Traveller
06-30-2010, 08:09 AM
This is the story of a crazy solo rider with a dream and of a superbike unfortunate enough to find itself in the hands of said rider :p and ending up touring a good part of central Europe fully loaded!:D
Seriously though, I've always been a firm believer that it's not the destination that counts but the journey itself and this trip through 5 countries proved it to me beyond the shadow of the doubt.
It doesn't matter what you ride, as long as you just ride it.
I encountered many wonderful things along the way and in this story I tried my best to share my emotions whilst on the road.
I hope you enjoy reading the report as much as I did writing it... P^
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They say that every great journey starts with a small step.
For me this was a dream I had ever since I was a kid and I watched all the bikers with their big tourers go though small cities in the summer... One day I would do this!
But this was also a personal matter to me. Having had a bad year so far, I wanted to get away from it all; just me and my bike! And who says superbikes don't travel? It was time to prove to all naysayers that anything is possible, as long as you want it.
And Poland seemed as good a destination as any; Pawel, my mate in Wroclaw had been insisting on me going there for ages, so why not?
So, after month spent route planning, ferry ticket buying, and bike preparing, the time had come! I was actually going to do it! I almost couldn't believe it. I would leave home, but not for a blast around the twisties as usual, but for a great big 12-day long adventure!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893020
Baggage all packed, a final check though the bike's papers, passport, wallet, mobile phone, emergency numbers, cameras, MP3 player - everything was ready.
I was just starting to load the bike, when the phone rang.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893028
It was my mate, Panos:
- Hey! I got an idea. Since you are going to Igoumenitsa (some 550 km to the north of Athens) to take the ferry on Tuesday, why don't we go to Corfu (famous island right across Igoumenitsa) for the weekend? You can leave directly from there!
- Good idea! I'm in! I'll meet you half way there, in Patra!
I finish up with the checks and I'm off! En route, I realise I have a great big smile stuck on my face!
I don't know if I can describe this feeling, but there is something really special when you set off for a big journey... You are heading for an adventure out there and it is just .....incredible!
I meet up with my friend and continue riding towards Igoumenitsa. The plan is to get to the port and from there get across to Corfu by ferry.
The route is wonderful with a lot of twisties, on which I now have to be somewhat careful, due to the baggage; they are not upsetting the bike's composure much, but I don't want to up the pace for fear of something falling off!
As we started late to begin with (my fault) we end up reaching the port at 11.30 pm. A quick check at the ferry's timetables tells us we have a bit of a problem, since the next ferry is at 3 am.
Oh well, so be it! We grab something to eat, and we do a little leg stretching as we wait for the time to go by.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893042
At 3 am we get on the small ferry and we crash on the little sofas on the main deck. Finally, and at about 5 am we reach our final destination -dead tired, but very happy knowing that we will finally rest!
The weekend went by nicely, but my mind was on what lay ahead... Corfu island was packed with tourists and just hanging out with mates gave me a long needed rest.
Monday night comes and it is almost time; Tuesday morning at 6 am the ship is leaving port and I need to be on it! My mate's friends are making supper and I'm loading the bike once more -this time I need to be extra careful! Having stuff flying off in the middle of the Alps is the last thing I need!
I look over the bike, wax the chain, check oil! She's looking as good as ever!
When everything was ready, it was like a heavy load was lifted from my shoulders! In a few hours I was beginning my big trip!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893050
Day 1. Corfu - Venice
The sound of the alarm at 5 am brought a wide smile on my face. I got up and started putting on my suit.
My mate came downstairs to see me off:
- Be careful.
- Always mate!
I walked outside enjoying the early morning chill. My black beauty was glimmering in the dark, all ready for our adventure!
I start her up and we move slowly in the empty avenues of the town, enjoying the morning breeze and the quietness of the moment. "It's just you and me now baby"....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893055
In the port, there's a lot of people waiting for the ship, and in the front of the queue I spot 2 bikers on a blue Suzuki SV650. I stop next to them and they smile:
- Ciao! Nice bike!
- Thanks! Your's is nice too!
The guys are from Italy and they were on the island on vacation. They ask me where I'm headed. On hearing that I'm going to Poland and that I'm riding solo they stare and say "Mamma mia! Big trip!"
We laugh and I tell them that this is something I owe to myself to do, and they immediately nod in understanding. Sometimes you got to do, what you got to do....
It's dawning, and the ship is coming in. I stop and let the moment sink in... The colours, the smells, the sounds...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893060
I secure the bike and go upstairs. In all the hallways, staircases and just about everywhere, I see hundreds of sleeping bags and all sorts of people. Some are sleeping, some are talking, some are listening to music or goofing off... It's like a big party!
I reach the open deck, get myself a cup of coffee and sit back on the benches as I watch the land fade into the distance. Next stop, Venezia!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893068
Anyone who had to travel by ship will tell you that the hours waiting to reach shore are the longest and most boring hours known to man!
I look around the ship... People are splashing around in the swimming pool and I half regret not bringing my bathing suit for a dip. Oh well! At least the nice, butt naked girlies laying around make up for it! :lol:
The time continues to drudge on... Thankfully my trusty MP3 player is keeping me good company, as I just gaze at the sun setting in the ocean...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893069
At about 11 pm I decide I need to find a quiet place to crash for the night - I need to be fresh in the morning! I'll have a full day and the last thing I want is to be sleepy and tired.
Quiet place, eh? Easier said than done! ALL the common areas were packed with people and sleeping bags. As I walk in the hallways I see a crewman:
- Excuse me. Why is there so many people in the hallways?
- You haven't checked what's going on outside, have you?
- .....
- It's pouring down with rain so everyone's sleeping inside.
On hearing this my mood took a nose dive! My first outing in Europe and I'll be riding under heavy rain?
"Ok. Sleep now, and we'll see what is what come the dawn..."
DAY 2. Venice, Italy - Hohentauern, Austria
6 am and I wake up just in time as the ship is reaching Venice.
I grab a cup of coffee (the ...."Greek breakfast!" ) and go outside on the open deck, where I'm very happy to see that the day is going to be full of sunshine!
A splendid dawn is the best possible omen for the trip ahead!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893084
The ship is slowly coming to port and I do my best to capture a little of the amazing beauty I see all around!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893088 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893090
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893091 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893094
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I go to the garage to prepare the bike and I'm thinking that Venice is incredibly beautiful! I need to come here again one day to fully enjoy it!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893102
I get out of the ship and I stop to the side for a moment to button up my suit and set the GPS.
As I stop, 3 dock workers come to me smiling proudly as they look at the bike!
"Forza Ducati!" they say!
I smile back and they continue:
- Stoner?
- No! Rossi!!!
- Aaaahh! Molto benne! Bravo!
Incredible people!
It's time to get going though... Destination for the day is Hohentauern; a small village in the Austrian Alps, where I have found a nice moto-friendly hotel!
The Venetian suburbs are beautiful and the traffic is still miminal!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893124
I had already decided that I don't want to do the trip using the Autostrada -where's the fun in that?
I want to see the famous Alp passes and the Dolomite mountains.
The route takes me on the A27 outside Treviso, towards Belluno and Cortina d' Ampezzo. ViaMichelin mentions that these roads are worth taking and as I would soon find out they were bang on!
A wrong turn just outside Treviso takes me through an amazing suburb and I stop to capture this!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893131 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893134
As I leave Belluno and its heavy traffic behind, the road starts to climb towards the Italian alps, while the scenery changes dramatically...
The condition of the road is beyond my wildest dreams, and I see many bikers -mostly locals without baggage- who are obviously there to enjoy the tarmac! Yeah baby!
I am uncertain of the speeds I need to keep to, but this is soon solved, courtesy of a rider on a Honda VFR who overtakes me and keeps a very brisk pace!
