Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...

[Lightcycle]

Into the forest we go...

Just across the border, the forest of the Julian Alps continues into the Triglav National Park. As we enter the park, Neda excitedly tells me of all the places she wants to show me in Slovenia.

These communicators are wonderful devices. Rather than spending the majority of the last three and a half years of our ride in solitude, we've kept the comms open during the entire time, sharing our experiences and reactions of things we've seen along the way in real-time instead of saving it all up to discuss at the end of each riding day.

On this particular day, Neda is in a reflective mood. She tells me about all of the family vacations that her and her family took, crossing into the neighbouring republic to the north. She recounts how she always looked forward to the hiking trips in the mountains of the Slovenian Alps, multi-day treks that fostered in her the love of nature. How they used to stop each evening in mountain lodges, chowing down on delicious hot stew to fuel them for the next day's journey.

Riding through Triglav National Park in Slovenia

As we rode through the park, Neda points up at the peaks through some of the mountains she used to hike as a kid

Neda's a bit upset that the weather is so bad. She would have liked to stop to show me some of the places where she went on hiking trips with her dad. She would point at a mist-covered peak and say, "We went hiking through those mountains...", and added forlornly "...but you can't see them right now".

As the ride went on, she recounted her memories of Slovenia and how in the communist system at the time, Yugoslavian families were given "packages" from the government so that they could take vacations. Slovenia was always the more progressive of the republics and is much more affluent now because of it. From the way Neda talked about these trips, Slovenia was always that rich cousin that you looked forward to visiting, but yet made you so envious because they were better off than you.

 

[Lightcycle]

Entering Slovenia... again...

The road through Triglav National Park is narrow and twisty in parts. Which would have been hugely entertaining except that the rains had started up again. That, combined with the slick carpet of fallen leaves on the pavement, made our going tediously overcautious and frustratingly slow. We got to a spot halfway into the park where we finally conceded that this wasn't fun any more. So we bailed on the ride through the park and made an exit out to the highway. Because this road skirted the border between Italy and Slovenia, we dipped into each country a couple of times, crossing borders like playing hopscotch in the rain.

Thankfully everyone's a part of the EU now so we don't have to fill up our passports needlessly with multiple stamps. But Neda is bummed yet again. She was the one who planned this route through Triglav and this was another spoiled opportunity to show me her childhood haunts.

We booked a couple of days in an AirBnB just outside of Bled

Staying in Bled was way too expensive, so we're in the tiny village of Zasip, about 3kms away from the city. Ever since I've known Neda, she's always told me about Bled. "It's so pretty!", "I have to take you there someday!", "You're going to love it, I know you will!"

The plan is to wait out the rains and on a sunny day visit the town that Neda has told me so much about.

Waiting for the rains to stop outside our BnB in Zasip

The next day we stare gloomily out the window at the storm clouds overhead. They seem never-ending. We spend the day indoors catching up on e-mail and I pretend to work on the blog, which is getting so far behind that it's embarrassing.

The next day it's still raining, so we decide to leave Slovenia. Riding out of Zasip

 

[Lightcycle]

We've already planned to cross the border into Croatia today and we just can't wait anymore for the weather to turn. I proposed to Neda that we ride into Bled despite the rain so we can poke around town for a short while before heading to the border.

This is one of the attractions in the town of Bled, the Church of the Assumption on the tiny island out in the middle of Lake Bled

The best way to get to the island is by a traditional Slovenian boat called a pletna

The pletna is a covered flat-bottomed boat that is only rowed by oarsmen from families of "Pletnarstvo", the tradition of rowing out to Bled Island handed down through the generations over the last few centuries. Or so the marketing literature goes...

As we were riding through the city, Neda told me about the skiing vacations that her family took up in the mountains. They would go into the old city and skate on the frozen lake, enjoying the beautiful scenery around them. All of that obscured today by the dismal weather.

You can see the disappointment in Neda's face.

