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Saborsko (Croatia) to Kotor (Montenegro) via Bosnia

Posted by Karen on June 21, 2015
Posted in: Montenegro.

We had a big ride today – about 550km, but the majority of that was mind-numbing motorway, as we needed to make up some miles after having a day off yesterday to look around the lakes in Croatia. The wind as we approached the coast has very strong – the roads have regular wind socks and wind warning signs so I presume it’s a regular thing, and were buffeted all over the place.

We had to pass through several boarder controls along the way as we travelled the coast line ….first we had to get stamped out of Croatia then stamped into Bosnia (which I was a bit nervous about)…then out of Bosnia back into Croatia …..and finally stamped out of Croatia and into Montenegro. So our passports are finally getting some stamps in them….Vince already has many, but as I changed my name after our Wedding in January, my passport is blank!

We stopped briefly in Dubrovnik (the Southern most city in Croatia) and looked out over the old walled city, but that place is huge and a bit chaotic, so we pushed on a little bit and slipped into sleepy Montenegro. I find the boarders a bit stressful, as I am the one who has to get off and sort the paperwork out and deal with the officials….but when I accidentally dropped my glove, the young German rider behind, Axel, got off his bike and brought it to me saving me having to get back off the bike again…what a gentleman! We chatted with him and his riding buddy (also German), Kandi…they, like us, were on the way to Kotor and we saw them at several other stops along the way. The GPS took us on an unscheduled but thoroughly enjoyable scenic detour along the waterfront of the first town we encountered upon entering Montenegro, and it was very interesting. It started to rain a bit, but Vince says he’d sooner ride in the rain than the wind, as at least wet roads are a bit more predictable.

It’s 8:30pm but we’re sitting outside our cheap hotel (60 Euros for a twin room with private bathroom and small living area), overlooking the Bay of Kotor. We had a lovely meal (that I didn’t have to cook!) and it’s very pleasant siting having and drink outside here as the sun sets over the hills……. check out the pic Vince took of the sun set over the bay.

The Good The Bad and The Ugly!

Posted by Karen on June 19, 2015
Posted in: Croatia, Slovenia.

We had a late start…waking up around 9.00am but thankfully it didn’t take us long to pack the bike which was parked right outside the front door of our ground floor apartment ( the first we had had ….usually we have many flights of stairs to deal with…so this was blissful). We headed into the “Old Town” and had a coffee and panini (8.40 Euros for the both of us!) overlooking the church of St Nicholas.

It was interesting “people watching” as many varied tour groups and school groups came to admire the unique brass door. It was a work of art in itself, depicting 6 Bishops lowering the body of Christ on ropes. Above them was what appears to be a mummified alien….very confusing….but as the narrators all delivered their information in languages other than English, I was left to decifer the door’s meaning as best I could! Will have to Google it when I get time!

We took a walk into the town and came across a Pandora shop ….so we popped in and young Anna assisted us in finding a turquoise Murano bead for my braclet to represent Slovinia. As we walked back along the river and through the Marketplace it started to pour down. We took shelter under a market umbrella where Vince had an apple and I had some cherries. It wasn’t letting up so we toughed it out and mounted the bike to be on our way.

It was around 11.00am when we left to reach the Plitvice National Park in neighbouring Croatia. We took the scenic 106 and followed that all the way to the boarder where we had to hand over our passports for inspection. The policeman went to speak to another policeman who was busy playing chess on his computer….but eventually came out of his office to question us as to why there was no entry stamp in our Australian Passport. Rather than explain the com plexities of our dual citizenship Vince chose a different tact claiming they were scanned electronically without a stamp. I confirmed this …. our passports on entry to London (Gatwick) were scanned with no stamp….all true …I justleft out the fact they were British! In any case the policemen continued flicking through our passports and mine was empty ( apart from my Pakistan Visa)…. I explained this was because I had just got married and my name was changed so it was a new passport. Our stories must have been accepted as they stamped us out of Slovinia and into Croatia!