I pick up my pace and for the following half hour we are blasting it out on these unbelievable roads, and I am thinking to myself that if there's a biker's heaven then it surely looks something like this....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893144
What a place! Every once in a while I stop to capture the scenery; the green, the bridges, the castles!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893155http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893175 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893185
I stop for a leg stretcher and to enjoy the view, and I meet a couple who are also just gazing. This is a good opportunity to take my picture for a change!
Say "cheese"!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893188
As I am getting further up the Dolomites, the scenery is definitely getting very Alpine looking!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893193 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893197
"Turn left in a 100 meters!" The GPS was navigating excellently, and as it would turn out later, it would prove to be a life saver!
[img]http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893203
I pass through small villages with beautiful details....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893204
At this point, I think it is time to introduce you to route SS51: a simply stunning road, through lush forests and with a reddish tarmac that stuck like glue!
I thought of taking pictures, but they wouldn't do justice... So in order to give to you a little of the sensation of riding on this road, I took a small video clip!
Please excuse the wobbliness and the crap riding, but I had to ride one handed as I held the camera on the tank bag. (excuses, excuses!)
Hope you like it!
YouTube- Alps Pass, August 2007
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893217
So, after about 30 of the most enjoyable kilometers I have done in my life, I reached Cortina...
I wanted to stop and see the town a little, but I was already running a little late and I still had over 300 kilometers to reach my destination... Some other time!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893225
I follow the route towards the Italian-Austrian borders and Lienz...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893232
Deep inside the Alpine mountains by now, the clouds are getting thicker and heavy.... Hmmmm... I hope it doesn't rain!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893236
Keuzbergpass... These routes are incredible!!!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893240
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893246
By now I am in the Südtirol (south Tyrol) area -this is a small region in the northern borders of Italy with Austria, famous for its natural beauty.
Also, a peculiarity of the area is that the various villages that one sees have double naming! Dobbiaco in Italian, Toblach in Austrian: the last village before the borders!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893258 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893270
At this point it was time for another short break for stretching and getting a light snack.
This small restaurant will do nicely!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893264
The view from there was breathtaking...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893260
....But my black beauty was equally as impressive!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893267
By now it is about 4 pm, so I make haste and continue riding... The GPS is indicating that I will be in my destination at about 7.30 pm.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893275
And then, suddenly.... the borders!
I honestly don't know if I can describe my emotion seeing this big sign. For the first time I was crossing country borders on a bike, and man did I feel excited!
Of course, the classic pic of the bike next to the checkpoint could not be missing!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893287
I get the "Vigniette", the road tax sticker needed for Autobahn usage.
Tomorrow I'll be needing this!
For now though it won't be necessary. I still have at least 3 hours of riding ahead of me and if I keep to my schedule I'll be fine!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893305
On the road to Lienz, the scenery changes again with wonderful little villages like this....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893314 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893308
I leave Lienz behind and I am headed towards Villach -my plan is to keep to the main roads will be getting dark soon and I don't want to ride through forests in the night.
So on to Klagenfurt and from there I'll towards Graz and my final destination.
All the while, the tarmac is quite good but not as good as I expected it to be... In Italy the roads were in a better shape.
As I move along I see a tourist sign saying "To Tourist Panorama", and I am thinking that it would be a good idea to make a little detour to see it.
Me and my brilliant ideas!!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893343
I start going up a mountain and I ride on an amazing but also incredibly tight road, full of hairpins and blind curves.
The Duke reminds me what it's really made for, and before I know it I am on the top of the mountain, which seems to be the "tourist panorama".
Where is the "panorama" view?? I thought the road would lead to a spot with a nice view down the mountain, but instead all I could see around were trees and forest!
The time is almost 6 pm, it is starting to get dark and the GPS has lost its bearings! This is not good!
Finally and after I reset the GPS I see that I am on the E66, south of Lienz and close to the Italian border! I had doubled back!
By now I had been riding for 9 hours and I was beginning to feel a little tired and hungry. I decide to go down the road and a short while later I find myself in Kotschach-Mauthen; a scenic little village, where I decide to stop and regroup.
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I find this nice little italian restaurant (remember, we are close to the borders) where I sit to eat something....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893366
Having eaten, I leave and decide to make a small adjustment to my plans; I will get on the A2 autobahn headed straight towards Graz. Although this means doing some extra kilometers, the autobahn is lit and easy to follow. As the night is coming I don't really want to get lost in the back roads.
Still, in order to get on the A2 I have 62 kilometers of twisties ahead of me! This should be good!
And indeed it is! The route turns out to be full of fast sweeping curves, as it winds though the alpine forests. On many occasions I am greeted by oncoming bikers and I feel like I am riding with friends!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893428
I hit the Autobahn at around 7.50pm and the sun is setting over the road...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893473
Riding on the autobahn allows me to stretch the Italian's legs a little and make up some of the lost time.
However, that doesn't last for long. You see, shorty after Klagenfurt the GPS thinks it better to make a shortcut and take me to my destination via a smaller country road.
By that time it was completely dark so I had to trust the GPS; I get off the A2 onto the 317 with 140 kilometers to go.
Half way there though and deep in the Alps the GPS insisted on turning right onto a very small backroad, that appears to be disappearing in a pitch black forest! I stopped to think; it was 9 pm, and at that particular place there were no alternative routes to follow, except going back where I came from -which was not an option.
So, having no other choice I decide to trust the GPS and I move on.
The road starts winding up the mountain and keeps getting smaller and smaller, while all around is the forest and pitch black darkness!
I am thinking to myself that if I break down here, it'll be the end of me!
At times, I get a glimpse of what's behind the lush forest and I can see small lakes, glimmering under the moonlight. This route must be gorgeous in the daylight, but now....
And as I'm having these thoughts and try to concentrate on the road, suddenly....... civilization!
Out of nowhere, a small village appears, and I'm right in the middle of it!
My destination is near!
Moderbrugg 10:35 pm
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893561
DAY 3. Hohentauern, Austria - Wroclaw, Poland
In the morning I woke up fresh and smiling again like a mad man!
I was already some days into my trip and loving every moment!
I went downstairs to take some things from the bike and had a better look at my hotel.
Not bad, eh?
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893583 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893584 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893585
Just a quick word about the hotel; it is one of the so called MoHo (moto friendly hotels), and regularly houses many bikers who go to the area to enjoy riding on the Alps. If you are ever on the area look it up!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893594 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893595
It was time to go. The day had already started, and it would be a big one!
The plan today was simple: get to my destination as soon as possible, with only one necessary stop: Autodrom Brno, in the Czech republic!
I get on the S6 autobahn headed to Vienna. From there I would continue towards the Czech borders and end up in Brno via the E461.
This is where it would get difficult though: you see Czech republic as well as Poland have just recently started building motorways, and therefore most of the road network consists of small two-lane roads, usually full of traffic.
So from Brno onwards I would have to take small backroads headed North towards Dolni Lipka and cross the border with Poland there. From that point until Worclaw it would be another 100 kilometers in such small roads.
For the moment though I was still in Austria and just starting the day. The sun was shining, the alpine twisties were glorious and I am riding one of the finest bikes ever made!
Life is good!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893614
On the autobahn, the Ducati covered the kilometers with great ease, but soon I started getting bored... You see keeping a steady speed of 140-160 km/h on the endless straights of the S6 was not so easy as it sounds, and I caught myself getting distracted.
"This is not good", I thought to myself. Thankfully Vienna was just up ahead.
The GPS gives me an ETA of 7 pm, but of course this is just an indication -it's always pushed forward due to stops for fuel, stretching and getting snacks...
In Vienna I get confused trying to find the exit for Brno, and I lose quite a bit of time as I wade through midday traffic.
Nonetheless, it is quite alright, because I find some ....interesting traffic!
