Medulin, Croatia

The ride along the bit of coast in Slovenia was not very long and with just the pro forma of a passport check and a friendly, “Have a good trip”, we entered Croatia and the Istria Peninsula. Yes, the first impression of Croatia showed a difference. Croatia is not as rich as Slovenia. I am glad the first few miles in Croatia were very rural. I had to get used to the signs again. There is only one sign for a direction. If you miss it, you will ride the wrong way. In a few instances the sign pointed the way straight ahead only to point left or right a few yards after the original sign. Strange, but it does make sense in a certain, nutty way. Go straight but after you go straight, turn left. This is especially tough when entering a larger town. I noticed this right away in a town like Umag, not far from the border. Sure enough, we got lost a bit, not badly, just into a dead end. Turned around and off we went on the correct road.
Following the map of the ADAC group we wiggled ourselves down the western coast with some bumps inland. I was looking for the reasons the ADAC group picked these roads as motorcycle roads. The area was kind of blah with fields and hardly any towns to speak off. One section, after the town of Buje, had some interesting curves and some downhill areas along a river but as a whole, I cannot understand why these roads were picked. Poreč, a town on the coast, had an old Basilica but I have this thing about churches. We rode along and got lost on purpose in Rovinj, another coastal town that sprouts a castle and a small section for tourists. Yes, we are tourists but I never want to consider myself a tourist.
We did not stay in Rovinj even though a one night stop would have been ok. It was early in the day and the ride itself was a bit boring. We searched out Pula, a large town on the tip of the Istria, known for its Roman Amphitheater. Amazingly I found the ruin easily, but had to ask directions a few times. Hidden in the center of town, not visible from afar, was the theater that could hold 25,000 people in its heyday. Today, it serves as an occasional theatre for orchestral performances or off-off Broadway plays. The total outer ring of the Amphitheater is intact yet the inside had been looted, demolished or altered since Roman times. We paid the 40 Kuna (6 Euro?) admission but I was disappointed. The advertisement for the place was good; the reality of the place was warm, not hot. Carol felt a sense of awe to be standing in the same place that Romans stood nearly 2000 years ago, but she also had a feeling of repulsion at the cruelty and bloodshed that had occurred here.
Now we needed a place to stay and we decided on the most southern town on this spit of land and rode to Medulin. Arriving in town, I asked for a good place to stay and a local guy pointed the way to the beach. He said “Do not pay more than 30 Euro for a place to stay, including breakfast” but I could not get the place we wanted for less than Euro 39. Croatia is used to long rentals; a 3-day stay is the norm here. To stay overnight only, like we like to do, creates a situation where the hotel or motel owner has extra work, changing linens and towels, etc. For 3 days you will get the same towels and sheets. For this extra work of a one day stay, they will charge extra.
By the way, I had to speak German as English is not yet commonly spoken here. A lot of Croatian men have worked in Germany for awhile, saved some money and then have returned to their homeland to buy a motel, a shop or build a house, etc. They cannot get work in Germany any longer but by now they have found ways to make money in their own county. Anyhow, I ordered food, coffee, gasoline, etc, speaking German. I was amazed myself that so many people spoke German in Croatia. English is a bit tough for the Croatians. Most tourists, I believe are from the German speaking areas and it is natural for the Croatians to learn that language first. Signs along the way in Croatia are written in both languages, Croatian and German.
We found the Pension Hilde 2 within walking distance of the ‘boardwalk’, with a secure place to put our bikes, with a large restaurant attached and a clean room. We moved in for the night. We walked the short promenade along the water and saw a campground and with nothing else to do, we took a stroll through it. This was a large place. I can see that in the summer this place is hopping. In May the season is not yet in full swing so we just saw a few of the early birds. The campground had all you could want; good spots for tents, good spots for trailers, restaurants, playgrounds for the kids, waterslides, washing facilities for cars and campers, etc. The place was huge and walking around the campground, I was glad we did not bring our tent on this trip. To set up and break down a tent each day takes time. To find a food store is ok, but then you eat alone, away from others. The way we travel now, finding a local establishment with rooms, eating in nearby local places is the way to go for us. Yes it might be more expensive but then how long do we have to save before enjoying the money we have? We ate at a local place that was crowded, not at our Hilde2 place. Naturally, we had fish; we are at the seashore after all.
It was grilled to perfection, washed down with a glass of beer, we called it a day.

