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Croatia, here I come!

16K views 256 replies 14 participants last post by  jiwawa 
#1 ·
Nearly there!

Well, to the start of the journey....
 

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#152 ·
On Sunday I started my journey north. The azure seas were amazing. I stopped at Auto Kamp Budima near Baniči (ACSI)

It was a bit of a disappointment as there was no view of the sea, and the traffic arced round the rather small field and was pretty noisy. To be fair, neither that nor the thunder and lightning (apparently) kept me awake. And the beach, such as it is, is only a couple of hundred yards away.

A couple of German cyclists came in late afternoon - they'd been on the road for 5 weeks, from Frankfurt, and might be on the road for a couple of years - RESPECT!! Actually, she looked exhausted. I'd forgotten just how minimal touring by bike is - and the tiny tent, minimal cooking facilities, everything in the open...

A British van pulled in too and I thought I might've got a chat this morning but all was locked up. Perhaps they were out walking the hills.

And that made me realise that I don't have the confidence to go walking the hills on my own. The last time I can remember was Simat de Valldigna, 3 years ago! And that's probably because I had done it when we travelled together, tho I was walking alone. I've no issue wandering round a town on my own. Not sure what that's about.

I came on to another ACSI site at Podaca and had my 1st experience of vertical entry! But 1st I had to negotiate the 180° turn into the single-track entrance! And then the hairpin bend between levels.... Not for the faint-hearted! But I suspect I'll be flinging her onto sites by the end of my stay in Croatia.

And what a rain we had! And it turned pretty cold again.

Photos:
1. Safely onsite at Podaca
2. The view from the pitch
3. A lowering sky
 

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#156 ·
Well, I've had a very exciting day so far! I couldn't get out of the previous site! I'd to give it some welly, going up a steep sharp left bend on a narrow road with trees on the left corner n a fence on the right. The wheels kept spinning, even when I used the traction+ button which, strangely enough, I read about just yesterday.

Eventually I did, with everyone giving guidance but the smell from tyres n brakes was not pleasant. Then the last stretch madame said to give it plenty gas and don't stop. Was just about to do that when a white van appears to my left doing the same. She was there to tell me it was clear!

Anyway, on to the next, and Louise takes me down a single-track dead-end that was also very steep. I'm not sure how I managed to turn in the space available, with the steepness.... But here I am. Every time I do a route on the satnav she warns me there may not be complete information for the area - she's not wrong!

Anyway, shocking rain from last night has gone, blue skies n sea and I'm off to explore 😉

I agree with you Jan about the clouds but right now it's lovely to see the blue again!

Photos:
1. Just up the road from my previous stop
2. View from the site
3. A nice wee walk along the front. I now know how the beaches look so pristine - 2 council workers picking up little twigs from the pebbles.
4. These look the right size of boat to be messing about in, if you were so inclined!

It's a lovely spot. And I'm not worried about getting out again!
 

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#157 ·
Well now you will begin to understand Jean

What I’ve said about vertical down ways

The trouble occurs on the way up !

But that fantastic sea , the lovely people

I’ll go again

Once shadow is no longer

If I’m still here

I’ll take a plane

Sandra
 
#158 ·
I never disbelieved you Sandra but now I have the experience! The problem is, looking on google maps, you can't tell that a campsite is plastered to a vertical cliff face.

As you say, the people are lovely and determined to be helpful.

Did you find there were lots of toilets with no way to secure them?! And sometimes never has been.

The sea has got pretty rough tonight - very unusual apparently.
 

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#169 ·
I never disbelieved you Sandra but now I have the experience! The problem is, looking on google maps, you can't tell that a campsite is plastered to a vertical cliff face.

As you say, the people are lovely and determined to be helpful.

Did you find there were lots of toilets with no way to secure them?! And sometimes never has been.

