EXPEDITIA BIKE EUROPA 2014 - EPISODUL 19 - CROATIA AND HUNGARY

I spend the night in my sleeping bag behind a chemist`s shop. In the middle of the night I receive a visit from two policemen which let me continue my sleep when they see I am just a poor harmless cycling traveler. The next day I have to climb some rolling hills full of vineyards on my way to Slatina.

Not far from the border with Hungary I am invited to a wedding because the father of the happy groom is fond of cycling. So here I am enjoyng a lot of tasty food and drinks and talking to some guys. The music is exquisite, so I will dance till the end of love, soon! May long and happy live the lucky couple!

Before the party I was lucky to talk a bit with a cyclist from Slatina who had a magnificent bike.

It`s very dark and late when I get to Donji Miholjiac which is very close to Hungary. Here I go to discoteque till 3AM and then I pitch my tent in a forest right nearby. A odd owl terrifies me just before going to sleep.

It was so spooky but I sleep flawlessly and in the morning I get to see the perfect place where tired and drunk I could put up my tent last night.

Soon I get to Hungary and my first stop is in Siklos where I want to go to the thermal spa, but the ticket being rather expensive I decide to enjoy an icecream and I take a dip in a small pool in the middle of the town. This is quite an old and beautiful town.

This is the pool where I dared to jump into for a few seconds to cool off.

The center is full of old buildings.

Nagyharsany is the next picturesque village which draws my attention.

Then I stop in Villany which is quite a touristic and rustic village.

Here it's time for me to enjoy a good pizza.

At a pub I strike up friendship with some cool hungarian guys who help me fix my flat tyre then we drink some beers and have a nice and hearty chat.

As I become a friend of the owner of this pub I will accept to enjoy myself all the day and I am allowed to pitch my tent in the garden of the pub. I also receive a lot of drinks and good food for free. It`s time to feel good!

We spend a lovely evening that I will never forget. Then I sleep very well and in quite a safe place.

The next day after I cycle a few km. I am surprised to meet some hungarian friends of the previous night who travelled by car to meet me to drink together one more beer and they also give me a long traditional spicy salami. This is the place where I met them.

At Mohacs I stop to enjoy a great guyas soup.

Here I come across my beloved Danube again, after such a long time.

Then I cross Danube by ferryboat. At Nagybaracska I can see huge swamp.

At Csatalja I stop to enjoy a langos.

At Bacsborsod I make a new halt and I take a picture of the old church situated in a lovely park.

In incheierea acestui episod vreau sa multumesc din suflet tuturor prietenilor sustinatori care m-au ajutat financiar sau material pt. realizarea expeditiei BIKE EUROPA 2014. Aici este lista prietenilor sustinatori care m-au ajutat. Multumesc din suflet lui: Tiberiu si Carmen Muntean - Munchen, Horia Cardos - Timisoara, Razvan Anton - Ottawa, Flavius Nicola - Arad, Marius Cruceru - Oradea, Zoltan si Adina Marton - Bucuresti, George Marcu - Bucuresti, Camelia Balutescu - Timisoara, Bogdan Cristea - Londra, Attila Szodrai - Oradea, Timotei Rad - Cluj Napoca, Mariea Crasmaru - Laslea, Emanuel Dobre - Ineu, Radu Lasc - Ineu, Morar Victor - Ineu, Havasi Sergiu Celin - Ineu. Multumesc de asemenea domnilor din conducerea Consiliului Judetean Arad si domnilor consilieri judeteni care au aprobat proiectul meu cicloturistic si doamnelor de la Centrul Cultural Judetean Arad. Multumesc mult si lui Rogoz Stefan, administratorul clubului RACING BIKE PRO ARAD si lui Torok Laci, fara ajutorul carora nu puteam accesa banii de la CJA! Dumnezeu sa va binecuvanteze pe voi si familile voastre si sa va dea doar bine! Nu in ultimul rand multumesc si colegilor Florin si Giani, cu care am pedalat destul de mult pe batranul continent! Traiasca cicloturismul si prietenia! Cu respect, Claudiu

EXPEDITIA BIKE EUROPA 2014 - EPISODUL 18 - THE AMAZING BOSNIA

This river is perfect for motorboats.

I keep on climbing till I get to a scenic lake.

Then I have to cope with some hairpins. But the view from the top is rewarding and enchanting.

I arrive at Makljen pass which is in BIG Challenge Club`s list.

Here I have wi-fi for free so I will stay at this chalet where I will indulge in good food.

Inside the chalet I notice interesting hunting` trophies.

The owner allows me to put up my tent on the enclosed space of the chalet on some great lawn.

The next day I have a long descent till Bugojno where I stop to eat and then I visit an interesting cemetery.

From here I carry on cycling on E661 enjoying lovely scenery.

Soon I get hungry and I stop at a restaurant where I fill my belly with a delicious roasted beef with fresh salad.

The next town I pass by is Jajce.

I will spend the night sleeping behind a motel on my sleeping bag near Vrbas River, but before I go to sleep I enjoy a nice evening together with some motorbikers from Czech Republic and I receive sour soup and beers for free from the very kind-hearted owner of the motel who is impressed by my cycling trip. Here I see some fish of great quality and size.

The next day I cycle along the Vrbas River.

This river is quite impressive, too.

All of a sudden I see a small hydropower station.

It's wonderful to cycle in such a beautiful place!

I Banja Luka I stop to visit the town. I see here some great churches and a good man gives me a small donation after hearing my story.

This is my lucky day, I find some nice people that give me good food and let me spend the night in front of their house in my sleeping bag.

The next day on my way to Gradiska I can see a spectacular tiny mosque.

After less then 2 hours of cycling I get to Croatia where I will stop in Daruvar to go to a thermal spa and after enjoyng myself a few hours in the hot water I go to the restaurant and order spaghetti carbonara.

