Greeting and Introduction

Hello to all people and fellow bikers, regardless of what type of motorcycle you ride. And hello to all the people who don’t drive motorcycles but love to hear and see something new. First of all, let me introduce myself… My name is Predrag Jelenić and I am a video producer who currently rides a 1991 Honda XRV-750RD04 known as Africa Twin.

The idea for visiting memorial parks dedicated to the local people’s fight against the occupation during World War II has been on my mind for a long time, however I only recently got a chance to do it. Since I have been working in the media from 2001, I came up with the idea to turn this ride into a story in the form of a photo-reportage, which has nothing to do with any ideology nor politics, but rather a subjective experience on the road, reflecting the places I go through and visit.

This blog was started with a wish to transfer the information in real time as much as possible, but also to share the experience and existing problems which I encounter during the preparation for this trip and during the travel. The preparation includes the motorcycle engine tuning, route planning, all the necessary documentation, the trip itself, etc.

This is the planned route. The total distance is about 1700 km (1056 miles), and the first country to visit is Croatia. Selected monuments are located in Podgarić, the Monument to the Revolution and Stone Flower in Jasenovac. After that I proceed to the south and enter the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to visit Kozara and Mostar. Between the two monuments there is a distance of about 400 km (249 miles), not an easy trip. After the Partisan Memorial Cemetery in Mostar, I continue toward south-east and enter Montenegro. A planned stop is at Nikšić, for the purpose of visiting a local memorial park, and then at Kolašin for the same reason.

Afterward, the road takes me back to Serbia and the cities of Užice, Kragujevac (the Memorial Park October), Kruševac, Niš, (the Memorial Park Bubanj), to the Battle and Victory Park in Čačak, and finally over the mountain of Kosmaj ending in Belgrade at the Cemetery of the Liberators of Belgrade.

There are also memorial parks in Slovenia, Macedonia and Kosmet, but I think that the aforementioned locations are already quite a challenge. To reiterate, this is just a planned route for now. Who knows what kind of challenges may arise before the departure, but also during the trip. As you all know, the things you put on paper don’t always turn out the way you expected.

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Copyright notice: triptease.me

author: Predrag Jelenić
photo: Predrag Jelenić
text.en: Dragan Dobožanović
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