say it was a great ride today - thanks to all the drivers and of course all the bosses in the passenger seats for such a great ride.   It's getting late so we should get to bed as tomorrow we will be exploring Dubrovnik before heading to Kotor in Montenegro where we will be staying for 2 nights.       See you there tomorrow.       Axel

Good morning Dubrovnik   What are we going to do today!!!!!?   Well, today Tom and Axel are going to discover the Pearl of the Adriatic, which means we will have an early breakfast at our hotel and then take a taxi to the oldest part of Dubrovnik.   So we took a taxi towards the old town, but before we started our adventure in the city, we took the cable car to get a breathtaking view from the top. Once at the top, we were overwhelmed by the view. Croatia greeted us at the top with sun on our faces, the blue glowing Adriatic Sea surrounding Dubrovnik's coastline and the old town right in between. It was like a postcard, when you get one you immediately say: one day I will be there - and our wild horde of riders made it, coming all the way over from the US and getting Dubrovnik like a postcard. Now it was time to head down to the old town - one more cable car and off we go!!!! Steve, Collen and Axel started through and crept around trying to spot most of the little streets and the historic buildings - but walking around on a sunny day like this should have a bonus too - that meant Steve investigated all the ice cream parlours along the streets we walked through and then the moment came - ice cream time - and it was Jammmmmmy!!!! Great !!!!! Refreshing!!!!!   Tom enjoyed a breakfast with Janine and Howard with one of the best views you can probably get up above Dubrovnik and came down later to catch up with us. I could write about where to go when visiting Dubrovnik - but I'll put it this way - just come on a tour with us and I promise you these memories will last forever ;-) (just a little marketing moment - sorry - no actually not sorry).   Visiting a city is nice, but we also had to go to Kotor, so we had to get back to the bikes to go to the next highlight of our tour.  Back at the hotel we changed and a few minutes later: Tom spoke the magic words "let's ride on" and the group started towards Kotor. Tom also used the time while we were exploring the town to pick a nice restaurant on the beach for lunch, which the group didn't expect - surprise surprise, we got lunch with the beach in front of us and grape trees sheltering us from the sun - what more do you need.   The batteries were recharged and the journey continued. The road along the coast was just a pleasure and well, there was a border crossing that took some time, but no problem, we managed that too. Here we go - Montenegro -  Montenegro is a different world from Croatia, the landscape is different, the mountains are different and of course the driving style of the cars on the road. Once we arrived in the bay of Kotor, the hotel was not far away. Welcome to Kotor/ Mou The bikes were parked and it was time for dinner and time to sleep, as tomorrow we will have a ride through the mountains of Montenegro on our rest day.   So good night    Axel

Good Moring GOooooooood Morning   Today is rest day but not for us!!!!!   Today is Switchback day - We set off at 8am to avoid the rain but I can say it straight away it only worked for ¾ of the drive!!!!   Once on the road it wasn't long before we had our first photo stop just above the Bay of Kotor. The sun was shining and the tarmac was quite good so far. But before we got on the bikes, I (Axel) made an announcement and Steve looked at me and more or less asked, "Are you kidding?". Did he say that 25 switchbacks were waiting for us as a warm-up? And I just answered with: yes Steve it's your day ;-)  The road just meandered up the mountain and everyone could drive as they wanted - free ride to the top and the next photo stop. At the top we parked the bikes again to enjoy the view and recover from the serpentines. Then we continued through the breathtaking landscape where mountains surrounded our little winding road. Out of the first valley we turned into a valley where a single track road brought us to a coffee stop where we enjoyed the sun and a real Turkish coffee - it was a real biker's day, which meant that after a short break we continued towards the coast of Montenegro. Down on the coast, the sky just turned black and lightning appeared right in front of us and there was no way out. We kept going, but then I thought maybe we should put on our rain gear and it was just the right moment because around the next bend it was just pelting down, but tuff as we are, we made it to the lunch stop where we got something good to eat and hoped it would stop!!!! But sometimes you want to get lucky. The rain continued, but it was only 40 km to the hotel. Eventually we arrived at the hotel, changed and Tom and the rest of the group who had been sneaking around Kotor met up with us before heading back to dinner in Kotor. We picked just the perfect place. Right in the old town - and let me tell you - it was worth every penny. Now it was time to go to bed, because tomorrow we are off to Bosnia and Herzegovina/ Mostar.   It was a perfect day, which will take us to our dreams tonight with endless curves in unforgettable surroundings.   Thank you, from me for this great day to the group, which was like a day off with friends on a weekend!!!!   Axel

