We have a very important date
with our family from South Africa, who by chance are also touring Europe. With
lots of map and route-checking we calculate that our paths will cross in 4 days’
time at Briancon. As we have not seen each other for 6 years this is a mega-reunion
and the timing is crucial.
Croatia is a long thin strip of
land, with sea on the western edge and mountains in the middle. There is a
highway that runs up the eastern edge bordering Bosnia-Herzegovina. We’ve had a
fabulous time in Croatia and are now riding up this highway. The wind is
pushing and buffeting us sideways and there is no protection. The
various
tunnels bring a bit of relief and we are more than happy when we reach the border
post. To get to Italy from Croatia there is a section of Slovenia that needs to
be crossed. All three countries are part of the European Union, so crossing
should be a breeze. Well it wasn’t. If you travel from an EU country into
another EU country, the ‘Borders Code’ provides EU states with a single set “of
common rules, being committed to freedom of movement, avoiding disruption to
travel and trade”. But, since a terrorist attack in France in November 2015,
border checks are the new reality. So far in this journey we hadn’t really
noticed any delays or difficulties. However, crossing in and out of Slovenia changed
all this.
It’s a beautiful sunny Friday, June
30th, and the official start of the 10 week Summer Season of July
and August. There are at least 40 bikers
on tour, panniered up, and ready to hit the trail once they have crossed this
stretch of land separating Italy in Central Europe from the route to Eastern Europe.
Luckily we are going the other way. The cars and trucks are queuing and the
bikers start to overtake and jump the queue in the Departure Lane. We are
watching from the fairly sedate and minimalist Arrival Lane. We make friends with
a chap in a fancy sportscar, who lets us into the shady part of the queue. The bikers
on the other side are parked up in the blazing sun, engines idling and revving
in turn as they creep forward.
One decides he’s had enough and tries to jump
the queue. Men get out of cars and wave fists, horns blow, and doors get flung
open in the path of overtaking bikes. Luckily no-one was pushed off their bikes
and as we rode past, having been stamped and processed, we will never know what
happened. The road through Slovenia was single lane and full of trucks. Better to
avoid that crossing in future.
We get to Trieste, climb a slow winding
road to overlook the harbour city and take a moment to pause and reflect. As an
8 year old, in 1961, my family and I had caught the Lloyd Trestino SS Africa cruise
liner from Trieste to Beira in
Mozambique, through the Suez Canal and down the
East Coast of Africa. A lot of life has
happened since then, but it was good to take time out and remember the little
girl that was. We make our way down the
highway to Venice, still not sure of which route to take. The choices are
·
the direct straight boring Venice-Verona-Milan-Turin-Briancon
across the north Italian flatlands
·
Or the interesting challenging complicated Venice-Bologna-la
Spezia-Genoa-Savona-Cuneo-Briancon.
No prizes for guessing which
route we chose. From Senj to Bologna, we rode 435kms in one day. After making our final route decision, we
flashed past Venice and we found a super campsite on the outskirts of Bologna
just in time for an afternoon swim, a 1 kms leg stretch walk to the bus stop
and a lovely bus ride into town. The wine per glass in the city centre cost
7euros, but the food is free. What a great way to have aperitif and supper all
in one go. 28 euros, 2 glasses of wine and unlimited antipasto (plural
antipasti) each our thirst and hunger was satisfied. We caught the campsite
shuttlebus home which dropped us almost outside our tent.
The route to La Spezia the next
day took us past the home of the Ferraris in Maranello, and then up and down
and over the magnificent Passa Radici and Passa Cerreto, with the medieval village
of Fivizzano a secluded surprise. We came around one steep corner and were confronted
by an ancient stone wall. Peering over the wall the cemetery was laid out on
the other side. “Not far to go then if you don’t make it”, we laughed, (NOT). To
all you bikers out there, these passes are a must. We had a rest in an old
quarry site and watched as more bikes ventured up and over these crazy gorges.
The Italians are world-renowned for being master road builders and these passes
are testament to that.
We find a fishy place to eat in
La Spezia, at a novel 5 euros per kilo, with as many mixes of antipasti as
desired. We take the coast road to Savona, where the campsites have changed their
prices as it is now 1st July and High Season. The average camp pitch
has shot from 15euros to 30, so we need to get away from the coast. We head
inland and find a campsite in Cuneo, still in
Italy but nearly in France. Today
we did 569kms, covering cities, mountains, coastal routes and back inland. B has
clearly got his Enduro helmet on. Before settling in for the night we asked
about the charges, being cautious about the change in prices between low and high
season. B got the rather young receptionist to write it down and who also assured
him that credit cards were accepted. We had a lovely evening with German biker
companions, where the usual conversation about where, what, how and why was sprinkled
with laughter and red wine.
Packed up and ready to go, we
arrive at reception to find a new face, older and confused. “That fee
on that
piece of paper is WRONG. You must pay more!! And we don’t take cards. You must
pay CASH!!” Not a nice start to the day.
Leaving me as the ‘deposit’, B goes into town, finds an ATM, draws the cash and
only pays what is written on the piece of paper from the night before. Before promising
to report the manager to the police that he was employing his underage daughter
as a receptionist, we are warned to never come to their campsite again. “We don’t
want to, and arrivederci!!”.
Cuneo to Briancon is the almost final
route for this story. A short 140 kms over the amazing Passe Magdalene, Col de
Vars and Passe de Grande Alps, which takes nearly 6 hours. We are back in
France and it feels like home. We find a campsite and with 2 minutes to spare
meet my sister and family as they exit the roundabout. It’s hugs, kisses and
tears all round. Home is where the heart is, even if we both live on opposite
sides of the equator. The next day we do the final
230 kms over more mountains
than we’ve ever imagined existed (check out the D1091)
We’ve finished our Eastern European
motorcycle adventure ride and what a ride!
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