Table of Contents
Day 8 Zadar to Kornati Archipelago Rest Day
Visiting the Kornati archipelago for the day by booking a boat trip with a group, including a meal (~45 €).
The landscape of these islands strangely resembles the same mountains at 800m altitude I have seen further inland. Rocky, with shrubs and dry land. We visit a chapel dating from the 6th century in Byzantine style, rehabilitated in the 17th century. At the top of the main island, we discover an old building and a beautiful butterfly that almost looks like a manta ray. This is followed by a visit to a private cove with multiple other boats moored there to let tourists dive. We discover beautiful fish and shells, such a pleasure in crystal clear water. We see an island with a cross in homage to firefighters who died in fires that occurred in the early 2000s. A good meal to finish and then head back to the city. During the meal, I talk with a Hungarian family of Asian origin, and they confuse me. Mixing an average wine with Coke. I wasn’t ready for that haha, they tell me it’s common back home with homemade low-quality wine… Okay, cool, I won’t be adopting that custom.
I relax and take some time to rest for the rest of the evening.
Day 9 Zadar to Roški Slap (110 km)
Departure at 10:45 : I leave Zadar aiming for a specific point on the Krka River to wade in for free (see Week 1 advice from the Plitvice camping couple).
I come across many deserted areas and ended up on a military tag with the word Oluja 95. After some research, I find out that the area near Bosnia had been abandoned by Serbian minorities during the Oluja (“Storm”) operation in 1995, which threatened Serbs who preferred to flee before potentially dramatic consequences. This resulted in a massive exodus of 100,000 to 200,000 people and hundreds of deaths. I understand better what I had seen leaving Plitviče and the abandoned areas (see Plitviče Day 6). These were Serbs who left their homes behind and now that peace has returned, they take care of some remnants like the graves and churches. I can also encounter empty schools with ruined dining halls and classrooms, which looks like time stopped from one day to another.
Continuing my journey, I find the spot indicated by the couple, but it is marked swimming prohibited. I hesitate to defy the prohibition, then meet a German couple from Regensburg a few meters below enjoying a small spot upstream of a waterfall. I decide to join and enjoy it too. The waterfall below is 18m high, very impressive to swim just above it. I want to hurry to reach the restaurant with feet in the water but I am too late and fall in my rush. Small fall with scratches on my palms, holding the handlebars will be a pleasure for the next weeks of the trip.
Bonus: The German I met described Germans as people with a “Stock im Arsch” (literally with a stick up their a** hahaha), which means that they are slightly narrow minded in their lifestyle and life goals in average. I partially confirm but not fully, don’t get me wrong my German friends 😛
Day 10 Roški Slap to Šibenik (80 km)
Departure at 9:30 : heading towards Roski Slap, 30 minutes downhill by bike. I get a student entry ticket by saying I don’t have my card with me but promise I’m a student (which I haven’t been for a year, what a scammer LOL). The area is relaxing but less impressive than the previous day. The best part of the zone is definitely the restaurant feet in the water (Seosko Domacinstvo Kristijan) and the final moments with my Breton friends on their way back! We are offered wine, have 3 beers, a huge charcuterie platter, fresh cucumber, olive and tomato salad, and goat and cow cheeses. Yum, it was exquisite.
After some more passionnate and ufnny discussions, our adventure as a trio comes to an end, hoping to share a Chouchen (Bretagne specialty drink) together in the future.
I now head towards Šibenik. With a full stomach, the climbs are noticeable. I arrive shyly, sipping lemonade and enjoying some ice cream nearby. I pass by their famous Catholic cathedral at night. Important detail, it is covered with faces of bourgeois and nobles who didn’t want to fund the project, a funny memory in (non) “gratitude” 😛 Once again, I have to find a spot to camp in the dark by the roadside, never the cleverest thing to attempt.
Note: being brushed by a car at 20 cm is definitely scary. Even more in the darkness of the night.
Day 11 Šibenik to Split (70 km)
Departure at 9 : I call the embassy, Covid times oblige, to check on the possibility of crossing the border to Montenegro and then to Serbia. Fortunately, I get the green light. We’ll see about Hungary later.
