Southeastern Travel: Croatia
You can find more information about the trip here:
Days 9 and 10 - Rest days
I didn't do much during the rain. I only went to the small old town of Rab for dinner both evenings. Otherwise, I researched better nutrition and my onward route.
Day 11 - Zadar - 108 km
I was glad that the weather was finally dry and I could continue my journey. I woke up early and walked 11 km to the first ferry in a light drizzle. Since I was awake before my alarm, I tried to catch an earlier ferry and managed to get on the last one, just one minute before departure.
Once on the mainland, I first had to walk 4 kilometers uphill to the coastal road. Since I was the last to leave the ferry and the slowest, I had no traffic. After 17 km, I reached the second ferry. There I was able to have breakfast again.
From the rocky, green hills of the mainland, I headed to the island of Pag, with its rugged, stony desert landscape. This is how I imagine the desert in Iran. Shortly after the ferry, I stopped at the supermarket and continued towards the town of Pag. Komoot didn't guide me along the main road, but instead onto a closed road. It became quite an adventure, but a bit of gravel riding was also enjoyable.
After lunch in the small town of Pag, I continued partly off-road towards the mainland. As soon as I left the island of Pag via the bridge, the landscape suddenly became lush and green again. Arriving in Zadar after 15 km, I took a stroll through the old town, listened to the wave organ, and ate a pizza and an ice cream. On the way home, it started to drizzle again.
Day 12 - Šplenti - 91 km
Waking up early (without an alarm clock or sunshine), I quickly made my way to the supermarket. This time I ate my breakfast at Lidl and not at the Plodine supermarket.
Refreshed, I had to make another stop at Decathlon. My spork (a fork and spoon in one) broke, and my tent got a hole while drying. So I bought cutlery and a repair kit.
I left Zadar on a four-lane road or cycle path. The traffic eventually thinned out, but it was still tiring. Then I came across the EuroVelo 8, which is actually quite well signposted in Croatia. I followed it for a short distance, but the gravel path was covered in large puddles after the previous night's rain. So I continued on the main road.
With a tailwind and sunshine, I reached the small town of Tribunj after 70 km, just in time for lunch. The last 20 km through Šibenik were more congested with traffic. After an ice cream, I headed out of the city to the campsite. There I repaired my tent and made myself pasta Bolognese for dinner. Despite the tailwind and less elevation gain, my rather strenuous day came to an early end.
Day 13 - Split - 46 km
After a windy night, I woke up exhausted at sunrise. I quickly booked a room directly in Split and was ready to go. During the booking process, I came across a ferry that would save me the drive into the city. I wouldn't be able to make the earlier ferry, but with a two-hour buffer, I could catch the last one.
After a leisurely breakfast at the supermarket, I immediately set off on a 5-kilometer, 400-meter uphill ride. This allowed me to leave the main road. Without any wind, I worked up quite a sweat. At the top, I cycled through small villages. These didn't even have benches, so I took my next break on the cemetery wall.
Refreshed, I only had 15 km left to the port, but the EuroVelo 8 route included a 4 km stretch of gravel road. Suddenly there was a hissing sound, and within seconds my rear tire was flat. With my road bike-style tire, it was difficult to remove the inner tube.
I tried a self-adhesive patch, but it didn't hold. Thankfully, I had a spare inner tube with me, which held air. The old one simply ripped open without any of the tire puncturing it. I later learned that such a puncture is called a "snakebite" and is caused by sharp edges and narrow tires.
I had trouble getting the coat back on. My jack almost broke, but thankfully a French couple passed by on their way to Greece and they were able to help me. Thank you so much.
Since the whole thing took over an hour, I only had time to eat an ice cream before the boat departed. On the boat, however, I met three other cyclists, which made the boat trip quite enjoyable. I then went out with two of them in Split for burgers.
Day 14 - Imotski - 79 km
As someone who's become an early riser, I was able to stay in bed today because the bike shop didn't open until 9. There I bought some decent tire levers and patches.
On a six-lane road, I initially tried cycling on the sidewalk, but it suddenly ended. After six kilometers, I was finally able to turn left, but I still had a challenge because the traffic light wasn't working.
Heading towards Mostar, I left the coastal road and navigated inland. With 1300 meters of elevation gain today, there was a lot of climbing, but the steepest ascents only came towards the end of the day.
During my lunch break, another cyclist overtook me, whom I then caught up with again during his break. He's headed for Istanbul, but is taking it easy and covering shorter distances. For a few hours, before our paths diverged, it was nice not to be cycling alone.
I reached Imotski in the late afternoon and visited the blue lake. A very impressive sinkhole. After dinner, I was already in my tent when it started to rain, but not for too long.
Conclusion
The coast was beautifully varied but also very busy. That's why I was looking forward to the inland area and the next country being within easy reach.
In the next blog post, I'll be visiting country number 6, and that will also mean leaving the EU. So subscribe and don't miss a thing!
