Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Finding Freedom...World Wide Ride

Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/)

- Ride Tales (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/)

- - Finding Freedom...World Wide Ride (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride-65365)

One really cool thing was the light dimmed to dark every 15 minutes or so for the night action.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/3...934d025e_b.jpg Return to Hamburg-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/3...68bed784_b.jpg Return to Hamburg-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4162/3...46f95f6d_b.jpg Gemany mini by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The Airport is fully functional with takeoff and landings as well as taxi and service to the planes.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/3...f95bb6be_b.jpg Return to Hamburg-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

May 4 it is time to hit the road if by rental car and drive the 442 km to get the bikes where we had stored them for 8 months at MotoSoul Resort, Mutzschen. (Thanks Tad and Gaila).

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/3...878cd752_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-06 at 23.04.29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had arranged a guest house stay with an amazing family in nearby Tautendorf. We were very well taken care of by Nicole and Matthias and kids! They welcomed us into their family, fed us, and helped us with some bash plate bolt removal issues.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/3...40afa651_b.jpg The Best Guest House-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4158/3...d9fd3d7e_b.jpg The Best Guest House-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4158/3...63b9221f_b.jpg The Best Guest House-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Friday May 5 we had arranged to pick up the bikes at 9 am at Motosoul and they kindly let us use their facilities to do the work we needed to do. We had a few snags. The first was there was a 1200 parked in the door to the garage with the steering locked. This required careful maneuvering and a bit of shimmying to get our bike out. Next the new batteries from Louis that are we checked the “correct” ones do not fit in the bikes as the cables can not be connected. Luckily the Deka’s we have are amazing and again started right away after 8 months off tenders. Next after 45 min of struggling with the screws for one exhaust silencer we gave up and packed them in the luggage for later. We really need a magnetic driver to try to get the angle of attack right without fear of dropping ht screw into the pipe. Dan's is a bit bent after the crash last year in Italy. This is a project for later in Kosice. Now the bash plate…. stupid system of rubber and metal bolts that are very difficult to get out. We did not manage to get out more than 1, but back at the guest house and with help and tools from Matthias they finally got them off to be able to mount the new bash plate at 9 pm. After 5 hours of fixing and packing later at Motosoul we dropped off all the gear 20 km south at the guest house and then had to drive 40 km north to the Louis in Leipzig to return the batteries and then another 15 km north to drop the rental car at the airport. This done we had to go back for Sara’s bike at Motosoul and finally arrived back to the guesthouse tired and starved after no food all day at 630. Nicole we will be forever grateful for the delicious hot dinner. Needless to say jet lag and all the work we did not take a single photo! This is courtesy of MotoSoul!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4183/3...8122bbb8_b.jpg Wendeberg_Schloss_Mutzschen_HiRez by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Our plan today was to be up at 7 get the bash plate on and the bikes packed and be on the road after breakfast at 9….have jet lag and be awake at 4 am and then sleep until 9….left there at almost 11.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/3...169ca124_b.jpg The Best Guest House-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had some fog and drizzle and cool 8.5 degrees weather until after 1 pm and then it was mostly sunny on our ride south into Czech republic after 6 hours and 367 km. This was mostly on small secondary roads, but we did have about 60 km of highway today. There are lovely winding roads thru picturesque villages in Germany and Czech.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/3...eedc7aae_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-06 at 23.39.51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/3...611fb2e8_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-06 at 23.37.00 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We are staying in a guest house of a restaurant in Chvalšiny, Czechia, which is 12 km from the UNESCO city of Cesky Krumlov. We did a short hop down to the city for an ATM and a few photo ops! Then we returned to the Pension for the garlic and cheese soup and a pizza ( fall back meal when you can not read the menu).

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4189/3...f8a669b4_b.jpg Cesky Krumlov by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4188/3...b2df0c31_b.jpg Cesky Krumlov-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/3...35c8d4d0_b.jpg Cesky Krumlov-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4175/3...f13e49b8_b.jpg Cesky Krumlov-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4186/3...7ebdfa07_b.jpg Cesky Krumlov-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4192/3...4404d242_b.jpg Cesky Krumlov-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/3...d0ebde31_b.jpg Cesky Krumlov-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We woke up to a grey and ultimately rainy day. We headed back to Cesky Krumlov for some fuel and then made for the small roads in an almost direct line across Czech to arrive to Trencin Slovakia after 381 km.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4165/3...855b4643_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-07 at 17.58.53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had some heavy rain for about 45 min and this was also on the only freeway section we did. This was a nasty 30 km. Czech’s drive very fast and pass dangerously close too often. Finally we did have some sun in the afternoon. The route is cross-country to the Slovakian border.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/3...09c10740_b.jpg Slovakia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We arrived to Trencin just before the rain started and we did not get to see the castle as it was closed by the time the rain stopped at 630. We did have a nice dinner on a terrace overlooking the city. We were staying at a very cheap hotel that was above a small casino. Small but clean and comfortable.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/3...3ed303d7_b.jpg Slovakia-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4193/3...bc2cb68a_b.jpg Slovakia-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4190/3...78f4ef56_b.jpg Slovakia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Today the forecast is 20% rain, but it is pretty windy and chilly for our ride across Slovakia to Kosice.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/3...0f3a1b9a_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-07 at 18.11.01 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We set out first for Bojnice (Bod-neet-sa), where we had breakfast with a view of the castle. The funny thing today was we asked the waitress if she spoke English and she said no, but her friend that did not work there said “ yes” and proceeded to take our order and serve us! “The town is most known for its castle, first mentioned in 1113 and originally built as a wooden fort, it was over time built as a stone castle and in the 20th century in the Romantic style.”

