8

8 

Due to spending most of yesterday in Slovenia there wasn't going to be much time in Italy.

Our abode for the evening, chosen because of the restaurant, was both disconcerting and Italian. There was no written menu; everything was verbal. Our Italian is limited and their English was only a tad better as far as describing what there was to eat. This wasn't Pizza Express. So it was a bit like a question and answers session. Fish or meat? Fish. OK white wine then - it just came, not a question of asking for anything in particular. We struggled on the fish description though. Grey but tastes very nice could have been a lot of things. So we ended up with Cosso and vongole spaghettini as a starter and then grilled squid and vegetables and after a lime and mint sorbet went to bed quite happy with ourselves.

It is worth remembering that people in Italian villages don't have watches or mobile phones and still rely on church bells. Throughout the night. And every half hour. 

The sun was there in the morning and we set off for Croatia. We were quickly out of Italy and through Slovenia, again - this must have been a nightmare before the EEC - and into Croatia which is also part of the EEC, but they wanted to see our passports. Last year when we travelled we did an awful lot of research about money and visas etc, but this year we just seem to be winging it. So we weren't expecting that Croatia didn't function on Euros and we didn't know we would need local money for the motorway toll that hit us straight after the border. Ah well.

Northern Croatia seems to be about private dentistry if you go by the roadside panels. DentalImplantsRUsivic.
 

                              

                              

                             
 

Not having cash and with the sun shining we went for the coast road. The 8. Not sure whether it was a D or an N but it wasn't a motorway and it was brilliant. It must class as one of the world's best. Too often there are coast roads where you can see nothing because the land between the road and the sea has been bought up for development and you shall not be able to see the sea without paying an entrance fee - but not here. Unbelieving we stopped to buy some cash and have a drink and decided to stay on the road all the way to Zadar even if it meant foregoing lunch; we did however want to spend some time in the old Town by arriving mid afternoon.

                           

We actually stayed in the old Town, Roman, Venetian and whatever else has happened since then. Vehicles prohibited so we entered via the 'Sea gate' which was under refurbishment.
 

It is a super little place and even the pavements/roads were in marble and their shine was a natural polish and not just wet.

The town was busy during the afternoon but completely chocabloc the evening. A fun place to be. We were even treated to the Croatian equivalent of the Radio1 Summer Roadshow with live acts starting out with what must have been Croatian Heavy Metal morphing into the Birdie Song  with shaven heads trying to look intimidating waving flares about in time with the music and with football scarves knotted around their wrists. So 70's.

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Checked on the bike before retiring. A cat had already retired on the seat. Lucky we had put the seat rain cover on - just in case.

The previous day having been such a success we decided to stay on the coast road to Split. We had decided that we should have lunch in SPLIT as that was the way it was spelt on our map and therefore it must be interesting. We held off putting the waterproofs on all morning - Croatia was also threatening to be a green and pleasant land.

Well we shouldn't have bothered with this stretch of the coast road - we should have just blitzed it to Split on the motorway. To be perfectly honest there was not much point in Split either though we did have a very long lunch in a very nice square in what must have been the old town just behind the port. The length of the lunch, @ two hours being determined by the heavy rain that was falling.

Having had had enough of the coast road we hit the motorway South towards Dubrovnik and it was very picturesque and quiet and probably brand new and it helped us make up time. But it stops a good 100 km+ before Dubrovnik and we were back on the coast road again and it was probably very nice. Probably because it was really raining now accompanied by thunder and lightening. Sobeit.

Croatia is in two bits. Dubrovnik is in the far smaller second bit. They are separated by the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina which has a coast line of just less than 10km and even less as the bird flies. This must be some left over from the Balkan episodes. Seeing signs for Sarajevo and Mostar made one think a bit. But we get a new flag sticker on the bike.

                           

                           

We nonetheless arrived safely in Dubrovnik and will be having a day off tomorrow. We visited the old town this evening and it was fairy tale like. Truly incredible. So tip for the day. If you ever want to travel in Croatia from Rijeka  to Dubrovnik them take the 8 to Zadar and then the motorway until it becomes the 8 again. And if you are travelling 'open-topped', take some waterproofs. Just in case.

                          

                                          

And now for a day off. So we spent the day in Dubrovnik. We went swimming on what was almost a private beach next to the Old Town. We walked the walls and marvelled at the place - even more so when realising that it had been damaged during the "Homeland " war of the early 90's. It was not possible to see what had been refurbished or rebuilt, though we suspected that the newness of the bright orange roof tiles might be linked. We can't seem to remember what the war was all about - but isn't that the case with most wars?