Hello everyone.

In the next "few" lines I will try to describe the journey that my wife and I did in this october (21st-30th 2015) with a scooter. In addition to travel, we will try to describe our preparations and other things, because this is our first big trip with a scooter which we recently purchased.


part 1 Wildest dreams

In mid-August during the biggest tourist crowds, unbearable heat, work and obligations, after a few s in the shade under the tree on the beach, the question was asked: „Where are we going to travel this winter?“. After a couple of quick-response answers, Sicily and a short visit to Malta comes to our mind. How are we going to get there? Should we try with the bike? Definitely yes!
We never went on long trips with the bike, so everything had to be carefully planned and tested in the next two months. After the first idea of traveling we've put together a couple of plans in the next few days, and chosen plan B will be explained in detail in the sections that follow. We got all the equipment for the ride, two new suits, two new rain suits and two new helmets and other equipment such as, gloves belts and so on. In early September this year we tested the bike on "long-distance" driving by going to Split and back in one day, to get a picture if we can handle it, can we drive more than 500 kilometers in a day, can we ride for couple of days in a row, can we drive without some potential problems (back pain and other things). These so-called tests went without any problem, and I have to mention that on those "preparations" we had a good time. We also bought camera SJ4000 (Chinese Go-pro), for very small amount of money because we wanted to film the whole trip, something in drive lapse and something in short videos. With the camera we acquired an additional camera Nikon S3600 for taking photographs. I have to mention that since my wife and I are employed, all of these "tests" were done on our free time, and of the two months of summer, we did them in only three or four days. Only thing from bike equipment that was still questionable was communication between the driver and passenger and we wanted to have
that while traveling. After a long and exhaustive search on the internet, forums and various articles on motorcycle communication, and the types and models of communication, we decided to go the cheapest way, purchase on E bay cheap "Chinese no name" wired communication with a microphone and earphone to your ear. We were not sure how will it work and we did not want to spend big money to devices that are quite expensive, and perhaps would not have been good. The „no name“ communication proved to be simply desperate. Up to 60 km/h it was acceptable, and above 60 km/h you are better without it, and the earphone after a while begins to pinch in the ear. But the good thing of this communication is called chatterbox. To improve the quality of communication, It came to my mind to buy PC headphones and connect them through this communication. I bought a pair of headphones, slowly and gently disassembled the, re-soldered with quality audio cable, isolated contacts and put them in our helmets (we have Nolan helmets with preparation for communication). The difference was drastic, quality and volume was drastically improved, and so we got a good quality sound up to 110 km/h. Price of this „home made“ communication was around 20 US. The only "drawback" was, that we were connected with audio cable while driving but on the helmets I installed audio pins for easy connection and disconnection. After all that, our equipment was ready and we just need to make a reservation for hotels, buy tickets for ferries and take care of all the other things. In mid October we finalize our job and family obligations, and we were ready to go. We bought tickets for the ferry (return) Dubrovnik - Bari and Pozzallo - Valletta and Pozzallo and book a parking in Pozzallo for the bike. Through the "web", we found restaurants with local food for every place where we went or passed. Detailed planning of the routes we've done over the "web" as well
The equipment that we prepared for the trip:
- Nolan Helmets N44 (drifter I) and 85 (drifter II)
- Suits (motto and rainy) and other equipment (gloves, belts and so on.)
- SJ4000 camera with all accessories (mounts), camera Nikon S3600 and two mobile phones
- Communication with extra batteries and spare audio cables
- Power bank external battery (with two outs) for mobile phones and camera
- Various cables, chargers, SD cards and more.

We took some clothing and spare shoes in case of need, and it all fit in the bike without additional saddlebags. We took a small backpack I've kept on the fuel tank, but we used it only later when we took souvenirs and more. We even for this occasion made (bought) helmet stickers with the image of Eddie.

I have to apologize in case of grammar an other mistakes because English is not my native language. We are new to this so later on we will put some photos
to be continued ...

part 2. Drifters

We're not tourists, we're adventurers.
My wife Lucia and I (Antun) live in Cavtat, a small town near Dubrovnik Croatia and we are addicted to journeys of any kind. The only drawback of our trips is because of our jobs and commitments which are related to the summer periods, we travel only in fall or winter. At least once a year we go to the "bigger trips" (longer time or by distance for our concepts and opportunities), and by now we have been to a lot of cities and placer within Europe (and to all Croatian regions) with different vehicles including cars, planes, trains or ships. But we never went on a long trip with the bike, and we were total amateurs when it comes to this type of traveling. There is a logical answer to that. We have a 8 year old son Ivan and because of him we never planed something like that, and we've always had him with with us on our trips. And there is another fact as well. We have never own or had bike before. We had a small scooter 50 cc but we don't count that in this category.
The things are about to change.

young Indiana Jones

our new image

wanna be ... who knows




to be continued...

part 3 Prowler

At the end of 2014. for a number of reasons, we decided to buy a bigger bike that would primarily serve me to go to work, and could if necessary, serve for other activities (shop, etc.), and for trips on short distances.The bike that we should buy had to meet the following requirements:
1. The general requirement is that it could be used daily for all things (go to work, shopping and so on)
2. Must not be heavy and large because the access to our house is through a very narrow passage with very little space to turn around.
3. Must have a minimum of space to accommodate at least one bike suit and helmet (without additional saddlebag)
4. It is to be a comfortable for both driver and passenger
5. It must be red - the most important requirement (including metallic)

For these requirement it is important to note that we do not have a garage, and more expensive bikes (over 10k euros) are out of the question, because I do not want to have expensive bike to rot on sun and rain. I must also state that the bike manufacturer must not be "Chinese" (with due respect to the strongest economy of the world).
After daily overviews through the internet I was not satisfied with conditions and the requirements that we need.Trough all Europe including Croatia vast majority of drivers drive maxi scooters, and at the suggestion from a friend, I decided to try Piaggio Beverly 300 ie. I borrowed it to test it and after the first 10 minutes of driving I was delighted and convinced that the search is over. For my height and my driving style it was a perfect fit, and for the passenger there were no problems as well.
As for the displacement and power, I didn't really care. It's important just to be out on motorways and drive at normal speed as everyone else. For example in Italy the bikes with up to 250 cc are prohibited to drive on highways (in Sicily). A top speed of 130 km/h, for me was more than enough.
Immediately the decision was made to purchase a new bike, but as luck sometimes plays a very important role in life, the day after the decision, on local internet marketplace I found a used bike for a very good price in Dubrovnik. The same day in the afternoon, I met with owner and without test drive I bought bike. The bike was less than two years old, with 5000 km, well preserved and still under warranty. For difference in money from the new later we bought a full bike gear (two suits, two rain suits, two helmets, etc.). At the end, from the idea to buy the "real bike" we bought a scooter. Further in the text, we will use the term bike.
I should note also that, I did not have a proper driver licence (cat. A for bikes in Croatia), and I passed the driving test at the end of April 2015.

