Balkans
I had vsited Bosnia very briefly back in 2015 on my trip through Europe and had always wanted to return to this quite unfamilar area of Europe and so in 2021, I made the rather long winded overland journey to Croatia from my home in The Netherlands to do just that:
Amsterdam – Enchede (train)
Cycle across the border to Gronau, Germany (10 km’s)
Gronau – Hamburg (train)
Hamburg – Berlin (train)
Berlin – Prague (train)
Prague – Vienna (train)
Vienna – Zagreb (train)
The journey from Zagreb to Bosnia wasn’t the most inpiring I have ever done but it was certainly nice to be back cycing in a foreign country after a year away. In Bosnia, things became a little more interesting but the weather took a turn for the worse as the temperature plummeted below zero and camping became a real chore.
Cycling south however, the sun began to shine and the mountains of central Bosnia rose up all around me. It’s a truly beautiful country.
Three days were spent in Sarajevo which I found to be an eye opening experience to say the least: Christians and Muslims live, work and socialize together in this cosmopolitan capital and this is something you won’t see in many other places across Eastern Europe.
Montenegro was another highlight of the trip due mostly in part to it’s absoloutely jaw dropping scenery in the north: likewise in the eastern part of Albania too. All in all, I found cycling through the balkans an amazing experience due to the incredible landsacpes and welcoming locals.