The Pannier tells it all

One last look at the Africa Twin before it is put away, 28500 km and 25 countries. We missed getting stickers for a few countries(including Germany). These last few days before we fly to Thailand will be spent in Wiesbaden with our friends Franz and Sabina, where we wore to snow this morning. We are looking forward to Southeast Asia...flights are booked for Tuesday from Frankfurt.

See you there!

A quick return

It seems like just yesterday I was laying on the beach and Ken was swimming in the  Sea.

Then it was into Slovenia.

Then into Italy, then Slovenia, then Italy...again!

Then into Austria.

where the colours are starting to turn.  Here we visited our friends Georg and Christine, did a little hike with them...but could only stay the day because the next day it was off to...

Germany, to return the bike to Assendorf before the weather changed for the worse.  Heinz and Martina here we come!

And now look at Ken...working hard, raking leaves.  Life is good.  28500 km and Europe is finished, for the time being!

Croatia, or is it Hrvatska?

Another country to put on our must see list.  We found Croatia very interesting and beautiful but not without its problems.  Europeans have been vacationing in Croatia for years, and according to some of the bussiness owners 25 to 30 years ago where the "golden years" for them to make money, the years before the Balkin war.  Today the average wage is about $350-400 Euros a month, a little more than in Montenegro but the cost of living is much higher.  The inflation rate in Croatia is climbing, for example a lb. of butter which was 1 Euro last year is now 1.60 but wages are the same.  But that being said...it was a great place to visit and was diversified, with mountain parks, farmland, islands and beaches.

We started our visit to Croatia in the south staying just outside Dubrovnik in the small beach village of Mlini, thanks to a tip from Klaus and Renate.  We found a family run pension"Villa Nina" which was just a few steps from the beach, where we made ourselves quite comfortable for a few days.  They were great, being the only guests at that time, they gave us the run of the kitchen and it was great to be able to cook a few meals ourselves instead of always eating out.  We had a hard time tearing ourselves away...again.

Heading north we decided to do a little island hopping.  First we took a ferry to Korcula, where they grow a lot of grapes and make a fair bit of wine and rakijha...sort of their version of moonshine, yes we had to stop and buy a couple of bottles, one rakijha made with herbs added to it(good for the digestion) and one wine made from sherry(very sweet but great for dessert).  As it turned out the ferries were not running very often because the tourist season is mostly over so after only one day in the south islands we set sail for Split on the mainland.  Interesting, again we met two couples on the ferry from Canada...we Canadians do love to travel.

The city of Split itself didn't do anything for us so we decided to find a hotel outside of the city, or that was our plan until we got flagged over by two guys on an old BMW who insisted we follow them, they could hook us up! A few guys from the " Oldtimers Moto Klub" were meeting for a beer and wouldn't you know it one of them had an apartment back in Split we could use for the night,for a price.  Right on, so back we went!  One night in the city was enough and in the morning we were off to the mountians and Plitvicka Jezera National Park.

P.J.N.P.(which is what I will call it from here on) was unbelievable!  P.J.N.P. is the biggest and oldest park in Croatia(1949), it's known for it's lakes and many waterfalls formed from mineral water solidifing and forming travertines.  Remember this word from Pamakulle, Turkey? only in Croatia the mineral water is a beautiful blue colour and flows through a gorge, forming lakes joined together with everchanging waterfalls.  We made a 6 hour hike around the lakes, and with help of a boat and bus covered most of the park.  We hiked one part of the trail that was actually closed(we didn't know at the time) and we were so happy to be the only people on the trail.  This was not the case on the other parts of the trail, bus loads of tourists walked the boardwalks and made it not quite as nice.  We enjoyed the park immensely, however.  Too many people and too cool weather...off to the beach!

Another of the islands, Krk, this one in the north of Croatia is where we headed to spend our last few days in the heat before we headed back to Germany.  As we crested the hill before hitting the coastline we were astounded by the view of the rock covered islands, a big contrast to the green mountians of P.J.N.P.  Krk is joined to the mainland by a toll bridge and a small ferry joining the islands of Krk and Cres, we crossed the bridge and found an unbelievable deal on an apartment in Baska, at the southern tip of the island.  Once again, a kitchen to do some of our own cooking, restuarants nearby if we needed them and plenty of hiking trails.  We had a chance to do one 6 (or so)km hike, that left us breathless, before Ken looked at the weather forcast for Austria and Germany and saw the temperatures dipping into the minus numbers. Halfway through my morning cup of coffee we started packing up the bike and within the hour we were on the road...again...headed north.  

This is a hotel in Mlini which has sat empty since the early 1990s when war broke out in the Balkin countries.  if you look close you can see the holes from mortar shells.

Taking a look at the Adriadic Sea as we come to the coast after spending several days inland.