meet the prowler



to be continued...

part 4 Rime of the ancient mariner

21.10.2015.
It's time to go.
Wednesday morning, beautiful day. Morning coffee, packing and final inspection. Nerves are in the air and in the abdomen. Not a lot of talk, everybody is thinking something within. Total deconcentration. After standard daily obligations around the school and other things, about 18:00 we say bye and we go to Dubrovnik, where after a short hello to relatives and quick shopping for some things for the trip we arrive around 19:30 in the port of Gruž where we wait for boarding.
Jadrolinija ferry boat Dubrovnik or line Dubrovnik Bari departs at 22:00, but it is necessary to arrive two hours before (if you are using a motor vehicle) due to preparing the ship for vehicles and passengers. After a short registration, speed drink, we wait in line and meet other bikers who apply for boarding. There we meet Alex, whom we will later mention in the text. After our documents were checked we enter the ship, secure the bike (crew binds it) and we get the keys to the cabin in which we leave things. We took cabin to rest, because we will need it for the upcoming ride. Later we went to the deck where we enjoy and film our departure. The ship departs and slowly leaves the port of Gruž and 30 minutes later we moved away from the coast we prepare ourself for a break into our cabin. The feeling of sleeping on board is special, and after a short time we manage to sleep regardless of the movements and sounds of the ship. The ship Dubrovnik is the "ancient mariner". Minimalist furnishings with visible years of sailing. As we will see later on, the worst of all ships (and oldest) we met on the trip, but to us It's not an issue at all. We don't care.
During our boarding we met biker Alex from the US, and after a short conversation he reveals that approximately 2 months ago he came to London and went on a ride trough Europe. On the way he visited many countries, drove over 10,000 km, arrived in Dubrovnik, then to Rome and later to Spain, where he intends to sell the bike and return to the United States. We were so delighted with his trip, but unlike us he was more enthusiastic about our plan, and he looked at our bike somehow with pity (not in a bad way, he is more experienced than us) and saying, drive carefully, be safe, and so on. So we invited him if he ever comes again to Croatia, contact us and be our guest. We wished him safe ride, and the next day greeted him in Bari and went separate ways.
Hi Alex, you lucky bastard ..

waiting for our ride

our little cabin

boarding

off we go

don't worry .. we'll see you soon


to be continued...

part 5 The longest day

22.10.2015.
Around 06:00 a loud knock on the door from a metal object. The crew awakens us and makes it clear that the Bari is near. After a quick preparing we run to the deck to see what the weather is like, and what a surprise. The rain is pouring, with strong and cold wind. There is no sign of Bari at all. No luck today, or maybe....
We are ready after breakfast and wait for disembarkation. Around 8:30 the ship enters the port and opens the gate. The weather is even worse now. Passengers, trucks and other vehicles exit the ship, leaving us alone. Rain suits are on, last bye to the guys and we are good to go. The plan was to drive to the south of Sicily and come to Syracuse, where we will spend the night. We have about 600 km. Good thing I insisted on driving in the rain after I bought the bike, I think to myself. We leave the port after quick document check, enter the roundabout and drive towards Palagiano. Rain falls but suits do their job. We are dry, no problem, everything is fine. We drive along endless fields of neatly planted (and maintained) olive groves planted in the network, and we can clearly see the endless rows
of these trees. They say that the best olive oil is from this part of Italy but we can not confirm because we have not tried it. The landscape is beautiful despite of the rain. After less than an hour we stop at the first planned stop near Palagiano for the first short break. Here we arrive at the Ionian Sea. The rain considerably slows down, but some tricky crosswind starts to blow and slows us down later on. Speed falls to 80 km/h. We continue to our the next stop near town Sibari. A light rain stops and the wind decreases it's power. Weather is clearing. From Sibari we continue to Cosenza where we will enter (before) Autostrada and continue our driving to the south of Italy. In Cosenza the rain starts to fall, but we are still dry and we continue to Rogliano where we stop for a longer break for food and coffee. From Cosenza and just before reaching the Tyrrhenian Sea is the worst part of the autostrada, full of curves and tunnels on some places with very bad asphalt. If you add a rain to that condition it's even worse. Near Falerna Marina we enter the coast of Tyrrhenian Sea and what a surprise. In front of us is the sun. Sunny and warm weather with some clouds, but completely dry. Ideal for driving. From there we significantly accelerate and soon come to a rest area near the town of Pizzo where we have a short break. We left behind the worst part of southern Italy, the hilly area around Cosenza, and from now on our route will be near the sea. We take opportunity to film (driving) which will become my "obligation" for the next few days. In Pizzo on the break we meet a small group of Italian bikers (scooters of all types) heading to Sicily. After seeing our licence plate, pass by us and greet us. They have a leader like in the movies. We greet them as well, big respect. We can clearly feel the communion that adorns motorcyclists around the world, regardless of their beliefs and differences. From Pizzo to Villa San Giovanni we got about 100 km, as we move on to catch the ferry and do a first primary task for today which is coming to Sicily. Driving is a relaxing and fun. Tension (positive) yields while we move closer to Sicily. After less than an hour we see Sicily in the distance. The elation in our hearts, the excitement in our vein. We arrive at Villa San Giovanni, a stop only to buy the ferry tickets and go to the port where we wait for boarding. We waited for five minutes, got on the ferry and departed to Sicily. Ferry Villa San Giovanni - Messina runs every 20 minutes and the ride takes about the same time. There are more ships (even the ferry for the railways), so you don't wait longer than 10 minutes for boarding. We bought a return ticket for the ferry (valid one month), which is more favorable than one way. On the ferry we use the opportunity to reorganize, stretch our feet, change our suits and of course to film the ride. Messina channel is full of ships that pass in both directions. The ship stops, opens the ramp, and we get out. We did it, we are on Sicily. We arrive at Messina and drive through town and onto the Autostrada A18 where we continue to Catania. Here we see the famous Italian driving and passing through red lights (I think deliberately). In some parts of Italy's unofficial traffic rule is "Figure it out, buddy". When you are at the intersection and red light is on, vehicles pass until vehicles from another directions are in your way. Of course we do not know how to play that game (Russian roulette with a full gun) and continue our ride according to traffic signs. Autostrada towards Catania is excellent, but in some places trees and plants are so thick that they are covering road signs and stopping lane is completely healed so on some parts you can't even enter the stopping lane. But we see workers trimming and clearing trees. We pass near Taormina and Giardini Naxos, beautiful places that we will visit later in our trip. The scenery is beautiful, the coast is mountainous and steeply go down to the sea, where there are miles and miles of sandy beaches. Before our trip there were heavy rains and large landslides, and parts of the road are closed to reconstruction and every now and then we are diverted to one lane.
Near Catania we have a last short stop for today. For about half an hour will be getting dark, and we still have about 90 km to Syracuse. We did not want to drive at night, except when we had no choice (planned), and we left very quickly. As we drive, we see that in the direction of Syracuse is rain. As we have seen, rain starts to fall as the sun set as well. We considerably slowed down due to rain and poor visibility. Across the northern entrance we drove towards the town and enter the immense traffic that moves slower than the average human walking (people returning from work probably). After a while, we enter the town and quickly find our hotel. We arrive at the hotel, unpack, wash and change into "normal clothes". At Syracuse we came around 19:30 (a few minutes after the plan) and we planned that after arrival, we were going to see the city.
We are ready, let's go. After a short conversation with the receptionist, he tells us that he was in Dubrovnik, and praises him. We are very pleased, however, that our culture and legacy is worth something in the world. We crossed 650 km that day, but again we sit on the bike and ride to Ortygia for sightseeing and dinner. Ortigia, the old part of Syracuse is one of the most beautiful cities in Sicily and (to us) very similar to Dubrovnik, but buildings are larger and more ornate. It is end of the season, so there are not many tourists around, we walk around the city. Must visit on Sicily!
Unlike street, restaurants are full. After looking for a free place (all full), we dine at a restaurant Basirico where the food was excellent, and we were not wrong in our plan.
After dinner we drove trough Ortigia once more to visualize it better, and return to the hotel to rest.
The first day we drove for more than 8 hours (11:00 total) but due to regular stops for shorter and longer rests we felt no problems from driving, or pain and stiffness from continuous sitting. The bike fully justified it's comfort. Regardless of the rain and intense water our communication held on with no problem. On a couple of occasions weather was bad, but our rain suits did their job as well as boots. We were not rushing anywhere, since we planned to ride with much lower average speed, and in the end we came within a few minutes of our plan.
Slowly we realize addiction of many bikers.

