Croatia, Dublin to Nepal

Island hopping, from Split to Vis and Korčula

Split
Our stay in Split was brief and restorative. We went out the night we arrived (and, of course, met a bunch of other Irish people). The next day we made full use of the room and in the evening went out to the old town – right outside our front door, and to go pick up some stuff from Poste Restante.

Centre square in Split old town, completely packed

Centre square in Split old town, completely packed

We needed some things sent to us, and not having a fixed address for the trip we used the Poste Restante in Split. It worked pretty well, most of the stuff arrived (including replacement tent poles) but one of Finns packages was still on the way.

Path down to the sea from the old town

Path down to the sea from the old town

We had planned to leave Split tomorrow and head out to Havar to cycle on along the length of Crotia, but we decided to pop out to Vis for a day or two and give the last package a chance to arrive.

Loading the bikes up leaving Split

Loading the bikes up leaving Split

Vis
Next day we took the afternoon ferry to Vis, about a thirty minute journey. We took our bikes and planned to spend the next day cycling around the island. Vis had a very pretty old town right by the shore where visiting boats could tie right up into. It felt sort of old world Mediterranean.

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We had a few setbacks on Vis but despite them we really enjoyed our time there. I came down with a cold the night we arrived and spent the next day laying down in the shade. Finn went off on his bike in the afternoon to potter around the Island but blew a tyre out. There was a big rip in the tyre and the key used to unlock the secure skewer was mislaid so there was no way to get the tyre off.

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As I said though, despite these small inconveniences our time on Vis was really enjoyable. We left on Saturday morning to get back into Split where we could repair Finns bike and see if the package had arrived.

Camping on Vis

Camping on Vis

Back in Split though, it turned out none of the bike shops were open past two (our boat got in at three) and they would be closed all day tomorrow, a Sunday.

So we turned around and marched right back to the port and got a ticket to another island that had been recommended to us: Korčtula.

Korčula
The ride to Korčula took a bit longer, three hours. It left Split at 6 and got us in at 9. It was dark by the time we arrived so we had a quick poke about the town of Vela Luka where the ferry left us( nice, like a bigger, busier Vis) and then wheeled our bikes off to find somewhere to camp.

Camping on Korčula

Camping on Korčula

The next day we left our bikes locked up in town and went for a hike out along the coast of the bay. There was a narrow walking trail that went out from the town of Vela Luka all the way to the headland and the end of the bay, about a two hour walk.

Looking back to Vela Luka on the walk

Looking back to Vela Luka on the walk

Swimming down by the coast.

Swimming down by the coast.

We spent the afternoon at the headland and then went back into town for dinner. That evening we rolled our bikes out to our same camp spot, an empty construction yard by a football pitch and went to sleep. Next morning we were going to be leaving early, getting the boat at six back to Split

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Croatia, Dublin to Nepal, On Tour

Day 36: Šibenic to Split

We woke to find that we had pulled off a lot closer to the road than we thought, and the bush that had seemed so big that we sheltered behind was half the size in the light of day. We got dressed quickly as cars whizzed passed us under a thankfully clear sky.

In the morning we followed the road along a beautiful stretch of coast, all rocky bays and inlets. The road wound around the creases in the coast and the clear turquoise Adriatic looked extremely inviting. This continued for fifty-odd kilometres until we cut inland for a short while.

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After our brief overland excursion we arrived at the back of another inlet. The last few kilometres to getting back to shore had been a bit difficult as the inlet and the mountains functioned as a funnel for the wind which blew in off the sea and was concentrated on the road we were travelling.

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Inlet where we had lunch

After lunch at the inlet we started on the last leg to Split. It had gotten quite warm in the afternoon and instead of waiting it out like we normally would we pushed on through. There was a big climb out of the inlet that tuckered us out, but from there it was a long descent and then flat almost into Split.

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The last few kilometres before Split was on a busy three lane road that oftentimes narrowed to one as road workers were frequent but dispersed. This made the riding, especially in this dusty heat, pretty unenjoyable.

When we finally arrived at the centre of Split, the magnificent ancient site of Diocletian’s Palace we were wrecked. Tired, dusty and sweaty we wheeled our bikes though the narrow streets crowded with tourists trying to find the accommodation Caroline (Finns mum) had booked us.

Well, Caroline had done a great job (Thanks Caroline!) the place was right in the centre of the palace ruins. We got the room key and were greeted with the refreshing blast of an air conditioner and – what a treat – two comfy beds and a shower. After getting clean for the first time in a week we collapsed on the beds for a long nap.

The view from our room - very well located!

The view from our room – very well located!

