Distance cycled: 80.4km from somewhere in Slovenia to ..., Croatia
Average speed: 19.8km/h
Moving time: 4h03m
Total distance: 4162km
Border X'ings: 15
Money spent: €10
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It was a wet and miserable morning but I knew that I would be cycling downhill to Rijeka, Croatia by the coast where things would be slightly warmer.
Croatian roads as well with the roads in Slovenia are certainly not as well maintained as it is in Western Europe with me experiencing sudden jolts from cycling over potholes and gaps in the asphalt. But at least I was greeted well when crossing the border; all smiles and handshakes I received from the border control and currency exchange.
A Swiss soldier in a truck exchanged my left over Swiss change for a note giving me a chocolate bar for my achievement of making it this far; free chocolate is good, but free Swiss chocolate is even better.
Arriving in Rijeka after filling up on food in Lidl (oh yeah! Lidl is here too) I went to a hostel where the woman working there, Hanna let me use the Internet and have a shower, I fed her some of the leftover curry I made last night and I set off without having to pay for any of it, she was just glad to have some company in the low season and having to work there all day every day.
Continuing on, I hit the coastal road that would guide me all the way south to Bosnia that incidentally had next to no shoulder where cars, trucks and buses rushed by definitely exceeding the speed limit; no wonder people think I am brave to do this trip...
Knowing that the dark clouds above would soon be dumping 41cm of rain overnight I found what I thought was a vacant,'closed for the season hostel with a sheltered area behind that would protect me from the storm, I pitched my tent inside and cooked up some food. Whilst laying there typing away this blog, the hostel manager exited the building with her barking dog seeing me and giving her quite the shock, it is Halloween after all; she, without hesitation invited me inside where I met her family. Sitting around the kitchen table we chatted and drank plenty of tea and Sanya let me sleep in one of the many vacant rooms of the hostel.
My experience in Croatia thus far has been pretty damn great.
Entering Croatia.. the weather could have been better.
Bakar, Croatia
The coastal waters are crystal clear
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