Europe: Slovenia to the UK
Before we knew it we were back on the tourist trail. We explored the epic Skocjan caves of Slovenia, fanged it on the Autobahn to Salzburg in Austria, camped in the Black Forest of Germany, hung out in Amsterdam, then rode through Belgium and France before crossing the English Channel on the ferry to the UK.
Here is our route through Europe. There were so many routes to take and places to see. We decided on this route so we could see Austria and Munich.
Slovenia
An example of the awesome tunnels that you see through Slovenia and Austria. The longest tunnel we went through was the Karawanks Tunnel which joins Slovenia and Austria. It's approximately 8km long!
Side of the road toilet break and standard photo of the bikes.
The epic Skocjan caves, which was recommeded to us by our Slovenian cycling buddies Marko and Aljo! You weren't supposed to take photos but I couldnt resist.
Exiting the caves.
This is the area where you are actually allowed to take photos.
Camping near the Skocjan caves. Perfect. That night we were treated to a traditional Slovenian meal called Jota, which is a bean, sauerkraut and pork soup.
The next morning. The dew was so heavy we waited for hours to dry our tents.
The view of Lake Bled from the top of the medieval Bled Castle.
Lake Bled from below showing the castle.
Lake Bled with the toboggan track in the background.
Lake Bled.
Austria
The scenery in Austria is amazing!
Parked in Salzburg. I minded the bikes while Alex searched for cheap accommodation with bike parking. This is where I discovered that the bolts on my exhaust header had rattled off from the vibrations on the autobahn.
Walking around the parks of Salzburg.
We explored the old town of Salzburg. One night in Austria was not enough!
Germany
Entering the Königlicher Hirschgarten beer garden! The largest in Bavaria.
We must be in Munich...!
Beer number 1. Cheers!
Everyone said we had to try the pork knuckle in Munich. A must do for sure.
The town hall in the heart of Munich.
The Hofbräuhaus.
Checking out the Uni Mog museum.
Uni Mog museum.
Quick drink stop at the beginning of the Black Forest.
Wet roads ahead.
My exhaust was still giving me problems so we rode down this track a few times comparing the sounds of the bikes. The bolts had rattled loose again - more loctite required!
We had a rest stop in a nice little German village before heading to our campsite.
We got supplies of spaghetti and bread for dinner.
Setting up camp in the Black Forest. This region of Germany is called Bad Wildbad. Epic.
Alex's home.
Relaxing with a tea. This was sadly our last campsite of the trip. We met a crazy Austrian guy here in a van and Alex had some concerning thoughts about our safety for the night...
We took a detour to the legendary Nurburgring race track. There were hundreds of race spec road bikes... and two fully loaded KLRs.
Scoping out the race track before our turn. For 27 Euros (or about $40 AUD) we had one lap of the track. We were surprised that there was no safety induction... Just get on the track with race cars going past at 250 km/hr!
The Netherlands
Parked up in Amsterdam for a couple of days.
Bikes. Bikes everywhere.
We had to be careful not to get our motorbike tyres stuck in the tram tracks while riding in and out of the city!
The infamous red light district.
Belgium
The bikes parked in Bruges for lunch. We were going to ride to France that afternoon and camp at Calais until we found a cool hostel in the middle of town.
Tourists everywhere. A bit different to Kazakhstan.
Aussie ice cream? Shouldn't that be Copenhagen ice cream?
Bruges at night.
Tourist pose.
Our little cubes for the night. Kind of like being back in Tokyo.
France
After a day riding in the rain on the autobahn we made it to the ferry terminal. We took the vehicle ferry from Calais, France to Dover, UK.
The bikes tied down at the front of the ship.
Alex all good to go. The ferry trip only took a couple of hours.
In the middle of the English Channel with the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance.
Getting ready for the UK! Stay tuned to see if we make it to London!
