After my epic solo ride to Dakar and the Gambia last year(ride report here) http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/383645 I was struggling to find a trip which would motivate me this year. I considered going to the ‘stans but the issue of visas seemed just too much bother. There was a danger that the year would go by and I would not do a trip so I settled on Romania as an interesting country, some distance away, and began to do a bit of research. What I found was it had a bit of history, some interesting towns, one of the best roads in the world and bears. The bears were a surprise and it seems there are 6,000 of them in Romania, so careful where you pitch your tent.
The next decision was which bike to take, a first world problem I know but, I had to decide between my 1200GS or my G650 XCountry. Both bikes should do the job, the 1200GS would be better at load carrying and on the motorway sections while the XCountry would be lighter and more nimble if the roads were bad. At the last minute I opted for the XCountry and then had to get tyres in a hurry and the Tourance tyres arrived late and only got fitted the day before I left. These were a good compromise tyre choice, OK on tarmac and also would give reasonable grip if the road became rough.
Having done a number of bike trips over the last few years, packing gets easer each time and I limit myself to the 2 panniers and one waterproof bag for the passenger seat. This bag should have all I need for the night, while staying in a hotel. I mainly planned to use hotels this time but would take camping equipment as a backup and I hoped to use the gear on the coast in Croatia. I have a tent which fits into my small pannier, including poles, this pannier also holds my sleeping bag, sleeping mat and cooking equipment so can remain locked until on a campsite. The other pannier has spares, tubes, tools, food and spare clothes. There are additional tools in a toolbox on the front of the bash plate. Having left my camelback rucksack drinking bag in Marrakesh on my last trip I needed a way to drink while riding. I opted for a naked drinking bag placed in my tank bag, which worked quite well and kept the weight of the rucksack off my back.
The tank bag and small handlebar bag would not be secure while parked and so did not keep anything valuable in them. While travelling I would be able to charge my phone in the handlebar bag and if necessary charge my Samsung tablet in the rear top box. The top box was my convenient storage while travelling, it contained flasks, energy bars, lunchtime food, binoculars, guide books, some handy tools and the main documents for the bike. I had duplicates of the documents in one of the panniers. For anyone doing long distance biking on your own I would strongly recommend having good copies off all documents. This proved invaluable to me when my passport and I parted company on my Africa trip. It is also worth having access to spare keys and a spare credit card. I have my own system for these valuable items, but will not describe it in any detail here. I had a brake disk lock and a chain for the back wheel, to secure the bike, though in my experience bikes are less likely to be tampered with abroad than they are in UK. So this is how the bike looked as I left:
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0477_zpsnv4edrps.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0477_zpsnv4edrps.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0477_zpsnv4edrps.jpg"/></a>
After my travels across the Sahara last year I thought it may have been an idea to have a tracker device for that trip to improve communication with home. This Romania trip could be a chance to test one out and I chose a Delorme Inreach which is a satellite communicator and GPS tracker, with an SOS button for emergencies. This device was over-the-top for a trip to Romania but it would give me some experience of it and test the functionality. The big advantage of this device over the more common Spot Tracker, is that it allows 2 way communication. I took out a basic pay-as-you-go contract for the Ineach which covered 30 days of use and then it was all set for the trip.
I left Hampshire, UK in the early morning in mid July to catch in a ferry from Dover to Calais. This got me into Calais around 1.00 CET and my destination that day was Mainz in Germany, near Frankfurt. This was a total ride of around 500 miles(800km) one of the longest rides of the trip. I had a good journey with light traffic and got into Mainz just after 7. As I have friends in Mainz had the benefit of a free bed and garage parking, just above a pub, not a bad first stop. After a shower and a change I was ready for a first Guinness(it’s an Irish Pub).
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0476_zpsmlqpzwf6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0476_zpsmlqpzwf6.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0476_zpsmlqpzwf6.jpg"/></a>
However some friends were having a BBQ in the local park next to a Rea Garvey concert, and as it was a warm evening this seemed a good option and I headed off just in a tee shirt. The BBQ was in full swing when a few drops of rain fell and the host mentioned there was a risk of thunderstorms. Ten minutes later the heavens opened and we were drenched as there was no shelter in the middle of the park. This would not be my last thunderstorm of the trip but it was the heaviest, I now had one set of clean clothes soaked. The clothes dried on the walk back to town and the evening continued indoors, and I seem to remember some late night JDs and coke in a rock bar. I had wisely planned a 2 night stopover in Mainz and had a lazy day the next day which included another BBQ in a friend’s garden, some way out of town. I needed to use the bike to get there and while riding with the new tyres and without luggage I noticed a detent on the headstock(steering) bearings. This is indicative of wear in the bearings, not an urgent issue, but something I would have to correct after the trip. That evening back in the pub was a good catch-up with friends and not too late, as I had to ride to Prague the next day, continuing my journey to Romania.
After a reasonably festive and wet weekend in Mainz I headed for Prague, again some rain on the way and temperatures had dropped to 18 - 20c. There were lots of roadworks and traffic jams. Arrived Prague around 6 in the evening and found the hotel perfectly with the GPS. I asked about garage parking for the bike and was told it was 15 euro so I opted for parking on the street. The hotel, Motel One, was a level above my normal holiday hotel standard. I was meeting a local motorcyclist Petr who I knew from an overland camping weekend earlier this year. Petr was coming into town and we were going for a meal and a few beers. When Petr arrived and I checked with him about parking the bike in the street, and he said it should be fine, which confirmed my decision. It was good to meet up with a local and we had a nice evening catching up in a local pub. Peter had got married since I saw him last and was embarking on a new career so there was a lot to catch up on. The evening was finished off perfectly with a couple of single malts at the hotel, the malts being chosen by Petr, who is a whisky connoisseur.
Next morning, before I left Prague, I went fora little walk around the old part of the city. I found the famous clock again, and came across a Japanese wedding of course, and later had a view of the bridge.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0275_zps0b4rhkhn.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0275_zps0b4rhkhn.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0275_zps0b4rhkhn.jpg"/></a>
I’ve been in Prague before but also for an overnight trip, so I resolved to return when I had more time and explore properly this interesting city. But today I still had over 300 miles to ride and I would have Monday traffic to contend with so must head back to the hotel. Bike was fine overnight and I left Prague on the motorway but took Petr's advice and turned off for Vienna on an A road. This was initially quite busy with trucks and not an easy ride, with light rain and poor visibility. After Vienna the road improved and I made steady progress to Budapest.
Before leaving Mainz I had quickly loaded the GPS with the locations of the 3 hotels I had booked, in Prague, Budapest and Timisoara, in Romania. However as I rode towards Budapest I remembered I had changed my hotel booking and may have loaded the wrong hotel in the GPS. I did not want to stop so I continued to the GPS destination which proved to be a quite seedy part of Budapest, with vagrants on the pavements. (Now as I hear about the migrant crisis in Budapest it is possible I initially stopped in an area where migrants were congregating. I may have understood this better if I had stayed to find what was really happening in this area of the city.) Now that I had stopped I checked the hotel and found to my relief that this was the wrong location and I loaded the correct hotel in the GPS. There was only about a mile to go to the correct hotel and this was in a much better part of town, and the hotel was fine. Again I parked outside in a car space, paying the parking fee. There were a good selection of restaurants nearby and I chose one frequented by locals. I was in Hungary so had the goulash of course and a local beer. While eating at a side bar I was joined by an American lady in a European tour. She had been directed to the side bar as tables were scarce. It was good to pass the time with someone and I told her there are lots to see in Prague, her next destination. After a further beer outside I walked to the river and was amazed at the view of the floodlit Buda palace high up on the other bank. While taking photos an Asian girl came up and started taking photos with camera and phone and with a special lens for her smart phone. I offered to take a photo of her and she took one of me.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0282_zps25f1yvmz.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0282_zps25f1yvmz.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0282_zps25f1yvmz.jpg"/></a>
She was Korean and also touring Europe in her own. On the way back to the hotel I was approached by a number of attractive Budapest ladies, offering I assume, to give me a guided tour of the city, but I declined their offers. Soon after this I took the wrong road and added 30 mins to my return walk to the hotel.
In the morning I was pleased to find breakfast was included and I ate well and took enough extra for lunch. The route to Timisoara was fine, mostly on motorway. However I missed the last service station before leaving Hungary. At the border I stopped to buy a Romanian vignette but the guy in the office explained in vigorous hand signals that I did not need one for a motorbike. I re-joined the motorway which was new and I was to find it did not have a functioning service station. I would have like to fill up soon but this was hardly a fuel emergency, like happened to me when crossing the Sahara on my Africa trip. This time I had 4 litres in auxiliary tanks on the bike, so I continued. When the yellow petrol light eventually came on was confident I would be able to continue to Timisoara based on the distance shown on the motorway signs. These signs were not as accurate as I expected as the distance shown was to the Timisoara exit and not the city, which was 13 miles further on. I did however still make it to the filling station by being gentle with the throttle, but the tank was very empty. I believe I had been travelling on just petrol fumes for the last few miles. The hotel in Timisoara was like a private house and I was able to park the bike in the yard at the back. Once showered and cooled down I walked into the town centre. It is a great place with historic churches and lots of street life in cafes and bars. The main Orthodox church is spectacular.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0290_zpsegtidyk1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0290_zpsegtidyk1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0290_zpsegtidyk1.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0286_zpshqkclsd1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0286_zpshqkclsd1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0286_zpshqkclsd1.jpg"/></a>
It was just above 30C as I walked into the city so it was a treat to enter the coolness and calm of the church after the busy ride. The cool interior of the church was striking as was the strength of the devotion of those who came in. It seemed locals of many ages were coming in and being very demonstrative with their devotion, kissing many icons and half kneeling or bowing. It was quite a moving visit.
To balance this religious experience I found an alfresco bar and had a beer and something to eat in the main square close to the Orthodox church. The main impression was how cheap everything was, about 1/3 the UK cost. As I sat watching the passers by, I noted they were well dressed, used smartphones and would not have looked out of place in many European city. This made me realise that maybe Romania may be more advanced and sophisticated than I had expected. As it had not been a long day in the saddle I had arrived in Timisoara in the late afternoon so after my beer had time to return to the B&B and before coming out again in the evening. The centre of town was still lively in the evening and found a restaurant and spent a bit of time with the guide book checking on Timisoara and planning my destination tomorrow, and a rough plan for the next few days. One thing my guide book recommended strongly was a visit to the Museum of the Revolution in Timisoara. So my plan was to get up early and see this before leaving the city. Wandering around Timisoara I noticed the positioning of this bin which amused me, clearly not placed there by a cyclist.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0291_zpshzr6xn1w.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0291_zpshzr6xn1w.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0291_zpshzr6xn1w.jpg"/></a>
Next morning I competed with the early traffic en-route to the museum. I thought it would be easy to find as it was strongly recommended but when I got to the area and stopped and asked a few people where to find it. The knew it was nearby but not where it was. At this point another person came up to me having overheard the conversations. He directed me to follow him with my bike into the university grounds and which is where the museum is located. I parked up by the entrance, he assured me the bike would be fine and he took me in and sat me down in a small auditorium on my own and then put on a film with English subtitles. I was clearly the only visitor to the museum.
The film was very interesting and it expanded on what I had read in the guide book. It explained that the revolution to oust the communists had started in Timisoara in December 1989. This was at a time when other communist countries had already begun the journey to democracy, but not so in Romania. In essence the people of Timisoara protested over the treatment of a priest and in the end called for Ceausescu to depart. The result was the protests escalated as did the response of the government and the police and army fired on the demonstrators. In total 80 people were killed including children. This unrest spread to other towns in the area and led to Ceausescu calling a rally in Bucharest to support bolster his support. This rally proved to be a big mistake and the crowd began calling for him to go, based on what was the police and army were doing to people in Timisoara. The Bucharest rally ended in chaos and more were killed by the police and army but this was the turning point and the beginning of the end for Ceausescu. He tried to leave the country but was caught and arrested. He was quickly tried and executed because there was a fear of a communist backlash. I believe many Romanians in hindsight wish this trial had been more carefully planned and not carried out in haste as it was not an auspicious start to a new regime.
When the film was over I began looking at some of the information on posters on the wall. A tall dark officious looking lady came in and said I must come up stairs to see more interesting exhibits and sign the visitor’s book. I followed obediently as I not sure there was much choice. On the way up stairs she asked:
"Is it your bike outside?
"Yes it is" I confirmed.
" How fast does it go?
"Well it's not a bike built for speed, more for covering long distances" …..I explained
"So 200 (kph)? …..She asked
I hesitated but agreed, knowing this was a lie, as the actual speed is quite a bit less.
"No more than 200?
"No just 200...."
End of conversation about the bike... Of course the real reason to get me upstairs was to get me to pay the entrance fee.
After getting away from the clutches of this fearsome lady I browsed the exhibits again. Among them were a number of Romanian flags used in the revolution. The Romanian flags in the communist era had a communist symbol in the middle of the central band of the tricolour. During the revolution the communist symbol was cut out and used during the demonstrations.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0302_zpsrw5dtlvt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0302_zpsrw5dtlvt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0302_zpsrw5dtlvt.jpg"/></a>
On the way back to the bike I noticed another link to the end of the iron curtain, somewhat out of place, a section of the Berlin wall. Still quite a powerful symbol, covered in graffiti.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0303_zpsns2geg3l.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0303_zpsns2geg3l.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0303_zpsns2geg3l.jpg"/></a>
After the trip to the museum in Timisoara I rode east to the motorway. On the way out I was amused by this unusual use of a leisure umbrella to provide shade to the workman.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0305_zpsygjtromu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0305_zpsygjtromu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0305_zpsygjtromu.jpg"/></a>
This was tapping into my preconceptions of the simple Romanians. However after leaving the scene with my photo I began to realise what this workman was doing, he was installing fibre broadband cables. Not so a simple Romanian scene after all. In fact although I live in the UK not far from London, I do not have fibre broadband at home or even a mobile phone signal. Travel makes you realise how wrong preconceptions can be and encourages you to question what is around you.
I continued to Sibiu in a more reflective mood. I was booked into a hotel "10 minutes from the centre". The route was a mixture of the motorway being constructed and roads linking the completed sections, so a bit messy. I had a nice welcome at the hotel and was shown a good parking space in front of the hotel and under cover. The initial discussion with the receptionist did not go too smoothly. I’ll accept that after a tiring and hot ride I'm not the easiest person for a receptionist to deal with, as the girl at this hotel now knows. She initially confirmed my booking which I had made on line but she then asked me to write all the information down again on a form. I know that the online booking agent send her details including my full address and I was not in the mode to write it down again. In the end, with some guidance from a colleague, she accepted that she had nearly all this information but just needed my passport number which was happy to supply. When I saw her later in the day I took care to smile in a friendly way to make her believe I was not really an ogre but I’m not sure it worked.
The town of Sibiu is a delight and has the feel of an Italian hill village. I was reminded of Montepulciano, in Tuscany. Of course the walk from the hotel was not 10 but 20 minutes, but despite the heat it was pleasant. These old Romanian towns are hidden gems, or they were unknown to me before this trip. The walk to the centre was up hill and through an old arch. There was a strong cafe culture in the afternoon with lots of cafes and restaurants around the square. I visited one of the old churches and marvelled at the sumptuous interior. This was the elaborate pulpit in the church in Sibiu.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0308_zpsrk9bvuyt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0308_zpsrk9bvuyt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0308_zpsrk9bvuyt.jpg"/></a>
Later in the evening I returned to the square and there was a great buzz about the place and just the right temperature for eating outside. I fancied a pizza and enjoyed it even if the Neapolitana was a bit light on the anchovies. I complained once when a pizza I ordered in UK came with just 3 anchovies, when I had ordered extra anchovies. The waiter explained that the pizza was perfectly correct. Normally it comes with one anchovy, but as I had ordered extra anchovies, 2 more were added. So the pizza was correct but the customer was disappointed and they did not see my custom for some time. As I had now fully relaxed after my ride and was chilled out I did not complain to my waiter in Romania. A last stroll around the square and an Italian style ice cream completed a pleasant evening. Tomorrow was going to a ride on one of the 2 famous roads here, the Transalpina.