On the way to Split, I stop to eat near Trogir, a sort of highway restaurant that is very good at 40 kunas (6 euros) for the starter, main course, and dessert, awesome.
Arriving in Split, I meet two young French women, Fanny and Alice in my hostel room (they know Ensisheim in Elsass LOL). After installing myself, I head to Marjan Park with a stunning view of the city and surrounding islands, but the climb on foot is tough, I’m not used to walking anymore.
The evening coming, I go to a bar and see that Covid norms are not really being followed with the proximity. There are a lot of English people in town, which makes sense as Croatia is one of the few countries open to them with reduced restrictions to save the tourism-based economy.
I go to another bar (Roof 68, shout out to the French department number 68, best department in France) and meet a great DJ, Piro, and ask him about his style and transitions. He tells me he has a friend who started a world tour by bike but stopped because of the pandemic, a shame… He recommends the island of Korčula for partying and also a festival, that he organizes between Marjan Park and the Hajduk Split stadium around May 1st, something to do one day. He’s super nice and buys me a Budweiser, real bros are recognized! Off to sleep for a chill day in Split tomorrow.
Day 12 Split Pause
I visit the old town, find a nice café for breakfast next to the hostel. I leisurely wander for the first time on this trip, seeing Diocletian’s Palace, a Roman emperor from the region. He became emperor by merit, not by status. He’s the one who established the separation of powers to decentralize the empire’s decisions and slowly led to the separation between Western and Eastern Rome.
Sitting on a bench, I meet Ante, an old man of around 70 years old, I think. He worked in Berlin for a long time with machines and turbines, a very knowledgeable man who reads a lot. He quotes Einstein, Kant, etc. He is a pacifist but believes young people need to protest to improve their situation. We discuss a thousand topics: his view on Yugoslavia (he fears my idea of cycling through Serbia, which frightens me a bit, also saying Serbia benefited from Croatia’s dynamics back then, etc.), his disdain for Tito, his admiration for Germany and France, and his Orthodox faith (surprising as Croats are usually catholics in comparison to Serbians). A funny topic, he explains that he doesn’t understand young people who risk their lives for extreme sports, which is understandable, but my trip isn’t exactly smart in terms of safety either, cannot fully acknowledge 😀
I then devour a Ćevapi in its bread and bask in the sun on the beach. To finish, I enjoy a super good pastry and lemonade close to my hostel, followed by some chill and sleep.
Day 13 Split to Trpanj (135 km)
Departure at 10:30 : Heading towards Trpanj and its ferry to reach the far south of the country, avoiding Bosnia (I don’t want to risk crossing the border for 15 km of this beautiful country, which I’ll visit another time).
The first real day without sightseeing, just aiming for performance. I can’t miss the last ferry; by 1 pm, I realize I can only aim for the 18:30, the last one. Time is tight, and with very short breaks and hours of effort, I get my ticket at the last minute. I’m completely out of energy and of water but can quickly replenish at a cemetery before nightfall. And I will camp in the wild as usual.
Day 14 Trpanj to Ston (60 km)
Departure at 10:45 : heading to Prapratno to try to see the island of Mljet and its figs and honey.
Along the way, the view from the Pelješac Peninsula is enormous, the descent with big straight paths all the more satisfying with the view.
I rest on the beach at Žuljana at noon with a little salad made by myself. I’m out of water again, and my cemetery technique is unsuccessful. Two without fountains to replenish me, I start to worry, but a children’s park spot reveals itself to me and saves my throat. I arrive at full speed in Prapratno, but there’s nothing to see except the ferry. After much reflection on my trip and a discussion with the ferry lady, I decide it’s better to postpone this visit for another time. See you next time, Mljet! The 10% climb back is not very cool, even a RUNNER overtakes me, my pride takes a huge hit 😀
Arriving in Ston, I appreciate the fortifications on the hill, learning there is a marathon passing through once a year, they must be crazy to do such things. The restaurant isn’t great, but today’s camping spot under an olive tree and in the shade for the morning will do me some good 🙂
Next adventures scheduled for week 3.
