Eastern Europe

From Vienna, I rode south, crossing all of Slovenia and reaching the promised land: the Dalmatian coast. As I crested the final hill obscuring the ocean, it was like my trip instantly morphed into the one I knew and hoped it would be. The air was warm, the scenery was lovely, and the roads were twisty as balls.

The best piece of advice I received for this trip was to never, ever, ever, book accommodation in advance. For a motorcyclist, freedom is paramount. The freedom to explore side roads, to grab unexpected coffees with other riders, or just to pull over at a breathtaking viewpoint for an emergency shit due to ANOTHER bout of GI issues. I've always been a relaxed traveler, but I've never not known where I was going to sleep. Turns out this advice was right on the money, and I've really enjoyed playing each day by ear.

The coast is littered with "autocamps," so I rolled into one, and about 30 seconds after jumping off the bike, I was sharing a beer with another camper. 30 minutes later, and another biker rode in and joined us. He and I ended up riding together for three days, hopping between the coast and several islands by ferry. With unrivaled scenery, smooth asphalt, delectable curves, and hardly any cars to pass, I think this was the best riding I've ever done.