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Bicycle touring Balkans
  • Where's Woully Wandering.
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  • Where's Woully Wandering.

Bicycle touring Balkans

Finally time to get overseas again, a lot got done last year but not much exercise. This will do it. Time to build new memories day by day. In light of all the friends we lost in the last few years; Carpe Diem. Read more
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    🇲🇰 Ohrid, North Macedonia
    Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Ohrid via southern route

    July 8 in North Macedonia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Easy ride today, Progradec, Albania is a lively city on the lake and has decent infrastructure, but few tourists.

    I entered North Macedonia and visited the bay of bones, a site where pile dwellings were found from 3000 years ago. The museum has recreated it for us to see.

    Ohrid is a big city and it is hopping late into the night as if it were the Riviera, even on a weekday. On weekends there are festivals, although there was a very nice one tonight showcasing folk dance and music of eastern Europe. The Serbian kids stole the show. I recognized the Montenegrin team from Cetinje where I visited six weeks ago.

    I fell in love with a wooden sailboat with a teak deck. The most impractical combination of course but it is so beautiful. Good thing she is not for sale, just for sailing.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Lin

    July 7 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Rest day, just a short hike on the beautiful peninsula behind the town. It's extremely mellow here. It's still the 1950s if it wasn't for a few modern items. Lin is such a throwback in time. The effects of communism from 30 years ago are still very visible here.

    A few tourists come through here and a fewer stay overnight. Women put out small stalls with homemade products and sell a spinach pie that tastes great. This town is the kind of experience I thought I would find in Albania. For the most part Albania has outgrown this stage economically, especially along the coast, so I hear.

    For dinner I had the local fish from the lake, called Koran. It is delicacy, wonderfully prepared it is a meaty fish that reminds me of salmon but different. Fresh caught in the morning by the host.    Read more

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    Lin on lake Ohrid

    July 6 in Albania ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    I finally reached the fabled lake Ohrid. It is also the terminus of my bicycle ride.

    There's a lot of new construction on a big highway that cuts through orchards and hotels. Progress!

    I get off the big road and venture uphill on little paths. Life is still old style here. A few goats, a cow and a yard with vegetables is all you need.

    Lin is not what I expected, it is still run down. Time stood still here longer than in the rest of Albania. If you wanted to acquire lakeside real estate this might be the place to get in early. There is still an enormous amount of work left to do here.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Via Egnatia

    July 5 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The best preserved Albanian section of the via Egnatia is in the area. So for my rest day I'll go for two hour jaunt and explore this 2000-year-old marvel that used to connect Dürres to Istanbul. I can do it in a nice loop.

    I have a lot of questions for the Roman engineers. Why here, so high up on the hills? Why at 8 to 10% inclines? Why not keep the road more level? I can understand legions marching and couriers riding horses on this road but I do not see how the merchants moved their wares along here. I had enough trouble pushing my bicycle on the hobbly stony surfaces. They sure put a nice edge stone and a row of larger stones right down the middle giving it a distinct look.

    Standing so high on this ancient road looking down at the new construction in the valley floor the 2000 year contrast springs to life.

    After the first nice sections the road disappears here and there. Then it reappears again only to become a precarious hike a bike section but it's too late to turn around. So my rest day turns into a 6 and 1/2 hour adventure. No worries.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Librazhd

    July 4 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Early start for a long and steep ride directly south. Back on the B road and again no traffic to speak off. Freshly paved and winding up and up. 7 false summits was the irony. Every time it looked like there was no more ground that could be higher, then there was. Ha!

    I just realized I only have 3 days left on the bike before I go to Sophia and start getting organized for the return. I'm going to fix up the bicycle for better touring. I'll leave it in Sofia and come back to continue to Turkey by end of August.

    After lunch I ran into a trout farm doubling as a restaurant, serving trout of course. Brilliant idea, I don't think we even have this in Colorado.