route for the day

near Bari

rain


meet Alex


first stop Palagiano


near Pizzo looking back at clouds


Sicily


waiting in line


Yo' Adrian we did it


near Catania last stop


Street in Siracuse


Santa Lucia


Duomo Siracuse


Archimedes fountain


something to drink


something to eat


and this too


to be continued...

part.6 Another life

23.10.2015.
After a good rest and breakfast at around 10:00 we are ready for the next venture. Plan is a tour of Siracuse, Noto, Ragusa and Pozzallo where we catch a ferry to Malta. Once again we're going to Ortigia to film it during riding (around the city). After a short drive we enter the motorway under construction and go to Noto. We enter the city and drive through the narrow streets and stop in the center. Before our sightseeing we have a coffee in front of the cathedral. Noto in our opinion is one of the most beautiful cities in Sicily, if not the most, in one word, impressive. The beautiful buildings, churches, streets, everything .... While walking street musician is playing the tune from The Godfather movie to our delight. Inside the cathedral are the remains of a wooden planks, found after a shipwreck near with quote from Pope Francis "Who cries for these people". That impressed us very deep, and returned us to the harsh reality of our lives. After Noto we go in Ragusa. Ragusa is a special city for us because we come from Ragusa (historical name of Dubrovnik). We visit the old town of Ragusa Ibla, which is along the Noto and Modica (among other cities) also on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites as well as our Dubrovnik, but due some abandoned walls and facade it's not as imposing as Noto. In Ragusa we walk through the city center, and we go to restaurant Trattoria La Bettola, where we eat excellent food. After lunch, coffee on the Piazza Duomo and we try our first canolli on the road. We laze in the sun. We drove once more around Ragusa to film it like Syracuse. Final photographs and it's time to go. We drive to Pozzallo to leave the bike and catch the ferry to Malta. Weather is warm, sunny with scattered clouds, very nice. In Pozzallo we come much earlier and wait for the opening of the parking lot for our bike. We sit on the shore and enjoy. Before the trip we booked parking for bike while we are in Malta. In Malta trafic is on "opposite" side and prices for transport for bike are quite large, so it is not worth it because Malta is well connected with local bus lines, and not large (but with 400,000 inhabitants plus tourists). We even read that Malta was planning to change traffic rule to European way, but due to a possible invasion of a large number of tourists with vehicles they feared from total traffic chaos and finally gave up. We did not want to indulge in such an adventure although I think it would not be much of a problem. Bike is sleeping in Italy, because it is much easier. We left our bike and took our stuff and the first time we use backpacks (we bought another one in Ragusa), because we will need them in Malta. We walk up to Pozzallo to lose some time while waiting for the boat. With Pozzallo we are not overly impressed, not at all. Empty small (new) town that has a promenade and a large sandy beach, and is likely to get crowded with tourists during summer. We had a coffee and went back to the port.
Our ship is entering the port.
Jean de la Vallette is the fastest catamaran ship in the Mediterranean sea (we read that on board) and it takes him less than two hours to Malta which is 50 Nautical miles (or 90 km) away.Pretty fast for a boat that carries passengers and vehicles. The interior deck on a ship looks much like the tourist cruiser ships, shiny, clean and well equipped. You have the small sofas, plane seats, whichever you prefer, a glass front deck gives the impression of being in a spaceship (a joke, but similar). You have small bars and shops on it as well. After loading the last passengers and vehicles we are free to go. The ship starts to accelerate and is confirming the title for the speed. In front of us, tens of ships sailing in the dark, and in the moonlight you can see outlines of ships and navigation lights. The ship changes course, but very slowly until we pass by each other. After a while people are sleeping, and in the distance the you can see the lights from Malta. We are approaching Valletta. We look at illuminated stone walls from harbor, very impressive buildings built for defensive purposes during history. Line Valletta Pozzallo from Virtu Ferries leaves at 19:00 but because of bad weather that day we departed at 21:00 and arrived much later (huge waves on Malta). We exit the ship and take a taxi ride to the hotel located in Sliema, the neighboring town to Valletta. As the taxi drive us we see a lot of people, restaurants, bars and streets, all full. Unlike Sicily where there are not so many people, you feel like you're in London. We settle in the hotel and briefly go out for a quick orientation.
Here we had the worst accommodation on the entire trip.

route for the day

Noto

Noto street

Noto

Noto

Noto

Noto

Noto

Noto

Noto

Noto

Noto

Noto

Ragusa

Ragusa

Ragusa

Pozzallo harbor

Towards Malta

Pozzallo in the distance

San Giovanni

Jean de la Valletta

Inside boat



to be continued...

