Day 5 – Loop Ride from Postira

This morning I awoke as the light streamed in the window. Without putting on my glasses, I looked at my iPhone (which doubles as my alarm clock) and decided that I should be getting up since it was 6:40 and breakfast started at 7:00.  Only after getting dressed and looking again, did I discover that it was (by now) 5:50.  No point going back to bed, so I wandered the small village and had an early coffee at a local café.

 

Sunrise in Postira

By the time we finished a real breakfast at the hotel, the weather was deteriorating. It was very windy and the forecast was for rain. Undaunted, I set out hoping for the best. The base ride for today was a thirty mile loop. I had hoped to add a side trip to climb to the top of Vidova Gora, the highest point in all of the Croatian islands. Just before the turnoff, after battling winds and climbing for an hour and a quarter, I stopped for coffee. On emerging from the small café, I discovered that the rain had escalated from mere spritzing to a steady drizzle. I  put on my full rain gear before resuming. When I reached the turnoff, I decided that more climbing in wind and rain would not be a lot of fun, so I stayed on the loop route and returned to the hotel. Even without the side trip, the day had 3000 feet of climbing.

The winds were really intense. At times it was difficult to hold the bike to a straight line, and since there were no shoulders I generally dismounted whenever a car approached from either direction. Fortunately, the cars were few and far between. Since we are in the same hotel tonight as last night, there were options other than riding, so only four of us actually rode. Others engaged in more leisurely pursuits.

 

Statue in the Postira Harbor

The island of Brac is noted for its limestone quarries. In fact, the White House was built in 1792 with limestone from here. I saw a few quarrying operations while cycling today. Given the heavy overcast, I did not see a much else of photographic interest. Brac is the third largest island in the Adriatic

Tomorrow’s weather forecast is for more of the same. If we are lucky and the actual conditions are better, I will have an opportunity to approach Vidova Gora from a different direction. 

Day 4 – Pedal from Trogir to Split; Ferry to Island of Brac

Today is best described as a blend of the best of Croatia – pedaling through the seven “Kastela,” circumventing traffic via boat, taking a guided walk through the Diocletian Palace in Split (that I was unable to do Saturday night), ferrying to the Island of Brac, and pedaling on to the town of Postira where our hotel is located. The last leg (only about six miles) was easy, and as one of the first people off the ferry and onto the bicycle, I was once again first to the hotel and the proud claimant of the yellow jersey.

Kastela Village Fishermen

Guy in fishing village

The seven Kastela villages are each centered around a 15^th or 16^th century castle built by the noble families for defense against the Turks. Today, these small fishing villages have largely merged into one. After arriving at the last of these, Kastel Sucuracat, we regrouped and boarded a small boat, just big enough to hold all the bikes and riders. The boat took us to a point not far from the center of SplitSplit, Croatia’s second largest city.

Split 

Arriving around noon, we were on our own for lunch until about 2 PM, when we would have our guided tour of the immense palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The family of our of our guides, Ante (who hails from this part of Croatia), met us in Split, and Ante’s father accompanied five of us to a choice local restaurant for lunch. While we enjoyed traditional dishes cooked directly in front of us (the restaurant only holds about 8 people), he kept us spellbound with tales of his life in the Merchant Marine, living under the Tito regime, and about Croatian culture and history. For lunch I had “black risotto” (a rice and squid dish) which was excellent.

Preview of the walking tour 

After lunch, we met a guide for the walking tour of the ancient palace. The tour took a good two hours, and was fascinating. Near the end, we had a brief concert by a group of a capella singers (a Croatian hallmark).

A capella singers

We then boarded an immense ferry for a 45 minute crossing to the Island of Brac, the largest of the central Dalmatian group of islands. We cycled on (about six more miles) to the village of Postira, our home for the next two nights. Today’s riding was extremely leisurely, so when we encountered a decent downhill, I decided that I needed a little more exercise, and stepped up the pace, thus regaining the yellow jersey.

View from Hotel Pastura

Tomorrow is a day filled with options built around a base suggested ride of about 30 miles. If the weather holds, I plan to build on some extra climbing, to the top of Vidova Gora, the highest point on the island of Brac (about 2,550 feet). 

