Posts Tagged ‘Montenegro’

Day 48. 77km. Budva – Shtuf

Posted: October 30, 2014 in Albania, Cycling, Montenegro
Tags: , , , ,
0

A day of contrasts. Old town in Budva, up and down coast road, refreshing swim, a gaggle of long distance cyclists and camping next to the cow highway in Albania.

Camping along the cow highway

Camping along the cow highway

I am addicted. Addicted to cycling. Addicted to internet. The lengths I go to get an internet fix.

The steel rods in the wall make for a weak internet signal.

The steel rods in the wall make for a weak internet signal.

I am addicted to swimming. Again a beautiful beach, almost deserted in the post summer lull.

Contemplating a swim

Contemplating a swim

I am addicted to chocolate. James pointed out my quirky traits. I have a massive bag of cables, adapters, chargers, batteries and memory cards. I have another bag – my snack bag. It is massive and a treasure trove of chocolate from distant countries. Today I had a minor emergency. My snack bag was totally EMPTY. After a 20% climb to change direction and join the road to the Albanian border, the snack bag was emptied. Luckily we passed a supermarket. I breathed a sigh of relief. A trolley full of chocolate.

The salvation of the snack bag

The salvation of the snack bag

I am not the only cycling addict. Today was a day of the long distance cyclist get-together.

Sotiria, Maarten, James and me

Sotiria, Maarten, James and me

More long distance cyclists

More long distance cyclists

Today the landscape changed. The feeling of it all changed. First we joined a quiet rural road that rolled down to the Albanian border. Roosters crowing, all sorts of animals crossing the road, and a relaxed, non-touristy atmosphere.

Rural approach to Albania

Rural approach to Albania

Back to the wild camping. Let’s have another stab at the 3 days of wild camping in a row. Our tents are nestled in-between some farming equipment hidden from the road. It turns out we are on the edge of a cow thoroughfare.

Near our camping spot

Near our camping spot

Our camping ground

Our camping ground

The tent is hidden from the road

The tent is hidden from the road

Day 47. 65km. Njegusi – Budva

Posted: October 29, 2014 in Cycling, Montenegro
Tags: , ,
6

Montenegro is mountaineous. (I guess I already knew that. ☺) From our vantage point of over 1600m, we could see 80% of all of Montenegro – a grey rugged landscape. The shivering slimy unshowered trio then descended to the coast where I convinced James to forget our challenge and pay for accommodation. We are now showered and fresh in Budva.

Nearing 1600m

Nearing 1600m

I am a creature of comfort. When it is sunny, warm and fine weather, a bit of adventure and excitement are fine – camping on a hidden cove of a bay or in a grassy plain behind a restaurant. Today it got colder and cloudy. Speeding down towards the coast, the shivering slimy Matthew decided he needed a shower. James wanted to sleep on the beach directly in front of the old town, in front of the restaurants and cafes. I haven’t passed my hard-core level 5 exams yet. That challenge can wait for another day.

There was a bird’s eye view from our 1600m perch. Lake Shokdër and Albania were in the distance – very high mountains. Whether or not we dare go there away from the coast is not decided.

image

Looking out towards Albania

Looking out towards Albania

Wilm is leaving us, catching the boat to Italy to continue his trip. A couple that James knows are about 30km ahead of us. Clèment and JP are a bit behind us. I’m not sure what is next. Along the coast to Albania, but, more than that is unclear. I like it like that!

My blogs will be updated if I have internet. If they are not every day, don’t worry. I am (probably) safe and enjoying myself!

Day 46. 48km. Herceg Novi – Njegusi

Posted: October 29, 2014 in Cycling, Montenegro
Tags: , , ,
10

OMG. Today was the most amazing awesome incredible spectacular day. The Kotor bay is surrounded by a ring of imposing mountains. And we climbed one. The best cycling day of my life!

image

The cycling team consisted of James – New Zealander returning home from England, and Wilm, cycling to and from Germany. We woke looking out over a beautiful bay, hearing the waves lapping on the pebbles. My first time wild camping without a tent.

image

We stopped at Copacabana to replenish our water supplies. Relaxed and laid back, I sipped on my Cockta.

image

Then around the bay of Kotor and up the serpentine road, bathed in sun, and treated to the most amazing views.

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

image

World Cycle: Route through Europe

Posted: March 2, 2014 in Cycling
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
4

My route through Europe, on the way from the Netherlands to Australia by bike is complete. Well, I have a draft route with lots of options. And I will definitely end up cycling something else. That’s part of the fun. Still, it’s nice to have a basic plan to make some timing estimates.

World Bike Trip 2014: Route through Europe

World Bike Trip 2014: Route through Europe

The starting date is 13 September 2014. Here are some expected dates (very approx):

  • Stelvio pass 28.09.2014
  • Trieste 05.10.2014 – then one week on the Istria peninsula
  • Thessaloniki 30.10.2014

I plan to arrive in Istanbul the start of December. Clearly I will have about one month extra up my sleeve, so, depending on how I feel, I will do detours on the way. One I have in mind is cycle to Athens, then take the boat to Chios, and then cycle up the Turkish coast to Istanbul. Let’s see.

Once arriving in Istanbul, I will take a break for about 3 months for the seasons to change. I will spend Christmas in Australia before returning to Istanbul to continue the trip.

Many thanks to lots of friends and people from the cycling forums for their tips and advice. A lot of it has been built into the route. In fact, in many countries, I have lots of different options for my route, which are visible in the links below. See how I feel when I get there. Here are the more detailed routes and notes on the different countries in Europe.

World Cycle: Routes through Italy, Croatia and Montenegro

Posted: February 9, 2014 in Cycling
Tags: , , ,
2

The planning continues – putting together a cycling route through Europe as part of my world cycle from Eindhoven in the Netherlands, to Adelaide, Australia.

This is a part I am really looking forward to. Coming down from the alps, visiting the spectacular city of Venezia (Venice), before cycling down the beautiful Balkan coast. The photos of that coast look amazing. *Excited*.

skadar_w

Skadar lake in Montenegro. (www.caingram.info)

Like on earlier trips, I am planning a route, and letting people out there in internet land shoot at it. Here are my planned routes for Italy, Croatia and Montenegro.

All suggestions are welcome!