Polaroids of my Odyssey Trip in 2023

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Polaroids of my Odyssey Trip in 2023

A collection of the Polaroids I took on my road trip with my Bonneville T120 in 2023.

🚩My red flag is that 90% of the time I forget I have my Polaroid with me, and when I do remember it I take three similar photos of the same subject.

💡 Stay for the memories, leave for the bad quality photos - Jelle, 2024

Odyssey 2023

September 2023

This was my first bigger multi-country road trip, in a very limited amount of time.

I first went to Italy, to get the ferry from Venice to Greece.

Then from Greece I drove all the way north to Warsaw, and then drove back home.

Flags collected:

🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇬🇷 🇦🇱 🇲🇪 🇧🇦🇭🇷 🇭🇺 🇸🇰 🇵🇱

Greece

Polaroid of the ruined Doric columns of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece, with mountains behind

Polaroid of the Athenian Treasury, a small marble temple with two columns, at Delphi, Greece

🎧 One of my favourite memories was driving among the coastline to Delphi, listening to Mythos by Stephen Fry

Polaroid of a loaded motorcycle parked on dry ground in front of hazy mountains in Greece

Polaroid of a motorcycle’s tank and handlebars from the rider’s seat on a winding road in Greece

Polaroid of the bronze Leonidas statue, a Spartan warrior with spear and shield, at Thermopylae, Greece

THIS. IS. SPARTA!

Polaroid of a man bathing in a clear rocky pool below a waterfall on Mount Olympus, Greece

Polaroid of a small waterfall pouring into a turquoise pool among trees on Mount Olympus, Greece

Polaroid of a bearded man standing chest-deep in a cold waterfall pool on Mount Olympus, Greece

Polaroid of a man in the icy water of a waterfall pool on Mount Olympus, Greece

🪣 I had two bucket list items:First: I wanted to bathe in the waterfall on Mount Olympos. The water was extremely cold (as you can see), but what an experience it was.Second: To sleep among the Gods on Mount Olympos. Somewhere on Mount Olympos there is a monastery, and they were kind enough to let me pitch my tent in their garden.

Polaroid of misty, steep forested ridges of Mount Olympus, Greece

Mount Olympos

Albania

Polaroid of meat roasting on a spit in an open grill at a gas station in southern Albania

Yummy meat at gas station somewhere in South Albania

Polaroid of a loaded motorcycle in a grassy field under dark storm clouds and mountains in northern Albania

Polaroid of a rider standing by his motorcycle under stormy clouds and mountains in northern Albania

Somewhere in the north of Albania I took a break because Google Maps was sending me through those mountains you see behind me, and those clouds did not look friendly at all.

A German group of motorcyclists stopped, we chatted a bit and then I asked one of them to take this photograph of me.

We drove together for a bit, and passed the border to Montenegro together. A bit later we said goodbye, as I was going to Podgorica and they were continuing on to Kotor.

Montenegro

Polaroid of a Triumph motorcycle’s twin dials with the odometer reading 10,000 km in Montenegro

Somewhere in Montenegro I got my first 10k on Bonnie

Polaroid of a motorcycle parked on an empty mountain road under clouds in Montenegro

The weather in Montenegro luckily got much better.

Polaroid of a green valley with a village and distant mountains in Montenegro

Bosnia & Herzegovina

One of my favorite U2 songs (it’s technically not even a U2 song, but anyway), is Miss Sarajevo. I decided to stay a few days in Sarajevo to really absorb the city.

The city were WW1 basically started breathes culture and history. I had a really great time there, wandering about and meeting people.

Polaroid of the Miljacka river flowing between stone walls under a bridge in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia

From Bosnia & Herzegovina, I drove through the west of Croatia, towards Budapest, Hungary. From there I drove to the west of Slovakia towards Tatra National Park in Hungary & Poland

Driving through those little villages in Eastern Europe is such a nice experience. People are super friendly, curious about why you “chose” their village to ride through, and while Google Translate had to work overtime, it was very nice to connect with these fellow Europeans.

Poland

Polaroid of a loaded motorcycle in a meadow with the Tatra mountains behind, Poland

The Tatra mountains in the background

Polaroid of a street lined with ornate old apartment buildings and parked cars in Krakow, Poland

Polaroid of the brick and stone Town Hall Tower with its clock in Krakow, Poland

Polaroid of a domed Orthodox-style church with an onion-topped bell tower against a cloudy sky in Krakow, Poland

I decided to stay in Krakow for a few nights, and use one day to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Polaroid of the Arbeit macht frei gate at the entrance to Auschwitz, Poland

Polaroid of a motorcycle parked before a large Gothic brick church with a rose window in Żyrardów, Poland

Polaroid of a small tent and motorcycle pitched on grass beneath trees at a campsite in Poland

Germany

Polaroid of a motorcycle parked in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany

The last polaroid of the trip, Bonnie in front of the Brandenburger Tor, Berlin.