    Librazhd is a nice little town, lower elevation and it is hot here.
    Two nights, and a semi rest day tomorrow.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Peshkopi

    July 3 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Steep grades that do not lead to mountain tops, but broad vistas over large valleys frame an entirely different landscape.

    It is a B road that normally would have a fair bit of traffic but there are very few cars which makes it a very nice ride.

    Peshkopi lies in an agricultural valley and has a small industrial base as well.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Bujtina Gjana

    July 2 in Albania ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Nice slow start. Breakfast with James and two young French women who rolled up the driveway with their touring bikes. We were comparing notes about touring and gear. The French are on their way around the Mediterranean eventually riding the northern coast of Africa to Morocco. Their trick is to figure out how to get past the war ravaged areas of the middle east.

    The ride is much better today in cooler temperatures. I see the French women again in Kukës at the bike shop. Then I'm on my way for the final push up a steep hill and 21km to get ahead on tomorrow's ride and because there seems to be a nice reasonably priced place to stay. It turns out to be a fantastic hotel, it might be the best one yet of the trip.

    30 days solo, so how much does one month of bicycle touring cost? Lodging 660€, food 698€, park entries, busses & ferry 141€. Not counting airfare or bicycle parts and repairs life on the road comes in at 50 euros (60 dollars) per day. That's without a tent or cooking on stoves. That's pretty sustainable even on social security and it qualifies me to be a permanent traveler. Luckily the rest of my infrastructure such as medicare advantage and property expenses is only $120 a month. However, coming back into the US is an expensive proposition, somehow my credit card always takes a hit.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    The road is the pot of gold!

    July 1 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I had to escape the magnetic grip of the mountains. I already came back for a second helping but now I'm riding south again. The Northern Albanian Alps were a major target for me and now I'm wondering if the best part of this trip is behind me. The beauty of travel is that you never know that.

    The landscape becomes more rolling hills, open views, and a drier landscape with a lot of brush oak that I did not see north of here. It's hot again and I need two cooling off stops, one is at a water spout fed by a spring.

    Looking back at the accursed mountains and their deep narrow canyons it's understandable that conquerors, like the Romans, Slaves and Byzantines did not penetrate deep into their territory. Albanian mountain tribes were able to maintain much of their heritage and traditions. Even today's Albanian DNA remains more uniquely Albanian than it should be in the face of over 2500 years of foreign influxes according to one source.

    Thunder and lightning again tonight. Last night's show was outstanding! Dinner with a young Brit who cycled Spain, Italy, North Macedonia and who is on his way north.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Zla Kolata

    June 29 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    I'm climbing one of the higher peaks in Albania. Super early start since it's supposed to take 8 hours to the top. My hosts prepare a wonderful lunch bag to take.

    The trail is steep, I move at a snail's pace. Four dogs are walking along with me, the views are outstanding and I spend two hours on top just looking around. I can see a lot of places where I have been in the last 8 days.

    Tomorrow is a rest day. I really need it. Almost bed time and my body is formally protesting the excessive exercising. I'm hurting good.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Ferry on Drini

    June 28 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The ferry area is a zoo, they are playing Tetris with cars, motorcycles and lots of people walking about. Ten or so ferries are loading at the same time in this tiny space. I'm in for a wonderful ferry ride on a reservoir through a stunning canyon.

    On to Valböne for another 34km in 37 Celsius heat. Saw the Dutch group again in the AnnA supermarket in Bajram Curri. Made some shady rest stops and got into the river twice to cool off.

    This hostel is a classic Albanian home with a walk out basement. The Valböne valley is absolutely amazing and I'm glad that I changed my plans.    Read more

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    Koman

    June 27 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Very late start out of the hostel after breakfast and putting a tube in the tubeless tire that had completely dried up, no wonder it did not hold anymore.

    It's already hot, 37 degrees Celsius which is what you would expect in Arizona in the summer. All of Europe is this hot. It is supposed to normalize next week back into the mid 20s.