Interesting for me, planning part of the ride summer 2016 so it's always good to read how someone else does it. Is the trip to Malta worthwhile (Taking into account time and cost? )

Gino

Hi Rondelli

Malta is worth to visit by any means. It is bit different than the rest of Europe due to mixture of European and African culture. Very beautiful and full of history. We had a great time even doe we were there for only one full day.
Visiting Malta with bike can be tricky due to size of Malta (rather small island) and high volume of traffic. On the other hand It can be rewarding because of freedom to roam everywhere. It is not easy to say for sure, it really depends on what are yours points of interest.
We always like to visit some important things (monuments and places) and less big cities.
They have every day connections to Sicily and you can plan to go there for one or more days.
In our next post we will describe it fully.
Antun

Part 7 The new frontier

24.10.2015.
In the morning we leave the hotel and catch the bus to Mdina (some call it Medina) and Rabat. Our plan is to visit Mdina, Rabat and Valletta. We drive to Mdina, which is situated about 14 km but due to huge traffic, lots of traffic lights, roundabouts and bus stops it takes us about 40 minutes. Mdina is located almost in the middle of the island on a hill from which you can see almost the entire island, and the coast. Mdina at first look is clinically clean, but clearly empty. Only tourists are visiting around, no signs of the residents. At each step, you can see beautiful buildings and lavish churches, all full of riches. We drink coffee on the walls of Mdina from where is the best view of Valletta, Birkirkara and other places in Malta. Time seems to be quite warm, but not too sunny, and there are a lot of clouds in the sky. In the park, the thermometer shows 28 C. A... that's why it's hot. We wonder how hot is during july. Malta is yellow, type of yellow like sand color, and it is clear that there is not a typical Mediterranean, but dry and warm African climate. There is not much rain and moisture. Lack of water is their main problem.The official language in Malta is English, but due to close range and impact of Italy (Sicily) Italian language is also highly represented. Co-official language is Maltese which is a mixture of Arabian and these two languages. At a couple of places we heard people talking Maltese language. Mdina is the place where christian population lived, a typical fortified medieval town, while Rabat was where arabic lived, typically arabic place with no huge walls and major buildings (except later built churches). Whole Malta is a mixture of European and Arabic culture, which makes it really special. We visited Rabat, which was full of people, as opposed to Mdina a living city. After a short visit we catch a bus to Valletta.
Valletta, full of tourists, crowded.
It is so special and beautiful.
Valletta (Malta) is full of history and historical figures and events, and given the size of the island, historically had a much greater importance than many larger countries of our "old" continent. Knights, wars, secret orders, the great masters, the secrets of religion, and everything else. We walk trough the streets and visit all important places in Valletta and stop on Republican square in front of parliament and president's house. We enjoy the sun. I will not describe in detail Valletta because it seems pretentious, and I think that before visiting Malta you must prepare yourself and read at least "few things about" to make it easier, understandable and get the best image of it.
We're hungry.
After our walk through the streets of Valletta we go to a restaurant because we wanted to eat local Maltese food. We eat in the restaurant Palazo Preca, quite elegant (and bit expensive) and well known for Maltese cuisine. Here we had the best food on the entire trip. During ordering in a restaurant (in english) and our mutual conversation (in Croatian) about ordering our waiter said, Why don't you say immediately that you are "ours", so we can talk normally. We were delighted.
Our waiter Mika is from Serbia (neighbor country with similar language) with many years of service in Italy and now in Malta. He tells us about his work and life and all things in general.
On his recommendation we eat dish after dish. In the end, he treats us with liqueur from cactus with an apology that in Malta there is no "rakija"(local alcohol in Croatia and Serbia similar to schnapps). We exchange contacts, say bye and move on.
Thank you very much Mika.
We went to visit the rest of Valletta by going to the War Museum where we buy the figure of the black knight for our Ivan, and also to accompany us on our trip. The museum covers all historical periods, from the very beginning all the way to modern history. Except the medieval wars probably the greatest sacrifice Malta submitted during the Second world war, completely surrounded by the Axis forces, on the edge of starvation and under constant attack it persistently resisted the enemy. As in the Battle of Britain (Operation sea lion) famous Supermarine Spitfire aircraft confirmed it's reputation here (a little about my addiction).
From Valletta there is a small boat to Sliema (Valletta ferries) that connects these two places, but because of bad weather that day line is canceled, and we return to Sliema with a taxi. After a short rest at the hotel we walk towards St. Julian by the promenade near the sea. St. Julian is elite part where are hotels with larger categories and famous Casino clubs. After long walk we end our small night tour in the African street food place. Food was excellent. Tired of walking all day we slowly go back to the hotel and order taxi for tomorrow. We are pleased we were able to visit all of what we have planned for the day.
Recommendation. Malta is very small, and you can visit everything in one day, but it's simply running from one place to another, you would be better to visit in a few days (3 days) and maybe visit surrounding islands (Gozo). I still have to point out that prior to this our known civilization in Malta, lived a culture that to us is not exactly known, and Malta has some remains of that culture, that are known for monolithic structures, even something as Stonehenge in England. The offer is very rich and worth visiting. Compared to Sicily and some parts of Europe Malta is quite expensive.