I know Neda's not happy that she can't show off Bled the way she remembers it in her memories, but even I could see how pretty the place is through the raindrops on my helmet visor. All these charming storefronts, restaurants and hotels lining the boardwalk around Lake Bled, with the mountains of the Julian Alps riding majestically above the town. It's quite beautiful.

Nice day for a walk. Not.

It's too miserable to continue on all of the back roads that Neda has planned for us around Bled. I know she's disappointed, but I try to console her that this is so close to Croatia that we'll get another chance to do them again when the weather is nicer.

 

[Lightcycle]

From Bled, we hit the highway to Croatia and Slovenia warps away behind us like a wet memory.

At the Croatian border

It's only two hours on the highway until we reach the Croatian border. The minute we exited the mountain range of the Alps, the weather clears up magically and we're able to shed all our rainclothes.

Rather than alleviating Neda's mood, this just makes her more bitter. As if the Gods themselves were conspiring to ruin her guided tour of her youth. The smooth and well-maintained asphalt of Slovenia's highways fell away to the much less tended/funded crumbling roadways of Croatia. Neda shook her head in annoyance and in her frustration, the old jealousies reared up once again: "Why can't they make the roads welcoming people to Croatia nicer? Why do visitor's first impressions of my country have to look like this?!?"

Familiar neighbourhood

As we rode into Croatia, Neda began to relax again. The fine weather and familiar surroundings finally working their way into lifting her spirits.

Over the communicator she tells me, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to show you Slovenia properly so you could see all the places I've always told you about".

But in my mind, I replayed all of our conversations we had over the last few days while riding through the Slovenian Alps. All of the vivid memories retold with excitement and nostalgia, even the pricklish envies that came through in her voice.

You've already shown me those places, Neda. I was with you the entire time.

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/266.html

We've been on the move, gallivanting all over Europe for a month now, and while it's been amazing to spend time with friends, it'll be nice just to stay in one place for a while. Since we sold Neda's mom's apartment last year we don't have a place in Pula anymore. Iva's dad has an apartment in Medulin, which is a sleepy town less than 10 kms outside of Pula, so this is where we've settled in ever since arriving.

Carolyn, our friend from one of the motorcycle forums, sent Neda a cross-stitch pattern of one of our pictures from the trip.
Because of all the free time we've had in the last while, it's coming along nicely!

We've remained stationary for over a week now and it's so satisfying just to unpack everything around us and relax. Neda's friends realize that we're locals now so there's not as much of a mad rush to plan get togethers. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, which is surprising for this time of year. We were in Pula exactly one year ago and I remember how cold, wet and miserable it was when winter drove us out of Croatia. Now, it's 20C and sunny every day. If the weather continues to stay like this, we may be able to linger here for awhile longer to recover before we're forced to head further south once again.

Neda is so happy that she has a kitchen again. We're eating great home-cooked meals every day

It's a good thing we have transportation, unlike last year when we were waiting for our bikes to arrive from South America. Neda is able to ride into Pula and go grocery shopping every morning to get fresh food for us. Being from the coast, Neda loves seafood, so she's been buying a lot of fish from the markets in town, straight off the fishing boats. She's preparing all her favorite Croatian dishes from her youth.

Me, I've basically gone into hibernation mode. All I do is eat seafood, sleep and watch TV. I have zero motivation to do anything else. I can't believe how tired I am. It's been so draining just moving from place to place and I'm soaking up all of this downtime like a sponge. It feels like I could do nothing for months and not get sick of it.

We're still figuring out where we're going to end up, but one thing is certain: it doesn't make sense to go back to Canada in the wintertime. I think the plan right now is to follow the warm weather, stop moving when the climate is tolerable and put off any decision-making until the spring when there are more options available to us.

 

[Lightcycle]

It's my fourth birthday on the road. These annual milestones make me think back to where we were on each anniversary. We celebrated my first birthday on the road in San Jose, California. Then the next one on the Stahlratte between Panama and Colombia. Then last year we were in Switzerland. Amazing to recall all the places that we've been!

