Croatio to Greece - CCG2402
Zeus was kind to us this morning. The heavy rain of the night was over and a light blue sky greeted us for breakfast on the terrace. It was going to be a long and eventful day. But first we start with the well-known daily briefing. We then leave Dubrovnik heading southwest towards the Montenegrin border. Fortunately, it's not so crowded here and we get through quickly. During our first morning stop, we exchange our first experiences with the bikes and welcome the cheaper prices in Montenegro. We then continue to the ferry in the Bay of Kotor. Unfortunately, it gets tough from here and we lose a lot of time in traffic. But we are rewarded with the uniquely protected bay and marvel at the 2000-year-old town. We also all have lunch here. Well-fed, our tour now takes us up into the mountains above Kotor to the Levcen National Park. 30 hairpins later, we have already made our way up and are completely enraptured by this fantastic view with dramatic clouds. From here, the afternoon continued with wonderful curves. It was a bit chilly, but we all had fun anyway. Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, lies below the national park. Here we made another stop next to the city's modern Orthodox church. What followed was unsurpassed in terms of epicness. The drive along the Moraca River up into the mountains to Kolašin. Overcast and mystical, it was hard to take our eyes off the mountain slopes and rock formations around us. We arrive in Kolašin late but happy and satisfied. A great dinner awaits us, with a desert that is worth the price!
Pure driving fun on the “Rest-Day” in Kolasin. After a good breakfast at Hotel BIANCA, we set off for Durmitor National Park. A paradise of bends! After countless left and right and uphill and downhill, we have earned a coffee break and get a fantastic cappuccino. Then it's on to the Tara Bridge to marvel at one of the deepest canyons in the world. The Tara Canyon. Unfortunately, due to a road closure, we were unable to drive the whole circuit, so we took an alternative route across a high plateau. But before that we had probably the best goulash in the world. It's amazing how the area in Durmitor Park surprises us with its diversity.
After yesterday's rainy day, today we all welcomed the gentle rays of sunshine in the morning and looked past the cold 5°. It was still going to drop to 3-4°C at the top of the Tresnjevik Pass. But the view down into the valley was worth it. A short time later we stopped for a coffee and hot chocolate with a wonderful view at the lake near Plav. The temperature was back in the pleasant range and we were all able to take off a few layers. The border with Albania was only a stone's throw from here and it didn't take too long. What followed was a brilliant descent and entry into a country that is rarely found anywhere else in the world. We arrived at lunchtime breathless. The Albanian Alps had cast their spell over us. Lunch was generously served by the extremely warm mother-daughter duo. The afternoon held another absolutely magnificent ascent in store for us, which we gratefully accepted on the now warm asphalt and were able to let it fly a little. The entrance to Shkoder was well timed with the onset of the muezzin. We have arrived in the Balkans.
Good morning Shkodra, today we get out of the busy traffic of this beautiful city. In the afternoon, we travel through the varied Albanian hinterland to a new country: North Macedonia and Lake Ohrid. A charming cafe stop is of course a must on this stage. We reach Kukes for lunch on well-maintained country roads and an exceptionally beautiful stretch of winding highway. Afterwards we experience an incredible variety of roads and landscapes. We cross beautiful scenery framed by mountains. Only to find ourselves shortly afterwards on what is probably one of the most spectacular motorcycle routes of this tour. Almost perfect asphalt, countless bends and a magnificent view create a tremendous feeling of happiness. Children we pass wave to us. - What a motorcycle moment. We continue through small villages to the border of North Macedonia. After crossing the border without any problems, we ride through a mix of mountains and forests down to Lake Ohrid.
We have another long day ahead of us today. So we get up early and try to get out of Ohrid quickly. The first small drops appear on the way back to the border with Albania, but then it clears up considerably and we drive down into the Albanian plains. These plains, framed by huge mountain ranges, accompany us majestically for the rest of the day. At lunchtime, we drive up to the old castle complex in Berat and admire the city of a thousand windows. Strengthened, we set off for the second half of the day. Concentrated and speedy, we make our way through what is now a very wild Albania and have a lot of fun with the ups and downs of the road. A quick refueling stop at Tepelene and we arrive in the beautiful old town of Gjirokastra in the early evening in almost oriental light.
Gjirokastra what a city... you can't stop being amazed. We enjoy the fantastic view from our Hotel Kerculla once again and then we're off! The last border crossing on this tour from Albania to Greece is only about 30 km away. The crossing is done quickly and then: Welcome to Greece. The mountains of the Pindos National Park are on our way. The first stop is the Vikos Gorge - what a dramatic landscape and probably the deepest gorge in the world. We take a stretch of highway to Metsovo for a lunch stop. After lunch, many, many bends await us again. The condition of some of the roads and their course is a bit of a challenge. After what feels like thousands of bends, we finally reach today's destination: METEORA. It takes us a while to understand this unique rocky landscape with its monasteries - it looks so unreal for the first few minutes. We are really looking forward to exploring this UNESCO World Heritage Site tomorrow.