    I'm riding slowly, It's less of a climb than previous days and the big surprise is the brand new pavement all the way to Koman.

    In the room I turn on the AC and catch my first afternoon nap on this trip. Sleep has been hard to come by.

    The lake is stone cold in sharp contrast with the oven like temperatures. Too cold to swim, too hot to stay out. I look at my itinerary and make a change, I'm going back to Prokletije to climb Zla Kolata. Given the temperatures it's better to get up high.

    Nice dinner on the terrace of the hotel with an all Dutch crew.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Shkodër

    June 26 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Early departure riding up the pass where I descended three days ago. The valley route was discouraged as being too rough and strictly 4x4. Since my legs are totally fried from the last two days of hiking and the two long days before that, I choose the 1000 meter climb on pavement. The extended downhill on the other side of the pass was especially alluring.

    I still got to ride the roughest road of the trip in a cutoff to the Mesi bridge, which is the longest Albanian Ottoman bridge at 138 meters. A group of little kids on bikes was really enthusiastic about my bicycle, fun exchange.

    In Shkodër I visited the Rozafes castle and started delving into the Illyrian history that throughout the ages has shaped and maintained the Albanian sense of identity culturally, linguistically and spiritually. Despite being conquered repeatedly the mountain tribes stayed true to their roots.    Read more

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    Valböne pass

    June 25 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    This is a very well known track that gets busy so I go very early but there were already people on the trail.

    I shot another time-lapse video on top and had a beautiful moment up there solo hanging out in the sunshine and the cool air while the rest of Europe well below me is baking in the heat.

    Another nice day.    Read more

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    Maja e Harapit

    June 24 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Peja pass was the first hiking objective, coming across the pass I was just stunned by the light grey stony landscape, clouds running across the peaks on the left. I shot a time lapse video and descended a bit down the other side while the phone was perched on a rock.

    I sat on the pass contemplating whether to go up to the peak solo or maybe get a bit more rest in the afternoon.

    I'm lucky, Alina a young German woman who is doing the Balkan Peaks tour with the Bavarian Alpine club asked me if I'm going up to the peak because she would prefer not to go alone and her club is not going up there. We decide to climb up together. She is fast and the rocks are super sticky, the scenery is beautiful and the weather is holding.

    We met four people on top, ate, drank and decided to get down quickly in case the lightning would start early. Meeting Alina made for a really fun day and a nice conversation in German.    Read more

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    Theth

    June 23 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After a 7km warmup I climbed SH22, a twisty road that is favored by many motorcycles and I was greeted by a great little cafe at the top.

    After descending into the valley and at the lowest elevation for the day I could feel the heat that is covering all of Europe at the moment. I stopped at a cafe which served an excellent salad yogurt and tzatziki for an extended rest stop.

    A ways into the second climb I ran into Alex from Germany who had already heard about me as he had camped with Lorenz last night. He was also headed to Theth and the 1500 m climb was going to be a challenge. I felt the same way so we joined up and got to talk the whole way up.
    In total today I climbed 2,247 m (7415ft) over 87km. Awesome day. I feel lucky and grateful that I can do this.

    Everyday so far this trip I think I have seen the most incredible scenery and yet another day exceeds the previous day. Entering the valley of Theth is an experience I won't soon forget.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Matarë Albania

    June 22 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    As a kid growing up I would look at the Atlas imagining what the countries were like that I was looking at on the map. Albania always stood out as a place that I had to actually go to because I was so curious about it. Back then it was communist not that I knew exactly what that meant but it did sound extremely foreign to me.

    Today I entered the country, it is no longer communist and in the last two decades it has changed enormously.

    The Albanian Alps are extremely jagged,, jutting out into the sky directly by the road. Just vertical walls framed by thunder and lightning in the early afternoon.

    I ran into Lorenz a couple of times as we leapfrogged each other. He was looking for his Swiss compatriots but it turned out he couldn't find them but I saw them at the cafe.