We went South to Delnice where we refuled and discovered that half a tank cost 183 kuna ($45) …ouch! The rain did not let up the whole time ….it just varied in intensity…we were both soaked through so Vince offered for us to just get a hotel in Delnice…..Adventure Girl said “No….we’re already wet, let’s just push on”. After getting a little lost, Vince finally found route 3 and we followed that until picking up the D42 that would lead us down to the lakes ….still about another 112km away.

We had a bit of a scary moment on a quiet section of road just North of   Ogulim…….A camper van was blocking the road and people were also on the road …so Vince stopped, I heard the skidding and screaching of brakes….which I knew were not ours…..behind me…..I waited for the impending crash…..luckily it didn’t come….the “little Shit Box” (Vinces terminology) managed to stop just inches from the ANIMALS rear. Vince told me afterwards that he should also get credit as when he heard the skid he released the brake so we could roll forwards a bit. Vince was furious and displayed his displeasure to the driver behind with a wave of his fist…he was not happy! The driver got out and I nervously wondered what would happen next! Vince voiced his verbal displeasure in no uncertain terms and even if the car driver could not understand English he certainly didn’t miss the point. No apology was given but he sheepishly returned to his vehicle. (Vince would like to note that he always pulls over and waves through cars coming up to us from behind but this guy came from nowhere travelling at speed). The last we saw of him he was speeding off into the distance with his wife and kid in the car…….not very responsible!

We stopped in Ogulin at the Lidel and got some food supplies to cook as we still hoped to camp out even though the rain was still falling. We carried on towards the lakes but half an hour later it was too dark for Vince to see the road safely so we pulled off when we saw a sign to an appartment…Maria told us she had one for 4 people available but could give us a reduced rate of 55 euro instead of 65 euro….we had a look and I nearly died……OMG we have gone to heaven….it’s huge….with a private sauna and a space age shower…Vince thinks is from 50 shades of Grey….as well as a separate toilet and bathroom, a split level with two double beds and a whole kitchen, lounge and dining area….we may never leave!!!!

Three Countries and 4 Border Crossings!

Posted by Karen on June 18, 2015
Posted in: Austria, Italy, Slovenia.

After our daily continental breakfast (included free in our 75 Euro per night room) at Gasthof Zum Schupfen, we said goodbye to our host, Evelyn, and set off on a long day of riding to get from Austria to Slovenia ( around 423km and 8 hours on the bike).

We had uneventful border crossings from Austria into Italy, Italy back into Austria, Austria into Italy again and finally Italy into Slovenia. Borders were either unmanned or we were simply waved through.

We took the A13 South from Innsbruck to Bressanone in Italy, then left the motorway to pick up the E66 heading East. We stopped at Sillian back in Austria for lunch and shortly afterwards headed South East picking up the beautiful B111 – a magical road in Austria. We passed so many SPARS (supermarket)  we’ve seen more in this little corner of Austria than anywhere else. We stopped again in Arnoldstein, refused and then headed South to briefly reenter Italy before crossing over into Slovenia. The road we followed passed through Triglavski Narodni Park, we followed the D206 North through the Park with the road weaving alongside the Soca River……its magnificent turquoise coloured water was so inviting….we had never seen water so translucent and clean….amazing. It even rivalled the glacial lakes we have seen in other parts of the world.

A wonderful and unexpected surprise was the climb to Kranjska Gora taking in 24 hairpins up and 24 back down, with a nay twist and turns in between…..truly spectacular! After dropping down on the Northern side of the pass we made our way out to the E61 motorway and blasted down to Ljubljana.

We had a short wait at the studio appartment we had booked online for 40 Euro. Nina was most helpful in showing us the features including how to lock the front door which required a violent shove to close…..Vince had to do this! We had picked up some provisions in one of the early SPARS and Vince made his Thai Green Chicken Curry….but this time we had the luxury of a stovetop and sink! It was around 7.00pm when we arrived and by the time we had freshened up and cooked dinner it was past 9.00pm …so our hopes of visiting the old town had to wait until tomorrow…..we are both exhausted!

Three Month Report Card….aka Sanity Check

Posted by Karen on June 16, 2015
Posted in: Austria.

BIKE: Running well for the 11,000 km clocked up on this trip so far… apart from loss of pin & /circlip from the windscreen twice and problems with the pillion footpeg rubber (LHS).

