Croatia – Travelling reflections

Odyssey Day 22 Malinska to Trieste 80miles 1600m

One day, three countries, one large hill and a glorious descent.

Malinska’s prosperous villas was a diaries point of a tour of the coast including its hills. This afforded great views of villages tucked into the coves and the working shipyards.

Passing through Rijeka you feel like there’s lots of cities you have never heard of yet are worth visiting. This is the European City of Culture 2020. It’s also the start of a 30k climb shared with a railway line. The top is the Croatian border with Slovenia.

Slovenia shows us well manicured hedges, clean streets and forest covered hills. 25k later we’re into Italy which is not manicured nor pristine to begin with. A deviation back into Slovenia to see some horses (same stud farm since 1580, foals are black turning white at 2. I did that at 60……) and then continue the trend of sampling local ice cream. Be rude not to.

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Trieste is immediately attractive. The Wind festival is on so I feel at home.

Croatia, Odyssey

Odyssey Day 21 Pag to Malinska, 57miles 1010m

On the island of Krk and no James T in sight. Today was island hopping. Ascending the spine of rocky Pag we crossed to the mainland then to Rab ending up in the more well established (heeled?) Krk.

The islands are a balance of tourism and agriculture, much like we saw in the Hebrides. Except someone has turned off the hose and upped the heat.

The booming disco music outside with the penetrating bass is evidence of the downside of something. I can’t hear myself think….

Croatia, Odyssey

Odyssey Day 20 Sibenik to Pag 81miles 1000m

The whole northern coast seems a melting pot of different nations and regimes crashing together over eons. They leave their legacy in pretty towns with a mix of Grecian, Roman and Venetian piles. And ice cream shops.

In between there is a relatively quiet highway linking them. D and A number plates and mobile homes increase in frequency as do holiday camps. Definitely a holiday destination.

The last 25k is on the island of Pag. A completely barren landscape covered with stones. Famous for cheese, salt and lamb apparently. And a modern Ibiza though that part was out of bounds to the older folk.

We arrive at a quiet family run hotel, a refreshing change from the last two military style stops.

Croatia, Odyssey

Odyssey Day 19 Split to Sibenik 60 miles 750m

Leaving Split is a reminder that cities are far more than the honey spots tourists home in on. Normal life appears in the shape of factories, street life and people heading off to work. Fortunately we’re heading in the opposite direction to the traffic.

Today is a coastal roller coaster with deviations into Venetian enclaves. Luckily their icecream making skills have been passed down through the generations and our appetites are duly sated.

Sibenik turns out to be another UNESCO site, including the rebuilding from WW2 and the 1990s. Christianity dominated, captured in the 15C church which was prefabricated. More skills passed down….

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Why Croatia has so many Renault 4s is a mystery.

Croatia, Odyssey

Split

An ancient city by any stretch of the imagination. It seems bigger than is 200k population stats. Maybe the cruise ships help.

Ruins into restaurants, mausoleum inti church (tbe oldest in the world still being used in its original form). Yet room for fruit, veg and fish markets where normal people (the palace has a resident population of 1500) mingle with the tourists. Shutters abound.