Autor: Carsten Nolte

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Balkan, quick trip (May 2025)

Hello all!

After leaving Albania, we moved through the ‚Balkan‘, for us: five countries of that region in quick succession — Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Hungary. We were heading back to Germany for early-June appointments, which meant there was only little time for deeper exploration. Yet even in this condensed rhythm, we at least could get a little first impression of those countries.

Montenegro greeted us with mountain air and a calm border crossing (one of the things we really enjoy in Europe – easyborder crossings!). But we couldn’t look around very much since Wischnewski needed some care and we had to look for a workshop: there was a leak in the diesel system so that air could come into the system (that Wischnewski does not like, in the mountains he made ‚ufufuf‘ …). After rapairs were done we could continued into Biogradska Gora with it dense forests.

Bosnia and Herzegovina added contrast driven by its muslim influence. Mostar and Sarajevo were interesting to visit. …we parked at one of the old ’ski jump installations‘ of the Olympic Winter Games.

Croatia could only leave a little mark in our diary. But Zagreb could still impress because of its big historical marks.  

Hungary became the most eventful part of this fast route north. A great surprise it was to meet some family members in Hungary. That was an unexpected pleasure! But shortly after arriving in Hungary, Carsten broke one of his front teeth — an incident that required several days of treatment. Fortunately, Hungary is known for its competent dental care, so professional help could be found quickly in the city of Soporon.

Looking back, our passage through these four countries was shorter than we would have wished. But despite the tempo  each place left an imprint. Even when rushing, there was always something to appreciate.

Greetings from
Heike & Carsten

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Here you find some pictures from Balkan

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Wonderful Albania (April 2025)

Hello all!

Albania greeted us with a simplicity that immediately felt welcoming. The border crossing was quick and calm, setting the tone for the weeks ahead. Afterward, our navigation system guided us onto a mountain road that grew steadily narrower — not an ideal setting for a truck. With a ditch on one side and a concrete ledge on the other, we had to stop. We got stuck! When the rain began, the situation became a bit stressful, yet the village nearby responded with remarkable pragmatism. People arrived with tools. We had to break our truck free by knocking down a part of the balcony where we got stuck. No problem for the villagers, they were so helpful. And when we could move the truck again …we first had to come in to have a coffee and a grappa 😉 This moment remains unforgettable because it reflected the natural warmth and sincerity we repeatedly encountered throughout Albania.

Another defining aspect of Albania is its food. In many regions, the quality is reminiscent of Tuscany — not in style, but in essence. Vegetables, meat, and baked goods often come directly from local farmers. You can taste the freshness and the straightforward approach to ingredients. The taste really is different! The prices are moderate, and the excellent food adds an understated richness to the travel experience.

Perhaps it is this combination of authenticity, good cuisine, and genuine hospitality that makes Albania one of our favorite travel destinations. Nothing feels artificial or staged. The country presents itself honestly, without trying to impress. People are open, friendly, and sincerely interested in their guests.

For overlanders, Albania offers exceptional variety — with one important note: mountain roads require attention. They are often scenic and impressive, yet at times narrow enough that larger vehicles should plan carefully. Those who do will find landscapes ranging from rugged mountains to coastal plains, each with its own distinct atmosphere.

At the end of a day, when the sun sets behind the mountains and the calm of the landscape settles in, the uniqueness of this country becomes tangible. 

We are certain: we will return!

Greetings from
Heike & Carsten

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Here you find some pictures from Albania

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Enjoying great wine in North Macedonia (March 2025)

Hello all!

Another new country on our list: North Macedonia. A quick visit we had. Very positive was driving through pretty mountain areas and experiencing the good quality of wine in North Macedonia.
Especially Skopje was special because they had a kind of restauration project running some years ago and they built a mass of statues and historically looking buildings all over the city centre. An amazing result but be careful not to stumble over one of the statues… they are everywhere, looking at you 🙂
The little city ‚Ohrid‘ at Ohrid Lake left a very special impression on us (a recommendation for a visit!). Even as spring was only just starting, we still got a bit the feeling of being in Tuscany/Italy. The architecture and colours of buildings did remind us, so did the flora. We found very pretty little mountain villages and it was good to visit them on the motorcycle. Unfortunately, we had bad luck with the weather so that we had to move on after only one week (did not have that much bad weather for 3 years…). So we were heading towards Albania earlier than expected. North Macedonia, we will return!

Greetings from
Heike & Carsten

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Here you find some pictures from North Macedonia

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Bulgaria for the second time (March 2025)

Hello all!

Crossing the border back into the EU was a bit scaring because if you return with your vehicle after more than 3 years of absence an import tax can be asked from the customs. That would have been very unpleasant because this potentially would have been very expensive and stressful for us. But (once more) crossing the border at weekends is a good trick. Not much traffic and not many people who like to work at Bulgarian customs. All was a bit sleepy. So the whole thing (exit of Turkey and entry to Bulgaria) took only 1 hour and nobody asked any questions at all. We were happy and really relieved!

We gave ‚Riaan‘ a visit at his new camper stop and visited the pretty little town ‚Plowdiv‘. We did not visit Bulgaria for a long time but had a positive impression at all. Obviously, it felt different than being in Turkey, no more big Muslim influence. Maybe Bulgaria felt a little less warm in welcoming foreigners. The overall impression was: a nice country site, rural and in parts poor. And of course, we were very happy about being able to have plenty of pork meat again (yummy!).

Greetings from
Heike & Carsten

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Here you find some pictures from Bulgaria

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Turkey: Back in Europe – with great happiness (February 2025)

Hello!

Coming back from a very long trip through Persia, Arabia, Pakistan and India we were very much looking forward to visit Turkey again in February. Back in Europe! That maybe doesn’t sound like a big thing, but it was, for us. Even if travelling in foreign countries and different cultures is so much exiting (it really is!), you are never able to completely really understand the spirits and behaviours over there. Returning to Europe means ‚returning to better known habits‘, returning home. And this starts in Turkey, a country that is a mixture of Muslim and the Western world. It may sound funny, but it is relaxing to live again in a better-known environment, life is just simpler to be managed, and everything is much easier to understand. This is not only about languages, it’s about understanding cultural and religious habits, gestures, mimic and gestic.

The memories from our last visit of Turkey in 2022 were so fabulous that we were very happy to return. Arrived we saw again the wonderful Mount Ararat with blue sky and snow at the top, a great start! Unfortunately, we could not enjoy the East part of Turkey extensively since we had an appointment in the city ‚Adana‘ (at the coast). We got 4 new batteries for our cabin since the old ones were dead after 14 years of usage (what a good result for Victron AGM batteries!). Heike took a flight home to Germany from Adana to do tax statements and to organize some bureaucracy. During the 2 weeks of her absence, I used the time to get some more things fixed at the truck. That worked very well at Mercedes Tarsus so that Wischnewski is almost completely prepared for our trip to Africa (that will start in September 2025). After Heikes return we spent another 4 weeks in Turkey, and we enjoyed very much to be able to shop groceries in real supermarkets (real bread and real sausages!). A big surprise was the price level in Turkey. 3 years ago, Turkey was a very cheap country to stay for us, but it is not anymore due to high inflation. A very beautiful event was visiting Cappadocia with its special mountain formations and almost 100 balloons that we could watch lifting very early in the morning. Another special site to visit was Istanbul. We had extraordinary look to meet friends from Pakistan (Hussain from Lahore) and Oliver & Michelle from Germany, they also visited Istanbul when we were there too. What a nice coincidence!

Greetings from
Heike & Carsten

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Here you find some pictures from Turkey

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