Last days of the European Union.

 Crossing the border into Albaia was probably the biggest change so far. Not just the fact that the biggest religion is Islam, but you can very clearly see that it is poorer. For example in Shkodra, the first big city we went to we saw people with horse and carriage in the middle of town. And because there are such a big difference between the poor and rich you can se e that next to a brand new Mercedes. 

After leaving Shkorda we cycled for a while before stopping at a church to ask if we could put out tents on the church lawn. That didn’t work out but a man suggested a church not far from where we were. So we continued on until we saw a little church up on a little hill just above where they were building a new big church. The only person we found there was a construction worker who was very helpful and took Millou on his scooter to the priest. And after a while Millou came back with some beer given to us by the priest and the good news that we could sleep in the church. And I have to admit that it felt a little strange to sleep in the church. But I had a great night sleep and the next day we set our sight on Tirana.

At first the road was great, but after a while big holes appeared in the asphalt and there where parts that was just terrible. We pushed on for a little longer until we stopped for some coffee and to rest after some hard work on that road. There we met a man who Millou and Julius could speak Italian with and who bought us coffee and lunch. The people here have been very nice and as we cycle along the road almost everyone smile and wave at us.

After lunch we decided to get on the big road because we didn’t want to cycle anymore on the bad road. But even on this road we had to look out for holes in the asphalt. It didn’t take us very long to get into Tirana and once there the traffic really got crazy. We had to be careful and to watch out for cars coming from all directions. But we made it to the center and found ourselves a hostel to stay in. And from here I will be continuing on cycling on my own. I had two great weeks with the guys and it will feel kind of strange to cycle without them. But I’m very inspired to continue on and from here Greece isn’t very far away. I just have to decide what route to take from here.

Uphill

After a nice and warm day cycling to Bar we went up a hill towards a church where we planned to ask for a place to put our tents. There was no one there but we asked a nice man living beside the church and he let us camp in his yard. That night it rained but I had a great night sleep and before we left we were invited for coffee and some cake. And for the first time I had rakija before breakfast. After that we cycled a short bit into Bar and had breakfast before starting our climb up into the mountains. The plan was to get to the lake Skadarsko Jezero. And to get there we cycled on a road that took us 805 meters above sea-level. The road was good and the view was amazing cycling up. But around lunchtime it started raining more and more and luckily we found a little place where we could by some coffee and have our lunch away from the rain. After that the rain had stopped and we cycled on upwards and saw the sun and a rainbow for a brief moment.

 When we finally were at the top we were happy to be cycling down to the lake. But the rain had picked up and it was freezing cold going down with the cold wind and the rain. Me and Julius went down a little faster and stopped to wait for Millou. And when we stood by the road the lightning struck down in a power line right beside us. It was really scary and we moved on quickly. Millou caught up with us but took it easy because his breaks was bad and the road was wet and slippery. After cycling down in heavy rain it started raining even more and it ever hailed. By then we were so cold that we stopped at the first house with people and luckily they took us in and we could warm up by the stove. And after some warming rakija we continued on down to the lake and asked for a place for our tents in the village Virpazar. But after a while we decided to get a room to dry up properly and to get a well-deserved warm shower.

And yesterday we cycled along the lake and up hills where the view of Skadarsko Jezero was amazing. There was almost no cars on a small winding road that went higher and higher. We stopped to have our lunch at a place where the view was just amazing. After that the road went down through a valley and the landscape changed from rocky hills to more forest and where the leaves had turned yellow and you could feel that it really is fall. And as soon as we were away from the sun it got cold, especially when going downhill with the wind in our faces. We stopped at a small village and asked a man if we could camp there. He was very kind and offered us a room in his house where we could stay for the night. Musa was an Albanian living in Montenegro, so we got some lessons in Albanese and he roasted some very tasty chest nuts.

Today we arrived in Albania and the first impression is that the people are very friendly. People are waving and smiling as we cycle past. So I think people who have been telling us to be very careful in this country most likely haven’t been here.