Day 3 – Primosten to Trogir

Looking back at Primosten

Today we moved inland, cycling through olive groves and vineyards. After a few  short but steep climbs, we descended again to the sea and the old town of Trogir (another UNESCO World Heritage site). We were on the road by 9, and even with a very leisurely pace and many photo stops, I was at the hotel shortly after noon. (And I no longer own the yellow jersey.)

The terrain is extremely rocky and it is a wonder that they can eke any crops at all out of it. In the photo on this page, you see grapes and olives growing together on the same inhospitable surface. It was more common to see the grapes set apart, but I doubt that we saw a vineyard as big as an acre. Certainly a far cry from what we see in Napa.

Once again, the weather is delightful. I’ll call it “balmy” today. I am writing this while sitting on the balcony of my room at the Palace Hotel, watching a sailboat pass on its way to the harbor. Lunch and dinner are both on our own today, leaving us lots of time to explore Trogir. The small walled city dates back to the 4^th century BC when it was a Greek colony. Later it became a Roman municipality.

View from St. Lawrence Cathedral bell tower

The highlight of the town is St. Lawrence’s Cathedral a romaesque structure begun in 1213 and finished three centuries later. There is a small Treasury in the Cathedral which serves as a museum of several old church artifacts, many dating to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. After visiting the interior, I climbed the bell tower via the rickety stairs (especially the metal ones at the top). The fantastic views in every direction were a nice reward for the climb.

The Palace Hotel

After visiting the Cathedral, I walked through the market area, located outside the walled city. Here I saw several old women selling the small amounts of produce that they had, and several vendors with prodigious quantities and varieties of olive oils, figs and fig products, and honey of many varieties.

We don’t have any really long riding days on this tour – we generally finish fairly early which leaves us lots of time to explore. Today’s ride was 26.6 miles and involved about 2400 feet of climbing.

Day 2 – Postscript

Dinner and the Yellow Jersey

Monday evening’s dinner deserves an update of its own. We went from the hotel by van to an “Agro Turizma,” – a working agricultural venture which specializes in demonstrating local agricultural traditions and providing traditional meals. (This is somewhat different from the Italian Agroturismo facilities that I have seen where lodging is a common feature, as well.) Our host spent a lot of time explaining the making of various grappas – both fig based and grape based. The varieties he offered for sampling included walnut, rose, honey, fig, cherry, and others.

The entire group

Our three guides -- Christina, Silvija, and Ante

The meal (another lengthy affair) started with plates of cheeses (sheep’s milk based) and cured hams. This course was followed by a delicious soup, consisting of barley and some beans similar to chickpeas. The main course was the meat dish prepared in the “iron bell.” We all trooped into the kitchen to see the huge cooking/serving pans removed from the coals in the oven in which they had been slowly roasting. We had enormous quantities of chicken, veal, potatoes, onions and carrots in a delicious blend of flavors. The meat was cooked to the point where it just fell off the bones.

 

Dinner fresh out of the "iron bell"

During a lull the proceedings, George announced the continuation of a tradition developed on one of his earlier rides. He produced a yellow “jersey” to be awarded each evening to the first rider to have finished that day. (Our daily rides are not races – they offer lots of opportunity for picture taking, coffee drinking, and simply enjoying the ride. Nevertheless, someone has to finish first.)  He you see me in my yellow jersey. Look closely because it may not happen again.

The Yellow Jersey

Following the main course, we adjourned to a patio area where we had a cherry filled pastry for dessert, as we awaited the vans for the ride back to the hotel.

As I write this before breakfast on Tuesday, I see out the window that we appear to be in store for another beautiful day.

Day 2 -- Skradin to Primosten

Via Renaissance Sibenik

Despite the late night last evening, I awoke at 5 am and despaired of getting back to sleep. Next thing I knew, the alarm clock was letting me know that it was 7 and time to get up. Breakfast was at 7:30 followed by the briefing on the day's ride. Since it was our first daily briefing, it was a little longer than usual, but we were on the road around 10 o'clock.

This is really me!