Piran

The coast line is puny in Slovenia. There are only a few towns along the way and we picked Piran because it comes highly recommended. 120 Km from Ljubljana is the very small coastal town, a jewel among Slovenian towns. Founded by the Romans, it is today still a lovely place. Compare it to Venice without the canals, some people say. A wonderful, large Piazza, coffee tables, lively folks from all over the globe come and visit. Children play their games on this plaza, like in ancient times, only now they use roller skates or small bicycles or high tech bouncing balls. Yet they still play catch or tag, just like always. Carol and I sat, had our coffee and watched. Only local car traffic is allowed inside the town. Enough history abounds to stay here for weeks if you want to study deeply. Carol and I spend 3 days in this lovely place. The sun shines, the temperature is around 27 degrees C. and while it has tourists, it does not feel too touristy. All or most of the houses are very old. One could believe that life is very good walking the ancient streets. Wash hangs out the window on lines hung by the owners; the streets are a mere 4 or 5 feet wide. The shadows of the 3 or 4 storied buildings give shade in the hot summer and protection from the fierce winds off the Adriatic Sea in the winter. Boats anchor peacefully; a few scooters add the needed noise to make sure everybody is awake. The town lives a peaceful life today and lives off tourist Euros. In years past it was under the protection of the City of Venice, Italy. Its main product was the sea salt harvested in the Salinas, now a tourist attraction and part of the living history museum. The streets are steeply carved into the hills with some ruins of a former castle on top. Old city walls have been partially restored just so you can experience the size of its former glory. A lighthouse marks the spit of land this town stands on. Locals swam in the ocean near a pebbly beach where divers got dressed to search for archeological treasures or ecological curiosity.
All foreign traffic is stopped at large parking lots before the actual town limit begins but motorcycles are exempt from this ruling. We arrived and immediately found a small hotel, a 5 minute walk away from the center of town that served us well. “Miracolo di Mare”, a B&B, has all we need. (www.miracolodimare.si) Good internet which could get us on line to post all of these reports, a sufficient breakfast, quiet location and a room with new air-conditioning were all provided. We paid Euro 60/night for 2; there was no leeway for bargaining. Our bikes are parked in the alley in front of the B&B. We are having a fine time. The restaurants are plentiful and first class. Fish is the main dish on every menu and the personnel speak English fluently. We lucked out. We could not have asked for a better place if we tried. Carol and I visited spots by walking up and down the narrow laneways; we felt safe and enjoyed ourselves being among the locals. Piran is a 3 Star on my list of places to visit. Nothing is in the extreme; it is a great, quiet, enjoyable seaside port. Piran is small, old and elegant and the dilapidated housing is just part of the charm of this place. Come and see for yourself.

Lipica and the Lipizzaner Horses

Along the way to the coast we had the choice to see the famous Škocjan Caves or visit a Stud Farm for the world famous Lipizzaner horses. We did make a stop and even walked to the first lookout of the cave system that makes up the Škocjan Caves but finally opted out in favor of the farm where Lipizzaner horses are bred and trained.
This one of a kind horse, pictured in many of the paintings depicting royalty in the last several centuries is a grand story. The roots of this horse are in Arabia. With the invasion of Spain by the Moors, this horse came to be in Europe. I am not sure how old the roots are in Arabia but Wikipedia only tells the story of the breed of this horse. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipizzaner). The famous picture of Napoleon in Battle shows him sitting on a Lipizzaner. These horses were fearless; trained to obey and to even be heroic. Without noticeable commands, by just feeling the pressure points, the horse knows how to respond to his rider. Mostly trained to transport royalty on their escapades, this horse did serve in many battles. The footing of the horse is very exact and strong. Each step taught to the horse serves as a help in battle. Walking sideways, cantering, even jumping up with all four legs in the air at one time, are tactics used by the battle rider to exploit the nature of the horse.
Jumping like that would give the rider room to maneuver in a crowded battle formation. Walking sideways would sidestep a frontal assault by another horseman. The Lipizzaner is a very strong horse. It learns relatively quickly and it does look elegant. The visit to the stables of Lipica was a treat. There are only 2 stud farms I know of; the other is Piber, near Graz, Austria. This breed of horse, there are only about 3000 horses worldwide, brings one back to an era of ‘horse’ power, when life was not as hectic, when distances were calculated in the days it took for a horse to carry you to your destination. The place in Lipica, even though it is very modern, evokes nostalgia for simpler times. One has to love horses to see my point of view I guess. Yes, my bike has horse power, gets me to places I could not get to otherwise, but I just visited a place where it all started; one horse power at the time.
We had a great time walking through the barns, recounting the days of yesteryear. The farm is located on a huge piece of property. Well organized, with painted white fences, this is a prime example of a heritage Slovenia can be, and is, very proud of.
We loved this place! (Sorry about not visiting the cave system, but we cannot do it all.)

