The Mediterranean 2014

Already in elementary school I was making up fantasies about biking to China, and the summer before my last year of Swedish high school I knew I was finally getting closer to actually making it happen. Hence I thought I’d try out a smaller trip in Europe to make sure my dream was not just appealing in theory but also in reality. I had a limited budget and a limited time frame but it did get me a taste of the life on the bike, and a taste of how things always appear to work out in one way or another. But… surely, it didn’t get me enough. 😉

I rode solo but my sister met me up for a week in Croatia and of course I met lots of wonderful people.

If you’re interested I did make a few blog posts that you could read here, some in English and some in Swedish.

Some statistics:
Countries: France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
Distance: Not exactly sure, about 2700 km
Longest distance in a day: 190 km
Terrain: Quite hilly but… I know it will get waaay worse 🙂
Wild animals: Not many unfortunately. I did see a few owls and a marmot in Italy Scariest moment: When I was looking for a wild-camping spot in Bosnia in the middle of the night and a crazy madstruck stray dog bursts out of nowhere from the pitch-black bush…
Most memorable sleeping spots: Hmm. Right on the street, right on craggy rocks without sleeping pad, on a square, and under the stars with my sister in an abandoned huge garden.
Most beautiful places:
Lago di Garda and Lago del Predil in Italy
Soca Valley and Lake Bled in Slovenia
The remote and unexploited villages on the Croatian island Korcula (you’ll have to leave the popular tourist resorts in each tip of the island)
The city Omis in Croatia
The city Mostar and the surrounding mountains in Bosnia Herzegovina
The Kotor Bay in Montenegro

There’s an embarrassingly funny story behind this soaked tent…

I began my tour at the French riviera but went straight up the Alps instead

I spent my first night camping in an old man’s backyard, with guard dogs barking at me the whole night from the other side of the fence

In Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, I met another touring cyclist; David from Hungary who later toured South America

French mountain village

“Let’s climb up there and make popcorn!” My sister cried out – and so we did.

The kitten Elmo, belonging to Valentina who kindly hosted me in the Italian city Oderzo 🙂

The Hungarian cyclist and I had beer and shared storeis with some Swedish backpackers

Making friends in Bovec

Awesomly skilled river kayakers they were!

This is Beer Santa and the Boss. Awesome lads! (Slept in the Boss’ backyard in one of the earlier photos)

Crossing borders to Croatia!

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Somewhere on the island Korcula

The Croatian coast; hilly, hot and not very habited

Krka National Park with my sister who visited

Omis, Croatia

Visiting friends in Piacenza, Italy

Krka National Park. As you could see the falls are beautiful but there were wayyy to many people ruining the atmosphere (no, I don’t count myself in)

Valentina who invited me to her home in Oderzo and her sister and mother 🙂

Omis, Croatia

Kotor Bay, Montenegro

It doesn’t look like it on the photos but I in fact got soaked in rain pretty much every day

Cooking at the dock in Rijeka, Croatia

Kotor Bay, Montenegro

The alps, France

Omis, Croatia

The Alps, France

Rijeka, Croatia

On our way to Makarska, Croatia

Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina

Bosnia

Biggest waterfall in Slovenia

Bosnia

Soca Valley, Slovenia

Italy, close to the Slovenian border

Bosnia

Slovenia, Narnia Prince Caspian was partly shot here

The Alps, France

Italy

Korcula

Slovenia

Soca Valley, Slovenia

Slovenia

Italy

Lago di Garda, Italy

Bosnia

Slovenia

Bosnia

Verona, Italy

Mostar, Bosnia

Bosnia

Ljubljana, SLovenia

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Croatia

My kind of Bosnian beauty

My bread-fellow

Italy

I had to hitch-hike across the border from France to Italy since bikes weren’t allowed. I was in one car, my panniers in a second one and my bike in a third one… (!)

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Just crossed borders to Slovenia

Mostar, Bosnia

I met a touring cyclist from Serbia, Nemanja, whom I had beer with in Mostar

Bosnia

Soca Valley, Slovenia

Croatia

France

Slovenia

Italy

Rijeka, Croatia

French Riviera, Nice

Mostar, Bosnia

Bosnia

Typical Croatian sunset

Lake Bled, Slovenia

France

Slovenia

Awesome tunnel in Oderzo, Italy

France

Verona, Italy

Sleeping under the stars with my sis, Korcula. There’s another funny story behind this one!

Slovenia

Eating a traditional dish in Bovec

Bosnia…

Tom, a marathon runner who accused my sister and I for being the most disgusting people he’d ever met for the mere reason that we used his bed as a rack when drying our tent…