Athens, Greece
 

I wasn't really in the mood for a big city, so I restricted my time in Athens to getting an oil change at the BMW dealership. I missed ALL the culture!! My excuse is that I had “done” that in a fairly recent business trip.

My headlight bulb had gone, so they fixed that for me too and adjusted the angle of the headlight, which somehow had gone nearly vertical. Probably when I was adjusting the screen.

They put 15w50 synthetic in the bike, which is good given the super hot weather I have been riding in. I had been running 10w40. The bike had used 1 liter of oil in about 5,000 miles, which I thought was reasonable (as did the dealer).

They charged $90 for all the above, including all parts and labor. I thought that was pretty good. Oh and they went out and got me a latte which I drank while I was waiting - which was only 45 minutes. So, a big thumbs up to BMW Athens - who also speak English!

In hindsight, I should have had them adjust the valves, but that would have meant waiting 3 hours for the engine to cool down. I may have to do them myself, and I have brought the tools. I’m not sure if I can do this without some way of capturing the old oil. Suggestions welcomed.

Thessaloniki, Greece
 

A big highlight in Thessaloniki was sharing a garage with an 88 Africa Twin (with 140,000 km on clock). There are a LOT of them in Greece, which is a testament to their reliability and I suppose to Honda’s marketing. By comparison, I saw no old Tenere or Super Tenere, and certainly no Suzuki DR750/800s. I am developing a plan to import old Africa Twins into the US, probably from Germany but maybe Greece too.

I spent time in the impressive archaeology museum. The gold collection was really amazing.

As ever, I spent a lot of time just walking around the city. The sea front promenade walk was great. Lots of locals out enjoying themselves. Lots of cafe life.

Skopje, Republic of Northern Macedonia
 

Driving north from Greece to the “Northern Republic of Macedonia” presented an interesting challenge..

I had no Green Card cover for the country, and despite pointing this out to me, the border control let me through without it. This was a BIG surprise.
I knew Macedonia (abbreviated from this point) was one of the most expensive countries to buy it for.

After the border were multiple kiosks selling the cards. Do I buy one or not? My concerns were, firstly, if I was stopped by the police without one … And, secondly, would I get out of the country without one (I faced this issue in Bosnia)....

Well, it was a 50 Euro decision. I played safe, bought it and of course did not need it at all during my stay.

Macedonian minor roads were in poor condition, with rocks and gravel everywhere. As it turned out (see a future episode) compared to Hungary and Romania, they were great!!

I had a great AirBnB host in Skopje, whose father gave me good food and home made Rakia. He spoke bad German, I spoke bad German. After a few glasses that no longer mattered.

Macedonia is inexpensive. The average wage is 3000-4000 EU per year. So if you avoid tourist traps, this is good news for the traveller. I was lucky in having a local NC750X biker guide who showed me the best places. Thank you Filip.

The Skopje statues were everywhere and according to Filip are part of a government money laundering operation. Good photographic backdrops ..

A final point - Skopje Is very safe for bikes according to the locals. Theft is really rare, so that can be a factor in planning your accommodation.

Belgrade, Serbia
 

I headed North from Skopje and into Serbia. The border crossing was pleasantly uneventful.

Belgrade has the post communist grimy feel to which I am now becoming accustomed. Graffiti, run down apartment blocks, trash on the streets. All good for photography. My apartment typified this, and was a complete hole. By far the worst of the trip. I wondered why it was so cheap!!

For lovers of street photography, I recommend the bus depot and old train station.

The weather was initially super hot and humid. Walking around the city center, I saw one thermometer reading 41 C - and it felt hotter.

A huge thunderstorm rolled in which kept me indoors. It did save me the task of washing the GS.

2005 GS vs 2019 NC750X
 

After riding in and around Skopje on an NC750X, I thought it would be entertaining and controversial to compare it to my 2005 R1200GS. Let me say up front, I enjoyed riding the NC and think it would we a good bike to take around the world, with certain tweaks ...

Let’s start with the riding position and comfort:

The seat on the NC is about the same height as my GS, which has a low factory seat.

The knee angle and leg room feels about the same on both bikes.

The GS bars are more upright and wider. The NC is still comfortable but its bars are too low for standing up while riding.