Ljubljana via Vršič Pass

Here is a quote from a travel writer: “ Vršič Pass: the drive of your life “.
“50 numbered hairpin curves, most with cobble stone corners; 25 KM long. Experience Intense and beautiful vistas, staggering rocky formations and excellent views!” (I only looked at the road; I did not see the views). We got a workout early in the morning after we left Bled. The pass summit is only 1411 meters but what a ride! We were totally awake riding this section. I knew ahead of time about this stretch so I mounted my camera to the bike to take a video but… the camera shook loose. I had to stop on the pass to just take it off and push it into my pocket. A helmet camera would do a better job anyway but I gave it a try using the video setting on my old and trusted Canon. No way to take other pictures while riding. We stopped at the summit to prove to ourselves for later years to come that we made it to the top of this pass. This is amazing road work.
I read that many people died building this road; 300 Russian prisoners of war alone died in an avalanche near turn 21. There is a chapel built to honor the dead at turn 8 but I never saw it. Thousands more died during the construction of the road. All the people are buried in a nearby cemetery. Even after we were off the pass, the road continued in very curvy, ideal motorcycle style for many miles. We passed the towns of Bovec, Tolmin, Škofja Loka to end up in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. The whole of our travels that day were on excellent and challenging roads, made for motorcycles. Go as fast as you want to go, just slow down in the dispersed towns to 50KM per hour. The road is yours. We rode moderately but we were passed by local riders who rode past us as if they had stolen something.
We intended to stay for 2 days in Ljubljana, the dragon city. Jason the Argonaut supposedly slew a dragon here. Ljubljana is a former swamp area. Lovingly the inhabitants often refer to themselves as ‘frogs’ stemming from this former swampy neighborhood. We felt the cold, wet weather and the last few days of riding in our bones. I don’t believe it was the wetness that made us feel that way. We were worn out. Today, Ljubljana is a very large, very cosmopolitan city with all the modernity the new age has to offer. The way into town was easy. In the center of town is the old city and one has to just follow the signs for city center to land near the river, in the heart of Ljubljana. Finding a hotel was a different story. When we arrived it started to rain. We were so close to finding a hotel; we did not put on our rain suits. Well, I did not, Carol’s suit is a ‘Stich and supposedly waterproof. I asked young people in a café if they knew of an inexpensive hotel, motel or hostel for a few nights. Their English was excellent yet their directions were for the birds. We found the “City Hotel’ but all my crying did not help, Euro 98 for one night incl. breakfast. I passed. Back on the bike, back into the rain. I asked a taxi driver, I find those guys know a lot. Sure enough, in perfect English he explained to me that there was a hostel/hotel “Park Hotel” and after some searching we found it. The price was 40 Euro but no breakfast. Parking was in front of the hostel. Now this is a curious place. It is a hotel. But the 7th floor of this hotel is made into a hostel for young people. No shower in the room, just a sink and a toilet, basic accommodations with 2 single beds in a room. It was a basic place to stay, cheap enough to be affordable for students, for example. Well, Carol and I are students of life, so we set off, after we moved in (we could only get a one night stay) and visited the downtown, old city area. We found graffiti all over the walls of the historic area. There were pierced everything people walking about. I saw hairdos from the future; colored hair in any shade of purple, pink and what not. We had entered the twilight zone. I am glad the Park Hotel only had room for us for one night. We walked around, had dinner in a small place that served typical Balkan faire and left the next morning. No shower, just a sponge bath and off we went to find the tiny coastline of Slovenia.