ACCOMMODATION: Very expensive in UK and Europe ….we have tried to go budget but with a private bathroom but still expensive. We camped in UK only 3 nights due to weather and health issues. So far we have camped about 25 nights in Europe. Campgrounds don’t always supply toilet paper and at many campsites you have to pay for showers and hot water.

FOOD: Initial difficulty in finding food! Once we bought a frypan things improved dramatically. However not speaking or reading the language we often find our meals are a surprise when they arrive ….Vince copes far better than this than Karen…who often goes hungry.

ROUTE: Has changed slightly due to down time for medical treatment (8 days) and three weeks fill in waiting on bike service and new tyres in Innsbruck.

HEALTH: Initally six weeks of colds and chest infections for both of us. Karen (chemotherapy reaction/burns unit) for 8 days treatment. Since then….all good!

GIFTS or ASSISTANCE: Discount on Electic Vests from BMW Guildford, a gas lighter from relatives in Greenock, Tyre Fitting in Bath, Map of Switzerland from a fellow camper in Tasch, Swiss Camp cooking fork from a fellow camper in Umbrail, and a discount on gloves and free circlips and windscreen bolt from BMW Innsbruck.

THINGS LOST: Vince – 1 dry bag (Chamonix). Karen – 1 earring (Dozengham) and 1 spare camera battery – unknown who is responsible for this one!

‘FUCK ME’ MOMENTS WHILST RIDING: Only once really, when some idiot in a car pulled out from behind a truck that had just braked to a stop in front of it, and as we were oncoming we were heading straight into a head-on crash on a wet road with no where to pull off to. Thank goodness for ABS because without that we would have split the car in half. Another time we got a green light at some road works and advanced down the road but were then delayed quickly by a road-work vehicle, and then once that pulled out of the way we met traffic coming up from the other direction so that was a bit squeezy on the one-lane track – but we managed to fit through better than the cars behind us 🙂

POLICE INTERACTIONS: Nil.

ROAD RULES BROKEN: Vince has lost count. Sometimes the GPS has guided him the wrong way down one-way streets and if he’s not quick enough to pick up the road signs we end up with a scenic tour the wrong way around. We’ve dodged under barriers (twice), and Karen tells Vince that he sneaked through a red light early one morning, but in his defence the road was empty and the lights hadn’t detected the bike. Oh and in Ireland he got the impression that at temporary traffic light signs as used at roadworks its normal to go on the red light as one day we counted five cars in front of me go through on a red light so he tagged along with them, and then he realised maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do 🙂

TASK ASSIGNMENTS:
Vince
– Riding
– Navigation
Karen
– Everything else, including but not limited to:
– Finances
– Logistics
– Accommodation
– Linguistics
– Public Relations
– Equipment
– Procurement
– Entertainment

Innsbruck has everything :)

Posted by Karen on June 15, 2015
Posted in: Austria.

Up in time to catch the nice continental breakfast at Gastoff Shupfen – our quaint little hotel, and then we raced out the door to catch the passing 4140 bus before it sped down the hill and into Innsbruck Main Station, passing the Wilton Basilica and Wilton Church on the city outskirts. Tickets cost 5.80 Euro for the pair of us one way.

We set off armed with a free tourist city map to find Maximillion’s Golden Roof and the Swarovski Crystal Factory…. located in the Old Town. We also had a list of practical things to track down…..laundromatt, camera shop (replacement extra battery for my camera), post office (we need to send more stuff home), food supplies (the hotel kitchen is closed on Mondays), Hajib (for me for visa photos), passport photo places (we need some for Iran and India visas), Pandora Shop (charms for Switzerland, Italy and Austria) and a bank (Iran doesn’t have teller machines or take credit cards from foreign banks).

We were surprised that not only did we manage to tick off our list, but we added some extra opportunistic wish list things…..extra MSR tent pegs and guy ropes, a backup gaslighter, a spatula, a kitchen knife with scabbard. At the SPAR we were in absolute heaven….Vince found most of the ingredients to make his famous Thai Green Curry Chicken for tonight’s dinner, we even found dry ginger (unheard of everywhere we have been in Europe) so we bought some cheap scotch to drink with it….yahoooooo!

