Our ride today could be described as easy and breezy. We did most of our climbing right at the beginning and I like that. Once the big climb was over the rest was the kind of ups and downs that we are accustomed to. The roads were nicely paved
(which was a treat) and the traffic was very light. It was very pleasant to cruise through the neat neighborhoods and farms along the route. I never tire of seeing all the donkeys, goats, and sheep along the road. However I will never get used to the snakes! At one point Karlo called out, "Car back," which indicates that a car was approaching from the back. This is a common courtesy that bikers use to warn the bikers up ahead to stay close to the edge of the road until the cars pass. But I had a big problem. There was also a 4 foot long, 1.5 inch thick approaching from the right side of the road - right in the bike path. I had to choose been darting in front of a moving car or running over this snake. It was a no brainer. I would rather risk getting hit by a car than run over that snake!
At the midway point we all met up at a little coffee bar for a mid morning break. These rest stops are quite the norm in Europe. At home we are used to just biking through the entire ride with no rest stops. But of course, we have a million other things to do that day so we’re always in a rush. But on vacation we have all day to finish the ride so we stopped along with everyone else at all these little cafes. It was fun enough, but the fact that my 6 ounce water and Karlo’s 6 ounce Coke cost us $10 every time we stopped just killed me. What is with the insanely small beverages in Europe? I just don’t get it. You order a soda or a water and they serve it in a shot glass, but you order a beer and they bring you a half a keg. Staying hydrated (and sober) on this trip was a big challenge.
During this particular break I decided to make friends with the locals. There was an old guy in the bar looking for a chess opponent and I couldn’t resist taking him up on the challenge. Of course, I haven’t played chess since I was a kid and didn’t remember a thing. But that was OK, I found some other locals to help me out with the game. Before I knew it I was losing and the rest of the gang already took off. It was time to get back on the road
(especially before I lost the game).
Our next stop was Miami Beach, of all places. This is the largest sandy beach in all of the Adriatic and it was a treat to actually see sand on a beach instead of rocks. What a nice change. We were also only about 10 miles from the Albania border. We had an hour to romp along the beach, but of course I wasn’t actually going to swim. Instead we just walked along the shore, waddling in the water, and reminiscing about our recent walks on the beach in Spain.
Suddenly we heard the most bizarre loud boom. It was unlike anything I ever heard, or felt, before. Karlo insisted that it was thunder, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and I never heard or felt thunder rumble across the ocean like that before. Then another one came. What on earth could it be? Two or three more and I was starting to panic. I was waiting for a tidal wave or something to hit. But none of the locals seemed too concerned so it must have been a common occurrence. We decided that it must be military shooting some sort of very heavy artillery - missiles of some sort. Maybe it was the Albanians. Or maybe it was the start of another war. Either way, those dozen booms were an experience that I won’t soon forget.
Our hour went by very very quickly and then it was time to meet the ship at the harbor in Ulcinj. We didn’t get much time to see the city aside from biking through it. We had lunch on board as the ship took off for Budva.
Budva was beautiful. We arrived just in time for dinner and we strolled around the old town shopping for trinkets and taking photos. Karlo was convinced that I would be arrested for getting too close to some important looking people with my camera, but luckily I wasn’t taken away in cuffs. The city was really pretty and I loved the old stone fortress and tiny cobblestone alleyways. Just outside of the city was the huge marina harbor and we sat there and marveled at the enormous yachts that were docked there. How do people get so rich? What is the secret? We had some snacks and strolled until we just couldn’t stroll anymore. It was time to crash out with the awesome sound of waves crashing outside our cabin door.
At the midway point we all met up at a little coffee bar for a mid morning break. These rest stops are quite the norm in Europe. At home we are used to just biking through the entire ride with no rest stops. But of course, we have a million other things to do that day so we’re always in a rush. But on vacation we have all day to finish the ride so we stopped along with everyone else at all these little cafes. It was fun enough, but the fact that my 6 ounce water and Karlo’s 6 ounce Coke cost us $10 every time we stopped just killed me. What is with the insanely small beverages in Europe? I just don’t get it. You order a soda or a water and they serve it in a shot glass, but you order a beer and they bring you a half a keg. Staying hydrated (and sober) on this trip was a big challenge.
During this particular break I decided to make friends with the locals. There was an old guy in the bar looking for a chess opponent and I couldn’t resist taking him up on the challenge. Of course, I haven’t played chess since I was a kid and didn’t remember a thing. But that was OK, I found some other locals to help me out with the game. Before I knew it I was losing and the rest of the gang already took off. It was time to get back on the road (especially before I lost the game).
Our next stop was Miami Beach, of all places. This is the largest sandy beach in all of the Adriatic and it was a treat to actually see sand on a beach instead of rocks. What a nice change. We were also only about 10 miles from the Albania border. We had an hour to romp along the beach, but of course I wasn’t actually going to swim. Instead we just walked along the shore, waddling in the water, and reminiscing about our recent walks on the beach in Spain.
Suddenly we heard the most bizarre loud boom. It was unlike anything I ever heard, or felt, before. Karlo insisted that it was thunder, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and I never heard or felt thunder rumble across the ocean like that before. Then another one came. What on earth could it be? Two or three more and I was starting to panic. I was waiting for a tidal wave or something to hit. But none of the locals seemed too concerned so it must have been a common occurrence. We decided that it must be military shooting some sort of very heavy artillery - missiles of some sort. Maybe it was the Albanians. Or maybe it was the start of another war. Either way, those dozen booms were an experience that I won’t soon forget.
Our hour went by very very quickly and then it was time to meet the ship at the harbor in Ulcinj. We didn’t get much time to see the city aside from biking through it. We had lunch on board as the ship took off for Budva.
Budva was beautiful. We arrived just in time for dinner and we strolled around the old town shopping for trinkets and taking photos. Karlo was convinced that I would be arrested for getting too close to some important looking people with my camera, but luckily I wasn’t taken away in cuffs. The city was really pretty and I loved the old stone fortress and tiny cobblestone alleyways. Just outside of the city was the huge marina harbor and we sat there and marveled at the enormous yachts that were docked there. How do people get so rich? What is the secret? We had some snacks and strolled until we just couldn’t stroll anymore. It was time to crash out with the awesome sound of waves crashing outside our cabin door.
3 comments:
I just picture myself screaming at the sight of a snake and crashing off of my bike. Glad to hear there were no injuries. I get hungry every time you mention eating some place wonderful. The area looks so amazing and what a great beach shot of Karlo lugging stuff on his back. Made me laugh :)
Oh I love playing chess :)
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