Bled

In order to go to the Slovenian town of Bled, famous for its idyllic setting, we had to get back to Austria for a little bit. The town of Bled comes highly recommended by every guide book. One cannot go to Slovenia and not go to Bled. We needed a rest anyway from the cold and from riding every day so we thought about staying 2 nights. Entering Austria was as difficult as leaving Austria. Little did we know that Austria would not let us go in or out without going over some tricky roads! The passes we had to take to get in or out of Austria were not that high, Paulitsch Sattel at 1338 meters, Schaida Sattel at 1069 meters and Kleiner Loibl Pass at 720 meters, but all had their own tricks up their sleeves. Having passed our baptism last year in Italy we managed each pass just fine, albeit it was hard work getting through all the hairpin curves, the narrow roads, the sometimes scary drop offs. We got a great workout, our arms hurt, and our necks pained us from looking up and way over through each hairpin curve. Some passes were so isolated that I thought about what I might have to do to get help, just in case. We were just the 2 of us riding the tricky roads. No time to take pictures, just hang on, do the right thing, get past this dangerous section, then get ready for the next twisty. One by one, we managed yet I can tell you these not so high passes were surprisingly difficult. We entered Slovenia again and again I had to get used to the names. How to you pronounce “Trižič “?
Once we arrived in Bled we were determined to be in the center of town. We saw a sign on a nice looking hotel, room with breakfast, double occupancy for 50 Euro a night. Great! We could not park or even stop in front of this hotel and had to find the back alley first. Once there we got off the bike and… the hotel was closed. Nice looking place but closed. I guess you can put any price on a place if you are closed. I tried the hotel next door but there the price for a room was 120 Euros per night. Even crying a little only brought it down to 96 Euros. I passed. The young man behind the reception of the open 3 star hotel heard me cry so loudly and had pity on me and told me about an apartment nearby that rented on a daily basis so we checked there. We got the room for 40 Euros without breakfast. Parking was in front of the door, we had a kitchen and while there were 52 steps up to our room (Carol counted them) and the place was old, run by an older lady that needed extra income, it was just fine. The apartment had the best location in town, too. A supermarket one street over gave us what we needed for food. We were ready to explore the place.
One of the things to do here is to walk around the lake. About a 2 hour walk. We passed. We have seen lakes before. Another thing to do is a boat trip, one guy rowing you and others to a small Island near the center of the lake for 12 Euro per person. The Island had a few trees and was so small it only had a small Chapel in the center and nothing else. We passed on that one, too. I am not that fond of Churches, Cathedrals and/or Chapels. That leaves the main Church of St. Martin and the castle, high on the cliff to explore.
The first day we walked up to St. Martin and it was nice enough, yet, like I said, I am not keen in visiting one church after another. I went just to get some walking in after all the riding we did. Through a well laid out park along the edge of the lake we meandered, always uphill, to this church. Yet it was open, Carol took some pictures and now it was time to return to our loft and rest for the night.
The next morning, the weather was wonderful and mild; we looked at each other and the castle from below. We decided to take a taxi up and walk down. It was a good choice. Even after arriving at the castle by car, we still had a steep hike for the last few hundred yards. The old bones start to creak and the lungs wheeze after walking like that. The castle contained a small museum and showed an exhibit of the local history. This well done display gave us an insight back to the beginning of Bled but I would like to add something here.
Slovenia has always been a country of turmoil. It is said that the Greek Argonauts under Jason travelled through the land and founded cities such as Ljubjana (Laibach). Some ancient finds give proof of this, depending how one looks at things. In Bled, it is shown that men occupied Slovenia during the Ice age. Slovenia has a history that is very diverse and difficult to study and to remember. While the Romans definitely founded towns such as Ljubjiana (Emona in Latin), Ptuj (Poetovia), Celje (Celia), the history of Slovenia started with local tribes such as the Celts and the Illyrians. Attila the Hun ran across the land in the 5th Century, burning everything in his path. A lot of written documents were lost during Attila’s carnage. The Roman settlers retreated to the coastline during Attila’s attack and founded the cities of Trieste (now in Italy) and the towns of Piran (Piranum) and Koper (Capris). The coast remained a Roman/Italian strong hold for centuries and the port cities served Italian city states, such as Venice, as safe harbors. The inland of Slovenia remained purely agricultural and is even today, a very hilly, very lush, very productive agricultural area.
After Attila the Hun left this region (Attila could never find a way to cross the Alps to attack Vienna) the devastated area he left behind in the 6th Century, was occupied by Slavic tribes coming from the East. These tribes brought along their superstitious beliefs and agriculture and founded an area known then as Karantania. Not long after this formation of a Slavic ‘State’ the new Christians from the North, the Germanic Frankish tribes forced Christianity onto the new Slavic settlers. In the 14th Century the house of Habsburg (Austria) took over for the Franks. The ‘Heilige Römische Reich Deutscher Nations’ (Holy Roman Reich of German Nations) took over. Vienna, as headquarter of this Reich, ruled for the longest time. The Balkan countries were along the route of the Holy Crusades (the many takeover attempts of the Catholic Church to take back Palestine from the new religion, Islam). A tide of warfare ebbed back and forth through this region between the Christians from the North and the Muslims, especially the Turks, from the South. These back and forth battles made for a difficult life. The coastline towns searched for alliances and found protection from the City States in Italy, like Venice for example. The inland was unprotected and, like a ping pong ball, frequently changed hands. Napoleon in the 18th Century occupied Slovenia, too. After the Peace Treaty in 1812 in Vienna, the area reverted back to the Holy Roman Reich of German Nations. Vienna was in charge again. The Elite, spell Royalty, promoted the German culture. The peasantry however, spell farmers and workers, were the people of Slavic descent.
This back and forth went on and on. The history of Slovenia is difficult. The museum in Bled could only give the smallest picture of its history yet did a fairly good job. After World War 1 Austria lost Slovenia, After World War 2 Russia or the Eastern Block took over and Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia. Yet here we are today, Slovenia is now, since 1991, independent and doing a great job being part of the EU.
Not that I learned all this at the museum in Bled but it is essential to understand when visiting this great county.
The town of Bled is indeed a good illustration of what Slovenia is today. Clean, sophisticated, industrious and very educated, the town is worth a visit.
If only…… we had to walk down from the castle and it is a long walk. Not only is the way long but dangerously precarious, following a path established by mountain goats, it seems. We were glad to be back near the edge of the lake and in the sophisticated surroundings of modern society. The area in and around Bled is good for young people. Hiking, canoeing, parasailing, bungee jumping, white water rafting, etc. are the main activities. It is nice to watch the young do it, but why jump out of a perfectly good airplane to skydive? I am getting old!

