CEE2502 on Dracula‘s Trail
We welcome James and Daniel from Australia, Scott and Brad from Canada. Now it's time to start with our welcome briefing for our tour on Dracula's Trail. At the beginning of a tour we always have a welcome briefing with all important details, information about the tour and everything you need to know. Of course we also get to know each other. Our guests listen patiently. We take care of all the formalities, and then it goes to the motorcycle handover yeah, everyone has a motorcycle and everyone can accommodate all their private things. Then it's time for a delicious dinner, with local specialties such as an original Wiener Schnitzel or cheese spaetzle, but the best thing is the dessert a Kaiserschmarrn. On the way back we walk over the Viennese Prater, a hustle and bustle for young and old. But we want to ride a motorcycle tomorrow. We don't need a fuss. We have our own carousel. So when you turn it back on tomorrow, you will find out how our first day of driving will be. We say good night László and Michaela
We left Vienna early in the morning. It was Saturday, so the city was quiet and there was no traffic. We rode through fields full of sunflowers and corn until we reached the Czech border. We stopped for a quick photo at the border sign. Our first highlight was the Lednice Castle. This beautiful Neo-Gothic castle was once the summer home of the Liechtenstein family. We had lunch nearby in a traditional Czech restaurant. Everyone was excited to try the local beer after we get to the hotel! In the afternoon, we visited the Austerlitz Battlefield Memorial. This is where, in 1805, Napoleon won a big battle against the Russian and Austrian armies. It is called the Battle of the Three Emperors. While we were in the small museum, it started to rain. So we took the highway straight to our hotel in Kromeriz. In the evening, we enjoyed a well-deserved Czech beer at the hotel bar.
The first day of driving was already brilliant, but today set standards, says Brad. Yes, we had a wonderful day today. We began to swing slowly, enjoyed the landscape and today crossed a border again, from the Czech Republic to Slovakia, nothing but a sign made us aware that we were in another country. But yes, the streets changed. They became more curvy and hilly. After a first short coffee stop, we headed to Cicmany, to a small village with 200 year old wooden houses and folk painting, very interesting. This small village is located just under 1000 m. Let's continue. Oh look there a castle who would like to live there. Maybe Rapunzel opens the window and lets her hair down, because that's what this enchanted beautiful castle looks like, from the eleventh century, which was rebuilt in 1899. Bojnice Castle . We stroll through the market see beautiful parrots and wild owls and also have a short stop for lunch. Now we have to do a bit of distance because the day was not quite so short with 330 km. Finally, over the Certovica Pass with 1232 m. The highest pass in Slovakia to spend the night in Liptovsky Hrádok in our beautiful castle. The delicious dinner has a little surprise in store for us, the owner of the castle, Dagmar, tells us great stories and then also gives us a beautiful tour of the castle. We are delighted with what love and affection she brought this castle back to life. It is definitely worth a visit. With a lot of experience in our luggage, we pack ourselves into bed for the anticipation of the next day. Tomorrow we continue, our third day Sleep well László un Michaela
Another day, another new country on our list – the Czech Republic! But let’s start from the beginning. After leaving our beautiful Grand Castle in Liptovský Hrádok, we started our ride from the southern side of the High Tatras. The road there was simply amazing. Long, flowing high-speed curves and a perfectly maintained surface. Every motorcyclist’s dream! We made a short coffee stop in Tatranská Lomnica, the country’s most popular destination for skiing, biking, and hiking. From there, we crossed the border into Poland and followed the scenic road through the valley along the Poprad River. Everyone was enjoying the curvy roads and the sunny weather. For lunch, we stopped in the beautiful city of Bardejov – a medieval town that looks like it stepped straight out of a fairy tale and forgot to age. Cobbled streets, colorful houses, and a stunning gothic church are just a few of the many highlights of this charming place. Our next hotel was only about an hour and a half away, in Košice, so we hit the road again to arrive in time for a relaxed evening walk after dinner. Košice is a city where history and hipsters peacefully coexist – it’s home to Slovakia’s largest church, cozy cafés, and even a singing fountain with a light show.