More polaroids I want to share

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Polaroid of a calm lake at dusk reflecting pink clouds and dark hills, at a wild campsite near Adana, Turkey
Polaroid of Josip Broz Tito's marble tomb seen through plant leaves in Belgrade, Serbia
Polaroid of a motorcycle parked at a Soviet-era bus stop decorated with a flower mosaic in Moldova
Polaroid of a large stone statue of a bearded man in a long coat on a hillside near Buzludzha, Bulgaria
Polaroid of the saucer-shaped Buzludzha Monument on a distant hilltop above the trees in Bulgaria
Polaroid of a man standing in front of the Buzludzha Monument and its tower in Bulgaria
Polaroid of a valley of pale, cone-shaped rock formations in Cappadocia, Turkey
Polaroid of hot air balloons silhouetted against the dawn sky in Cappadocia, Turkey
Polaroid of the brutalist Cosmos Hotel tower in Chisinau, Moldova
Polaroid of the Tomb of Cyrus the Great on its stepped stone base at Pasargadae, Iran
Polaroid of a close view of the Tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae, Iran
Polaroid of a converted red fire truck camper and a motorcycle at a campsite on the west coast of Turkey
Polaroid of a mosque minaret and domes silhouetted against a cloudy sky in Edirne, Turkey
Polaroid of the Mimar Sinan statue in front of the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey
Polaroid of the courtyard of a historic house with a fountain and colored-glass windows in Isfahan, Iran
Polaroid of a man standing next to an Isfahan city emblem sign on a sidewalk in Isfahan, Iran
Polaroid of the tiled dome and entrance portal of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran
Polaroid of the tiled entrance portal and twin minarets of the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran
Polaroid of a columned palace silhouetted at sunset behind a fountain pool on Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran
Polaroid of a dark interior lit through colorful stained-glass windows in a historic house in Isfahan, Iran
Polaroid of rocky ridges and rock formations under a cloudy sky near Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Polaroid of a loaded motorcycle parked by a desert road with mountains behind it in Iran
Polaroid of a loaded motorcycle with a helmet on the mirror, parked on a coastal road near Izmir, Turkey
Polaroid of a Soviet-era mosaic of workers and a motorcyclist on a building wall in Lutsk, Ukraine
Polaroid of a Soviet-era mosaic of a crowned woman holding scales, framed by tree leaves in Lviv, Ukraine
Polaroid of the Lviv Opera House facade with a fountain in front in Lviv, Ukraine
Polaroid of a Soviet WWII memorial column with a stork's nest on top in northern Moldova
Polaroid of a large Soviet-era mural of figures on a wall beside a tree in Moldova
Polaroid of royal tombs carved into the cliff face at Naqsh-e Rustam near Persepolis, Iran
Polaroid of a stone relief of a Persian soldier holding a spear at Persepolis, Iran
Polaroid of the Gate of All Nations with its winged bull statues and columns at Persepolis, Iran
Polaroid of four men sharing dinner at a table in a traditional hostel in Shiraz, Iran
Polaroid of the tiled courtyard and reflecting pool of the Nasir al-Mulk (Pink) Mosque in Shiraz, Iran
Polaroid of two men smiling at a restaurant table in Tabriz, Iran
Polaroid of the mirrored hall of Golestan Palace lit by large chandeliers in Tehran, Iran
Polaroid of the bronze statue of Leonidas raising a spear at the Thermopylae monument, Greece
Polaroid of a man looking up at the wooden Trojan Horse from the Troy film in Canakkale, Turkey
Polaroid of a backgammon board on a table overlooking the sea at a campsite in Turkey
Polaroid of a Soviet-era mosaic of a woman in traditional dress under a Ukrainian coat of arms in Ukraine
Polaroid of a motorcycle parked at a bus stop with a mosaic of three knights in Ukraine
Polaroid of a man standing on a boardwalk in front of the stairway of the Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq
Polaroid looking up the brick stairway of the Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq
Polaroid of eroded mud-brick ruins with a small sign in front at Uruk, Iraq
Polaroid of a man and two boys crouching by a freshly slaughtered sheep on grass on the road to Van, Turkey
Polaroid looking up at the curved glass Zlota 44 skyscraper in Warsaw, Poland
Polaroid of the Palace of Culture and Science lit at dusk in Warsaw, Poland
Polaroid of the Zoroastrian Fire Temple with a round reflecting pool in Yazd, Iran