Nelson, BC

Our motorcycling adventures will soon continue. This time we have booked an 18 day guided tour of the Balkans on a rental BMW K1600 GT which begins/ends in Slovenia and loops through Bosnia/Hercegovina, Montenegro and Croatia. For those a little fuzzy on European geography – these countries were once part of Yugoslavia and can be found just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy. We considered flying Whiskey Jack to Germany (not as expensive as we thought– last year it was $1200 each way with Air Canada) and going on from there but after weighing all arguments decided to go with a tour company bike.

Why the Balkans? Apparently the region exhibits the natural beauty and geographical features that make it especially appealing to motorcyclists. In addition, everyone comments on the friendliness of the people. But our plan is not without misgivings as one does not need to read much about the Yugoslavian conflict of the early 1990s to experience a sense of discomfort.  To try to understand why these events occurred is another example of the cultural challenges which characterize travel. 

Why the guided tour? This, of course is out of character for us. A combination of factors are at work but the language barrier leads the list. Although we are somewhat familiar with Romance languages we are flummoxed by Slavic languages. And our confusion is compounded by Cyrillic script. Although we are told English is widely spoken in “tourist areas” we hope not to be so restricted. In addition, as we age, pre-organized creature comforts are more appreciated (required?). Pitching our tent in a farmer’s field is no longer an accommodation alternative. 

We will fly from Calgary to Ljubljana via Frankfurt on Friday, May 5. Our itinerary can be found at http://www.adriaticmototours.com/Guided-Tours/Balkans-and-Adriatic-Explorer/Overview/

Bon Voyage to us! Or “Kje je stranišče”!  Wait a minute.  That means “where is the toilet”.

Oh, oh.