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4161/3...98413baa_b.jpg Slovakia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

From here we continued on the narrow secondary road thru the Low Tatras national park and onto the 18, which wound around not far from the main road. We ultimately had to put on the rain gear at Poprad because of the cold. It then got sunny and warm by the time we were in nearby Levoca. There was a great fair taking place in the old town and we stopped for a break and some fresh donuts.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4156/3...8152f6d3_b.jpg Slovakia-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Our plan was to keep riding from here on the 547 past the hill top Spis Fortress and then onto Kosice.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4186/3...6f72506e_b.jpg Slovakia-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

It was all going well until we arrived to Jaklovace, where the sign for Kosice had a red X thru it. This means in Europe the road is blocked ahead. This is sometime a small detour, but in this case when we were 35 km from our goal it was blocked and had to re route back 60 km. Later this week we saw why when we approached the bridge from the other side. About a month ago it started to sag in the middle. We were a bit low on fuel, but made it with a few liters left and arrived to Kosice after 382 km and strong wind all day. Of course our Slovakian fiends who were watching us on Spotwalla saw the problem unfolding.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4158/3...e1597cde_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-09 at 22.40.45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Tomi reviewing the “program” he has planned for us in the next 4 days. This he had emailed me and the time line is in 30 min intervals!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/3...b8733b7b_b.jpg Slovakia-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/3...782794c3_b.jpg Slovakia-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/3...fbd4d648_b.jpg Slovakia-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Crocs for comfort! They thought of everything…5 star treatment for sure.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/3...eecb84b7_b.jpg Slovakia-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had brought a few “Canadian” gift for them. They are small, but as bikers they know that having carried such items on the bike is “special”.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4163/3...9c8af92e_b.jpg Slovakia-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We have been hosted here by them for 3 days including a walking tour of the old town, visits to the Dam and boat tour, Cognac tasting and a tour of the Congac institute, a tour of the Old time car collection of Kosice, small airplane flights over the city and surrounding countryside, a KTM event, and a number of parties.

At KTM they were setting up for an event, but for us they had a special demonstration of the motorcyclists air bag. You have to pull surprisingly hard on the release, but this simulates being ejected from the bike.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/3...1e088fc7_b.jpg Slovakia_ by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/3...886e97d2_b.jpg Slovakia_-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/3...d8237003_b.jpg Slovakia_-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/3...c47799f4_b.jpg Slovakia_-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/3...b6235a26_b.jpg Slovakia_-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We stopped by the Real estate office to make sure Tomi’s people are hard at work.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/3...3b6a943d_b.jpg Slovakia_-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Since Tomi knows everyone here this includes the local OLD TIMERS car collector and we had a tour of the restoration shop where they can fabricate everything needed to restore a classic car in house.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4157/3...e91215ce_b.jpg Slovakia 2.0 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/3...593a2902_b.jpg Slovakia 2.0-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Today it is rainy, but it did stop long enough for the 15 km ride to Tokaj town for a small boat trip on the river, a walking tour of the town, and a traditional Hungarian Fish soup lunch.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/3...c09ffa2b_b.jpg Hungary-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We started out about 2 pm from here headed south to Budapest.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/3...cfe2a669_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-16 at 23.32.43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/3...b8142515_b.jpg Hungary-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had the heaviest rain we have ever seen. In fact we could not see, all the cars had 4 way flashers and were going about 30 km / hr. We finally found an overpass to hide under (even cars were hiding) until the worst passed. It was bucketing, lightening, and with intermittent wind gusts. We survived dry under the suits and in all the luggage!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4160/3...34bb74c8_b.jpg Hungary by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had a few more small showers, but arrived to Bikercamp Budapest in the dry. We were met by the lovely owner Susan and our friend Trevor, who had been there since yesterday.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/3...d0132829_b.jpg Hungary-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Luckily he knew the way to the subway and we headed down town. The action here on a Saturday night is unbelievable. We also made a stop at the Szimpla Kert Ruin bar.

“Ruin bars are all the rage in Budapest and have been around for 10 years since the founding of Szimpla Kert, the mecca of all ruin bars. These bars are built in Budapest's old District VII neighborhood (the old Jewish quarter) in the ruins of abandoned buildings, stores, or lots.”