As I prepared to leave in the morning a male receptionist asked me where I was going and when he found out I was heading to the Transalpina he suggested an interesting way of getting to the great road by going south of Sibsu, under the motorway and then heading west on minor roads. This route took me through small villages and along twisty roads which was a great way to begin the day and the ride. This was the first time I'd seen horse drawn carts and farmers working in the fields like they did in the UK, 100 years ago. In Ireland in the '50s some farmers still worked with horses, one of our neighbours did, so this was not so strange for me.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010699_zpsq5h07rs1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010699_zpsq5h07rs1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010699_zpsq5h07rs1.jpg"/></a>
So Romania has this contrast with being quite advanced and sophisticated in the towns but still being quite behind the times in its peasant farming. This was very pleasant country to ride through and a good lead in to the Transalpina.
Once on the Transalpina it was initially a series of fast curves on excellent tarmac. I had heard rumours that the surface may not be good so this was a pleasant surprise and before I left UK I had even heard that it may be closed for repair. After about 15km the new tarmac ran out and we had the older surface which was OK but was starting to break up, mainly in the middle of the road. Then there were some sections of unfinished roadworks which were manageable without much problem for me but on a sports bike these rough sections would not have been much fun. None of these sections caught me out but they broke the riding rhythm and it took a while to get up to speed again. The corners got a bit tighter as we climbed and we returned to good tarmac.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0313_zpsoq0aunij.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0313_zpsoq0aunij.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0313_zpsoq0aunij.jpg"/></a>
There is ongoing work on the road and these roadworks need to be passed at slow speed. At first I was quite disappointed as I came to a crest and began to descend, wondering if this was all that was on offer of this famous road. In fact there was a further higher crest, over 2000 meters and a number of hairpins on the way up. Near some of the lay-bys the locals had set up small camps where they were cooking polenta and serving it with cheese and yoghurt. I had a look but moved on back to the fun of the road. Of course I enjoyed overtaking the cars, some of these were English, and gave those a friendly wave as I disappeared around the next corner. These hairpins were not extremely tight, as they are on the Stelvio Pass in the Alps, and were just right for me and the bike. I stopped at the crest and browsed the tourist stalls just buying a Transalpina sticker. The weather was not settled so I went on further and down to the skiing resort where I had booked my accommodation. The road up to the hotel was about a 25% gradient and made up of loose rubble. A good offroad test of my new tyres. The tyres and rider coped well. Overall I enjoyed the Transalpina but I'm glad my trip was not just built around riding it. For sheer magnificence the Stelvio is well ahead of it but the Transalpina is easier to ride. As I parked my bike at the hotel I did not realise the Transalpina was not finished with me yet.
After a shower and an unpack I went down for a beer on the terrace. Bikes and cars were still heading up the pass and I then noticed a few other bikes in the car park with a “BK” on the number plate. I was not sure what country “BK” was, but one of the riders came up to me and explained they were from Bulgaria and hoped we'd catch up later for a beer. There were 4 riders, 3 with partners and we spend a great evening chatting about bikes and travel while eating and having a few beers.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0322_zpsmmtk535w.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0322_zpsmmtk535w.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0322_zpsmmtk535w.jpg"/></a>
They were good company and offered any assistance I may need while in the area. One outcome of the chat was that they advised that the route I was going to take tomorrow was not on a good road, and my best bet would be to go back over the Transalpina pass. This was good information as I had booked to visit a bear hide the next day and did not want to be late. So I retired to bed with a plan and looking forward to a further ride on the famous road in the morning.
The day began about 6:30 with a clap of thunder, not the sound you want to hear on a bike trip and particularly when you need to ride over a 2000 meter mountain pass. I got up and dressed, hoping there may be a chance to get away before the heavy rain hit. No chance. I waited for a couple of hours in the room watching the rain getting heavier and heavier. It was clearly not going to lift in a hurry. I decided that I must leave by 9:00, whatever the weather would be, or be late for my bear trip. I met the Bulgarian guys having coffee as I went out to load the bike. They were waiting for the rain to ease but while this was tempting, I knew I had to get going, so headed out to the wet bike. It was still raining but looking a bit brighter than earlier.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0327_zpsetgy68br.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0327_zpsetgy68br.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0327_zpsetgy68br.jpg"/></a>
I mounted up and headed off. The first challenge was the 25% slope of rubble masquerading as a road from the hotel to the tarmac, now looking like the bed of a stream. Some guys just love these situations but they just make me anxious. I can actually cope pretty well with rough terrain but I don’t relish it. Well I got down to the road without incident and then saw my next little difficulty were the stones and gravel washed on to the road by the heavy rain. The initial part of the route was a climb up to the summit which included a number if hairpins, some with rubble and all with a wet road. As I rode up to the summit I realised this climb may be easier than dealing with hairpins on the descent. Some years ago I did a tour of southern Norway, mostly in heavy rain, and that experience came back to me and gave me confidence. I was on a different bike but was using the same tyres and grew in confidence with them again. The rubble was intermittent and with care I could avoid it and use what part of the road I liked as I was almost the only vehicle on the pass and certainly the only motorbike. A few people on the side of the road looked surprised to see a bike and gave me a thumbs up. Further down the pass the rain eased and the curves were less tight and I was able to pick up speed. The views improved and I could see the clouds below me in the valleys
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0328_zpsthj7qlc1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0328_zpsthj7qlc1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0328_zpsthj7qlc1.jpg"/></a>
The unfinished sections of road were a bit more slippery when wet but caused no great drama. As I got to the lower sections I began to see a few other bikes head up the pass. Once I got down to the bottom I stopped for petrol and was a little relieved it had gone OK and with a bit of luck I may still make it in time to see the bears.
As I worked my way up to the motorway I came across a house with an aeroplane parked in the front harden. Not a big house and a small plane but the opposite. I believe it may be a DC3, but it was large and right next to the road. I could not imagine how the guy got into this small garden, and why.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0306_zpsqxgyhaaz.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0306_zpsqxgyhaaz.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0306_zpsqxgyhaaz.jpg"/></a>
Pressing on I picked up the motorway towards Cibiu and then joined the locally known Highway 1. Now this road was hard work as it was a single carriageway and busy with trucks as well as cars. While I revel in overtaking cars and trucks, this road was not to be messed with it and was like a big boys game of chicken. As a biker I am normally top dog at overtaking, apart from another bike, but here some cars were better, at least more aggressive and took more risks. It was tough to make progress safely. Before we got to the town of Brasov the GPS took me off the highway to what I assumed was a cut-through to the bear hide. The road went over level crossing except that name does not describe accurate the crossing. It was partially flooded and I took the crossing a bit casually but it launched me and the bike in the air and I was glad to gather it together without coming off. The road the other side of the crossing was not inspiring either with big potholes etc., so I re-joined the highway heading to Brasov making my ETA even later. Finally I got close to the site and the GPS said I would arrive 15 mins before the bear event would start.
The website for the company had said there was a 2km piece of unmade road to negotiate to reach them. I had GPS coordinates and started to follow the unmade road which initially was reasonably flat and was manageable with care, however after 2.5km of this, the road headed upward with a series of hairpins. This road was more loose rubble and wet, and to think I was worried about wet tarmac hairpins earlier in the day. Well this would be a test of my tyres and me. The bike was not phased and just plodded upward despite my ham-fisted efforts and we arrived exactly at the coordinates on time. Because of arriving so late I had accepted I'd need to pay for a room instead of camping but was immediately told all the rooms were full so a tent it would be. I lost no time and assembled it quickly and badly but hopefully it would be OK. It seemed the time I had been given was not for the bear trip starting but for the preceding meal. So as I was finishing off the tent I was been chased, in German to come for the meal. The hectic pace of the day continued…
I came into the restaurant and was directed to a table and told everyone was a German speakers. I was not in my most reasonable mood(low blood sugar perhaps?) so said, "good for them, they will all understand each other" and got on with my meal. Not the most helpful comment on arriving late into a new group. The meal was soup, main, and desert. We were soon joined by 2 guys who had just flown in from San Francisco and had been fighting the storm and traffic too, in a car of course. I was pleased I was not the last. These guys were doing Romania in a week. "If it's Tuesday we must be in Brasov" there was a miscommunication at one point when these guys believed I had cycled from UK. It seems Motorcycle is the correct term in US, not bike. I had thought motorcycle boots and trousers would be a sufficient clue but as I said I was a bit tetchy. "Separated by a common language" came to mind.
We then got into the short (as I expected) ride to the bear hide. This took fully one and a half hours, not helped by local flooding because of the rain. Did I mention the rain? The journey was interesting as I was accompanied by a German family and driven by the husband of the lady who had spoken to me in English back at base. He chatted away for about 45 minutes in German to the couple, ignoring me. I could understand some of the German but was a little peeved not to be included but I assumed he did not speak English. Then he seemed to realise I was there and asked me a couple of questions in perfect English. He then included me occasionally but to be honest I was too tired to care. When we got to the woods we drove for a while and then got out being told to have a pee now behind a tree because once in the hide we would not be allowed out. We were also told not to speak and walk quietly. We worked our way up the woods, passing a clear bear paw print on the path, till finally we approached the hide and were stopped and silently allowed in. Immediately we saw bears, one large male and a juvenile. It was exciting to see them so close. Photography was difficult in the crowded hide because being polite I was at the back. Perhaps I needed to come here earlier and put my towel on the front seats. However this did not take from the magic of the experience.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010726_zpswuleujye.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010726_zpswuleujye.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010726_zpswuleujye.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010722_zpsljfgtanq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010722_zpsljfgtanq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010722_zpsljfgtanq.jpg"/></a>
It was quietly explained that this area was used in former times as a bear shooting site. Some years ago the bears caused problems in the local town by raiding the rubbish bins and a plan was devised to feed them a little in the woods to discourage the raids to town. This worked and a spin off was the bear viewing tourism which we were a part. During our 2 hour session about 6 different bears visited the sight and we only left as it got dark. These brown bears are not as big as grizzly bears but still big and powerful. They can run at 30mph (50kph) so just a tad faster than me. Overall the bear viewing was a great way to finish a tough riding day and almost worth the ride from UK on its own.
We still had over an hour drive to get home and awaiting me was a damp tent only half prepared for it's occupant. Getting into the tent I noticed sand in the corner and remembered the last time I had used this tent was in Dakar, Senegal just after crossing the Sahara. Quite a contrast between the two places. In Dakar I had not even used the outer waterproof layer of the tent, whereas this time I would certainly need it and would find out how effective it was at dealing with heavy rain. The tent is not an expensive model but it is compact and it proved waterproof that night. I struggled to get to sleep after the exciting day and suspect there was an excess of adrenalin in my bloodstream. I had gone to sleep to the patter of rain but woke to silence and what appeared to be sunshine. The guy the night before had said more rain was expected so I had feared the worst. I dressed quickly planning to take the tent up while dry. With threatening clouds and a drying tent I quickly started to take it down. Once down and packed away I had a shower and readied to leave. I had been thinking of the wet hairpins of rubble on the way down and did not want to delay the slippery descent. Again there were no problems. One of these days I'll start to believe I can actually ride off-road, if only I could enjoy it.
The plan for the day was a visit to Bran to see the castle which has a vague connection with Vlad. You know Vlad, known to his friends as the Impailer(and he did). I also notice that Microsoft Word does not recognise the word “Impailer”. I'm writing some of this text about 100 meters from where he was born. Of course supposedly he was the inspiration for Dracula. Anyway Bran is a busy place, and it was a Saturday, but I parked up and had some breakfast. I had an omelette and coffee which cost about 2€. I'm not big into the interiors of castles and I'd had a short night so I took a few photos, did a bit of shopping and rode off to Brasov to see the Black Church.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0339_zpss0zc2dzg.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0339_zpss0zc2dzg.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0339_zpss0zc2dzg.jpg"/></a>
Brasov was also busy so I went to park at a carpark, unusual for me. However the attendant was very friendly and pointed out a spot near his booth. As I was packing up and wondering what to do with my helmet he said leave it and my jacket on the bike, he would keep an eye. Well the Black Church had a wedding so was closed till 2:30. In a way this was good because it forced me to slow down, have a coffee and relax. In fact Brasov is another beautiful town, steeped in history. Romania must have more preserved ancient towns than any country I know. I sat in the square, read the guide book, went to visit an orthodox church.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0343_zpslrnc0qna.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0343_zpslrnc0qna.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0343_zpslrnc0qna.jpg"/></a>
Later I wandered along the streets and presented myself at the Black Church at the appointed hour. It has a number of notable features. Recently uncovered frescoes, ancient carpets from Turkey, it is an impressive building. However this is a biking trip so after the viewing of the Black Church I was on the bike again going north towards another notable town, Sighisoara, my destination for the night. The road on the map was a normal single carriageway road and I feared it may be the same as Highway 1. However this road was a delight. After about 20km from Brasov I came upon wonderful hairpins, not tight ones, those you can just lean over and keep the power on and ride around, leaning over as far as bravery allows. The rest of the road meandered it way north with straight bits but a good collection of enjoyable corners. This road was a real joy and may be a more enjoyable ride than the two famous roads. Arriving at Sighisoara I followed the GPS to the hotel. It took me up through the town wall gates to the main square and the hotel was about 50 meters off the square. I had to wait to get to the hotel as just before me an Italian biker group had arrived at the posh hotel next to mine. They were currently unloading their panniers from the support vehicle, blocking the road. I finally squeezed past and selected a parking slot and parked. However the organiser of the Italian group had his eye on this spot for one of their bikes and was not happy, telling me to move mine. Foolish man, he should know not to cross me before I have relaxed and had a coffee, my bike stayed in its spot. The Italians had stickers that their trip was 2,000km, I reflected that I had done that before I got to Romania, and carrying my own panniers.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0347_zpsmhtc1nij.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0347_zpsmhtc1nij.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0347_zpsmhtc1nij.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010751_zpsjuqbuuz8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010751_zpsjuqbuuz8.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010751_zpsjuqbuuz8.jpg"/></a>
Each to his own I suppose! When I got to the hotel the manager was very apologetic but it seems there had been a computer glitch and they only had a room with shared bathroom available. The price would reflect this downgrade to make the room cost £10. Because of the friendly welcome and excellent location I accepted this arrangement. The room was tiny, an attic room, no towels etc. but as I had a hard 36 hours this would do for the night.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0358_zpserqn8voz.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0358_zpserqn8voz.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0358_zpserqn8voz.jpg"/></a>
After showering and changing I went up to the square and did a little exploring. The house when Vlad Tepes(The Impailer) was born, was just off the square.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010745_zpstyepgyy1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010745_zpstyepgyy1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010745_zpstyepgyy1.jpg"/></a>
There was citadel to explore and the place had a relaxing ambiance. I wondered if I should stay a 2nd night and explore properly tomorrow, visit one of the local villages and take time to check the bike out and review my packing. So that evening I spent some time with the Romanian map and guide book working out a rough plan for the second half of my holiday. After my meal I did a bit of shopping and by the time I returned to the hotel I had mislaid my Romania map. I went out to check where I had been but it was gone. At least I was nearing the end of my time in Romania and I could manage without it. And I now knew where I was going the next few days.
So next morning I booked for an extra night and went off exploring. The walk up to the citadel is a set of steps covered with an oak structure with a tiled roof, from the 17th century. The church at the top is 15th century with a wonderful altarpiece.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0344_zpsrrbk5ucc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0344_zpsrrbk5ucc.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0344_zpsrrbk5ucc.jpg"/></a>
The citadel has a number of towers erected to protect the church, each owned by one of the town guilds. Back down near the square the clock tower is the main focal point and is quite a structure.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0348_zpsxnqxv0jk.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0348_zpsxnqxv0jk.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0348_zpsxnqxv0jk.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010757_zpsjikjpjg8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010757_zpsjikjpjg8.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010757_zpsjikjpjg8.jpg"/></a>
Overall it is an impressive town. I returned to the hotel to move my things to the new room. The ensuite room was accessed through a conference room filled with chairs but I was assured that no conferences were taking place. The room had bunk beds, but had a shower area and a small table and chair, a step up from the last room and would cost £14. I took it and moved my stuff in. I had been off the bike for nearly 20 hours so got itchy feet and decided to go and see the medieval village of Biertan about 35km from the town. On the way I came across these gypsies apparently moving house.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0363_zpsiwophv8t.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0363_zpsiwophv8t.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0363_zpsiwophv8t.jpg"/></a>
I headed off in the afternoon heat. When I got to the little road leading to the village I was plodding along looking at the view when a KTM came along and overtook me with a wave. As got to the village he was parking up, a Romanian guy. We admired each other’s bikes and agreed to go for a coffee. Coffee included soup and we had a good chat. He had also been to Africa recently following some of the route I followed. His trip was part of a Budapest to Bamaco organised tour and he rode some of the trip on piste as well as tarmac. We spent lunch comparing notes and at the end he insisted in paying, which was a real treat. We exchanged contact details and shook hands.
