Greece is the word!

We've just looked back over where we've been for the 4 days and it seems quite unreal.

We left the comfortable beach hut in Zaostrog with the intention of stopping somewhere around Podgorica in Montenegro to give us a chance of getting right through Albania the next day without stopping.

Anita had been suffering with her thick winter jacket in the heat (and I'd been suffering with her whining), so we stopped off in Dubrovnik to try to get a summer jacket and post hers home.


Imaagine coming across this view, then after admiring it for a while, wondering how to find a bike clothing shop!











By chance we came across a biker's cafe, and between the owner and a helpful biker that I asked on the way, we found the only bike shop in Dubrovnik!











But they didn't have one. Pooh! The next chance would be in Greece.

The road to Podgorica over the mountains was fantastic.


Life is never simple, but when things go wrong, they seem to do so for a reason.

We took a wrong turning in Podgorica. I blame Ken (our Tomtom SatNav voice) as he had no maps beyond Italy. He's sadly missed.

The wrong turn actually took us along the most beautiful gorge that had been carved out along a winding path. We were done in with the long ride and the heat (it's been 30-35 for the last few days), so we stopped a few miles up the road and kipped at a very old-style family run hotel with a huge kitchen garden. No camping to be had for miles, so we had to grin and put up with the comfort! The only thing that marred it was the veal calf kept locked in a dark shed.

The drink stall over the road was run by lovely 9 year old lad called Bolshar (?) who enjoyed practising his english with us.



Montenegro was quite shocking how poor it was in contrast to Croatia. Beaten-up old Lada's and Renaults that we'd not seen in the UK for years.

Albania was even poorer and more basic. We were battling against the clock to cross the country, as it just didn't feel safe. The first city that we went through - Shkoder - was how I picture riding through New Delhi. It was total chaos with people walking randomly onto the road, mad traffic, street bazaars of heaps of old clothes, kids sifting through rubbish, and every kind of old bit of junk for sale by the side of the road.

The roads were interesting too - we experienced everything apart from dirt, and this was a main inter-country highway. The one bit of motorway that we came across was under construction, and without any warning, dumped us onto a narrow bit of uneven hardcore with 6 lanes of traffic fighting for place on a narrow strip that wound from one side to the other. After years of off-roading, I wasn't that worried, but Anita wasn't happy. She coped well though - despite lorries driving straight at her. She thinks it was the fixed scream that was on her face that made them move over.

After long hot hours we made it into Macedonia - to find that it was much the same as Albania. We had to stop, and a garage owner on the outskirts of Struga took us to an apartment of his in town.

'Is it secure for the bikes?'
'No problem, the police station is 5 metres away'


The police seemed to have a fairly hard time of it. We watched them carrying 5 gallon drums of fuel across the road all evening to fill their battered old patrol cars.

We'll never know whether they were playing about, saw a rat or what happened, but there were quite a few gunshots right outside the window during the night.

The bikes survived the night without bullet holes (now that would be a souvenir!) and we set off at 8 to avoid the heat.

Greece! Back in the EU! First stop, Florina. Less tattered, more shabby chic.



This evening we've stopped in Vevi near Florina and were cooked a lovely meal in Cafe Violetta by Eva Paparousi and her mum. Her dad and everyone in the cafe were chatting and ended up taking pictures with us.

The people are lovely and the village has a gentle feel to it. We've promised to pop in for a farewell coffee in the morning, then off to the coast south of Thessaloniki for a cheap campsite. After that we'll be staying at more campsites along the coast before heading up into Bulgaria and to the Tree Pigs farm in Nikolovo. Where's that? More later......