From Nis, we toured north fairly easily. The road was more or less flat with a low hill now and then. The weather was unstable. To our left, we could see it pouring rain in the hills. At some point, we too got some drops. Just as we stopped to put on our raicoats, the … Mud road
Maybe it’s that spring is now really dawning in the Balkans, but to us it seems like Serbia is just a little greener again than northern Macedonia. The country also seems a bit better cared for again. Much less rubbish on the roadside than in the three previous countries. Nevertheless, we are unpleasantly surprised to … Serbia; first introduction
One more Greek Macedonian issue and a look at the former Yugoslavia We were quiet for a while the past few days. Tessels father’s anticipated move to a nursing home demanded attention. Although we knew that and what was coming, it is still drastic when it comes. First practically the necessary hassle, but most of … History lesson 3
Is perhaps the most frequently asked question about our bike. It is mounted on top of the front carrier. In the box is the Forums charger; an amplifier that “inflates” the current from the alternator to an amperage sufficient to charge the iPad, provided we cycle fast enough. The Forums charger is equipped with a … What kind of box is that?
Here in North Macedonia, the Orthodox Church is the dominant religion. We also see and hear many mosques. This weekend (a week later than in the Netherlands) the Orthodox church celebrates Easter. Because my grandfather, a teacher in ancient Greek and Latin, introduced Greek Orthodox traditions into our Easter celebration that we still keep, so … A second day of Easter
In Elbasan we saw snowy mountain peaks in the distance. It seemed in the direction we were going. That day, however, the weather was drizzly and the road led through a few narrow gorges so that we had no view. We did see a car wash every few meters for miles on end. Would people … Snowy mountains
Less than 8 km away from Himare, we stop for a cup of coffee. A fluent English-speaking boy runs a small café on a beautiful viewpoint. We feel like a bite of something with our coffee and get in contact with our host. He can make a cooked breakfast for us, but then we want … History lesson 2
We can't afford to be without it. So we almost always cycle around with food for that evening in the bag and also 1 or 2 emergency meals; a mix of grains and dried vegetables and fruits to which you only have to add water. Often we also have a bag of soup with us. … Food
Upon arrival at camping Moskato we noticed that we were greeted in Greek. Since then we have been having a conversation with the father of the family about the history of this region for 2 days. Not a simple cost with leaps in time that do not make it clearer. He talks about the gate … History lesson
On Thursday we cycled to Sarandë and then on to Lukovë to get a proper taste of Albania. It is clear that if it goes up 8 to 10% is the norm; fortunately we have already trained a bit 😉 in Greece. Other things that stand out: the tranquility in the areas outside the cities; … Albania 2
