The Video!!! 18 countries in 15 days !!!

Youtube Video link of the bike adventure

Day 16

Our ride to insbruck was tough.  500k of motorway and head winds.  Seemed sad to be heading home after such an epic adventure.   We borded the overnight train and headed straight to the bar.  Met some cool fellow bikers from Belgium and shared some stories and beers with them.

Unloading the bikes next day took ages. Another long ride back to london via germany, Netherlands, belgium and france and final photo shoot on the finish line.

 

 

 

Day 15

We are back in austria. We managed 16 countries in 14 days (17 if we include england). Waiting for our overnight train back to dusseldorf before our final leg back to london via germany, Belgium and france.

 

Both pretty shatteted but has been an awsome trip.

Day 14

After a chilled out day in budapest, we set off to vienna via bratislava in slovakia.  Didnt seem to be much going on there so we rode around the town back into austria.  Weather has certainly gotten cooler and the petrol stations are much more western with mini markets etc.  Eastern European petrol stations are much more like the old english ones that sell a few car parts and maybe some cold drinks.

On the way to slovakia,  we stopped for fuel.  I headed over to a green pump as id been doing all this trip and filled up.  As I finished, the petrol attendant came running over babbling in hungarian and looking distressed pointing at the petrol.  Turns out id filled up with ethanol.  
 

Not knowing what that was, I googled and discovered its 85% alcohol.  Ooops. Nobody spoke english so I googled a bit more to see if my bike would run on it and/or damage it if I used it.  Seemed to get mixed opinions so not wanting to take the risk in a foreign country, we decided to take the tank off and empty it in a nearby field and refuel.  Fortunately, we'd had to take tank off before leaving to fit usb charger so it wasn't so painful. Thanks mat!

Budapest , Hungary

Spent out rest day looking at the sites in Budapest , amazing city , top deck bus tour is the only way to see it all : )

Day 13

Having spent the night in a motel in romania, we set off for budapest. A long day and am starting to feel tired and sore.  The motorway riding and wind on a naked bike is taking its toll on my neck. 

Unbelievably (or maybe not) ive lost or broken 4 pairs of sunglasses on this trip.

Pulled up into a cool campsite 4k from Budapest.  Met some cool folk.  Decided to spend 2 nights here and take a rest day and see some of Budapest.

Day 12

We set off early for the infamous Transfagarasan highway as featured on top gear and voted the best road in the world but not for the faint hearted.  It is spectacular but very challenging.  Intense concentration at all times.  Stunning views. Snow topped mountains made it a bit chillier and I think I need new tyres and brakes now.  We road through romania until we were exhausted and stopped in a truckers motel.  Nobody spoke english and rather than a menu, we were told "mix grill. Beer.".  No complaints here.

 

 

 

 

 

First bike damage!

A minor mishap.  Matts bike stand sank into the soft ground and collapsed onto my bike parked next to it.  No damage to mine but matts windscreen breaks. 

Fixed like a pro with wire tyres stitched together like a surgeon.

Day 11

Nothing that special about sofia. Nice people but nothing particulary noteworthy about the place.  Liked the bulgarian countryside and little villages. Roads werent great.  Very hot day and tiring ride into romania. No problems with border control.  Roads good and countryside reminds me a bit of uk. Flat and green.  Rode through bucharest.  Busy and more modern/western than I expected.   Found camp site with little bungalows for 20 euro a night, wifi, showers and they sell beer.  Result.  Transylvania pass tomorrow.

Day 10

In sofia, Bulgaria recharging ourselves from a most epic day of losing ourselves in highway dramas. Thanks to the random bulgarian who saw two overheating motorcyclists trying to find a camp site and assisted us by escorting us to a local cheap hotel (to quote him "a campsite with showers? Its not bloody germany mate. This is bulgaria!).

Macedonia at night , stunning

10 hours on a naked monster

Surviving another boarder crossing

 

After sleeping on the beach for 2 days in Greece we book into a 5star hotel in Macadonia after 10 hours on the bikes and surviving thunder storms, lighting ,hailstones and rockslides .

Day 9

No photos today.  Spent whole day on bikes riding through greece to macadonia.  Weve done about 2,000 miles so far. Went from 34 degrees sun to thunder storms.  Getting through macadonia border was no problem once I flashed 50 euros at the none english speaking border control lady. 

Greek bikers seem to think number plates are optional.   They either dont have them or duck tape them. They are then able to drive through all the tolls without paying and speed past the speed cameras. 

Bulgaria tomorrow.  Treated ourselves to a 5 star hotel tonight in centre of macadonia.  Partly because we were soaking wet from thunder storm and couldn't find anywhere else and partly because we wanted hot showers and the chance to dry our stuff out.

Day 8

A rest day. Pretty exhausted after 7 days of riding and as we have free camping by the beach, what better time to take a day off.

Macedonia tomorrow.

 

Albania

  The rawness and lack of infrastructure makes for a great adventure , breath taking scenery and some great winding roads following the coast down .

Albanian people have big hearts : )

  

Day 7

Wow. The albanians at the hotel were amazingly generous. They setup an outdoor projector and put movies on for us whilst the owner cooked up amazing pork chops and lamb cutlets.   In the morning the owners son gave us a bicycle escort out of the town.

Albania was a real mix of poverty and begging children and half built concrete constructions with dreadful unfinished or none existent roads intermixed with stunning green landscapes and natural beauty.

Arrived in greece about 6pm. Its 34 degrees.  A tiring day with lots of mental concentration required on albanian roads. We discovered Its free camping in greece so camped up next to the beach.

Sometimes the adventure starts by taking a wrong turn

Albanian roads

Not great on a motorbike!

Day 6

Finished of montenegro via the stunning kotor. A long day of riding through the albania border (managed to buy a green card for 15 euro) only to be greeted by albanian beggers (young children).  Albanian roads suck. Pot holes, unfinished roads, crazy drivers. Pulled into an awsome hotel. We are the only guests.  30 euro per room.  Restaurants closed so the owner is coming over to make us some traditional albanian food. Greece tomorrow.

Green card for montenegro

Green card?? No problemo (for montenegro at least). Just smile nicely, pretend you've never heard of such a thing and ask if its possible to buy one.  Hey presto, whisked into a small office and a mere 10 euros later, back on the road.

Made friends already in the Bay of Kotor

Day 5

Made it to montenegro via bosnia and Herzegovina  .  Managed to buy a green card at the border.   Passed through dubrovnik. An amazing city.  Am holding up ok physically but find it quite mentally exhausting. Shattered by 5 but starting at 9 each day.  Getting a pro at putting tent up!  That makes 8 countries in 5 days.