The sea has got pretty rough tonight - very unusual apparently.
No never had the toilet experience Jan

And on the low campsites the toilets are always up

I rarely do up

Or to be fair my joints rarely do up

They have just as much trouble as a MH trying to get out of those delightful on the sea campsites back up that hill that brought us down

Sandra
 
#164 ·
That's why the phone camera is so useful Ray - only one thing to carry.

Back in 2012 the kids decided I needed an upgrade to an old-fashioned camera I'd had for years, in preparation for my son's wedding. Why don't you get a smartphone? they said. No way, says I, what would I want with one of those?

And of course, within a year or so I had the smartphone, and the camera has been redundant since.

The lesson there is, listen to your kids when it comes to technology.
 
#165 ·
I guess because I rarely use my phone camera I can draw and shoot from the hip with my old Casio faster if needed. Plus the Casio can be placed on any flat surface or mini tripod to take group pics with me in shot. The 4 or 8GB SD cards are cheap enough to keep thousands of snaps filed into year or events. Waiting for someone to scroll through hundreds of pics on their phone to show a scene that we 'need' to see can take ages.
Plus if lost or damaged it's no big deal. Just fork out another $25 and voila back in business.

Ray.
 
#166 ·
Out for a bike run this morning I stopped for coffee. I was just heading on, going to do the circular route that goes up into the hills, when I saw this Info place so went in to check how I'd missed a bit of the coastal route when it took me onto the main road. (apparently there are steps...)

Anyway, I said I was doing the circular n she said maybe not a good idea at this time... Very hot.... I explained I had an electric bike. Then she said The snakes.... That was enough!!!

Photos:
1. View from my bike ride
2. Military manoeuvres offshore
3. More legs! Still way too cold for swimming - and not easy to paddle with the shifting pebble underfoot
 

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#167 ·
Theres those lovely legs again and such clear water.!! Found an Adder in the bedding plants here Jean.

Ray.
 
#171 ·
Well, it's all about compromise Sandra, and that seems a fair one to me.

Apparently there was rockslip on the road up around Podgora today so I'd to head south to Ploce then take the toll road on the other side of the mountains. It's a very pleasant motorway as motorways go but I find the driving a bit boring.

I'd set Louise to go to Omis via the Ploce entry and the Sestanovac exit. But she's not very good at 'vias' and she came off the exit before, and we went through the 4km tunnel Sveti Ilija. When she came out of that she must've been disorientated cos she was saying it was 2.5hrs, when it had been saying about half an hour! I'm glad I caught it on early otherwise I might've been back where I started.

The ACSI site here is huge, with lots of cabins on top of one another - not my normal place at all. But it's very pleasant and it's right on the shore - and on the flat! As often, I find it's cheaper for me NOT using the ACSI rate.

I walked in to town n it's a strange mix of attractive (the surrounding hills, the river inlet with its boats) n ugly (the old communist-style blocks of flats which have definitely seen better days).

Photos:
1-4. The attractive Omis
5. The not-so-attractive Omis
 

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#253 ·
Well, it's all about compromise Sandra, and that seems a fair one to me.

Apparently there was rockslip on the road up around Podgora today so I'd to head south to Ploce then take the toll road on the other side of the mountains. It's a very pleasant motorway as motorways go but I find the driving a bit boring.

I'd set Louise to go to Omis via the Ploce entry and the Sestanovac exit. But she's not very good at 'vias' and she came off the exit before, and we went through the 4km tunnel Sveti Ilija. When she came out of that she must've been disorientated cos she was saying it was 2.5hrs, when it had been saying about half an hour! I'm glad I caught it on early otherwise I might've been back where I started.

The ACSI site here is huge, with lots of cabins on top of one another - not my normal place at all. But it's very pleasant and it's right on the shore - and on the flat! As often, I find it's cheaper for me NOT using the ACSI rate.

I walked in to town n it's a strange mix of attractive (the surrounding hills, the river inlet with its boats) n ugly (the old communist-style blocks of flats which have definitely seen better days).