Muta

I was curious as to what Slovenia felt and looked like. While in Austria we rode along the most Eastern part, along the border with Hungary. The new map from the ADAC had us pass through the most South Eastern city of Bad Radkersburg in Austria but we were close to the large Slovenian town of Maribor (Marburg). We could have stopped for a day or two at Bad Radkersburg, an old walled city with wonderful quiet streets and a relaxed atmosphere. Yet we wanted to end up in Slovenia so Maribor was a consideration for our fist stop in the Balkans.
It is always an experience to enter a new country; immediately the language changes. All the street signs are in different colors. The curbs are even painted differently. All signage is new to the eye and it takes awhile to get used to the new. The roads seem new, different and unusual. This is not the case when one drives from PA to NY but there is a much bigger difference over here in Europe. We crossed the open border without showing our passports. The old installations for passport control are still in place but all gates are open and we rode past those old aggravations.
Our first town after crossing the border was the town of Šentilij. I noticed the hat-check over the letter S, a special character that changed the pronunciation. Now my German, English, Spanish and a little French do not help at all. I do not know any of the Slavic languages spoken in the Balkans. Lucky for me, a lot of people speak English so that is what we will use from now on.
Riding thru Maribor made it clear this is not the town to spend the night. Maribor is way too big, way too busy. An hour west is the town of Dravograd and a pleasant ride along the Drava River brought us to the Information Bureau, still open, even on a Sunday. The best hotel they could find for us was Euro 96 per night, which included breakfast. I asked for a different, less expensive place and they guided us back to Muta or about 9 Km back on the same road we just travelled. Ok, off we went again. We had a price from the Travel info place of Euro 29 per person but when we got there is was the price for groups, not individuals. The proprietor was nice however; we compromised on 32 Euro per night, incl. breakfast. Wow! What a place it turned out to be. Wonderful! (www.gostilna-prilipi.si) our room was large and very comfortable with a view of the mountains surrounding us. The food served to us was outstanding in that it was all natural. It was Slovenian food; picked fresh that day and used in the kitchen to make delicious meals. The next morning, our breakfast was as astounding as the dinner we had the night before.
Next door to the gostilna (family run place) was a small church from 1052 which was dedicated by Pope Leo the 9th. One needed an appointment to get inside this jewel of a church but we were lucky, a painter who was working on the church let us in, free of charge. Should you ever come past this place, give it a try. Located right next to the road it is hard to miss. Muta itself is not much of a town but then, neither was Dravograd, the town we did not say in.
One more note about Maribor or Marburg. Before World War 1, this area was under the influence of the Austrian Empire, the Habsburgs, as they were called. German was the main language used at the time. A lot of towns had German names that were later changed to Slovenian names. Slovenia has a long history but I will explain what I know later.

Slowly thru Austria

The month of May is an early season in the Alpine area we are travelling through. Yes, all is green and it looks fantastic but the temperature is still cold. The small towns we visit on our bikes are just waking up from a sleepy winter. Tractors are plowing the fields; hay is being cut and laid out to dry. Cows graze and look at us with their bovine features. Life is good in Austria.
The ADAC map takes us to the really local places. The roads are not outstandingly stunning. This ADAC map is not only a layout of the high passes. We did the Grossglockner Pass last year and some of the Italian curves and dangerous sections I wrote about in 2009. This year with the new map, we are rolling along gently. Not that the roads are easy, but these are not the extreme sections one can find in Austria. If you like to meet the locals, this is the tour for you.
We rode that day until we had enough and found a bed for the night in a local Austrian Gasthaus in Fischbach (www.strudlwirt.at). The owner was cutting the lawn but stopped to show us our room. Dinner was cooked for us downstairs in the tavern, the bikes had to be pushed into the back yard under an overhang and we were good for the night.
I had asked around town for a private Zimmer, a place in a private home but while the signs are on the wall, the owners were not yet set up to receive guests. It is too early in the season, I guess. Life progresses in a certain rhythm. Between 1 and 3 PM all stores are still closed. Sunday is a day for church. Neighbors say hello and chat a little when they meet someone they know. Prices are not that low, however. A room for one night with breakfast is $ 60 or 70 Euro. Gasoline is 1.44 Euro per liter for regular; at least that is what we paid. I did notice that the octane rating starts at 91 Octane. Not the low stuff one gets in the U.S. I have seen gasoline of 99 Octane at pumps. Lots of people drive diesel cars and one needs to watch out when filling up the bike, since the diesel hose hangs right next to the gasoline hose. Don’t be asleep and put diesel into your bike. I did this in reverse, years ago, I put gasoline into a diesel car and I can tell you, it was an expensive experience. I had to pay for the repair of the rental car and it took days to get the car fixed.
There are differences in language, in Austria. In a restaurant, I had to ask what a Jause was. We do not have this word in German. The server in the hotel could not explain it, so I ordered it anyhow. Well, it is a cold meat platter. The plate I received had blood sausage, smoked ham, salami, and one or 2 slices of cheese thrown in, a pickle, a radish and some farmers bread. It made a good evening meal. We typically do not try to eat that much while on the road. Most rooms over here come with breakfast and we eat a good breakfast. Typically we have one or 2 hard rolls with cold cuts and cheese. An orange juice, one cup of good coffee and we are set for the day. Lunch we try to skip but since it is so cold at the moment we stop for soup mid-day if we can find it. Sometimes the soup is part of the menu daily special and then Carol gets the soup and I have the rest, which could be anything, from fish to sausage. In a small tourist town named Mariazell, we arrived at about 3 pm, way after the lunch hour and too early for dinner. We asked a guy in the street if he knew of a place that was open and he just looked at us and said, come. We followed him and we stepped into his restaurant and he cooked something for us, just so we would not be hungry. His place was not officially open. In fact, the cleaning stuff was still all over the place, chairs still on the tables, vacuum still plugged into the wall. We really interrupted the staff’s routine. The fish this man cooked for us was very good and, yes, we received a soup, too. I noticed people go out of their way if asked in the right way.
Our trip through the true, old time, authentic Austrian Country side was a pleasure. Nothing earth shattering yet it was extremely pleasant to find good hospitality, wonderful roads and pleasant people. We crossed Austria this way in two days and finally entered the Balkan, starting with Slovenia.

