Why a circumnavigation of the Adriatic Sea? Not just because it's there, but that would be reason enough... My Wild Writing Women group traditionally takes a biennial retreat in an exotic location and this time it is in Porto Heli on the Greek penninsula-island of Peloponnesos. When I opened my well-worn AAA Planning Map of Europe I immediately noticed that a lovely blue oval was sparkling quite near Greece, the Adriatic Sea. It looked about perfect for a leisurely month-long road trip and so I started dreaming of ferry systems and languages I'd never heard spoken and campgrounds on beaches and mountainside byways crumbling into the sea. Though I have traveled Italy extensively I've never visited Venice and the Adriatic Coast, and who could resist seeing Dubrovnic -- the famous walled Yugoslavian city that was so sadly destroyed by bombs during their recent war. Now that the borderlines have been re-drawn and Dubrovnic is repaired "like new" the island-dotted Dalmatian Coast is growing crowded with vacationing Europeans who enjoy relaxing in the sunshine at 7 Croatian Kunas to the Euro. I pick up the Breva at the Moto Guzzi dealership Mandello del Lario (Lake Como) where I'll also help celebrate Alis Agostini's birthday. Alis is the woman who runs the dealership; I met her when I rode the Moto Guzzi California EV 1100 in 2001. Interestingly, I'm working with two women on this trip, Alis Agostini and Stephani Galli, the PR rep for Moto Guzzi who actually authorized my use of the bike. From Lake Como it's a day trip to Venice at the top of the Adriatic Sea. After two nights in that famous city I'll ride the Italian coastline south to Brindisi, stopping to camp along the sea a few nights. An overnight ferry will take me Greece for a retreat with my writing group (the Wild Writing Women) and Lonely Planet's Maureen Wheeler in Porto Heli (in the region of Argolidos, located on the southern tip of the penninsula-island of Peloponnesos). From Greece, a scenic ride up the west coast will take me to into Albania, then quickly in and out of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia-Montenegro, as they only have small strips of coastline. Croatia has a long coast dotted with islands, and then quicky into Slovenia's slice of beach before I re-enter Italy to complete the circumnavigation of the Adriatic Sea and return the Breva to Moto Guzzi. I leave on June 1, and return July 6. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I do! --Carla |
Get the
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
