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Europe

June - August 2022
Riding through Norway, Sweden, Croatia, the Alps, Italy and some more of Europe with Chezle Read more
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  • 12countries
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  • TravelerEurope
    Day 24

    Struppen to Petrovice

    July 19, 2022 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Snuggled up in a little hotel room in Petrovice, Czech Republic, keeping out of the 37’c heat. Although we didn’t make it to Prague (due to the soaring temperatures) we have seen a wonderful side to the Czech Republic, with incredibly friendly and hospitable people, beautiful countryside and delicious food (and beer of course). We rode about 210km or 130mikes but the weather was so stifling it was good to reach our destination early (15.30ish). We met a lovely lady at lunchtime who had lived in Buckinghamshire for a time and had friends in Prague who have travelled all over. The people at the brilliant little restaurant below yes we’re also lovely and helped us keep the bikes secure over night.

    Looking forward to reaching Austria tomorrow and maybe doing a bit of exploring. Until then I’m going to sleep well in a slightly cooler room than my tent yesterday!

    HIGHLIGHTS - listening to Einaudi whilst riding through the Czech countryside, meeting lovely people
    LOW POINTS - traffic lights turning red in built up area and 37’c heat
    ROADS - 116, 118    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 25

    Petrovice to Vodni Nadrz Lipno

    July 20, 2022 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Only 140km today again, it was very hot and sticky but we missed the worst of the heat stopping at a wonderful house caked the State Chateau Hlubokà which was incredible. We learnt a lot about the Schwarzenberg family over the years and how they lost 80% of their wealth and influence in 1947 when the communism became the leading political influence. Unfortunately, they never regained the property which is why it is still a ‘State Chateau’.

    We even made a little makeshift Shelter from the heat!! After a break from the heat we headed south again for a lake and hopefully a cool down.

    The campsite was a little ramshackle but I got to go for a swim in the lake and walk around the local area for a bit of a relax. It was a good end to the day.

    The Czech Republic is a hidden gem for biking with beautiful views, wonderful roads and even some mountain twisties in the south. I will remember listening to Einaudi riding through tranquil woodlands and neglected villages. Followed by ostentatious brightly coloured houses like icing decorations on a giant cake! It’s unique and has a contrary identity, confused by relics of old wealth and the harsh reality of communism

    HIGHLIGHTS - State Chateau Hlubokà
    LOW POINTS - the heat!
    ROADS - 105, 1472    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 26

    Vodni Nadrz Lipno to Traisen

    July 21, 2022 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Another short trip today (just 250km) but we’ve hit another country! We’re now in Austria in a beautiful campsite on the edge of the mountains. It was hot again today so didn’t make get so far and had to stop a few times but it’s wonderful to get a taste of the alps. We rode along the Danube, which is wide and lazy, before hitting some smaller twister roads and then heading south in search of higher altitudes and a respite from the heat.

    A rest night tonight, showers, good food, lovely people and a brilliant alcoholic drink that you can only get in this part of Austria. Luckily the owner said he can ship the homemade syrup home with us if we need!

    HIGHLIGHTS - lovely people of Austria, beautiful campsite
    LOW POINTS - the heat (again), breakfast
    ROADS - Klingenbergstaße, Naarntalstaße, route 3 along the Danube    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 27

    Traisen to Dolenjske Toplice

    July 22, 2022 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    I’m tipsy! Had a brilliant ride today (a whopping 400km) over the border from Austria. Our wonderful campsite host, Norbert suggested a well ridden motorbike rode with a fantastic cafe in the middle (Kalte Kuchl Alpengasthof). It was incredible! Beautiful sweeping bends, stunning alpine scenery and ribbons of perfect tarmac. It was brilliant to see some other riders too, including a new Speed Triple RS and a newer Street Triple.

    We then spent the hottest part of the day at a shopping mall to buy some essentials and escape the heat before hitting Slovenia, once we’d bought our vignette. We decided to put some miles down on the Slovenian highways but then ended up on some incredible curvaceous (ohh la la) roads up through the hills of Slovenia. I think we have fallen in love with Slovenia and we’ve only been here a day. It was the golden hour with the sun just setting, the cool evening air coming down the mountains and it was perfection.

    We ended the evening at our hotel bar with a few beers in a warm evening, looking forward to air conditioning and a nice bed.

    HIGHLIGHTS - riding through Slovenia at sunset, the wonderful mountain pass in Austria
    LOW POINTS - putting our ridding gear back on after the mall
    ROADS - Innerhalbach, route 21 and 20 (Austria), 423, 424, 672 (Slovenia)    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 29

    Dolenjski Toplice to Hisa Brdo

    July 24, 2022 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Quick one today as we left the delicious Dolenjski Toplice hotel with air con and headed to Louise and Roger’s guest house called Hisa Brdo (House on the Hill) near Grahovo ob Baci on the edge of the Slovenians Alps.

    It was a hot day that started out with a lot of rain, but we arrived nice and early and spent the evening laughing, talking and drinking with Louise and Roger before heading to bed nice and early. There place is wonderful and absolutely stunning! Looking forward to spending time with them tomorrow.

    HIGHLIGHTS - meeting Roger and Louise, the beautiful roads
    LOW POINT - feeling too hot!
    ROADS - 214, 106, 212, 408, 210, 102    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 30

    Rest Day: Hisa Brdo

    July 25, 2022 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Today has been wonderful!