Seat comfort is similar - so not very :)

Turning to the engines:

The NC has less vibration through the bars than my GS. Both offer easy cruising at 70-80. I feeling of the “pulse” of the NC engine through the bars. The NC has no exhaust noise. Too little in fact. I would change the exhaust

NC brakes require more of a squeeze than the GS and cause fork dive. I had actually forgotten that the GS telelever removes dive.

How about handling? The GS felt more planted/stable at speed and around fast sweeping curves. The NC was lighter and more flickable in town. The GS suspension felt better all round

There is lots more noise from the NC screen. This might have been the after market tall screen on the bike I was riding, but I doubt it.

Overall then, the NC is much thinner and feels a lot lighter than the GS. Its controls have more of a budget feel..

If I bought an NC, I would add the following to make it suitable for long distance adventure riding:

.. crash bars
.. soft luggage
.. fog lamps
.. heated grips
.. GPS mount
.. cruise control

BTW .. the of a new NC in the US is about the same as a 2005 GS ...

Tarcal Winery, Hungary
 

Situated in the Tokai region of Hungary, the Tarcal winery was my overnight stop en route to the Ukraine.

The owner greeted me, gave me a tour of the winery and its cellars, and then brought a selection of his excellent white wines for a tasting.

It was a fun session and I recommend it. The winery is in a quiet farming town, and the location was very relaxing.

After the tasting, he dropped me off at a local restaurant. It was a little disappointing given its high end image, although the goulash soup was pretty good.

The Ukraine border - and no further
 

I left the Tarcal winery in high spirits (no pun intended) and headed for the border of Ukraine, with Lv’iv my destination for the day…

I was placed in a small room for an hour on the Hungarian side while my documents were scrutinized and then given the thumbs up to exit the country.

A bridge with an AK (Krinkov in fact!) toting guard marked the Ukraine entry point - and that was as far as I got. Ukraine was the first country on my journey that wanted to see my original title to the bike as well as the registration document. I only had the latter.

An hour of discussion - mainly by Google translate - and tqlk of “solutions” proved fruitless, and I went back to Hungary. Lesson learned. Either choose a smaller, less stringent border post, or bring your title (whether or not it is actually needed).

I now have mine with me - plus a a very good copy that I will be using if the situation reoccurs. I wilk be attempting re-entry late in my trip ...

Moto Camp Romania
 

So, with Ukraine off the itinerary, I had a decision to make. Where should I go next. I decided to head south to Moto Camp Romania, which I had wanted to visit anyway.

To summarize, the Moto Camp is a great guest house and grounds for camping, owned by Doru who owns a Honda Dominator and knows all the local roads that you will be riding.

It is super cheap and super good. Definitely check it out. I stayed there 3 days. It’s also located in a very pretty town. Actually, the whole of Romania is very scenic.

This was the perfect base for riding the two Trans passes - the Transalpina and Transfagarasan, both of which offered spectacular views and excellent windy roads.

The Transfaragasan pass was not officially opened for another week, and to ride it I had to squeeze the bike through a pedestrian access door. Totally worth it. I was lucky enough to see a brown bear on the way down, which was unexpected.

I also took the GS off road for about 15 kilometers. As I had road tires, there was a certain amount of pucker factor involved.

One small hiccup was that I over filled the GS brake reservoir, and spent a pleasant morning stopping every 5 minutes to wipe off the spilage. Lesson learned - check the fluid level with the bike on the center stand!

Moto Camp Bulgaria
 

A great facility but lots of Americans!!

“He who travels the most” is their moto, and their lives center on HUBB and its events. They were riding VStroms, GSAs, Africa Twins, KTMs and by no means last, a DR650 heading to Mongolia.

By the end of my stay, I longed for the company of Europeans unable to speak English :)

The camp also has a lot of British visitors - both riders and local residents.

The day following my arrival from Moto Camp Romania, I lounged around with only a quick trip to the nearby (and very impressive) fortress in Tsarevets. After three consecutive 8 hour riding days, it was great to rest.

On day three, I rode to several nearby communist built monuments, all of which were visually impressive (and reached by truly terrible roads).

It is worth noting that Bulgaria has a lot of police on patrol running speed traps. Allegedly for road safety reasons.

Moto Camp Bulgaria lacks the spectacular roads of Moto Camp Romania, but it has a loyal clientele who return frequently.

It is VERY easy to stay there for a long time as it is very relaxing, cheap AND they really take care of you and your bike. They have beer, ice cream, order in food, a washing machine, a mechanic and bike storage. I had to force myself to hit the road again, but I will be back!

