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Greece to Croatia - CCG1901

Tuesday, June 4, 2019 | Holger Homann / Anthony Fairweather | Europe

Day 1: Athens to Nafplio

Our first day takes around the busy heart of Athens and out towards the Peleponnesian Peninsula. We cross the Corinthian Canal and head south, hugging the coast on beautiful, twisty roads. After a fantastic seafood lunch we head towards Epidauros, home to one of the most famous ancient Greek theatres in the world. After soaking up the atmosphere we challenge ourselves on some of the smallest roads we have seen so far, full of hidden twists and turns. This is Greece at its best! 

The bikes are ready...
...next comes the daily briefing....
...and they're off!
The famous Corinthian Canal
Here you can see a group of bikers performing an ancient Greek ritual (actually we were just testing out the fantastic acoustics of Epidauros).
A clear blue pool and olive groves in the background. Not a bad way to end a day on the bike.

Day 2: Nafplio to Kalamata

On the second day 340km along the beautiful coast of the Argolic Gulf...and on the right hand side the steep face of the Parnon mountains. Twisty single lane roads without any traffic and all of a sudden a super double lane road (no joke) in between...just amazing!
At a coffee stop high up in the mountains and close to Peloponnese' highest pass Mori lets his drone fly...
He is the man today: Julio!
Views from our nice hotel over Kalamata
Two having birthday today! Peter and Julio

Day 3: Kalamata to Olympia

Arrival on the Olympia ancient site..
...in the stadium...
Lined up for the 100m race
...and START!
..and Pat clearly wins this one
Judi and Brian thinking about how it was here about 2.300 years ago...

Day 4: Olympia to Delphi

A beautiful sunny day takes us north off the Peleponnes towards the Greek Mainland. Along the way we cross the Rion-Antirion Bridge, an architectural masterpiece spanning the entrance of the Corinthian Gulf. On the other side we spot the van, including the first of Edelweiss picnic of the tour! After feasting on local specialities we ride the gorgeus coast road to Delphi, arriving just in time for a wander through the spectacular archeological site and have our futures told (hint: there will be more motorcycling).

Tony prepares the lunch for us..
Edan taling a rest
At Delphi ancient site
Greek graffity from ancient times..
...just amazing

Day 5: Delphi to Meteora

Mountains are the name of the game and first up, Mount Parnassus! Stunning views and great riding, topped off with the best coffee Greece has to offer. Not a bad start to the morning. After an early lunch we climb up to Lake Plastira on some of the twistiest roads so far, stop for a coffee at beautiful Pyli Bridge and arrive in Meteora, our home for the next two nights.

And then Meteora in the late evening...just Wow!

Day 6: Rest Day in Meteora

Meteora is one of the places in the world that should be on everyones bucket list. Stunning views, beautiful monasteries and an epic road through it all. We spend the morning using up all the available memory space on our cameras, then top it all off with an epic ride through the mountains. Today was a good day!

In the ,morning we hit the road again and start with our loop around Meteora
Faszinating here!

Going for our afternoon ride..

Day 7: Meteora to Sarander

It is our last day in Greece, but we still have many miles before the border. It is another amazing day of riding as we head up into the Pindus mountains, riding on roads that barel deserve that description. Gorgeous views, tight twisties and not a single straight road in sight. This is what our bikes were designed for! Hidden around one of the bends we spot Holger and Julio with the van, and with them our second picnic of the tour! After lunch we visit Vikos Gorge, the deepest canyon in the world, then cross the border into Albania. We cross the mountains to the coast and arrive in Saranda on the Albanian Riviera, our home for tonight.

Day 8: Sarander to Ohrid

Today is the longest day of the trip so far. The morning is filled with one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world as we ride along the Albanian Riviera and then cut across the central plains of Albania on the way to Lake Ohrid in North Macedona.

At the Llogara pass with the view of the Albanian Riviera
Judi and Brian in the storm...
...Mori...
..and the group
Yiehaa, we are in Mazedonia!
At the Ohrid lake: Julio and Peter...
Jump!
Peter and Jucelino
They have fun
Dinner at a restaurant at the Ohrid lake. Inside because outside a bit chilly.

Day 9: Ohrid to Shkoder

Another long but exciting day awaits! We say goodbye to North Macedonia and hello again to Albania. Our route takes us through the remote and wild regions of the Albanian Alps, far removed from the mainstream tourism of the coast. After an excellent lunch of grilled trout we hit the brand dew highway towards Shkoder, a beautiful small town over 2.400 years old. 

Foto shooting with our girls high above the river Black Drin
Riding impressions...we got some rain

Day 10: Shkoder to Kolasin

Today is one of the most challenging days of our trip so far! Leaving Shkoder behind we climb into the mountains that form the border between Albania and Montenegro. The heavy rain of the last few hours has caused a muber of small rock slides, but the road is mostly clear and we arrive safe and sound at the remote border to Montenegro. Arriving in Kolasin we are greeted by Holger with the lesser known variant of the Edelweiss boot beer, the Edelweiss mulled wine, perfect for warming weary riders!

Julio and I had to take a different border crossing with the van...and we met this bear right after the border

Day 11: Rest Day in Kolasin

Its another fantastic day for a bike ride! The rain of the last 24 hours has cleared and the roads are just about dry as we ride up beautiful Tara Gorge, where we stop for coffee, lunch and the longest zip line in Europe. Food, caffeine and adrenaline! From the top of the gorge we head towards Dumitor National Park and onto some small, hidden roads through the mountains. 

And here comes the Zip Line experience...Günter, Michael and Julio...
...ready for take off?!
...Yiehaaaaaaa!
We continue our ride through the Alpine area of Montenegro. A fantastic ride on roads without traffic!

Day 12: Kolasin to Dubrovnik

Our last day dawns with clear blus skies as we set out towards the coast. Our first coffee stop is at the beautiful Orthodox cathedral in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. As we leave the busy city traffic behind we climb high into the Black Mountains of Lovcen National Park and stop lunch hihg up above the Bay of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 25 switchbacks take us down the sheer mountainside and after a short ferry ride we head towards the final border crossing of our two-week adventure. Welcome to Croatia!

Leaving our nice hotel in Kolasin: Brian and Judi
Arrival in Dubrovnik, our final destination on this tour
Thank you for riding with us! A cool group with many different characters...we had lots of fun!!!
We do hope seeing you again on other tours! Tony and Holger
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Add a comment Rate this post
Pierre Baumgärtner
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 10:21

Hallo Guenter,
viel Spaß auf der Tour...… schaut ziemlich gut aus fast wie in Marokko
Bis demnächst.
LG
Holger Homann
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 18:10

Hallo Pierre,
Günter grüßt zurück!
Cheers
Holger
Michaela Achatzi
Friday, May 24, 2019 at 09:37

HI Judith and Brian,

nice to see you again !!
Have a great tour and much fun.

Michaela

Brian
Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 05:20

Fantastic riding so far. Tony and Holger have shown us some incredible twisty roads through gorges, passes, valleys. We're averaging over 250km a day for the first three days and loving it!
Holger Homann
Sunday, May 26, 2019 at 21:39

Hello Judi and Brian,
thank you for your comments!
It is a pleasure for us!
C u tomorrow at the bikes
Cheers
Holger and Tony
Judi
Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at 22:05

What an incredible tour! Fabulous roads, beautiful scenery, extraordinary hotels & the best lunch, coffee & photo stops. Excited to see what else is in store for us!

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