Perspective
July 22, 2023 Often we get asked “Where are you from?” Sometimes we just answer “Texas”, as if Texas is a country. To Americans, and especially Texans, it sort of is. It’s bigger than many countries. Texas even used a slogan for a while that called it “A whole other country.” Cover of the 2013 […]
Bulgaria II: Churches, Monasteries, and the UFO Monument to Communism
May 27-June 1, 2023 It may sound strange, with us suffering “castle burnout” and “church burnout” after our second year in Europe visiting all of these amazing places, but we were headed to visit some churches and a monastery in Bulgaria. Though admittedly these are a little different. Shortly after crossing the border from Romania […]
Peleș Castle, Nevermore Academy, and Border Crossing Screw-up #2
May 27, 2023 Several people we met suggested that if we were going to see castles in Romania, we really needed to see Peleș Castle, and with a little research, we agreed that it looked beautiful. But after Bran, we were approaching Castle Burnout, and we decided that we would ride up to Peleș Castle, […]
Bran: Dracula’s Castle(?), and new food experiences
May 25-26 The city of Bran, Romania is most famous for its’ castle. In fact, the opening line of the Wikipedia post for Bran Castle says — and I quote — “Bran Castle is a castle in Bran.” Now that’s some high-level investigative journalism there. So, just a warning, but this could get a bit […]
Romania: Transfagarasan Highway and Vlad the Impaler
May 24-25, 2023 This was our first time in Romania, and with only several days, we had a couple of “must see” items on our list. First, we were headed to the Transfagarasan Highway. This road is very famous among motorcyclists and others who love scenic, twisty drives. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t be able to do […]
Entering Romania: How to Screw Up an Easy Border Crossing (Twice!)
May 24, 2023 We were headed north into Romania for several days before making a U-turn and heading back to Bulgaria to park the bike for a short trip home. Leaving Bulgaria and crossing into Romania, we experienced Self-Inflicted Border Crossing Screw-up #1. But first a little background… At most border crossings in Mexico, Central […]
Bulgaria I: Stopping By MotoCamp On The Way Through
May 22-23, 2023 Crossing into Bulgaria, you can almost still feel the old communist ties. Many of the buildings still have that look and feel. As well they should; it’s only been a little over thirty years since Bulgaria abolished the Communist Party’s leading role in the country, and held its first multi-party elections. It’s […]
Greece
May 13-22, 2023 As we’ve traveled through five dozen countries, we’ve made it a habit to always try to learn a few basic words in the local language, whether Spanish, Swahili, French, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, etc. Being able to say “Hello”, “Goodbye”, “Thank you”, “Excuse me”, and “Toilet” are all important, and you can almost […]
Country Number 56: Albania
May 9-13, 2023 We caught the overnight ferry from Bari, Italy to Durres, Albania. The ferry ride is about eight hours, so we spent most of the ride sleeping. In the queue before boarding we net a couple from Serbia on a BMW who were heading home on a different ferry (there are a few […]
Tavullia, Italy: Visiting The Doctor
May 8, 2023 Mention Tavullia, Italy to just about anyone in Europe, and you will likely get a two-word response: Either “Il Dottore” (“The Doctor”), or “Valentino Rossi”. Rossi, for those Americans who may not follow motorsport like Europeans do, is the nine time World Champion MotoGP racer. His fans are, well, fanatical, and so […]
To continue reading about this leg of our journey, click the “700 Travels” link under each post. The story will continue in chronological order. At the bottom of the page, you’ll need to click “Older Posts” to continue, even though it will actually take you to newer (chronologically) posts. Thanks!