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/3...58d6c175_b.jpg Hungary-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4184/3...47e62fbe_b.jpg Hungary-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The night was dry and we managed to pack up before the rain started. We waited it out until 11, but finally had to leave. We are headed south to Serbia and had heavy rain for much of the day.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4165/3...a9d22b5d74.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-13 at 20.06.53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Despite this we stayed on the small roads. When we were riding towards a particularly dark cloud at 1 pm we found a great stop for another fish soup and missed much of the worst of the rain. As we approached the Serbian border the rain stopped and the sun came out for the 15 minute line up. There was a quick Schengen/EU exit stamp from Hungary and a very quick passport stamp into Serbia. They did not ask for bike papers or green cards.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4182/3...b8bec869_b.jpg Serbia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4172/3...59dafc87_b.jpg Serbia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Now we had a 347 km drive to just past Novi Sad.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4155/3...8fd83420_b.jpg Slovakia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This hotel was a bit Faulty towers like, but in the end turned out fine. The owner is Turkish and with little English, but he did give us several rounds of welcome shots of Slivovitz, which is a plum brandy. In the end we had a good night and slept well.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4194/3...881bdc60_b.jpg Serbia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/3...c6bbb8e7_b.jpg Serbia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This route after the fortress is then another 50 km along the banks of the Danube and with the sun shining it was 24 degrees.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4250/3...73bc7e72_b.jpg Serbia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We then turned south thru the park to end up in the small town of Zajecar. There is nothing to see here it is just a good spot to stop for the day and start out tomorrow for the Bulgarian border and route thru the mountains. The hotel had awesome underground parking and was very simple, but clean and comfortable.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4191/3...484aac15_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-15 at 22.26.06 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The sun is finally out today but cooler at 17 degrees for the 223 km day to Sofia.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4167/3...9285d56e_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-15 at 22.43.48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The ride to the border is a quick 11 km at Vrska Cuka. Here we were waved thru to park at the gate. We were the only ones there, but still waited 10 min. Finally a sour looking woman came out and asked for our passports. She checked our photos, walked backed to her office, and returned with them in a few minutes. No smile at all or small talk, but she did say “have a nice trip” in a grouchy voice when she handed them back.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4245/3...6b95bf7c_b.jpg Serbia-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

You then ride a few hundred meters to the Bulgarian crossing where they are all smiles and very friendly. They also spoke English well. The agent stamped us back into the EU, but Bulgaria is not in the Schengen zone. He then asked to see our route on the GPS to check it went thru Borovitsa where “there are some very nice rocks”.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...66525751_b.jpg Serbia-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4198/3...b586c704_b.jpg Serbia-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/3...00c379e4_b.jpg Bulgaria-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

There is a fair amount of traffic after Prevala as there is only one road here. There was a disturbing number of scantily clad women standing in the byways on the road into Sofia.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/3...e6850df5_b.jpg Bulgaria-28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Hitting the city we arrived on the opposite side to our destination and the GPS wanted to go straight thru town, but luckily we got on the ring road and around in a much faster time.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4252/3...bd7cbe74_b.jpg Bulgaria-29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We arrived to the same hostel we stayed at last year and Assen from Bumot arranged for us. It is just next door to the Bumot factory. He has planned our a 3 day tour to some of his favourite places in Bulgaria. We will have the day off tomorrow to rest, sort out our stuff, and be tourists. Dan also noted today that after 5 years his Rich’s seat had a seam failure. Well of course Assen says there is a custom motorcycle seat shop in the same warehouse and Bumot. The guy had already taken the seat apart just after 530 pm when we dropped it off and found that the pan was cracked too. He said he would fix it all and have it ready by 10 am and for 25 E.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4175/3...a747f1e8_b.jpg Bulgaria-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4162/3...67ef9872_b.jpg Bulgaria-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4158/3...3c39f1d7_b.jpg Bulgaria-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Welcome drink since its after 6!!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4161/3...39602534_b.jpg Bulgaria-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Since we had the day off today to finally take some time to sort out the gear better and finish a few odd jobs we had rented an apartment with a garage for not much more than the hostel last night. We made a detour to Decathlon so Trevor could pick up a few last minute items (silk sac, sunglasses as he sat on his yesterday, and a warmer shirt). We were very happy to have a huge private garage where we could spread out all our stuff and work on 3 bikes at once considering it poured rain for about 3 hours. We added some heat shield under our seats, installed the Beemer buddies on the grips, cleaned and lubed the chains, and installed some 3M on the panniers to offer some protection for our sticker collection.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4169/3...456b9125_b.jpg Bulgaria-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Today we start a 3 day ride in Bulgaria with Assen. It is very overcast, but hardly rained. It was however cool. The first part of the day was to scoot down the highway A3 until Dupnica where we changed to the parallel secondary road.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4204/3...38568ba1_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-17 at 23.54.51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4183/3...8572d6fe_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-17 at 23.38.25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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From just before Blagoevgrad we did a 30 km in and 30 km out to visit the Rilski Monastery.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/3...3ee40677_b.jpg Bulgaria-31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

“ The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is in the Rila Mountains 117 km south of the Capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River and at 1,147 m. It is named after the hermit Ivan of Rila (876-946). “

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4185/3...a0ea8381_b.jpg Bulgaria-32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4190/3...bf17ccdf_b.jpg Bulgaria-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4275/3...dab8f55f_b.jpg Bulgaria-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4248/3...8c580a4a_b.jpg Bulgaria by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Returning to the secondary road we rode into the mountains to the ski resort at Bansko for a late lunch break.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4245/3...b39f8d0c_b.jpg Bulgaria-33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4182/3...56cf7ec4_b.jpg Bulgaria-34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We left this road for an even smaller one to start east at Gotse Delchev on the 197 to Devin after 363 km. We had a few sprinkles, but some really cold wind and at Bansko it was 11 degrees. We managed to arrive to Devin before the real rain. Assen treated us to a night at a Spa hotel. We actually had a small house with 2 bedrooms. The food here was very good too. Rakia and “mixed grill”.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4228/3...1e456ace_b.jpg Bulgaria-35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/3...523a4382_b.jpg Bulgaria-36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4158/3...621463b8_b.jpg Bulgaria-39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...b1752497_b.jpg Bulgaria-40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Some good news today after the landslide victory in the Iran election by the incumbent. They have announced they will start issuing visas to all nationalities June 6. This is cutting it close for us, but we can at least move forward more confidently now. This means we will apply in Yerevan, Armenia, which is a long day ride from the border we need to reach by the 10th. So things are looking up for us. If we are denied then we will be in the right place to get Visas for Azerbaijan and arrange the ferry across the Caspian with everyone else. .

