TRAVELING THE TRANS DINARICA
NEW ROUTE THROUGH THE BALKANS
My trip through along the Trans Dinarica Bicycle Route this summer was great. I signed up to receive updates on the continued building of the trail, and the videos of the GoodTrail team’s progress was awe inspiring and enticing! When their new navigation pack for the Balkan region was released, I knew I had to go.
The mountainous route goes through 8 Balkan countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. GoodTrail’s goal is to “Facilitate and solidify community-based tourism efforts around the world while also providing visitors with a method for engaging in real travel.”
The hearts on the map show places where I spent the night. Stars indicate national parks, and flags are other places I wanted to go - if not this trip, then on a future trip.
Jo, who was my co-conspirator on alternate route adventures during my Continental Divide Ride, reached out to me when she heard about my Balkan plan. She was up for another adventure! Jo is a seasoned traveler and has visited 69 countries.
TRAVELLING DIFFERENTLY
Usually, I travel solo. The two group cycling trips I’ve taken included the flexibility to cycle at one’s own pace… so I could still cycle in solitude. As an introvert, I need a lot of alone time, so I’ve resisted traveling with companions. Another big reason for solo traveling is I don’t want to feel responsible for someone else’s experience. I like complete flexibility and spontaneity, and don’t want to get boxed in to an itinerary, or have to justify or explain a pivot.
My experience with Jo on the Continental Divide Ride was that our travel styles meshed. We both liked to team up when we were anticipating challenging days and create our own alternate route. We had so much fun being spontaneous! She is also an introvert, so the need for solitude was understood.
I wanted to accept the challenge of traveling with a companion and it turned out this trip was so much richer with Jo! We were completely on the same page with plans, pivots and spontaneity. We agreed on a route each evening, and while we often started at the same time in the morning, Jo is a faster cyclist than me - especially on the uphill - and I am faster on the downhill… so we would catch up with each other at some point in the day. This worked great. We weren’t attached at the hip, and we had our independence. It was wonderful to have someone to laugh with and share our perceptions of the landscape, food and people.
WE ARE ROLLING!
This adventure begins in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and the first thing I see as I’m leaving the airport is a beautiful snow dusted peak in the center of a great 360 degree view. Mimi, who provides transport services, picks me up along with my bike-in-a-box. She drops me off at Loose Cycles where an expert team puts my bike together and I could donate the box. My next stop is Hostel Celica, where I stayed on my last visit, and it felt like coming home. I so enjoy the company of Mirko, Goncalo, and Melica (not shown) who organizes everything including the evening entertainment.
Jo arrived in Ljubljana before me to do some sightseeing and she is staying at a different hostel. We meet up at My Dumplings Slovenia for the best Struklja! We take a walk around town and enjoy more good food including the best avocado toast in town.
Matevz from GoodTrail is kind enough to come to the hostel to give us pointers about our biking route. We all wear our EZ PZ visors to set the tone for our adventure!
Up next… the biking begins!