PS. Guess where he's going!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893626
As I left Vienna behind the road became more interesting again, but the weather seemed to be in a bad mood!
I'm thinking to myself, "I hope the weather holds until I reach Wroclaw!"
The scenery once again is enchanting for me -wide, open fields and small quaint villages.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893632
And once more.... BORDERS!
The joy of the first time I crossed a borderline comes back and I feel proud that I ride through another country on my bike...
It is getting to be something like a checkpoint for me!
And of course the obligatory picture...
Drasenhofen, Austrian - Czech borders
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893633 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893636
With all the mucking about in Vienna and the slow pace on the road I was getting slightly behind schedule again.
I call my mate in Wroclaw and tell him that I will be there around midnight:
- No problem buddy! Just ride safe!
I smile and decide to kick back and enjoy the ride! This is what it's all about after all right?
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893639
An hour later I am in Brno... I follow the directions to the racetrack and I get there. But, where is the track??
You see I was expecting to end up in some spot where I would see all of it, or at least a big part, but this track is HUGE!
To get from one point to another you use a ring road running around the track, and everywhere I look there's trees and forests!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893644
I reach the T3 entrance, and I saw the most amazing spectacle: 40+ bikes of all sorts thrashing around, with their engines screaming!!
4 cylinders, V2s, triples.... You name it, and it was there!!!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893647
was having a great time there, and I didn't notice the time flying by! I was seriously running late, and I still had 300 more kilometers all in small country roads, through forests and mountains, and guess what: it was getting dark! Again!!
The time now was 9 pm, and on top of everything it was starting to rain! Things are not looking good.
The bike has a very small tank; what will I do if I don't find open petrol stations along the way? Do I really fancy my chances of ending up stranded in a forest in the middle of nowhere in pitch black darkness?
The GPS estimates another 6 hours to my destination -in order words, we're in the sh*t house!
Staying in Brno overnight would be the logical thing to do, but I needed to get to Wroclaw, as me and my mate would be leaving the city in the morning for a 3-day trip on the Polish mountains. I call Pawel to let him know about the situation; he's done the route before and just tells me "go for it!"
I fill up the bike, I don the waterproof overalls and I get moving.
As I head north towards Svitavy, the storm keeps getting stronger and stronger!
At some point it pours down so hard that I cannot even see the cars right in front of me and I navigate by their emergency taillights.
The bike is taking it all in her stride, and as a matter of fact I am surprised to discover that the fairings offer quite good weather protection, even under these circumstances.
I can't say the same for my visor though, and soon I am forced to stop, as I can hardly make out anything in this crazy weather!
I pull up in a petrol station having covered merely 40 kilometers! As soon as I kill the engine, the bike starts steaming heavily from under the tank and the fairings, due to the sludge and water that has gone on the engine and is now boiling!
Waiting for the storm to calm down, Letovice, Czech republic, 10:37 pm...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893676
The travel gods must have been with me that night, because soon after that the storm broke off and it was time for me to get going once more...
An hour later I was in Svitavy, where again I stopped for stretching and for filling up.
Now was the point were things were about to get tough though!
In Svitavy the nice carriageway E461 stopped and the small backroads began.
Indeed the road started dwindling as it went deep into the Czech forests.
Pitch black darkness once more, no road traffic to follow, and the Ducati's lights, well.... let's just say not so effective! To add insult to injury the rain started falling again, making visibility really poor. This was getting interesting!!
At this point I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the makers of road markings, because without them I would probably be head first in a field out there right now!
So following almost blindly the road markings and the GPS directions I made progress towards the borders with Poland...
Lanskroun, 28 km off the Polish borders, 1:33 am
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893700
It's 2 am and the GPS indicates that I have reached the borders.
Ok..... but....... all I see around is some fields and darkness. Am I missing something here??
Suddenly I see a narrow road pass under a bridge and a small blue sign next to it saying "Polski!" As I come through the other side I see the border checkpoint!
You should have been there with me to see the face of the policeman that came out to check my papers! He looked at me as if I was an alien!
(Although in all honesty I can't really blame him.... A single rider on a superbike, at 3 am, coming all the way from Greece isn't something you see everyday I suppose! )
I carry on, and now the roads are finally getting wider and with more sweeping curves. This allows me to up the pace a little! I've been riding for 16 hours now, but strangely enough I don't feel as tired as you might think.
129 km to Wroclaw...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893712
The last 130 kilometers are covered in relatively brisk pace and about 1 and a half hours later I reach my destination!
The clock is showing 4 am.
18 hours, 680 kilometers, in all possible kinds or roads and all possible kinds of weather: from Alpine passes and Autobahns to forest backroads and from sunshine and 28+ degrees to storms and 9 degrees Celsius on a superbike that took everything in its stride flawlessly!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893717
That day I became a better biker.
DAY 4-6. Karpacz mountains, Poland.
I wake up the following morning in my mate's appartment and he has already prepared a big @ss breakfast! Not what I'm used to in Greece, but you won't see me complaining!!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893725
We sit around catching up on everything that's been going on since we last met, and I have another big smile on my mug : moments like these, just hanging with friends are precious in life!
Soon, we start preparing; today we will be leaving to go to Karpacz mountains; a famous and quite popular winter destination about 100 km to the southwest of Wroclaw.
I pack some stuff in the tailbag and I get on the bike. My friend is going ahead in his car to pick up the rest of the gang and I will be following.
We exit the city and I discover to my big surprise that this is the route I followed just a few hours ago in the darkness!!!
But now a glorious sunshine is making everything look gorgeous and the route turns out to be fantastic! Especially after we started climbing up the mountain, I am lost for words!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893736 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893735
A few hours later we are at our destination: Karpacz.
http://www.e-karpacz.pl/
Karpacz is a small town in the Karkonosze mountains, and very close to the borders of Poland with Czech republic.
From this town there are many trekking routes that lead to various scenic mountain cabins, and one can even cross the borders on one such path (something we would do the next day).
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893748 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893761
For me the main attraction in Karpacz was definitely a church from ...Finland, which as I was told was brought in 2 pieces and then put back together!
What is a Finnish church doing in a little Polish town of all places???
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Trekking is a great tradition in Poland, and people regularly go hiking in the mountains, for days on end!
So when they told me to bring comfortable shoes "for walking", I was not concerned. However, when I put the bike in the parking which would shelter it for the next couple of days I started being concerned:
- Where are we headed guys?
- Just up the road to the mountain cabin!
- Oh ok! Is it far?
- No! It's just up the road! Just a couple hours walking!
- HOW MUCH????
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So we started climbing...
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and climbing...
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...and CLIMBING... (ggrrrr!!!)
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At least the nature around was spectacular, and made up for what my feet were going through!
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Needless to say that this trekking was not the highlight of my trip!
You see my idea of comfortable shoes were light summer shoes; good when you are on the beach or walking on paved roads, but really bad for climbing rocks and boulders!
At the end though our destination was worth all the effort and then some!
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We sat in the warm and cosy interior as the day was coming to a close, and we had a nice supper with all the food that (the others ) brought with them...
A perfect ending to a perfect day!
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The next morning the plan was to climb even higher up the mountain. effectively reaching the top, and from there continue towards the Polish-Czech borderline and end up in Lucni Bouda: a large and well known Czech mountain cabin.
We started off leaving behind our little mountain cabin and its wonderful lake...
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These mountains are full of mountain cabins like ours, open to hikers and anyone who wants to spend some time in nature, away from touristic attractions!
Simply amazing places...
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...and the view from there is wonderful!
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On reaching the top you have 3 choices: you can just go and relax at the mountain cabin on the left, you can go straight to the tip of the mountain to the other cabin, or go right and follow the path taking you to Lucni Bouda.