The view from a hike we did on Krk Island.  With lots of rocks to work with, they made all the fences(which there are miles and miles of)to keep their animals in.  The earth is so rocky it even holds, water from underground springs.

Looking down into the lower section of Plitvicka Jezera National Park.

 From a viewpoint just south of Dubrovnik there is a great view of the old town  and the new city, the only thing that is missing is the port on the other side of the hill where all the cruise ships dock. There are sometimes as many as 10,000 passengers visiting the old town from the cruise ships. 

When the cruise ships are in port the passengers are spending most of their time visiting the old town so some of the parks are empty.  Nice for us, we have the place to ourselves!

While hiking one end of Plitvicka Jezera N.P. we stopped to cool of in a cave with a nice view up the canyon. 

We noticed these locks on a bridge in Dubrovnik.  When people marry they put a lock on a fence or bridge with their names and wedding date on it, there it stays , a reminder of their bond.

The  land is terraced from the sea to the top of many islands.  Once again they used what they had to make fences, this time the fences are around the olive trees.

We are enjoying a quiet moment in front of one of the waterfalls in P.J.N.P.

A look down a small street in Dubrovnik.

Boardwalks are built throughout the canyon because the water is constantly moving, making new creeks and waterfalls.

Just another beautiful waterfall in P.J.N.P.

Standing on the beach in the village of Baska, on the island of Krk, you have an amazing view of the mainland in the distance and some of the other smaller islands.

A closer look at the terracing on the islands.  It is amazing the work the people have done here!

We passed many smaller islands and sailboats along the way on our three hour ferry ride from Vela Luka, on the island of Korcula, to Split, on the mainland.  

Ken stands on the balcony at our pension "Villa Nina" in Mlini, enjoying the view of the water and the garden below.

Walking around the streets in Dubrovnik you just don't know what you will find..  Old town is off in the distance but many ruins are scattered everywhere.

It's not boaring

We forgot to put this photo in the Montenegro post. This guy passed us on the road then stopped in the next town to show off his trophy...A big wild boar!

Montenegro

Montenegro is the place you want to go if you love to hike, bike or just want to drive through some of the  most beautiful county side and meet some really nice people.

With a rope tied to the wheelbarrow to help with the weight, this construction worker halls tiles up the mountian.  He doesn't want to slip off as it was quite a drop off the other side!

In the village of Crna Gora, in the Durmitor National Park, little yards with sheep and goats dot the mostly barren fields.  Rocks that have been picked from the fields make most the fences not to mention building material for the houses themselves.

A perfect place to put a bench to enjoy the view of Durmitor N.P just before asending down to the plateaus and th city of Zabljak.

Behind Ken the mountians of DurmitorN.P.and the road up from the canyon we just rode.

Ken made friends with a couple of taxi drivers who were waiting for fairs from the cruise ship in Kotor.  They made him look rather smallish(and he stands 6'1" or 186cm) Montenegro has the second tallest men in the world next to the Masai, in Africa. 

By night the wall of the old town of Kotor.  With the river on one side and the mountians behind, on which the fortification was built, the top was 1350 steps up from inside the city wall itself.  We made the climb and what a view we got!

The view from our lunch spot during a hike in Biogradska Gora N.P. We hiked an elavation gain of 450 metres up from Lake Biograd.  The surrounding mountians are mostly over 2000 metres. 

The city of Kotor far below, the Old Town, new town and cruise ship which nearly blocked the entrance to the bay(apparrently it accomodates over 5000 people

A Church on a small island in the inlet was built as hanks from the fisherman, in hopes they would always have good fishing and calm seas.

At the border of Albania going into Montenegro we thought we had special treatment as they motioned us, with the bike, through with the people traveling by foot into the customs area.  It was one of our easiest border crossings yet!

Pine trees cling to the sides of the gorge in Durmitor N.P.  This park is second only to the Grand Canyon when it comes to depth.

Mary had a little lamb, and it lives in Montenegro.

Ken contemplates soaring like a eagle over a canyon in Durmitor N.P.  What a great little spot the house in the background has, just so long as you are not a sleep walker...it is a long way down.

At the top of the Mount Lovcen, 1750 metres high, located in the Dinara Alps in the Lovcen N.P. stands a mausoleum was built.  It was started in 1951 and was not opened to the public until just about 25 years later.

At sunrise, a few threatening thunderheads develop over the Adriatic Sea at Safari Beach campsite in Ulcinj. 

25 switchbacks make their way up the mountain behind Kotor, you just can't be afraid of heights in this country.

Still in Durmitor N.P. mountians drop into turquise blue lakes.  The single lane roads were cut into the mountian side with lots of tunnels, and no guard rails.