Today it is much warmer and sunny. We started out the day on the “macaroni” road essentially all down hill and very curvy. This passed 3 dams. We did not meet a single car on the way down! Epic ride.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4164/3...803bcdaa_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-18 at 22.43.16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4247/3...29f77f70_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-18 at 22.33.45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/3...4439a54e_b.jpg Bulgaria_ by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We then had a shorty stint on the highway and turned north to cross the plain. after lunch we spotted a sigh that said “Valley of the Thracian Kings” and so we had to make a small detour to check this out. From the road it just looks like a pyramid shaped mound covered in grass, but it is actually a 2500 year old tomb found intact. It was never pillaged. There is no mortar and the dome is held together by the weight of the perfectly cut stones only.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4252/3...c5acbb32_b.jpg Bulgaria_-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4220/3...f49b180b_b.jpg Bulgaria_-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4252/3...af845d27_b.jpg Bulgaria_-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4202/3...a3a59ec6_b.jpg Bulgaria_-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4196/3...f5f93cfd_b.jpg Bulgaria_-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

You can no longer get inside thru the front door as it is almost in ruins. There is a way to sneak in but it involves some serious drops and climbs. Trevor did some recognizance for us. It was very windy here and a chilly 8.5 degrees.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4203/3...46342969_b.jpg Bulgaria-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/3...17e4a3ab_b.jpg Bulgaria-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The road from here is patched patch and leads to the next peak where there is a war memorial.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4176/3...bf2da0086a.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-18 at 22.38.10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4226/3...be22529f_b.jpg Bulgaria-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4157/3...53270a3f_b.jpg Bulgaria-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Then we had an almost unobstructed ride down the other side of the mountains. Our next stop was to see the castle In Veliko Tarnovo. Now it is almost 7 pm and we are making for Motocamp Bulgaria.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4273/3...d34e2ffd_b.jpg Bulgaria-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had an amazing surprise when we arrived as Orvar (king of Sweden) had beat us there by 40 min. He had pushed another 650 km with no lunch to meet us. We are very thankful to Ivo and Polly at Motocamp for their hospitality. The whipped together a very nice dinner for us with very little warning. Ivo has also been getting our green card insurance for Europe in the last 3 years.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4180/3...63726c60_b.jpg Bulgaria_-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We were also served a very nice breakfast here to start off our day.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4177/3...d276680b_b.jpg Bulgaria_ by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/3...ec6934dd_b.jpg Bulgaria_-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

By the time we got to Silven it was after 2 and we has lunch in the main park. This involved a bit of illegal riding thru the pedestrian area, but we finally found the grounds keeper who showed us where we could park.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4269/3...7ff51973_b.jpg Bulgaria_-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Now we wanted to make some miles so we hopped onto the secondary highway and joined the main highway just before Burgas.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4174/3...ccd28f89_b.jpg Bulgaria_-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

From here it was a 30 km ride to the beach town of Sozopol.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4171/3...2c8f4c67_b.jpg Bulgaria_-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The first place we booked using the wifi in the square turned out to be way out of town and when we arrived they seemed surprised someone had booked…weird aparthotel. That cancelled we headed back to the town and Assen rode about for 15 min and found a nice small hotel where the neighbor across the street agreed to park his car outside so we could put the bikes inside. We are not as concerned as everyone else seems to be about this issue. Assen did have to park outside, but we used one of our bike covers and cable locked it to the fence.

No surprise we had no luck with a cab at 330 am in small seaside Bulgarian town…Thank you Nicolai for the loan of the Jeep. Sara the sober one drives the guys home at 4 am.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/3...75293d39_b.jpg Bulgaria Party-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/3...32e4a5e6_b.jpg Bulgaria Party-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

So its a sleep in and back to our favourite place for amazing salads for lunch. We tried to find a spot with the International hockey play off, but the one that said it had the channel did not. No worries we had some rakia and listened to it in Swedish on Orvar's phone. It was too late for us and we are glad we went to bed to miss Canada’s loss to Sweden in a shoot out.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4199/3...59c18770_b.jpg Bulgaria Sozopol-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4199/3...09609da5_b.jpg Bulgaria Sozopol-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4268/3...cab9791b_b.jpg Bulgaria Sozopol-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Trevor needs to get Euros and wants to see about getting a different shock for his bike. He did some adjustments today, but will ride to either Greece or Sofia tomorrow and Orvar will go with us.

Today we had a few set back to our quick trip to Istanbul.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/3...ffe3257e_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-24 at 19.45.07 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4222/3...bbec8cd1_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-24 at 19.39.55 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Great people at the hotel helped us with everything we needed including telling the garage guy he could not charge us double for an extra night.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4252/3...c3f32341_b.jpg Bulgaria by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We did set out a bit late at 930 and when we were 5 km away Sara realized she could not remember picking the envelope with the Turkish Lira and USD for the insurance at the border. AGH…Dan rode back but did not find it at the hotel….that is because she had put it in a safe place and then promptly forgot where…in the luggage all along. No harm done other than to worry our hosts at the hotel. Luckily we could message Trevor who was still at the hotel to put them at ease.

