Before the trip

In 2025, I had already been on two relatively short bike trips, each lasting less than 10 days, both starting from Austria and both leading into northern Italy (to Trieste and Lake Garda, respectively). On the first trip (here is the link, should you want to scan through it), I had to return home (to Budapest, to be precise) for a business discussion. On the second one (here is the link), the weather forecast looked bleak, plus I had quite a few to-do’s waiting at home. All in all, I hadn’t managed a multiple-week ride that year — the kind I truly enjoy — so by August, I knew the time had come.

One day before the trip, I spoke to my friend Márta and told her I was considering heading north, through the Czech Republic, Poland, the Baltics, and maybe even Finland. While she didn’t discourage me, she said she strongly preferred the idea of going south. I reflected on her words and recalled some less-than-successful attempts in that direction. For example, in 2023 I set off north, but on the second day — just past Brno — the meniscus in my knee tore, and I had to limp home (well, at least until the train), and eventually undergo surgery. That left scars, both literal and figurative, so heading north didn’t seem too appealing. The year before, in 2024, I had ridden westward to France (here is the link for that trip), so the southern route started looking more attractive.

That’s when memories of another bike trip surfaced — back in 2022, when I had aimed to reach Greece by bike (here is the link). I went through the Balkans, but at the Kosovo-Albania border my bike’s hub broke, forcing me to return to Zagreb for repairs. I did eventually make it to Greece — but not on the bike; instead I flew out of Milan. Quite an interesting trip that was!

And so, in 2025, I decided to try again: to make it to Greece by bike, this time via the Balkans — a decision I definitely haven’t regretted.

Let’s see how that went.