A diamond in the rough, that is what we think of when we think of Montenegro, our favourite country in the Balkan countries...so far.  For such a small country it has so much to offer. Four amazing National Parks with awesome hiking, mountian biking and beaches.  We started our stay in Montenegro with one of the easiest border crossings yet which made us happy right from the start.  Our first stop in Montenegro was at Ulcinj where we stayed for 3 days camping on the beach and enjoying a little sun.  Here we met Klaus and Renata, from Dressen, we shared some of her fresh baked German cake and coffee along with some great travel tips for Montenegro and Croatia.  

After a couple days of basking in the sun we headed for the hills, once again looking for those small roads.  A single lane road from Bar across to Lake Skadar and the National Park of the same name was one of the best yet and then the same day we continued on from the capital city Podgorica to Kolasin the entrance to the Biogradska Gora National Park.  We found the best pension in town "Pension Kolasin" where we spent two nights and did a hike in the park.  The hike took us up into the park to Lake Biograd where we hiked another 450 meter into the alpine meadows and rocky cliffs.  We need to get a little exercise once in a while. 

From Kolasin it was off to Zabljak and another park, Durmitor National Park located in the north of Montenegro bosts having one of the deepest canyons in the world, Tara Canyon, over a kilometre deep, second only to the Grand Canyon.  The first day we arrived it was a little hazy but on the second day the weather cleared up and the visability was amazing.  Deep canyons,  solid rock cliffs and mountian tops, lakes and pine trees growing straight out of the rock, and small villages dotted the mountiansides, all sitting amongst piles of rocks that people had cleared from their land and now used for fences, houses and barns.  We had a lot of "WOW" moments.     

We had to tear ourselves away but after two sensory overloaded days we headed back down to the coast and the city of Kotor.  The Old Town of Kotor sits at the base of the mountians and tucked into the back of a weather sheltering bay.  A fortress sits on the mountian behind the Old Town and at night is lit up along with the wall around the city itself.  At least one cruiseship anchors in the bay everyday  during the cuising season so the town can get a little busy and touristy but we loved the city, climbing the 1350 step of the fortress and doing a bike ride through Lovcen National Park, located right behind Kotor, riding the 25 switchbacks and on to the top of Mount Lovcen, Crna Gora, The Black Mountian(Montenegro in Italian) after which the country was named, to an elevation of about 1750 metres.  We have had some very good luck finding pensions(one really bad, Hotel Javor in Zablijak, but we won't go there...and neither should you), again in Kotor it was our good luck to find Kovacevic Apartments where we stayed with a very nice couple.  The man at the pension makes rakija, they call it homemade brandy,  here, but I think we would call it moonshine...it was really good and Ken swears it is good for digestion and settling the stomach.  We also enjoyed some of the best food we have had in a while, including stuffed peppers, calmari, and of course shopsa salad(simular it greek salad).  Damn it was hard to leave...again!

From Kotor it was of to Croatia.

Macedonia

                        There are all kinds of vehicles on the road, this guy is harvesting something.    

Tobacco is one of the main crops that is being grown, Prilep is the tobacco capital of Macedonia.

On a back road we came across some gypsy loggers.  Thier logging trucks were old Ladas with no back seat, filled to the brim and no trunk lid...Ken calls them a mini Mac.

An old church located on a rocky knoll had a wonderful view of Lake Ohrid.

What a cute face, and all dressed up and no place to go!

Unbelieveable, we met Denis and Jasmine,from the Netherlands, at the Fort in Ohrid., As it turns out they were
freinds of our good friends in Peachland, Neil and Jill and they were also friends of a nice Dutch couple we spent time with in Turkey, who were also from Netherlands.  What a small world!

Beautiful Lake Ohrid, waterfront with the city and fort in the background.

We came into  Macedonia with our eyes wide open, we really hadn't heard too much about it and didn't know what to expect.  Right away, we found the people very helpful and friendly.  First thing we headed for the hills and went over a high pass, shortly after we stopped for lunch and met George, a guy who spoke English and was more than happy to give us a few tips on what we should see in Macedonia.   One of his suggestions was a road on our map that looked to be a main road, as it turned out it was gravel and we thought we were lost and would have turned around if our GPS hadn't kept us going.  The road and the view ended up being a highlight.  When we made it to Prilep we stayed at a hotel with a pleasant host who had spent time studing in Sweden and Greece, and spoke perfect English...it worked for us.

From Pricep it was off to Lake Ohrid, where again we found a very friendly host at a pension...we ended up staying 3days enjoying the city sights and relaxing.  It is one of the largest lakes in Europe and it was unbelievable the number of pensions, hotels and restuarants in the city.  Pension owners chased you down on foot, bicycle, or scooter.  Tourist season was mostly over already so we had our choice of many places.  Ohrid is located on a lake 360 meters deep and is situated in the corner of Macedonia, Albania and Greece.  A fort overlooks the city and lake, which has a rare species of trout.

Macedonia, was short and sweet, as was the border leaving it, into Albania.