Balkan Adventures - ABA2402

We are at the Antunovic Hotel in Zagreb and all the tour participants have safely arrived, including luggage and all their riding gear. We make a quick and easy welcome briefing (there's only 3 guests) and then do the bike handover. With that all out of the way we have time to go to the bar and get to know each other a little better before heading off to dinner. We are pretty much the only ones in the restaurant as the hotel is hosting 2 weddings today! Tonight we see if we get any sleep or if the wedding parties are going to keep us awake!!!!!
It's a beautiful sunny day in Zagreb this morning and fortunately last night's party goers we letting us sleep - very nice of them. We head out of Zagreb in the direction of the Slovenian border and after a few km we are heading up into the mountains and the forests that span the border. Sunday morning and there is no traffic, it's mid 20's centigrade and a lovely morning for biking. We stop for coffee but it is too early for the Croatians today and the cafe is still not open, so we have some water and a few minutes break then head out again. A quick stop at a small greek/byzantine church for photos and then we continue towards out lunch stop at Rastoke. It's a beautiful little village right on the waterfront and we walk around a bit before stopping for lunch. After lunch we head to the hotel then quickly shower and change, as we are taking a minibus to the Plitvice Lakes. We spend a couple of hours here walking around and admiring the views - the scenery here is just spectacular and the waters are just unbelievably clear. With our 10,000 steps for the day completed we head back to the hotel and have time to relax a little before dinner. It was a lovely day today and a great start to the tour :-)
Today was very wet and very windy! We wake up and it is raining, although not heavily. After breakfast we head out and directly ride to the Bosnia-Herzogovina border where we have to wait for a little while while the van and contents are double checked. As we leave there it starts to rain a bit harder and that gradually increases the further we ride. We stop for some gas and it abates a little but then it is full on again with water streaming down the mountain roads as we ride up. We turn off towards Una Nationalpark and eventuually around 11am we ride out of the rain! We stop for a quick coffee at Kulen Vakuf then head off again before the rain comes back. A quick photo stop looking into the Una gorge and we can see the rainclouds approaching so we are off again. We skip lunch and just stop for a quick drink at Jajce and to admire the waterfalls there - it rains for a bit but just about stops as we leave. From there we have some nice sweeping roads alongside the river and can at last relax and have a bit of fun. The end of the day sees us on the highway into Sarajevo with the rainclouds chasing us. We arrive at the hotel but the bus still has to get there, so we retire to a bar around the corner and enjoy a Sarajevo pivo under the awning where we can at long last look at the rain with a smile on our faces :-)
It is still spitting this morning but not enough to dampen our spirits. We start the day with a short walking tour around Sarajevo, starting at the Latin bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assasinated by Gavro Prinzip - an action that ultimately led to the start of the first World War. We wander around the streets taking in the sights and stopping at the Eternal Flame and then wandering into the city market to see what they have on offer in there. There's many churches and mosques to admire and we eventually end up in a small cafe surrounded by market stalls where we can try some Bosnian coffee - it's interesting! We walk past the famous Sebilj fountain and then into the oldest bazaar in town the Bascarsija to see the smith working their magic there, eventually finishing up at City Hall. The afternoon is free then to do some more sightseeing, shopping for souvenirs and some lunch........
We get an early start today as the van has to be moved so we are on the road before 08:30. We head out of Sarajevo and then shortly outside get stopped by the Bosnian Police - just for a chat. A little chat is all they want! We are out in the country and there;s plenty of wildlife on the roads - dogs, cows, sheep, donkeys plus all the stuff they leave behind. We reach the border to Montenegro but there's hardly any traffic so we are through really quickly. Then its a nice ride along by the gorge and then the reservoir as we head to Pluzine for a quick lunch break. After lunch we are straight up into the mountains and Durmitor National Park - the scenery is stunning up here. There's roadworks going on and we get stuck for a bit but then we ride across the fields for some adventure and to speed up our progress. We make plenty of photo stops but eventually head on to the Tara gorge where we stop to look at the bridge, zip lines and take some refreshments. There's more roadworks so we ride off to get gas then come back when they have finished. We finish the day with some spirited riding along by the gorge and roll into the hotel just as the sun is setting. It has been a long day today - but also a really awesome one :-)
The sun is shining and it's a glorious day for riding as we leave Kolasin. We head south towards Matesevo before turning into one of the valleys and riding along there for a while. Then we start to climb and eventually arrive at the top of Tresnjevik. There's a big bus of hikers and bikers here so we make some fotos and then head off before them. Down we go into Andrejevica and then stop there for a quick coffee break. After that we make our way to the border with Kosovo and cross over after buying some extra insurance for the motorcycles. We head down into Kosovo and it starts to warm up - it was a bit chilly earlier in the mountains but down here it's 25 degrees. We make a lightning quick lunch pause in Peje then continue onwards - we have another border crossing into Albania. This also goes very quickly - we just need to exit from Kosovo as it seems Albania doesn't care who is coming in! We ride to Bajram Curri and check into the hotel quickly then head out again - we make a quick late afternoon ride up the Valbona valley. It's a lovely road up here and the scenery is gorgeous, but we have to take some care as the road surfaces are pretty slick. We stop for photos at the end of the valley then ride back down again. Time is ticking and it's already past beer o'clock but we get back in record time and can then sit on the terrace for a while and relax before heading off for dinner.