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I've always felt exhilarating crossing country borders, but this time even more so, knowing that I was walking across!
It is worth noting that there are no physical barriers to signify the borders of the 2 countries, only a big wooden sign that informs people that they cannot cross over if they don't fulfill some requirements!
Soon we reach Lucni Bouda: a very large -and quite ugly- building in the middle of a barren plain, that to me at least it reminded of an old army barracks.
The mountain house is really old and was built in 1523 and since then it changed many forms until the early 20th century, when it was used by the Germans as a training facility for the SS (thus the army look).
After the wars it was reused by the Czech people as a mountain cabin and restaurant.
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After sitting there for lunch and dessert, it was time for my favourite part: climbing down the mountain!
On returning to our cabin, my friend and his wife had prepared another surprise for us: a night BBQ!
So, we spent the night grilling sausages, drinking beer and laughing... THAT'S the life...
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Still all good things come to an end...
The next morning found us packing our bags and getting ready to hike back down to Karpacz.
As we were going down however, another big surprise was waiting for me: the Pilgrims -4 very large stacks of rocks on a nearby hill.
A theory claims that they were given this name, because from a distance they look like people going to a pilgrimage...
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Their size was trully awesome!
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On returning to Wroclaw we made one last stop to a beautiful restored castle, that is one of my mate's favourite places. And judging from what I saw I couldn't blame him at all...
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You could sit there for a coffee....
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or dinner.....
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and the details are simply stunning!
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Also the castle is home to one of the oldest and nicest libraries I've ever seen...
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And to think that this stunning place was abandoned some decades ago, until some clever businessmen came along and bought it from the government for a dollar and a dime, restoring it to its former glory!
As my friend explained to me, there are many such castles scattered around Poland, that just sit and decay, because the state doesn't have the funds needed for restoration. So they give them away to investors, on the premises that they will restore them fully to their original condition.
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As we left the castle, the moon was rising and that old smile was back again!
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DAY 7-9. Wroclaw
But now, it was time to get to know Wroclaw a little better; besides, this was my original destination wasn't it?
So, with the sunny weather as our ally and my friend Alicja as my guide we started on a big tour around the city.
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Wrocław, (pronounced Vrotslav), is a medium sized city with a population of 650,000 people and some 300,000 university students, at the southwest of Poland, near the borders with Czech republic and Germany.
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River Odra is flowing through the length of the city, making Wroclaw the No. 3 city in the world in canals and bridges, with only Venice and Amsterdam having more!
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As we are headed to the famous little island of Ostrów Tumski, Alicja is expaining to me:
"The city was initially recorded in the year 1000, and took its first name Wrocisław, from the Vratislav the 1st, Duke of Bohemia.
The history of the city began at around the end of the 10th century AD. In that period the city was confined in a little piece of land in the middle of Odra river, known as Ostrów Tumski (the cathedral island).
Soon the city becomes a booming market center for all surrounding regions and it starts expanding to the sides of the river.
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"The Mongol invaders destroy the city in the year 1241, but soon the city is rebuilt with the help of German settlers who come to region.
During the Middle Ages the city is merged with the kingdom of Bohemia and its population is "germanified", while much later Catholicism becomes dominant among the people and finally the city is handed over to the Kingdom of Prussia.
In the 19th century, Prussia becomes a member of the German Coalition, and by 1871 when Prussia founds the German Empire, Wroclaw (now called Breslau) becomes the 6th largest city in the empire and a very important trade center."
If anything the spectacular buildings around me signify this great history...
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In the early 20th century the German Gestapo begins systematic evictions against Polish and Jewish people, while destroying Polish cultural centers. Already by 1939 the city has undergone extensive "ethnic cleansing" and has been completely "germanified".
In the battle of Breslau with the soviet army, 2/3 of the city are completely leveled and over 40,000 citizens are killed.
In 1945 with the treaty of Potsdam the city comes to the governance of Poland again, and all remaining German people leave the city. Wroclaw is re-inhabited by Polish people both from surrounding areas and from Ukraine and Lithuania.
Slowly the city returns to its former glory and almost all monuments are restored!
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As we approach the island, Alicja explains to me that this was the medieval city center. This is were it all began; in very old maps the little island is depicted as being fortified and built around the big Cathedral -one of the biggest of its times, and still very impressive!
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People are walking and just sitting around in the park, enjoying this lovely summer day....
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So, we are finally here!
This is the medieval entrance to the island.
Right where there's the blue iron bridge now, in those times there was a wooden drawbridge to protect the people from enemies.
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I feel like I am travelling back in time, and the beautiful sculptured fountain reminds me once more of the profound connection that Polish people have with religion....
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...while the buildings amaze the visitors, with their colors and incredible details!
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Many of these houses are home to majestic gardens and we go though a gate in one of them in order to see the garden....
What I see is quite possibly one of the most wonderful gardens I've ever laid eyes on! The sun is shining, a cool breeze is blowing and Alicja is smiling to me....
The best things in life are indeed free!
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The neighboring buildings have similar gardens... Unfortunately they were locked...
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From what I was told though, this will all change, as the city is planning to open many of them to the public!
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So here we are.... Ostrow Tumski!
One of the city's finest landmarks...
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On getting there we say a wedding... The couple were posing for their wedding photographer, but they made such a nice picture that I just had to capture it!
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I was really surprised to find out that many Polish couples have their wedding in a normal church or even the mayor's office, but then they go to their favourite place (eg a big cathedral, a castle etc.) and they wear their wedding clothes to take better pictures there!
In front of the cathedral the view to the river is breathtaking...
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It's time to get going though.... Next stop the city center and the central market square, or Rynek in Polish.
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And here we are!
This basically is a very large paved area, around a large square where there are countless bistros, coffee shops, restaurants, beer houses, night clubs and many little stores selling just about everything!
In the summer most of these places put chairs and tables in the pavement, so that the customers can sit outside and enjoy their beer in the sun!
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All around the old buildings are enchanting and they are kept in excellent shape!
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All around the main square, there are many arches that lead to narrow but very scenic streets...
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We decide to see them in more detail...
Suddenly I feel like we are in old streets of Vienna... I guess these cities all share many features, but the result is absolutely beautiful!
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Alicja is leading me to a small paved road, where to my surprise I see many small bronze statuettes of all kinds of animals!
As I'm told, these little statuettes are one of the city's landmarks and they are made from donations money. As a matter of fact, many donors have little bronze plates with their names on the wall behind the statuettes!
Also, this particular road is where the city's slaughter houses were (you can see the main drainage on the fool). Could this be an explanation for statues of animals??
Whatever! They are really cute!!
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As I mentioned, bronze statuettes are a central theme for Wroclaw.
As a matter of fact, all around the city there are many little bronze ...gremlins scattered about, and the visitor is encouraged to find as many as possible!
Is this cool or what?
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All this walking around has my stomach growling, so it's time to get to know the local delicacies a little better!
So, we end up at a very nice little restaurant just outside the center...
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where my friend helps me choose some of the most "representative" local dishes.
One of my favourites was the Pirogi -like little muffins, made out of dough, which are fried or boiled and stuffed with cheese or vegetables! Highly recommended!
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The time goes by quickly when you're having a good time! It's already dark and back home my mate is waiting for me to go out for a couple of drinks.
I want to go to a famous local Jazz club where there are live gigs almost every night, both from local bands and from well known artists!
But the coolest thing about this place is that there is a tradition that every artist that comes and plays at the club has to write a comment or anything he likes on the club's walls.
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Of course, this habit was soon picked up by the regulars, who as you can see have covered the walls with thousands of comments. And when I say covered I mean COVERED!
Lyrics, names, signatures, poetry are all over the place!
Cool jazz is playing, our gang is chilling out drinking beer and all around are smiling faces! It doesn't get much better than this!