Leaving Heidelberg for Austria

A light mist is hanging in the air. Do I wear my rain suit? It is cold at 8 degrees C and the sky is overcast. The plan is not to use the Autobahn at all but get to the Austrian border near Salzburg using only the byways. I am good at reading maps, good at finding my way to the next town. I seem to have an instinct but I am not too proud to ask for directions when I feel I am lost. Speaking German helps, of course, but with so many dialects in Germany, I do not understand all that is said to me. I do not hear well, I wear ear plugs while riding. Over that I wear a full face helmet. Asking a Bavarian for directions, in a small town in Bavaria where everybody speaks in the Bavarian dialect is the same as not speaking German at all. Only when they point at a direction can I make out the correct way. The wind is picking up, it gets colder when riding.
Carol and I moved from small town to small town, always following the direction I had planned. The town names were long and we needed to start at Neckarsgemuend, then Mosbach, then Heilbronn, then Obersulm, Mainhardt, Gaildorf, Aalen, Elchingen, Neresheim, Ballmertzhofen, Schabingen and finally Dillingen where we needed to rest for the night. It is essential to write down the towns and their sequence on a piece of paper and follow this list. If you do not plan the route with the correct names you will get lost in Germany. There are no directional help signs like East or West over here. The roads are not necessarily numbered. It is best to know your next town and then move from one town to the next. Even that can be difficult since the signs often disappear or the names change to some smaller, lesser known destination. I have a GPS, old and with only a World Map as a base. My European GPS conked out on me, I had to rely on an old GPS but at least I can determine if I am going East or North, etc. The cloud cover is thick, no sign of the sun to find directions.
We stopped in Dillingen at a hotel that a gas station attendant recommended. The hotel Trumm (www.hotel-garni-trumm.de) worked out great for us. The breakfast was outstanding and the bikes were safe for the night. We were offered a garage for our bikes but opted to just throw the bike cover over each bike and park at the side of the hotel. Dillingen is a small town; crime did not seem to be an issue.
The next morning we were off again but the weather again was very cold. This time we put on our heated jackets. The warmth is wonderful. And to break our resolution, we took the Autobahn around Munich because to take the local roads thru Munich would have added an extra day to our trip. After finding the exit for Route 304 on the East Side of Munich, we exited again to take in the local flavor. Towns like Vaterstetten, Wasserburg, Traunreut and Freilassing flew by and we finally crossed the Austrian border in Salzburg. Again, do not take the Autobahn to cross into Austria, you will need an Austrian Vignette and why pay for something you will hardly use on a motorcycle?
Our intention was to stay in Salzburg but the city was big, busy and full of traffic, even on a Sunday. We rode thru Salzburg, the city Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in, and searched for road 158. The signage in Austria was not easy to follow. Either the signs were too small, or the colors (white and blue) blend in so much it is almost impossible to find your way. I felt wrong after some time and sure enough, I asked, had to turn around and finally found the exit out of Salzburg and we were on the right road, road 158, the road we needed to get started.
ADAC has motorcycle specific maps. Each map is marked with Motorcycle specific roads. The best twisties, the best rural, the best scenic routes are all laid out. We obtained such a map for the Steiermark, Kaernten, Friaul and Slowenien. These are the areas where we intended to ride. Our starting point was the town of Admont, near Liezen, Austria.
We found another hotel for the night in the town of Fuschl am See, East of Salzburg and the next day we started off following the map we received from ADAC. From Fuschl am See we took 158 East to Lietzen and it is still cold. No rain to speak of, just cold and windy. The wind or the gusts seemed to be trying to blow us off the bikes. Traffic was light but we needed to get used to the signage in Austria. In the country side the white and blue signs are ok, yet still difficult to see sometimes. Again it is best to write down the sequences of towns one needs to travel through. Terz, Frein, Muerzberg, Wegsteig, Sebergsattel, Seewiesen, Au etc. were on my little notepad.
I followed from one town to the next and the ride was pleasant. The roads ADAC picked here were not dramatic yet were gentle and a pleasure to ride. Yes, some twisties, some up and downs but nothing that will strain you. We rode all day, enjoying the country and delighting in the Alpine views all around us. The area for me was typically Germanic. Everything around us was neat, orderly and predictable.
Carol and I were glad we had our electric vests. I was wearing an undershirt, a long sleeved silk shirt, a shirt, a BMW wind stopper jacket, the electric jacket plugged in at full heat, the Gore Tex liner for my riding jacket and the riding jacket and I was just right. But I needed every layer that I had on. Carol was wearing merino wool long johns, the BMW wind stopper jacket, a fleece sweater; the electric jacket liner plugged in and dialed up to “toasty” and her Aerostich jacket. We both looked and felt like, the Michelin Man but were warm and comfortable. I tried riding without the rain pants but it was too cold. I needed the rain paints for wind protection even though it was not raining.
We were now off on our adventure in Austria, following the map ADAC gave us.

