Cruising through the Balkan countries. By now I have done Croatia. I have circled into Bosnia and visited the charming old city of Mostar and seen its famous bridge. I have followed the Ciro Trail in Bosnia Bosnia which is an old railroad track made into an epic bicycle trail. Looped back into the landbased island which is Dubrovnik and was amazed by the scenery in Montenegro. I have experience the extremely friendly Albanians and seen a million bunkers. Quite a lot has happened since last time so grab a seat and get comfy before reading on.
Week 22You might read the title, pause and ponder with a puzzled look, perhaps you right now smirk over the childish reference to a cartoon hero in a fantasy world. Why Superman and why kryptonite? True, it is a bit enigmatic, but I'll get back to it later on.
I left Istria and Pula long ago – some 50 days to be more precise. I have already biked through Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro. Soon Albania will be added to that list as well as I am preparing to leave Ksamil and cross into Greece heading for my winter break on Crete. My goal has been to plot a route that would mix up the oceanic breeze on the coastal roads with rugged mountain views inland. Looking back on the last couple of month to evaluate, I am quite satisfied and consider the goal accomplished.
Heading for the mountainsHowever happy I was riding along the coast, feeling the salty air on my face from the endless flat blue ocean, I didn't mind at all giving it up for a more dramatically landscape of valleys, hills and mountain tops. After all, I just had an amazing break for several weeks in Pula with beach days and sunset beers. I left the coast after Rijeka and headed towards Plitvice Lakes National Park. As I climbed upwards, the coast soon vanished behind me and I immediately felt the colder nights of the mountains. Autumn's red, orange and yellow were slowly pushing away the green blanket of the forest signalling winter's approach. My warmer clothes quickly resurfaced after being buried in the bottom of my panniers since leaving home. I felt warm during the day and snug as a bug at night in my sleeping bag. There is something quite powerful about being able to protect yourself from nature's elements with proper clothing and gear. I biked through Plitvice Lakes National Park known for it's terraced lake pools and onwards through vast valley floors with roads that run in a straight line as long as the eye reach before I detoured to Split for a quick re-union with the ocean before entering Bosnia.
The landbased island of DubrovnikCroatia's geographical shape is a curious one. A really long coast line that is divided in two by a narrow Bosnian corridor with Dubrovnik on the other side as an isolated landlocked island. I was on a mission to get a good explanation on why this was so. The best one I got detailed how Dubrovnik, as an old trade city, was scared of the Venetian aka Italian influence many centuries ago. In a defensive move they gave a stretch of coast to the Ottoman empire which back then ruled an area which now includes Bosnia. The idea was that the Venetian rule did not dare to invade Dubrovnik via land as they would have to cross Ottoman land and risk a war against an opponent which, at that time, was one of the biggest you could face. If that holds up against a historical fact check, I don't know.
As I was going to cross into Bosnia in all cases, I decided to mountain detour here as well and visited the charming stone city of Mostar and watched daredevils jump from a 20ish meter high ancient bridge. My detour gave me the opportunity to catch the popular Ciro Trail back to Dubrovnik and Croatia. It is an old and abandoned railroad track now made into a paved road for the most part. You get to travel along almost carless roads in gorgeous valley landscapes that was ravaged during the Bosnian wars. It is a scary reminder of a deadly conflict not long ago. There are ghost villages along the road where you see the stone skeleton of houses that once formed a small community. From time to time you will see signs that warn you to not stray off the road as there are minefields not cleared yet. The route was like a two days tour in a giant open air museum and a real gem for any biketourer ever visiting Bosnia.
What a goodbye to Bosnia and what a final sprint of the Croatian coast it was to visit Dubrovnik - the now famed GoT (Games of Thrones) city. Dubrovnik is in many ways the crown of Old Towns. I do not all regret my stay in this overly touristic city. I did my GoT guided city tour and loved every second of it. My inner nerd unfolded and it was a true joy to deep dive into that part of me. I parted ways with Dubrovnik and Croatia, said my good byes and headed for Montenegro.
The WOW effect of MontenegroMontenegro indeed has some highlights that very well should be on everyone's touring to-do list. The Bay of Kotor bear resembles to the fjords of Norway. Steep mountains shoot up from the water and you get to follow the flat shoreline roads as the bay snakes its way to the city of Kotor which shows off an unexpectedly big Old Town well worth a visit even though you had your fill in Croatia. Montenegro also offers one of Europe's largest lakes, Skadar Lake, which is reachable following a switchback called Kotor Serpentine. Those were some days with a lot of elevation meters and I set a new personal record for meters climber over two days. You get rewarded though, when you reach the lake from where you can soak in the grand views of the mountain peaks to the north. Skadar Lake is shared between Montenegro and Albania. By following the lakeside you will eventually end up in Albania and the city of Shköder.