For my birthday, Neda organized a day ride around Istria!

Our first stop is to see a kazun

In the area around Pula, there are these little circular, stone huts everywhere in the fields. They're called Kazun (Ka-joon) and were originally built as shelters for workers in the olive gardens to take a break from the elements, but these days they're basically tool sheds or ornamental structures. Actually, these days you'll see more kazuns as tiny souvenirs sold in the tourist shops as a symbol of Istria. When Neda and I first started dating, she gave me one of these tiny souvenir kazuns and I kept it on my desk at work to remind me of her.

I've seen many kazun in the fields outside of Pula, but this is the first time we've stopped to actually pose in front of one! I like the word Kazun because it sounds like you're sneezing. Kazun! Kazun-Teit!

Making our way to the east coast

Neda's route for the day hugs the rugged eastern coast of the Istrian peninsula. It used to be the primary eastern route traveling north-south to the mainland before the highway was built. These days it's just local traffic and vehicles out for a leisurely cruise.

We're going to start our coastal tour at the town of Rabac

Unfortunately we couldn't find the coastal road. Turns out it doesn't start in Rabac, but further north

So back to the mainland, up north and then cutting back to the coast. But first, more pictures in pretty Rabac!!!

 

[Lightcycle]

We stop for a Kitteh-petting break in the town of Plomin

The coastal road starts in Plomin. There is a beautiful inlet where cruise ships and cargo ships come in. This is also the site of the Plomin Power Plant, a coal-fired power station which supplies 13% Croatia's electricity requirements.

I walk out to the cliffs at Plomin to get a shot of the inlet

Behind me, the Kitteh follows me looking for more hugs (or probably food). Sorry Kitteh, I'm allergic to you!!!

Also in Plomin is the Hotel Flanona

 

[Lightcycle]

Before the highway was built, when Neda used to take the bus from Rijeka to Pula, it would always stop here. She would see tons of bikers in the parking lot suiting up to tackle the twisty coastal roads that start and end here. Now we're part of that action!

Lots of bikes taking advantage of the beautiful late fall weather. Neda's old transportation in the background...

From the deck of the hotel/restaurant you can get a better view of the inlet

And then, back on the road to do some twisties

We passed dozens of bikers going up and down the coastal road between Plomin and Opatija, which is at the top of the peninsula. It's about a 30km stretch of very twisty asphalt with an amazing view of the coast constantly at our side. Sportbikes zoom past us, sticking their right leg out to say hi (that's how they do it in Europe). Actually, not just sportbikes, all bikes pass us and wave their right leg out as if to say, "Wow, you guys are slow." A minivan also passes us, the passenger rolls down her window and she sticks her leg out at us.

 

[Lightcycle]

Krk is the largest island in Croatia, a popular tourist destination because of the beaches and the old walled city

Surprisingly, Neda's never ever been to Krk. So this was a first for both of us. We had to ride over a 1.5km bridge to get to the island which took us high above the Rijeka Bay of the Adriatic Sea.

My favorite part of Krk is its name. I like that it has no vowels, so when you say it it sounds like you're clearing your throat. Basically if you make a lot of involuntary noises, you're already well on your way to learning Croatian!

There are a whole bunch of Croatian words that rhyme with Krk that have no vowels. Neda and I make up a silly rhyme for all of them: Srk, Mrk, Brk, Trk, Krk... Helps pass the time when we are in our helmets...

Like the true Istrians that we are, we have a nice seafood dinner at Krk

Neda orders squid! A classic Istrian dish.

Marina at Krk

 

[Lightcycle]

Our tour leader, Captain Krk, sitting outside the walls of the old city

Marina pictures. Sun is setting so early, we have to get back to Medulin

Packing up to go home

Going back over Krk bridge, I stop to snap a nice picture before sunset

Merging back on to the traffic on the bridge

Another wonderful birthday on the road! And totally enjoying our R&R in Croatia!

