08/11/2012 - Oslo to Israel. Day 52 - More Croatian Coast

Distance cycled: 65.2km from Split to Tučepi, Croatia
Average speed: 19km/h
Moving time: 3h26m
Total distance: 4640km
Border X'ings: 15
Money spent: €4

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We are now well into November and getting close to the season if winter and today was a day where it wasn't necessary to wear a shirt; there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temperature was brushing the 20's.
Although we didn't leave Split till 11am and we didn't cover all that much distance it was still a fantastic day of cycling and also chilling and enjoying the warmth of the sun in harbor towns with one in particular named Baška Voda that offered not only great ocean and mountain views but also visually appealing palm trees, expensive yachts and many beautiful woman. Croatia has offered much eye candy, just beautiful woman everywhere, more woman you can poke a stick at... or poke by some other means...
The coastal views had a lot of offer today with the road taking Romain and I up to several hundred meters where we were surrounded by steep cliffs and endless miles of ocean view.
Getting close to dark (at 5pm!) we encountered some cyclists that perform in a circus but looked and dressed like gypsies, these 3 guys unsurprisingly had by far the most unconventional bicycles for touring, just old makeshift bikes loaded to the brink with instruments (including a cello!), stilts, juggling sticks and god knows what else. These guys would travel around with no or next to no money only having to busk on the street to buy food.
After chatting for some time Romain and I cycled a ways down the road to free camp in an abandoned hotel terrace area where we had a great sunset view over the ocean and stars overhead of which we camped under.

View of Split, Croatia

Slag icecream, nice!

What a view

Check out this guys bike – just ridiculous  - yes, thats a Cello on the back

me like!

07/11/2012 – Oslo to Israel. Day 51

Distance cycled: 112km from Krka National Park to Split, Croatia
Average speed: 18.6km/h
Moving time: 6h01m
Total distance: 4575km
Border X'ings: 15
Money spent: €12

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Everything was near perfect today, the sun was shining the roads - coastal, helpful people and plenty of chocolate. On top of this Romain and I started the day waking up in Krka National Park to view perhaps the most impressive waterfalls I have seen, obviously shown below.
The coastal road took us through many quaint and gorgeous little towns where one we went to to have lunch and a beer on an island town accessible by a small bridge, basking in the sun eating chocolate spread sandwiches simply enjoying the radiant heat of the sun.
It was more or less the same terrain with slow traffic for most of the day apart from getting into the city of Split where there was a long construction zone where they were widening the main road; here it was terrible for cycling, despite being on the very edge of the asphalt we were holding up the bigger vehicles and without doubt pissing off other motorists.
Arriving in Split knowing that soon the sun would go down we had to find a contact that Romain had for this city, someone we could also stay with.
Eventually after countlessly getting lost in the slippery, white and narrow cobblestone alleys of the old town we found the bar where the friend of a friend of Romain's would meet to host us. Being as tired as we were after had cycled over 110km the wait at the bar where we drank beer and spent too much money was long and tedious.
It wasn't until close to 11 we finally got to the apartment of Nela and her boyfriends place where we both passed out in the lounge room of the 6th floor apartment.

 

Krka National Park Waterfalls – The most impressive waterfalls I have seen

Cycling back up from Krka National Park

A short break with Romain and a lazy cat

For all the pictures above – What a beautiful day

Just some snaps around Split at night

06/11/2012 - Oslo to Israel. Day 50

Distance cycled: 93.9km from Zadar to Krka National Park, Croatia
Average speed: 20.3km/h
Moving time: 4h38m
Total distance: 4463km
Border X'ings: 15
Money spent: €7

 