We had lunch on the run …Vince had a Hot Chiky – chicken and vegetables in a pita bread with a hot sauce. I was a bit more cautious and settled for a Pretzel Place and had a cheese and spinach roll …where at least we could sit down to eat and drink.

We had trouble locating a scarf or shawl long enough for me to use as a makeshift Hajib, but we eventually settled on a 13 Euro sarong from a Hippy Bong Shop (much to Vince’s amusement!)…It is black with blue Celtic Knots….very fitting for his “Celtic Warrior Princess” (a name he has started calling me since my hair now resembles Side Show Bob….it’s wild!!!!!)

Back at our hotel we fired up our trusty “Dragonfly” in the Beir Garten and cooked dinner. We then came back upstairs so Vince could listen to songs from the Sound of Music downloaded from Youtube….yesterday he made me sing “DO-RE-MI” over our Senas as we crossed the boarder into Austria…..it all makes sense now!

From Bormio to somewhere in Switzerland!

Posted by Karen on June 13, 2015
Posted in: Italy, Switzerland.

A slow day and short ride today. The bike is booked in for new tyres and a service in Innsbruck on 17th June, and when Vince checked the front tyre the other day he found  it’s looking quite worn – the hairpin bends seem to have taken their toll, so rather than push our luck we opted to stay at Cima Piazzi camp site in Valdesotto near Bormio for a few nights. We moved on from their this morning planning to take the Stelvio Pass north from Bormio – Italy’s most famous mountain pass – but we were turned back by a policeman because it was closed til 2:00pm due to a cycle race, so we had lunch at a cafe and stretched that out for two hours before the road was reopened. When we started the pass it was a dog’s dinner with cyclists still on the road plus support vehicles and motorbikes and cars, and the ride was slow with the traffic and Vince had to be a bit cautious due to the state of the front tyre, so near the top of the pass we peeled off left to Switzerland and dropped down into a pretty little valley where we found a campsite nestled between the trees, so we’ve set up camp here for the evening.

Lots of riders stopped at the cafe we had lunch at as they were all turned around as well, so we chatted with some of them ( a group of Italian riders and a lovely Dutch couple) for a while, and did some research on the laptop.

It’s only 150km to Innsbruck and we’ll probably push on tomorrow and complete that, getting there a couple of days before the service is booked, but we have some chores to do and we can go sightseeing a bit perhaps.

The weather here is fantastic, even though it was raining heavily overnight and again this morning as we packed up the tent. By stopping early today we’ve been able to dry out all our gear so we’re set for a good night. We had sausages and mashed potato for lunch – but it was Italian style – flat sausage meat and the mashed potato had cheese and runner beans in it, so that was an interesting combination. Dinner tonight might be a tin of ravioli boosted with our last potato and some carrots ….. Mmmmmm 🙂

At the new campsite we met an interesting Swiss man, Bernard, who is 72 and was very friendly and helpful….even wanting to gift us a Swiss cooking implement! Vince also chatted with a couple of German motorcyclists who have just come through the Balkan states where we will be headed shortly. The people you meet really help make the adventure take shape.

Groundhog Day – Furka and Grimsel Passes!

Posted by Karen on June 8, 2015
Posted in: Switzerland.

We planned to do three passes again but this with the charged up GoPro – Grimsel, Furka and Susten! We stopped in at the local Vilg supermarket and got a couple for bread rolls and bananas for breakfast….we planned to come back later for supplies.

Commencing the Grimsel Pass for the third time, it was just a lovely, if not now a bit familiar! Being Monday, there was pretty much no traffic on the road and we had an almost clean run both up and down the Grimsel Pass, only being baulked by slow vehicles right at the end of each run. Leading on from the Grimsel Pass, through Gletsch, we made our ascent of the Furka Pass. Dropping down into the green valley on the far side we headed into Andermatt. This time we went into the village itself and stopped at a cafe for lunch. We then continued out journey towards the Susten Pass only to find the road completely blocked by roadworks.  There was no viable alternative in heading North from Andermatt to reach the start of the Pass, so we had no choice but to return the way we came, taking the Furka Pass for the third time, and the Grimsel Pass for the fourth ….talk about Groundhog Day. Vince had no issues about reriding Mountain Passes, but from my pillion perspective ….I prefer the adiage…..”never go back!”