We awake in the morning to some fairly heavy rainfall - meh! We take a leisurely breakfast and see how things develop all the while watching the rain radar. We leave around 9am and the rain had pretty much stopped and the sun is peeking through the clouds. We ride along by the river to start and eventually come to the Fierze dam where the "100km" of curves route starts. We are riding gingerly as the roads are wet and the quality of Albanian tarmac is dubious. We ride up past the dam and stop for photos - it's beautiful up here with some rain in the distance but with rays of sun piercing the cloud cover. We keep riding and decide to skip coffee as the weather is good and we just want to take advantage of that. Eventually we drop down into Kukes and stop there for a coffee and a quick break, and by the time we have finished out luck has run out and it is raining again. Fortunately we only have a 40 minute ride to Prizren and the border crossing to Kosovo is fast. We arrive at the hotel mid afternoon and then have time to shower, change and walk around the old town of Prizren before a customary pre-dinner beer. It has been a great days ride, especially after first thing in the morning it was a little bit doom and gloom.......
It's another miserable morning when we awake in Prizren. And to make things worse most of the group have reacted to the breakfast in Bajram Curri and don't feel well :-( We head out of Prizren in the rain along a small gorge and then eventually begin to climb into the mountains. We eventually reach a small ski resort with a large hotel and the temperature has plummeted to 8degrees - not very summery at all. We keep going and make a quick coffee stop then head down to the North Macedonian border which we cross quickly and with no complications. We drive into Tetovo and make a quick stop there to look at a 15th century painted mosque. As we leave Tetovo on the highway the number plate falls off my motorcycle and I have to loop back on the other side and pick it up - not fun on a busy highway with many lorries. At least it has warmed up now and is a more comfortable 18 degrees. We climb another pass then stop at the top for a quick drink - everyone is tired so we decide to head straight to the hotel. We arrive just before 4pm and everyone disappears for a quick siesta - see you all at dinner.......
Well today really was "besser als erwartet"! The weather forecast was grim, but in the end we avoidrd the rain pretty much and arrived in Skopje warm and dry. First thing this morning we drive down to Ohrid old town and have a walk around to see the old city and its famous churches - everything here is ancient and it looks like one earthquake would bring everything tumbling down! Then we are heading down past the lake and then into the Galicica national park where we start to climb. We reach the top of the pass and stop for photos - but not for long as it's only 8 degrees up here! Then we are down the other side and as we reach lake Prespa we stop for a coffee break. After relaxing for a while we head out as we can see rain coming - but at least it has warmed up a little here. We continue for a bit but then need to stop for gas - and at this point we decide to just crack on to Skopje as we can see more weather coming in from the west. We arrive just before it starts to rain and have time to freshen up and wander around the centre of town before dinner. It's quite an interesting place to walk around - a little bizzare and quoting Andreas "full of Soviet kitsch" which i liked :-) Nonetheless a great end to the day.......
Well, today was an interesting but in the end a very good day. We got off to a shaky start when Doug was unceremoniously knocked off his bike while waiting at a junction. Fortunately he was not injured so after taking details of everything and filling out forms we eventually set off again. The weather is good and once we are out of Skopje we are onto small back road heading towards the Serbian border. We arrive and pass through quickly as there is no traffic here and a couple of km down the road we stop at the Monastery of the venerable Prohor Pchinjski. We walk around for a bit and take some fotos but unfortunately today there is no coffee, so we jump back on the motorcycles and head off again. More twisty roads await us and then we start our climb up to the "roof of serbia". The roads here are great, lots of curves and no traffic. We stop by lake Vlasina for a spot of lunch and to warm up a bit - it's only 10 degrees up here. In the afternoon we have a lovely ride to Nis - more small and curvy roads, no traffic, no people - it's a perfect riding afternoon. We arrive in Nis shortly after 5pm and can relax a little now. After our shaky start we had a great days riding and everyone has a big smile on their faces.
