Let`s start the adventure
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As it was already evening our first stop was shortly behind the Slovenian border near Bled, where we put up our tent. On the next day we woke up to a green mountainous scenery and after having a delicious breakfast with good bread, cheese, vegetables and fruits we decided to visit lake Bled. When we went on curvy roads downhill we caught a glimpse of the turquois blue lake glittering in the sunlight. The picturesque church on the small island of the lake is a unique sight.
We can only recommend every motorcyclist to visit this beautiful place in Slovenia once. We spent the rest of the day relaxing near the stunning lake, watching ducks and swans playing on the surface. For the night we found a secluded spot in the fields between some trees. After some travel experience we have preferences where to put up our tent to sleep in the wilderness. At first, we get off the main street and then try to find some field where we can pitch our tent unseen from other people. It’s easier of course when there is still light, so we don’t have to use our headlight and attract attention.
On the second morning we woke up to a vehicle paving over the trail next to our tent. Well, it doesn’t always work out the way we plan. We went on and decided to take our self-made breakfast on the next petrol station before riding on to the city of Zagreb. One thing we appreciate going by motorcycle is the parking situation. You can stop nearly everywhere without buying a ticket. The city welcomed us in the beautiful warm colors of a sunny afternoon. First we secured the bike with our heavy Abus chain and a brake disc lock with an installed alarm. Undressing in normal clothes felt very good. We strolled around the city center enjoying the atmosphere while eating some ice cream.
This night proved to be some challenge to find a suitable place for the tent. At first there was a small dog that wouldn’t shut up defending his territory and then we came across an apiculture with hundreds of bees flying around. Later we found a ruinous abandoned train station where we pitched our tent and fell asleep immediately. Early in the morning we woke up to people talking and standing near our tent. Obviously, we slept next to a train station. Still a bit tired we got out of the tent seeing the sun rising above the rails and stopped shortly to admire the great atmosphere of the ruined building bathed in the beautiful light of the morning sun.
Riding in the early morning is our favorite time of the day. The light is amazing, the road is empty, and everything is quiet and peaceful. We spontaneously decided to make a small detour through Bosnia and Herzegovina on our way to Belgrade. One of the best things about travelling is that you can get your own impression of a country. Riding on curvy roads we enjoyed the scenery and got into conversation with a lady welcoming us from her balcony.
She talked in perfect German and told us about her life in Munich and the job situation in Bosnia which seems to be bad in some parts. Her cute dog Semina wanted to play with us and was really excited.
From Bosnia we entered first Croatia and then Serbia, so we left the European Union twice in one day. Besides from open borders we like to use the internet on our phones without paying extra money or buy a new sim card. In Belgrade we stayed in a nice hostel in the city center located in a small street with lots of cafés, bars and restaurants. We liked the cheerful atmosphere and enjoyed taking a walk through the main shopping street to visit the monumental Belgrade Fortress on the confluence of the River Sava and Danube where we had an amazing view over the city and admired a stunning sunset.
On the next day we left the city in the afternoon after using the advantages of staying in a hostel like cooking in the kitchen or having a shower and found a nice place in the fields to put our tent, as we like it most.
The next day, on May 31st, we went on riding towards Bulgaria on curvy roads in perfect conditions and stopped in an idyllic village asking for Lisine waterfall in Serbia, because we saw a sign on the street by chance. The locals were helpful, and one guy showed us the way. He went with us into a restaurant and stepped out on the other side where there was a green garden and a river. We felt like in paradise as we went on and saw the waterfall glittering in the sunlight.
Having changed the hot motorcycle gear to swimming stuff we jumped into the water. It was freezing cold and a group of other tourists looked at us as if we were crazy, but we felt perfectly refreshed afterwards. Later we sat in the restaurant enjoying good local food.
As we went on it was already afternoon, so we drove some time, admiring the scenery bathed in warm light and found a suitable camping spot in the dark where we slept in our tent.
The next morning, we woke up to a spectacular scenery we didn’t see the day before because it had been already dark. After doing the usual morning preparations like brushing the teeth and Claudia braiding her hair in a plait we went on to Bulgaria. The sun was burning in the sky as we entered Sofia on midday. We decided to get some food in a supermarket in the center as one guy with his cute daughter approached us asking us if he could help or if we wanted to stay at his place.
As we already had other plans and wanted to go to Turkey the next day we went on. We didn’t want to stay in Sofia any longer because of the heat so we went on. We set up our tent with a spectacular sunset in the background and enjoyed the slight evening breeze.
On the next day we enjoyed a good breakfast eating a bowl of cereal with fresh fruits. Afterwards we soon reached the Turkish border and said goodbye to the Balkans.
Slovenia
Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia
Bulagria
Visa
not necessary, we just had to show our passports in Bosnia and Serbia
Weather
20°C to 30°C, sunny, no rain
Best experience
refreshment in the Lisine waterfalls on a warm and sunny day
Worst experience
all in all just good experiences 😊, but looking very long for a camping spot in Croatia in the middle of the night wasn`t that much fun
Interesting fact
in Serbia and Bulgaria the letters are written in Cyrillic alphabet
Travel tip
enjoy the atmosphere of the hostels, there are some nice and cheap ones in the cities
Accommodation
Wild Camping
In the 5 countries of the Balkan we always slept in our tent somewhere in the wilderness, except of one night in the capital of Serbia.
Belgrade
In Belgrade, Serbia we slept at the Reveller`s. You can find it on booking.com. For a double room we paid 34,50 € for one night.