Hello again from Kotor, which was nice, but maybe the next place will be nicer!!?   The master plan for today is, as always, to leave at 8:30 am and the destination for today will be Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Which also means that we have to cross the border once again on our tour. But before that, let's talk about the first kilometres to the border:   To get to Mostar, we had to drive along the Bay of Kotor, which was a pleasure - why? Quite simply because on one side of the winding road is the bay and on the other side is the mountainous landscape in the middle of which the bay lies, like a fjord in Norway. At the end of the bay, we climbed up to catch one last glimpse of the bay before diving into the mountains just around the corner. The roads meandered through the countryside and the tarmac was once again just great. Due to the time of year, the leaves on the trees were starting to change colour and it was like the beginning of a beautiful autumn ride. Well, as I said yesterday, we had to cross a border and this time it was a bit of a challenge - the computer system on the Montenegro side is just trying to have a day off and the staff at the Bosnia border - let's put it this way: they had a day off - so it took me a while to cross the border this time. But never mind - we were in a good mood and smiling into our helmets. Eventually we made it to the other side, where Bosnia provided us with an excellent set-up of switchbacks, long bends, short bends - I said short bends, if not heaps of short bends and long bends - it was the place to be, or actually the road to drive on. After the energetic frontiersmen and a few bends, we were ready for a coffee, so we did. Now it was time to drive deeper into Bosnia and Herzegovina and discover this unique country on 2 wheels. The route of the day brought us to a dam where we had a little lunch - by the way, if you need a tip on what to eat in Jezero Bileca, you should ask Maury J - it's an insider, but I have to write it here, just for Maury -.   Time to get back on the bikes - we want to see Mostar   What!!!! That's it for the ride to Mostar - No, with us at Edelweiss Bike Travel you don't just ride from one place to the next - it's always something special - in this case it was a road through a small valley where biking dreams come true and on top of that the road down to Mostar!? It was like the icing on the cake!!!! What a ride - I could see the smiles on all the riders' faces even before they took off their helmets. I would say that this day was one of the best on this trip, or was it the rest day - let's see what the next few days will bring.   So, almost time for dinner - but before we go to dinner we still have to see Mostar and the famous bridge, so we go into town - just briefly - this is a place to sneak around when you are here. That's it for today   So, it's late - see you tomorrow   Axel

Here we go again Rest day in Zadar   Today our group is surprised - with what?       With the famous Edelweiss Bike Travel Picnic!!!       Axel had breakfast with us as usual, but then he disappeared because he had to go shopping - in the meantime Tom set off with the group to Krka National Park, where the rest day route will take us. To save some time, they took the motorway - I know, not exciting, but it gives them more time to visit the famous waterfalls in Krka. After sneaking around the park, Tom took the same route as when we entered the park, and everyone wondered what was going on - but the answer didn't come until after a few turn-offs!!!!   HI AGAIN AXEL!

Hallo from Day 9    Our last of the tour. Today we are leaving Zadar and it will go back to the place where everything has been started – Split –   10 Day´s already over – that was quick but a last nice ride need to be done, and so we did.   Leaving Zadar was no problem and once again we passed by the Krka National Park. To the start we had a smooth ride along the coastline, the sun in our face and it felt unreal that this is our last day of riding. Later on we turned left towards the National Park of Krka and the road started to change – more and more curves lining up and step by step we got a big smile in our faces. The hinterland of Krka served us several curves with switchback and sweepers ……. All in one the ride down to the coast was just what we needed on our last day ride. Down on the coast we had lunch close by the sea and once more the road until the restaurant has been just a pleasure!!!!   After lunch it has been just a couple of KM to the hotels and finally our new family had to pass back the keys from the bikes – Sad Moment –   Well it is almost time for the last dinner together – tom and I have to go    So that’s more than less our last day here in Croatia Tom and Myself just want to thanks again for this tour witch has been a pleasure because of all of you - we are looking forward to see you on the next adventure