Spoke issue

Yesterday we woke up in Kotor after a rainy night. But we had a roof over our heads and even if the weather didn’t look very promising it was still warm. But before leaving we saw that Millou had two broken spokes, but after having the same problem a couple of times he knew what to do and after a little while we were back on the road. And to begin with we had a nice tailwind until we turned around a cape and headed south to Tivat. And after a late breakfast we decided to take some small roads towards Radivici. But somewhere we took a wrong turn and ended up on a road that stopped being a road after a while and turned into a stone path. But by then we were high up and we thought the best idea was to continue on until it came on to a bigger road. And after a rainy tricky cycle we finally ended up on some beautiful asphalt and found a little village where we stopped and had a very late lunch. It was raining and we asked a man if we could sit down in what looked like a bar/garage. He was fine with that and later his dad came by who spoke French. And since Millou is French and Julius also speak French they had a nice chat with the man while I tried to pick up on some words=)

 It was cloudy and It got dark very soon. So we asked the man if we could stay there, and for a while it sounded like he had a room in his house for us. But his son and girlfriend were coming later so that didn’t work out. But we got to stay in the bar/garage and a roof over our heads is always great. So we stayed there and had a nice dinner and drank a little rakija. And I slept great even if it was right by a road and no wall to that side.

Today we have made it to Budva and I and Julius are taking it easy at a coffee shop while Millou is out looking for a bike shop because he had another broken spoke this morning and used up his last spare. But today the sun is shining and we are enjoying this beautiful country.

Beautiful Montenegro

After leaving Dubrovnik we cycled about 40 km to a Mikolici where we had a host through wormshowers.org. And even if it’s now November it was a warm day as we did a climb from the city up to the main road. It was nice to know where to sleep for the night so there was no problem even though it got dark by the time we got there. And Marko, our host was a man who had lived an amazing life and had many stories about everything from his time at a refugee camp in Italy to meeting Fidel Castro. We stayed there one more day and I had a relaxing day mostly at a coffee shop down by the water.

 And today we left Croatia and entered Montenegro. And so far this country has been great. The cycling was beautiful just by the water into a bay with amazing mountains around us. We reached Kotor after lunch and took a look around the old town witch was very beautiful and with almost no tourists. We cycled out of Kotor and after just a short cycle we talked to a very nice man who gave us a place to stay for the night. It was just a dark room, but for us it’s paradise.  And because there most likely will be a lot of rain tonight it’s very nice to have a roof over our heads.

A Swede, a German and a Frenchman

I stayed at a hostel in Split where I met some cool people in a fairly big hostel with only a couple of people staying there at the time. After that I met up with Millou and Juius that I met in Zadar and after a little tour in Split and some pizza we got out of the city and on to the cost road again. Today was also the day to set you clocks back one hour which wasn’t very  good for us who now has one hour less in the afternoon and will have to try and find places to sleep earlier than before. But we were very lucky our first night together and after taking to an old man in a small village we were offered a small room to sleep in which was just perfect. When we arrived at the place there where smoke coming from one house. And we soon found out that they were making rakija. It was cool to see it being made and we had a drink with a policeman who was part of the family where we stayed.

After a good night sleep on a small sofa we cycled on to a small town and sat down for a great breakfast at a coffee shop just by the water. We then followed a small path along the coast that would take us to Makarska. But we didn’t make it far until Millou had a flat tire. And after a few tries the tube was beyond repair and he cycled to Makarska for a spare. Me and Julius had a more relaxing day at the beach and I went for a swim and found a beach shower that was still working. It was strange cycling through there touristic places with so many empty houses and apartments. The little beach where we spent the day there where rows of empty apartments. And when Millou was back on the bike and we started looking for a place to sleep we went by some abandoned hotels that where a little spooky to see. It had been trashed and it was completely empty. We considered sleeping there but thought it was better to continue on. And we talked to a man who showed us a place where we could set up our tents.

The next day we made it into Makarska for breakfast and cycled out after Millou had gotten some spare parts. In the afternoon we slept close to a Swiss man’s house just by a lake that we took bathes in. By dinner it started raining and it continued all night, but luckily it didn’t rain when we got up the next day. Since it was first of November it was holiday and a lot of stores were closed. But we got some breakfast and cycled towards the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. On our way we passed by a delta with a lot of fruit plantations. And the Clementine’s tasted absolutely great directly from the tree.

The visit in Bosnia and Herzegovina was quick and we were back in Croatia just after 10 km of cycling. And this day we cycled 70 km before lunch, the most I have ever done. But the lunch tasted better than ever before and with full stomachs we didn’t have to cycle much further until setting up camp in a little village not far from Dubrovnik. And today we cycled in to this magnificent city and we will look around. And just as we arrived in Dubrovnik outside the old city we ran into David and Heidi who I met in Ljubljana about two weeks ago. It was really funny to just meet someone by chance like that. Especially because I’m travelling really slow on a bicycle and they are on a motorcycle. Tonight we had a place to stay at about 40 km south of Dubrovnik that we found through warmshowers.org. And I really need a shower=)