 

[NTA]

My EU motorcycle tour …

 

[meme]

Happy Birthday Gene (belated?). Hugs to you both, still missing you two.

 

[statsman]

Great reports, great pictures.
And a very high level of jealousy.

 

[bocutter]

Neda is so happy that she has a kitchen again. We're eating great home-cooked meals every day

Sounds like she'd be a happier 'camper' if you had a kitchen on your bike ...

 

[Wingboy]

Still reading and staying interested your shenanigans.Cheers you two.

 

[yodude]

+1..

 

[Lightcycle]

Thanks guys, appreciate it!

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/267.html

We've been in Croatia for over two weeks now. The apartment we've been staying in in Medulin is getting well lived in. Neda is out all the time with her girlfriends and I am relishing all the time I have to sleep and do nothing in between sleeping. I even manage to get some blog posts written up!

The weather has been holding up very nicely. Everyone here remarks how unseasonably warm it is for Istria. This is good news. It means we don't have to pull up stakes and ride the bikes to some place warmer. I think Neda could stay in Istria for a very long time, she's very comfortable here. However we both would like to avoid the winter, and I'd like the option of staying mobile. Having the bikes snowed in for months is not too attractive a proposition for me.

But it looks like we don't have to worry about that for quite some time.

Rather than another "Didn't do anything. Life is good" blog post, here's a fun Istrian road trip we did recently:

The cast of characters for our road trip: The Pula Girls!!!

Yes, you can place the blame for the amazing weather we're having on the Pula Girls, Iva and Tajana. I remember just how sunny our Spanish tour with them was and how much fun it was to hang out with them on their vacation. They've offered to take us on a short tour to show us some other places in Istria that I haven't seen before. So on one fine sunny day (they're all sunny these days), we all jumped into Iva's car for a mini road-trip.

Our first stop of the day, the town of Roč

Roč (prononced "Wrotch") is about an hour's drive north of Pula. It's located in a area called the Glagolitic Alley, where artists have erected several monuments to celebrate the origins of the Glagolotic script, the oldest Slavic alphabet.

Walking through the gates of the walled city of Roč

 

[Lightcycle]

Pumpkins everywhere tell us we're late in the harvest season.

Roč is the geographical centre of Istria and the town has been set up as a shrine to the Glagolitic alphabet and its inventors, two Byzantine monks who traveled to this area to do missionary work.

A statue commemorates the Saints Cyril and Methodius, the two brothers who came up with the Glagolitic alphabet

Saint Cyril and Methodius transcribed the Bible into the Slavic language, devising the Glaglotic alphabet, which is the precursor to the Cyrillic alphabet that countries like Russia and Serbia still use today. Neda told me that she studied all of this in her history lessons in school. When we first started dating, she transcribed my name in Glagolitic on a beautiful card that she had made up by hand.

Remembering this and the kazun she gave to me when we first met really made me realize how connected she was to her Croatian heritage. We had met each other during her very first few months in Canada.

"RideDOT.com" in Glagolitic. Not a phonetic translation, just the keyboard alphabet transliteration

Enjoying the beautiful weather up on the stone walls of Roč

 

[Lightcycle]

After walking around Roč, we hopped back in the car for a very short drive to Kotli, just a few kms away. There's a small waterfall there where we could go hiking around and then sit at a nearby cafe overlooking the water.

Hanging out in old familiar haunts

There's a watermill at the falls in Kotli. Neda told me how when she was a kid, her dad used to get called out for field work in this area. She would accompany him and they'd pack a ham sandwich for lunch and eat it here out on the rocks by the falls. She told me that she remembered thinking that those were the most delicious ham sandwiches ever.

I could listen to Neda talk about her childhood all day. Her stories about the memories she made in all of these places are way more interesting than any wikipedia article I could cut and paste.

Tajana and Neda hanging out at the waterfall

I made a new friend!

Autumn leaves collect on the water