Preparation

Before we began this trip we needed to find a flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I searched every available search engine on the internet for flights from Toronto (YYZ) to Frankfurt (FRA). I found Transat Air the least expensive at $ 958.-/person but then I waited too long to book it and the price turned into $ 1080 - then into $ 1198.-/person. This is way too expensive for a round trip ticket. I found that Air India flies out of Newark, NJ (EWK) for a price of $ 640.-/person and we booked that. Naturally we had to drive to NJ but since my children live there we combined it with a visit.
When travelling, every aspect needs to be planned and costs need to be compared. Once we arrived in Frankfurt we had to get to Heidelberg. I learned from my last trips that a Lufthansa shuttle bus departs every hour between Frankfurt Airport and a Heidelberg Hotel and I booked 2 seats on that shuttle via the internet. The cost for a one way ticket to Heidelberg came to Euro 22.-/person. From the Hotel stop in Heidelberg we took a taxi to Stefan Knopf (www.knopftours.com) where our bikes are stored. Cost for the Taxi is Euro 12.-. While all this seems complicated it is in fact very easy and beats taking the trains, buses, or costly pick-ups by a limo-service. The next best thing would have been to ask Stefan to pick us up at the airport but Stefan is very busy now that the motorcycle season has started and I did not want to burden him with our arrival. Our travelling, flight, bus, taxi went without incident and was completed as planned. We had some worries that we could be stranded because of the volcano eruption over Iceland, but none of that happened to us. We arrived in Heidelberg without complications.
We told Stefan via an email that we would be arriving on May 13th and he had our bikes ready for us. The needed paper work was done by Stefan as well. Our bikes needed Insurance for the 2 months that we will be riding in Europe and ADAC, a German Insurance company similar to AAA in the U.S., issues short term Insurance for foreigners and for motorcycles as well. Stefan handles all the paper work and the charge for a 2 months Insurance was Euro $ 250 per bike. In addition, we paid Stefan Euro 300 per bike annually to store the bikes. Add to that a yearly Insurance for road side assistance, also written by ADAC for Euro 115 plus 2 nights at Stefan’s Bed and Breakfast of Euro 60 per night and the trip starts off with a major expense. I will need a new front tire soon but this expense will come later. Riding a motorcycle in Europe is not an inexpensive hobby.
While we stayed at Stefan’s B&B we met Ken and Rita O’Malley who are going to visit Northern Italy this year. Ken stores his BMW at Stefan’s, too. Over dinner the first night we exchanged some info and I like the way Ken travels. Ken books a Hostel via Hostelworld and stays in one location for a few days. From that location he takes day trips on his bike and Ken plans very well and knows what he wants to see while in Northern Italy. Yes, he is flexible but he knows his route, knows what makes his trips worthwhile. For meals, Ken and Rita buy food at the local food markets and they cook in a micro wave or in the hostel kitchen. It is like living at home in a foreign country. Rita is a good cook and she can whip something up from whatever she finds in a supermarket. She showed me how they manage the food purchases on our 2nd day at Stefan’s. I learned a lot just watching and listening to her.
In return I told them how to enter Switzerland without buying the expensive Vignette, the Toll Sticker one must buy in order to travel thru Switzerland. Do not enter Switzerland on a highway. Take the local, secondary roads when entering Switzerland. Do not travel on the Swiss Highway system. If you do not use the highway, then you do not need the vignette. Naturally, the Euro is not accepted in Switzerland and you should have local currency, the Swiss Franc. Information of the most basic sometimes adds to a well planned trip.
Staying at Stefan’s B&B one runs into other bikers. While I know Ken and Rita and have been at their house in Louisiana and I know they know their stuff. Yet, each time I meet them anew I learn something from them. I also met a new guy from Michigan. This guy, Fred, just retired from GM after 37 years of toil. Fred it new to the EU and he bought a Honda, well equipped on E-Bay, just for the trip thru the Alps. Yes Fred was a newbie for Europe but he too, told me new things. He had an I Pod and stored all his info on this device. He received internet and weather reports on this gizmo and Fred even bought 100 Mega bytes of Phone calls for emergency calls to the States, just in case. I use “Medjet Assist Plus” for emergency situations. I pay Medjet but hope I will never use them. I do not have a telephone while travelling in Europe. I find the use of a phone and the European numbering system too complicated. When I need to make a phone call I use Skype on my portable mini-computer. I use a HP laptop computer, small and compact, made for travelling. I need a Wi-Fi connection however, and there are not too many hot spots in the Balkans, the place we have targeted for our trip this year. Travelling is always an experience and each time I travel I learn new things, new ways to travel. Nobody has the right way and each time we travel we adapt to the new country, the new language, and the new surroundings.
I prepare, I compare notes with other travelers, I am always looking and trying new ways to see the world. Some things are expensive but others, when planned right, are not. No matter the expense, motorcycle riding is my hobby and I use all my abilities to plan well, eat and sleep well. I want to ride well, without drama and arrive and be safe. I prepare the best I can.

