Notes from a British Freedom Rider
Christopher Fagan is a member of a Freedom Riders motorcycle club in Great Britain. He saw our website and has been writing to me about some of his travels. Recently he returned from a trip to Germany, Italy, Greece, and Macedonia. Here is a little about him and his club:
(For photos of Chris's adventures, click here. If you don't have a Snapfish account, you will need to sign up for one. It's free and easy.)
I was a member of the Freedom riders MCC for 26 years , however at the age of 63 I decided that my idea of a RIDE and the idea of a ride by the MCC members was incompatible so I resigned and formed the Freedom Riders Nomad, note NOMAD and not NOMADS thus each member is responsible for his own actions, and is mainly focused on travelling in Europe and the Balkans.
Yeh I know it is a potential war zone around Serbia Kosovo but who wants to live for ever, my wife reckons that I am addicted to a bit of danger, I know of a lot of more dangerous places, like walking into some MC club house flying my colours. Just sorting out my next trip to Macedonia for the Independence celebrations around the 8th Sept.
Take Care
Ride Free
Chris
Here is Chris after returning from his recent tour through Europe:
Well I am back again, and what a great time I had overall.
After travelling through Belgium Holland Germany Austria I arrived in
Venice, for the ferry, the Italians know how to charge on their motorways from the Brunner Pass to Venice cost me €28.50 and that was after paying €4.40 in Austria and another €8.00 for the pass, the ferry trip to Greece was uneventful 26 hours I stayed in Igoumenitsa for the first night, lots of mosquitoes.
In the morning I then took the A2 through the mountains in north Greece to Kozani and then north to Florina where I hit my first snag. Unbeknown to me the Greeks hate the Macedonians and because of this there are no road signs saying Macedonia or Skopje consequently I had to ask a Greek woman which was the way to Macedonia, so I was rather surprised to arrive in Albania, fortunately I was given the full sp on the problems over the border by a border policeman. You have to look for a sign with F.Y.R.O.M former Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia, I hit the border at around 7pm and after buying insurance €50 drove on to Skopje.
I did not get there until 11pm and as Skopje is a mad house to drive in
after dark, well it is if you do not know where you are going, I found a
hotel (very posh) and expensive I had a bath and crashed out. Next morning after breakfast I phoned my friend in Skopje and he got one of the motorcycle minions to show me where the party site was.
Boy was it hot, however it was a great weekend met loads of bikers from all over eastern Europe as well as some from Germany and Chopper Club from England, as they had flown there it was respect all round that I had ridden there, as I had previously mentioned there were bike clubs from many countries so lots of friends to make.
The party went on non stop Friday Saturday and on the Sunday morning everyone apart from me the local bike club and the guys from England packed up and left for home.
The locals all make their own home made slivovitz each claiming his is the best, to me it was all good and potent, not too sure about having it for breakfast though, but it seems to be the rule over there.
On the way back I had a lot of trouble with the Greek border police, I drove into the lane for EU vehicles only to be met by stony silence from the man in the booth, he pointed to the NON EU line and told me to join the queue there which of course I refused," You have good time with your friends over border you now wait with them" they often leave the Macedonians sitting there for hours there were also a couple of Belgians in that line who said they had been waiting for two hours.
I however was not taking this crap from a thick Greek passport checker and told him if he did not check my passport and open the barrier I would drive around it, he said I would get arrested so I offered to let him do it, pointing out that his refusal to allow through a citizen of the EU would look good in the newspaper and that I was going to telephone the British Embassy, so he decided that retreat was the best policy and opened the barrier.
I returned this time to Igoumetisa via the new motorways, where they had been built, god only know why the EU has given Greece €68 billion for new motorways as there is very little traffic in northern Greece and when finished will be toll roads.
Returning to Italy I took the motorway to Cortina and returned via Leinz and Kitzbuhel to Germany up to Hof to visit friends and then to Antwerp for a further party, one night, and thence by ferry to England and home.
I may do it again in September although this time through Czech Republic Slovenia Serbia etc. I have so far had e-mails from five countries, which is nice. Bad bit : some one nicked my camera so I have as yet no pictures though people have said they will send me some, and the strippers were rubbish.
Regards Chris