    Early to bed.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler

    Kom Vasojevicki

    June 21 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Today I'm climbing with Lothar from Switzerland to the peak on the left in the picture.

    Sunny day and good company to discuss many things of life with.

    For breakfast we sat with a group from Buddva, varied countries and backgrounds made for interesting conversations about traveling as a lifestyle.

    On the way down we meet Lorenz who is from roughly the same area as Lothar. We share some food and then have a coffee. He tells us about a French couple who are aborting their trip in order to bring back home a dog that followed them for 48 kilometers through tunnels and so they feel compelled to adopt her. Lorenz seems to make many detours in order to hook up with people.    Read more

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    11

    Stavna

    June 20 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Climbed out of Kolasin towards their ski area. I'm not on the Trans Dinarica, I got off the pavement and onto the ridge above the ski area. In anticipation of Montenegrin inclusion in the EU enormous investment is being made in the ski resort. This far outstrips anything we will ever see in Crested Butte.

    My lunch spot is a grassy knoll with wildflowers and butterflies in a cool breeze. The backdrop of the Accursed Mountains is far in the distance and I can see the valley I rode through yesterday as well as the peaks I want to climb tomorrow. Even further in the distance is the Prokletije National Park in Albania where I'm headed next.

    I met a Dutch couple who are camping for several months and having such a good time that they are not making any headway but that's not their mission. They have no plan other than to have a good time.

    Lothar, who I met several weeks ago in Livno, broke his derailleur and it's now bridging his 10 day repair time by car. Tomorrow we climb the peak on the left.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler
    2

    Kolasin plateau

    June 19 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The silence

    The solitude

    The utter peace

    Amazing that places like this exist in Europe.

    Before climbing up to this amazing plateau I stop at a small brand new cafe in the middle of absolutely nowhere. A friendly young man walks out and shakes my hand. I get a drink to support this small place. On the wall is a race number jersey #85. It has Olympic rings and says 2026. It's his, he raced slalom for Montenegro. This Olympian is Branislav Peković, he trained in Kolasin and Austria. We shared excited talk about skiing of course. He showed me his Olympic pictures.

    A local chicken farm where 'les poules' wander free and eat healthy. I bought eggs at the store and the hen poop was still on the shells. Talk about natural.

    Then Kolasin, a small town that could almost double for Crested Butte in some ways. Biograd Natural Park is surrounded by four towns which includes Kolasin. There are a huge number of trails to hike and there is a ski area.

    Cost of life is still low here. It's Friday night and it's very mellow. Even if new construction is taking place, this town is still a few notches below Zabljak. It's refreshingly natural feeling, I really like it.    Read more

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    Durmitor

    June 18 in Montenegro ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Had a really sweet conversation with my hosts about family and living in this town, Zabljak.

    It's a day off, but the southern route, the one that goes through the park, is calling for me to ride it, since I missed it yesterday. I pass by the ski area. There is some good vertical on these 5 lifts and a day ticket is only 14 dollars..

    I made it to the top of Sedno pass and decided to take a break in the cafe, where I meet a French couple who drive a Toyota diesel 4x4 with a small camping box on the back. We end up in deep conversations about travel to very remote places. They mention Albania, Georgia and the Caucasus mountains and Dagestan. They are probably in their 'early 70s and they are true adventurers with incredible stories. It's super inspirational for me.

    I sat for an hour overlooking the valley and watching the cloud shadows move along the terrain. It's absolutely breathtaking.

    Back in town I see yet another couple of touring cyclist groups in front of the Voli supermarket. This time of day that's where they gather. Multiple languages are flowing back and forth. Lots of energy.

    Mellow afternoon with some homework.    Read more

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    11

    Zabljak

    June 17 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    As I was having breakfast 9 Bosnians showed up, they got beers, smoked, sang loudly and laughed a lot. Great crew.

    I had a choice of two different ways and I chose the hard one through the valley. A motorcycle post on Facebook made it look awesome. Some steep sections and some great views. But the southern way had really good views on the Durmitor range. With the included breakfast I started late.