I went up to the church. My lunch companion had explained it was not a Romanian church but German. It appeared it served a German community who lived in this area for centuries. It was a bit dour inside and under repair. It looked like a fortress surrounded by towers.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010756_zps7zvvyv0p.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010756_zps7zvvyv0p.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010756_zps7zvvyv0p.jpg"/></a>
After a quick ride around the village, it was too hot to walk, I headed back towards town. On the way I stopped for petrol, and decided to check the bike oil level. I carry a small oil can on these trips and it took a smidgen of oil. As I was in the mood I decided to also check the engine coolant level. His was a quiet petrol station and it seemed family run and as it was Sunday afternoon they were all around. The owner helped me to put the bike on the centre stand, and later the son helps with the water filling. It was all very friendly but I felt was intruding on their Sunday chat on the forecourt.
Back to the hotel I parked up and started a sort out of my packing particularly the food I was carrying. I now knew I would only be camping a couple of days on the rest of the trip so had surplus food taking up space. I spoke to the hotel manager and he took the spare food to give it so someone who may need it. I had an Italian meal that night and some very poor wine so moved up to cafe near hotel overlooking the square and did some writing. Had a few beers and got quite wrapped up in my writing. I was partly aware that they were clearing the table and suddenly my tablet fell over as the waiter removed the oil and vinegar set from my table. He was very apologetic and had not realised the tablet was being supported in this way and gave me back the holder. They were very happy for me to carry on and left me to it.
Had breakfast and loaded up for supposedly one of the riding highlights of the trip, riding the Transfagarasan road. This road is rated by some(Top Gear etc.) as the best road in the world. With this hype I was expecting to be disappointed. The ride back down to Sibiu was quite enjoyable and I then joined the Highway 1 again but this time it was not too busy and I arrived at the start of the Transfagarasan in reasonable spirits. There is something very exciting about the prospect of a ride up into the mountains on a bike on a wonderful road.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0367_zpspwh78hn0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0367_zpspwh78hn0.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0367_zpspwh78hn0.jpg"/></a>
I started on the lower slopes and it was OK but not special. This guy was handling the corners OK!
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010742_zpsu7w8srqt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010742_zpsu7w8srqt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010742_zpsu7w8srqt.jpg"/></a>
The surface here was not great and it stopped me fully committing to corners. This continued for a while till I came across some cars, parked on the side of the road, then in the middle of the road and I filtered further up to see why there was a hold up. A lady asked me to pull over as cars were trying to get through and she said the road was closed. Oh, great! My one chance to ride this road and it is closed. I filtered past the parked coaches and eventually got to the front of the queue. Sure enough the road had a police barrier across and a sign saying closed 10.00 - 14.00.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0368_zpsslzrnfbf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0368_zpsslzrnfbf.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0368_zpsslzrnfbf.jpg"/></a>
So what time is it now I wondered, 13.00, so it would be open in an hour, not too long to wait. I took my gear off and had a look around. There were about 60 bikes around. Many of them big adventure bikes, 1200GS's, big KTM etc, mine was one of the smallest there. I did a few chores around the bike, filled my wager bag and went and bought a Transfagarasan sticker. I did not apply the sticker as I had not done the ride yet. There were a couple of British bikes, a 1190KTM and a Honda. There were no owners around them so did not meet the riders, at least not then.
When I got back to the bike time was moving on and people were starting to manoeuvre into a good place for the start.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/PH0007381_zpsd4ujs3g6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/PH0007381_zpsd4ujs3g6.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PH0007381_zpsd4ujs3g6.jpg"/></a>
I was quite well placed already but moved forward to secure my position. It had dawned on me that there was the possibility of quite an exciting start with all these bikes going off together, or maybe the police would release us slowly, possible with a car in front. As the opening time neared the excitement even got to the police. They were smiling and clearly looking forward to opening the gates. They should have had a flag for the start. In the end the gates were taken away and the police waved us through, jumping back as the first bike shot off up the hill. I got away in the first ten but expected to be swamped by riders from behind in their faster bikes. In fact the opposite happened I got held up, first by a husband and wife team, he protecting her and making it difficult to pass.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/2e8e040d-4ba3-41d7-9d15-5b5da8bfd48c_zpsqfqp5b4j.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/2e8e040d-4ba3-41d7-9d15-5b5da8bfd48c_zpsqfqp5b4j.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2e8e040d-4ba3-41d7-9d15-5b5da8bfd48c_zpsqfqp5b4j.jpg"/></a>
As I pondered this problem a big KTM blasted past and I got concerned it was the start of a deluge of bikes. The other thing was I wanted to ride this road at my pace and not being held up. So I found an opening and got past them then on to the next 2 slower bikes, this was a complete family, son in a small bike and mum and day on a KTM 990. I had build up some speed by now and they were no problem, but as I overtook them another bike did too, a 1200GS, and overtook me. OK so we had disposed of the slow bikes and I set off after the 1200. I was never going to overtake him, he was a good rider and had an engine with twice my power but I kept him in sight. I looked behind and saw a bike about 100 meters away and he was not gaining. So I could now focus on the road, and what a road! This was clearly the feature part of the road. The surface was excellent, and the corners were glorious sweeps of tarmac curving up this mountain.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/4c5eded8-968d-4a86-9d03-78b5439bf4d9_zpssjdqi6kt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/4c5eded8-968d-4a86-9d03-78b5439bf4d9_zpssjdqi6kt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 4c5eded8-968d-4a86-9d03-78b5439bf4d9_zpssjdqi6kt.jpg"/></a>
They were not really hairpins, they needed to be treated with respect but could be attacked at speed and powered around. This was the first time I had ridden the 650 so close to its limit and it was doing great with its rider being happy to be along for the ride. The Tourance tyres were giving great grip and was pleased I had put these on new before I set off. With each corner I was getting a bit lower and needed to as everyone was speeding up, the guy in front and the guy behind was keeping pace. The corners kept coming and we were completely absorbed in getting from each great corner as quick as possible, sort out the baking before entering the corner, so we could be powered around and exit as quickly as possible.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0378_zpstiky1imp.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0378_zpstiky1imp.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0378_zpstiky1imp.jpg"/></a>
At this game the little 650 was doing fine. I learned something about her handling during this session as I often wondered which part of the bike touches the road when you increase the lean angle. I now know it is the foot peg, as it touched down a few times in this session, but without drama. So as we neared the top of this section I pulled over to catch my breath and maybe to take some photos. Other riders did the same. One girl who was riding pillion was shaking with excitement when she got off the bike here.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0369_zpskc2yiqeu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0369_zpskc2yiqeu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0369_zpskc2yiqeu.jpg"/></a>
Every rider was grinning with pleasure. I began to realise I had fortunately, due to the closure, participated in a rather rare event, a standing start race up the Transfagarasan with initially no traffic coming the other way. The Romanian tourist board could sell tickets for an event like that! This was the view back down the road.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0370_zpspkdr4yun.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0370_zpspkdr4yun.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0370_zpspkdr4yun.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0376_zps9mxf0p64.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0376_zps9mxf0p64.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0376_zps9mxf0p64.jpg"/></a>
After photos I made my way further up enjoying the corners and saw a British bike, one of the ones from earlier. One guy stopped and we had a chat. They were 2 Welsh lads, on their way to Australia. I had a brief chat and gave his mate up the road a wave and we parted. I continued over the pass and stopped at a waterfall for lunch. A Romanian guy came up to me, asked where I lived and explained he worked in London and hoped I'd liked his country.
Later down the road I passed a layby and saw the Welsh lads again I waved as I passed and carried on, as I'd just spent 10 minutes passing a load of cars. Then thought, sod it, I'll go back and chat properly to the 2 guys. They were Dan and Edd and were new bikers and got the bikes for the trip to Australia. They had left UK 5 weeks ago and had a great time.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010787_zpskn6rbbmr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010787_zpskn6rbbmr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010787_zpskn6rbbmr.jpg"/></a>
They were aiming to be in Australia by Christmas. We decided to hook up for the evening and began riding to a hotel I had in the GPS at the bottom of the pass. So we continued down the pass. The roads were narrow and twisty and lots of cars. We came across a group of cars with a police car in the middle, going slowly. Well I sat behind them for a while and then overtook the first car. There was now one car between me and the police. I then overtook the next car, watching for a reaction from the police, but none obvious. The problem was it was quite unclear where there was a solid white line or not and whether overtaking was allowed, or legal. I sat behind the police for a while and then overtook them and another car, then the last car and I was away. I raced of but then realised the Welsh lads were not following. So I slowed down waiting for them to appear. It took some time for them to come up behind me and I only learned later what had happened. It seems the police were not too pleased at me overtaking them and made it clear to the lads behind they should not do the same. If seems the police even pulled out to the middle of the road, either to see my number plate or to block the others following me.
Later we found a quiet bar that did food and spent a great evening together. We chatted over our day on the Transfagarasan, our trips so far and where we were going next. It was a very enjoyable evening and I really enjoyed their company. I wished them well on their trip. I asked if there was anything I had that may be useful to them and in the morning I gave them a file from my toolkit and a few strong tent pegs which are now en route to Australia. As we prepared to part the next morning, me to Serbia, and them to Bulgaria and onward, they did invite me to join them. I know it was in jest but it sparked my imagination. Not that I wanted to go to Australia but the journey to get there and to do it in the company of these 2 great guys was quite attractive. Ironically my bike was ideal for this longer trip and pretty well equipped. However I was heading east and they were continuing east. Looking back it was quite a 24 hours. These trips are made up of many ordinary days and then special days like this one.
The route out of Romania was just memorable for the delay at the border. Borders, don't you just love them! In this case the Romanian official was just absent, maybe doing paperwork, when he appeared after 30 minutes he waved the Euro passport holders straight through. The Bulgarian side was pretty quick and soon I was crossing the little finger of the country heading for Serbia. I was glad I did not have ride this road in Bulgaria and used the short detour.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010794_zpszypbe12s.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010794_zpszypbe12s.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010794_zpszypbe12s.jpg"/></a>
Serbia of course is not EU and there was a bit of formality in checking passports etc. In Serbia I felt a different vibe riding through the country. I noticed more old cars on the road and there was not much sense of development, as if the country was a bit behind the other countries. I was amused at this sign which banned horse drawn carts on the road.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010795_zpsqtfys31q.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010795_zpsqtfys31q.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010795_zpsqtfys31q.jpg"/></a>
I know Romania had its poor regions but the cities are vibrant and people are mostly driving modern cars. I also noticed when I stopped for petrol the service was surly, no smiles, just functional. I also stopped to ask directions to my hotel and while I got the directions it took quite a lot of effort, as if I was bothering them. Very different from the friendliness I had been getting on my travels so far.
When I got to the hotel however I was met with the friendly face of the receptionist, who came down to show me the best place to park my bike. Later I spoke to her and asked how things were in Serbia. She said not so good. Business was slow, few jobs and not so well paid. She gave as example her job, where she does an 8 hour shift, and is paid 250€, not per week as I expected, but per month. This seemed a very low salary to me but clearly is a symptom of the depressed economy. The lady said the economy was already slow before the 2008 crash but just got worse after that. She said there are great hopes for an EU membership but she did not expect that to happen in the next 10 years. It was a depressing summary of the country's prospects which seems to have few friends since the war 20 odd years ago. I also asked if she had been impacted by the war. She said not but the town, Cicik, had been bombed, two factories had been destroyed by US or UK planes. She also said that her husband was in the army, in Kosovo. As part of our family came out of Kosovo as a refugee, fleeing the destruction of his village by Serb soldiers, this was a chilling moment for me. Although treated well in this hotel I was not keen to linger in Serbia and was looking forward to entering Bosnia tomorrow.
The quiet border crossing I used was pretty relaxed. They looked at my passport casually and then asked for bike documents which I said were in the topbox but they never asked to see them and waved me on. Almost the first building I saw driving away from the border was a small mosque, had not seen any in Serbia.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010799_zps94nfklzu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010799_zps94nfklzu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010799_zps94nfklzu.jpg"/></a>
Traveling from Serbia into Bosnia was interesting as my initial destination was Srebrenica. Of course this is a motorbike trip and despite the historic importance of these places, I was also interested in the road I was riding. Bosnia is a hilly country and this produces twisty roads, great for bike riding. This road to Srebrenica was no exception and wound it's way through the hills. The surface however was not clean, with gravel, pine cones and sometimes farm plants on the road. On one corner I ran over a stalk of sweetcorn and the bike stepped out with rear and front wheel. No biker likes the front wheel to step out so I moderated my pace.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010804_zpshp9vq15c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010804_zpshp9vq15c.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010804_zpshp9vq15c.jpg"/></a>
Arriving in Srebrenica I was struck by how normal a village it looked. Hard to believe the horrors that took place there, just 20 years ago. I stopped at a cafe and had a coffee and ice cream, paying in euro. Again so normal I could believe I was in the wrong village. I had a waypoint in my GPS for a memorial which was on the road to Sarajevo, so after my ice cream so I rode out there. This is where the mood changed. This was not just a memorial, it was also a graveyard. Muslim headstones in Bosnia are marble posts about 20cm wide and over a meter tall. In this graveyard there were over 8,000 of them covering a vast area.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0398_zps8r4dwzki.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0398_zps8r4dwzki.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0398_zps8r4dwzki.jpg"/></a>
The gravestones graphically represented the people killed. It gave a powerful sense of the size of the massacre. It took a lot of people and effort to kill this many people. The memorial in the centre of the graveyard was a series of vast slabs of rock arranged in a circle, with the names of the dead. Again, underlining the size of the tragedy.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0401_zps06zu1v29.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0401_zps06zu1v29.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0401_zps06zu1v29.jpg"/></a>
Looking over the memorial to the gravestones I noticed an old lady being helped by a younger lady, searching the gravestones, looking for a son or husband perhaps. This reminded me that this massacre was made up of individual family stories, like this one. Further along I came to a row of fresh graves and remembered seeing news footage, that 20 additional bodies had been unearthed and identified with DNA analysis in Sarajevo just recently.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0404_zps6moexloj.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0404_zps6moexloj.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0404_zps6moexloj.jpg"/></a>
These bodies were then transported to the graveyard for burial, as part of the 20 year anniversary commemorations, 3 weeks before. I also noticed that there is still more room in the graveyard, so the burials will continue for some time yet. At this point I noticed an attendant and went over to him. He did not speak English. Our eyes met and I pointed at the vast numbers of graves and shook my head in disbelief. When I looked at him again both our eyes were moist. Sometimes silence can be more eloquent than words.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0402_zps5zdshz4p.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0402_zps5zdshz4p.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0402_zps5zdshz4p.jpg"/></a>
It was took me a while after I had got back to the bike to get ready to ride again after the experience of visiting the graveyard. However I had to get to Sarajevo and there were some challenging roads to ride. I rode off in silence not fully connected with the bike so took it easy for a while. Playing music on the GPS did not seem appropriate either. I remember similar feelings after visiting Dachau. However riding a bike demands your concentration and I could not remain detached for too long, there would be time to reflect more later. Like many Bosnian this roads this one became a series of curves and with a good surface, so perfect for bike riding. Gradually my concentration returned and I began to enjoy these curves. The road went over a pass and in places would rival some of the famous roads for riding pleasure.
Approaching Sarajevo from the north east for the first time was a surprise. There was no sprawl of the city like on the southern approach. At one moment I was out in the country and next I was in the old town looking for my hotel. The GPS position was not quite accurate so I spent a frustrating 20 minutes going around the one-way system before finding it, with locals waving at me and offering helpful advice. When I got to the hotel they told me there had been a problem with the booking and they were full. Oh, great! However they knew of another hotel which had a room not far away, with a garage, which was the same price. I suspected this was not entirely genuine but decided to go with them and look at the other hotel. It was about 5 minutes walk away, had a locked garage and the room was fine and air-conditioned. I took it and went back for the bike. On the walk to the 2nd hotel I was accompanied by a young lady who was quite chatty. She was very interested in my travels, particularly that I had been to Morocco. She said next time I was going to Morocco I should let her know and she would come with me. I agreed, and smiled at the likelihood of a young Muslim girl being allowed to accompany a stranger on a trip like this.
