May 20th 2016, Mlini, Croatia
Dangerous roads
Jakob & Ernest:
According to the weather forecast, Sunday the 15th of May was said to be a little bit cloudy with occasional showers. Good spirited, we moved off from Split towards Dubrovnik that morning. In the distance we saw a big, dark cloud approaching us. Hoping for good wind that would carry the storms away, we carried on.
This day the coast road ran relatively high in the mountains, so when faced with strong winds and busy traffic, it can be a dangerous ride for cyclists and motorcyclists, anyway.
Especially the “Bora” gravity wind, as the Croats call it, can be a major obstacle for bikers. This wind is characterized by some seconds of lull, followed by a tremendous flurry which makes it rather impossible to stay stable on the bike.
Totally focused on the road and trying to dodge the suction forces from trucks passing by, we noticed a hollow pounding. The nature spectacle, which we were offered, was majestic and impressive on one hand. On the other, we felt frightened and endangered by it. Like a hugh brick wall, the rain curtain approached us from direction of the sea. In less than 30 minutes the heavy rain was pouring on us, and considering the wind we were forced to stop - in the middle of this coastal road. A thunderstorm began and we had to push our bikes up alongside the pitch until we reached a vacant building on the cliff-top.
Having reached the highest point, the wind calmed and we were able to get back on our bikes. Fully soaked and applying the break we slowly drove down the road, which by now had turned in to a creek.
Besides our nerve-wracking adventure, contrasty and beautiful Croatia has much to offer. On our ride from North to South Croatia we were exposed to the dramatic contrasts of landscapes. While the islands and the coasts of the North were rather barren landscapes, and therefore less touristic (probably due to the off-season), the South was marked by rich green-wooded islands and was frequented more by tourists. We drove past a lot of old, collapsed buildings and deserted towns, which presumably are blooming in the months of summer and are calm the rest of the year.
Due to rough terrain and houses without garden spaces, we weren't able to find a lot of free-night-stays, but had to frequent camping sites. A few times, however, we were invited by very kind Croats and were able to rest in unbelievable hospitality.
We're more than relieved that we've left above mentioned “costal-road-adventure” behind us. It was definitely more mentally than physically stressful – especially because of those irresponsible car and truck drivers who flashed by so close that we had to take a break in order to recover from the shock.
In this context, we would like to raise attention for more courtesy on the road. We believe that everyone agrees to the decrease of the number of flowers and burial crosses alongside the roads.
Nevertheless, we are looking forward to the other Balkan countries, great country sides and of course interesting encounters.
{Translation from German: Jessica}
^ Invited in Biograd ^
^ Breakfast for sportsmen ^
^ Primošten ^
^ After the severe weather ^
^ Rain wall ^
^ Orange valley ^
^ Dubrovnik ^
^ Old city of Dubrovnik ^
^ Dubrovnik ^
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