We started with a gentle climb (probably 3-5 % grade) for about two and a half miles, and then had some easy biking to the town UNESCO world heritage city of Sibenik where we dallied over coffee and then wandered through the old city. This city is unique among other coastal towns in Croatia in that it is the oldest town built by native Croats instead of Venetians, Byzantines, Hungarians or Austrians. I stopped in the Gothic Cathedral of St. Jakov (St. Jacob, or St. James) and then wandered through the narrow medieval streets. Old though they may be, they were full of small boutiques with expensive wares. At one of the touristy souvenier shops, however, I was able to get an inexpensive pair of goggles since I had forgotten to bring my cycling glasses.

From Cybenik on, we hugged the coast on the gently rolling highway, leaving the main road several times for smaller roads that passed through tiny villages. Though we didn't see many people at mid-day, fishing did appear to be an important part of the local economy. In one of these small villages was our suggested lunch stop, which I completely missed. Most of the others found it, although several decided that it was "too upscale" for a casual bike ride lunch, and opted to continue on to our destination, Primosten. 

Hotel Zora

We are staying at a very nice beach resort hotel, so I took the obligatory (a self-imposed obligation) dip in the Adriatic.It was very cold, so I didn't stay in long. After returning to the room I did some laundry in the sink simply because I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to hang up clothes to dry on the balcony railing in the perfect weather. They should be dry before we leave for supper in about 40 minutes.

It was an easy day, with about thirty miles of cycling. The roads are well paved and remarkably free of broken glass and other debris. For the most part, they have virtually no shoulders, but we haven't seen a lot of traffic and the cars have given us plenty of room when passing.

Day 1 -- Skradin Bay and Bicycle Fitting

After a solid 24 hours of traveling, from San Francisco, to Amsterdam, to Berlin, and finally to Split, Croatia, I arrived at my hotel in Split around 6:30 pm.  It is a charming city which, unfortunately, I will not have much time to explore since the tour leaves the hotel at 9:20 in the morning. So, I will jump ahead to Sunday, and Day 1 of the tour.

I had breakfast on the patio outside the hotel, meeting several of the other riders who will be on the tour. There are to be 14 of us all together. Promptly at 9:20 we met with Sylvia, one of our guides, and loaded our luggage on a large comfortable motor coach for a one and a half hour ride through beautiful countryside (in perfect weather) to Skradin where our hotel is located.  

Bicycle fitting is scheduled for later this afternoon. After checking into our hotel, we all boarded a boat for a short excursion to the national park of Skradinski Buk to visit the waterfalls and enjoy the scenery.

Approaching Skradin by boat

After a light lunch at a cafe in the park, we returned by boat to Skradin and proceeded to get our bikes fitted. The bikes are the same as the one that I rode in Spain last year -- titanium frames by Van Nicholas.I enjoyed the bike very much last year, and on the basis of a short eight mile test ride today, I think that I will be very content again this year. The suggested test ride was only eight kilometers, but I overshot the turnaround point and did about 13. Still a very short ride, but it felt good to get in the saddle, even though I have only been off the bike since Thursday.  Somehow, an airplane seat just does not give the same satisfaction as a bike saddle!

While out on the test ride, and having realized that I had deviated from the suggested route, I decided to look on Google Maps to see if I could devise an alternate loop ride back to Skradin.  Google Maps has not gotten around to this part of Croatia yet. I did use Strava to record the ride and it has been posted on my Strava page. I only started using Strava about a week ago, so this is very much a test of that tool for recording my ride data. (I also have my Garmin with me, and am uploading that data to the laptop.)

(Later) -- Just got back from dinner. It started at 7:30, and we finished about 10:30. Three hours! Can't do that every night. We started with steamed mussels and local clams.  Then we had a wonderful risotto that took over seven hours to prepare (it was made with veal which was simmered for all that time with a variety of herbs and spices before the rice was added). Next was a main course of grilled tuna with a side dish of kale and potatoes. The finale was a cream filled pastry with lots of fresh cherries as an accompaniment.As the fourteen of us (plus three guides) got to know each other, we had a most enjoyable evening. Breakfast is at 7:30 so it is time to sign off.

APRIL 2013 -- This year I will be cycling in Croatia, along the Dalmatian Coast. I leave on May 10, and start cycling on May 12th. I will endeavor to post updates and photos whenever I have internet access. More to come ....