So after a shower I went to explore Sarajevo. I had visited before but I had not stayed in the city before, just visited for a day. I walked to the old square.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0421_zpsbvbdcfvp.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0421_zpsbvbdcfvp.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0421_zpsbvbdcfvp.jpg"/></a>
As I sat down at a familiar café the waiter came along and I ordered coffee. He clarified if I wanted cappuccino and I corrected him and ordered Bosnian coffee, which is like Turkish coffee. It comes in a metal jug and is poured into tiny handleless cups. Everything goes into the cup, both coffee and grains.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0420_zpslcptxb4b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0420_zpslcptxb4b.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0420_zpslcptxb4b.jpg"/></a>
It was the right drink to have in this square. Sarajevo has a particular atmosphere and energy about it. This area of the city is mainly Muslim and feels Turkish but 500 meters away the city has a western look. The city seems to combine the two identities quite easily. It is remarkable that Sarajevo has recovered so well after the 4 year siege which only ended just over 20 years ago. I suppose the resilience which helped the people survive the siege have been valuable in the recovery. I have read many books on the siege and one major shortage during the siege was water and the best supply was from the spring which supplied the brewery up on the hill. Residents had to trek up the hill, risking being shot by Serb snipers, to get their water supplies. This was a hazardous journey, and many did not make it back. But hopefully this all in Sarajevo's past.
After coffee I had a wander along the narrow streets towards the great mosque. Sarajevo is a great place to shop. There are lots of jewellery shops around with great choice. So much choice I was not able to decide on anything and went to look for some food. The locals here eat a small spicy sausage, served inside a bread roll and accompanied by a yoghurt drink. This would work for me and I sat down and ordered at an outside table. Soon after, 5 other tables were filled with a large Arab family and their Malaysian maid was placed on my table. She looked quite sad, with her head bowed and I wondered at her circumstances. I had seen large Arab families visiting Sarajevo on my last visit. As the food arrived for the family a seat was found for the maid on one of their tables and she seemed to brighten up, which I was pleased to see. The sausage and yoghurt drink were delicious and I was sorry I had not ordered more sausages. I wandered back to the great mosque, watching the worshipers washing their feet. Entry was not allowed at that time so I decided to explore area near the river. I found the spot where Archduke Franz Ferdenand was murdered in 1914.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0411_zps3hz9iov6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0411_zps3hz9iov6.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0411_zps3hz9iov6.jpg"/></a>
This assassination was seen by many as the trigger which led to WW1. The circumstances of the murder relied on chance and bumbling as the first attempt on the life of the Archduke, with a bomb, bounced of his open top car and exploded on the following car. The Archduke continued with his engagements and returned again in the open top car. To complicate matters, the driver took a wrong turning and was told to reverse, just at the point that the assassin, Gavrilo Princip, was waiting and he shot the Archduke and his wife. Some months later WW1 started and millions died.
Within 15 meters of the spot where the shooting of the Archduke took place there is a reminder of more recent Sarajevo history is this damage on the pavement caused by a Serb mortar, during the siege, is still unrepaired.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0412_zpsa9qwwkik.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0412_zpsa9qwwkik.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0412_zpsa9qwwkik.jpg"/></a>
The western end of the city is quite different to the east and I had a wander around it before going back to the hotel. There is quite a lively pub and restaurant culture in this part of the city. I found a pub with a live jazz band warming up and had a drink. It looked a good place and I resolved to go back to the hotel and return when they were due to play their set. The pub was packed later and I had an enjoyable time listening to the music and sampling the water from the brewery on the hill, which had thankfully been converted into beer.
Next morning I returned to the city before leaving and did a bit more shopping. The quiet atmosphere of the early morning, when stalls and shops were just opening, was another enjoyable side of Sarajevo. I did my shopping and finished with a last Turkish coffee in the square, vowing to return to the city in the future.
Back at the hotel I loaded the bike ready for the trip south. I managed the luggage pretty well this trip, with keeping everything I needed for the hotel in one bag which I kept on the passenger seat. I normally filled 2 small flasks with coffee in the morning and these went into the topbox. Of course I had more spare clothes than needed but not an excessive amount and would have less next time, honest! As I was intending to camp I had some food which would free up some pannier space for presents once eaten or discarded. So with the loaded bike I headed off out of Sarajevo for my first stop, Mostar. The road down from Sarajevo is an enjoyable ride, winding along next to the river. Soon the temperature built up and was quickly in the mid 30's. The one way system at Mostar always confuses me and I got tangled up again trying to get close to the old bridge(Stari Most). Finally in temperatures near 40C I found myself on the right road and then saw some steps leading down close to the bridge. Close to the steps was a car park and I pulled in. A guy came over and showed me where I could park. I explained I would only be 30 minutes as I just wanted to see the bridge. He said it was no problem and that I should leave my bike gear including helmet on the bike and he would keep an eye. Strangely I would not do this in UK but here it felt OK.
I went down to the cobbled street and looked for a particular shop I had visited a few times before. The owners were a Bosnian lady married to an English guy. I found the shop and asked if it was the right one. The assistant explained it was the correct shop but the couple were not still married. The shop specialises in good quality locally made items, jewellery, knitted and lace fabrics. I bought a few things and moved on to the bridge.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0427_zpsybcqeykw.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0427_zpsybcqeykw.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0427_zpsybcqeykw.jpg"/></a>
The bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges I have ever seen and always gives me goose bumps when I stand on it. It was originally build in the 16tn century by the Ottomans and is one of the prime example of Ottoman architecture in the Balkans. The original bridge was destroyed by Serb forces during the war in 1993. Which was a spectacular act of cultural vandalism. Happily the bridge has been rebuilt with stone from the same quarry as the original and looks great again. The local swimming club regularly dive or jump from the top of the bridge to the river, 25 meters below. One guy jumped while I was there, can you spot him?
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0431_zpswghk8njr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0431_zpswghk8njr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0431_zpswghk8njr.jpg"/></a>
My time in Mostar was short but I had seen the bridge and done my shopping so it was back to the bike, which was untouched with all my gear as I had left it. The guy wanted €1 for looking after the bike and I gave him a generous tip. He asked where I came from and I said near London. “Aah” he said, “you have good football teams there”. He asked which one I supported and I disappointed him by saying Liverpool. He was an Arsenal supporter. I had read they had bought a few new players and tried to feign some Arsenal team knowledge. I hoped they would do well this year and he stated clearly that "We will win the premiership this year" I'm sure Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, will be reassured that this young lad in Bosnia is confident of his teams success.
The road south continued along the river and at times traffic built up.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0424_zps6sioezek.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0424_zps6sioezek.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0424_zps6sioezek.jpg"/></a>
My plan was to ride down to Croatia and go North passing Split and camping at Trogir. As I approached the border some dark clouds appeared over the hills to my left. Then is started spitting rain as I crossed the border and very soon it was a full thunderstorm and I was searching for shelter. Once I'd become thoroughly soaked I spotted a petrol station and rode in. The petrol attendant was rescuing the rubbish bin which was being blown around the forecourt. I asked if it was OK to stay and was made welcome. No one was stopping for petrol in this downpour. I waited about 45 minutes and the rain eased. I wondered if it would follow me up the coast but felt I needed to get on my way. I rode further towards the coast and picked up the motorway just as the rain came back. I had about 100km to go to the campsite so decided to press on. I seemed to get ahead of the rain again. At this point I passed a couple on a motorbike from Montenegro, gave them a wave and carried on. Soon it began to warm up and I stopped to take off my waterproofs and the bike couple rode by. Later on the motorway I found the bikers stopped at the side of the road and pulled over to see if they needed help. They were fine just exhausted with riding in the heat and stopped for a drink of water. This underlined the advantage having a water bag on the bike and being able to drink as I rode along. Maybe my stopping would also encourage the couple to stop if they see a bike on the side of the road, in case help is needed. I suppose my stopping I was influenced by riding across the Sahara last year where you would never pass a stranded motorist.
The traffic when I arrived at Trogir was horrendous, both getting into the town and then out to the campsite. There were a number of campervans queued up outside the campsite and I regretted not booking. The couple in front of me at reception were asked if they had a reservation and when they said no, they were told the campsite was full. I approached the counter tentatively and asked if they had a pitch for a small bike and a small tent. They checked the computer and said they had one space for one night. The pitch was not great but it would do and I quickly put up the tent as the skies were darkening. I then had a shower and got the cooking gear out. I rustled up some pasta and sauce with a tin of sardines. Not Haute Cuisine cooking but it tasted pretty good after a hard days riding and was ready in 15 minutes, which was just as well as the thunderstorm arrived 1 minute later.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010816_zpsfjdmrefb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010816_zpsfjdmrefb.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010816_zpsfjdmrefb.jpg"/></a>
I retreated with my chair and meal to the tent. The temperature in the tent must been over 40C and I smiled at myself as I sat eating my meal in this campsite in Croatia, while listening to the Test Match Special cricket commentary, on BBC radio 4, with coverage of the Ashes test. The rain abated and I washed up. Later I could hear some music and I wondered if it was coming from the town. I was too tired to get the bike out again so decided on a wander around the campsite. As I approached one corner of the campsite the music got louder and I came across a 5 piece band, with an Elvis impersonator, in full swing at a bar overlooking the sea. The singer was OK and he clearly knew all Elvis's hits. I went to the bar but explained I only had Euro. No problem, and I handed over 5€ for a large beer. The change in local currency was enough to buy too more beers. So I sat back, drank my beer, listened to Elvis and reflected on a great day.
It rained during the night but was dry in the morning and warmed up quickly. The cheap tent had again proved waterproof and my confidence in it was growing. The campsite had a bakery on site so I was OK for breakfast. Afterwards I went into Trogir on the bike. It was even more lovely than I remembered and I rambled through the narrow streets with marble pavements and venetian style buildings. I stopped in one of the little squares and had an ice cream and later changed some money.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0435_zpsetizrxxa.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0435_zpsetizrxxa.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0435_zpsetizrxxa.jpg"/></a>
This would be my 7th foreign currency, including Euro. I looked around Trogir for swimming trunks but no joy so I headed back to the campsite after a delicious ice cream. The stall outside the campsite had trunks so for 8€ I was ready for the sea. The temperature was mid 30's again so a swim was just what I needed. The campsite has its own private beach but I had forgotten this area has no sand and they had spread white gravel instead. This gravel was sharp and painful to walk on and I remembered using swimming shoes here last time. Despite the gravel the swim was great and cooled me down. The sea here is not warm like in Greece, but the coolness is more refreshing in this heat. I heard music coming from my right and saw a fitness instructor guiding people in the sea through a series of energetic moves. The victims, about 80 of them, followed the instructor's every move. I settled back on my towel and relaxed trying to blot out the noise and the sight of the energetic participants.
After a shower I was ready for another outing, visiting Split. Split is the 2nd city of Croatia and has an ancient history. It was a Roman settlement and has the remains of a palace built by the Emperor Diocletian who came from this area of the empire. Later it was a major city in the Venetian empire and has a lot of Venetian influence on its buildings. I rode into the city and parked close to the port and beside the palace in the large bike park. The temperature was in the mid 30's so I was not going to be waking too far. I first went to the ground floor of the Diocletian’s palace which is now full of jewellery and gift shops and a some degrees cooler than outside.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0447_zpsxs8nmh5d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0447_zpsxs8nmh5d.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0447_zpsxs8nmh5d.jpg"/></a>
I was aiming for a jewellery stall I had frequented a few times before, hoping it was still there, 2nd or 3rd on the left as you enter from the port. Sure enough there it was, selling an interesting collection of locally made items. I did a bit of shopping and spoke to the attendant. She asked how I was travelling and said her aim was also to travel around Europe on a motorbike on her own. She also said she loved living in Split even when there were so many visitors. I suggested the large number of visitors was a good thing for trade and her business. She said that although there are an increased number of visitors now, they are not spending as much as they did in the past. I wandered off with my purchases past the people dressed up as Roman gladiators and explored a few of the narrow streets behind the palace. I settled in a little square and drank a fruit smoothie in the shade. Had a wander along the seafront admiring the large yachts and back into the palace before going back to the bike and mixing it with the late afternoon traffic back to Trogir and the campsite. I wandered over to the beach and had a last swim before starting to cook.
This evening’s menu was a spiced rice with tinned salmon. I do eat well while camping! This year I had just travelled with my small gas stove which was fine for the few meals I planned to cook. When I got to opening the salmon, I realised it did not have a screw opening like the sardines and got the Leatherman out, for its only outing of the trip. Wow this was living in the wild side, gas stove, rice and fish, eating in the open air, using my Leatherman, outside my tent on the edge of the ocean. Eat your heart out Blair Grills.... OK, there was a perfectly good restaurant in the campsite, less than 100 meters away...but I was living the adventurer's life, right?
Later I went back to the bar on the edge of the ocean, no Elvis this time but they still had beer. I sat with the sound of the water lapping on the rocks below and wrote up some notes in the mellow evening heat. This stop at Trogir was a good break and an excellent place to spend 2 nights relaxing after the journey from Romania. I felt ready now for the proper return leg, calling into Trieste in Italy, and then Germany.
I woke the next morning early to a dry tent, and was packed away by 8:15. I then had a frustrating delay at reception trying to checkout which lasted about 40 minutes with the temperature rising all the time. There was then quite a queue to get off the island before I could start riding north. My plan was to join the motorway as I had a fair bit to go. I initially rode along the wonderful coastal road taking in the views and enjoying the corners and overtaking cars.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0457_zpsyesi5x23.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0457_zpsyesi5x23.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0457_zpsyesi5x23.jpg"/></a>
I then moved towards the motorway to make faster progress but when I got to the motorway it was packed and very slow. I was pretty committed now so continued on the motorway. I was able to filter but the slow speed provided little cooling and I got very hot. I stopped for petrol which also took a long time. I removed my outer jacket and rode off with just my armour mesh inner jacket as the temperature was around 35c. It soon started to rain again and I could not be bothered to stop so I got quite wet. The rain cleared and the temperature rose quickly again to the mid 30s and in about 20 minutes I was dry again. This happened once more further up the motorway and again I dried out. I parted company with the motorway and found the road leading to the Slovenian border and to the hotel I had stored in the GPS.
The approach to the border was busy with a long queue of cars and by this stage it had started to rain again but this time I had put waterproofs on. As well as the rain there was an occasional rumble of thunder and the sky was quite dark. Arriving at the hotel, which was a motel type place with a restaurant, I was initially told by the waiter, that they had a room and it would be 30€ with breakfast. This was a relief as the thunderstorm now seemed imminent. Sadly the manager corrected the waiter and explained they only had a room for 3 which would be 75€. I looked at the sky and for a moment considered taking it, but there was another motel nearby and the manager mentioned a B&B up the road. I asked first at the other motel but they were full so I got back on the bike with the thunder getting nearer and more frequent. The B&B looked tatty so I passed by and resorted to asking the GPS for the nearest hotels. The very nearest was called a casino hotel so I initially dismissed it as likely to be too expensive, that was until there was a bright flash of lightening and almost immediately a loud clap of thunder. This convinced me that maybe I should look at the casino hotel and at least get some shelter.
The hotel was as grand as I feared with tall Romanesque columns and a grand entrance which all suggesting it would be expensive.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0459_zps3x5bky96.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0459_zps3x5bky96.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0459_zps3x5bky96.jpg"/></a>
However, there was a guy parking his bike in the entrance and waved me in, moving his bike to ease my parking. His bike was immaculate and so were his clothes, he clearly had not been on the road for two weeks like me. In fact he explained he had just ridden for about 30 minutes from Trieste, just across the border. I parked next to a Romanesque statue.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0458_zps8lifuwhv.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0458_zps8lifuwhv.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0458_zps8lifuwhv.jpg"/></a>
At least I now had shelter from the thunder storm which was in full swing. As I was parked up I thought I would go in and ask the cost of a room, knowing it was out of my budget. Walking across the marble foyer did not reassure me it would be affordable me but I was amazed to find it was only 50€ for a single room, with breakfast. As the thunderstorm continued and it was already 6:30 the decision was easy. I asked about places to eat and the receptionist indicated their restaurant and again I feared the cost, but they had a 3 course meal for 7.50€, happy days! I can only assume they keep the cost of the hotel and food low, to encourage punters to come to the casino. Anyway it was perfect for me this evening and I unloaded and had my 4th shower of the day, this time indoors and without wearing my riding gear.