Today is our second rest day. The group deserves it after yesterday's trip in the rain. We also want to visit the monasteries of Meteora. Dimitris picks us up in the morning and we drive to 3 monasteries. Two of them have quite a climb. However, we are rewarded with a great view and an insight into the art of the Greek Orthodox Church. In the afternoon, a small group of enthusiasts decide to take a 3-hour ride into the mountains. We drive over old bridges and washed-out gravel roads, followed by countless bends up to 1200m. A quick coffee stop and we're on our way back. We spend the evening with Joe, our birthday boy, in Kalambaka with excellent food and company. He got a small present to remember our trip. An albanian shepherds hat.
More Greek history and culture. We leave Kalambaka / Meteora heading south. We leave the mountains behind us and drive through a huge valley. We have our first photo stop at the Pily-Stone Bridge with a good cup of coffee. We had a lot of fun at the photo shoot. Where there are mountains, there are valleys and they have to be crossed! We all welcome the lunch stop at Kanelis Village near Domokos and the food is once again fabulous. We continue with culture and history. The Thermopylae Visit Center is very interesting and we listen to and watch the film in the 3D cinema. This is the battlefield of the war between the Greeks and Persians in 380 BC. The story was successfully filmed in the Hollywood blockbuster “300”. Now it's time for curves again. We “ride” through the Parnassas Mountains, the birthplace of the gods, towards the sea to Delhpi! Here we dive back into ancient Greece.
Today we visit the legendary Oracle of Delphi. After a brief introduction to Greek mythology and the special features of Delphi, we walk through the excavation site. We marvel at the Temple of Apollo and let this place take effect on us. We then drive down to the sea and stop off in a small fishing village. Everyone has earned an ice cream. We soon follow the coastal road to the west and arrive in Nafpaktos, where we drive up to the castle and enjoy the view. Thomas is already waiting for us on the beach with a picnic, which we gratefully accept. The beach invites us to linger, but we still have over 100km to go and so we make our way over the gigantic bridge to the Peloponnese. We wind our way through the hinterland on small, traffic-free roads. What a pleasure. Countless olive trees accompany us as far as the eye can see. We arrive in Olympia in the golden light. Another place steeped in history that we will visit tomorrow morning.
Today's motto: Athletes, mountainroads, and black olives. Early in the morning we visit the excavation sites and the very interesting museums in Olympia. It is impressive how many statues and well-preserved finds are on display. The stadium, the temples and also the place where the Olympic flame is still lit every four years. We all agree that this is a visit that will leave a lasting impression. Then it's back on the bikes. Out of the city and into the fun of the bends. Lunch stop at 12 o'clock in Langadia. Great food and a breathtaking view. And again hills, no mountains, and valleys and bends, bends, bends Our destination for today: Kalamata. The place after which the famous olives are named - probably the best in the world! And the beach is already waiting - the ladies are looking forward to it.
We have a long and beautiful day ahead of us. It's still a bit cloudy in the morning, but already very warm in the city. Fortunately, we drive up the Langada Pass to around 1500m where it is much more pleasant. A wonderful route through gorges and valleys. We make our first real stop in Skala, a normal little Greek town. Donuts and crepes are the guests' preferred choice. It's already 29° here. Another short crossing of one of the many mountains on the Peloponnese takes us over to the coast and a wonderful viewpoint. Shortly afterwards, we stop for lunch in a small taverna right by the water. Strengthened, we set off. 80 km of bends lie ahead of us. A feast. Exhausted and satisfied, we arrive on the slopes above Nafplio and enjoy a rewarding drink on the terrace as the sun sets.
We start a little later today for our final day of riding. The amphitheater of Epidaurus is a must-see. It is the world's best preserved amphitheatre - it seats 14,000 people and is used every year in July and August for the Epdaurus Festival. Ancient theater plays are performed here. We have enough time to visit and sing a song by our tour choir - which is unfortunately interrupted by the security service. Palea is the next destination on the program. We enjoy delicious cappuccini and other café specialties and the “chilled” atmosphere right on the harbour by the sea. Back on our bikes, we ride on to the Corinth Canal, the deepest canal in the world. It's impressive what people created at the end of the 18th century with the tools of the time. Goodies” serves regional delicacies and delicious burgers. But even the most beautiful Edelweiss tour has an end. The last stage takes us to the hotel in Athens and the farewell evening.