Albania was our first encounter with a more Eastern culture and it was interesting to be in a country where roads and transport were less developed. Because of the size of the country we decided to make a loop south before heading towards the border. While bicycle touring Albania we entered the country from the ferry by sea at Durrës on the 14th of April 2014 and left the country on the 20th of April 2014. We have cycled 427 km and ascended 4647 meters.
The Via Egnatia is an old roman road we had been crossing and following since we entered Albania. Via Egnatia was the first road build by the romans outside Italy. We found it a nice thought that people had travelled this way for thousands of years and now we were here as well. As always we have a [...]
Mountain roads provide us with the best views, mountain roads are also often quieter than other roads. The downside is that mountain roads are tough. And the Albanian mountain roads have been very tough. It has given us an amazing experience this week with nice reflective opportunities cycling through the mountains. See our photos in the album Albania and Entering [...]
We were slightly nervous traveling by ferry from Bari in Italy to Durres in Albania. We had been in Italy for such a long time that it was interesting but also challenging to go to the next country. Also the difference between Italy and Albania is really big. With Cycle touring Albania we definitely had the feeling [...]
Before setting off on our journey we have had multiple conversations what we wanted to do on this trip. We have spoken a lot about that it should not only be about the cycling and that we sometimes want to go all in on a project, indulge in a culture or spend more time in one place. [...]
The good thing with a country like Italy is that it is fairly short to travel from one coast to the other. We had researched what would be the easiest way but couldn't really find the right answer on Southern Italy, cycling coast to coast. The route we had chosen also was partly used by cycling holiday [...]
Happy to leave Rome we left it via the Via Appia, the road that the Romans took when they crossed the country over to Brindisi on the east coast. The Via Appia in our eyes is one of the secret gems of Rome. Most touristic attractions are completely overrun with people and here there are not too [...]
Rome was our first big milestone and it was a cultural highlight that we were looking forward to. Susanne had already been there for one week with school when she was 15 and was curious if she would remember the sights and the stories. Martin wanted to wander in this city with great history, learn a lot [...]
We left Bologna after having a great evening with Marco and Margherita, our Warmshowers hosts. Wine had been flowing and we new we were heading for an ascent, but we weren’t fully prepared for the day that was waiting for us. Slowly we headed up the hills and down the hills to reach the top of Passo [...]
We left off in Meran, where we stayed for 3 nights refuelling and relaxing. Meran was an interesting blend of cultures as Meran is a part of South Tyrol and main language is German, this blends with pizzerias and well dressed italians. During our rest days we sort photos and write here on the blog, as now [...]