Then we rode up past the blown up cars to the first booth for Turkey and were waved thru.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4201/3...6218f24b_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Next you get an entry stamp and they wanted to see our e visas, passports, green cards, and bike registration.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...59ac8c2a_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

They then told us we needed to buy insurance, which we already knew as our green card does not work here. We walked over to the insurance office and he took down all Orvar’s information and said he wanted 135 Euros for each of us. This is a scam as the rate as of a month ago was 30. He refused to budge. We refused to be scammed, but this meant getting out of Turkey and back into Bulgaria and then a 360 km detour to the main crossing.

So back to customs at 2 different windows and then and exit passport stamp. The customs guys handed back the passports and said “Im sorry” even he knew it was a scam, but could do nothing. We then drove back to the Bulgarian border, passed thru decontamination, which appears to be free for bikes but you must give your plate number, and did then did all the previous steps in reverse.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4269/3...8ed73ba6_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We started on the route 9 at 1 pm and the GPS said there was a cut off road that turned out to be a muddy dirt road. This meant essentially a complete back track to the main road thru Burgas (40 km before our starting point at Sozopol). Once there we got on the A1, but took a cross road on the 55 to arrive at the border of Turkey again today.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4248/3...c6274374_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/3...34ea81c3_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4271/3...5c686cd9_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We road past all of them and there were only about 5 cars in front of us at Bulgarian passport control. We got our exit stamp and review by customs. Funny they did not even comment on the fact that we had done this earlier today.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4228/3...768b5965_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

From here you ride to the Turkish crossing where there seems to be about 20 lines, but only one was open. Luckily there was only 5 cars ahead of us again. We got another entry stamp and they wanted to see the bike papers, e visa, and green cards. We moved to the next window and they told to go to “D3”, which is an area about 500 m away and clearly makes with a Huge D3 sign. This was where we got our insurance. They were very friendly, but spoke little English. The guy entered our bike models into the computer and lo and behold the rate of ….29 Euros for the month. After you get your insurance paper you go to the next window for a passport stamp. There was a bit of an issue with our ICBC documents since in BC the insurance and title of registration are on one paper. Also unlike Europe this is very unofficial looking document. There was much discussion amongst all the agents, but finally they gave us our stamp. From here you return to the border and have “baggage inspection”. This consisted of the guy asking us to open everything, we open only the panniers. He did not even look and then said “thats ok”. Then he wanted to know if were going to Georgia and said that we had to go to Iran as it was so amazing”.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4197/3...dffb0f86_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We left the border this time at 630 pm and we had 250 km to go.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4196/3...2e0e9003_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4250/3...16ddfea2_b.jpg Turkey-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4196/3...fd369b82_b.jpg Turkey Istanbul-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We arrived to the main highway, which is a toll road, but they use auto tolling here and there are no gates or pay stations. They do not have Vignettes either. After the first “toll” crossing we stopped to ask the police how we could pay and they said just drive thru with the bikes. Technically all vehicles must pay even bikes, but the plate cameras are forward only. This meant we could do the 120 limit on the E 80 instead of the smaller D100. We had a 10 min break about 830 to lube the chains, but pressed on to minimize the riding in the dark. We had about 30 min of that, which at speed with traffic in the last 30 km was a bit hairy. The locals drive fast, veer over many lanes, and merge at very high speed onto the road and often across multiple lanes. They will cut between you from the left to take the right exit. Scary. The hotel we had chosen was located on the tram and metro lines, but also very close to the exit from the highway. We finally arrived at 915 pm. About 3 minutes later Orvar walked up with a bag with cold beers. We walked up the road from some traditional Turkish food. We were so tired we did not even wake up when the 430 call to prayer.

Meanwhile ‘The Swede” had made a call to Sweden at 1 pm to add Turkey to his green card for free. He learned this from 2 German guys we met at the first crossing. Then he left us at Burgas and went back to Sozopol to the hotel where he found a shop with green paper and they printed off his “ Green” card. He then did not want to chance the closest border again with the scam insurance guy so he took the lower crossroad to the middle border crossing. Here he had every piece of luggage searched including his tent bag. The drivers behind him kept yelling at the guards to stop checking a biker for contraband! His spent more time getting his stuff, but had a much shorter distance to travel and actually arrived to Istanbul 20 minutes before us. He had gone for beers at the store as he had checked our Spot and saw we were nearly there!!

Meanwhile Trevor had stayed at the hotel in Sozopol until 11. He then headed out on the road to Burgas and then to the highway. His plan was to go to Plovdiv and see if Assen had been able to contact the shock guys about how long it might take to get a new spring. It would be 4-5 days and so instead of going back to Sofia he headed to Greece. He needed to withdraw Euros for 2 days to stock up for the trip east. He was also checking our spot and was shocked to see we were actually an hour behind him.

We only had one day here and there is a lot to see. We bought an Istanbulkart, which you can load up and use for multiple people. In the end we spent 4 dollars each all day. We caught the tram down to the old city and visited the Blue Mosque. Here you must enter thru the visitor gate and be properly dressed. I was let in wearing pants as they are loose and my head scarf. Girls in jeans or tight clothes had to borrow skirts or dresses with attached scarfs.

