A bike tour Vienna-West Balkans-Greece

in July and August 2009. Click on the pictures to get an 8 times larger version (average size 327KB). Below the km numbers indicate the distance traveled and the Hm indicate the vertical meters climbed during that day. Overall I travelled 2819km and climbed 35155Hm. The times in the file names are UTC (and the time zones traveled were UTC+2 and UTC+3).
2009-07-24 139km 1659Hm
Vienna (B17) Mödling (Weinstraße) Baden (Weinstraße) Bad Vöslau, Pottenstein (B18) Traisen (B20) St. Sebastian
2009-07-25 121km 1173Hm
(B20) Maria Zell, Gußwerk (B24) (B25) Hieflau (B146) Admont (entlang der Bahn) Selzthal (B113) Liezen
2009-07-26 119km 1303Hm
(B320) St. Martin am Grimming, Salza-Stausee, Bad Mitterndorf (B145) Bad Aussee, Obertraun, Hallstatt (B166) Pass Gschütt, Lammer (B166) (B99) Hüttau

Salza-Stausee

2009-07-27 84km 1338Hm
(B99) (B311) Bischofshofen (B164) Dientner Sattel (1357m), Filzensattel (1290m), Maria Alm, Hof, Maishofen, Zeller See Ostseite, Bruck an der Glocknerstraße (B107) Fusch

Tennengebirge

2009-07-28 40km 1830Hm
(B107) Fuscher Törl (2428m) Hochtor (2504m) Heiligenblut
2009-07-29 33km 1161Hm
Franz-Josefs-Höhe, Heiligenblut

Franz-Josefs-Höhe, Pasterze, Großglockner

Edelweiß

Views of and from Heiligenblut:

2009-07-30 114km 1750Hm
Iselsberg, Oberdrauburg, Gailbersattel, Kötschach-Mauthen, Tröpolach, Nassfeldpass, before Pontebba

Lienz Dolomites

Oberdrauburg

Tröpolach and Nassfeld Ski Area

Nassfeld pass, Border to Italy

2009-07-31 147km 1694Hm
Pontebba, Resiutta, Sella Carnizza (1086m, 770Hm, very steep), Uccea [Slovenia] ®aga, Kobarid, Tolmin, Idrija, Godoviè, Hotedr¹ica

The hardest pass of the tour (the descent was gentle):

Former border station and border to Slovenia:

Godoviè?

2009-08-01 147km 1629Hm
(102) Kalce (409) Planina, Rakek (212) Blo¹ka Polica (213) Babno Polje [Croatia] Parg Èabar, Kolpa valley [Slovenia] Kolpa valley, Brod na Kupi [Croatia] Brod Moravice (2) Vrbovsko, Hreljin

We were back on the Slovenian (northern) side of the valley here:

2009-08-02 88km 1047Hm
Ogulin, Josipdol (42) Pla¹ki, Poljonak, Plitvièka Jezera, Jezerce (1)

A typical house garden with both flowers and corn:

The war is long over, but still visible in places

Displaced Orthodox people have a summer feast in their former home village:

Lots of not-quite-finished houses in this former war zone; guard rails are rare there and elsewhere.

Plitvice Lakes National Park:

2009-08-03 93km 1299Hm
(1) Korenica (1) Bijelopoljê Fuka¹ic (Macadam road) Nebljusi (218) Donji Lapac (218) Srb
2009-08-04 115km 1275Hm
(218) (1) Knin (1) Hrvace

Knin

Victory Day on the next day commemorates the taking of Knin by the Croatian army in 1995

2009-08-05 128km 1220Hm
(1) Sinj, Trilj (60) Imotski, Vinjani Donji [BIH] Grude, Privalj (6-1) ©iroki Brijeg (6-1) Mostar

Imotski

Border to Bosnia and Herzegowina

Mostar

2009-08-06 36km 997Hm
(17) Gnojnice (6-1) Blagaj (6-1) (unnamed pass: 1093m, 1000m up from Gnojnice) Nevesinje

Mostar

Burial notice:

Bridge Jumpers collect money until they have enough to ...
... jump:

They started in Wiener Neustadt on the same day as I did:

2009-08-07 121km 927Hm
(6-1) Gacko, Avtovac, Karanci (Border, not international:-() Gacko (20) Èememo (1293m) Izgori
2009-08-08 112km 2390Hm
(20) Brod (18) ©æepan Polje [Montenegro] (18) before Plu¹ine, Trsa, Prijespa (1884m)

Border to Montenegro:

Trsa

Durmitor mountains

2009-08-09 23km 271Hm
Sedlo (1904m), ®abljak

®abljak:

A rafting trip on the Tara river:

2009-08-10 147km 1585Hm
Tara Most, Mojkovac (2) Berane (2) (unnamed pass ~1300m), 3km before Ro¾aje

®abljak:

Tara bridge

Berane:

2009-08-11 54km 874Hm
Ro¾aje, Kulina (1795m) [Kosovo] Radafc, Pejë (Taxi) Prizren

Border to Kosovo:

Pejë:

We cheated and took a car to Prizren (big, deep puddles and heavy traffic)

Prizren:

2009-08-12 105km 1697Hm
(17) Prevalac (1515m, ~1100m above Prizren) (17) Doganaj (unnamed pass 1093m, ~500m above Doganaj) [Makedonia] Ja¹ince, 1km before Tetovo

Doganaj:

Border to Makedonia

2009-08-13 128km 1480Hm
Tetovo (M-4) (402) Gostivar (M-4) Novo Selo (409) Bunec (1318m, ~800m above Gostivar) (409) Debar (418) Dolno Lukovo

Tetovo:

We should have stayed on the motorway until Gostivar

Monastery of St. Jovan Bigorski:

2009-08-14 99km 1229Hm
Struga (420) Ohrid (501) Trpejca (504) Livada (1568m, 875m above Lake Ohrid) (504) Lake Prespa (503)

Struga:

Ohrid:

Lake Prespa:

2009-08-15 109km 558Hm
(503) Carev Dvor, Ezerani, Carev Dvor, Kozjak (M-5) Gavako (1167m, 317m above Prespa), Bitola [Greece] Niki, Marina, Itea, Amindeo

Bird-watching excursion near Ezerani

Bitola:

Border to Greece:

2009-08-16 105km 895Hm
Perdikas, Ptolemaida, Mavrodendrei, Kila, Kozani (A2) (20) Grevena

Amindeo:

Grevena:

2009-08-17 114km 584Hm
(15) (6) Kalambaka (6) Trikala (30) Karditsa

Meteora Monasteries near Kalambaka:

Kalambaka:

Karditsa:

2009-08-18 144km 1708Hm
(30) Neo Monastiri (3) Lamia (3) (1) Thermopiles (3) Bralos (27) Gravia (27)

The bike path nonsense is not limited to northern Europe; as soon as a city has some bike traffic, even the Greek try to get rid of that by building a Ghetto for it.

Lunch in Lamia

A bath in the Thermopiles:

Monument and cemetery hill for the Battle of Thermopiles:

Near Bralos:

2009-08-19 65km 768Hm
(27) Amplema (850m) (27) (48) Delfi (Bus) Itea (Bus) Agios Nikolaos (Ferry) Egio, Egio Bus Station (Bus) Kiato, Perigiali

Amfissa:

Delfi:

Ferry from Agios Nokolaos to Egio:

2009-08-20 12km 95Hm
Korinthos (Train) Pireos (Ferry)
2009-08-21 61km 679Hm
Heraklion, Agia Varvara, Mires, Vori
2009-08-22
Vori and surroundings
2009-08-23
Flight back

Anton Ertl