3 weeks
6,408 km
4,000 miles
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In early May 2006 I drove from Germany through Switzerland
and Liechtenstein to Italy and San Marino.
Jayne flew to Naples to meet me, and we visited Pompei, Herculaneum
and Vesuvius over a long weekend. Then I drove, on my own again, on to northern Greece, Albania
and Montenegro. In Mostar, Bosnia I visited a
friend stationed there with the German military (EUFOR). Then it was further on through Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Czech
Republic back to Germany.
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General information
This is what my living room looked like while planning the trip!
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The best time for such a trip is May/June and
September/October. But in the Spring or the Fall you do risk that some passes in the Alps
are closed. In summer it is much to hot. I already found by mid of May
temperatures of more than 30°C (90°F).
Riding a motorcycle in Italy is one of the most dangerous
things that I have experienced on my trips so far! The Italians just
don't accept motorcycles (or Germans?). Every day they tried to push me
off the road many times, NOT by mistake, and with no reason! Italy on
a motorcycle? Never again!
The following is not written for Austria, Italy and other
established tourist countries I crossed.
Whether or not you need a visa for such a trip depends on where you are from (I, as a German, didn't need one), so
best check with your Government or Embassy. An international drivers license
isn't absolutely necessary, but it is recommended (because it
standardizes license info and presents it in several languages).
Language: English isn't of much help in most of the
countries I visited; Italian and German is spoken more often. Especially
in Bosnia, many people speak at least a little German, because many of
them where in Germany as refugees during the war. But even if one can't
find a common language, one can manage, because the locals
really try to help.
Safety: Everybody said I would be crazy to do this
trip because of safety concerns, and I have to admit that I was a bit nervous. Mostly, I feared my
bike would get stolen, but that can happen everywhere. I took more
locks than normal and was careful where I parked my bike -- I tried to
always park where I could see my bike when in a restaurant, it was right
next to my tent while camping, and I did my best to always lock it to
something else. My motorcycle was unattended and out of my site and
hearing only at certain historic sites where I had no choice but to
leave it while I toured on foot.
There are still minefields all over Bosnia and also in the
backcountry of Croatia. Unfortunately the warning signs are often taken
as souvenirs, so it's best to stay on paved roads. There are also explosive
traps in and around bombed out buildings, so don't enter them and don't
pick anything up!
I found the locals very friendly and helpful.
And since I didn't bother the Mafia, which is supposedly very strong
there, I felt safe and had a good time!
Getting gas/petrol: There are plenty of gas/petrol
stations in all of the visited countries, but many close at
about 5 p.m. The quality of the gas/petrol seemed to be fine -- at least I
didn't have any problems.
Speed limits: In the countries of former Yugoslavia
and Albania they obviously retrained the snipers, and so they now
operate radar-guns. Everywhere where they have new, good roads, there
are policemen trying to raise the income of the country. But they wear
bright orange or yellow vests, and so they can usually be seen from far
away.
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