“The cascading domes and six slender minarets of the Sultanahmet Mosque (better known as the "Blue Mosque") dominate the skyline of Istanbul. In the 17th century, Sultan Ahmet I wished to build an Islamic place of worship that would be even better than the Hagia Sophia, and the mosque named for him is the result. The two great architectural achievements now stand next to each other in Istanbul's main square

The Blue Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I when he was only 19 years old. It was built near the Hagia Sophia, over the site of the ancient hippodrome and Byzantine imperial palace. Construction work began in 1609 and took seven years.

Inside, the high ceiling is lined with the 20,000 blue tiles that give the mosque its popular name. Fine examples of 16th-century Iznik design, the oldest tiles feature flowers, trees and abstract patterns. The overall effect is one of the most beautiful sights in Istanbul.”

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4195/3...b1e29217_b.jpg Turkey-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4199/3...1c4d141d_b.jpg Turkey-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/3...e3a29621_b.jpg Turkey-45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4243/3...14733ff3_b.jpg Turkey-46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4251/3...a0d8b0b5_b.jpg Turkey-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4249/3...6e07064c_b.jpg Turkey-44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4251/3...bbe61cc4_b.jpg Turkey-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4196/3...b7a1af05_b.jpg Turkey-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4223/3...383a31cc_b.jpg Turkey-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4226/3...b3454b68_b.jpg Turkey-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4246/3...de45c13d_b.jpg Turkey-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4200/3...49205580_b.jpg Turkey-36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Next we walked across the square to the Hagia Sofia, which is now a museum.

“The Church of the Holy Wisdom, known as Hagia Sophia or Aya Sofya, is a former Byzantine church and former Ottoman mosque. It is universally acknowledged as one of the great buildings of the world.”

“Unfortunately nothing remains of the original Hagia Sophia, which was built on this site in the fourth century by Constantine the Great who was the first Christian emperor and the founder of the city of Constantinople. The Hagia Sophia was one of several great churches he built throughout his empire.

Following the destruction of Constantine's church, a second was built by his son Constantius and the emperor Theodosius the Great. This second church was burned down during the Nika riots of 532, though fragments of it have been excavated and can be seen today.

Hagia Sophia was rebuilt in her present form between 532 and 537 under the personal supervision of Emperor Justinian I. It is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture, rich with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. After completion, Justinian is said to have exclaimed, "Solomon, I have outdone thee!"

For over 900 years the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1204 the cathedral was ruthlessly attacked, desecrated and plundered by the Crusaders, who also ousted the Patriarch of Constantinople and replaced him with a Latin bishop. This event cemented the division of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches that had begun with the Great Schism of 1054. It also means that most of Hagia Sophia's riches can be seen today not in Istanbul, but in the St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

Despite this violent setback, Hagia Sophia remained a functioning church until May 29, 1453, when Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror entered triumphantly into the city of Constantinople. He was amazed at the beauty of the Hagia Sophia and immediately converted it into his imperial mosque.”

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...571f9860_b.jpg Turkey-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4250/3...6f58360a_b.jpg Turkey-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4249/3...6a7153b7_b.jpg Turkey-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4275/3...9ee7a5bd_b.jpg Turkey-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4245/3...1c36c601_b.jpg Turkey-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4249/3...ba53858b_b.jpg Turkey-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4250/3...c9e14cc2_b.jpg Turkey-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4268/3...f2f9a89b_b.jpg Turkey-53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4204/3...478fe4be_b.jpg Turkey-51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4243/3...35648804_b.jpg Turkey-50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4247/3...fe62a0d6_b.jpg Turkey-52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

From here we decided the city is best seen from the water and we grabbed a ferry from Eminonu to Uskudar and then another to Besiktas. But we had to stop for some tea and biscuits at the ferry dock.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4268/3...2b4fe536_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-24 at 23.11.06 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4198/3...e51f25d9_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4246/3...b5b9aa34_b.jpg Turkey-59 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4273/3...40b35f29_b.jpg Turkey-38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flick

Meanwhile Trevor was making his way to the Greece-Turkish border and then onto Istanbul. He arrived just before we returned to the hotel. and in time for an amazing dinner of grilled meats on skewers!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4270/3...976061e2_b.jpg Turkey-62 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4202/3...c68a1cec_b.jpg Turkey-63 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4269/3...5131e0c4_b.jpg Turkey-64 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4275/3...35b24b86_b.jpg Turkey-65 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We set off early today for the 464 km ride to Ankara. We started on the main E 80 toll road, but then headed to the D140, which basically cut cross country south east. The ride is up and down several passes. It’s Wednesday today and we want to get there by Thursday so we have 2 weekdays to get the Turkmenistan visa sorted.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4275/3...d9f01e4e_c.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-24 at 19.46.32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4198/3...29491ae0_c.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-24 at 19.40.12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Squeezing out of the parking!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4224/3...a6c34420_b.jpg Turkey by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Back on the toll for a while. The alarm does go off when you exit, but no one seemed to care.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4195/3...1e6c8e76_b.jpg Turkey Ankara-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had a surprisingly painless exit from the city with only one 15 minute section with bumper to bumper cars. Again the locals are pretty aggressive with speed, passing, and cutting over many lanes and between the bikes. This is such a cosmopolitan city!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4200/3...f2b2929f_b.jpg Turkey Sivas-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