Back at Innertkirchen, we went to the Vilg supermarket and bought some hamburgers and vegetables to make a simple but satisfying meal.

Somewhere near Biasca to Innertkirchen

Posted by Karen on June 7, 2015
Posted in: Switzerland.

We ordered fresh croissants from the Campsite office for breakfast this morning….and a loaf of bread for later. When I went to pick it up the lady (who spoke little English) tried to charge me again ….but I eventually managed to convince her that we had paid the night before….which we had….there was no way you’ll get me to pay twice!

We had a bit of wait to try to dry out our tent as it had rained heavily the night before….it fact as we were setting up camp it started…. forcing us to blow up our thermorests inside the tent! Back on the road we headed North and found ourselves in an awful traffic jam….the benefits of being on a bike, even one as big as the ANIMAL, allowed us to do a bit of lane splitting and this enabled us to get ahead without too much delay. However, Vince missed a turn and we found ourselves accidentally in the 16.9km Gotthard Tunnel……it was nightmarish hot and we had no option but to plough on through! It brought us out near Andermatt, we skirted the town and took the Susten Pass……….fantastically beautiful.

There were heaps of motorbikes and sports cars also taking the pass in the warm sunshine. We made a pit stop in Wyler at a little shop and bought some ham as well as some toothpaste (must get supplies when we see them!). Wanting to avoid the mistake of the night before….we wanted to suss out Campgrounds before committing and stopped at 4 campsites, but only the last one offered any shade. Camping Grund cost around 25 Swiss Francs per night but you had to pay for hot water for showers (1 Franc)….at least they had toilet paper!. We  found out many places in France don’t! – Cernay had one large roll find at the entrance door – that you had to estimate from before going into the cubical, Paris and Chamonix were devoid of any paper – BYO!

After putting our tent up and making sure it was dry (inside and out!), we went for a ride to the Grimsel Pass. Vince needed to charge up the GoPros (as everything has gone flat without access to electricity) and we finally got to use the double USB charger we bought from BMW in Annecy. It was 34km out and 34km back and took us to Glestch (where we had been yesterday). The ascent was magnificent, taking us high into the snow and where we crested a dam and frozen lake. In some sections snow and ice falls covered the road but generally the snow ploughs had done an excellent job in opening up the road from the deep snowfall. In many places water was running fast across the road surface, gushing out onto the road as the snow melted. It was late in the afternoon, and on the ascent we passed a lot of oncoming vehicles on their way home after a day of exploring the mountain passes. The descent followed a steep twist and turn all the way down the mountain. We turned tail at Glestch and retraced our path back over the Grimsel Pass to our Campsite in Innertkirtchen.

We had bread and ham for dinner, and watched a wicked thunder and lightening storm from the comfort of our Helinox Chairs! 

Tasch to somewhere near Biasca (Switzerland)

Posted by Karen on June 6, 2015
Posted in: Switzerland.

Woke up to some EXCELLENT news…..our application for our visa reference numbers for Iran has been approved! Yippee! We are going to IRAN!!!!!

Had the last of our single serve cereals for breakfast before packing up to depart at around 10.30am. We plugged Andermatt into the GPS that would take us over the Furka Pass. The ride towards the start of the Pass was exhilerating in itself and the Furka Pass was phenomenal. As we were about to start the Pass itself, in Glestch, we stopped to get some food, but the prices were ridiculous – so we gave it a miss. Upon returning to our bike we were approached by an Italian man, Roberto and were later joined by his friend, Palmer…..admiring the ANIMAL and asking about our trip. We shared some stories and Roberto proudly showed off his scooter. We gave him one of our 2upadventure stickers so he can stay in touch.

On our way, ascending the steep entrance we commenced the Furka Pass. We lost count of the number of switchbacks we took as we climbed up into the snow and ice. At times there was no barrier and I was scared shitless! I kept telling myself…..”you are braver than you think”…as Christopher Robin would say!