The next decision was which bike to take, a first world problem I know but, I had to decide between my 1200GS or my G650 XCountry. Both bikes should do the job, the 1200GS would be better at load carrying and on the motorway sections while the XCountry would be lighter and more nimble if the roads were bad. At the last minute I opted for the XCountry and then had to get tyres in a hurry and the Tourance tyres arrived late and only got fitted the day before I left. These were a good compromise tyre choice, OK on tarmac and also would give reasonable grip if the road became rough.
Having done a number of bike trips over the last few years, packing gets easer each time and I limit myself to the 2 panniers and one waterproof bag for the passenger seat. This bag should have all I need for the night, while staying in a hotel. I mainly planned to use hotels this time but would take camping equipment as a backup and I hoped to use the gear on the coast in Croatia. I have a tent which fits into my small pannier, including poles, this pannier also holds my sleeping bag, sleeping mat and cooking equipment so can remain locked until on a campsite. The other pannier has spares, tubes, tools, food and spare clothes. There are additional tools in a toolbox on the front of the bash plate. Having left my camelback rucksack drinking bag in Marrakesh on my last trip I needed a way to drink while riding. I opted for a naked drinking bag placed in my tank bag, which worked quite well and kept the weight of the rucksack off my back.
The tank bag and small handlebar bag would not be secure while parked and so did not keep anything valuable in them. While travelling I would be able to charge my phone in the handlebar bag and if necessary charge my Samsung tablet in the rear top box. The top box was my convenient storage while travelling, it contained flasks, energy bars, lunchtime food, binoculars, guide books, some handy tools and the main documents for the bike. I had duplicates of the documents in one of the panniers. For anyone doing long distance biking on your own I would strongly recommend having good copies off all documents. This proved invaluable to me when my passport and I parted company on my Africa trip. It is also worth having access to spare keys and a spare credit card. I have my own system for these valuable items, but will not describe it in any detail here. I had a brake disk lock and a chain for the back wheel, to secure the bike, though in my experience bikes are less likely to be tampered with abroad than they are in UK. So this is how the bike looked as I left:
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0477_zpsnv4edrps.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0477_zpsnv4edrps.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0477_zpsnv4edrps.jpg"/></a>
After my travels across the Sahara last year I thought it may have been an idea to have a tracker device for that trip to improve communication with home. This Romania trip could be a chance to test one out and I chose a Delorme Inreach which is a satellite communicator and GPS tracker, with an SOS button for emergencies. This device was over-the-top for a trip to Romania but it would give me some experience of it and test the functionality. The big advantage of this device over the more common Spot Tracker, is that it allows 2 way communication. I took out a basic pay-as-you-go contract for the Ineach which covered 30 days of use and then it was all set for the trip.
I left Hampshire, UK in the early morning in mid July to catch in a ferry from Dover to Calais. This got me into Calais around 1.00 CET and my destination that day was Mainz in Germany, near Frankfurt. This was a total ride of around 500 miles(800km) one of the longest rides of the trip. I had a good journey with light traffic and got into Mainz just after 7. As I have friends in Mainz had the benefit of a free bed and garage parking, just above a pub, not a bad first stop. After a shower and a change I was ready for a first Guinness(it’s an Irish Pub).
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0476_zpsmlqpzwf6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0476_zpsmlqpzwf6.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0476_zpsmlqpzwf6.jpg"/></a>
However some friends were having a BBQ in the local park next to a Rea Garvey concert, and as it was a warm evening this seemed a good option and I headed off just in a tee shirt. The BBQ was in full swing when a few drops of rain fell and the host mentioned there was a risk of thunderstorms. Ten minutes later the heavens opened and we were drenched as there was no shelter in the middle of the park. This would not be my last thunderstorm of the trip but it was the heaviest, I now had one set of clean clothes soaked. The clothes dried on the walk back to town and the evening continued indoors, and I seem to remember some late night JDs and coke in a rock bar. I had wisely planned a 2 night stopover in Mainz and had a lazy day the next day which included another BBQ in a friend’s garden, some way out of town. I needed to use the bike to get there and while riding with the new tyres and without luggage I noticed a detent on the headstock(steering) bearings. This is indicative of wear in the bearings, not an urgent issue, but something I would have to correct after the trip. That evening back in the pub was a good catch-up with friends and not too late, as I had to ride to Prague the next day, continuing my journey to Romania.
After a reasonably festive and wet weekend in Mainz I headed for Prague, again some rain on the way and temperatures had dropped to 18 - 20c. There were lots of roadworks and traffic jams. Arrived Prague around 6 in the evening and found the hotel perfectly with the GPS. I asked about garage parking for the bike and was told it was 15 euro so I opted for parking on the street. The hotel, Motel One, was a level above my normal holiday hotel standard. I was meeting a local motorcyclist Petr who I knew from an overland camping weekend earlier this year. Petr was coming into town and we were going for a meal and a few beers. When Petr arrived and I checked with him about parking the bike in the street, and he said it should be fine, which confirmed my decision. It was good to meet up with a local and we had a nice evening catching up in a local pub. Peter had got married since I saw him last and was embarking on a new career so there was a lot to catch up on. The evening was finished off perfectly with a couple of single malts at the hotel, the malts being chosen by Petr, who is a whisky connoisseur.
Next morning, before I left Prague, I went fora little walk around the old part of the city. I found the famous clock again, and came across a Japanese wedding of course, and later had a view of the bridge.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0275_zps0b4rhkhn.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0275_zps0b4rhkhn.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0275_zps0b4rhkhn.jpg"/></a>
I’ve been in Prague before but also for an overnight trip, so I resolved to return when I had more time and explore properly this interesting city. But today I still had over 300 miles to ride and I would have Monday traffic to contend with so must head back to the hotel. Bike was fine overnight and I left Prague on the motorway but took Petr's advice and turned off for Vienna on an A road. This was initially quite busy with trucks and not an easy ride, with light rain and poor visibility. After Vienna the road improved and I made steady progress to Budapest.
Before leaving Mainz I had quickly loaded the GPS with the locations of the 3 hotels I had booked, in Prague, Budapest and Timisoara, in Romania. However as I rode towards Budapest I remembered I had changed my hotel booking and may have loaded the wrong hotel in the GPS. I did not want to stop so I continued to the GPS destination which proved to be a quite seedy part of Budapest, with vagrants on the pavements. (Now as I hear about the migrant crisis in Budapest it is possible I initially stopped in an area where migrants were congregating. I may have understood this better if I had stayed to find what was really happening in this area of the city.) Now that I had stopped I checked the hotel and found to my relief that this was the wrong location and I loaded the correct hotel in the GPS. There was only about a mile to go to the correct hotel and this was in a much better part of town, and the hotel was fine. Again I parked outside in a car space, paying the parking fee. There were a good selection of restaurants nearby and I chose one frequented by locals. I was in Hungary so had the goulash of course and a local beer. While eating at a side bar I was joined by an American lady in a European tour. She had been directed to the side bar as tables were scarce. It was good to pass the time with someone and I told her there are lots to see in Prague, her next destination. After a further beer outside I walked to the river and was amazed at the view of the floodlit Buda palace high up on the other bank. While taking photos an Asian girl came up and started taking photos with camera and phone and with a special lens for her smart phone. I offered to take a photo of her and she took one of me.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0282_zps25f1yvmz.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0282_zps25f1yvmz.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0282_zps25f1yvmz.jpg"/></a>
She was Korean and also touring Europe in her own. On the way back to the hotel I was approached by a number of attractive Budapest ladies, offering I assume, to give me a guided tour of the city, but I declined their offers. Soon after this I took the wrong road and added 30 mins to my return walk to the hotel.
In the morning I was pleased to find breakfast was included and I ate well and took enough extra for lunch. The route to Timisoara was fine, mostly on motorway. However I missed the last service station before leaving Hungary. At the border I stopped to buy a Romanian vignette but the guy in the office explained in vigorous hand signals that I did not need one for a motorbike. I re-joined the motorway which was new and I was to find it did not have a functioning service station. I would have like to fill up soon but this was hardly a fuel emergency, like happened to me when crossing the Sahara on my Africa trip. This time I had 4 litres in auxiliary tanks on the bike, so I continued. When the yellow petrol light eventually came on was confident I would be able to continue to Timisoara based on the distance shown on the motorway signs. These signs were not as accurate as I expected as the distance shown was to the Timisoara exit and not the city, which was 13 miles further on. I did however still make it to the filling station by being gentle with the throttle, but the tank was very empty. I believe I had been travelling on just petrol fumes for the last few miles. The hotel in Timisoara was like a private house and I was able to park the bike in the yard at the back. Once showered and cooled down I walked into the town centre. It is a great place with historic churches and lots of street life in cafes and bars. The main Orthodox church is spectacular.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0290_zpsegtidyk1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0290_zpsegtidyk1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0290_zpsegtidyk1.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0286_zpshqkclsd1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0286_zpshqkclsd1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0286_zpshqkclsd1.jpg"/></a>
It was just above 30C as I walked into the city so it was a treat to enter the coolness and calm of the church after the busy ride. The cool interior of the church was striking as was the strength of the devotion of those who came in. It seemed locals of many ages were coming in and being very demonstrative with their devotion, kissing many icons and half kneeling or bowing. It was quite a moving visit.
To balance this religious experience I found an alfresco bar and had a beer and something to eat in the main square close to the Orthodox church. The main impression was how cheap everything was, about 1/3 the UK cost. As I sat watching the passers by, I noted they were well dressed, used smartphones and would not have looked out of place in many European city. This made me realise that maybe Romania may be more advanced and sophisticated than I had expected. As it had not been a long day in the saddle I had arrived in Timisoara in the late afternoon so after my beer had time to return to the B&B and before coming out again in the evening. The centre of town was still lively in the evening and found a restaurant and spent a bit of time with the guide book checking on Timisoara and planning my destination tomorrow, and a rough plan for the next few days. One thing my guide book recommended strongly was a visit to the Museum of the Revolution in Timisoara. So my plan was to get up early and see this before leaving the city. Wandering around Timisoara I noticed the positioning of this bin which amused me, clearly not placed there by a cyclist.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0291_zpshzr6xn1w.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0291_zpshzr6xn1w.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0291_zpshzr6xn1w.jpg"/></a>
Next morning I competed with the early traffic en-route to the museum. I thought it would be easy to find as it was strongly recommended but when I got to the area and stopped and asked a few people where to find it. The knew it was nearby but not where it was. At this point another person came up to me having overheard the conversations. He directed me to follow him with my bike into the university grounds and which is where the museum is located. I parked up by the entrance, he assured me the bike would be fine and he took me in and sat me down in a small auditorium on my own and then put on a film with English subtitles. I was clearly the only visitor to the museum.
The film was very interesting and it expanded on what I had read in the guide book. It explained that the revolution to oust the communists had started in Timisoara in December 1989. This was at a time when other communist countries had already begun the journey to democracy, but not so in Romania. In essence the people of Timisoara protested over the treatment of a priest and in the end called for Ceausescu to depart. The result was the protests escalated as did the response of the government and the police and army fired on the demonstrators. In total 80 people were killed including children. This unrest spread to other towns in the area and led to Ceausescu calling a rally in Bucharest to support bolster his support. This rally proved to be a big mistake and the crowd began calling for him to go, based on what was the police and army were doing to people in Timisoara. The Bucharest rally ended in chaos and more were killed by the police and army but this was the turning point and the beginning of the end for Ceausescu. He tried to leave the country but was caught and arrested. He was quickly tried and executed because there was a fear of a communist backlash. I believe many Romanians in hindsight wish this trial had been more carefully planned and not carried out in haste as it was not an auspicious start to a new regime.
When the film was over I began looking at some of the information on posters on the wall. A tall dark officious looking lady came in and said I must come up stairs to see more interesting exhibits and sign the visitor’s book. I followed obediently as I not sure there was much choice. On the way up stairs she asked:
"Is it your bike outside?
"Yes it is" I confirmed.
" How fast does it go?
"Well it's not a bike built for speed, more for covering long distances" …..I explained
"So 200 (kph)? …..She asked
I hesitated but agreed, knowing this was a lie, as the actual speed is quite a bit less.
"No more than 200?
"No just 200...."
End of conversation about the bike... Of course the real reason to get me upstairs was to get me to pay the entrance fee.
After getting away from the clutches of this fearsome lady I browsed the exhibits again. Among them were a number of Romanian flags used in the revolution. The Romanian flags in the communist era had a communist symbol in the middle of the central band of the tricolour. During the revolution the communist symbol was cut out and used during the demonstrations.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0302_zpsrw5dtlvt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0302_zpsrw5dtlvt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0302_zpsrw5dtlvt.jpg"/></a>
On the way back to the bike I noticed another link to the end of the iron curtain, somewhat out of place, a section of the Berlin wall. Still quite a powerful symbol, covered in graffiti.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0303_zpsns2geg3l.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0303_zpsns2geg3l.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0303_zpsns2geg3l.jpg"/></a>
After the trip to the museum in Timisoara I rode east to the motorway. On the way out I was amused by this unusual use of a leisure umbrella to provide shade to the workman.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0305_zpsygjtromu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0305_zpsygjtromu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0305_zpsygjtromu.jpg"/></a>
This was tapping into my preconceptions of the simple Romanians. However after leaving the scene with my photo I began to realise what this workman was doing, he was installing fibre broadband cables. Not so a simple Romanian scene after all. In fact although I live in the UK not far from London, I do not have fibre broadband at home or even a mobile phone signal. Travel makes you realise how wrong preconceptions can be and encourages you to question what is around you.
I continued to Sibiu in a more reflective mood. I was booked into a hotel "10 minutes from the centre". The route was a mixture of the motorway being constructed and roads linking the completed sections, so a bit messy. I had a nice welcome at the hotel and was shown a good parking space in front of the hotel and under cover. The initial discussion with the receptionist did not go too smoothly. I’ll accept that after a tiring and hot ride I'm not the easiest person for a receptionist to deal with, as the girl at this hotel now knows. She initially confirmed my booking which I had made on line but she then asked me to write all the information down again on a form. I know that the online booking agent send her details including my full address and I was not in the mode to write it down again. In the end, with some guidance from a colleague, she accepted that she had nearly all this information but just needed my passport number which was happy to supply. When I saw her later in the day I took care to smile in a friendly way to make her believe I was not really an ogre but I’m not sure it worked.
The town of Sibiu is a delight and has the feel of an Italian hill village. I was reminded of Montepulciano, in Tuscany. Of course the walk from the hotel was not 10 but 20 minutes, but despite the heat it was pleasant. These old Romanian towns are hidden gems, or they were unknown to me before this trip. The walk to the centre was up hill and through an old arch. There was a strong cafe culture in the afternoon with lots of cafes and restaurants around the square. I visited one of the old churches and marvelled at the sumptuous interior. This was the elaborate pulpit in the church in Sibiu.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0308_zpsrk9bvuyt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0308_zpsrk9bvuyt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0308_zpsrk9bvuyt.jpg"/></a>
Later in the evening I returned to the square and there was a great buzz about the place and just the right temperature for eating outside. I fancied a pizza and enjoyed it even if the Neapolitana was a bit light on the anchovies. I complained once when a pizza I ordered in UK came with just 3 anchovies, when I had ordered extra anchovies. The waiter explained that the pizza was perfectly correct. Normally it comes with one anchovy, but as I had ordered extra anchovies, 2 more were added. So the pizza was correct but the customer was disappointed and they did not see my custom for some time. As I had now fully relaxed after my ride and was chilled out I did not complain to my waiter in Romania. A last stroll around the square and an Italian style ice cream completed a pleasant evening. Tomorrow was going to a ride on one of the 2 famous roads here, the Transalpina.
As I prepared to leave in the morning a male receptionist asked me where I was going and when he found out I was heading to the Transalpina he suggested an interesting way of getting to the great road by going south of Sibsu, under the motorway and then heading west on minor roads. This route took me through small villages and along twisty roads which was a great way to begin the day and the ride. This was the first time I'd seen horse drawn carts and farmers working in the fields like they did in the UK, 100 years ago. In Ireland in the '50s some farmers still worked with horses, one of our neighbours did, so this was not so strange for me.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010699_zpsq5h07rs1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010699_zpsq5h07rs1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010699_zpsq5h07rs1.jpg"/></a>
So Romania has this contrast with being quite advanced and sophisticated in the towns but still being quite behind the times in its peasant farming. This was very pleasant country to ride through and a good lead in to the Transalpina.
