The journey back to the Camel for the second straight year after the “VID” is an exciting one for two reasons. One because I’m heading back to my mom’s home country Finland. Secondly, it’s a friend of mines 60th birthday and I’m meeting him and his closest 25 friends on a Cruise ship in Athens, Greece.

For a guy who likes to travel, on his own, with no rules, a cruise isn’t on my list. But the buddies were calling and who’s complaining about going on a cruise, not me. It will actually be my first ever “Cruise liner cruise.” I am used to the transportation cruises by now though.

I decided to get to Brno, Czech a week before the cruise to get the camel ready and start the journey to Finland. So, as I stared at the map and Krakow Poland kept popping up! I thought why not get the bike prepped there and then fly to Athens. It really is the cool part about Europe and how quickly you can get from a very diverse culture to another in instant. A 3-hour flight!

My arrival into Brno was easy as can be, with almost no one on the plane and just two flights to get to Vienna. I arrived and I took the train to Brno, Czech. It’s my preferred way to get Brno, as Prague is an option, but the Vienna route is less daunting.

With just an hour and some change to Brno, I checked into a city center hotel.

This picture above was right after I picked up the bike from Ingrid’s dad business. A metal shop in the outskirts from the city center. About a 20-minute drive!

Vladislav (Lada) a quiet man, one that seems to be every bit the stereo typical Eastern European. I can’t communicate with him, but he’s head strong, steadfast and willing to help at any moment. As my camel ran out of juice, aka the battery, he drove me to get a new one. I did what I could to give him some money, but an adamant English “NO” was all I needed to not ask again.

The general prep for the bike only involved the battery, a check on the chain, air in the tires and a tightening of a few bolts……

I had a couple days to hangout before I started my journey to Krakow, pronounced Krako’v’. So, I do what I always do when revisiting. Go to the places I already know that I like and try a few new ones. But first a drink with a somewhat new/old friend since I’ve been coming to Brno….. Mr. Michael himself!

Have I told you the beer in Czech is second to none? You can’t beat simple yet………you fill in the blank and go try it!!!

I toured the city center nightlife with Michael and his friends that night. Among many things that I learned, by hanging out in the old watering holes ;)… was that I had check out a nice lake front beach area to hang out the next day.

Beach bar Hribek! A nice peaceful lake with family’s and folks just casually hanging out!

While I don’t always post my food pics, once in a while I feel summoned to provide you with what I feel needs to be scene. Not only has the beer of Czech become my favorite but so has the food….

You really can’t beat meat, bread, beer with a side of something green for added satiation!!!!

The final prep involved some packing of gear and basic tools that I’ve seemed to have lost. You know!? Screw drivers and such, before it was finally time to take the road.

I actually like the mission of trying to find the nomad essentials in a different country. Sometimes it’s not as easy as stepping into a Home Depot. Although this store came close.

As I continued to move things around the bike and tighten things down, I have now found at least half a dozen dried up dead frogs. They seemed to have taken a liking to my bike, just like me :)….. Or they were just cold during the frigid winters in Brno.

I spent only a few days in Brno before heading east towards Slovakia. A big thank you to Ingrid, her dad and Michael for helping me with the bike and rides…

472 km (293 miles) is not a long ride so I’m planning on staying somewhere in the Slovakian mountains for the night before I make it to krakov.

This would be my first time entering Slovakia and as always there is a slight nervousness not knowing what to expect. I tend to only look up historical sites rather than get into the detail of what others experience. So instead of looking at reviews and having a predetermined idea of the country is, I go in with a clean slate.

As I rode out, I hit the back roads.

I stumbled upon this World war 2 site….

This was a crash site of a 765 bomber……

On December 17, 1944, the “Flying Finger” took off from Torretta, Italy, as part of Mission No. 151 to bomb the synthetic oil refinery at Odertal, Germany. The “Flying Finger,” piloted by 2Lt Phillip Crossman, was last seen around 11:45 a.m. near Muglitz, Moravia. It never returned. The aircraft went down south of Neutitschein (now Nový Jičín, Czech Republic) after encountering heavy flak and German fighters, with four crewmen killed and the rest wounded or taken prisoner.