In incheierea acestui episod vreau sa multumesc din suflet tuturor prietenilor sustinatori care m-au ajutat financiar sau material pt. realizarea expeditiei BIKE EUROPA 2014. Aici este lista prietenilor sustinatori care m-au ajutat. Multumesc din suflet lui: Tiberiu si Carmen Muntean - Munchen, Horia Cardos - Timisoara, Razvan Anton - Ottawa, Flavius Nicola - Arad, Marius Cruceru - Oradea, Zoltan si Adina Marton - Bucuresti, George Marcu - Bucuresti, Camelia Balutescu - Timisoara, Bogdan Cristea - Londra, Attila Szodrai - Oradea, Timotei Rad - Cluj Napoca, Mariea Crasmaru - Laslea, Emanuel Dobre - Ineu, Radu Lasc - Ineu, Morar Victor - Ineu, Havasi Sergiu Celin - Ineu. Multumesc de asemenea domnilor din conducerea Consiliului Judetean Arad si domnilor consilieri judeteni care au aprobat proiectul meu cicloturistic si doamnelor de la Centrul Cultural Judetean Arad. Multumesc mult si lui Rogoz Stefan, administratorul clubului RACING BIKE PRO ARAD si lui Torok Laci, fara ajutorul carora nu puteam accesa banii de la CJA! Dumnezeu sa va binecuvanteze pe voi si familile voastre si sa va dea doar bine! Nu in ultimul rand multumesc si colegilor Florin si Giani, cu care am pedalat destul de mult pe batranul continent! Traiasca cicloturismul si prietenia! Cu respect, Claudiu

EXPEDITIA BIKE EUROPA 2014 - EPISODUL 17 - BOSNIA - SIMPLY THE BEST

On my way towards Gradac I stop to admire some flowers.

It is a mountainous region and in the vicinity of Hutovo I come across some ruins of an ancient citadel.

After cycling on secondary roads with light traffic, I get to the busy road E73 and it`s time for me to eat a pleskavitsa at a fast-food in a township. The food in Bosnia is very cheap, you can eat well with 2-3 Euros.

Near Klepci` village I pitch my tent and during the night two policemen pay me a visit to see what the heck I`m doing here in my lousy tent full of holes. When they see I am a poor cyclo-trotter they simply let me be and wish me good luck.

Today I`m cycling upstream the Neretva River. Suddenly I reach Pocitelj which will pleasantly surprise me.

This tiny medieval Muslim village is simply amazing.

Here it`s time for me to take a break and I saunter happily across its streets.

Then hit a bit by the hunger I enjoy a tasty meal on the terrace of a restaurant.

With my belly filled I stroll again a little bit on the lovely cobbled streets gazing at the souvenirs` stands.

After 3 hours of sheer delight it`s time I kept on cycling along the Neretva River and in a few hours I reach the town of Mostar.

It`s here that I can gaze at the most famous bridge from all the Balkan Region.

From this `stari most` I can admire the sparkling waters of the Neretva River and throwing a coin into the river I make a wish that I will return to my beloved Bosnia.

This town is amazing and has plenty of lofty and gorgeous mosques.

This interesting bridge is always crowded with people.

The historic center looks fabulous, being endowed with tortuous cobbled roads, exquisite bazaars and plenty of pubs and restaurants. The tourists are from all over the world. I was even lucky to catch a glimpse of a Arabian woman.

I will come back to this magnificent Muslim town and that`s for sure.

Soon I carry on cycling heading for the mountains. After about one hour I make a small halt in a village to admire a mosque.

After Potoci the night overtakes me and I enter the mountain region along Neretva River. I cycle till midnight when I decide to spend my night in the middle of nowhere in my sleeping bag right next to the river having no possibility to put up my tent. It was a frightful night but I luckily survived, the wild beasts avoided me.

Now it`s time to enjoy the mighty Neretva River. But in this paradise I ran out of money. I was lucky to have good friends that sent me some money, so that I could continue my adventure. Thank you so much to Horia, Flavius and Sergiu, my generous friends that helped me out of my misery at that hard time for me.

This proves to be one of the best rivers in Europe.

In incheierea acestui episod vreau sa multumesc din suflet tuturor prietenilor sustinatori care m-au ajutat financiar sau material pt. realizarea expeditiei BIKE EUROPA 2014. Aici este lista prietenilor sustinatori care m-au ajutat. Multumesc din suflet lui: Tiberiu si Carmen Muntean - Munchen, Horia Cardos - Timisoara, Razvan Anton - Ottawa, Flavius Nicola - Arad, Marius Cruceru - Oradea, Zoltan si Adina Marton - Bucuresti, George Marcu - Bucuresti, Camelia Balutescu - Timisoara, Bogdan Cristea - Londra, Attila Szodrai - Oradea, Timotei Rad - Cluj Napoca, Mariea Crasmaru - Laslea, Emanuel Dobre - Ineu, Radu Lasc - Ineu, Morar Victor - Ineu, Havasi Sergiu Celin - Ineu. Multumesc de asemenea domnilor din conducerea Consiliului Judetean Arad si domnilor consilieri judeteni care au aprobat proiectul meu cicloturistic si doamnelor de la Centrul Cultural Judetean Arad. Multumesc mult si lui Rogoz Stefan, administratorul clubului RACING BIKE PRO ARAD si lui Torok Laci, fara ajutorul carora nu puteam accesa banii de la CJA! Dumnezeu sa va binecuvanteze pe voi si familile voastre si sa va dea doar bine! Nu in ultimul rand multumesc si colegilor Florin si Giani, cu care am pedalat destul de mult pe batranul continent! Traiasca cicloturismul si prietenia! Cu respect, Claudiu