Photos:
1-4. The attractive Omis
5. The not-so-attractive Omis
Was this the Galeb Camp? We are looking to book a week in September.
 
#172 ·
Found the TO in Omiš which does its best to hide itself! He pointed me to the old town which was a delight. I climbed towards the old defensive castle - chickened out of the last flight of steps which were incredibly steep - more worried about coming down! Enjoyed a grilled lamb and veg lunch which was wonderful - but absolutely massive. I brought a couple of chops home.

Did a wash first thing n it was dry when I got home. Once the sun goes down the air is really pretty cold. I get changed out of my crops n summer top into long-sleeved thermal vest, top n thermal trousers! With down gilet n scarf!

Photos:
1. View from up the castle steps
2. Steps that defeated me
3. The fast-flowing river Cetina
4. Peace n calm at the end of the day. Omiš has a reasonable sandy beach so easier on the feet.
 

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#175 ·
Split is amazing. It's like someone has taken a bag of ancient remains and a couple of bags of a bit more modern, mixed them up with a bag of cement and thrown it all out - whatever stuck to whatever else remained like that.

And I couldn't find my way round at all - but that didn't lose the joy of just wandering the old streets. I had a 'walking route from the TO but it was so hard to follow. Then when I did find an info board it often bore no relation to what was beside/in front of it and the photos didn't seem to match the text.

But it's so quirky. I've booked a tour of Diocletian's Palace tomorrow. It was considerably cheaper in kuna than the equivalent in £. The girl in the TO was bemoaning the prevalence of ATMs which has happened just this last year according to her. She was interested to hear that it's the same all over Croatia.

I'm hoping to make it to mass in the cathedral tomorrow. I read somewhere that they only let locals in to pray - we shall see. I'm not RC but on the continent it's usually mass I end up at.

Weather is due to be wet tomorrow. It was beautiful today.

Photos:
1. The polished marble streets of Split
2. The front
3. Amazing old sulphur-Spa building
4. Some of that stuck-together-any-old-way stuff
 

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#176 ·
Went to the 10am Mass in the cathedral. The guy outside seemed to think it very strange that a non-RC should want to attend Mass. I can see where he's coming from - it's a tiny mausoleum holding less than 100 where I was but turned out there were others - maybe 50 - on the far side of the massive altar behind him. I understand not a word of Croatian but I got the impression he was talking about being undermined by a love of money. But, if I spell the word I heard (glas) correctly, it's vote. So maybe he's encouraging the faithful to vote in the EU elections. And slowly, slowly, things will get better... Is what I understood. It's pouring here. I'm taking refuge with a coffee. Didn't bring wetgear trousers thinking I'd be far too warm, but of course wet trousers n cold wind.... My tour's not till 3pm. I feel for all the Japanese who are presumably off the cruise ships.
 
#177 ·
BBC2 today had Rick Stein from Venice to Croatia sampling various dishes and coastal villages.

Ray.
 
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#178 ·
Watched a stupid film last night Jean just because it was mostly on one of the Islands. One place they showed had waterfalls all falling into a lake. I don't know if it was the real thing, but it looked wonderful. Turned the sound off and looked at the scenery >::grin2:
 
#179 ·
They have the Golden Gate of Diocletian's Palace blocked off at the moment for filming something - it was a Stephen King. Whatever it was they made a film of it a couple of years ago which didn't do all that well so they're now doing a series instead - maybe for TV? They've also installed a couple of horse statues which, when I saw them yesterday, I assumed belonged there!

My tour with the guide was excellent - I'd actually walked all of it yesterday but it made so much more sense when she was there to explain. I was the only one on the tour!

I met a fascinating Swedish lady who was, like me, taking refuge from the pelting rain. She also often travels on her own (by air) and doesn't let little things like breaking a leg or wrist on her travels put her off. We shared a good bit of craic and I treated her to a brandy to try to warm up the blood!
 
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