Poor little birdy

 Leaving the hotel in Sarajevo, and turning left instead of right, we realised what a big city it was.  

We had not managed a breakfast, so were keen to fuel up in more ways than one.  We had already discussed the day with Thorpy, and due to some potentially difficult tracks, and rain the night before, he elected to ride just 40 miles with us, then ride alone directly to the hotel in Pecs.

So we got on the toll road, which was easy (take a ticket), then about 30 mins later, stopped & showed Thorpy his junction, then bid farewell...

Exiting the toll road for us was a bit more problematic, with Dave being stuck at the booth for 10 mins, while they explained in broken English that despite having a Mastercard/Visa sticker on the booth, it would only be accepted if it was issued by a Hungarian bank....

Moving on, we headed for the dirt road over the hills that Dave had promised.  Some great little roads first, then what looked like an A road on the map, was unpaved and wound its way through a Quarry. The slippery surface was challenging, as was the navigation, but Dave showed his prowess again.  Over a mountain, through some villages, and finally we got to the the little track we were seeking.

It passed through dense forest, and with rain the night before, made for quite a tricky bit of riding.

On the way down from the mountain, I could see Dave constantly looking at the Pizza bike in his mirrors, desperately trying to justify the extra cost of the KTM...

That worked up some hunger, so stopped at a posh new roadside cafe, and had a belated breakfast ... omelettes all round.

So from there we carried on, using a selection of roads, to enter Croatia briefly (just 50 miles).  The border crossings were the quickest ever.   When we stopped for a afternoon coffee, and to get rid of our final Florins, were surprised when the group of three lads under the umbrella, took care of our bill...

Neil even tried to give our Croatian  money (about £5) to the waitress as a tip, but she flatly refused. 

So then it was on to one of the best biking roads ever, which was confirmed by the number of Croat bikers buzzing by on sports bikes constantly.  The Transalp and Adventurer had a whale of a time, finally pulling over for fuel, and allowing the Pizza delivery bike to catch up.

Onto the Croatian exit, and another stamp in the passport, noting the ink had barely dried on the entry stamp.   We stopped briefly on the bridge after the border ...

Now in Hungary, it was a 50 mile push to get to the accommodation, where we hoped Thorpy would be patiently waiting.  Dave's GPS guided us faultlessly the prescribed spot .... which was in the wrong spot. So spotting Thorpys bike too, we mulled about wondering how best to proceed.

It was at this stage I spotted the KTM's thirst for blood .... poor little birdy got mullered in Dave's front wheel ... look away now if easily offended ....

Anyway, Dave had given me the correct hotel position, so I led the gang on for the final 2km, turning into the hotel courtyard.

All checked in, we showered and walked out into Pecs.  We were all well impressed with the city, which was a nice mix of vibrance and history.  Soon found a pub to make the evening plans....

Bit of culture, then a bit of scran ...

Great day, all happy, tired, so hit the sack at 10 ish.