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Last night I did not sleep well at all, the room had many mosquitoes, biting on occasion and making, in my opinion, the worst noise imaginable as they flew past either ear.
Still, I felt rested enough to cycle the little under 100km with Romain today to get to a national park where there was suppose to be an impressive waterfall.
Unlike two days ago we had plenty of happy tail wind guiding us south along the coast but to get to Krka national park more so inland there was a bit of a climb, it wasn't cycling, for example, over the Alps by any means but as most of the day was easy enough it was tiring reaching the entrance of the park.
The daylight now, here, at this time of the year is shocking; it was pitch black by 5:30pm and arriving at the national park the see the waterfall was vague at best, the sounds as it cascaded down the many cliffs, at this point was far more impressive. Tomorrow in the daylight when we can see the waterfall in all its glory will be far better.
Looking around the, like a lot of places in Croatia at this time of year, almost vacant park we managed to find some shelter in a blacksmiths workshop from the rainfall that came later in the evening.
Sleeping where we did with had almost all the facilities of what you would pay for in a hotel, a bathroom nearby, bad and bedding that we had with us and even access to free wireless Internet that the park offered. Things that were missing were a shower and 4 walls that most people would think of as important but for me I like it simple and cheap.
Leaving Denis' and Mirjam's place this morning we were giving some frozen sardines that when defrosted I cooked up along with some other things for dinner. It was really quite delicious where Romain and I came quite close to finishing the tonne of food I had made. Romain when touring on his bike and even at his home in France would not eat as well as he does when traveling with me. I hope this cookbook I am writing helps people eat better when on these types of trips.

My bicycle doesnt come anywhere close to the price of some of these yachts

This old woman farming for something…

Some cool stuff around the coast of Croatia

Sun setting over Sibenik

Even Jesus wants a high-five from me

Cooking up some great food, The sardines that Denis and Mirjam gave us.

05/11/2012

As it was suppose to be raining all day Romain and I thought, with the permission of Denis and Mirjam, to have a day off cycling.
The weather really wasn't as bad as predicted so Romain and I did to into the city to essentially use the Internet at the library.
Returning back to the house, we simply lounged around and enjoyed the comfort of Denis' and Mirjam's place; perhaps it was the lack of cycling for a day but every so often my leg muscle would twitch startling me.
I cooked another meal for everyone and like yesterday every last bit of food was devoured, I suppose they liked it..

Sunset view from Denis; and Mirjams place

04/11/2012 – Oslo to Israel. Day 49

Distance cycled: 57.1km from Pag to Zadar
Average speed: 14.9km/h
Moving time: 3h49m
Total distance: 4369km
Border X'ings: 15
Money spent: €15

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Fuck was today windy, not windy in the way that would help Romain and I along the road in the direction but the exact opposite as you can see with the the average speed for the day above.
Leaving the little abandoned concrete hut (pictured) it took us ages to cover any distance whatsoever.
Like I have mentioned before, Croatians have been incredibly friendly, for example meeting a guy this morning who took us in because he saw us struggling in the relentless wind, we drank his homemade young wine and later giving us some also homemade schnapps that was deathly strong.
Because of this extended break, Pierre and Marion managed to catch up with us today and we spent some time cycling with them against the wind.
We arrived in Zadar where we wanted to find a place to stay but having both Romain and my contacts through warmshowers and couch surfing fall though we thought we were out of luck, fortunately I got a last minute message from a guy I contacted through warmshowers who was willing to host us; thank goodness too, because the winds only picked up in the afternoon.
We cycled a bit around the city seeing and hearing the wave organ near the harbor of the old town; it uses the force of the waves to funnel air through pipes to produce a series of almost eerily deep toned horn noises that can be heard in near proximity.
As the dark clouds from the south came close Romain and I made our way to where our host was residing. Denis and his girlfriend Miriam were fantastic hosts and company providing us with beds and all the amenities for two cyclists that haven't had a shower in days. I cooked up a great meal consisting of 5 different dishes of asian style cooking where everything I made was completely devoured.
After the copious amount of chocolate we ate after the meal, drinking a variety of different Croatian spirits and some fun conversations, being nackard as I always am after a tedious days cycle we went to bed to hear the insane winds outside whistling past the holiday home in which we stayed.

The abandoned shelter where we camped for the evening

The harbour town of Zadar, this is some of the holes where the wave organ whould make the noises

Dinner with Miriam and Denis.