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Croatia, Dublin to Nepal, On Tour

Day 35: Mali Lošinj to Šibenic

We had most of the day to kill, what with our ferry not leaving until 4.30. We just sort of bummed around, did some admin putting up blog posts, sorting through photos etc.
We knew that we were going to have to cycle into the night once we got off the boat so taking it easy in the morning seemed like a good idea. The ferry ride was going to be long, about 7 hours as it stopped at a lot of smaller islands along the way and wouldn’t get into Zadar until 11.
We boarded the ferry and found somewhere we could lay down for a nap. Maybe halfway through the trip a Croatian guy, another passenger on the ferry came around and asked if we wanted to pass the time playing board games with him and some other passengers he had rounded up. The rest of the trip did, indeed go by much quicker sat around one of the small tables on board playing games with this motley crew of international passenger: Germany, Canada, Ireland and Croatia.

 

arriving back on the mainland in Zadar

 
We got into port a bit before 11. I don’t really remember much of the ride, there wasn’t that much that stood out in the dark. We then rode through the night sixty kilometres until 1.30 and then pulled over into a field by the road and fell asleep. It rained for the majority of the ride and through the night as well. It was enjoyable though, riding in the cool of the night. We didn’t get to see much of the view, but I suppose that’s the trade off. We were happy to go for it anyway, knowing that tomorrow night there would be a bed waiting.

where we slept, the next morning

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Dublin to Nepal, Finnian's Galleries, Germany, On Tour

Germany

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Croatia, Dublin to Nepal, On Tour

Day 34: Osor to Mali Lošinj (Lošinj Island)

Down into Osor in the morning where we got food from a bakery in the small town. It was a nice little place, it was Sunday morning when we rolled in and the square was busy with people milling about after church.  
Our plan today was to ride to Mali Lošinj, a town on the island right next to Cres and we get a ferry from there. It was a short ride from Osor along the coast and up over the low land of the island.

 

Cres on the right, Lošinj on the left

 
We got into Mali Lošinj and got tickets for the ferry, it was leaving at 4:30 so we had a bit of time to look around. Now, we had planned to go hang out by the shore for a bit, have a swim then head out to Lidl to get food for lunch and dinner. A big storm blew in at 2 though – all the restaurants and cafes by the shore rushed to get their stuff indoors. 

storm front blowing in

  
 The storm continued for hours, and in the excitement of it all – or at least in trying to take shelter from it – we sort of lost track of the time. An ill advised last minute rush to the shop to get food for the 7 hour ferry trip after the storm cleared resulted in the boat leaving without us.
Normally this wouldn’t be to bad, just take the boat tomorrow. This time though, we actually had somewhere to be, a timetable to keep. Finn’s mum had booked some nice accommodation in Split and we were supposed to be arriving the day after tomorrow. With the only sailing to the mainland at 4.30 (arriving at 11) the next day we realised the only solution was going to be a night ride tomorrow evening.
We went back into town for the rest of the night, it had gotten busy now the storm had passed over. When it was time to sleep we rode our bikes over to the other, uninhabited side of the coast only 10 minutes from town and camped by the shore.

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Croatia, Dublin to Nepal, On Tour

Day 33: Bestrova to Osor (Cres Island)

We started the day rolling down hill into the bay that the ferry would depart from. It was about 5km winding down to the coast and at 2km from the the shore the line of cars for the ferry started. It was bumper to bumper the whole way down but we just rolled past them all, down to the kiosk to pick up our tickets and then onto the ferry. 

 

waiting for the boat

  
It was a short journey, the island of Cres is really close the the shore and we were off the boat after 25 min. We waited for all the cars to pass us and then started up the climb on traffic free roads to the top of the island.

  
It was a long but gentle climb. The peak was a thin spine that you could see either side of the island from, the mainland to the right and more islands off on the distance on the left.

  
From here it was a long descent all the way back down to the shore and into Cres town. By now it was the heat of the day so we left our bikes and went to get lunch and wait out the afternoon in town.

 

Cres town

 
It wasn’t until 4:30 that it was cool enough to start up again. We left Cres and started the ride out to Osor, the last town at the southern end of Cres. We rode along through the middle of the island, past rocky fields with sheep and olive tree farms. 
The plan was to keep riding until a bit before Osor and camp, however around dinner time we passed a small restaurant on the side of the road cooking pig on a spit. It looked so good we had to stop. It was delicious, and cheap too now that we had left the tourist hotspot of the island behind.

  
We left the restaurant with full bellies and rode on until just before dark. We pulled off on an access track to a cell tower and the continued a bit behind it and camped in a rocky field overlooking Osor.