Once on the Transalpina it was initially a series of fast curves on excellent tarmac. I had heard rumours that the surface may not be good so this was a pleasant surprise and before I left UK I had even heard that it may be closed for repair. After about 15km the new tarmac ran out and we had the older surface which was OK but was starting to break up, mainly in the middle of the road. Then there were some sections of unfinished roadworks which were manageable without much problem for me but on a sports bike these rough sections would not have been much fun. None of these sections caught me out but they broke the riding rhythm and it took a while to get up to speed again. The corners got a bit tighter as we climbed and we returned to good tarmac.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0313_zpsoq0aunij.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0313_zpsoq0aunij.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0313_zpsoq0aunij.jpg"/></a>
There is ongoing work on the road and these roadworks need to be passed at slow speed. At first I was quite disappointed as I came to a crest and began to descend, wondering if this was all that was on offer of this famous road. In fact there was a further higher crest, over 2000 meters and a number of hairpins on the way up. Near some of the lay-bys the locals had set up small camps where they were cooking polenta and serving it with cheese and yoghurt. I had a look but moved on back to the fun of the road. Of course I enjoyed overtaking the cars, some of these were English, and gave those a friendly wave as I disappeared around the next corner. These hairpins were not extremely tight, as they are on the Stelvio Pass in the Alps, and were just right for me and the bike. I stopped at the crest and browsed the tourist stalls just buying a Transalpina sticker. The weather was not settled so I went on further and down to the skiing resort where I had booked my accommodation. The road up to the hotel was about a 25% gradient and made up of loose rubble. A good offroad test of my new tyres. The tyres and rider coped well. Overall I enjoyed the Transalpina but I'm glad my trip was not just built around riding it. For sheer magnificence the Stelvio is well ahead of it but the Transalpina is easier to ride. As I parked my bike at the hotel I did not realise the Transalpina was not finished with me yet.
After a shower and an unpack I went down for a beer on the terrace. Bikes and cars were still heading up the pass and I then noticed a few other bikes in the car park with a “BK” on the number plate. I was not sure what country “BK” was, but one of the riders came up to me and explained they were from Bulgaria and hoped we'd catch up later for a beer. There were 4 riders, 3 with partners and we spend a great evening chatting about bikes and travel while eating and having a few beers.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0322_zpsmmtk535w.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0322_zpsmmtk535w.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0322_zpsmmtk535w.jpg"/></a>
They were good company and offered any assistance I may need while in the area. One outcome of the chat was that they advised that the route I was going to take tomorrow was not on a good road, and my best bet would be to go back over the Transalpina pass. This was good information as I had booked to visit a bear hide the next day and did not want to be late. So I retired to bed with a plan and looking forward to a further ride on the famous road in the morning.
The day began about 6:30 with a clap of thunder, not the sound you want to hear on a bike trip and particularly when you need to ride over a 2000 meter mountain pass. I got up and dressed, hoping there may be a chance to get away before the heavy rain hit. No chance. I waited for a couple of hours in the room watching the rain getting heavier and heavier. It was clearly not going to lift in a hurry. I decided that I must leave by 9:00, whatever the weather would be, or be late for my bear trip. I met the Bulgarian guys having coffee as I went out to load the bike. They were waiting for the rain to ease but while this was tempting, I knew I had to get going, so headed out to the wet bike. It was still raining but looking a bit brighter than earlier.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0327_zpsetgy68br.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0327_zpsetgy68br.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0327_zpsetgy68br.jpg"/></a>
I mounted up and headed off. The first challenge was the 25% slope of rubble masquerading as a road from the hotel to the tarmac, now looking like the bed of a stream. Some guys just love these situations but they just make me anxious. I can actually cope pretty well with rough terrain but I don’t relish it. Well I got down to the road without incident and then saw my next little difficulty were the stones and gravel washed on to the road by the heavy rain. The initial part of the route was a climb up to the summit which included a number if hairpins, some with rubble and all with a wet road. As I rode up to the summit I realised this climb may be easier than dealing with hairpins on the descent. Some years ago I did a tour of southern Norway, mostly in heavy rain, and that experience came back to me and gave me confidence. I was on a different bike but was using the same tyres and grew in confidence with them again. The rubble was intermittent and with care I could avoid it and use what part of the road I liked as I was almost the only vehicle on the pass and certainly the only motorbike. A few people on the side of the road looked surprised to see a bike and gave me a thumbs up. Further down the pass the rain eased and the curves were less tight and I was able to pick up speed. The views improved and I could see the clouds below me in the valleys
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0328_zpsthj7qlc1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0328_zpsthj7qlc1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0328_zpsthj7qlc1.jpg"/></a>
The unfinished sections of road were a bit more slippery when wet but caused no great drama. As I got to the lower sections I began to see a few other bikes head up the pass. Once I got down to the bottom I stopped for petrol and was a little relieved it had gone OK and with a bit of luck I may still make it in time to see the bears.
As I worked my way up to the motorway I came across a house with an aeroplane parked in the front harden. Not a big house and a small plane but the opposite. I believe it may be a DC3, but it was large and right next to the road. I could not imagine how the guy got into this small garden, and why.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0306_zpsqxgyhaaz.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0306_zpsqxgyhaaz.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0306_zpsqxgyhaaz.jpg"/></a>
Pressing on I picked up the motorway towards Cibiu and then joined the locally known Highway 1. Now this road was hard work as it was a single carriageway and busy with trucks as well as cars. While I revel in overtaking cars and trucks, this road was not to be messed with it and was like a big boys game of chicken. As a biker I am normally top dog at overtaking, apart from another bike, but here some cars were better, at least more aggressive and took more risks. It was tough to make progress safely. Before we got to the town of Brasov the GPS took me off the highway to what I assumed was a cut-through to the bear hide. The road went over level crossing except that name does not describe accurate the crossing. It was partially flooded and I took the crossing a bit casually but it launched me and the bike in the air and I was glad to gather it together without coming off. The road the other side of the crossing was not inspiring either with big potholes etc., so I re-joined the highway heading to Brasov making my ETA even later. Finally I got close to the site and the GPS said I would arrive 15 mins before the bear event would start.
The website for the company had said there was a 2km piece of unmade road to negotiate to reach them. I had GPS coordinates and started to follow the unmade road which initially was reasonably flat and was manageable with care, however after 2.5km of this, the road headed upward with a series of hairpins. This road was more loose rubble and wet, and to think I was worried about wet tarmac hairpins earlier in the day. Well this would be a test of my tyres and me. The bike was not phased and just plodded upward despite my ham-fisted efforts and we arrived exactly at the coordinates on time. Because of arriving so late I had accepted I'd need to pay for a room instead of camping but was immediately told all the rooms were full so a tent it would be. I lost no time and assembled it quickly and badly but hopefully it would be OK. It seemed the time I had been given was not for the bear trip starting but for the preceding meal. So as I was finishing off the tent I was been chased, in German to come for the meal. The hectic pace of the day continued…
I came into the restaurant and was directed to a table and told everyone was a German speakers. I was not in my most reasonable mood(low blood sugar perhaps?) so said, "good for them, they will all understand each other" and got on with my meal. Not the most helpful comment on arriving late into a new group. The meal was soup, main, and desert. We were soon joined by 2 guys who had just flown in from San Francisco and had been fighting the storm and traffic too, in a car of course. I was pleased I was not the last. These guys were doing Romania in a week. "If it's Tuesday we must be in Brasov" there was a miscommunication at one point when these guys believed I had cycled from UK. It seems Motorcycle is the correct term in US, not bike. I had thought motorcycle boots and trousers would be a sufficient clue but as I said I was a bit tetchy. "Separated by a common language" came to mind.
We then got into the short (as I expected) ride to the bear hide. This took fully one and a half hours, not helped by local flooding because of the rain. Did I mention the rain? The journey was interesting as I was accompanied by a German family and driven by the husband of the lady who had spoken to me in English back at base. He chatted away for about 45 minutes in German to the couple, ignoring me. I could understand some of the German but was a little peeved not to be included but I assumed he did not speak English. Then he seemed to realise I was there and asked me a couple of questions in perfect English. He then included me occasionally but to be honest I was too tired to care. When we got to the woods we drove for a while and then got out being told to have a pee now behind a tree because once in the hide we would not be allowed out. We were also told not to speak and walk quietly. We worked our way up the woods, passing a clear bear paw print on the path, till finally we approached the hide and were stopped and silently allowed in. Immediately we saw bears, one large male and a juvenile. It was exciting to see them so close. Photography was difficult in the crowded hide because being polite I was at the back. Perhaps I needed to come here earlier and put my towel on the front seats. However this did not take from the magic of the experience.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010726_zpswuleujye.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010726_zpswuleujye.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010726_zpswuleujye.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010722_zpsljfgtanq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010722_zpsljfgtanq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010722_zpsljfgtanq.jpg"/></a>
It was quietly explained that this area was used in former times as a bear shooting site. Some years ago the bears caused problems in the local town by raiding the rubbish bins and a plan was devised to feed them a little in the woods to discourage the raids to town. This worked and a spin off was the bear viewing tourism which we were a part. During our 2 hour session about 6 different bears visited the sight and we only left as it got dark. These brown bears are not as big as grizzly bears but still big and powerful. They can run at 30mph (50kph) so just a tad faster than me. Overall the bear viewing was a great way to finish a tough riding day and almost worth the ride from UK on its own.
We still had over an hour drive to get home and awaiting me was a damp tent only half prepared for it's occupant. Getting into the tent I noticed sand in the corner and remembered the last time I had used this tent was in Dakar, Senegal just after crossing the Sahara. Quite a contrast between the two places. In Dakar I had not even used the outer waterproof layer of the tent, whereas this time I would certainly need it and would find out how effective it was at dealing with heavy rain. The tent is not an expensive model but it is compact and it proved waterproof that night. I struggled to get to sleep after the exciting day and suspect there was an excess of adrenalin in my bloodstream. I had gone to sleep to the patter of rain but woke to silence and what appeared to be sunshine. The guy the night before had said more rain was expected so I had feared the worst. I dressed quickly planning to take the tent up while dry. With threatening clouds and a drying tent I quickly started to take it down. Once down and packed away I had a shower and readied to leave. I had been thinking of the wet hairpins of rubble on the way down and did not want to delay the slippery descent. Again there were no problems. One of these days I'll start to believe I can actually ride off-road, if only I could enjoy it.
The plan for the day was a visit to Bran to see the castle which has a vague connection with Vlad. You know Vlad, known to his friends as the Impailer(and he did). I also notice that Microsoft Word does not recognise the word “Impailer”. I'm writing some of this text about 100 meters from where he was born. Of course supposedly he was the inspiration for Dracula. Anyway Bran is a busy place, and it was a Saturday, but I parked up and had some breakfast. I had an omelette and coffee which cost about 2€. I'm not big into the interiors of castles and I'd had a short night so I took a few photos, did a bit of shopping and rode off to Brasov to see the Black Church.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0339_zpss0zc2dzg.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0339_zpss0zc2dzg.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0339_zpss0zc2dzg.jpg"/></a>
Brasov was also busy so I went to park at a carpark, unusual for me. However the attendant was very friendly and pointed out a spot near his booth. As I was packing up and wondering what to do with my helmet he said leave it and my jacket on the bike, he would keep an eye. Well the Black Church had a wedding so was closed till 2:30. In a way this was good because it forced me to slow down, have a coffee and relax. In fact Brasov is another beautiful town, steeped in history. Romania must have more preserved ancient towns than any country I know. I sat in the square, read the guide book, went to visit an orthodox church.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0343_zpslrnc0qna.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0343_zpslrnc0qna.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0343_zpslrnc0qna.jpg"/></a>
Later I wandered along the streets and presented myself at the Black Church at the appointed hour. It has a number of notable features. Recently uncovered frescoes, ancient carpets from Turkey, it is an impressive building. However this is a biking trip so after the viewing of the Black Church I was on the bike again going north towards another notable town, Sighisoara, my destination for the night. The road on the map was a normal single carriageway road and I feared it may be the same as Highway 1. However this road was a delight. After about 20km from Brasov I came upon wonderful hairpins, not tight ones, those you can just lean over and keep the power on and ride around, leaning over as far as bravery allows. The rest of the road meandered it way north with straight bits but a good collection of enjoyable corners. This road was a real joy and may be a more enjoyable ride than the two famous roads. Arriving at Sighisoara I followed the GPS to the hotel. It took me up through the town wall gates to the main square and the hotel was about 50 meters off the square. I had to wait to get to the hotel as just before me an Italian biker group had arrived at the posh hotel next to mine. They were currently unloading their panniers from the support vehicle, blocking the road. I finally squeezed past and selected a parking slot and parked. However the organiser of the Italian group had his eye on this spot for one of their bikes and was not happy, telling me to move mine. Foolish man, he should know not to cross me before I have relaxed and had a coffee, my bike stayed in its spot. The Italians had stickers that their trip was 2,000km, I reflected that I had done that before I got to Romania, and carrying my own panniers.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0347_zpsmhtc1nij.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0347_zpsmhtc1nij.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0347_zpsmhtc1nij.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010751_zpsjuqbuuz8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010751_zpsjuqbuuz8.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010751_zpsjuqbuuz8.jpg"/></a>
Each to his own I suppose! When I got to the hotel the manager was very apologetic but it seems there had been a computer glitch and they only had a room with shared bathroom available. The price would reflect this downgrade to make the room cost £10. Because of the friendly welcome and excellent location I accepted this arrangement. The room was tiny, an attic room, no towels etc. but as I had a hard 36 hours this would do for the night.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0358_zpserqn8voz.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0358_zpserqn8voz.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0358_zpserqn8voz.jpg"/></a>
After showering and changing I went up to the square and did a little exploring. The house when Vlad Tepes(The Impailer) was born, was just off the square.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010745_zpstyepgyy1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010745_zpstyepgyy1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010745_zpstyepgyy1.jpg"/></a>
There was citadel to explore and the place had a relaxing ambiance. I wondered if I should stay a 2nd night and explore properly tomorrow, visit one of the local villages and take time to check the bike out and review my packing. So that evening I spent some time with the Romanian map and guide book working out a rough plan for the second half of my holiday. After my meal I did a bit of shopping and by the time I returned to the hotel I had mislaid my Romania map. I went out to check where I had been but it was gone. At least I was nearing the end of my time in Romania and I could manage without it. And I now knew where I was going the next few days.
So next morning I booked for an extra night and went off exploring. The walk up to the citadel is a set of steps covered with an oak structure with a tiled roof, from the 17th century. The church at the top is 15th century with a wonderful altarpiece.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0344_zpsrrbk5ucc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0344_zpsrrbk5ucc.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0344_zpsrrbk5ucc.jpg"/></a>
The citadel has a number of towers erected to protect the church, each owned by one of the town guilds. Back down near the square the clock tower is the main focal point and is quite a structure.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0348_zpsxnqxv0jk.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0348_zpsxnqxv0jk.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0348_zpsxnqxv0jk.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010757_zpsjikjpjg8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010757_zpsjikjpjg8.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010757_zpsjikjpjg8.jpg"/></a>
Overall it is an impressive town. I returned to the hotel to move my things to the new room. The ensuite room was accessed through a conference room filled with chairs but I was assured that no conferences were taking place. The room had bunk beds, but had a shower area and a small table and chair, a step up from the last room and would cost £14. I took it and moved my stuff in. I had been off the bike for nearly 20 hours so got itchy feet and decided to go and see the medieval village of Biertan about 35km from the town. On the way I came across these gypsies apparently moving house.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0363_zpsiwophv8t.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0363_zpsiwophv8t.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0363_zpsiwophv8t.jpg"/></a>
I headed off in the afternoon heat. When I got to the little road leading to the village I was plodding along looking at the view when a KTM came along and overtook me with a wave. As got to the village he was parking up, a Romanian guy. We admired each other’s bikes and agreed to go for a coffee. Coffee included soup and we had a good chat. He had also been to Africa recently following some of the route I followed. His trip was part of a Budapest to Bamaco organised tour and he rode some of the trip on piste as well as tarmac. We spent lunch comparing notes and at the end he insisted in paying, which was a real treat. We exchanged contact details and shook hands.
