Albania
Once we passed the crazy construction, our ride in Albania was smooth sailing. Or not so smooth, really. Albania definitely had the worst roads (in terms of surface quality) of any country we biked in. It seems as though they’re working on that, however. There was construction everywhere. In the morning after our … Continue reading
“In One Hour, There Will Be Huge Explosion”
Albania is a country we knew very little about before our visit (though I guess that’s true for most of these countries). In the east, by FYROM, it is pretty mountainous, and we had trouble charting a clear path to take. We came up with a route and set off after our lovely camp stay … Continue reading
“Nice and Flat,” You Said, “Around the Lake.”
After our jaunt in Mavrovo, we headed south toward Macedonia’s number one tourist destination — Lake Ohrid. It was one of our best biking days. Though much of the route was uphill, it was a gentle grade with very little traffic and pretty views of the river throughout the day. When we stopped for … Continue reading
The Five Factors
I know many of you are not that interested in bicycle touring, but it really is a great way to see places. Everything is so intimate. You get to visit all the in-between places that tourists don’t usually see. You get to interact with locals in an entirely atypical way. It’s fun and interesting. You … Continue reading
Kosovo
Given their tumultuous history, it’s no surprise most people in Serbia warned us not to go to Kosovo. Although more than 100 countries (including the US) recognize its sovereignty, Serbia does not. That makes for a few border tensions, as you might imagine. Nonetheless, we decided to go, and I’m glad we did. … Continue reading
Beograd
Nowhere near as pretty as Budapest, Belgrade is a grittier, dirtier city. It has a few interesting quirks, though. As we were biking into town we noticed the plethora of barge clubs and restaurants along the Danube. The river bank was lined not only with these interesting venues but with a pedestrian walkway and … Continue reading
Euro Velo 6
When we left Budapest, we spent 5 days biking to Belgrade, Serbia. By chance we stumbled across the Euro Velo 6 bicycle route, which travels from somewhere in France on the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea in Romania. It more or less follows the Danube between the two cities, so we more or less … Continue reading
Traveling Applejax 