Croatia

After crossing the border into Croatia, we headed straight for Rijeka and the coastal road south. My initial thoughts of this road were that it reminded me of the south of France with its’ pale rock formation and harsh scrubland. At Senj we headed inland to Otocac where we stayed in a private room for two nights whilst we used it as a base for visiting Plitvice lakes National Park 40 miles away. All of the usual tourist facilities were closed but this did mean the park was fairly quiet and during our 5hr walk we probably got to see half of it. A series of lakes step down a valley like a series of canal locks but in place of lock gates are waterfalls. Wooden walkways wind their way through sections of the park, crossing deep crystal clear pools that look emerald green from a distance. The park would certainly look even more stunning in the bloom of summer but somehow I think the crowds could spoil it. I imagine September would be the best time to come.

We rejoined the coastal road at Karlobag and continued south. In places the road teeters on the edge of the Adriatic as it winds its’ way in and out of tiny inlets where you look down on fishermen’s rowing boats moored alongside the most picturesque dwellings. My mum would’ve loved it here. The temperature steadily rose and we seemed to cross an invisible boundary where all of a sudden what little grass there was turned green along with the shrubbery.

Arriving in Split around teatime we headed for the tourist office where Danny managed to secure a private room in an apartment in the middle of town. We were a little concerned about bike security at first but soon realised we were on a busy street where not only did the bikes draw a lot of glances but we could look down on them from our window. Tonight is our last of four nights in Split. The price goes down for four nights or more making the fourth night all but free. Whilst here we’ve pretty much chilled out, visited Diocletian’s Palace which is 2mins walk from where we are staying, walked around the western peninsula, done the laundry and watched the (Female) world go by from pavement cafes. Tomorrow we leave for Dubrovnik but sitting here in our room cum Chinese laundry, I can’t believe all the kit I can see is going to fit back into four metal panniers!

From Split we moved on to Dubrovnik where we spent a few days exploring the old town and the fort, built by Napoleon, which overlooks it. Alongside the fort are the bombed remains of the cable car station – the only visible signs of the ‘Siege of Dubrovnik’

Back on the road we crossed the long chain of mountains separating inland Croatia from the coast. It was on this quiet stretch of road that we decided to take some ‘ride by’ photos for Fast Bikes. All went well with Danny’s riding but during my third time of turning round in a deep gravel lay-by I managed to push the front end and drop my bike. To be fair, this was long overdue. We’d lasted 10 days without dropping one – but like we said, this is ‘Short Way Round’!

We rejoined the coastal road at Karlobag and continued south. In places the road teeters on the edge of the Adriatic as it winds its’ way in and out of tiny inlets where you look down on fishermen’s rowing boats moored alongside the most picturesque dwellings. My mum would’ve loved it here. The temperature steadily rose and we seemed to cross an invisible boundary where all of a sudden what little grass there was turned green along with the shrubbery.

Arriving in Split around teatime we headed for the tourist office where Danny managed to secure a private room in an apartment in the middle of town. We were a little concerned about bike security at first but soon realised we were on a busy street where not only did the bikes draw a lot of glances but we could look down on them from our window. Tonight is our last of four nights in Split. The price goes down for four nights or more making the fourth night all but free. Whilst here we’ve pretty much chilled out, visited Diocletian’s Palace which is 2mins walk from where we are staying, walked around the western peninsula, done the laundry and watched the (Female) world go by from pavement cafes. Tomorrow we leave for Dubrovnik but sitting here in our room cum Chinese laundry, I can’t believe all the kit I can see is going to fit back into four metal panniers!

From Split we moved on to Dubrovnik where we spent a few days exploring the old town and the fort, built by Napoleon, which overlooks it. Alongside the fort are the bombed remains of the cable car station – the only visible signs of the ‘Siege of Dubrovnik’

PHOTO GALLERY -click the Smugmug logo