Road to Tokyo

5 days and 886km (Total: 25 days and 4,985km)

We left Italy and passed into the Balkans, travelling East along the southern border of Slovenia. We’ve been graced with full sun for a week now, keeping us warm and the scenery magnificent. The riding is addictive — I find myself asking the question “are we there yet?” but for the opposite reason a child would: I don’t want it to end.

When we set off each morning, we usually know where we plan to finish the day, having found accommodation the night before. Often cheating booking.com by finding a B&B, campsite or hostel and getting in touch directly on WhatsApp and negotiating a good price for the next day.

This is how we found Frankovič B&B and the exceptionally kind owner, Andrej. He greeted us on Google Translate and gave us a shot of homemade plum brandy before reversing his BMW out of his own garage and telling us to park our bike there instead. As it was Labour Day, most restaurants and supermarkets were closed, so he gave us a couple of beers and an hour later drove us to a restaurant 6km away. We filled up on omelettes, bread, and some local bean dish before walking back to Frankovič and our single beds (my favourite) happy and content.

The next day we rode the horizontal length of Croatia. After a 5-6 hour journey we treated ourselves to a cute Airbnb owned by a Croat who had visited Jersey, as well as dozens of other places in the UK which he detailed one-by-one, clearly not too aware of the fact we were sweating in our riding gear and ready to rest (I couldn’t understand his accent so was nodding my head as if I knew all the small towns he was talking about). Nonetheless plenty of relaxation came the next day, whilst also planning our rough path through the Balkans. Serbia? Romania? Hungary? Bulgaria?

After making the decision the night before leaving, we pulled out of Stara Kapela the next day and headed South (and East just a little) into Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Crossing the border was relatively smooth. Just bike registrations documents and our passports. No questions about where we were going and when we’d be leaving the country. Within minutes of leaving the border we knew we were in a country with fresh remnants or even live political divisions, with different flags being flown outside the houses as we rode south towards the capital, Sarajevo.

Sarajevo instantly blew us away. Riding down into the valley and it feels like you’re entering a small city oasis with snow-capped mountains in the background. The houses are relatively small but beautifully simple in design. You get the sense that no one is trying to make a statement of wealth or status — they’re just living. You also have churches and mosques within 100m of each other, which is why it’s known as the Jerusalem of Europe.

The next day we woke to the call to prayer and had coffee on our tiny balcony as the sun came up.

We did a two-hour free walking tour which was brilliant. Sarajevo’s involvement in both world wars and the more recent Bosnian War was so fascinating to learn about. Our guide was clearly trained in how to talk about it all as there are still opposing beliefs and opinions throughout the region part of the previous Yugoslavia.

That evening we walked past a small cafe with the woman cleaning dishes and finishing for the day. Serendipitously she had two plates of chicken and potatoes left, which we bought along with two pieces of burek (like a pastry/pie with a variety of fillings) for €10.

The final morning we left Sarajevo over-caffeinated after my attempt to make Turkish coffee but happier than ever. The trip keeps getting better.

Next stop: 3 o’clock.