 

   

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Croatia, Dublin to Nepal, On Tour, Slovenia

Day 32: Harije to Brestova (Into Croatia!)

.Today we were finally going to get out to the sea after spending the last month crossing over land. The road from our campsite to the Croatia border was hilly but unremarkable, we seemed to be riding up and down the same hill over and over again. 

Croatia to the left, Italy to the right

 
Before to long though we had some excitement: arriving at the Croatian border and our first border crossing with passports and a police officer, not the easy breezy border crossing of Northern Europe where you could enter and exit a country without realising it.

  
Once in the other side the scenery continued much as it had before and the road the same. As the day wore on it got hot, but we were excited to finally reach the sea.

  
After a mostly downhill ride we turned the last corner and there it was, the Adriatic out below. A bit hard to see through the haze that accompanied the heat, but we were here at the seaside.
We took refuge from the mid afternoon heat in some shade by the shore and, after an hour or so moved on to the next town where we found somewhere less crowded but still…crowded to have a swim.

  
In the early evening, around four thirty, after it had cooled off for a bit we followed the coast road south. Tomorrow morning we were going to get the ferry over to the island of Cres. The ferry left from Brestova which wasn’t to far away. With our destination a comfortable ride away we cycled as the evening cooled to pleasant temperature and the found a small clearing off the road blocked by bushes to rest for the night.

  
  
It wasn’t our most secluded camping spot, but the terrain was so rocky and hilly we were happy to have found any flat ground at all.

  

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Dublin to Nepal, On Tour, Slovenia

Day 31: Žiri to Harije

We left from our little spot under the bridge about nine the next morning. We rode for a short time along farmland and then started to climb uphill in a gorge. The road seemed to cling to the rock face while the river flowed by at pace beside us.  
At the top we passed a whole bunch of cyclists out for a morning ride that had turned into a morning coffee. We gave them a wave and then started the decent down the other side. At the bottom we were once again in open plains fringed by hills. Stopping for some photos allowed the cyclists we had seen at the top to zip by us and pedal off into the distance.

 

not pictured: the small peleton that sped past moments later

 
I don’t know if it was the tailwind, or terrain or if we’ve just gotten fitter or something but we made it to what was meant to be our lunch spot by 11:30. Pleasantly surprised and quite pleased with ourselves we decided to have a long lunch.
Back on the road after lunch we started to notice how the terrain had changed from Alpine plains to Mediterranean brush. Then road ran up rocky hills and through small hamlets until we were descending all the way down into the town of Illirska Bastrica.

  
From Illirska Bastrica it was supposed to be a short ride down to a lake where had planned to camp. As it turned out, the road we were going to take to get to the lake was closed. We wound up cycling around a bit a aimlessly for a while, trying to find an alternative route. At one point we were cycling across a dirt track though farms and orchards. This was not the way we were meant to go. 
But, following our nose paid off in the end and after less than an hour of wandering we found a sign by the side of the road pointing to a destination where you could fish. Surely this was the lake!
It was, or at least it was the body of water we had been searching for, it turned out it was a reservoir. Still, we had reached the end of our day and found a spot by the lake to set up. There were a few other groups, mostly old and young guys fishing at the shore. 

  
It was our last night in Slovenia. Tomorrow Croatia and, after a month over land, the ocean!

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Dublin to Nepal, On Tour, Slovenia

Day 30: Lake Bled to Žiri

We sauntered (if you can saunter on a bike) out of the campsite at about 11. We had planned the rest of our route through Slovenia the night before, and to give ourselves a bit more time in the country, rather than just race through it, had decided to do a series of shorter distances. So we had a bit of time. 

the valley out of Bled

 
Leaving Bled and getting on the right road out of town without getting on the motorway ended up being quite difficult. It took about half an hour before we were confident that we were going the right way. It was a little frustrating, especially in the heat of the day.
Once we got going though the ride was great. Down along the river and then up through small old Slovenian towns. As the day wore on and the weather got a bit cooler, and we turned away from Ljubljana so the roads became quieter the ride was more and more enjoyable.

 

we took the right turn here, avoiding Ljubljana

 
We followed a river as it cut through hills covered with trees and the occasional farm or ski run. In the early evening we arrived at Žiri, our destination. It was nice to get away from the built up Bled into more rural Slovenia, a side of the country neither of us had seen really. Turns out, it’s really pretty.

  
 

small towns out in the countryside

 
 

this didnt really come out in the photo but theres a big ol’ Chateaux out of nowhere on that hill.

 
We filled up our water in town and then left to find somewhere to camp. We found a spot a bit outside town, under the bridge by the water, a good spot at the end of a nice day.

camping under the bridge

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