In the morning hours, we crossed the border into Hungary and took a short break to snap a picture with the beautiful medieval castle of Füzér, which proudly stands atop a high rock and was fully renovated in 2012. One of the most significant castles in Hungary is Rákóczi Castle in Sárospatak. Its history is deeply intertwined with the struggles for Hungarian independence and the powerful Rákóczi family, who once called it home. Later, during a visit and guided tour of one of the oldest wine cellars in Tokaj, we learned about the rich history of winemaking in this famous region. Daniel even picked up a bottle of delicious wine to enjoy with dinner. Before reaching our picnic spot by the lake, we had to cross a river on an old-fashioned ferry, definitely one of the day’s highlights!
Today we leave our first city in Romania. To "experience" our highlight of the day after 80 km the Apuseni Mountains, located in the national park of the same name, the Apuseni Mountains are the northwesternmost foothills of the Carpathians in Transylvania. The landscape here is fantastic, so this is also a great area for MountainBikers and hikers. For us motorcyclists, of course, Twisty roads are mostly welcome. Transylvania is also called, "behind the forests" has a very historic past. After the population here was decimated by the Turks and the Tatars, Swabians and Saxons were invited to increase the population again. That's why you can find a lot of place names in German here. Sighisoara, also scalled Schässburg, is our destination today. It is a UNESCO World Heritage with Couple Stone Streets and wonderfully colorful houses, yes it is very busy here during the day but as soon as the tourists have found their bus, it becomes pleasantly quiet here. Schässburgb is also known for Vlad III being born here. After long 386 km, again and again escaping the clouds, we have arrived at our destination after a fantastic day. A little walk after dinner and then tired to bed. See you tomorrow
There are plans to change them, but we didn't know that this morning when we left. The rain cleaned the air and it was a beautiful morning in Sighisoara. Today the day won't be too long but it will be shorter than we think. We start our motorcycles and drive towards Bran. On our way we drive past lush green meadows. Our first stop is the Rupea Castle from the 11th century. Destroyed in 1421 by the Turks. Burned in 1960. It has been restored and has a fistic 360 degree view. The next 45 km is like a roller coaster to then turn into the villages that let the time stand. Arrived in Brasov we are looking for a good place for lunch. After that, we wanted to take a look at the city of 250,000 inhabitants. But a severe weather warning came in, and this was to be observed. So quickly a picture of the black church, a nice view of the city to then quickly get to the not too far away hotel. Another beautiful winding road to once again, just in time to turn off the machines. I don't always give anything to weather forecasts, but here it was just right. Our hotel offers us a sauna and a Jacuzzi. So we enjoy some break. Tomorrow there is another highlight on the agenda The Transfágárásan, top gear says best road in the world, we want to find out. See you tomorrow your tour guides Laśzló and Michaela
Finally we made it to Dracula’s Castle, and in the morning we visited this beautiful fortress with more than 700 years of history. Luckily, no one got lost in the tiny rooms. After the visit we started riding south because I had been waiting for the Transfăgărășan. Beautiful scenery and lots of curves. We reached the southern entrance of the mountains and after only 10 km we saw a brown bear just enjoying life under the trees. Everybody was loving the winding road and the switchbacks on this beautiful mountain pass, built in the 1970s by the famous dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. The view at the top was mysterious, sitting in the middle of a cloud. On the north side of the mountain we had clear skies again, perfect for taking some photos of this famous road—according to Top Gear the most beautiful road in the world. After dinner we enjoyed an amazing ballet show and a classical music concert in the old town of Sibiu. What an amazing day.
