So yeah, after Albania it was supposed to be Greece. And I would settle there for the winter.
But I guess I just didn’t want this adventure to end. So I found one hundred excuses why I should not spend the winter in Greece and changed my plans.
I quickly crossed the Greek border to catch a ferry to Italy 😅 Transit doesn’t count!
An overnight ferry which was 6 hours late and became an “overday” one 😅 luckily once I boarded I went straight to my cabin and got proper 7 hours of sleep.
I rode to Matera, a really cool rock town carved in the mountains. I absolutely fell in love with it and wished I could stay longer but I had to make my way to Rome as rain and cold were about to begin.
I crossed the country from East to West to ride along the amazing Amalfi coast! Breathtaking scenic curvy road, cliffs on one side and sea on the other, just the way I love it!
Stopped in Napoli to eat the best pizza in the world (I can totally confirm it now!).
And hurried to Rome to meet my Italian friend, the sweetest human out there! We spent the whole weekend walking around Rome, as he was showing me around, telling me stories and fun facts and making me try all sorts of local food (pizza, too, of course 😅).
35. Sarandë 🏍⛴🏍 Tarento (arriving to Italy)
27 hours and 3 countries!
Said goodbye to Albania, enjoyed the last scenic ride towards the border with Greece, met some sheep on the road (how could it go without them?!).
Border crossing was fairly easy, got checked the PLF twice (it’s a form one has to fill out online prior entering Greece, new covid related rules). Showed vaccination certificate, and still had to take a rapid antigen test (they do it for free on the border).
Watched a beautiful sunset and arrived to Igoumenitsa for the 1AM ferry… which got delayed until 7AM.
A long night at the port sleeping on the bench…
Thanks god I ordered a cabin on the ferry! Got decent 7 hours of sleep and a proper shower before arriving to Bríndisi.
One hour ride through a flat land – I forgot how that felt after having spent almost two months riding nothing but curvy mountain roads 😅
Was pretty dead when I finally arrived to Tarento just to spend another three hours looking for accommodation and food.
What a trip!
36. Tarento 🏍 Salerno
I had Matera on my bucket list for a while, and the reason I took a ferry to Bríndisi and not to Ancona was to pass by Matera on my way to Rome.
Riding from the flats of the south to the hills, to explore this city carved into rocks and cliffs. Then across the mountains to the west coast of Italy. Had to ride non-stop for quite a bit to be faster than the clouds and avoid the rain. And caught a beautiful sunset as I was nearing the coast.
37. Salerno 🏍 Formia
Very tired after the last days of riding, and the forecast said pretty strong wind. Sooo close to skipping the Amalfi coast and just taking the direct road.
But I really really really wanted to ride it!
And oh my god it was an awesome ride!! The views, the curves, the picturesque towns placed almost vertically on the cliffs, the greenery, the flowers, the fjords, the bridges, the rocks and the tunnels!
And of course I couldn’t help but stop in Napoli for the world’s best pizza! Even though it meant “wasting a lot of daylight”, riding through the crazy Italian chaos of cars, scooters and motorcycles, getting in a few traffic jams on my way out of Napoli, and having to ride in the dark the last almost two hours to Formia.
What a day! What a ride! What a pizza!
38. Formia 🏍 Rome
It rained like crazy the whole morning and I was even considering postponing the trip to Rome.
Meanwhile I was praying to the weather gods for just 10 rain free minutes to load the luggage on my bike and leave the house. Because once you’re on the road and reach the point of no return it doesn’t really matter whether it rains or not, you’re not turning back. But leaving the comfort of a warm dry home is the most difficult part.
The rained slowed down quite a bit and I decided it was my time to move.
Half way to Rome the rain stopped completely, then the sun started getting through.
So happy I made my way to the sunny capital and arrived to a warm hug of my friend Elio.
39. Rome 🏍⛴🏍 Barcelona
Last border crossing for this season and a 20 hours ferry to my winter destination.
And, as if it was all specifically planned to close this iteration of the trip, I’m welcomed to Barcelona by @tonyavec! My friend who helped me to find and buy the 🐝 a year ago, and who was also there in Moscow 3 months ago, helped me with the last preparations for the trip, and accompanied me out of the Russian capital.
🐝 and I made it to Spain! Unbelievable 🔥
