I think last time I posted I said something along the lines of ‘we’ll post sooner next time’.
As my Mum has reminded me… we haven’t. But in big news – we have somehow found ourselves on a Croatian Island looking at the sea for the first time since arriving in the Netherlands, six weeks ago!
Since we last posted we have:
1. Visited five countries: Slovakia, back into Austria, a night in Hungary and then from Austria into Slovenia and now Croatia.
2. We’ve made the transition from wind and rain and temperatures in the low teens just 10 days ago, to the high 20s and wall to wall sunshine today.
3. We’ve cycled through gorges, over mountains and at times along the old Iron Curtain.
4. We’ve seen the world’s oldest vine (as confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records) – in Maribor (Slovenia)
5. We’ve had our first night of wild camping on this trip (by necessity as the campsite we were aiming for was closed)
6. We’ve eaten a lot (this isn’t new news)
It’s been a busy week and a half and probably the most varied of the trip so far as we have veered off the EuroVelo river routes, which has meant that we have found ourselves more or less alone as touring cyclists. There have been far fewer campsites to choose from and we have had to properly find our new climbing legs. I say ‘new’ as climbing with the bikes loaded as mentioned previously is very different from climbing by bike on previous trips. We have found them though and after a bit of practice can confirm I have rediscovered the joy of reaching a summit under your own steam, and the thrill of descending the other side – with the epic views this almost always brings!
The Iron Curtain
Leaving Bratislava our route took us back into Austria and we found ourselves following the border with Hungary for most of that day. There’s nothing like actually being somewhere to understand a bit better what recent history in particular might have felt like. This was the Iron Curtain and the effects of the decades of a hard border and the differences between the two sides are still felt today (or at least it felt that way to us).
Of course with the EU/Schengen and freedom of movement, moving between Slovakia, then into Austria and then Hungary was all completely seamless but you definitely ‘know’ that you’re in a new country in a way that we didn’t so strongly when moving between Germany and Switzerland, for example.
Undiscovered Austria
OK – this bit of Austria probably isn’t completely undiscovered but the Eastern side with its lush hills and sleepy villages felt like another world to the Danube, and Vienna and probably to the Alpine side too. We really enjoyed the climbing and feeling like we had it mainly to ourselves.
Slowing down in Slovenia
We had intended to slow down a bit through Slovenia. As a small country we didn’t want to whizz through in two days and miss it completely but due to a lack of campsites (at least on the Eastern side) we ended up only doing four days of cycling here. They were four beautiful days though and again we felt like the only people cycling through the lush valleys and over some stunning climbs.
Maribor (Slovenia’s second biggest city with a population of under 100,000) was a lovely surprise. Home to the ‘Old Vine’, wine (of course) and delicious food we really enjoyed our afternoon and evening there. We also enjoyed visiting the sleepiest of towns Kostanjevica na Krki for a night – it’s the smallest town in Slovenia with a population of under 1,000 and really felt it!
Speeding up in Croatia
And then yesterday we crossed the border into Croatia to be re-joined by all those tourists we had lost track of! We started the day in the quietest of Slovenian gorges, cycled over a big mountain (up to nearly 1,000m) and then down to the coast. It might be because it’s Pentecost weekend in Germany and Austria, AND an extra bank holiday in Croatia itself on Tuesday but oh boy… there are a lot of motor homes about all of a sudden!
We made it to this spot on Krk Island though after a long day of cycling and have lucked out with the campsite taking pity on us and letting us squeeze in for two nights.
The views are breathtaking, the sea stunningly blue and clear and that feeling when we first saw it and realising that we cycled here…. Unforgettable.
The ‘why’ moments
Whilst the weather has been better, and we’ve had all of the above to enjoy… I’d be lying if I said it’s all been plain sailing though. There’s been a couple of days where I’ve wondered if I’m getting bored of cycling (oh dear) and where we have tested one another.
As soon as we find a new comfort zone (terrain, country, language) it feels like we’re entering a new one and there are always decisions to be made and research to be done (where to sleep, where to go, what to eat) which pale into comparison to some of the work decisions we used to take, but somehow are all consuming and at times exhausting.
There was the night when we found ourselves having a conversation about all of the above (and more) and one of the people at the campsite was walking about with their newborn baby trying to get them to sleep…and that old stabbing sadness of losing something you never had returns. To be replaced quickly (thankfully) with just a gentle melancholy and a holding of hands and appreciation for what we’re eating/drinking/seeing.
I’d love to say that it is all plain sailing and maybe it should be? Or maybe that’s just life doing its thing again and reminding you that that would be boring (we both hate being bored).
On that note – what’s next?
We plan to do a bit more island hopping along the Croatian coast before heading into Montenegro and then Albania which actually is starting to sound a bit intrepid!
Please keep your fingers crossed for the continuation of the good weather and the return of the German motorhomes to Germany after the bank holiday weekend. As well as more sparkling seas and smiles.
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