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[I]<continued below...>
Seriously though, I've always been a firm believer that it's not the destination that counts but the journey itself and this trip through 5 countries proved it to me beyond the shadow of the doubt.
It doesn't matter what you ride, as long as you just ride it.
I encountered many wonderful things along the way and in this story I tried my best to share my emotions whilst on the road.
I hope you enjoy reading the report as much as I did writing it... P^
----------------------
They say that every great journey starts with a small step.
For me this was a dream I had ever since I was a kid and I watched all the bikers with their big tourers go though small cities in the summer... One day I would do this!
But this was also a personal matter to me. Having had a bad year so far, I wanted to get away from it all; just me and my bike! And who says superbikes don't travel? It was time to prove to all naysayers that anything is possible, as long as you want it.
And Poland seemed as good a destination as any; Pawel, my mate in Wroclaw had been insisting on me going there for ages, so why not?
So, after month spent route planning, ferry ticket buying, and bike preparing, the time had come! I was actually going to do it! I almost couldn't believe it. I would leave home, but not for a blast around the twisties as usual, but for a great big 12-day long adventure!
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Baggage all packed, a final check though the bike's papers, passport, wallet, mobile phone, emergency numbers, cameras, MP3 player - everything was ready.
I was just starting to load the bike, when the phone rang.
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It was my mate, Panos:
- Hey! I got an idea. Since you are going to Igoumenitsa (some 550 km to the north of Athens) to take the ferry on Tuesday, why don't we go to Corfu (famous island right across Igoumenitsa) for the weekend? You can leave directly from there!
- Good idea! I'm in! I'll meet you half way there, in Patra!
I finish up with the checks and I'm off! En route, I realise I have a great big smile stuck on my face!
I don't know if I can describe this feeling, but there is something really special when you set off for a big journey... You are heading for an adventure out there and it is just .....incredible!
I meet up with my friend and continue riding towards Igoumenitsa. The plan is to get to the port and from there get across to Corfu by ferry.
The route is wonderful with a lot of twisties, on which I now have to be somewhat careful, due to the baggage; they are not upsetting the bike's composure much, but I don't want to up the pace for fear of something falling off!
As we started late to begin with (my fault) we end up reaching the port at 11.30 pm. A quick check at the ferry's timetables tells us we have a bit of a problem, since the next ferry is at 3 am.
Oh well, so be it! We grab something to eat, and we do a little leg stretching as we wait for the time to go by.
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At 3 am we get on the small ferry and we crash on the little sofas on the main deck. Finally, and at about 5 am we reach our final destination -dead tired, but very happy knowing that we will finally rest!
The weekend went by nicely, but my mind was on what lay ahead... Corfu island was packed with tourists and just hanging out with mates gave me a long needed rest.
Monday night comes and it is almost time; Tuesday morning at 6 am the ship is leaving port and I need to be on it! My mate's friends are making supper and I'm loading the bike once more -this time I need to be extra careful! Having stuff flying off in the middle of the Alps is the last thing I need!
I look over the bike, wax the chain, check oil! She's looking as good as ever!
When everything was ready, it was like a heavy load was lifted from my shoulders! In a few hours I was beginning my big trip!
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Day 1. Corfu - Venice
The sound of the alarm at 5 am brought a wide smile on my face. I got up and started putting on my suit.
My mate came downstairs to see me off:
- Be careful.
- Always mate!
I walked outside enjoying the early morning chill. My black beauty was glimmering in the dark, all ready for our adventure!
I start her up and we move slowly in the empty avenues of the town, enjoying the morning breeze and the quietness of the moment. "It's just you and me now baby"....
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In the port, there's a lot of people waiting for the ship, and in the front of the queue I spot 2 bikers on a blue Suzuki SV650. I stop next to them and they smile:
- Ciao! Nice bike!
- Thanks! Your's is nice too!
The guys are from Italy and they were on the island on vacation. They ask me where I'm headed. On hearing that I'm going to Poland and that I'm riding solo they stare and say "Mamma mia! Big trip!"
We laugh and I tell them that this is something I owe to myself to do, and they immediately nod in understanding. Sometimes you got to do, what you got to do....
It's dawning, and the ship is coming in. I stop and let the moment sink in... The colours, the smells, the sounds...
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I secure the bike and go upstairs. In all the hallways, staircases and just about everywhere, I see hundreds of sleeping bags and all sorts of people. Some are sleeping, some are talking, some are listening to music or goofing off... It's like a big party!
I reach the open deck, get myself a cup of coffee and sit back on the benches as I watch the land fade into the distance. Next stop, Venezia!
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Anyone who had to travel by ship will tell you that the hours waiting to reach shore are the longest and most boring hours known to man!
I look around the ship... People are splashing around in the swimming pool and I half regret not bringing my bathing suit for a dip. Oh well! At least the nice, butt naked girlies laying around make up for it! :lol:
The time continues to drudge on... Thankfully my trusty MP3 player is keeping me good company, as I just gaze at the sun setting in the ocean...
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At about 11 pm I decide I need to find a quiet place to crash for the night - I need to be fresh in the morning! I'll have a full day and the last thing I want is to be sleepy and tired.
Quiet place, eh? Easier said than done! ALL the common areas were packed with people and sleeping bags. As I walk in the hallways I see a crewman:
- Excuse me. Why is there so many people in the hallways?
- You haven't checked what's going on outside, have you?
- .....
- It's pouring down with rain so everyone's sleeping inside.
On hearing this my mood took a nose dive! My first outing in Europe and I'll be riding under heavy rain?
"Ok. Sleep now, and we'll see what is what come the dawn..."
DAY 2. Venice, Italy - Hohentauern, Austria
6 am and I wake up just in time as the ship is reaching Venice.
I grab a cup of coffee (the ...."Greek breakfast!" ) and go outside on the open deck, where I'm very happy to see that the day is going to be full of sunshine!
A splendid dawn is the best possible omen for the trip ahead!
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The ship is slowly coming to port and I do my best to capture a little of the amazing beauty I see all around!
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I go to the garage to prepare the bike and I'm thinking that Venice is incredibly beautiful! I need to come here again one day to fully enjoy it!
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I get out of the ship and I stop to the side for a moment to button up my suit and set the GPS.
As I stop, 3 dock workers come to me smiling proudly as they look at the bike!
"Forza Ducati!" they say!
I smile back and they continue:
- Stoner?
- No! Rossi!!!
- Aaaahh! Molto benne! Bravo!
Incredible people!
It's time to get going though... Destination for the day is Hohentauern; a small village in the Austrian Alps, where I have found a nice moto-friendly hotel!
The Venetian suburbs are beautiful and the traffic is still miminal!
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I had already decided that I don't want to do the trip using the Autostrada -where's the fun in that?
I want to see the famous Alp passes and the Dolomite mountains.
The route takes me on the A27 outside Treviso, towards Belluno and Cortina d' Ampezzo. ViaMichelin mentions that these roads are worth taking and as I would soon find out they were bang on!
A wrong turn just outside Treviso takes me through an amazing suburb and I stop to capture this!
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As I leave Belluno and its heavy traffic behind, the road starts to climb towards the Italian alps, while the scenery changes dramatically...
The condition of the road is beyond my wildest dreams, and I see many bikers -mostly locals without baggage- who are obviously there to enjoy the tarmac! Yeah baby!
I am uncertain of the speeds I need to keep to, but this is soon solved, courtesy of a rider on a Honda VFR who overtakes me and keeps a very brisk pace!
I pick up my pace and for the following half hour we are blasting it out on these unbelievable roads, and I am thinking to myself that if there's a biker's heaven then it surely looks something like this....
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What a place! Every once in a while I stop to capture the scenery; the green, the bridges, the castles!