    After a lazy morning relaxing at Hisa Brdo, Roger, Louise and Uros came with us for a ride over to Bled where we spent the afternoon swimming in the lake to escape the heat and eating at a ladies small restaurant called Monica. It was great fun and Louise was great fun to ride behind on her Street Triple 765.

    Lake Bled was astonishingly beauty and very clear and warm, making a swimming a complete pleasure. The setting was like something from a film! Unfortunately, a large team of fire service and police were searching for a man who had been missing for over 3 hours.

    Monica’s was also wonderful and we got to see her black kitchen and listen to her accordion 🪗 there were a lot of jokes after about our similarities in appearance 😅😂.

    The ride back got us in at just after 8pm and we carried on the evening drinking a few beers and grabbing a relatively early night.

    HIGHLIGHTS - riding with Roger and Louise, Bled and it’s beautiful scenery and swimming
    LOW POINTS - none
    ROADS - 403, 909    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 32

    Hisa Brdo to Bovec

    July 27, 2022 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    The last few days with Roger and Louise at Hisa esp have been brilliant, but like all good things, they must come to an end and today we rode the whopping 45 minutes up the road to Bovec where we intend on spending a few days exploring the area.

    Last night we all went to a local campsite for some food and lots of drinking including the local delicacy, pine schnapps which was very yummy and pretty lethal. It was a great night with many laughs and fun!

    We said goodbye to Roger and Louise at about lunchtime and rode to the nearby town of Most Na Soci for some lunch and a doze in the sunshine next to the beautiful Soca river. We then got back on the bikes in search of a campsite. No mean feat in the middle of the summer holidays but we managed to find one and after checking in, we both promptly fell asleep.

    HIGHLIGHTS - the river Soca
    LOW POINTS - felt a little dozy
    ROADS - 102, 203    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 33

    Rest Day: Bovec

    July 28, 2022 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    What a day!? I thought I couldn’t fall in love with Slovenia any more than I already had done, but clearly I was wrong. Yesterday we decided to have a rest day without the luggage to explore the local area, know as the Julian Alps and I am so very glad we did.

    After a nice relaxing coffee in Bovec and a quick stop at the bakery we headed up Mangart Saddle, a well known biking route on the border with Italy. The views were incredible with rugged mountains in all directions and blue skies. Heavenly! We spent many hours up there just looking at the view, walking and eating our early lunch. I even tried to get my drone out but it decided to have a quick malfunction and fell in amongst the trees. As a dedicated pilot, I climbed down the side of a mountain to reach it!

    One mountain pass ticked off and the fresh mountain air in our lungs (along with a couple of cigarettes) we headed off in such of our next set off hairpins.

    Vršič pass was far less scenic and far more technical. Who puts cobbles on hairpin bends?! Each hairpin was numbered (genius!) so we know that we rode from 53 to 17 and back. A whopping 72 hairpins each as we went there and back. And of course we both got stickers!!

    The final part of the so before returning to camp was pretty special. The Soca river is turquoise blue and crystal clear, it’s also glacially cold, having flowed from the beautiful rivers that we had seen earlier in the day. After a hot and sticky day on the bikes, it was the perfect remedy! My hands and feet aches from the cold but I guess that made it even more special. What a glorious day! Again!

    HIGHLIGHTS - sitting at the top of Mangart Pass taking in the view, swimming in the icy cold Soca
    LOW POINTS - hand cramp from too many hairpins
    ROADS - Mangart Pass, Vršič Pass    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 34

    Bovec to Rovinj

    July 29, 2022 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We hit the road today in search of sunshine and quieter campsites and Croatia of course! The camp we had been staying at was busy and slightly chaotic so we decamped and hit the road.

    We said goodbye to the mountains of the passed few days and headed for the Mediterranean coastline for some sun and boy did we get it.

    It was a short day on the road but felt long with sweltering temperatures, Chez thinks it was about 33c and I think it was 50c 🥵😂

    We arrived at our little Airbnb early and instantly took showers, Chez then took to editing and I went out for a long walk around the harbour. With million dollar boats and expensive hotels, it was a little glimpse into how the other half live.

    HIGHLIGHTS - walk around the harbour in the evening
    LOW POINTS - the heat
    ROADS -    Read more

  • TravelerEurope
    Day 35

    Rovinj to Fazana

    July 30, 2022 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Our wonderful host let us leave the bikes at the Airbnb apartment so we walked into Rovinj to explore the old town, take a dip in the sea and eat some wonderful sea food.

    The front was just as beautiful as the evening before with a little more hustle and bustle. We drank coffee on the shore in a swanky little cafe sometimes getting a little wet from the waves splashing against the sea wall.

    Caffeined up, we headed for the cobbled streets of Rovinj, which were wonderful, and very easy to get lost in! At the top is the beautiful church of St Euphamia, a huge Catholic Church with sweeping vistas of the Mediterranean and small town below. We both lit a candle for loved ones and sat in the shade before descending the hill in search of food.

    On the menu? Fish, of course! I had seabass and Chez had squid and it was very good! I think Chez even took a photo as she is want to do!

    We finished the day off with a dip in the incredibly salty Mediterranean and then went off to grab the bikes and attempt to find somewhere to stay.

    What with the raging wild fires recently, we had made the decision to do a few Airbnbs but they are hard to find in Croatia and so we ended up further down the coast at a little spot called Fazana. Looking forward to a longer day tomorrow as we head to our base inland and can dump all our bags for a few days!

    HIGHLIGHTS - cobbled streets of Rovinj, sea food, swimming in the Mediterranean
    LOW POINTS - stress of not finding anywhere to kip
    ROADS - none of note    Read more

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