On the 7th March 2018 we set off from Zadar, Croatia and arrived in Athens on the 20th April. This was the first leg of our World Tour and we enjoyed it immensely. The highlights of the tour were Split in Croatia, Mostar in Bosnia, Bay of Kotor in Montenegro and especially the kind and friendly people of Albania. It was early in the year when we set off so campsites were all closed in Croatia. We were able to find places to camp anyhow on closed down holiday resorts. The advantage was that we basically had all of Croatia to ourselves. Mostar in Bosnia was our favourite town we visited on the way and worth making a small detour from the coast. This was our first taste of the East and we enjoyed every minute exploring this historic town. We only cycled three days in Montenegro so we didn’t get to experience too much but the Bay of Kotor was beautiful. Then we entered our favourite country of the Balkans and the tour turned into an adventure. Some of the roads may be in bad condition but the people were just amazing to us. The kindness they showed us as we cycled through the small towns was fantastic. The coast road from Durrës to Ksamil is just mind blowing beautiful. Don’t miss the beaches of Ksamil and the wonderful campsite there. Greece was also nice but it felt like a cycling holiday and not an adventure. It is very easy to cycle here. By the time we entered, most campsites were starting to open. It is an interesting place with lots of ancient sites to visit. We finished the first leg with four days in Athens. The Acropolis is an amazing place to visit.
