Totherocktour EUROPE (PART 1) By Bicycle from Croatia through Slovenia mountains to the Italian coast, to the Alps Zermatt, Switzerland, to Munich, Germany, an Beyond into the Balkans

 

 Croatia! Slovenia! Italy! ...By Bicycle.

Where would I be without my People, Friends I call Family in Croatia! Nowhere. I appreciate all they did for me over the summer, helping me get started Cycling around part of Europe and tasting the amazing food and they treated me like family. I really appreciate them, I miss having them in my daily life. I will cherish these moments for as long as I live. Here's one for the Korean-world blog. Check!

When I blogged on social media from South Korea 2006-2014, I had one goal to connect to the greater world, share positive cycling updates, and hold onto HOPE. At that time, 2009 I met Adventurer Antun Colig from Zagreb, Croatia. We shared common Balkan roots, culture and style I was familiar with growing up with my father in Canada. Here, we met in person with his hardworking father Robert, retired tourist bus driver who crossed Europe, alot, my style of guy, and Marija his wife, a retired Nurse who had been taking care of Antun since his motorcycle accident in Greece in April 2022. Antun and I consider one another brothers, We share common goals and interests. He is a travelling guy, professional truck driver who logs in 700km per day all across Europe. And I try to travel when it's possible. I have probably logged 1,000,000km going somewhere in a car, motorcycle, bicycle or canoe, on foot. Overlanding is fun, it doesn't have to be motorized either. Just get up and go for it, preferably for fitness and exercise, so I normally choose the Bicycle.

Matej and Brian...in Safety vests and helmets, representing Cycling in Croatia. Day 1

Riding through Zagreb from their home in Adamovec, Croatia I had a short tour and excellent first day out on the bicycle crossing the capital with Matej, Antun's younger brother who recently finished a Masters in Philosophy degree. Congratulations are in order, we video chatted and caught up on life stories.

                Brian and Matej, Cycling in the capital of Croatia, ZAGREB. Another epic day last summer. I arrived in Zagreb June 21, 2022 and the cycling adventure began on the 25th of June, on towards Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland. Clockwise ride around western Europe, made quite a few connections possible along the way.

Antun and I explored an abandoned building down the street in Adamovec. Epic place. the family built this home, lived and died. Nobody came to replace them.

Summer of '22 It was off to a big adventure. Europe by bicycle.

Marija cooked epic food every day of my visit. My stomach was doing figure 8's, twisting and turning with the variety and rich calories intake. I cycled it off later in the summer, no worries. It was epic! Thanks Marija! <3

I'm searching Ubuntu to find my photos from the summer, it's nearly impossible to find them and upload to Blogger. LOL. I'm struggling to put the photos to these words. Photos continue below in reverse order, Tijo's bachelor party in Windsor, Ontario was Epic too!!!

TIJO's Bachelor Party, a blast in Windsor, Ontario. The night before booking my flight to Zagreb, Croatia for later in the week. I went over earlier in the day and mowed their lawns. Below is a photo of the Sprinter van I drove and a typical day's harvest at low-income housing properties around the downtown core of Windsor. I'm the first Lawncare/tree trimming specialist to visit these places in YEARS. Nice job if I do say so myself (: The van doubled as a transporter for all the branches to WDS Windsor Disposal Service, it all gets grinded up for compost soil and mulch for gardens. This work paid for the journey ahead, ready, set, go to Croatia

I've landed in Croatia! Time to assemble the bicycle and prepare for the 2000km journey ahead.

Colig's dog named KHAN, like Genghis Khan. He was a real boss dog around their property.

Robert Colig, my friend's father was a Legend, together with Antun, they met me at the airport, and yes, we fit the bicycle complete in the shipping box in their trunk (:

Polish airlines wing, I hitched a ride to Pearson airport, Mississauga, Ontario with my cousin Jae and his wife Kim, they were traveling to Portugal and I would fly out the same evening to Warsaw, Poland, then transfer to fly into Zagreb, Croatia. 

Tractor. Made in Yugoslavia. Thanks for this epic photo Antun.

I made it to Croatia! These captions say little. Antun and I made friends via social media in 2009! Finally, I made it to Croatia in person, this was an epic journey for me. Once in a lifetime to have a friend invite me over in the Balkans, where my ancestors came from over 100 years ago.

Rolling with Robert in Zagreb, outside Temperatures HOT!!!! No A/C inside the car.

Antun Colig visiting my family in Windsor, Ontario in 2019. Misung, Matthew and my parents George and Cathy in this photo. I'm wearing the VW t-shirt in the middle, my son Matthew is next to me. Antun in red shirt. (: