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29th June 2013
All our clothing has dried out, the clouds are heavy over the mountains of Sarajevo, but there are blue skies breaking through. We have a great view across the city from our Hotel room, there are a lot of high rise buildings of various colours. We had a long discussion with Tarik our Pansion keeper, he is a realy nice guy. He explains that nobody talks about the war, as they wish to forget about it, he also states the Germans are mistrusted because of what is going on in EU at present and that BiH shpould not join, but he accepts, that they may join eventually. Today is the last day that there will be Border controls between Hungary and the rest of EU. Still, after a great breakfast we get ready for the off, as in our last place, we are given a bottle of wine and thanked for using their place to stay in. I recommend BiH the people are nice and the country is good. We have a long day for us travelling through BiH, Croatia and into Hungary. Some of this will be through mountains and plains. So we leave a quiet Sarajevo, it is Sunday, only some Tourists wandering around and taxis driving around,just like UK boot fairs and the like. We join the M-18 (M does not stand for motorway) and drive through the mountains. The road is beautiful twisty and winding its way along rivers, the weather is holding out. We have our waterproof trousers on initially, but have to stop to remove them,as it warms up and becomes a beautiful day. We make our way through BiH just as we are nearing the border we pass through a bizarre shopping area, Jack says it is just like a wild west town, and funnily enough it is called Arizona!! We stop nearby for food and to spend our last BiH Markas, the waiter was happy as the food cost us pennies and he got pounds! (not really) and into Croatia we go, the border crossing being just a formality for us Brits. We drive through Croatia all back roads, it is farmland around here so lots of splats on the bike. I use every opportunity to clean it at garages. We get a little lost round a diversion, so I follow a local, he gets us to the Hungarian border, it is their last day, but we meet the only grumpy border guard around, and he is a little suspicious of Jacks Passport, it does have Iran, paskistan and Russian visas in it, he hands it to the police, but she shrugs her shoulders and says have a good trip! We cross into Hungary and a short trip into PECS our next stop.
30th June PECS
The hotel is olde world, very grand, but coming to its last days. We cool off and wander into the town. There is a celebration going on, the Croations are welcoming the Hungarians into the EU, how nice. There is music and traditional stuff going on, so we wander, eat local food and watch. What a nice place it is, (if you look through the grafitti as in most of Europe these days). There is street art, people prominarding, those enjoying the live music, you can see why it has been a city of culture a couple of times, a really nice atmosphere we listen to the music. From our room and hear the fireworks, for us it is off to Bratislava tomorrow a long day on the motorways, early to bed.
1st July Bratislava
Not much to say, we hit the long boring empty motorways of Hungary, listening to music, bike on cruise control, dodging the flies (there are lots here, as it is mainly agricultural) and count the very few vehicles we see. This is where our EU money is going. We even try to see if the sunflowers move round with the sun, still have not answered that one. After a couple of stops, we pass Budapest and join the A1, this road is like the artery of Europe, and goes all the way to Istanbul, so now we dodge lorries as well as flies!! still good fun this time. We make Baratislava in good time, our stop is in the old town, right in the middle of the pedestrian zone, the bike normally attracts attention, because of the colour and size, but even more so, as we bimble up and down the area looking for the entrance, once found, in we go and settle down. We spend a fair amount of time, route planning as the wifi is good here, this takes up time, as Jack has to write the directions down, then tells me throughout the day where to go, (hence Sat Nag), I have some reservations as we have never been into these countries before, but hey it is working so far. So after an exhausting couple of hours, we decide to wander on to town.
Bratislava is much like PECS old town area, lots of cafes and tourists from all over the world, sounds like Croydon on a Saturday. It is also a Student area so there is nice bustle about the place. We sit down for traditional food, smoked cheeses and soup for starters, goulash for main and an Ice cream(as always later) beer for me and sprite for Jack. The waiter hands us a fly spray and says just in case, we do not notice it at first but later in the evening, everyone is fly swating. After a wander we go back. Tomorrow, we move to Poland.
2nd July
Bratislava to Krakow
As I am more confident about travelling on the roads in Slovakia, I am looking forward to our ride to Poland, although I am not sure what the roads are going to be like as we travel further North, but I think is just my perception that they will be bad, rather than reality as people live here just as we do in the UK.
