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The man and his machine.
A tall order for the BMW GS 800 to haul two Kiwis 4000kms, but it never missed a beat. How can three weeks on a motor-bike fly by, in the blink of an eye? Very easily when you're having as much fun as we've just had! Finally the sun came out to play, and we enjoyed a magnificent ride along the Adriatic Coast, from Dubrovnik to Split in temperatures which ranged from 20 to 30 degrees. The sea was the highly anticipated azure blue, roads were dry, and the riding exhilarating. On our arrival at our hotel in Split, champagne on ice awaited us, and we celebrated a safe journey, with Rozle Verhovc and the Clutch Moto Tours team. A journey which took us to places we never imagined, and on a fascinating history lesson we never envisaged.
How did we get here?! I've sometimes had to pinch myself, that I was having so much fun, on the back of a motor-bike, at the age of 59, with the man I fell in love with 43 years ago! Shane and I zoomed around the roads of the Manawatu, on his Yamaha 360, when we first met in 1973. I'm not sure what happened to that bike, but I think it was sold to finance a form of transport way
more comfortable. When Shane started dreaming about motor-bikes again, ten years ago, it didn't take long before there was another machine in the stable of boys-toys, parked in our garage. Since then we have teamed up with other biker enthusiasts, and done a few trips in and around our homeland, New Zealand, which, by the way, offers spectacular roads and scenery to anyone wanting the challenge of learning to ride on the left-hand side of the road! Several years ago, we even dreamed of an overland motor-bike trip, to the rugby World Cup in England, 2015, which sadly never eventuated.....the logistics of which meant it ended up in the hard basket.
So......three weeks around the former Yugloslavia in 2016 seemed like a decent alternative....and an opportunity to spread our wings after forty solid years together building a family and business in New Zealand.
Shane has never been one to let a good challenge stand in his way. The thought of riding on two wheels on the right hand side of the road was somewhat daunting, but he quickly gained his confidence with the encouragement of Rozle and his support riders. Riding styles in Eastern Europe are vastly different
Dubrovnik at sunset.
Massive towers dominate the skyline. from what he is used to in New Zealand. Lane-splitting in rush hour, and zig-zagging in and out of traffic is second nature to Europeans.....but Kiwis would be hauled over, given a stern talking to by the law, along with a stiff fine if they tried that on our roads! So, I have to say, there have been one or two white-knuckle moments, but on the whole I've felt relaxed, comfortable and happy on the back of the bike. And very proud of the way Shane handled the machine on roads that at times were very challenging.
Policing of the roads is somewhat low key, in comparison to NZ..there are speed limit signs, but they seem to rarely be adhered to. Our only 'scrape' with the law, was when Gordan was stopped by a police-officer, en route to Dubrovnik. Some Bosnian charm, and explaining to the officers that he had three hysterical female tourists in the van (extreme exaggeration! ), meant the officers took pity on him, and let him continue on his way. To be fair, his speed was only a few kilometres over the limit, and he is a very careful driver.
Somehow, the bikers managed
Dubrovnik, what a magical city.
View from the basketball court! to evade all other speed cameras, although throughout our entire 4,000km trip we spotted only three in total!
The ancient city of Dubrovnik, which survived another Serbian on-slaught, for 6 months from November 1992, until May 1993, has become a tourist mecca. Even though we are on the shoulder of the tourist season, the numbers of tourists wandering the streets of this magnificent fortified town astounded us. That it has been rebuilt so quickly after suffering such significant damage is testimony to the Croations determination to preserve their history. A UNESCO world heritage site, visitor numbers look set to multiply significantly, with Turkish Airlines flying direct from Istanbul to Dubrovnik, seven days a week, as of this year.
Rozle offered us yet another pearl of wisdom...he told us, if you ever see an unexpected open doorway, go through it! A great metaphor for life in many ways, but also it helped make our trip to Dubrovnik really memorable. We mis-timed our walk around the wall....it closes at 7.00pm. Shane, determined to find a vantage point for good night photos, led me up a long, steep and winding staircase...and at the top discovered a doorway in a block wall.
Lacemaker and her craft.
A wee bit of retail therapy for Jill. So, remembering our wise sage's advice he went through it....and there was a basketball court, with two young guys shooting hoops. At the end of the court was a wire fence, through which you could look down upon the old town........
Another Jewel in the Croatian crown is Mostar...well, actually it's a jewel in the Bosnian crown.....we had yet another border crossing en route to Split, in order to visit it. The famous bridge fell in 1993, as, yes, you guessed it, Serbian forces bombarded it. Rozle gave us another brief history lesson and showed us video footage of the old bridge, which was built in the 1500's, falling to Serbian rockets. It was sobering to watch, but what was even more remarkable was the rebuilding of the bridge, using as much of the rescued remnants, which were pulled from the river, as was possible. Craftsmen used traditional methods to reconstruct the heart of the town and now like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this historic place is also on the must-see places for tourists who visit this region.
A huge sense of elation overcame us as we rode into the hotel car-park we had left just
Rozle Verhovc's history lesson.
Another captivating tale from the master raconteur. three weeks earlier......we had completed our magical mystery tour safely, made new friends along the way, and had an absolute blast! We cannot sing the praises of Clutch Moto Tours, and especially Rozle Verhovc highly enough. What an inspirational young man. We think he may be destined for sainthood! He is in the process of establishing a foundation, to fund medics on motorbikes, so the tourists who ride this part of the world have better medical support. Wow!
Thank you for reading and enjoying my musings from the other side of the world....all your feedback, and vicarious pleasure has been an unexpected surprise. Here endith the epistle...
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