On My Way Home

Motorcycle Journey / Rome – Ancona – Croatia – Montenegro – Serbia

Hello everyone. We also came to the end of the series about my trip through Italy on a motorcycle.

I apologise for not having enough material to capture all the moments. I didn’t know then that I would write and make videos about my travels. I hope I have evoked at least a little and inspired you to explore some places yourself.

This one is the last video of the Italy serial, and it refers to going home. Each of us feels a little sad but happy about returning home from one of the adventure trips, like this one, a motorcycle journey. The trip through Italy ends, but I still have to cover a specific mileage and pass some exciting places on my way home. My motorcycle trip is still going on. I will take you through how I organized my return home on a motorcycle so that I do not feel that feeling of sadness:)

After Rome, I needed to reach the ferry in Ancona to reach Croatia and then Montenegro. In Montenegro, I spent a couple of days before heading home to Belgrade. It was still a long motorcycle journey and lots of beautiful emotions but different from Italy.

Last morning in Rome

Another wonderful morning in Italy. Time served me on this motorcycle trip. A week and a half of the journey was only sunny until the journey’s end. It was a cloudy sky in Serbia but mostly dry and pleasant.

I had a last coffee in Rome, breakfast, and a short plan where I would stop on the way to Ancona on my way home. I have to arrive on time for the ferry otherwise I will miss the only transport I have that day.

Plan for a trip home

Day # 1

I need time to catch the ferry on the way home. I will travel at night starting from 8 o’clock as far as I can remember. I hoped to get a good night’s sleep while the ship sways on the waves.

Day # 2

The final destination for the day was Lustica Bay in Montenegro. I settled in with my best friend.

Day # 3 # 4

The plan was to stay a few days and enjoy the sea and the company. I hadn’t seen Ivan about a year ago since I left for New Zealand.

Day # 5

The last day was reserved for returning home through Serbia. I wasn’t sure if I would spend the night somewhere, but I didn’t worry much. In Serbia, you always have accommodation somewhere.

Motorcycle Journey Routes

The longest route was from Split to Lustica Bay, about 5 hours without stopping, and from Lustica to Belgrade, about 8.5 hours without stopping.

But I didn’t mind because I enjoyed the ride, which is slightly different from driving at home. I usually don’t have much time at home, and I often go a short route in a somewhat more sporty style in an hour. It is usually 20 minutes in one direction, then I drink coffee or tea and return home for another 20 minutes. I like to practice driving around curves. It is a fantastic feeling.

I partially packed up the night before to have time to enjoy coffee and breakfast. Happy as never in my life, I had another plan for this trip, the MotoGP races to watch. I was supposed to watch MotoGP with Valentino Rossi somewhere around 2 pm, 2.30 pm.

Motorcycle Journey Story

I have to justify why I wear a helmet that says Lorenzo and not Valentino Rossi. Simply, it’s a story related to my downfall that happened while I was practicing driving. I came across a large oil stain that hit the front wheel. It is challenging to control the engine when you get the oil on the front wheel. Luckily I was coming out of the curve and leaning at an angle, so I just slipped and rolled into the ditch.

The other lucky circumstance was that no one found himself on the other side of the road to step on me from the other direction. I passed without significant scratches.

My friend took me to the store the same day and said that I had to buy a new helmet and jacket and immediately get on a motorcycle not to develop excessive fear of falling. So, Nebojsa did not give me the option to wait and choose what to buy from the equipment and whether I liked the equipment, but he bought it for me immediately, and Lorenzo’s helmet suited me best. And so everyone is now joking at my expense because of Lorenzo.

On the way home from Rome to Ancona

It took me about 3.5 hours, which is a lot, so I had time to watch MotoGP with Valentino. I found a slightly larger gas station on google, believing they might have a tv.

I was right. I could find good food, good coffee, and tv. I asked the saleswoman to find the channel, and as she released MotoGP, almost everyone at the gas station no longer ate and drank, but you threatened what was happening in the race and cheered for Valletta! 🙂

Boarding the Ferryboat

Satisfied with the race, I continued on a great path and with many tunnels. It was pretty cold in the tunnels, especially since some are very long.

The weather is sunny, everything is somehow calm, although there are a lot of cars. The traffic is quite heavy. After a couple of hours of driving, I reached my destination. There was no way I could find the place where I should be. Then I saw a couple of motorcyclists parked in a large area, and when I got closer, I noticed that everyone was waiting for tickets there.

Great, I’m on time. While waiting for the ferry, I parked next to the BMW. That is how I met a Frenchman who is a policeman and who rides a motorcycle. As we Serbs say, he was my companion and brother on the bike :). We have remained in contact to this day. Another proof that your motto brothers are true brothers. I also have a friend in Kuwait, my brother on a motorcycle, who is still in contact with me today, even though we haven’t seen each other in years.

Night on board

The night was beautiful. Parking in the boat took a while. And as it was not so crowded, they gave us rooms from the high level of the ship which are significantly better. We had a cocktail night with music and an excellent time to have a good time.

I usually have a sensitive stomach, and I’m not sure if there will be any vines, especially while lying down. But I was so tired that I fell asleep and slept well.

Morning in Split – motorcycle journey

We arrived in Split, and then my emotions and memories of the atmosphere and the seashore awakened. A long line with many cars and motorbikes stretched out in front of me. Somehow I had the impression that the man from Split wouldn’t want to check my documents and that he was going all around but not to me. Then I stopped with the other motorcyclists, and then he came to me. Why it is, I do not know, but it was so.

As I wrote a little earlier, although I was excited about the memories, somehow I didn’t feel safe, so I followed a group of motorcyclists for a while since the Frenchman went the other way.