Wow! Today was an awesome riding day! We leave Nis in the sunshine but it's cool as we ride out of town. There is some traffic but it's not too bad and soon we are out on the small roads again working our way North, with the mountains to our right. Not much happens until Martijn nearly gets the van stuck on a level crossing between the gates and all of us on the bikes have a good laugh! We stop for coffee in Zajecar and it's a busy little place. Lots of people out and about and also many just taking in the sun and drinking coffee. but after coffee things liven up. Fist we are on some really small and bumpy roads - but all of a sudden it just changes to brand new tarmac and super sweepy curving roads for 30-40km - it's blissful. We reach the Danube and decide to keep going to take in the views of the Iron gates (the Danube's narrowest point) and the carved stone face of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia - there's some impressive views here. Then we ride back the way we came and continue in the direction of Belgrade. It's a glorious day and the riding is superb with the road winding along the river bank - the Danube to our right and the rockface of the gorge to our left. We stop at Golubac fortress for another coffee break and to walk around the castle. It has been tastefully restored and there is a mine of information inside about how it changed hands between Christian and Ottoman rulers over the years. The day draws on and we head the next few km's along some busier roads and deviations until we reach the motorway and then it's a 50km dash into Belgrade. Time for some refreshments on the rooftop bar and then dinner overlooking the city......
It's overcast and a bit misty as we leave our hotel in Belgrade and fight our way through the Wednesday morning traffic. Really it's not so bad and soon we are out on the motorway heading towards Novi Sad. Once we get out of town the skies clear and we have blue sky and sunshine once again - it's going to be another great day! We weave our way through the Serbian countryside and all the little towns and villages that keep popping up - it's a bit stop and go but we make good progress. We arrive at Petrovardin fortress, park the motorcycles up in the top car park and walk around a bit taking in the views before taking a coffee break looking out over the river Danube. There's some Serbian army landing craft and support ships moving around and then they head off up river - and at that point it's easy to see how fast the river is flowing. There are already warnings of flooding for Budapest but so far it hasn't reached this far south. We head out and soon we are riding through the Fruska Gora national park. It's beautiful up here - no traffic, curvy roads through the forest and the perfect temperature for riding. We cross the border back into Croatia and shortly afterwards drop into the Stari Podrum vineyard for a quick lunch stop. After lunch we pass through Vukovar and stop to look at the remains of the water tower that was heavily damaged during the Croatian war of Independence and remains a national symbol of this conflict. We press on and then make a last stop in Dakovo for a quick coffee to pick us up for the last part of the day. It's an awesome way to finish off with great roads sweeping though the countryside with a few hill climbs and descents thrown in for good measure. We arrive in Slavonski Brod - everyone is spent from today. But it was another awesome riding day and everyone is happy. Tomorrow is out last day of the tour and we hope for another great one......
The sun is shining again as we depart Slavonski Brod on the last day of our tour. There's a bit of traffic but we get out of town only to run straight into another village. And on it goes, one after the other for most of the morning - it's mind numbing. Eventually we reach Lipik and can stop for a coffee and a quick break - we all need it. Straight away afterwards we visit the Lipizzaner stud farm just outside Lipik and watch some of the horses being trained and then washed down afterwards - they really are fantastic animals. We take another short ride and then arrive at the Concentration camp memorial at Jasenovac. It's a memorial to the people killed by the Utasha regime during WWII - it's a moving experience. We ride into the town and stop for a quick bite to eat and then continue our journey. The afternoon ride along the banks of the Sava river are a delight and also very interesting. There are small settlements here and many houses dotted along the way. Some in good condition, many are falling to pieces or in total disarray. The only crops we can see growing is some corn and the fields are full with clouds of mosquitoes. One wonders about the people who live here - what do they do (subsistence farming?) and what kind of lives they lead? For sure it is not an easy life living here, but the people we see seem happy enough with their lot. We eventually reach Sisak and drive down to the edge of the river to look around the old fortress there. It's a pretty imposing building, but unfortunately we cannot go in for a look around, so we continue on our way. We now just have another hours ride and then we arrive back in Zagreb. Martijn is waiting for us with a boot beer and chips and we are all very grateful for that. It has been a great tour full of experiences and all those little things that just stay on tour ;-) Thank you to our guests - we hope to see you on another tour soon........