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I stop for a leg stretcher and to enjoy the view, and I meet a couple who are also just gazing. This is a good opportunity to take my picture for a change!
Say "cheese"!
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As I am getting further up the Dolomites, the scenery is definitely getting very Alpine looking!
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"Turn left in a 100 meters!" The GPS was navigating excellently, and as it would turn out later, it would prove to be a life saver!
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I pass through small villages with beautiful details....
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At this point, I think it is time to introduce you to route SS51: a simply stunning road, through lush forests and with a reddish tarmac that stuck like glue!
I thought of taking pictures, but they wouldn't do justice... So in order to give to you a little of the sensation of riding on this road, I took a small video clip!
Please excuse the wobbliness and the crap riding, but I had to ride one handed as I held the camera on the tank bag. (excuses, excuses!)
Hope you like it!
YouTube- Alps Pass, August 2007
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So, after about 30 of the most enjoyable kilometers I have done in my life, I reached Cortina...
I wanted to stop and see the town a little, but I was already running a little late and I still had over 300 kilometers to reach my destination... Some other time!
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I follow the route towards the Italian-Austrian borders and Lienz...
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Deep inside the Alpine mountains by now, the clouds are getting thicker and heavy.... Hmmmm... I hope it doesn't rain!
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Keuzbergpass... These routes are incredible!!!
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By now I am in the Südtirol (south Tyrol) area -this is a small region in the northern borders of Italy with Austria, famous for its natural beauty.
Also, a peculiarity of the area is that the various villages that one sees have double naming! Dobbiaco in Italian, Toblach in Austrian: the last village before the borders!
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At this point it was time for another short break for stretching and getting a light snack.
This small restaurant will do nicely!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893264
The view from there was breathtaking...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893260
....But my black beauty was equally as impressive!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893267
By now it is about 4 pm, so I make haste and continue riding... The GPS is indicating that I will be in my destination at about 7.30 pm.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893275
And then, suddenly.... the borders!
I honestly don't know if I can describe my emotion seeing this big sign. For the first time I was crossing country borders on a bike, and man did I feel excited!
Of course, the classic pic of the bike next to the checkpoint could not be missing!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893287
I get the "Vigniette", the road tax sticker needed for Autobahn usage.
Tomorrow I'll be needing this!
For now though it won't be necessary. I still have at least 3 hours of riding ahead of me and if I keep to my schedule I'll be fine!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893305
On the road to Lienz, the scenery changes again with wonderful little villages like this....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893314 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893308
I leave Lienz behind and I am headed towards Villach -my plan is to keep to the main roads will be getting dark soon and I don't want to ride through forests in the night.
So on to Klagenfurt and from there I'll towards Graz and my final destination.
All the while, the tarmac is quite good but not as good as I expected it to be... In Italy the roads were in a better shape.
As I move along I see a tourist sign saying "To Tourist Panorama", and I am thinking that it would be a good idea to make a little detour to see it.
Me and my brilliant ideas!!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893343
I start going up a mountain and I ride on an amazing but also incredibly tight road, full of hairpins and blind curves.
The Duke reminds me what it's really made for, and before I know it I am on the top of the mountain, which seems to be the "tourist panorama".
Where is the "panorama" view?? I thought the road would lead to a spot with a nice view down the mountain, but instead all I could see around were trees and forest!
The time is almost 6 pm, it is starting to get dark and the GPS has lost its bearings! This is not good!
Finally and after I reset the GPS I see that I am on the E66, south of Lienz and close to the Italian border! I had doubled back!
By now I had been riding for 9 hours and I was beginning to feel a little tired and hungry. I decide to go down the road and a short while later I find myself in Kotschach-Mauthen; a scenic little village, where I decide to stop and regroup.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893317 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893323 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893331
I find this nice little italian restaurant (remember, we are close to the borders) where I sit to eat something....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893366
Having eaten, I leave and decide to make a small adjustment to my plans; I will get on the A2 autobahn headed straight towards Graz. Although this means doing some extra kilometers, the autobahn is lit and easy to follow. As the night is coming I don't really want to get lost in the back roads.
Still, in order to get on the A2 I have 62 kilometers of twisties ahead of me! This should be good!
And indeed it is! The route turns out to be full of fast sweeping curves, as it winds though the alpine forests. On many occasions I am greeted by oncoming bikers and I feel like I am riding with friends!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893428
I hit the Autobahn at around 7.50pm and the sun is setting over the road...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893473
Riding on the autobahn allows me to stretch the Italian's legs a little and make up some of the lost time.
However, that doesn't last for long. You see, shorty after Klagenfurt the GPS thinks it better to make a shortcut and take me to my destination via a smaller country road.
By that time it was completely dark so I had to trust the GPS; I get off the A2 onto the 317 with 140 kilometers to go.
Half way there though and deep in the Alps the GPS insisted on turning right onto a very small backroad, that appears to be disappearing in a pitch black forest! I stopped to think; it was 9 pm, and at that particular place there were no alternative routes to follow, except going back where I came from -which was not an option.
So, having no other choice I decide to trust the GPS and I move on.
The road starts winding up the mountain and keeps getting smaller and smaller, while all around is the forest and pitch black darkness!
I am thinking to myself that if I break down here, it'll be the end of me!
At times, I get a glimpse of what's behind the lush forest and I can see small lakes, glimmering under the moonlight. This route must be gorgeous in the daylight, but now....
And as I'm having these thoughts and try to concentrate on the road, suddenly....... civilization!
Out of nowhere, a small village appears, and I'm right in the middle of it!
My destination is near!
Moderbrugg 10:35 pm
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893561
DAY 3. Hohentauern, Austria - Wroclaw, Poland
In the morning I woke up fresh and smiling again like a mad man!
I was already some days into my trip and loving every moment!
I went downstairs to take some things from the bike and had a better look at my hotel.
Not bad, eh?
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893583 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893584 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893585
Just a quick word about the hotel; it is one of the so called MoHo (moto friendly hotels), and regularly houses many bikers who go to the area to enjoy riding on the Alps. If you are ever on the area look it up!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893594 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893595
It was time to go. The day had already started, and it would be a big one!
The plan today was simple: get to my destination as soon as possible, with only one necessary stop: Autodrom Brno, in the Czech republic!
I get on the S6 autobahn headed to Vienna. From there I would continue towards the Czech borders and end up in Brno via the E461.
This is where it would get difficult though: you see Czech republic as well as Poland have just recently started building motorways, and therefore most of the road network consists of small two-lane roads, usually full of traffic.
So from Brno onwards I would have to take small backroads headed North towards Dolni Lipka and cross the border with Poland there. From that point until Worclaw it would be another 100 kilometers in such small roads.
For the moment though I was still in Austria and just starting the day. The sun was shining, the alpine twisties were glorious and I am riding one of the finest bikes ever made!
Life is good!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893614
On the autobahn, the Ducati covered the kilometers with great ease, but soon I started getting bored... You see keeping a steady speed of 140-160 km/h on the endless straights of the S6 was not so easy as it sounds, and I caught myself getting distracted.
"This is not good", I thought to myself. Thankfully Vienna was just up ahead.
The GPS gives me an ETA of 7 pm, but of course this is just an indication -it's always pushed forward due to stops for fuel, stretching and getting snacks...
In Vienna I get confused trying to find the exit for Brno, and I lose quite a bit of time as I wade through midday traffic.
Nonetheless, it is quite alright, because I find some ....interesting traffic!
PS. Guess where he's going!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893626
As I left Vienna behind the road became more interesting again, but the weather seemed to be in a bad mood!
I'm thinking to myself, "I hope the weather holds until I reach Wroclaw!"
The scenery once again is enchanting for me -wide, open fields and small quaint villages.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893632
And once more.... BORDERS!
The joy of the first time I crossed a borderline comes back and I feel proud that I ride through another country on my bike...
