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The 48H Prologue and The Hidden Bonus

I had a preconceived idea of what the first 48 hours of this ride would be like - a riding marathon followed by a ferry "cruise" where I would be gathering all my willpower to fight the boredom of stillness. I was wrong.

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Hey there, 2wheeler ladies and gents! Welcome back to another solo motorcycle travel adventure, this time around, stretching out to Ottoman lands and heritage. The goal is set for Turkish delight. Well, not the sweet delicacy, but rather the discovery of what that fabulous country has to offer to motorcycle travelers, in the time frame I am bound to.

On a quick side note – let me tell you that I missed being out on the road, and sharing the journey with you.

Now, to be completely honest, I had a preconceived idea of what the first 48 hours of this ride would be like – a riding marathon followed by a ferry “cruise” where I would be gathering all my willpower to fight the boredom of stillness. Yet, in my mind, I had already structured a whole article explaining the advantages of transforming a couple of thousand kilometers into a resting-on-the-move experience, and how it could do wonders down the road. Simple, effective, and most certainly lacking in the best of what solo travel has to offer – other people. More about that later on.

Day 1: Getting There in Time for Departure

Approximately 1278km. Enough to spook the usual departing party of one, that saw me roll out while fighting the urge to speak up yet again his opinion about the first-day mileage. He’s slowly beginning to understand that I’m immune to that argument… Good thing we didn’t record that moment on camera!

It was a long day just “burning” the kilometers and getting to Barcelona to catch the ferry to Civitavecchia, Rome. In reality, that’s where the real journey begins in Albania. Until then it is more of a prologue-style set of stages. With that in mind, Lisbon-Barcelona was like a training day, then the two days from Italy to the ferry in Brindisi would be a kind of warm-up, and finally the “official race” would be starting in Albania – Our preferred gate to the East.

A break for refueling
That’s the face you make when your family says you look tired

The Ferry Scene:

Arrival at the ferry and it’s perfectly clear that I’m traveling alone. Excusing in advance the redundancy, it can only really mean that I already have lots of new friends. It’s one of the great advantages of traveling solo, you do get approached by a lot of people in general, something that happens a lot less when you travel in a group. There’s an invisible barrier that keeps people away when you travel in a group that disappears completely in the Solo version. Then again, it could be due to the fact that my GS1200 draws “Minion-like attention”… I’ll put that theory up for testing during the trip.

First up, Mel, a former commercial pilot in the UK, 62 years old, retired, came to see me because he had a “Tuga” (slang for Portuguese) license plate …. and so did I. The guy retired and lives with his wife (from Argentina) in Penela – Portugal …. He’s going solo for 2 months, the same as me on the outward journey but returning via the Balkans and then the Italian, Swiss, and French Alps…

Then there’s Oscar, a cool motorcycle guy who lives in Zagreb, and works in an electric car factory. He went all the way to Spain just to snag a cheaper Porsche. Why? Because why not, right? He recognized me from the highway and decided to strike up a conversation. Next thing you know, we’re deep in discussions about bikes, cars, routes, and, well, pretty much everything under the sun. Now that’s good company.

Oh, and let’s not forget my 3 newfound Italian buddies from Pescara. They’ve already invited me for beers tomorrow. I mean, why not, indeed? Well maybe because if I did, I wouldn’t go on the rest of the ride – raincheck on that offer… for now.

Here’s Mel
And Oscar

Ferry Life:

Now, let’s talk about life on the ferry. Three hours left, and I’m starting to feel like I’m in the middle of a boat massacre. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but seriously, I came here to ride, not to sit around! On the bright side, I still have all my essentials – wallet, bike key, you name it. So, things could be worse! And as you’ve seen by the friends I’ve made during the seascape, it’s the sharing that makes it all worth it.

Ahoy! Land in Sight:

Tonight, I’ll be crashing at what they call a hotel, although I’m not entirely convinced. It’s more like a glorified B&B, really. But hey, for 35€ with breakfast included, who’s complaining? Well, me, maybe, depending on how it turns out. Let’s just hope my bike survives the night without a garage. Fingers crossed, folks! Guess I’ll tell you all tomorrow if it was a bargain or a steal.

Time to lock up the bike and hit the hay. Stay tuned for more tales from the road. Until then, ride safe, my friends!

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