F 650 GS Test Ride.

Last night I went to the BMW dealership ‘Open Road ‘in Newmarket, ON to listen to the world traveler Rene Cormier (www.renedian.com), who put aside 5 years of his life to circumnavigate our earth on 2 wheels. He rode an older BMW 650 GSPD to do the job. He loved his bike; the bike never let him down. Rene had some wild stories to tell, it was a good night out. It rained so badly on the way back that, with wipers running at full speed, it was hard to see the 3-lane highway. Luckily, traffic was light; I stared at the white lines to guide me. This rain continued all night long. For this morning, I had plans to take a test ride at the same dealership, Open Road. After hearing Rene, after reading about the new F-650 with the bigger motor for some time now, I was not sure if I wanted to ride in this downpour. When I woke up this morning, the rain had abated and I said “What the heck, I’ve been wet before” and I went for my test ride.
I heard stories about the 650 Model. People love this bike. My daughter Michelle rode an F-650 for some time but I never did find out why she got rid of it. I have to remember to ask her. The new 650 actually has an 800cc motor. Yes, we all know it is stupid to call it a 650 if it has an 800cc motor but then I do not make the BMW policies. With a chain drive, the bike is a departure of what I have been riding so far. I am really looking for a lighter bike. I want a bike that is trouble free, dependable and is comfortable when going long distances. Yamaha has a new model this year the 2010 Ténéré, with a shaft drive and a 1000cc motor. I am also evaluating this Yamaha bike, but for now, it is not for sale in North America. I might be able to see it in Europe when I go next week.
I had made reservations for the first ride out this morning, at 9 AM and that meant getting up at 6 AM. Do I take my bike to ride to the dealership and then take a test bike? Alternatively, do I put all the stuff in the car, and then get dressed in the parking lot to test the F-650-GS? Checking the sky, checking the weather report on line, I choose the car. Well, ok, you might say I chickened out but boy was I lucky. I arrived at Open Road, had a cup of tea and did the usual paper work. All this was no hassle it was easy stuff. Yes, of course, I had to sign a waiver but that is now obligatory when you want to test ride a bike. Open Road had an F-650-GS ready for me and with a group of other people, we went out to see how the new bikes feel, ride, and behave. Please remember I am coming off a 1200 GS Adventure and there sure is a difference in handling. This 650 is quick and agile. I cannot get over how powerful the 800cc engine is. The range of the gears is wide. In first gear you can ride very slowly and without jerking, the motor chugs along whether you go slowly or give it some extra gas. Up-shifting is no effort, the gears fall right into place! Being in 2nd gear is almost enough to ride in heavy traffic. The power band is wide on this new 650. It feels better than on the 1200 Adventure, I ride now. Riding a bit out of town where the speed limit is 80 KM/hour (50MPH) I used third gear. Yes, I did go to fourth gear but I wanted to see if there was enough reserve in the motor. There is plenty of power on the 650, no matter what gear you are using. It was a pleasure riding this bike. Avoiding potholes was just a flick of the handle bar; the bike feels so light it is easy to do. Setting up for curves was a cinch; the ride feels solid and tight. The steering is precise. Leaning, even on wet pavement, from the rain last night, felt secure. Passing cars showed me a good, powerful, fast bike. I felt I was riding a mini version of my present 1200 GS. The 650 is smaller, yes, but at the same time, as good a ride as I could want. We rode on the 404 for some time and getting on to this highway I tried to crank it up. In fourth gear, while getting on, I hit 6000 RPM and then shifted to fifth gear. No jerks, the transition was smooth. Again I forgot the speed for a moment and concentrated on the RPM’s only and just before redline I up shifted to 6th gear. The motor just purred. It settled in to a comfortable sounding tone and when I checked my speed, I was riding along at 120+ KM/hour (80MPH), a bit high for Canadian and even U.S. standards. I eased off and smiled, the 650 is a good bike. I would change the seat if I bought a bike like that because I could feel my backside was a little sore after just one hour of riding. My feet were flat on the ground when stopped, the layout of the switches on the handlebar were logical, the display easy to read, the bike is good. It sure will be a contender when I start to down scale. Best of all, I rode the whole trip without any rain. It rained while going to the dealer ship but stopped once I arrived. It started to pour down on me again, once I was again in my car on the way back. It was a morning, I believe, made just for me, made for a good test ride on the 650 GS. The experience was excellent. Even the weatherman gave me a break, kept the rain at bay, and kept me dry. Now all I have to do is sell my other two bikes so I can entertain buying a new 650 seriously. The bike is ready for me, am I ready for it?
Once back in my car, driving back to Toronto, the sky, again, opened up in full force. I felt sorry for the riders I left behind. It rained so heavily that again, I used the full speed on my windshield wipers. It rained as if you had dumped out buckets! I was dry and comfortable in my car, with my heater on in Temps of 40 degrees F. Yet I had a good ride on a motorcycle this morning as well!