It is getting to be something like a checkpoint for me!
And of course the obligatory picture...
Drasenhofen, Austrian - Czech borders
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893633 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893636
With all the mucking about in Vienna and the slow pace on the road I was getting slightly behind schedule again.
I call my mate in Wroclaw and tell him that I will be there around midnight:
- No problem buddy! Just ride safe!
I smile and decide to kick back and enjoy the ride! This is what it's all about after all right?
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893639
An hour later I am in Brno... I follow the directions to the racetrack and I get there. But, where is the track??
You see I was expecting to end up in some spot where I would see all of it, or at least a big part, but this track is HUGE!
To get from one point to another you use a ring road running around the track, and everywhere I look there's trees and forests!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893644
I reach the T3 entrance, and I saw the most amazing spectacle: 40+ bikes of all sorts thrashing around, with their engines screaming!!
4 cylinders, V2s, triples.... You name it, and it was there!!!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893647
was having a great time there, and I didn't notice the time flying by! I was seriously running late, and I still had 300 more kilometers all in small country roads, through forests and mountains, and guess what: it was getting dark! Again!!
The time now was 9 pm, and on top of everything it was starting to rain! Things are not looking good.
The bike has a very small tank; what will I do if I don't find open petrol stations along the way? Do I really fancy my chances of ending up stranded in a forest in the middle of nowhere in pitch black darkness?
The GPS estimates another 6 hours to my destination -in order words, we're in the sh*t house!
Staying in Brno overnight would be the logical thing to do, but I needed to get to Wroclaw, as me and my mate would be leaving the city in the morning for a 3-day trip on the Polish mountains. I call Pawel to let him know about the situation; he's done the route before and just tells me "go for it!"
I fill up the bike, I don the waterproof overalls and I get moving.
As I head north towards Svitavy, the storm keeps getting stronger and stronger!
At some point it pours down so hard that I cannot even see the cars right in front of me and I navigate by their emergency taillights.
The bike is taking it all in her stride, and as a matter of fact I am surprised to discover that the fairings offer quite good weather protection, even under these circumstances.
I can't say the same for my visor though, and soon I am forced to stop, as I can hardly make out anything in this crazy weather!
I pull up in a petrol station having covered merely 40 kilometers! As soon as I kill the engine, the bike starts steaming heavily from under the tank and the fairings, due to the sludge and water that has gone on the engine and is now boiling!
Waiting for the storm to calm down, Letovice, Czech republic, 10:37 pm...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893676
The travel gods must have been with me that night, because soon after that the storm broke off and it was time for me to get going once more...
An hour later I was in Svitavy, where again I stopped for stretching and for filling up.
Now was the point were things were about to get tough though!
In Svitavy the nice carriageway E461 stopped and the small backroads began.
Indeed the road started dwindling as it went deep into the Czech forests.
Pitch black darkness once more, no road traffic to follow, and the Ducati's lights, well.... let's just say not so effective! To add insult to injury the rain started falling again, making visibility really poor. This was getting interesting!!
At this point I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the makers of road markings, because without them I would probably be head first in a field out there right now!
So following almost blindly the road markings and the GPS directions I made progress towards the borders with Poland...
Lanskroun, 28 km off the Polish borders, 1:33 am
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893700
It's 2 am and the GPS indicates that I have reached the borders.
Ok..... but....... all I see around is some fields and darkness. Am I missing something here??
Suddenly I see a narrow road pass under a bridge and a small blue sign next to it saying "Polski!" As I come through the other side I see the border checkpoint!
You should have been there with me to see the face of the policeman that came out to check my papers! He looked at me as if I was an alien!
(Although in all honesty I can't really blame him.... A single rider on a superbike, at 3 am, coming all the way from Greece isn't something you see everyday I suppose! )
I carry on, and now the roads are finally getting wider and with more sweeping curves. This allows me to up the pace a little! I've been riding for 16 hours now, but strangely enough I don't feel as tired as you might think.
129 km to Wroclaw...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893712
The last 130 kilometers are covered in relatively brisk pace and about 1 and a half hours later I reach my destination!
The clock is showing 4 am.
18 hours, 680 kilometers, in all possible kinds or roads and all possible kinds of weather: from Alpine passes and Autobahns to forest backroads and from sunshine and 28+ degrees to storms and 9 degrees Celsius on a superbike that took everything in its stride flawlessly!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893717
That day I became a better biker.
DAY 4-6. Karpacz mountains, Poland.
I wake up the following morning in my mate's appartment and he has already prepared a big @ss breakfast! Not what I'm used to in Greece, but you won't see me complaining!!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893725
We sit around catching up on everything that's been going on since we last met, and I have another big smile on my mug : moments like these, just hanging with friends are precious in life!
Soon, we start preparing; today we will be leaving to go to Karpacz mountains; a famous and quite popular winter destination about 100 km to the southwest of Wroclaw.
I pack some stuff in the tailbag and I get on the bike. My friend is going ahead in his car to pick up the rest of the gang and I will be following.
We exit the city and I discover to my big surprise that this is the route I followed just a few hours ago in the darkness!!!
But now a glorious sunshine is making everything look gorgeous and the route turns out to be fantastic! Especially after we started climbing up the mountain, I am lost for words!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893736 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893735
A few hours later we are at our destination: Karpacz.
http://www.e-karpacz.pl/
Karpacz is a small town in the Karkonosze mountains, and very close to the borders of Poland with Czech republic.
From this town there are many trekking routes that lead to various scenic mountain cabins, and one can even cross the borders on one such path (something we would do the next day).
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893748 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893761
For me the main attraction in Karpacz was definitely a church from ...Finland, which as I was told was brought in 2 pieces and then put back together!
What is a Finnish church doing in a little Polish town of all places???
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893771 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893774
Trekking is a great tradition in Poland, and people regularly go hiking in the mountains, for days on end!
So when they told me to bring comfortable shoes "for walking", I was not concerned. However, when I put the bike in the parking which would shelter it for the next couple of days I started being concerned:
- Where are we headed guys?
- Just up the road to the mountain cabin!
- Oh ok! Is it far?
- No! It's just up the road! Just a couple hours walking!
- HOW MUCH????
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893780
So we started climbing...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893784
and climbing...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893787
...and CLIMBING... (ggrrrr!!!)
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893791
At least the nature around was spectacular, and made up for what my feet were going through!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893793
Needless to say that this trekking was not the highlight of my trip!
You see my idea of comfortable shoes were light summer shoes; good when you are on the beach or walking on paved roads, but really bad for climbing rocks and boulders!
At the end though our destination was worth all the effort and then some!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893802
We sat in the warm and cosy interior as the day was coming to a close, and we had a nice supper with all the food that (the others ) brought with them...
A perfect ending to a perfect day!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893804
The next morning the plan was to climb even higher up the mountain. effectively reaching the top, and from there continue towards the Polish-Czech borderline and end up in Lucni Bouda: a large and well known Czech mountain cabin.
We started off leaving behind our little mountain cabin and its wonderful lake...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893814
These mountains are full of mountain cabins like ours, open to hikers and anyone who wants to spend some time in nature, away from touristic attractions!
Simply amazing places...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893816
...and the view from there is wonderful!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893817
On reaching the top you have 3 choices: you can just go and relax at the mountain cabin on the left, you can go straight to the tip of the mountain to the other cabin, or go right and follow the path taking you to Lucni Bouda.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893819
I've always felt exhilarating crossing country borders, but this time even more so, knowing that I was walking across!
It is worth noting that there are no physical barriers to signify the borders of the 2 countries, only a big wooden sign that informs people that they cannot cross over if they don't fulfill some requirements!
Soon we reach Lucni Bouda: a very large -and quite ugly- building in the middle of a barren plain, that to me at least it reminded of an old army barracks.