We descended the far side of the Furka Pass and were heading towards Andermatt when we saw a signpost pointing in another direction, towards the Gotthard Pass. As we had no committed plans as to where we needed to be, we made a snap decision and took it. We eventually found ourselves faced with the closure of the actual Gotthard Pass – so could not continue, but took the alternative route Gotthard Aleio. Once again we climbed up into the snow fields before taking a breathtaking descent into the valley below….it was awesome! At times the road engineers had run out of mountain upon which to build their roads and so switchbacks had been built up as bridges and we were suspended in thin air as we peeled around the sharp bends. No room for mistakes on these roads!

Down in the valley we used the GPS to locate the nearest camp site (near Faido Vince thinks) and riding to the campsite started a whole new adventure. We peeled off the road we’d been following through the valley and entered a sleepy village before starting a steep and twisty climb up into the hills. 500m from our camp site destination the sealed road ran out, replaced with a rocky goat track that descended through the forest, with a steep drop to one side and a cliffside on the other. The track dropped down through the trees and the loose surface made for an interesting descent. Upon arriving at the camp site there was no shade to be seen or staff to assist, so after a quick discussion we opted to move on and find a more inviting camp ground. I had a minor melt down……and Vince had to work hard to convince me to get back on the bike for the ride back up. Thankfully the ride out was marginally less harrowing than the descent, but not by much. The track was narrow and every time I peered over the edge I thanked my Dr that my blood pressure tablets work….otherwise I think it would be heart attack or stroke time!

We stopped in the village at the bottom of the hill where Vince had a Beer and I had a scotch….and….we had the most FANTASTIC ham and cheese sandwiches at a fraction of the cost we had paid in France! When Vince went to pay for the food we were a bit confused…the prices were in Swiss Francs, but all the street signs, menus etc were in Italian….we thought we might have crossed a boarder, but when we asked we were told we were definitely still in Switzerland! We were soon back on the road…more relaxed…and decided to press on a little further to somewhere near Biasca!

The Campgrounds, Campeggio al Censo, cost us 37 Swiss Francs….for a patch of the most dead looking grass….highway robbery! To add insult to injury the only food available was from their little store…it cost us 23 Swiss Fancs for 2 Beers, 2 Cokes and 2 small ice creams! Luckily we have started carrying and emergency can of food ….so thats what was for dinner!

Zermatt and the Matterhorn!

Posted by Karen on June 5, 2015
Posted in: Switzerland.

After breakfast at our campground, we set off to catch the train to Zermatt, it cost us 32 Swiss Francs for both of us return ticket. It was a quick 10 min trip to disembarking in Zermatt. Cars and other vehicles are not permitted there, only these strange little electric taxis and push bikes are allowed. We walked the 1200 metres to the Cable Car Station to get us up the mountain. Our tickets were 200 Swiss Francs for the both of us, which is probably about $265 Australian, and very expensive as an outing.

We had to change cable cars twice to get to the very top of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise! On the way up we could see the Matterhorn easily as it was a clear day with little cloud cover. We went to the very top were we could see into Italy, as well as the back of the Matterhorn and the Gablehorn. We noticed that there are now locks on the top wire fencing and they are encouraging people to put them on there and leave the keys in a box that later gets sent in ice…Paris may have competition!

We both felt a bit lightheaded at the altitude of 3883m, and went down to see the Glacier Palace, 15 metres below the surface of the ice. We had a lot of fun as the network of tunnels was more extensive that those of Mer De Glace. The sculptures were tasteful and we even got to try out an ice slide….not as fast as you might initially think….some caterpillar effort required!

Upon returning to Tasch we stopped at the shop to pick up some ingredients to make dinner…..Mince Surprise Tasch Style tonight!

Back at our campsite we caught up with Earnest and his wife, and little dog, Faro, and shared out Matterhorn stories as they had also been to Zermatt today. In the process we discovered he is a motorcycle and sidecar addict, so he and Vince had lots to chat about. They are from Lucerne, and shared some local knowledge of things to see in Switzerland, and made us a gift of a Touring Map of Switzerland! Very kind….we shall use it tomorrow.