Sliema

Mdina

Entrance to Mdina

Stone walls

inside Mdina

not a tourist but adventurers

view towards Valletta

inside one of many churches

street of Mdina

street to Rabat

entering Valletta

street in Valletta

main square Valletta

Malta national meal rabbit

Big guns

and you ride scooter

this is my addiction

and this too

is he thinking about us

towards Sliema

St Julian at night




to be continued...

part 8 Legacy

25.10.2015.
We woke up at 5:30 and went to the port to meet our old friend "Jean". The sun rise and lets us know that the day will be sunny and warm. We enter the ship and very soon we are leaving.
Thanks Malta and definitely we'll meet again.
The plan for today is a ferry to Pozzallo, and drive to Agrigento to visit the Valle di Templi and then drive to Monreale (over Castelvetrano) where is our next overnight. After a while we see the coast of Sicily, and in the background the first time we see Etna, which so far due to the constant cloud cover we coudn't see. In Pozzallo our bike is waiting. We drive from Pozzallo, Ragusa and Comiso to Gela where we do a short break. This part of Sicily is dry and without trees, with lots of cactus plants and you can feel the African climate. Even the earth is yellowish like on Malta. Yet the country is properly processed and we can see the plantation of artichoke and olive groves (and other plants that we have no idea what it is). After Gela and short ride on quite good and fairly deserted road (as in Pozzallo) we arrive in Valle di Templi. Short break, because weather is warm, the temperature is 26 C.
Valle di Templi, built by the Greeks on a plateau where there is a couple of temples and best
preserved "Tempio della Concordia". This is for me the most striking place in Sicily and definitely one of those places that you must see in life. Huge temples carved from boulders heavy tens of tons. And they are perfectly centered with no visual defects (constructed perfectly) or differences in construction. I stand by that and think. These boulders are so large that I doubt that the Greeks did them by themself, or they knew something that we today ("geniuses of a new era") are not yet able to grasp. This is purely my opinion and my review on it. I accept any discrepancy with my opinion.
With the temples there are the remains of the large statues of Atlas, one original and one replica. All temples are named after celestial bodies or major Greek gods, and we have to ask how much those old civilizations were advanced compared to what we actually know. Still, I was impressed at a large amount of precisely carved boulders scattered all over the plateau.
After the visit and a short lunch in a small trattoria near Valle we continue to the Scala dei Turchi, very impressive geological occurrence of white limestone rock that formed a wave-shaped sea coast. It is the most famous beach in Sicily and an important tourist destination. Since we almost literally live at the beach, we are not very enthusiastic. On the lookout we stopped to take photos and we move on.
We drive to Castelvetrano, where we do a short coffee break and rest, and from where we head to Monreale. The drive is perfect. Here and there a car or truck. We drive about 90 km/h, although we could have drove a lot more faster, but we wanted to see more than arrive as soon as possible. We have plenty of time. From Castelvetrano to Partinico is in my opinion the most beautiful ride throughout Sicily. Drive along the autostrada and all around you gentle hills with neatly planted and maintained by olive groves, lots of local (farm) roads and the fields and other old buildings. Here we catch a sunset and because of light everything looked much nicer. In Partinico we stop for a short break as it is slowly getting dark, and we're down to about 30 km to Monreale, and we want to be concentrated while driving. We stop at an extension where you can see all the way to the west coast of Sicily and Trapani. From Partinico we ride the narrow road through a mountain gorge up to Monreale. It was dark and slowly we ride on. After a while we come to Monreale, where we settle into a hotel (apartment), changes our clothes and go to visit of Monreale. When we got to the hotel a worker at the hotel asked me if I have a chain (or disc lock) for the bike? I think to myself, oh no? He tells me that "bad guys" are stealing bikes around. I think to myself, ok. Nor will I chain my bike, nor will I think about it, so if it gets stolen what can I do. Of course I locked the bike (lock) like I do that at home and I decided to park it right in front of accommodation. Monreale is from our accommodation about 2 km away and we decide to take a walk. A pleasant walk, just to stretch our legs from the road as we crossed about 370 km, but we do not feel any problems, other than hunger. Monreale is also one of the most beautiful cities in Sicily with a beautiful cathedral in the Norman style, and a beautiful view of the entire surroundings of Palermo (located on a hill above Palermo). A lot of people who decide to visit Sicily sleep in Monreale for several reasons. It is not as chaotic Palermo, noisy, crowded, and everything else, and is connected by bus every hour. So people take advantage of a visiting Palermo and sleeping in Monreale. We eat at the restaurant Brico e Bacco where we eat perhaps the best food in Sicily (excluding Malta). After dinner, we returned to our hotel tired but happy.

leaving Malta

see you again

here we come

route for the day

somewhere on the road

Atlas

Perfect cut

Legacy

Legacy

Legacy

Legacy

Scala dei Turchi

Scala dei Turchi

Scala dei Turchi

above Partinico

Monreale view towards Palermo

Monreale

street in Monreale

Fiorentina steak 900g.

and wine


to be continued...