The mountain house is really old and was built in 1523 and since then it changed many forms until the early 20th century, when it was used by the Germans as a training facility for the SS (thus the army look).
After the wars it was reused by the Czech people as a mountain cabin and restaurant.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893823
After sitting there for lunch and dessert, it was time for my favourite part: climbing down the mountain!
On returning to our cabin, my friend and his wife had prepared another surprise for us: a night BBQ!
So, we spent the night grilling sausages, drinking beer and laughing... THAT'S the life...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893838
Still all good things come to an end...
The next morning found us packing our bags and getting ready to hike back down to Karpacz.
As we were going down however, another big surprise was waiting for me: the Pilgrims -4 very large stacks of rocks on a nearby hill.
A theory claims that they were given this name, because from a distance they look like people going to a pilgrimage...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893847
Their size was trully awesome!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893848
On returning to Wroclaw we made one last stop to a beautiful restored castle, that is one of my mate's favourite places. And judging from what I saw I couldn't blame him at all...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893857
You could sit there for a coffee....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893858
or dinner.....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893867
and the details are simply stunning!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893871 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893861
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893863 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893865
Also the castle is home to one of the oldest and nicest libraries I've ever seen...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893875 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893876
And to think that this stunning place was abandoned some decades ago, until some clever businessmen came along and bought it from the government for a dollar and a dime, restoring it to its former glory!
As my friend explained to me, there are many such castles scattered around Poland, that just sit and decay, because the state doesn't have the funds needed for restoration. So they give them away to investors, on the premises that they will restore them fully to their original condition.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893884
As we left the castle, the moon was rising and that old smile was back again!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=893885
DAY 7-9. Wroclaw
But now, it was time to get to know Wroclaw a little better; besides, this was my original destination wasn't it?
So, with the sunny weather as our ally and my friend Alicja as my guide we started on a big tour around the city.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894188
Wrocław, (pronounced Vrotslav), is a medium sized city with a population of 650,000 people and some 300,000 university students, at the southwest of Poland, near the borders with Czech republic and Germany.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894193
River Odra is flowing through the length of the city, making Wroclaw the No. 3 city in the world in canals and bridges, with only Venice and Amsterdam having more!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894197
As we are headed to the famous little island of Ostrów Tumski, Alicja is expaining to me:
"The city was initially recorded in the year 1000, and took its first name Wrocisław, from the Vratislav the 1st, Duke of Bohemia.
The history of the city began at around the end of the 10th century AD. In that period the city was confined in a little piece of land in the middle of Odra river, known as Ostrów Tumski (the cathedral island).
Soon the city becomes a booming market center for all surrounding regions and it starts expanding to the sides of the river.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894203
"The Mongol invaders destroy the city in the year 1241, but soon the city is rebuilt with the help of German settlers who come to region.
During the Middle Ages the city is merged with the kingdom of Bohemia and its population is "germanified", while much later Catholicism becomes dominant among the people and finally the city is handed over to the Kingdom of Prussia.
In the 19th century, Prussia becomes a member of the German Coalition, and by 1871 when Prussia founds the German Empire, Wroclaw (now called Breslau) becomes the 6th largest city in the empire and a very important trade center."
If anything the spectacular buildings around me signify this great history...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894214
In the early 20th century the German Gestapo begins systematic evictions against Polish and Jewish people, while destroying Polish cultural centers. Already by 1939 the city has undergone extensive "ethnic cleansing" and has been completely "germanified".
In the battle of Breslau with the soviet army, 2/3 of the city are completely leveled and over 40,000 citizens are killed.
In 1945 with the treaty of Potsdam the city comes to the governance of Poland again, and all remaining German people leave the city. Wroclaw is re-inhabited by Polish people both from surrounding areas and from Ukraine and Lithuania.
Slowly the city returns to its former glory and almost all monuments are restored!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894236 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894238
As we approach the island, Alicja explains to me that this was the medieval city center. This is were it all began; in very old maps the little island is depicted as being fortified and built around the big Cathedral -one of the biggest of its times, and still very impressive!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894262
People are walking and just sitting around in the park, enjoying this lovely summer day....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894243
So, we are finally here!
This is the medieval entrance to the island.
Right where there's the blue iron bridge now, in those times there was a wooden drawbridge to protect the people from enemies.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894270 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894277
I feel like I am travelling back in time, and the beautiful sculptured fountain reminds me once more of the profound connection that Polish people have with religion....
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894284
...while the buildings amaze the visitors, with their colors and incredible details!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894287
Many of these houses are home to majestic gardens and we go though a gate in one of them in order to see the garden....
What I see is quite possibly one of the most wonderful gardens I've ever laid eyes on! The sun is shining, a cool breeze is blowing and Alicja is smiling to me....
The best things in life are indeed free!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894304
The neighboring buildings have similar gardens... Unfortunately they were locked...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894310
From what I was told though, this will all change, as the city is planning to open many of them to the public!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894317 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894320
So here we are.... Ostrow Tumski!
One of the city's finest landmarks...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894327
On getting there we say a wedding... The couple were posing for their wedding photographer, but they made such a nice picture that I just had to capture it!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894346
I was really surprised to find out that many Polish couples have their wedding in a normal church or even the mayor's office, but then they go to their favourite place (eg a big cathedral, a castle etc.) and they wear their wedding clothes to take better pictures there!
In front of the cathedral the view to the river is breathtaking...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894351 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894355
It's time to get going though.... Next stop the city center and the central market square, or Rynek in Polish.
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894360
And here we are!
This basically is a very large paved area, around a large square where there are countless bistros, coffee shops, restaurants, beer houses, night clubs and many little stores selling just about everything!
In the summer most of these places put chairs and tables in the pavement, so that the customers can sit outside and enjoy their beer in the sun!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894376 http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894378 [img]http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894383
All around the old buildings are enchanting and they are kept in excellent shape!
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894389
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894400
All around the main square, there are many arches that lead to narrow but very scenic streets...
http://www.moto.gr/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=894421
We decide to see them in more detail...
Suddenly I feel like we are in old streets of Vienna... I guess these cities all share many features, but the result is absolutely beautiful!
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Alicja is leading me to a small paved road, where to my surprise I see many small bronze statuettes of all kinds of animals!
As I'm told, these little statuettes are one of the city's landmarks and they are made from donations money. As a matter of fact, many donors have little bronze plates with their names on the wall behind the statuettes!
Also, this particular road is where the city's slaughter houses were (you can see the main drainage on the fool). Could this be an explanation for statues of animals??
Whatever! They are really cute!!
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As I mentioned, bronze statuettes are a central theme for Wroclaw.
As a matter of fact, all around the city there are many little bronze ...gremlins scattered about, and the visitor is encouraged to find as many as possible!
Is this cool or what?
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All this walking around has my stomach growling, so it's time to get to know the local delicacies a little better!
So, we end up at a very nice little restaurant just outside the center...
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where my friend helps me choose some of the most "representative" local dishes.
One of my favourites was the Pirogi -like little muffins, made out of dough, which are fried or boiled and stuffed with cheese or vegetables! Highly recommended!
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The time goes by quickly when you're having a good time! It's already dark and back home my mate is waiting for me to go out for a couple of drinks.
I want to go to a famous local Jazz club where there are live gigs almost every night, both from local bands and from well known artists!
But the coolest thing about this place is that there is a tradition that every artist that comes and plays at the club has to write a comment or anything he likes on the club's walls.
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Of course, this habit was soon picked up by the regulars, who as you can see have covered the walls with thousands of comments. And when I say covered I mean COVERED!
Lyrics, names, signatures, poetry are all over the place!
Cool jazz is playing, our gang is chilling out drinking beer and all around are smiling faces! It doesn't get much better than this!
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