I stopped to refuel and headed for Dubrovnik. The road is gorgeous. Most of the time, I drove next to the coast. It smells like saltwater pines. Still, it awakened my emotions. I am very sorry that we are not going to Croatia as before and that it is not the old Yugoslavia. I loved those trips when mom and dad took a Volkswagen van and traveled with my sister and me along the coast to Slovenia and back.

Motorcycle journey – Lunch in Dubrovnik

Ah, that Dubrovnik, whenever I come here, I remember when I was 5 or 6 years old, when I ate my first lobster, and when I lost the red comb I loved. And the cobbled streets lit by lanterns at night, which always inspired me to dream.

Somehow, I always need to eat fish, octopus, and moussaka in Croatia and Greece. Whether it is pasta, rice or potatoes is essential, and it must fit in with something of sea origin and wine.

Croatian Wine

For now, I was delighted with the wine “Plavac Mali.” It is a cross between Crljenak Kaštelansk and Dobričić grapes, and the primary red wine grape is grown along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. Plavac Mali produces rich, flavorful wines high in alcohol (typically 12% but up to 17%) and grape tannins. Typical flavors and aromas include blackberries, dark cherries, pepper, and spices.

Motorcycle journey – Close to the border

I needed to reach the border, but not just one. On my way to Dubrovnik, I was driving along the coast, and I had to cross three borders on my way to Montenegro. One part of the sea area belongs to Bosnia, so I had to go to Croatia – Bosnia-Croatia, and then Montenegro. Look at the map.

The whole trip through Italy went perfectly, and when I reached the border with Montenegro, I came across a road that looked normal, without stains, and very slippery. I went maybe 20km/h but enough that my steering wheel was totally out of control. And that was my first fall on this journey.

I was hoping my motorbike wasn’t damaged so I could at least get home, and so it was. Two guys came to help, tall with bright hair and strong. They helped me pick up the bike, or rather, they picked it up in a second. Everything worked, I broke just one mirror, and there was a bit scratched on the side.

Luckily, I was able to drive to Lustica bay. I decided to stop in Tivat and have a coffee because Ivana works anyway, so that I couldn’t see her right away.

Coffee in Montenegro

I sat down to drink coffee and realized I was still excited about the fall. I sent David a message and pictures to look at it. Anyone who has read my blog posts or watched my previous videos knows that David is my mechanic. He has always been on the line to help me if needed. If not, read the start of this trip here or watch the video here.

I also called Ivana, and it didn’t take long, so I met with her. I unpacked because I meant to stay there for two or three days. I haven’t decided exactly yet. I also look at the weather forecast to avoid bad weather when I travel to Belgrade because it is long.

Motorcycle journey – Lustica Bay

I was resting on the beach most of the time while Ivana was at work. I thought about how many kilometers I had traveled and what I had seen and experienced. A man can’t be the same person as before.

“When a person travels, they discover who they really are, what they can achieve, and so much more. The moment a person’s senses are brought alive, an adventure starts to be a success. The travel bug bites hard, but the motorcycle travel bites deep. ”

— Sam Manicon —

Here You Can See My Route

BELGRADE – CROATIA – SLOVENIA – PONTE DI PIAVE – VENICE – VERONA – FLORENCE – SIENA – ROME – ANCONA – SPLIT – DUBROVNIK – LUSTICA BAY – BELGRADE

• Belgrade, Serbia – Ponte di Piave, Italy –> 7 hr 11 min (735.2 km) via E70
• Ponte di Piave, Italy – Venice, Italy –>39 min (52.4 km) via A4/E70 and Tangenziale di Mestre/A57
• Venice, Italy– Verona, Italy –> 1 hr 23 min (120.5 km) via A4/E70
• Verona, Italy – Florence, Italy –> 2 hr 49 min (246.6 km) via A22/E45 and A1/E35
• Florence, Italy – Siena, Italy –> 2 hr 49 min (246.6 km) via A22/E45 and A1/E35
• Siena, Italy – Rome, Italy –> 2 hr 44 min (233.3 km) via A1/E35
• Rome, Italy – Ancona, Italy –> 3 hr 21 min (303.2 km) via A24 and Autostrada A14/Autostrada Adriatica/A14
• Lustica Bay, Radovici, Montenegro – Belgrade, Serbia –> 8 hr 21 min (556.1 km) via E763

So approximately, I drove around 3.000km. Isn’t that unbelievable and great! That is something that makes me happy.

Ivana and I spent a few days chatting, walking around, drinking, eating crepes with Nutella and strawberries. What can I say, it was the best time of my life :). She is the most cut pregnant woman I have ever seen.

After a few days, I checked the weather and decided to go home. I need to go back to New Zealand.

On my way to home in Belgrade

There is not much to say about the Lustica Bay – Belgrade road. Different roads, some a little better and some a little worse. The main road I took was beautiful. Serbia has gorgeous hills and mountains, rivers and monasteries, cafes and restaurants, authentic and exciting to see when I put myself in another shoe.

I have to admit that it was a little hard to drive constantly on two wheels, but somehow everything fits in nicely. Beautiful landscapes, good weather, a bit cloudy but mostly sunny, so I decided to get to Belgrade on the same day. The trip took about 10 hours with maybe two stops.

The excitement kept me going even though my vacation was over and I was on the road for two weeks. It was two weeks of walking, driving, packing, booking, touring, etc.

This is the end of my motorcycle journey through Italy. I must say a journey of my life. Unique and inspirational vacation. I would like to do something similar but with my family. I do not know is it possible but time will show. On my way to home I was only thinking about that, and about my feelings regarding the whole thing.

I hope you enjoyed this story, and I would like it if you could share your thoughts and maybe your own experiences with me. Thank you for reading my blog MIYA Elsewhere :).