At the top of one of the passes we stopped for lunch. The owner did not speak English, but immediately called his cousin who did and Abdullah spent the next hour translating for us and making us feel very welcome. We had a great lunch and then bought some fresh cherries from their farm.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4199/3...a7285bc3_b.jpg Turkey Ankara-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4243/3...fd434c1f_b.jpg Turkey Ankara-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4222/3...57afd43d_b.jpg Turkey-66 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4200/3...bdb88ecd_b.jpg Turkey-68 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4251/3...d51fe7ab_b.jpg Turkey-67 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4275/3...613b7252_b.jpg Turkey-69 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/3...f8b88360_b.jpg Turkey Sivas-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4249/3...1d8b29da_b.jpg Turkey Sivas-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We thought it was going to be a long day and we had planned to stop in Beyparasi or Ayas, but we all felt pretty good and decided to press onto the city. Better to fight the traffic now then before our appointment at 945 am. We had looked on line and hotels here are very expensive. In the end we picked one that was 10 km from the embassy, had underground parking, and ok rooms. It was still relatively expensive. The only problem was there were no restaurants within 3 km, but luckily the gas station next door had a cafe and they made us some pretty good cheese grill and burgers with fries.

Today we are all feeling a bit stressed. We have read and heard so many things about how difficult and unfriendly the Turkmenistan people are and that the rejection rate for transit visas is 50%. We decided to take a cab, which was a good idea with the very bad traffic and the stress level. The driver was using Daniel’s GPS for turn by turn directions. Arriving there we found a much cheaper and very ok looking hotel directly across the street from the embassy! We buzzed the embassy gate at 930 and we were met by a friendly guy who asked Visas? and directed us to an office in the back of the building. Here there is a small window and 2 men at desks with stacks of passports. He later said they get 150 visa requests a day here!!! We said we wanted to arrange visas. He asked if we had Iran visas and if not we would have to come back when we did to apply for Turkmenistan….AGH!!! Orvar has his Iran visa so they said they would do his. Then we said that we had Uzbekistan, Russia, and China visas, but they were still not convinced. It was not until Orvar handed over his copy of the LOI that they changed there mind. We four are all on the same LOI….”yes you can get a transit visa, but you must fill out a different form than the one you have filled out from on line and “printed doubled sided and never folded”. OK done! Next you walk down the hill 400 m to the Turkish bank, pay your 55$ USD for urgent processing (regular 3-5 days is 35$ not sure who does this) and bring back your receipt. Voila in 15 minutes you have your visas!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4267/3...ae349378_b.jpg Turkey-70 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The taxi back was much quicker as there was almost no traffic now. We packed up and were on the road by 1230. But first we had to bring the bikes up to the front of the hotel for a photo op for the bellman.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4200/3...fc7a56f3_b.jpg IMG_2688 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The gang decided to press on today and try to make up a day and get to Sivas in 486 km. There is no way around the direct route on the 4 lane D200/E88. Boring but effective for making miles.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4221/3...cc59a071_c.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-25 at 23.19.46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We stopped for lunch about 2 and again received a warm welcome and a very nice lunch. No-one spoke English, but one spoke German and so does Orvar. I was invited to the kitchen to make sure that we wanted the Chicken kebabs they wanted to cook for us. They also requested an picture with us. We stopped about every hour and at the gas stop the owner came our with 4 hot cups of tea for us (never happening in Canada).

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4196/3...f9d7ae36_b.jpg Turkey-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4197/3...cc5a07e9_b.jpg Turkey-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We arrived to Sivas, which is a fairly big place of 300,000. There are lots of small hotels, but few with parking. We had decided on one, but then spotted another down the road. Daniel went to check it out. The man at the deck said “I don't speak English, but I will help you”. Done deal. They moved a car from the front door so we could park the 4 bikes where he could keep and eye on them. We went for a walk to the main street to find a local place to eat and we did manage to get a good grilled meat meal with some pointing and “salad”.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4271/3...ee2f198a_b.jpg Turkey-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4203/3...25a69d4f_b.jpg Turkey-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We all had the 430 am wake up call, but managed to get back to sleep. Today the forecast is for rain, but starting out it was sunny. For the 466 km ride to Trabzon over the mountains.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4220/3...fcdc1819_b.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-26 at 20.59.47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4245/3...8ae3af3a_b.jpg Turkey Trabzon by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We went east and had to stop to put warmer clothes on as it was 9 degrees. After about 75 km on the E88 to Zara we then headed northeast thru the national park over the mountain pass on the D865.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4273/3...9e24326aef.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-26 at 21.00.25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4245/3...07832aa9_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-26 at 21.00.02 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
The road surface was fairly rough. We had to get the rain suits on because of looming black clouds, but with a few stops well timed we missed the worst of it.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4221/3...5264e34c_b.jpg Turkey Trabzon-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4197/3...c770209a_b.jpg Turkey Trabzon-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had 130 km to Trabzon and were stopped 3 times in traffic police checks. At the first one they took a quick peak at the plates and said drive on. At the second we all had to produce passports, drivers license, and vehicle registration. They then called 4 operate times and for each bike gave the plate number and the ID. After 15 min they let us go. Not 5 km later we were waved in again at the next stop. Dan said to the guy “were just all check 5 km ago”…Even the bus driver who was also pulled over at both stops came over and told the cop that all these bikes just had the full paper check. He made a call to the other officers and yes we were free to go.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4252/3...80af7103_b.jpg Turkey-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Arriving to Trabazon the traffic was very heavy and as usual the drivers very aggressive. We checked a few hotels and all were very expensive. We decided to pass thru the town and at the airport there were a number of hotels. They were very accommodating moving cars so we could park out front and then parking a car to block us in for the night. We again wondered about and found a kebab grill for dinner. Another good night sleep since the airport hotels have very sound proof windows no 430 am w are up call.