part 9 Strange world

26.10.2015.
After breakfast we go to Palermo. Monreale is connected with Palermo by bus line every hour, but there is no time of departure (probably full hour). We are waiting on the station, which was located in front of our accommodation and after a while we decide to walk until next stop. Of course, right between two stations comes the bus, and we run to arrive at the last minute. Off we go to Palermo.
Palermo is chaotic city, in my opinion a bit strange, because there is no central part with square, churches or so. Each part of the city has a separate central section. I must say this, It is really desperatly dirty. Not in the old center but all around, and it seems that people do not really care about it. I do not know what is the situation with waste but definitely spoils the overall impression of Sicily. The traffic is better not to mention, you are on your own in it.
We get out at Piazza Indipedenza and begins our tour. One of the most beautiful buildings Palazzo Normani is located here and certainly a mandatory place to visit in the city. We continue through the town and go to the cathedral. We visit the cathedral and descend to the underground of cathedral where are the crypts and the stone sarcophagi of important people of Palermo. Then we climb to the roof from where we have a magnificent view. There we meet a small group of tourists from Zagreb Croatia with whom we briefly exchange a few words. In front of the Cathedral young people with banners hold a peaceful protest against church. To be honest we did not even read what it says.
We descend through the town and head towards the coast and the botanical garden. We turn from the main street and enter the so-called "mean streets" where the locals live. In one street that looks like there was a war, children play soccer. On one chair sits an elderly woman and yell at them. At this point, postman is passing and she starts to yell at him something like „you just bring bills“. Between them arises "debate". We would have given at that moment 200 euros just that I could understand what they were talking about. So they debated and you just don't know is it some kind of dispute or normal conversation. It feels like there gonna fight. Of course that is we think. Sicilians are temperamental and when they talk or discuss, they do that in such a way. Later we (at Cefalu) also met two fishermen who were also discussing something that we thought the same, eventually they shook hands, and every man went his way.
Before the trip we read a lot about the Sicilians, as people wrote in his travelogues and trips and the vast majority of people are described as reserved and cold. Not taking into account that almost everyone is reserved to some extent towards foreigners. Everywhere we went, I repeat, everywhere we went, we never felt any reticence from local people. They were friendly and kind, and always on our few words of Italian and our apologies that we don't speak Italian well,but we will try and talk, they were delighted. The same way are we, when we talk to stranger who is trying to say at least two words in our language, our state of mind changes quickly.
We reach the port where cruise ships are anchored, but we don't see a lot of people, probably they are already in the city.
We visit the botanical garden with plants as well as birds (all kinds) that were singing (chirping) and giving the impression that you are in a rain forest. Among other plants from mostly tropical regions we found the banana trees. In the center of the garden birds are singing, and you can hear no noise from city due to thick green wall surrounding the garden. The feeling is excellent.
After the botanical garden we decided to see the world-famous ficus trees with obligatory photos. We are already tired and hungry, so we are looking for a restaurant. We find a restaurant for lunch and decide to have a long rest because fatigue begins to catch us.
With all this we have seen other famous buildings.
After lunch and a longer break, we continue with the tour. Before the trip we planned in Palermo to visit the famous Capuchin catacombs in which they keep mummified bodies of deceased persons. We decided to take a horse carriage and a little ride around town. We found a coach and after a short time of bargaining (initial price is 80 euros) come to 50 euros our driver took us through the town. We drive through and look around. We stop at every important building, the driver explains the meaning and do short stop for filming and taking photographs. We visited once all things that we crossed on foot, but still he drove us near the opera, the famous street food markets and who knows where else. The ride is definitely worthwhile.
We come to the catacombs and we wait for a short while due to opening hours of catacombs that opens at 15:00. Pause is welcome, because we are from 09:00 in Palermo and start to feel good fatigue.
Capuchin Catacombs (correct way basement) are strange place, while thinking nothing wrong, but the feeling that you have when visiting this place is kind of weird. You look at mummified bodies of people some of which were very important persons of Palermo (captains, officers, rich ..). I do not know the right word for such a feeling, and I think strange is close enough. There is a world-famous body of little girl Rosalie Lombardi mummified early in the last century and still in almost in the perfect condition. I do not know, we have been and would recommend to see, but if you're not interested there are so other things in Palermo. It is hard to say.
Of course, taking photographs is strictly forbidden, but I did not see the signs, so at some point over the speaker I was warned about it. Sorry I will not do that ever again.
We decide to go back to Monreale to have a break, and will return again in the evening to Palermo.
We come to the station and wait for the bus. Of course, after 15 minutes of waiting (default for us), we went for a walk to the next station. There are no buses in sight. And so we go from station to station, we look back and think where is the bus. After half an hour of walking we enter small coffee shop, to have a coffee and to buy frutta Martorana. We drink coffee in front and we think fine, when we see the bus coming, we will pay and go. So we drank coffee, wen+t inside to pay and in that same moment bus passes by, and did not even stop in front of the station. What now? We were in area unknown to us, we didn't know are there taxis near or any kind transportation. We'll walk and that's it. Up to Monreale we still have a about 5 km (more or less) and it is uphill. After a while (I have no idea how long we were walking) we finally arrive in the hotel, totally destroyed. We do not go anywhere anymore. That day, if we count walk in Palermo and walking back we walked about 10 km (approximately). I must praise my wife as she withstand it all, and for me it was not a problem because I'm constantly hiking somewhere and I have a bit of stamina.
After a short dinner at the hotel, we prepare ourselves for tomorrow.
Don't get me wrong, Palermo is very nice, with so many things to see and do. It is a big city so you can expect everything. People in Palermo were very nice as well. But we are not fond of big cities so to us I didn't leave the impression like we had in Southern Sicily. We strongly recommend Palermo to all.
The only down thing in Palermo is that we missed street food market which is according to some among 5 best places in the world. We like good food so we will see Palermo again.

Palermo in the morning

no flies

Normani

Cathedral

towers reaching to the heavens

reading something

on the roof

on the roof 2

silver and gold

mixed influence

in botanic garden

Ficus tree and me

Ficus tree and Lucija

ride on

opera house

other

no photos catacombs

something to eat

and something to drink



to be continued...

part 10 Running free

27.10.2015.
Around 08:00 in the morning we leave Monreale. The plan is to drive to Cefalu, short visit then continue to Giardini Naxos where we have our next overnight.
Coming out of the Palermo was quite easily without excessive traffic and we enter the E90 motorway Palermo Messina. The road is solid and without a lot of traffic. Weather is nice and warm, simply great.
After a short drive we arrive in Cefalu, have coffee and breakfast in central square in front of the cathedral. The cathedral is a typical Norman style and looks inside like a big house with normal roof.
Cefalu is a wonderful little place, with a beautiful little streets full of souvenir shops, and here and there small spaces where local fishermen repair nets, and work on other fishing tools. Pleasant and very nice place with a large sandy beach where there was still people swimming. We strongly recommend to visit Cefalu.
When planning a visit to Sicily we wanted to be sure to see Sicily inland, and see Enna and other places, but we were in doubt because Cefalu everywhere is mentioned as a mandatory place to visit in Sicily. This route, which we took for the day was originally planned over Sicily inland, but for the sake of Cefalu and Aolian islands we decided to drive along the coast. We made no mistake.
From Cefalu we drive to the town Falcone where we leave motorway and continue through the mountain area trough Novara di Sicilia and Francavilla di Sicilia. While driving on our left side we see the Aeolian (Lipari) islands of volcanic origin. These islands were our first choice in the plan A, but due to our visit to Malta we had to leave them out in our Plan B (unfortunately) . Near Falcone we stop for a short break and the first and only time we take a look at the road map during our trip and not because we got lost, but because I was not sure of the name of the place.
We got off the motorway and climb the narrow winding road to Novara di Sicily, enjoying the view. We cross the mountain gorge and temperature significantly drops from 24C to 16 C. At the top of the pass we stop to put on additional clothing and we hope to see Etna. From the first day I drove only in short sleeves, with motorcycle jacket and pants but no lining and it was always hot, and I could hardly wait for lower temperature. Unfortunately Etna is acting lika a shy lady covering her face. Clouds are all over Etna but it doesn't matter, tomorrow we go visit her.
This part of the road is quite curvy but very beautiful, going through Novara, typically larger village in Sicily, very fertile and green due to nearby Etna and the rich volcanic soil. After a short ride through the beautiful mountain scenery we come to Francavillu di Sicilia, where we stop for a lunch break. Near Francavilla di Sicily is Gola di Alcantara that after the break we will visit. We eat at a family estate with a beautiful view and enjoy the food and sunny day.
After lunch we go to the Gola di Alcantara which is 5 min drive from us. On the viewpoint we take photos of the canyon but we have no intention to descend down, we are full.
Gola di Alcantara is a river sleeve that water broke through thick volcanic rock, looks very impressive, and is one of the popular destinations in Sicily. From this point to the river (stream) is about 30 meters difference in altitude. We see people dipping their feet, and lie on the banks of river. Ok, great, but not for us.
After a short break we drive to Giardini Naxos, where we arrive in about half an hour. We settle in the hotel and after a short break, we're going to Taormina.
We film a drive to Taormina, and after about 15 minutes we arrive at the entrance of Taormina. Of course, parking for motorcycles is 10 steps from the entrance. Thank you Italians, you are legends.
Taormina is one of the most popular places in Sicily situated on a hill above the coast and with her magnificent view of the northern and southern side of the coast. It is enclosed by walls and the main street of Taormina divide the old town in two parts and extends from one entrance to another. Something like as the most old towns in our Dalmatia region of Croatia. At first glance you can clearly see that it is a little more exclusive, there are hotels with higher rankings and the guests are mostly rich people. Taormina has a cable car that goes down to the coast, but unfortunately we had not used it. That day we arrived after 17:00 in Taormina and we missed open time to visit the Greek amphitheater, but we already planned to visit tomorrow again, so it was not a problem. Taormina is a Sicily's Monte Carlo
We walked trough all Taormina, had a coffe on main square, and bought some souvenirs. Than we walked around Taormina and after a while we left for Giardini Naxos.
Recommendation for all future travelers. Giardini Naxos is a 15 minutes of slow driving from Taormina, and the prices are much more accessible than in Taormina which is at least 3 times more expensive (not all, but some), so it is better to be located in the Giardini Naxos, and go on shorter tours to Taormina. We noticed that Taormina (within the walls) is a pedestrian zone with ramp at the entrance. All, but literally all, (scooters and bikes) come to the north entrance, turn off the engine, enter the city and after a short push (or drive) there is a large parking on southern part where they leave bikes. Of course you just can't figure or know everything.
Taormina is a must see place on Sicily. It is among best 5 places to visit on Sicily on all reviews and tours.
Upon arrival we do a short walk along the Giardini Naxos. We are in 4 star hotel with retired (pension) people from all over Europe.
Nice, all inclusive.

ride for the day

let them hang out

Cefalu beach

Cefalu

Cathedral

Streets of Cefalu

Fishing heaven

view towards Gola di Alcantara

Gola di Alcantara

Very deep waters

Taormina entrance

Taormina Duomo

Taormina

Taormina

Our next home


I forgot to mention that we put the whole trip (short version) on youtube on channel - Drifter206 - Sicily trip october 2015.
here is the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA1X...4C92IU&index=1

to be continued...

part 11 Empire of the clouds

28.10.2015.
In the morning after breakfast we leave hotel and drive to see Etna. The plan is to visit the Etna, go to Acireale and once again visit Taormina.
Etna is again in clouds, as if she rejects to show her face. We climb the winding road through the place Zaferrana Etnea and we notice the destructive power of nature. Etna in recent history had a few eruptions and one of the worst occurred in 1991, and rivers of lava descended almost to village, while tearing down everything in sight, leaving scorch mark in the form of stone river. We arrive at the main parking lot at the foot of Etna, and there are already so thick clouds that even taking photos is almost impossible. For the first time in our life we walk in the craters of the volcano and there you really see the true power of nature and the power of the eruption. The landscape is like on the moon with gray color here and there with red parts, probably iron or other metal oxidizing on rain or moisture. We collect pebbles and buy some souvenirs. As this day was really bad time to visit due to thick clouds, and we decided not to go with the cable car, but to descent down to Acireale. Near parking lot we are lying in the volcanic sand like we are on a beach. In two half-liter bottles we collect sand that we decided to bring back as a souvenir. In the last part of the journey we will reveal where we gave volcanic sand. Etna is really in some way (at least for us) a surreal experience, if you consider that the power of creation and nature's constant, and the average human life is nothing but a drop in the sea of process that takes thousands of years. Be sure to visit Sicily!
From Etna we descend to Acireale little sad because of the bad weather on Etna, but hey nothing is perfect. After a short drive we enter the Acireale and park in the city center, which is also one of the most beautiful towns in Sicily. Like almost every place in Sicily it has a central part with churches that are very beautiful. We find a local restaurant where with Monreale and Siracusa probably eat the best food in Sicily. The scene is as follows, the waitress does not understand us, she calls the chef (which is a Polish that came to her love at the end of the world), talking to her as if she was our long friend. She recommended food (fresh fish) and we ordered, but after the third dish I literally beg her don't bring anything more. Of course she brought 4th and 5th dish. We were properly embarrassed because we could not eat anything and we left some food which was excellent, and we didn't want to leave bad impression on chef. We apologize for it, she understood. Price for this piece of art was something like Clint would say for a hand full of dollars.
From Acireale after a short wandering and seeking access to the highway we go to Taormina to visit the Greek amphitheater. In Acireale there is a roundabout with 4 exit and at every exit is a sign for the autostrada and of course after the third miss, we managed to get out on the right path. We laugh over the communication, I am so sorry that I was not filming this part of the ride. Concentration yields, but our will remains positive.
From Acireale we took motorway and arrive in Taormina very quickly, we run to visit the Greek amphitheater and the rest of Taormina while there is a light for filming and photography. The most beautiful vantage point is behind the amphitheater where you can see the whole coast. Of course with entry fee of 10 euros per person. Regardless of the price in the main square we are drinking coffee, we don't care.
Then once again we walk trough Taormina, and head down to the coast to see the famous islet Isola Bella, a trademark of Taormina and probably with a lookout most viewed scene on all tourist photographs.
Weather that day was overcast but not cold, there was no rain, although on TV forecast they said it would.
We arrive at the hotel, and after a brief rest we went to see Giardini. In Giardini occurred Spanish coast scenario. Hotels are built along the coast and in some areas you can not get near the coast because it's closed. The only place you can take a stroll along the coast is the port itself, which is essentially a large sandy beach with a promenade. We sit on the sand and we look at the lights of Taormina.
After walking we return to hotel where we see printed weather forecast for tomorrow. For the whole of Sicily and Southern Italy they predict thunderstorms and rain. Now I regret that I did not take a picture of that piece of paper to prove it. There is nothing we can do about it, if it will rain, so be it, who cares, we don't.

route for the day

clouds

and wind too

like on moon

like on a beach

meridiano dell Etna

lava river

Acireale

Acireale 2

Golden Italian Actors

Taormina Greek amphitheater

watch your back

towards Messina

towards Catania

Taormina

one more

Isola Bella

From Giardini lights of Taormina


to be continued...

part 12. Rainmaker

29.10.2015.
In the morning around 7:00 we wake-up, and to our great surprise weather is bright and sunny. Even for the first time from hotel we see Etna.
Well, forecast is a prediction of weather and I know that, but to predict something significantly different I just can't swallow.
Around 08:00 finally we move from Giardini and after a short drive we arrive in Messina and we decide to go through the city to visualize it better. Messina is nervous this morning, car horns all over the place, but no major problems. We drive through the town in a very slow manner, looking around. We have time but we decide to catch a ferry. Ferry is here. In a very short while we are on board and sailing away.

Thank you Sicilia "Grande". Thank you for everything, we''ll be back.

After a short ride we leave ferry and for the last time we see Sicily on our right side. We have a long way to go. From Villa San Giovanni we ride to Pizzo and stop for a short coffee in the same place. Weather is sunny and warm. From Pizzo to Rogliano is our next part where we make short break and we were planning to pass this part of southern Italy as soon as possible and have lunch around Sibari. In Rogliano during short stop in our directions we see gray clouds, and we quickly became aware of the possible rain.
We have not even started our next ride when the rain starts. We dressed up and continued our ride through the rain all the way to the Sibari. In area near Sibari are huge roadworks and on one place, rain was so heavy that we had to ride below 50 km/h. Visibility was poor. This time our equipment is not holding anymore. Gloves are completely wet but the rest still holds on. We pass Sibari and we continue to Borgata Marina where we planned to have lunch. Regardless of the rain, we managed to hold a decent speed. Finally we stop at a restaurant in Borgata Marina and took off our clothes. We looked like a drowned seals. Waiter is watching us in disbelief. We had superb lunch. In the restaurant we had a longer stop due to warming up, eating and changing of the clothes. Next scene was bit like this: it's raining, and in the restaurant where we ate, enters a guy (serviceman of fire extinguishers) and quarrel with the owner why you didn't service appliances before etc, etc. He than came to us, looking at us, looking our bike in front, looking back at us, and looking again bike in front and start talking to me. After a couple of my sentences that I don't understand him (he was fast) he slows down and shows me with a hand, Do you go to the south or to north? I say Bari and then "Nave" (short for "navigacione" in Italian). He crossed himself , we shook hands, he then thanked us for our visit to Italy and politely said to us, piano, piano, piano (slowly, slowly slowly). I told him don't worry, we drove from Sicily. I think to myself are we missing something. Everybody that we meet is saying the same, is there a problem with our bike or do we look funny. Nevermind.
We got about 200 km from Bari and it become clear that we will not be able to visit Matera and Alberobello. We decided to drive straight to Bari, and if we are early we will visit Bari. The weather improves a bit and the rain slows down, but still continues to fall. In Palagiano, we stop on a short break for Lucia to warm hands because it already has become a lot colder, and we drove with wet gloves. I'm not so bothered because I like a cooler temperatures.
In Palagiano is getting dark, and once again we stop briefly at about 30 km from Bari, where Lucia wears replacement leather gloves (not for rain).
In here we had the only bike fault, if we can call it that way. When we started to drive to Bari our short light bulb burned, and we had to drive to Bari with long light. Since this bike has only one light it didn't much bother other drivers. Near Bari (approaching) we drive in a huge column of cars and trucks slowly like crawling.
We decided not to go straight to the port, we will ride trough the town first. Huge traffic. In Bari rain stops, and here and there are some small droplets. After we went trough the Bari, which is a pretty big city, we enter the harbor and go to the application terminal, but we do a short break to take off our rain suits.
We came around 19:00 in Bari and when we got ready and register for boarding it was about 19:30 and we had half an hour to a little rest.
After a while we were called to a boat which was ready. We passed the control and entered the dry interior of a our ship. We put things into our cabin and went to dinner. After dinner the ship was ready to go, we sat on the deck and watched the ship sail from the port.

Thank you Italy. We had a great time and we'll see you soon.

Weather to sail that day was not ideal and we were located right in the bow and during sailing we could hear and feel every wave that hits the ship, but that didn't bother us.
That day we had the worst weather conditions on second part of our drive, and we were anxious to get to Bari. We had a huge emotional weight lifted from us when the ship sailed away.
Never thought that we could make it, truly sights of shores divine.

route for the day

Etna in the background

one more from the road

packed to go Messina

look at the weather

Big Thank you Sicilia Grande

In Pizzo we see this - just a scratch

olive tree is protecting our bike from rain

Rain Near Borgata Marina

meal of the day 5+ stars

ride on

Dubrovnik or bust - Bari

beast on the road

all aboard

Thank you for everything and see you again



to be continued...

part 13 Coming home

30.10.2015.
In the morning, around 6:00 crew wake us like in Bari, and after a short and quick preparing we run to the deck to look at the our coast. The weather is sunny and beautiful, with a weak dry wind that cleans our bodies from moisture. When buying a ticket for a cabin and get breakfast but the last day we didn't need it.
The ship slowly approached our beautiful coast and islands. This is our home. Full of emotion and pride in our little adventure we enter the port and are ready to go out. In Dubrovnik everything is the same as a few days ago. The ship comes in, opens the ramp, we don't rush, we have the time, put the gear on ourselves, it's not over yet. When we left the ship voice over communication says:
"It's over, are you aware of what we just did ?",
my answer was "You're right", but I think to myself "This is not the end, this is just the beginning."
We went to see Lucia family to give them souvenirs, give them quick overview of our trip, have a coffee, and after that we left to Cavtat. On the way to Cavtat we're talking about impressions and discussed our plans for the next adventure. We will reveal that some other time.
We enter the Cavtat, small beautiful town in southern Croatia our lovely home.
Here we end our little adventure.

coming home

coming home

entering port of Gruž Dubrovnik

It's almost over

gear up please

last route of the trip

black knight is a long way from home


This is the end our our trip, but there is one more part that is not covering our trip but some other impressions and our thoughts about it.