I went up to the church. My lunch companion had explained it was not a Romanian church but German. It appeared it served a German community who lived in this area for centuries. It was a bit dour inside and under repair. It looked like a fortress surrounded by towers.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010756_zps7zvvyv0p.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010756_zps7zvvyv0p.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010756_zps7zvvyv0p.jpg"/></a>
After a quick ride around the village, it was too hot to walk, I headed back towards town. On the way I stopped for petrol, and decided to check the bike oil level. I carry a small oil can on these trips and it took a smidgen of oil. As I was in the mood I decided to also check the engine coolant level. His was a quiet petrol station and it seemed family run and as it was Sunday afternoon they were all around. The owner helped me to put the bike on the centre stand, and later the son helps with the water filling. It was all very friendly but I felt was intruding on their Sunday chat on the forecourt.
Back to the hotel I parked up and started a sort out of my packing particularly the food I was carrying. I now knew I would only be camping a couple of days on the rest of the trip so had surplus food taking up space. I spoke to the hotel manager and he took the spare food to give it so someone who may need it. I had an Italian meal that night and some very poor wine so moved up to cafe near hotel overlooking the square and did some writing. Had a few beers and got quite wrapped up in my writing. I was partly aware that they were clearing the table and suddenly my tablet fell over as the waiter removed the oil and vinegar set from my table. He was very apologetic and had not realised the tablet was being supported in this way and gave me back the holder. They were very happy for me to carry on and left me to it.
Had breakfast and loaded up for supposedly one of the riding highlights of the trip, riding the Transfagarasan road. This road is rated by some(Top Gear etc.) as the best road in the world. With this hype I was expecting to be disappointed. The ride back down to Sibiu was quite enjoyable and I then joined the Highway 1 again but this time it was not too busy and I arrived at the start of the Transfagarasan in reasonable spirits. There is something very exciting about the prospect of a ride up into the mountains on a bike on a wonderful road.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0367_zpspwh78hn0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0367_zpspwh78hn0.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0367_zpspwh78hn0.jpg"/></a>
I started on the lower slopes and it was OK but not special. This guy was handling the corners OK!
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010742_zpsu7w8srqt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010742_zpsu7w8srqt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010742_zpsu7w8srqt.jpg"/></a>
The surface here was not great and it stopped me fully committing to corners. This continued for a while till I came across some cars, parked on the side of the road, then in the middle of the road and I filtered further up to see why there was a hold up. A lady asked me to pull over as cars were trying to get through and she said the road was closed. Oh, great! My one chance to ride this road and it is closed. I filtered past the parked coaches and eventually got to the front of the queue. Sure enough the road had a police barrier across and a sign saying closed 10.00 - 14.00.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0368_zpsslzrnfbf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0368_zpsslzrnfbf.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0368_zpsslzrnfbf.jpg"/></a>
So what time is it now I wondered, 13.00, so it would be open in an hour, not too long to wait. I took my gear off and had a look around. There were about 60 bikes around. Many of them big adventure bikes, 1200GS's, big KTM etc, mine was one of the smallest there. I did a few chores around the bike, filled my wager bag and went and bought a Transfagarasan sticker. I did not apply the sticker as I had not done the ride yet. There were a couple of British bikes, a 1190KTM and a Honda. There were no owners around them so did not meet the riders, at least not then.
When I got back to the bike time was moving on and people were starting to manoeuvre into a good place for the start.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/PH0007381_zpsd4ujs3g6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/PH0007381_zpsd4ujs3g6.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PH0007381_zpsd4ujs3g6.jpg"/></a>
I was quite well placed already but moved forward to secure my position. It had dawned on me that there was the possibility of quite an exciting start with all these bikes going off together, or maybe the police would release us slowly, possible with a car in front. As the opening time neared the excitement even got to the police. They were smiling and clearly looking forward to opening the gates. They should have had a flag for the start. In the end the gates were taken away and the police waved us through, jumping back as the first bike shot off up the hill. I got away in the first ten but expected to be swamped by riders from behind in their faster bikes. In fact the opposite happened I got held up, first by a husband and wife team, he protecting her and making it difficult to pass.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/2e8e040d-4ba3-41d7-9d15-5b5da8bfd48c_zpsqfqp5b4j.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/2e8e040d-4ba3-41d7-9d15-5b5da8bfd48c_zpsqfqp5b4j.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2e8e040d-4ba3-41d7-9d15-5b5da8bfd48c_zpsqfqp5b4j.jpg"/></a>
As I pondered this problem a big KTM blasted past and I got concerned it was the start of a deluge of bikes. The other thing was I wanted to ride this road at my pace and not being held up. So I found an opening and got past them then on to the next 2 slower bikes, this was a complete family, son in a small bike and mum and day on a KTM 990. I had build up some speed by now and they were no problem, but as I overtook them another bike did too, a 1200GS, and overtook me. OK so we had disposed of the slow bikes and I set off after the 1200. I was never going to overtake him, he was a good rider and had an engine with twice my power but I kept him in sight. I looked behind and saw a bike about 100 meters away and he was not gaining. So I could now focus on the road, and what a road! This was clearly the feature part of the road. The surface was excellent, and the corners were glorious sweeps of tarmac curving up this mountain.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/4c5eded8-968d-4a86-9d03-78b5439bf4d9_zpssjdqi6kt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/4c5eded8-968d-4a86-9d03-78b5439bf4d9_zpssjdqi6kt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 4c5eded8-968d-4a86-9d03-78b5439bf4d9_zpssjdqi6kt.jpg"/></a>
They were not really hairpins, they needed to be treated with respect but could be attacked at speed and powered around. This was the first time I had ridden the 650 so close to its limit and it was doing great with its rider being happy to be along for the ride. The Tourance tyres were giving great grip and was pleased I had put these on new before I set off. With each corner I was getting a bit lower and needed to as everyone was speeding up, the guy in front and the guy behind was keeping pace. The corners kept coming and we were completely absorbed in getting from each great corner as quick as possible, sort out the baking before entering the corner, so we could be powered around and exit as quickly as possible.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0378_zpstiky1imp.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0378_zpstiky1imp.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0378_zpstiky1imp.jpg"/></a>
At this game the little 650 was doing fine. I learned something about her handling during this session as I often wondered which part of the bike touches the road when you increase the lean angle. I now know it is the foot peg, as it touched down a few times in this session, but without drama. So as we neared the top of this section I pulled over to catch my breath and maybe to take some photos. Other riders did the same. One girl who was riding pillion was shaking with excitement when she got off the bike here.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0369_zpskc2yiqeu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0369_zpskc2yiqeu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0369_zpskc2yiqeu.jpg"/></a>
Every rider was grinning with pleasure. I began to realise I had fortunately, due to the closure, participated in a rather rare event, a standing start race up the Transfagarasan with initially no traffic coming the other way. The Romanian tourist board could sell tickets for an event like that! This was the view back down the road.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0370_zpspkdr4yun.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0370_zpspkdr4yun.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0370_zpspkdr4yun.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0376_zps9mxf0p64.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0376_zps9mxf0p64.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0376_zps9mxf0p64.jpg"/></a>
After photos I made my way further up enjoying the corners and saw a British bike, one of the ones from earlier. One guy stopped and we had a chat. They were 2 Welsh lads, on their way to Australia. I had a brief chat and gave his mate up the road a wave and we parted. I continued over the pass and stopped at a waterfall for lunch. A Romanian guy came up to me, asked where I lived and explained he worked in London and hoped I'd liked his country.
Later down the road I passed a layby and saw the Welsh lads again I waved as I passed and carried on, as I'd just spent 10 minutes passing a load of cars. Then thought, sod it, I'll go back and chat properly to the 2 guys. They were Dan and Edd and were new bikers and got the bikes for the trip to Australia. They had left UK 5 weeks ago and had a great time.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010787_zpskn6rbbmr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010787_zpskn6rbbmr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010787_zpskn6rbbmr.jpg"/></a>
They were aiming to be in Australia by Christmas. We decided to hook up for the evening and began riding to a hotel I had in the GPS at the bottom of the pass. So we continued down the pass. The roads were narrow and twisty and lots of cars. We came across a group of cars with a police car in the middle, going slowly. Well I sat behind them for a while and then overtook the first car. There was now one car between me and the police. I then overtook the next car, watching for a reaction from the police, but none obvious. The problem was it was quite unclear where there was a solid white line or not and whether overtaking was allowed, or legal. I sat behind the police for a while and then overtook them and another car, then the last car and I was away. I raced of but then realised the Welsh lads were not following. So I slowed down waiting for them to appear. It took some time for them to come up behind me and I only learned later what had happened. It seems the police were not too pleased at me overtaking them and made it clear to the lads behind they should not do the same. If seems the police even pulled out to the middle of the road, either to see my number plate or to block the others following me.
Later we found a quiet bar that did food and spent a great evening together. We chatted over our day on the Transfagarasan, our trips so far and where we were going next. It was a very enjoyable evening and I really enjoyed their company. I wished them well on their trip. I asked if there was anything I had that may be useful to them and in the morning I gave them a file from my toolkit and a few strong tent pegs which are now en route to Australia. As we prepared to part the next morning, me to Serbia, and them to Bulgaria and onward, they did invite me to join them. I know it was in jest but it sparked my imagination. Not that I wanted to go to Australia but the journey to get there and to do it in the company of these 2 great guys was quite attractive. Ironically my bike was ideal for this longer trip and pretty well equipped. However I was heading east and they were continuing east. Looking back it was quite a 24 hours. These trips are made up of many ordinary days and then special days like this one.
The route out of Romania was just memorable for the delay at the border. Borders, don't you just love them! In this case the Romanian official was just absent, maybe doing paperwork, when he appeared after 30 minutes he waved the Euro passport holders straight through. The Bulgarian side was pretty quick and soon I was crossing the little finger of the country heading for Serbia. I was glad I did not have ride this road in Bulgaria and used the short detour.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010794_zpszypbe12s.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010794_zpszypbe12s.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010794_zpszypbe12s.jpg"/></a>
Serbia of course is not EU and there was a bit of formality in checking passports etc. In Serbia I felt a different vibe riding through the country. I noticed more old cars on the road and there was not much sense of development, as if the country was a bit behind the other countries. I was amused at this sign which banned horse drawn carts on the road.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010795_zpsqtfys31q.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010795_zpsqtfys31q.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010795_zpsqtfys31q.jpg"/></a>
I know Romania had its poor regions but the cities are vibrant and people are mostly driving modern cars. I also noticed when I stopped for petrol the service was surly, no smiles, just functional. I also stopped to ask directions to my hotel and while I got the directions it took quite a lot of effort, as if I was bothering them. Very different from the friendliness I had been getting on my travels so far.
When I got to the hotel however I was met with the friendly face of the receptionist, who came down to show me the best place to park my bike. Later I spoke to her and asked how things were in Serbia. She said not so good. Business was slow, few jobs and not so well paid. She gave as example her job, where she does an 8 hour shift, and is paid 250€, not per week as I expected, but per month. This seemed a very low salary to me but clearly is a symptom of the depressed economy. The lady said the economy was already slow before the 2008 crash but just got worse after that. She said there are great hopes for an EU membership but she did not expect that to happen in the next 10 years. It was a depressing summary of the country's prospects which seems to have few friends since the war 20 odd years ago. I also asked if she had been impacted by the war. She said not but the town, Cicik, had been bombed, two factories had been destroyed by US or UK planes. She also said that her husband was in the army, in Kosovo. As part of our family came out of Kosovo as a refugee, fleeing the destruction of his village by Serb soldiers, this was a chilling moment for me. Although treated well in this hotel I was not keen to linger in Serbia and was looking forward to entering Bosnia tomorrow.
The quiet border crossing I used was pretty relaxed. They looked at my passport casually and then asked for bike documents which I said were in the topbox but they never asked to see them and waved me on. Almost the first building I saw driving away from the border was a small mosque, had not seen any in Serbia.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010799_zps94nfklzu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010799_zps94nfklzu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010799_zps94nfklzu.jpg"/></a>
Traveling from Serbia into Bosnia was interesting as my initial destination was Srebrenica. Of course this is a motorbike trip and despite the historic importance of these places, I was also interested in the road I was riding. Bosnia is a hilly country and this produces twisty roads, great for bike riding. This road to Srebrenica was no exception and wound it's way through the hills. The surface however was not clean, with gravel, pine cones and sometimes farm plants on the road. On one corner I ran over a stalk of sweetcorn and the bike stepped out with rear and front wheel. No biker likes the front wheel to step out so I moderated my pace.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010804_zpshp9vq15c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010804_zpshp9vq15c.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010804_zpshp9vq15c.jpg"/></a>
Arriving in Srebrenica I was struck by how normal a village it looked. Hard to believe the horrors that took place there, just 20 years ago. I stopped at a cafe and had a coffee and ice cream, paying in euro. Again so normal I could believe I was in the wrong village. I had a waypoint in my GPS for a memorial which was on the road to Sarajevo, so after my ice cream so I rode out there. This is where the mood changed. This was not just a memorial, it was also a graveyard. Muslim headstones in Bosnia are marble posts about 20cm wide and over a meter tall. In this graveyard there were over 8,000 of them covering a vast area.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0398_zps8r4dwzki.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0398_zps8r4dwzki.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0398_zps8r4dwzki.jpg"/></a>
The gravestones graphically represented the people killed. It gave a powerful sense of the size of the massacre. It took a lot of people and effort to kill this many people. The memorial in the centre of the graveyard was a series of vast slabs of rock arranged in a circle, with the names of the dead. Again, underlining the size of the tragedy.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0401_zps06zu1v29.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0401_zps06zu1v29.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0401_zps06zu1v29.jpg"/></a>
Looking over the memorial to the gravestones I noticed an old lady being helped by a younger lady, searching the gravestones, looking for a son or husband perhaps. This reminded me that this massacre was made up of individual family stories, like this one. Further along I came to a row of fresh graves and remembered seeing news footage, that 20 additional bodies had been unearthed and identified with DNA analysis in Sarajevo just recently.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0404_zps6moexloj.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0404_zps6moexloj.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0404_zps6moexloj.jpg"/></a>
These bodies were then transported to the graveyard for burial, as part of the 20 year anniversary commemorations, 3 weeks before. I also noticed that there is still more room in the graveyard, so the burials will continue for some time yet. At this point I noticed an attendant and went over to him. He did not speak English. Our eyes met and I pointed at the vast numbers of graves and shook my head in disbelief. When I looked at him again both our eyes were moist. Sometimes silence can be more eloquent than words.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0402_zps5zdshz4p.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0402_zps5zdshz4p.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0402_zps5zdshz4p.jpg"/></a>
It was took me a while after I had got back to the bike to get ready to ride again after the experience of visiting the graveyard. However I had to get to Sarajevo and there were some challenging roads to ride. I rode off in silence not fully connected with the bike so took it easy for a while. Playing music on the GPS did not seem appropriate either. I remember similar feelings after visiting Dachau. However riding a bike demands your concentration and I could not remain detached for too long, there would be time to reflect more later. Like many Bosnian this roads this one became a series of curves and with a good surface, so perfect for bike riding. Gradually my concentration returned and I began to enjoy these curves. The road went over a pass and in places would rival some of the famous roads for riding pleasure.
Approaching Sarajevo from the north east for the first time was a surprise. There was no sprawl of the city like on the southern approach. At one moment I was out in the country and next I was in the old town looking for my hotel. The GPS position was not quite accurate so I spent a frustrating 20 minutes going around the one-way system before finding it, with locals waving at me and offering helpful advice. When I got to the hotel they told me there had been a problem with the booking and they were full. Oh, great! However they knew of another hotel which had a room not far away, with a garage, which was the same price. I suspected this was not entirely genuine but decided to go with them and look at the other hotel. It was about 5 minutes walk away, had a locked garage and the room was fine and air-conditioned. I took it and went back for the bike. On the walk to the 2nd hotel I was accompanied by a young lady who was quite chatty. She was very interested in my travels, particularly that I had been to Morocco. She said next time I was going to Morocco I should let her know and she would come with me. I agreed, and smiled at the likelihood of a young Muslim girl being allowed to accompany a stranger on a trip like this.
