Barcelona to Italy to Greece to Bulgaria and back to Paris

Caught an overnight ferry from Barcelona to Civitavecchia in Italy.

Ferry staff were very casual and insisted I park the bike and leave. I asked them (In Mime) to lash it down but found later it never was. Luckily it was a smooth crossing.
Spent one night in Civitavecchia then headed South to the Amalfi Coast.

This is the view looking along the beach near my hotel.
Got up at dawn the next morning to beat the tourist coaches

By 7am the road was crawling with tourist coaches and riding was not a pleasure. Rode down to the heel of Italy and caught yet another ferry from Brindisi to Greece. Two days later I stopped at the island of Thassos, near Kavalla.

Only one day's ride from Thassos got me to Rila in the mountains of Southern Bulgaria where there is a famous monastery

From there biked to Motocamp Bulgaria in the small village of Idelievo where they are keeping the bike for me until next year's adventure. Grabbed a lift to the capital, Sofia.

Have never seen these 'knee high' shops anywhere else.

From there, a short flight to Paris before returning to Thailand

My hotel was a short walk to the Pere Lachaise cemetery

Oscar Wilde's tomb

Frederick Chopin

Heloise and Abelard

From Morocco to Spain

Stayed on the outskirts of Essouria handy for the next days ride North towards Meknes

The hotel had an inner covered courtyard with rooms on two levels.

Stopped for two days in Meknes in order to visit the Roman ruins at Volubilis.

A stork has made it's nest atop one of the columns

Went to a local service station in Meknes for an oil change and the owner took me to his mate's Moto shop where the obliging mechanic changed the oil, replaced two broken lamps, adjusted the clutch cable, replaced a missing bolt and packed out the rear shock absorber bushes. His labour charge...$15.00 and this was a special Sunday call out.
Spent two days at a beach near the ferry port before sailing past Gibralta to Spain.

Collected my new Shock absorber bushes from the Yamaha dealer and rode up through the mountains to Cordoba via Ronda

Broke out the tent for the first night of camping in Cordoba

Cordoba is famous for it's cathedral/mosque built during the moorish occupation as a mosque and converted after their ousting.

 

After the night off camping, a touch of luxury was required. At $60 a night including breakfast, this place a couple of hours South of Barcelona fit the bill.

Tomorrow, it's off to Barcelona to catch a 10.15pm ferry to Civitavecchia in Italy

Todra Gorge to Touradant

Off early from the Todra gorge, stopped at Dades gorge on my way to Ouarzazate.

 

Lunch along thw way was the inevitable tajine, this time beef.

 

In my excitement to get this shot, I was too casual with the sidestand stability and paid for it by way of a smashed front indicator.

Stopped at the beautifully named Ouarzazate (pronounced WarZat) and took off the next day for Taorandant.

The roads would be a pleasure to ride if only the surface was better. I struggled over potholes and subsidence to reach 80kph.

To the Todra Gorge

Rode South from an overnight stop at Zeida to Tinehir and the Todra Gorge

Could have gone further up the gorge but the road surface was horrible and, at the end of a long day, made a U turn and found a small hotel called The Garden of Eden by a river in a palm grove and called it a day.