Yesterday is still in our thoughts. Only today it will get better. We leave Dracula's homeland Transylvania and today we go to the mountains in the west. Narrow roads that we drive at the beginning of the day give us a pleasure. The Transalpina, which we will take under the wheels, was in the 2. In 1930, the road was asphalted by King Carol II and thus it also has a second name "King Road". This is one of the oldest streets in Romania. Curve by turn we meet our today's highlight. It is the highest point on the tour with 2240 m and is also the highest point in Romania. Unfortunately, the summit is covered with clouds and fog. We don't see anything and it's a bit cold. So quickly back down all the great curves for lunch. Then it is time to persevere until Timisoara our today's goal. Our guests Daniel, James, Brad and Scott are happy, even if everyone thought at the beginning that the kilometers we drive were far too few. After the last two days, everyone is finally convinced that it is no longer possible in the countries we drive. Too many curves? And tomorrow it will be warm So have a deck chair ready to continue reading
Today was a hot, sunny, beautiful day riding through the backcountry of southern Hungary. In the morning we crossed the border and rode toward the lovely city of Szeged near the Serbian border. For lunch we stopped at a traditional Hungarian roadhouse (csárda) and cooled off with chilled cherry soup. Afterwards we crossed the Danube at Mohács and visited the nearby site of the fateful 1526 battle; a national tragedy in which about 30,000 Hungarian soldiers fell against an Ottoman force four times their number. From there we continued our way through the vineyards around the small town of Villány, famed for its robust reds such as Portugieser and Cabernet Franc. By late afternoon we rolled into our hotel in the beautiful city of Pécs and enjoyed the day in the parking lot with a Romanian Bootbeer. Tonight let’s raise a glass of Villány red wine at dinner!
Today we will go back to a new country, Slovenia. But first we leave Pecs on the smallest roads in cool forests. What fun. Then it continues on long Hungarian roads with wide fields lined with fantastic sunflower fields. A highlight with under Today is the crossing of the largest lake in Hungary, Lake Balaton. The group likes to ride a ferry. The journey is quite entertaining, as we cross the lake at the narrowest point of 1.5 km. Continue along the lake. Which is 77 km long. On the left we have the view from the lake and on the right the wine-growing area. Our lunch stop is in a beautiful vine arbor. It's just a pity that we can't taste wine because we have to continue riding motorcycles. But the view is fantastic. We swing, refreshed on our motorcycles and drive towards Slovenia. Also here we find beautiful little curvy, on which we are all alone. We reach Maribor before the big storm breaks out what a luck! This great day will be crowned with a very tasty dinner. Now we still have two days ahead of us before this great journey comes to an end.
Welcome back to Austria! In the morning, we crossed the border back into Austria and followed the road along the border between Slovenia and Austria. The road was narrow but led us through a picturesque wine region, with countless vineyards and a beautiful hilly landscape. Our first coffee stop was at the famous Herzerlstraße, where we took some lovely photos. After lunch, we continued our journey and visited the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum in Thal. We made a short stop to take a photo of St. Barbara’s Church in Bärnbach, designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. We then continued our ride through the scenic Gaberl mountain pass. The winding roads carried on through the Triebener Tauern Pass, before we reached the highlight of the day: the largest abbey library in the world. We ended the day with a quiet evening at the hotel, where everyone enjoyed a relaxed dinner together.
Every journey ends once, so does ours. But we still have a lot to do today. We start today in Admont with a breathtaking backdrop of sunshine, mountains and fog. It goes through the "Gesäuse", the 16 kilometer long gorge invites you to enjoy. And we are immediately on the recommended motorcycle routes that lead us to the well-known Erzberg. Known among all extreme Endouro riders, the Erzberg Rodeo. But we drive the mountain with far more horsepower. The Hauly Tour shows us the size of the Erzberg. The Hauly with over 1000 hp and 91 tons of weight moves up the mountain without much effort. We continue our ride on our motorcycles, knowing that there is still a lot of fun waiting for us. Curve after curve it goes on, and then our tour guide stops somewhere in nowhere. Why? Michaela knew that László had a plan. It's a picnic. In a beautiful place in the sun and a nice small stream. Surprise succeeded. But we are far from having enough. A few small passes further we stop for a coffee at the well-known “Alte Kuchl”. So slowly the traffic of Vienna is taking over us. After 12 fantastic days we put our motorcycles where we started. Our guests cannot be slowed down with enthusiasm and enthusiasm. Quote from Brad: my best motorcycle tour in my 47 years motorcycle 🏍️ history Six different people came together 2 weeks ago, and say goodbye as friends after a great time. Your tour guides László and Michaela Say thank you for your trust and this brilliant time Riding a motorcycle connects See you again