So after a shower I went to explore Sarajevo. I had visited before but I had not stayed in the city before, just visited for a day. I walked to the old square.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0421_zpsbvbdcfvp.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0421_zpsbvbdcfvp.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0421_zpsbvbdcfvp.jpg"/></a>
As I sat down at a familiar café the waiter came along and I ordered coffee. He clarified if I wanted cappuccino and I corrected him and ordered Bosnian coffee, which is like Turkish coffee. It comes in a metal jug and is poured into tiny handleless cups. Everything goes into the cup, both coffee and grains.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0420_zpslcptxb4b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0420_zpslcptxb4b.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0420_zpslcptxb4b.jpg"/></a>
It was the right drink to have in this square. Sarajevo has a particular atmosphere and energy about it. This area of the city is mainly Muslim and feels Turkish but 500 meters away the city has a western look. The city seems to combine the two identities quite easily. It is remarkable that Sarajevo has recovered so well after the 4 year siege which only ended just over 20 years ago. I suppose the resilience which helped the people survive the siege have been valuable in the recovery. I have read many books on the siege and one major shortage during the siege was water and the best supply was from the spring which supplied the brewery up on the hill. Residents had to trek up the hill, risking being shot by Serb snipers, to get their water supplies. This was a hazardous journey, and many did not make it back. But hopefully this all in Sarajevo's past.
After coffee I had a wander along the narrow streets towards the great mosque. Sarajevo is a great place to shop. There are lots of jewellery shops around with great choice. So much choice I was not able to decide on anything and went to look for some food. The locals here eat a small spicy sausage, served inside a bread roll and accompanied by a yoghurt drink. This would work for me and I sat down and ordered at an outside table. Soon after, 5 other tables were filled with a large Arab family and their Malaysian maid was placed on my table. She looked quite sad, with her head bowed and I wondered at her circumstances. I had seen large Arab families visiting Sarajevo on my last visit. As the food arrived for the family a seat was found for the maid on one of their tables and she seemed to brighten up, which I was pleased to see. The sausage and yoghurt drink were delicious and I was sorry I had not ordered more sausages. I wandered back to the great mosque, watching the worshipers washing their feet. Entry was not allowed at that time so I decided to explore area near the river. I found the spot where Archduke Franz Ferdenand was murdered in 1914.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0411_zps3hz9iov6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0411_zps3hz9iov6.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0411_zps3hz9iov6.jpg"/></a>
This assassination was seen by many as the trigger which led to WW1. The circumstances of the murder relied on chance and bumbling as the first attempt on the life of the Archduke, with a bomb, bounced of his open top car and exploded on the following car. The Archduke continued with his engagements and returned again in the open top car. To complicate matters, the driver took a wrong turning and was told to reverse, just at the point that the assassin, Gavrilo Princip, was waiting and he shot the Archduke and his wife. Some months later WW1 started and millions died.
Within 15 meters of the spot where the shooting of the Archduke took place there is a reminder of more recent Sarajevo history is this damage on the pavement caused by a Serb mortar, during the siege, is still unrepaired.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0412_zpsa9qwwkik.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0412_zpsa9qwwkik.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0412_zpsa9qwwkik.jpg"/></a>
The western end of the city is quite different to the east and I had a wander around it before going back to the hotel. There is quite a lively pub and restaurant culture in this part of the city. I found a pub with a live jazz band warming up and had a drink. It looked a good place and I resolved to go back to the hotel and return when they were due to play their set. The pub was packed later and I had an enjoyable time listening to the music and sampling the water from the brewery on the hill, which had thankfully been converted into beer.
Next morning I returned to the city before leaving and did a bit more shopping. The quiet atmosphere of the early morning, when stalls and shops were just opening, was another enjoyable side of Sarajevo. I did my shopping and finished with a last Turkish coffee in the square, vowing to return to the city in the future.
Back at the hotel I loaded the bike ready for the trip south. I managed the luggage pretty well this trip, with keeping everything I needed for the hotel in one bag which I kept on the passenger seat. I normally filled 2 small flasks with coffee in the morning and these went into the topbox. Of course I had more spare clothes than needed but not an excessive amount and would have less next time, honest! As I was intending to camp I had some food which would free up some pannier space for presents once eaten or discarded. So with the loaded bike I headed off out of Sarajevo for my first stop, Mostar. The road down from Sarajevo is an enjoyable ride, winding along next to the river. Soon the temperature built up and was quickly in the mid 30's. The one way system at Mostar always confuses me and I got tangled up again trying to get close to the old bridge(Stari Most). Finally in temperatures near 40C I found myself on the right road and then saw some steps leading down close to the bridge. Close to the steps was a car park and I pulled in. A guy came over and showed me where I could park. I explained I would only be 30 minutes as I just wanted to see the bridge. He said it was no problem and that I should leave my bike gear including helmet on the bike and he would keep an eye. Strangely I would not do this in UK but here it felt OK.
I went down to the cobbled street and looked for a particular shop I had visited a few times before. The owners were a Bosnian lady married to an English guy. I found the shop and asked if it was the right one. The assistant explained it was the correct shop but the couple were not still married. The shop specialises in good quality locally made items, jewellery, knitted and lace fabrics. I bought a few things and moved on to the bridge.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0427_zpsybcqeykw.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0427_zpsybcqeykw.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0427_zpsybcqeykw.jpg"/></a>
The bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges I have ever seen and always gives me goose bumps when I stand on it. It was originally build in the 16tn century by the Ottomans and is one of the prime example of Ottoman architecture in the Balkans. The original bridge was destroyed by Serb forces during the war in 1993. Which was a spectacular act of cultural vandalism. Happily the bridge has been rebuilt with stone from the same quarry as the original and looks great again. The local swimming club regularly dive or jump from the top of the bridge to the river, 25 meters below. One guy jumped while I was there, can you spot him?
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0431_zpswghk8njr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0431_zpswghk8njr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0431_zpswghk8njr.jpg"/></a>
My time in Mostar was short but I had seen the bridge and done my shopping so it was back to the bike, which was untouched with all my gear as I had left it. The guy wanted €1 for looking after the bike and I gave him a generous tip. He asked where I came from and I said near London. “Aah” he said, “you have good football teams there”. He asked which one I supported and I disappointed him by saying Liverpool. He was an Arsenal supporter. I had read they had bought a few new players and tried to feign some Arsenal team knowledge. I hoped they would do well this year and he stated clearly that "We will win the premiership this year" I'm sure Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, will be reassured that this young lad in Bosnia is confident of his teams success.
The road south continued along the river and at times traffic built up.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0424_zps6sioezek.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0424_zps6sioezek.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0424_zps6sioezek.jpg"/></a>
My plan was to ride down to Croatia and go North passing Split and camping at Trogir. As I approached the border some dark clouds appeared over the hills to my left. Then is started spitting rain as I crossed the border and very soon it was a full thunderstorm and I was searching for shelter. Once I'd become thoroughly soaked I spotted a petrol station and rode in. The petrol attendant was rescuing the rubbish bin which was being blown around the forecourt. I asked if it was OK to stay and was made welcome. No one was stopping for petrol in this downpour. I waited about 45 minutes and the rain eased. I wondered if it would follow me up the coast but felt I needed to get on my way. I rode further towards the coast and picked up the motorway just as the rain came back. I had about 100km to go to the campsite so decided to press on. I seemed to get ahead of the rain again. At this point I passed a couple on a motorbike from Montenegro, gave them a wave and carried on. Soon it began to warm up and I stopped to take off my waterproofs and the bike couple rode by. Later on the motorway I found the bikers stopped at the side of the road and pulled over to see if they needed help. They were fine just exhausted with riding in the heat and stopped for a drink of water. This underlined the advantage having a water bag on the bike and being able to drink as I rode along. Maybe my stopping would also encourage the couple to stop if they see a bike on the side of the road, in case help is needed. I suppose my stopping I was influenced by riding across the Sahara last year where you would never pass a stranded motorist.
The traffic when I arrived at Trogir was horrendous, both getting into the town and then out to the campsite. There were a number of campervans queued up outside the campsite and I regretted not booking. The couple in front of me at reception were asked if they had a reservation and when they said no, they were told the campsite was full. I approached the counter tentatively and asked if they had a pitch for a small bike and a small tent. They checked the computer and said they had one space for one night. The pitch was not great but it would do and I quickly put up the tent as the skies were darkening. I then had a shower and got the cooking gear out. I rustled up some pasta and sauce with a tin of sardines. Not Haute Cuisine cooking but it tasted pretty good after a hard days riding and was ready in 15 minutes, which was just as well as the thunderstorm arrived 1 minute later.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/P1010816_zpsfjdmrefb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/P1010816_zpsfjdmrefb.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010816_zpsfjdmrefb.jpg"/></a>
I retreated with my chair and meal to the tent. The temperature in the tent must been over 40C and I smiled at myself as I sat eating my meal in this campsite in Croatia, while listening to the Test Match Special cricket commentary, on BBC radio 4, with coverage of the Ashes test. The rain abated and I washed up. Later I could hear some music and I wondered if it was coming from the town. I was too tired to get the bike out again so decided on a wander around the campsite. As I approached one corner of the campsite the music got louder and I came across a 5 piece band, with an Elvis impersonator, in full swing at a bar overlooking the sea. The singer was OK and he clearly knew all Elvis's hits. I went to the bar but explained I only had Euro. No problem, and I handed over 5€ for a large beer. The change in local currency was enough to buy too more beers. So I sat back, drank my beer, listened to Elvis and reflected on a great day.
It rained during the night but was dry in the morning and warmed up quickly. The cheap tent had again proved waterproof and my confidence in it was growing. The campsite had a bakery on site so I was OK for breakfast. Afterwards I went into Trogir on the bike. It was even more lovely than I remembered and I rambled through the narrow streets with marble pavements and venetian style buildings. I stopped in one of the little squares and had an ice cream and later changed some money.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0435_zpsetizrxxa.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0435_zpsetizrxxa.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0435_zpsetizrxxa.jpg"/></a>
This would be my 7th foreign currency, including Euro. I looked around Trogir for swimming trunks but no joy so I headed back to the campsite after a delicious ice cream. The stall outside the campsite had trunks so for 8€ I was ready for the sea. The temperature was mid 30's again so a swim was just what I needed. The campsite has its own private beach but I had forgotten this area has no sand and they had spread white gravel instead. This gravel was sharp and painful to walk on and I remembered using swimming shoes here last time. Despite the gravel the swim was great and cooled me down. The sea here is not warm like in Greece, but the coolness is more refreshing in this heat. I heard music coming from my right and saw a fitness instructor guiding people in the sea through a series of energetic moves. The victims, about 80 of them, followed the instructor's every move. I settled back on my towel and relaxed trying to blot out the noise and the sight of the energetic participants.
After a shower I was ready for another outing, visiting Split. Split is the 2nd city of Croatia and has an ancient history. It was a Roman settlement and has the remains of a palace built by the Emperor Diocletian who came from this area of the empire. Later it was a major city in the Venetian empire and has a lot of Venetian influence on its buildings. I rode into the city and parked close to the port and beside the palace in the large bike park. The temperature was in the mid 30's so I was not going to be waking too far. I first went to the ground floor of the Diocletian’s palace which is now full of jewellery and gift shops and a some degrees cooler than outside.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0447_zpsxs8nmh5d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0447_zpsxs8nmh5d.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0447_zpsxs8nmh5d.jpg"/></a>
I was aiming for a jewellery stall I had frequented a few times before, hoping it was still there, 2nd or 3rd on the left as you enter from the port. Sure enough there it was, selling an interesting collection of locally made items. I did a bit of shopping and spoke to the attendant. She asked how I was travelling and said her aim was also to travel around Europe on a motorbike on her own. She also said she loved living in Split even when there were so many visitors. I suggested the large number of visitors was a good thing for trade and her business. She said that although there are an increased number of visitors now, they are not spending as much as they did in the past. I wandered off with my purchases past the people dressed up as Roman gladiators and explored a few of the narrow streets behind the palace. I settled in a little square and drank a fruit smoothie in the shade. Had a wander along the seafront admiring the large yachts and back into the palace before going back to the bike and mixing it with the late afternoon traffic back to Trogir and the campsite. I wandered over to the beach and had a last swim before starting to cook.
This evening’s menu was a spiced rice with tinned salmon. I do eat well while camping! This year I had just travelled with my small gas stove which was fine for the few meals I planned to cook. When I got to opening the salmon, I realised it did not have a screw opening like the sardines and got the Leatherman out, for its only outing of the trip. Wow this was living in the wild side, gas stove, rice and fish, eating in the open air, using my Leatherman, outside my tent on the edge of the ocean. Eat your heart out Blair Grills.... OK, there was a perfectly good restaurant in the campsite, less than 100 meters away...but I was living the adventurer's life, right?
Later I went back to the bar on the edge of the ocean, no Elvis this time but they still had beer. I sat with the sound of the water lapping on the rocks below and wrote up some notes in the mellow evening heat. This stop at Trogir was a good break and an excellent place to spend 2 nights relaxing after the journey from Romania. I felt ready now for the proper return leg, calling into Trieste in Italy, and then Germany.
I woke the next morning early to a dry tent, and was packed away by 8:15. I then had a frustrating delay at reception trying to checkout which lasted about 40 minutes with the temperature rising all the time. There was then quite a queue to get off the island before I could start riding north. My plan was to join the motorway as I had a fair bit to go. I initially rode along the wonderful coastal road taking in the views and enjoying the corners and overtaking cars.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0457_zpsyesi5x23.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0457_zpsyesi5x23.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0457_zpsyesi5x23.jpg"/></a>
I then moved towards the motorway to make faster progress but when I got to the motorway it was packed and very slow. I was pretty committed now so continued on the motorway. I was able to filter but the slow speed provided little cooling and I got very hot. I stopped for petrol which also took a long time. I removed my outer jacket and rode off with just my armour mesh inner jacket as the temperature was around 35c. It soon started to rain again and I could not be bothered to stop so I got quite wet. The rain cleared and the temperature rose quickly again to the mid 30s and in about 20 minutes I was dry again. This happened once more further up the motorway and again I dried out. I parted company with the motorway and found the road leading to the Slovenian border and to the hotel I had stored in the GPS.
The approach to the border was busy with a long queue of cars and by this stage it had started to rain again but this time I had put waterproofs on. As well as the rain there was an occasional rumble of thunder and the sky was quite dark. Arriving at the hotel, which was a motel type place with a restaurant, I was initially told by the waiter, that they had a room and it would be 30€ with breakfast. This was a relief as the thunderstorm now seemed imminent. Sadly the manager corrected the waiter and explained they only had a room for 3 which would be 75€. I looked at the sky and for a moment considered taking it, but there was another motel nearby and the manager mentioned a B&B up the road. I asked first at the other motel but they were full so I got back on the bike with the thunder getting nearer and more frequent. The B&B looked tatty so I passed by and resorted to asking the GPS for the nearest hotels. The very nearest was called a casino hotel so I initially dismissed it as likely to be too expensive, that was until there was a bright flash of lightening and almost immediately a loud clap of thunder. This convinced me that maybe I should look at the casino hotel and at least get some shelter.
The hotel was as grand as I feared with tall Romanesque columns and a grand entrance which all suggesting it would be expensive.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0459_zps3x5bky96.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0459_zps3x5bky96.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0459_zps3x5bky96.jpg"/></a>
However, there was a guy parking his bike in the entrance and waved me in, moving his bike to ease my parking. His bike was immaculate and so were his clothes, he clearly had not been on the road for two weeks like me. In fact he explained he had just ridden for about 30 minutes from Trieste, just across the border. I parked next to a Romanesque statue.
<a href="http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/gsjim2/media/Romania%202015/IMAG0458_zps8lifuwhv.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1337.photobucket.com/albums/o662/gsjim2/Romania%202015/IMAG0458_zps8lifuwhv.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMAG0458_zps8lifuwhv.jpg"/></a>
At least I now had shelter from the thunder storm which was in full swing. As I was parked up I thought I would go in and ask the cost of a room, knowing it was out of my budget. Walking across the marble foyer did not reassure me it would be affordable me but I was amazed to find it was only 50€ for a single room, with breakfast. As the thunderstorm continued and it was already 6:30 the decision was easy. I asked about places to eat and the receptionist indicated their restaurant and again I feared the cost, but they had a 3 course meal for 7.50€, happy days! I can only assume they keep the cost of the hotel and food low, to encourage punters to come to the casino. Anyway it was perfect for me this evening and I unloaded and had my 4th shower of the day, this time indoors and without wearing my riding gear.
Beautiful pictures, excellent writeup. A great route to follow if I ever get a chance to ride to that part of the world. 