Friendly AlbaniaTo my big surprise Albania proved to be a super bike friendly country. You even find bike paths which I haven't seen for so long. There are lots of local people biking around and traffic flows in a calm pace where everything neatly fit into what could be described as an orchestrated symphony of pedestrians, bikes, mopeds, cars and trucks. According to my mom, who visited the country a couple of years ago, the chaotic traffic was a mess and she was particularly shocked about cars that drove the wrong way in the roundabouts. I agree to that, at a glance seeing it from the outside, the traffic looks like an anarchistic ants nest in revolt. Reality is something else once you are in it and part of it. What makes this extra interesting is the fact that Albanians were not allowed to privately own cars during the communist regime. Cars were introduced in the '90s to the general public. They picked up their game fast and skilfully if you ask me.
Albania roads is a story in itself - some are bad, some roads I won't even call roads but rather a collection of big rocks on a flat surface. But it all adds to the charm together with the amazingly friendly people. They are curiously chatty, offering help without expecting anything in return and they will give you daily cheers on the road hanging out their car windows yelling “bravo” with their thumbs up. After riding the Albanian roads for a couple of weeks I can surely say that this feels like real real travelling and wherever you go, you just lean back and enjoy local life - I am falling in love with this country.
The kryptonite experiencePurely traffic wise, Albania stands in deep contrast to Croatia. I don't know if this is just my biased opinion but the roads felt narrower in Croatia, the traffic heavier and the drivers more aggressive. I've biked the roads in Denmark for decades and here bikes on the roads is second nature. You get so accustomed to cars taking great consideration to bikes that I've taken this for granted on my tour. This changed very fast in Croatia. Heavy trucks would not slow down no matter how tight the squeeze. Cars would aggressively honk at you making you feel unwelcome. Roads are built for motorized vehicles and I am grateful for the space they share. I only ask for a few inch of clearance but cars and heavy traffic got uncomfortable close in Croatia. So much that I started to feel a bit worried and unsafe. That made me realized that the natural presence of bikes on the road, I've been so used to, is not a given in every country.
As a result I took on more gravel roads, some not really suited for a fully loaded bike, but in return I got some serene mountain views. All in all, not a bad substitute even though I pushed my bike for hours and hours some days. One day, as I was applauding my gravel road selection, I rushed straight into a pack of sheep guarded by four Shepard dogs. I was not at all prepared for just how protective these dogs are of their pack. They did a very thorough job of scaring me away. I tried to keep my cools, got off the bike and put it between me and the fierce guardians. The dogs climbed onto my bike frame exposing their growling jaws as I slowly made my escape. My heart pounded and my adrenaline was rushing on level max.
Scary traffic and killer dogs might seem like bad experiences but in a strange way I am actually grateful for it. Throughout my life I have been seeking challenges to feel invincible. From running ultra runs to unsupported mountain treks to climbing altitudes I didn't think possible. They all had an ulterior motive of making impossible into nothing. The end goal was simply expressed as “becoming Superman”. In my younger days I idolized the superhero universe and above all Superman. A man not of this world possessing superhuman strength, X-ray vision that also can shoot red-hot beams. He can exhale with hurricane force and turn his breath into a Siberian freezing wind.... and he is able to fly. If that wasn't enough he also expresses a resolutely noble personality. He’s gentle, kind hearted and selfless. He is resolute, with a firm knowledge of right and wrong. I guess I wanted to be like Superman to prove that I was strong and to show that I do not need the help of anyone to manage myself or survive. To be able to do everything as an unstoppable force. Invincibility really does sound incredible. Who doesn't want to be incapable of being conquered, defeated, or subdued. Impossible to defeat, destroy or kill. Feeling this way there is no distance too long, no mountain too high, no obstacle too big. Nothing mentally or physically can break you.
But there is no such thing as invincibility. Even Superman has a weakness. Kryptonite, the green and crystalline material that emits a unique radiation that weakens him, strips him of his powers and ultimately kills him. Invincibility is obviously an illusion but is it a bad illusion? Isn’t it better to feel invincible than feeling you are not capable of anything? I guess the more invincible we feel, the more risks we take and the more we feel immune from whatever may be the consequences. We don't see or admit our own flaws. In the end we are all humans and we all have our own weaknesses and flaws – just as Superman. Be comfortable in humanity and don't reach for something that is an illusion, something that doesn't exist. Feeling vulnerable is a healthy thing. Stripping away the sense of invincibility from time to time might just lead you to be humble and take extra care which will keep you safe and standing in the long run. Mastering the balance between loosing faith in yourself and invincibility is the hard part. Perhaps I need an occasional dose of kryptonite in order to keep that balance.
2021-09-09 | blog
After doing city exploring in Prague, I head south towards one of the prettiest old towns I've ever seen. This one is named Český Krumlov and I made a short stop here. In a small hidden basement restaurant I found my favourite meal on the trip so...
2021-12-31 | blog
After crossing into Greece from Albania, I did some touring grinding alongside a streak of bad weather in Greece. My goal was to reach Athens before my birthday on 7th December. Reaching Athens also means I have crossed Europe which is an achieve...
Hi, I am Dani Kainoa. Summer of 2021, I set out on a journey to explore the world on a bicycle. Join my world biketour and follow my travel blog for stories, reviews, guides and more. Visit my photo journal on Instagram to keep up with more of my adventures.