So after breakfast I pull out into the pedestrian zone, we have been warned the local police may stop us, but there are none to b seen, and strart our journey through the light traffic, we have decided to ignore gogle maps and follow our own route we made up from the map book, as we can refer to it should we get lost, so we join the traffic on the D1(E75) to Zilna then come off the motorway and drive through the countryside and mountains to reach Krakow, we expect to be travelling for about 5 hours. We always try for abut this time so we get to our destination without being to tired, it does mean we tend to turn up between 2 and 3pm. The Traffic on the motorway thins out, at first the road was quite rutted from all the lorries, but they disappear and we travel through mainly aggricultral lands much the same as Hungary, we stop off to fill up and have a break, just beforewe come off the motorway, the motorway stn is very clean, and we watch three guys making flowers beds using a digger, even a dear runs pasty on a hill, it is very hot, as expected for the next few days. Off we join the motorway, then see the signs for the road we need, but it is too early and keep going, when travelling without a sat naag, you have to believe in your notes and hold your nerve, we do and wait for Zilna and the road we need turns up, the town is the same as anywhere else in Europe, we pass through and join the route 18 the road surface stays good we have more traffic around us, but it becomes a loverly winding dual carriageway following a river and hills on the the otherside, you get used to overtaking lorries, while others come towards you, speed limitys are limited to them a bit, as it becomes hilly as well, we are aiming for a place called Martin, to head through tthe mountains to Poland, the road becomes single carriageway at Martin whihc is more an area than a town, we stop at a Harley steak bar, (just to take a photo) the owner comes out and waves uss to ride into the restaurant area, so we can turn around, so I do, rev the bike for the punters (it is full) and we ride out as it is too early for us to stop. Off we go into the mountains, after a while the road becomes just as expected winding through trees and mountains a bit curly, and at times a bit poor. We stop off at a roadside bar for Mary's Ham and Eggs? do not know who she is but they were good, it is full of people obviously on a rafting trip, jack also has the local Kofola, as they do not sell cola, similar but has coffee in it, I am having trouble with my helmet, as the intercomm speakers are crushing my ears, so have to stop every couple of hours, I am on the lookout for ateaspoon toheat and melt the foam inside so they fit better and consider nicking a teaspoon, but relent. Our next stop Krakow, so we make our way to the border, there are pretty villages and lots of police speed checking, lots of big lorries, winding their way to Poland as well, so we have do lots of overtakes on windy roads to make progress. we eventually make the border, which as always has the remains of the pre EU posts, there are lorries scattered everywhere and the road surface is appaling one pothole must have been three foot deep, we take the ABC picture, a couple of police watch us, and off we go into Polansd, straight away the roads are smooth, the houses are big and it is an easy but slow ride into Krakow, we stop off at a wooden church called St John the Baptist, it is locked but a lady runs over to open it up, for us to look around, she does not speak English, but hands us a pamphlet to read, the inside is incredible so beautiful, we leave after a couple of photos, you can see we are in Health and Safety EU as there are speed cameras and signs in bright yellow, in fact there is too much information and warnings, I think it is dangerous, not many people take much notice except whren approaching a speed camera< (well there is a suprise!) We make Krakow in good time though and our instructions get us to the hotel, the cities are always challenging tous, and the helemts gety very hot insode, but we always smile once we arrive, the hotel has a secure place for us to park which is good. As it is a Best Western we know what we are getting, clean and pretty standard. After a cool off, our first job is to take our washing to a laundry, washing undies and Tee shirts in sinks is ok, but not heavy bike jeans, the hotel directs us to a little cafe round the corner and we leave the stuff with them, we have a drink and I scrounge a teaspoon to sort my helemt out as it was agony all day and the dasy before. So we get to the room and I heat the spoon up with a lighter and mould the foam so the speakers sit in the helmet deeper and do not crush my ears, hopefully, only time will tell.
We decide to eat in the hotel, as it is easier then rushing about to find food, we are here for three nights afterall, no ne in the hotel restaurant, but we try it anyway, and it is good! we have had a couple of dodgy meals in these hotels in the past, but not this one.
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