    One nasty surprise after a long climb seeing a road way way up there with a valley on the left. For sure the road wouldn't go up all the way there right? But it did.

    Zabljak is a ski town, even though the lift I saw must not have run for multiple years. Just like Colorado ski towns there is an incredible amount of construction going on. Shopping at the Voli I ran into the Swedes again. I also ran into two Irish and a Brit, they were pretty fun to talk to. The Swedes and I ended up in the same park to hang out and eat our groceries. A banana, a pear, a kiefer yogurt, half a liter of beet juice and an entire chocolate bar was swallowed whole in less than half an hour by just me. Good thing all that cost less than 7 Euros.

    We shared the weather forecast which said no rain in the next 5 days but I said; we're in the mountains don't trust it. And an hour later when I was inside planning the next few days the heavens let loose and I know that they are in their tent, hopefully they have set it up already. I'm so glad to be inside .... again.

    Maybe I really don't want to be camping.    Read more

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    Tsra - Montenegro

    June 16 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Back into Montenegro, it's been some 3 weeks since I was here. This time I am riding the northern section towards Albania.

    Great climbs, all in the woods, excellent views of the Tara, which runs through the deepest canyon of Europe. I can recall some valleys in the Alps that have greater vertical from peak to valley floor, but those are not classified as canyons.

    There were a few other cyclists and Motos. The Swedes are having dinner here. The Brit with his flat tire is out camping. I like the hot shower but I wouldn't mind camping.

    Columbine and Aspen grow here, reminding me of summer in CB.

    An excellent riding day it was.    Read more

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    Foca

    June 15 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    It's the last city for 3 days and based on the smaller towns I have been riding through I wasn't expecting too much. But Foca is quite a surprise, a lot of cafes, a great bakery and several good supermarkets.

    But what really surprises me is how many beautiful well dressed women are in the cafes. The weather is absolutely perfect and it's a joy to just spend some time here. Had lunch with a kitty and stocked up on food. I'm going to have a heavy bike on this first big uphill.

    It was social hour on the way to Foca, a group of four Belgian couples who were touring around in two vans, and for English speaking young guys on touring bikes and a 70 year old German named Jurgen with whom I had an extensive conversation about the cycle touring lifestyle and all the places we both have been. He looks like he's 50.

    After lunch I ride up the steepest hill yet of the whole tour and into the strongest wind. I'm glad to arrive at camp. It doesn't help that I just ate the largest croissant I have ever seen, one foot long, with chocolate and pistachio cream.    Read more

  • Where's Woully Wandering.Bicycle touring BalkansTraveler
    1

    Sarajevo

    June 13 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    The siege was 31 years ago. WW2 was 79 years ago and WW1 ended 108 years ago. The country has historically been a melting pot of cultures and religions. There are still four major religious edifices; Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim and Jewish. However, underlying ethnic differences between Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats remain strong and divided while appearing unified at the surface. Politically it is a mess.

    It's not hard to imagine that another conflict could break out again. BiH is a country but 40% of it is the Republic of Srpska, a Serb autonomously administered inholding with its own police, etc. So far the country is operating peacefully, even outside investments from USA and Europe are coming in. The Serbs and Croats are putting a lot of pressure on the Bosniaks.

    I take a walking tour in the morning and visit another museum in the afternoon. I also listen to some history podcasts. A much more complicated picture emerges. The siege off 1991-95 is a horrific event, how can humans go so wrong, not to mention the multiple genocides, not just Screbenica. The human mind is truly twisted. 200 Sarajevo roses in the streets are a stark reminder.

    This is a city where East meets West, Ottoman and Austro Hungarian most recently and it reflects in the architecture. This is where WW1 was ignited by a discontent Serb, but the back story is rather more involved.

    Great guide, great tour it just brings the city to life.

    Carmen ballet tonight, followed by a worldcup football match between CH and Qatar.    Read more