Belogradchick, Bulgaria
 

I wanted a couple of stops between Moto Camp Bulgaria and Bucharest. After looking for green bits on the map chose Belogradchick In Vidin province, in north west Bulgaria in the foothills of the Balkan mountains.

Belogradchick Fortress was constructed during Roman rule, and extended in the 14th and 19th centuries but incorporates a stunning rock formation. It’s the rocks that make it is so distinctive amd worth a visit. Be prepared for some climbing when you get there, and when the weather is in the mid 30s, it will kill you ..

In the evening I visited an excellent local restaurant, although the waitress kep my change without asking, earning a 40% tip. The meal was so inexpensive, I did not argue. I can recommend the sausages, which are a pretty safe bet wherever you go in Eastern Europe. This really is a local place, accessed through a hole in a wall. No tourists. Very low key.

The morning of my departure I rode to the nearby Venetsa cave. I was one of two tourists to get a tour, which was given in Bulgarian. As it consisted of many references to stalactites, stalagmites and onyx, I felt like I did not miss out hugely. Anyway, the caves were great, with very impressive, well lit rock formations and I got lots of good pictures. A side benefit is that you can keep your riding gear on as they are lovely and cool. They are really a hidden gem. Note, you will be going up and down steep ladders and squeezing down tight passages ..

Craiova, Romania
 

I get the impression that the city of Craiova is not often visited by tourists. For me it was a convenient stop on my way to Bucharest.

After a few hours of wandering aimlessly, during which I picked up a SIM card from Orange (36 gig for $7), I met up with a local GS rider.

He imported a line of designer line of Italian clothes, but his business was closed for alleged VAT fraud. So now he rides his GS, rents out various properties, and contemplates what business opportunity to pursue next.

We visited a great local restaurant, which just happened to serve up REALLY cheap ice cold beer. The locals like folk songs as they eat and drink, which took a little getting used to,

After that, as the dusk closed in, we took a street tour, seeing former flats of military intelligence officials. A case of privilege.

The next morning after visiting an excellent patisserie (apple strudel was great), it was time to head to Bucharest.

Bucharest, Romania
 

My AirBnB was next to Cismigiu park, which put most destinations within walking distance. It was comfortable, but old fashioned. It has no AC, but after riding in 30+ temperatures for a couple of months this was not a problem!

I started my visit with a service at Automobile Bavaria which is about 15km outside the city center. This came to $95 for a brake fluid change and valve adjustment. Both items were preventative maintenance. It had been 8,000 miles since I adjusted the valves, and I have not changed to fluid in the 5 years I have had the bike.

I decided to take the bus back into town and get the bike the next morning. It was a long walk to the bus stop, and I was caught out in a torrential rain storm with huge thunderclaps. I mean HUGE. I took shelter in a restaurant and so started the day with a hearty meal of potatoes and spicy peas. Odd, but good.

The bus journey required a small detour to buy a ticket, as you cannot do this on the bus itself. By detour, I mean I took an illegal journey on a bus with no ticket to a station where they actually sold them. The fine would have been about $11 if I had been caught. So I was not really panicking about it ..

After this experience I decided to take Uber for the bike pick up. It was $6 and well worth it.

So what did I do during my time in Bucharest?

The military museum was a highlight. It’s huge and crammed with planes, tanks, artillery, weapons, clothing and historical artifacts. The main building shows the evolution of the Romanian state. I spent about 4 hours wandering round it, and it was excellent.

For my photography, I took shots of park life using my 85mm 1.4 manual focus Rokinon. These turned out well. But then I tried various cityscapes, with my wide angle 12mm Rokinon manual focus and they were terrible - I am really bad at this type of photography

I sampled a LOT of pastries and cakes. They were all great. I drank no alcohol for 4 days - shocker - but cracked on my last night and bought a local Merlot.

I thought about a new helmet purchase as my Shark Vision R is old and starting to look a little worn around the edges. But 20% VAT makes buying back in the US more sensible.

I also purchased my Turkish visa online. $20, and it was immediately emailed back to me.

Next stop, an overnighter at MotoCamp Bulgaria on the way to Sofia….

Great story, can't wait for the next episode:thumbup1:

You know you can reclaim the VAT when you leave the EU don’t you? Here is a link

I did read up on it. Maybe I will have a look in Istanbul.