Great photos, great job writing up your travels. I always enjoy reading your report. Looking forward to meeting you both. Keep safe.
Mac

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac-1769 (Post 564686)

Great photos, great job writing up your travels. I always enjoy reading your report. Looking forward to meeting you both. Keep safe.
Mac

Thanks Mac and it will not be too long. Still waiting on actuation numbers for Iran....Cutting it close. Hi from Tblisi. Waiting here I blew out my rear shock and one is coming by UPS. :oops2:

We have a short day planned today with just 2o6 km to Batumi Georgia. This gives us lots of time since there is the border to deal with and a 1 hour time change.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...e73d3aa2_z.jpg Screen Shot 2017-05-27 at 22.59.55 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The ride was pretty uneventful. We did stop for a quick power wash after the rain and mountain roads. We again passed several hundred trucks on the way.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4228/3...e1958e78_b.jpg Batumi by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4225/3...c186de58_b.jpg Batumi-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4270/3...51e7d6a3_b.jpg Batumi-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/3...629bd732_b.jpg Batumi-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We arrived at a good time as the line was short. There were 2 buses ahead of us, but after the first check point where they ask for your passport and vehicle registration the one bus let us in front of him.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4271/3...62f2225f_b.jpg Batumi-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4248/3...d3ae4bbb_b.jpg Georgia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

You then proceed to Turkish customs to get an exit stamp.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/3...68392faf_b.jpg Batumi-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Dan was pushing his bike slowly as the line moved. Just before the agent his side stand caught on a metal grate and the bike pulled away from him and fell onto Sara knocking her over. No harm done to her, but the 800’s windscreen was cracked into 4 pieces. We all picked the bikes and the plastic pieces up and handed the passports for the exit stamp.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4245/3...3423a4a9_b.jpg Batumi-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

From here you ride to the Georgia check point where they record your plate. You proceed to the next line for customs. here they want your passport and registration. Insurance is not mandatory here and they does not seem to be anywhere to buy it. There is no procedure for TVIP for the bikes.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4275/3...622a1025_b.jpg Georgia-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4245/3...117e9afc_b.jpg Batumi-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4195/3...1366fa44_b.jpg Georgia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The town is a short 19 km away, where we had booked a hotel just off the main road. Prices and about half of Turkey here. Georgians may be even worse drivers than the Turkish! We arrived to the hotel, checked in and got washed up.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4244/3...92cb5d1f_b.jpg Batumi-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4201/3...7d0a4e9b_b.jpg Batumi-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4246/3...0872ac45_b.jpg Georgia-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4197/3...6a0f6cb8_b.jpg Georgia-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Some Macgyvering with glue and duct tape and voila!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/3...5da219f0_b.jpg Georgia-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4248/3...a8efe586_b.jpg Georgia-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The last 60 km or 25 km from Akhalsikhe is again paved. . Just after we hit the paved road we has a stop at a small 9 th century Monastery. All we had to eat was some jam from Bulgaria and some cream crackers, but they tasted great. We made friends with some of the local kids.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4271/3...9fdbd239_b.jpg Georgia-32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4228/3...15f003e1_b.jpg Borjormi Contour-35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4200/3...a51e242b_b.jpg Georgia-38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4195/3...5c9d0250_b.jpg Georgia-39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/3...e571ebb4_b.jpg Georgia-43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4257/3...8219c41b_b.jpg IMG_0966 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Now it was after 6 and we still had 50 km to get to Borjomi where we had a guest house booked.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4243/3...b1699c8b_b.jpg Georgia-50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4275/3...8218e7b7_b.jpg Borjormi Contour-37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

When we road up the host was outside to great us and usher us into the parking area. We had the top floor of a house with 2 room, a sitting room, and kitchen. Still since it was now 8 pm we headed to a local restaurant for some Khinkali (dumplings) and chkmeruli (traditional Georgian dish of chicken in garlic cream sauce), and some not so “dry” Georgian wine. The guys stayed up too late with some local brandy as well so were a bit foggy in the morning.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4269/3...afc28569_b.jpg Georgia by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...4a0a6203_b.jpg Georgia-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4250/3...5c3b2483_b.jpg Georgia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4276/3...c56f2cdf_b.jpg Georgia-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We checked into another guest house Qiri in a lovely old house. It is nice to have your bedroom, but also use of a lounge. The owner is extremely helpful and the place very clean and nice. The owner is extremely helpful and the place very clean and nice.

We walked into the town and found some arm long Schwarma for 4 dollars. Then we walked over to the "palace". I did the laundry and of course as soon as I hung it up to dry the clouds rolled in. We did a bit of a tour of the town and saw the only “sight” the Palace. It did pour all night as well.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4201/3...f246c5a1_b.jpg Georgia-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4272/3...37494c3f_b.jpg Georgia-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4270/3...15447520_b.jpg Georgia-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr