Now that the trip is over, I feel like it’s time for a bit of a recap. These are some of the basic numbers that come out of the journey. Countries visited: 27 Australia, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia,…
Paris, London and the End
After a restful Christmas, we took a weeks’ break from the bikes and headed down to the Alps. Not much snow at the moment we were there, so there wasn’t a huge amount of skiing, but the views over the…
Eastern France
We entered France in the extreme southeastern corner and headed along the coast road to Nice – but before arriving there, we chalked up another country on the list (now at 26). The principality of Monaco, barely two square kilometres,…
Northern Italy
In the north-east of Italy, near the northernmost reach of the Adriatic Sea, lies one of the world’s most recognizable cities: Venice. Finding great wealth through trade and naval power for over a millennium, its importance waned after the 16th…
Croatia
We followed the Dalmatian Coast from Montenegro into Croatia, and took a rest day in Dubrovnik. Previously known as the Republic of Ragusa, it was another Venetian-influenced trading port that shared in the riches of Adriatic trade. Imposing walls…
Montenegro
The border crossing from Albania to Montenegro was perhaps the easiest of the whole trip. After pulling in behind a line of cars, the officials waved us forward to ride through the pedestrian passage. It’s a shared border post between…
Albania
Albania was a country which we entered with zero expectations or knowledge, intending to cross at maximum speed spending only one night. We were intrigued enough to bend our schedule and stay an extra day to explore its capital, Tirana.…
Northern Greece
Crossing the border from Turkey into Greece was a simple affair, and we rolled into the Thracian countryside. The road ran through winter pastures and along the Ionian coast. With limited time left to arrive in Europe, we couldn’t…
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Peninsula dominates the Dardanelles Strait, controlling access from the Mediterranean Sea through to Istanbul and the Black Sea. During the First World War, with Turkey fighting on the side of the Central Powers, an Allied operation was launched…
Istanbul Part Two
Since I spent a week kicking around Istanbul, there’s plenty more to see and do. The Hagia Irene is actually older than its better known sister, the Hagia Sofia, but is in original condition. The Ottomans used it as an…