Sep 19, 2018 - Brać

Where to start? Well, I guess breakfast is as good a place as any. We ate at a small place attached to our hotel. It was a nice breakfast buffet. Fruit, tomatoes, eggs, meats, breads, juices, coffee - all the usual stuff. We met the tour guides in the lobby at 8:20 for a 10 minute walk to the ferry. It was another beautiful morning and the ride was just about an hour from Split to Supetar on the island of Brać. We chose our helmets, got our saddles (seats) adjusted, had a snack if desired and headed out for our 25 mile journey around Brać....

Sep 18, 2018 - Split and Prep for Bike Tour

Today was a calmer day - happily, all fun, no calamities. My uniform for breakfast was a bathing suit bottom plus a cycling jersey... because it was laundry day! I thought we’d only go to the laundromat, breakfast and back. Well, it turns out we could leave the laundry to be done, folded and wrapped for us at a very reasonable price, only 75 Kuna ($12.) Being spared that chore, we went out for a fun day and I looked ridiculous for several hours. [NO JOKES PLEASE.] We did a two-part tour of the Diocletian Palace. Our guide was very good and...

Sep 17, 2018 - Plitvice Lakes National Park - Day 2

After a lovely dinner last night, with wonderful food and ample wine, we slept well. The hotel had a very nice breakfast, again with plenty of food. At Vlad’s suggestion, we did the lower lakes yesterday and the upper lakes today. It was the perfect way to do it. While the lower lakes were beautiful, the upper lakes were stunning. The smaller crowds made viewing and picture taking so much easier. Of course, we had to do some waiting at the more popular sites to get an unobstructed view. Vlad had told us that our route would take about three...

Sep 16, 2018 - Plitvice Lakes National Park

Well today was getaway day from Rovinj. We intended an early start but then got some unwanted help. Last night at bedtime, we were serenaded with Croatian bar songs until after midnight from a nearby pub on our tiny street. Then again, about 3:00, it seemed to start up again. That torture only lasted an hour or so and I was fortunate to get a little more sleep before rising around 6:00. After finalizing our packing, we met Ernie and De for our usual delightful breakfast buffet on the patio. Another picture-perfect day on tap. We’ve been...

Sep 15, 2018 - More anchorages and historic towns

Friday 7 September Mid morning headed off and anchored in a lovely bay by Vinisce. Saturday 8 September Undertook a short passage to Trogir and anchored near the old town. Went into Trogir which is a very nice medieval town with loads of wonderful architecture – a blend of Baroque, Renaissance and Venetian. In the afternoon we and a whole procession of charter boats left Trogir, with many heading in the same direction as us, towards the Blue Lagoon. By the end of the evening there were 40+ boats in this anchorage. Sunday 9 September After...

Sep 14, 2018 - Rovinj and Istrian Hill Towns

We caught up on our sleep last night - fully adjusted to Europe time! We were up early today and had a lovely breakfast in our hotel terrace garden. Then it was off for a morning stroll around Rovinj and the harbor. It was a great contrast from last night — so lively then, so quiet and calm now. Wonderful seeing the boats going out while the early-bird shop-keepers were starting their days. Quiet can me magical. We connected with De and Ernie as they were finishing their breakfast and then we set off together for a drive thru the Istrian...

Sep 13, 2018 - Zagreb to Rovinj

After a very long day of travel, we arrived in Zagreb in good spirits. Immigration and customs were so easy, we sailed through. After arriving at the Hotel Dubrovnik near Old Town, we met up with Ernie and De for some wine and cheese. We began today very leisurely with breakfast at the hotel. Ernie and De picked us up around 9:30 and we headed to the Istria peninsula and our hotel in Rovinj, Angelo d’Oro. The drive was beautiful, the roads are in great shape and traffic was almost non-existent. The hotel is on a pedestrian street, so we had...

Sep 11, 2018 - Days 1 and 2 - California to Zagreb

Days 1 and 2 include our evening flight on September 11th and next evening arrival on September 12th. Dennis and Kathy here, waiting in Irvine for our shuttle, due in about an hour. We've been packed for hours and I (Dennis) an wholly unfamiliar with such readiness. While restless-making, it beats the opposite extreme with which I've been more familiar in the past. We're facing a long day and I'm ever hopeful that I might manage some sleep on our over-night flight, that despite no meaningful past successes of the kind. We leave LAX at...

Sep 11, 2018 - Visiting interesting places

Friday 31 August Thankfully the strong winds did not materialise and no we were well dug in in mud and weed. Left mid morning and headed out of the bay and anchored in a very pretty little bay near Molat on Otok Molat. The waters here are crystal clear and provide great snorkelling. Gen free dived and cleaned the prop off all the barnacles. Saturday 1 September At 5am we enjoyed, not, a thunderstorm – needed to get up and bring in the washing and put away our awning. We registered 36 knots of wind but we were nicely dug in so not going...

Sep 3, 2018 - Northern Adriatic

Thursday 23 August Headed off trying to make the most of the morning breeze (which completely subsided when we got out there) and anchored on the island of Cres at a bay called Luka Ustrine. Very nice indeed. Friday 24 August Got up early to take the 09:00 swinging bridge at Osor. The canal is only around 50 meters long and the swinging bridge was manually winched open. Some 20+ passed through the canal northwards and 3 of us going south. About 1.5 miles from Osor we saw a service station to proceed to get diesel (at a very good price...

Aug 26, 2018 - Croatia, here we come....

Saturday 18 August Left Slovenia and checked into Croatia at Umag. It took awhile to get through customs. It’s cost E322 for 30 days which includes various safety charges e.g. lighthouses, garbage collection etc. Anchored in a large bay off the town of Dalja. At first we anchored where the majority of other boats anchored, which was within the nature reserve area marked off, but as most of the boats were heading back to their marinas we decided to re-anchor outside of the nature reserve just in case the authorities would come and check up...

Aug 9, 2018 - Moving on

Dear all, Well we reached Dubrovnik on the 31st and spent 2days there. It is truly a beautiful place. The water is so clear, the to own is clean and a real change from where we had been. Although under the rule of Tito in the 1980 - 1990's Croatia certainly has moved on. Tourists abound and the second day we were here there were 7 cruise ships in port. Dubrovnik is built on the edge of the sea but into the Rock face cliff. One of the pictures shows a house or two and you can see the steps built into the cliff leadibd down to the beach...