29th September 2014       5-26℃        358km Sarajevo – Mostar – Trogir (Croatia) I set out from Sarajevo early, in the cool mist air, riding past the many bullet holed buildings, including the Holiday Inn, which looked to be in very rough shape. I reached Mostar just before lunch, and enjoyed walking around the old town, although it was fairly busy with tourists and crappy souvenir shops, the great cobbled streets, stone bridge and towers were exceptionally impressive. After a quick lunch, I rode…

28th September 2014         11-19℃         294km Novi Sad – Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina) I made my way along the winding road to the Serbian border on the Drina river. Exiting Serbia was a simple passport check whole sitting on the bike, and I was free to ride across the bridge to the Bosnian side. It was there that my passport & bike papers were checked, and I was advised I needed a green card insurance, which I’d need to go and…

27th September 2014       11-19℃          184km Vršac – Novi Sad A short ride, as I was tired early today and the fine city of Novi Sad tempted a longer stay. I explored the castle before walking the city and the bars in the evening. A cool place, plenty of drinking places and good fun vibe.

26th September 2014         5-15℃         311km Iscroni – Vršac (Serbia) As I left the hotel early, mist covered the hills and road, it was a cool 5℃, and the road wet. I followed the gps, which had me turning down small lanes and through villages where ducks wandered the lanes and the occasional pig appeared confused from the bushes. The lanes became smaller, and the trail turned to dirt. But no drama, and I powered on. I should have realised the…

25th September 2014      1-15℃       318km Transfagarasan – Iscroni I started out on the Transfagarasan early, the temperature was just 2℃ when I left the hotel, but the newly installed Russian ballast for the HID headlight worked, and fired up first go, despite the cold temperature. I probably should have fixed that months ago. I crossed the huge dam wall, and weaved through the valley, trying to get some warmth and grip into the tyres before the mountain ascent. Climbing up the pass, the…

24th September 2014       9-21℃       339km Veliko Tarnovo – Transfagarasan (Romania) I woke to a beautifully clear morning, not a cloud in the sky following yesterdays downpour, so I quickly packed the bike and headed north to the Romanian border, where the Danube separates Bulgaria & Romania. On reaching the border, the Bulgarian border police officer immediately said to me “I know you.  I saw you two days ago”    I thought I had done something wrong again, and was about to find…

23rd September 2014      9-15℃      0km by bike Veliko Tarnovo I woke to find it bucketing down rain, which didn’t really stop all day.  I spent the early morning exploring the castle Tsarevets, after which I was completely soaked.  It was still pouring, so I decided to wait it out for the day, in a cafe that had awesome internet. I downloaded 4GB of maps for Europe in the time I ate lunch.

22nd September 2014       15-29℃      169km Idilevo – Veliko Tarnovo After saying goodbye to the guys at Bulgaria Motocamp, I headed out on the winding mountain roads to Buzludzha.  Built on the top of a mountain peak by the Soviets during Bulgarian communism, the spaceship looking structure opened in 1981, and was promptly abandoned soon after, in the fall of communism.    Now unmaintained, it has been locked up for safety and to prevent vandalism, although there is a small access hole in one…

21st September 2014          15-22’C        202km Sofia – Idilevo Heading out of Sofia, I thought I would ride past the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral again, just to get a photo from the other side of the building.   On approach I noticed that the road had been blocked off by Police, but one or two cars had been sneaking through, and I tried the same.   Of course, I was pulled over. The cop made me stop, told me off and that I…

20th September 2014      15-22℃       123km Rila – Sofia A relatively easy ride towards Sofia, although the occasional sand on sharp bends made for some hair-raising moments as I slipped around corners. Traffic to the south, in the opposite direction to me was very heavy, with Sofia residents heading into the mountains for the weekend. Along with many, many bikes, and I essentially rode with one hand for 30 minutes, returning waves to other riders with my left hand. On arriving in Sofia, the…