Midday Express - Istanbul on the hoof

[Guru Gora]

Day 6 Addendum

Day 6 Addendum.

Regardless of cost, you've got to love a bit of alpine toll road action.

This guy passed me on the inside when I was at 10 10ths

The hunt for the famous ski jumpers continues towards the castle, lovely walk down it was too............

There were guys practicing on all 3 jumps. Pretty cool to see it close up. The walk back up looked a real pig though carrying skis which resemble dinner tables.

On return to get head down the view over the hills is amazing, v happy for this to pass so it can dry out by morning

I elect to run downstairs on my pants to put a towel over the screen and GPS mount, the noise the rain was making a bit later makes me think this was a good move.

 

[Guru Gora]

That caught up with that day apart from a vid of a ski jumper which I cant get to load, not to worry.........

 

[Mjhb]

Fantastic ride report ! Very glad you kept it going, looking forward to the upcoming instalments … I might have to steal your Supermarionation line


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[Guru Gora]

Fantastic ride report ! Very glad you kept it going, looking forward to the upcoming instalments … I might have to steal your Supermarionation line

Thank you, twas a great trip for sure.............. more to come.

Im afraid I bough the Supermarionation TM from Mr Anderson years ago.

Feel free to use it but there's a £1 fee per time, to go into my tour fund

 

[Guru Gora]

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[Guru Gora]

Day 10

Sibiu Romania to Sofia Bulgaria

362 Miles

A proper beast of a day.

First decision is which pass to take, I have a bodge plan and decide to do the Transfurgarrassan on the way back, gotta love the flex.

The trans alpina was as good as I remember it, did the whole lot this time.

It does have a few bits where the road gets a bit gravelly but its a great route.

Down to 7 deg on top which felt like about minus 10 after the last week.

40 miles of 50 mph bends followed by steep climb. Zero traffic. Any bikers put it on your list.

I have a bodge at a map and mentally look at a line to Sofia.

Looking at mapping there appears to be a ferry near a place called Bechet, well there's a dotted line on the map so that'll do.

I amble down that way and hope for the best..................

Happily its running so I crossed border on a massive ferry mainly catering for trucks.

The queue was, without exaggeration about 500 HGV, that would translate as hours of waiting, luckily a port worker spots me and directs me to bypass the queue.

Border crossings at the ferry was straight forward enough, apart from the lady doing customs into Bulgaria. I showed her my,

“Ron Burgundy, access all areas” meme and all well.

This is a stroke of luck as Id have waited otherwise. I can now make Sofia at a reasonable time, border exit and entry allowing........

After the crossing that the roads were good quality but a bit dull so I picked out route 16 off map as it followed a river valley, usually a good thing.

Great find. Perfect surface and again 25 miles of uninterrupted 50 mph bends. Amazing.

Sun shining , bike running sweetly, A Holiday Inn to come; and the Nolan sisters on my Scala. Tick Tick Tick and Big tick.

I'm in a "biking", "gashed planning", and "I'm in the mood for dancing" induce state of trip nirvana.

Had to top tyres up today for first time, the bloke at garage got a bit over zealous with the psi ….

Holiday inn as treat after 11.30 hour day. Jacuzzi and swim.

As I’m a diamond elite member I got a suite and free everything, the suite is totally wasted on me but I do I sense a buffet bandit situation building for the morning…….

Greece tomorrow via Bulgaria ski areas.

Pics have it ……..

Stay safe all.

 

[Kitsilano]

Superb! This is the zest of life that we are all here for! (Just that for most, the busy-ness of daily life is a brick wall....you have done well to knock out enough bricks to get through!).

Will be interested in your thoughts on Greece...

 

[Guru Gora]

Random archway en route to Trans Alpina.

Still very hot, and the weather is ok too

Mid way on the “Health and Safety Express”

Very tempting to ride off.

The heat and the midges, as hopefully the video will show.

 

[Guru Gora]

 

[Guru Gora]

Some of my You Tube stuff insists as uploading as shorts, but the scooter clip didn't.

I'm sure someone will advise me on it ........................

 

[Guru Gora]

My finest “Danube Ice”

See Zoolander if that’s lost on you

Showing this will always ensure a swift entry to any country

To be fair both crossings were fairly decent.

Again I managed to queue jump,(is it still jumping if you're marshalled to do so ??), saving a lot of time, and a lot of sitting around in the heat sweating like a pregnant nun.

Onwards to Sofia...........

 

[richie]

Some of my You Tube stuff insists as uploading as shorts, but the scooter clip didn't.

I'm sure someone will advise me on it ........................

Sorry Guru Gora, Never happens to me, so I have no idea.

 

[Guru Gora]

Pan right…… 500 trucks waiting …..

Re briefing the garage attendant on the nuances of the Michelin Road 5, I think he was used to blowing up truck tyres so the air came out at a velocity similar to an F35 at max reheat.

 

[Guru Gora]

So honking along the valley road to Sofia and me does some advance hazard perception training ......................

Bonus points for not getting killed by a rogue Lada

Yes I know a ditch is not particularly glamorous, but it beats getting flattened every few hours...........

tired and hot, I'm very glad I have a nice hotel already sorted out..........

 

[Guru Gora]

This hotel was a very welcome sight I can assure you...................

Knackered......

Me pre S S S S S

Post S S S S S, you can work that out

This is in the 'new money' bit of Sofia.

I have a bimble around, its a bit like the square mile in London.

Bit of food and an early night, its been a fairly full on trip thus far and I'm a bit tired.

Not you usual 'adventure god' grandstanding statement, but I'm finding my concentration levels are not at what they should be maybe.

Ive tried to be Ron von Stolberg............but I aint man enough........

Throttle back tomorrow, literally and metaphorically me thinks.

I've possibly 'front loaded' the trip a bit but I wanted to give Istanbul a decent look over.

 

[Guru Gora]

So tomorrow is into Greece via the Bulgaria Ski area of Bansko.

I recon I deserve a day off the bike, so assuming all goes well I'll book 2 nights in Greece near the coast somewhere.

Get my shit in one sock ready for Istanbul.

I'm reckoning 3 night in Istanbul, giving me 2 days to do 'normal' stuff.

2 nights in same place followed by 3 nights in same place................blimey, I'm getting more time off than Ann Franks drum kit................

Anyway, head down and go again..............see you at breakfast.

 

[Guru Gora]

And finally today folks..............

remember crime does not always pay.................

 

[Guru Gora]

Sorry Guru Gora, Never happens to me, so I have no idea.

I think the lesson for me is to make them at least 1 minute long

 

[Von Stolberg]

Ive tried to be Ron von Stolberg............but I aint man enough........

ROD !!! Von Stolberg. Doh!

I don't advise anyone to follow me at all, in fact they should always do the opposite!

If there’s a left fork that leads to a golden paradise, and the right fork that leads to a bleak industrial estate, you can guarantee i’ll pick the wrong un’

I am excellent at finding foreign police officers and their radar units tho…

 

[Guru Gora]

Spelin not my strong point Dave