The nostalgia was deep here as I had a quiet moment in a spot where most Americans don’t get to see. Some forgotten Airmen’s obscure crash site where they sacrificed it all. Some died and some became prisoners of war. In their remembrance here are their names.

The CREW;

2nd Lt Philips Crossman pilot- aircraft commander

2nd Lt Earl Kreps- co-pilot

2nd Lt William McLain- navigator F/O Hugh Hanlay bombardier

Sgt Leonard Geier- top gunner

Sgt William White- bottom gunner

S/Sgt Valden Barnson left- side gunner

Cpl John Sainio right- side gunner

Sgt Bernard Freeman – rear gunner 1st Lt Jack Cody weapons officer

Sgt Lawrence Eidsmore – leading gunner

The war in Europe had already lost five million human lives and not even the approaching Christmas had stopped it. On a day when folks were in churches on December 17th, Advent Sunday, the Moravian-Silesian sky was designated “Bloody Sunday” because all crashed aircraft were found and their fates.

The continued ride brought a little rain and familiar name on a sign as I crossed into Slovakia….

What a weird name to see in the middle of nowhere but it looks like the O.G. Chuck Norris guy still tours.

The border was as easy as crossing into this with no check points….

As the rain kept dumping, I found a dry spot on a farm restaurant!

This dumplings and bacon plate was unreal. With just a short 2 hour ride I considered finding a room nearby to have it again. But alas I did not….

I continued north into the mountains and had my head on swivel as the castles started to pop up and the scenery’s greenery kept getting greener.

This part of the ride through slovakia was stunning as it was at the base and through parts of the Mala Fatra (Little Fatra) a prominent mountain range and national park in southwest Slovakia, situated near the city of Zilina! Known for its jagged limestone peaks, deep gorges, and dramatic ridge trails, it is a premier destination for hiking and nature tourism in Central Europe.

As I continued into the mountains I stumbled upon a nice hotel near a lake (Vodna Nadrz Orava). I really just liked the area and saw a sign that said Orava hotel. I knew this hidden hotel would be cheap consdering the lack of people it seemed to have so it was fitting.

After a 4 hour ride it was just enough to call it a night with an evening cigar, or was it?

That night was not an easy night to sleep, as I apparently stumbled upon a Wedding. The whole night was party central, and it went on until around 4am. It seems as if I was the only one who stayed there that was not in the wedding. I contemplated crashing it but with no real ability to speak the language it didn’t seem like the right thing to do. Maybe my younger self would have. The energy wasn’t there.

That morning, I think I got about 7 hours of broken sleep. So 3! I woke up not quite ready to go. Sluggish for sure. But I had to carry on and get to Krakov.

I crossed the border into Poland without knowing it until I saw this sign

and into this quaint little village, this church stood out…..Dzianisv, Poland!

Coming down off the mountain was breathtaking, the picture below won’t do it justice though.

It seemed as if I was coming off a ski mountain when I rolled into this small town Zakopane. I didn’t quite understand that until I saw the lifts and this little town.

It seemed as if the decent off this mountain was a long one considering it started in Slovakia and as I got lower, I could feel the weather getting warmer…. It was time for a coffee break!

The decent continued after this delightful coffee and cake and in the distance, I could see the vast farmlands of Poland….VERY EXCITE!!!!

It didn’t take me long before I was riding into the city center of Krakow. It was surrounded by a river and the medieval looking walls.

The city was alive when I arrived, tourist galore and it had a palpable energy to it.

The Airbnb was in the city center and as soon as I found it, I unpacked and do what I usually do. The walkabout.

Krakow immediately grabbed my attention with its architecture, cleanliness and overall vibe. Come to find out the history was about to grab my attention even more!

I’ve got a couple days here before I fly out to Athens and meet some friends on a Greek cruise. Mission one- Find the BMW motorcycle shop. Mission two-Bring it to them for service and let them know I won’t be back for 11 days. Crossed fingers I can let it be stored there while I’m gone. Let’s see how it goes!!!?