7.10.2007, DAN 13 - Skozi Neum proti Dubrovniku

Kot sva predvidela, je nočni dež razmočil zemljo in jo pretvoril v blato. Padavine čez noč niso ponehale in so se nadaljevale vse do poznega dopoldneva. Pravzaprav se je jakost padavin stopnjevala od šestih zjutraj pa vse do najinega štarta.


Najine čevlje sva pred blatom rešila tako, da sva jih pred izstopom iz šotora oblepila s srebrnim lepilnim trakom. Slednji nama je tako koristil kot galoše.

Ko sva ravno pospravljala opremo, je na nasad prišel lastnik in naju zalotil, vendar nama ni storil nič žalega. Zagotovila sva mu, da se bova hitro odpravila proč, pa nama je povedal, da lahko ostaneva tudi več dni, če želiva. Malce smo poklepetali in povedala sva mu, kako potujeva in kaj naju je pripeljalo do tega, da sva se to noč utaborila pri njegovemu nasadu. S tem se je še enkrat pokazalo, da stereotip o slabih hrvaško-slovenskih odnosih ne velja vedno. Ljudje so povsod enaki. Pomembna sta le prvi vtis, oziroma pravi odnos v dani situaciji.

Malo preden sva se usedla na kolesi se je vlilo kot iz škafa. Po pravici povedano sva se prav zabavala. Važno, da naju ni zeblo. Dežna oblačila so se dobro držala. Lepilni trak, ovit okoli najinih čevljev se je izkazal kot pravi biser proti vlagi in blatu. Koliko časa sva si prihranila, ko nama ni bilo potrebno čistiti blata iz čevljev, pa še prihranila sva jih malo. Preden sva dokončno krenila v klanec, ki naju je čakal, sva z nožem odrezala lepilni trak na podplatih najinih čevljev, da sva lahko normalno kolesarila. Lepilni trak je ostal na najinih kolesih skoraj cel dan. Tako sva tudi galošam podaljšala življenjsko dobo.

Peljala sva se po tej čudoviti pokrajini proti Bosni in vreme se je po nalivu začelo drastično izboljševati in zopet je postajalo toplejše.


Tik pred mejo z Bosno sva se z Azro zgrešila, saj ko sem se ustavil, da naredim nekaj fotografij je ona, zamišljena švignila mimo mene.


Pa ob cesti sem stal!


Ob zaščitni ograji! Ona ni videla mene, jaz pa ne nje. Ko sem nehal fotografirati, sem čakal in čakal, da pride za mano, a nje od nikjer. Sedel sem na kolo in se odpeljal nazaj, a je ni bilo. Odpeljal sem se naprej po cesti in ravno na mestu, kjer sva se zgrešila, se je začel strm spust, tako da je Azra med tem pridobila veliko prednost. Cesta je bila ovinkasta in nisva se mogla videti.

Tako sva, oba v strahu za en za drugega pedalirala in gledala naprej, kdaj se bova zagledala! Po pravici vam povem, da sem se skoraj uscal od straha, saj sva se približevala Bosni in predsodki so me popolnoma strašili. »Kaj pa če so jo ugrabili? Kaj pa če ji kaj naredijo?«

Kasneje, po petih minutah iskanja sem jo le zagledal na drugi strani zaliva in ker je bila preveč daleč, pihala pa je močna burja, je nisem mogel priklicati in ne dohiteti tako hitro, saj me je močan veter zaustavljal celo ko sem vozil navzdol. Ni me videla. Tako sem se odločil, da ustavim kak avto in prosim voznika, če se lahko zapelje naprej in reče Azri, naj me počaka, da prihajam za njo. Verjetno je bilo prav komično, ko sem mahal in skušal ustaviti avtomobile. Mimo mene je šlo kar nekaj voznikov, preden mi je nekdo ustavil – REŠILEC! Oba reševalca v avtomobilu sta me gledala kot tesla v nova vrata, ko sem jima ves zadihan razlagal, zakaj sem ju ustavil. Pa vendar delovalo je. Dohiteli so Azro in jo zaustavili. Edini problem je bil ta, da ko je videla Azra, da se ob njej ustavlja rešilec, jo je skoraj zadela kap, saj se je ustrašila, da se mi je kaj zgodilo.

Ko sem končno prikolesaril do nje, sva se skozi tisto glasno burjo, na cesti začela dreti en na drugega, zakaj se toliko oddaljujeva brez opozorila in nisva morala verjeti, kako sva se lahko tako neumno zgrešila. Povedal sem ji, da sem stal čisto ob cesti, obrnjen s hrbtom proti njej, ko sem slikal razgled pred spustom. Nisem mogel dojeti, kako me ni videla. Povedala mi je, da je imela sončna očala na sebi, kapuco močno zapeto in zaradi močne burje ni slišala ničesar okoli sebe.

Ko sva izpljuvala vsak svojo jezo sva za trenutek utihnila in takoj zatem bruhnila v orjaški smeh, vesela, da se je vse lepo iztekla in da imava sedaj le še eno anekdoto za pripovedovanje.


Z nasmehom sva se pripeljala v Bosno in v Neum, pa v dolg, vnovičen klanec, tako da so se kilometri seštevali zelo počasi.


Pot je na tem delu res čudovita. Pokrajina je veličastna, le ko sva se peljala mimo oznake za konec Neuma, naju je spreletel srh, ko sva videla, da so na njej še vedno znaki metkov.


Malo naprej, spomenik padlemu vojaku. Ko je umrl je bil star toliko kot jaz.

Ko se voziš po tej cesti in prečkaš Bosno, je to prečkanje zelo kratko, saj si čez slabih deset kilometrov zopet na Hrvaškem. Pred ponovnim srečanjem s Hrvaško mejo se cesta zopet spremeni v dolgo spuščajočo se ravnino in pokrajina je lepa, čista, nedotaknjena. Prava paša za oči.

Takoj za mejo sta se zopet oglasila najina želodca in poskušala sva se nekje ustaviti in pojesti, vendar sva želela to storiti pod streho, saj sva pričakovala, da bo zopet začel padati dež. Nisva takoj našla primernega mesta, vendar ko se je to zgodilo, sva bila prav vesela.

Šla sva mimo prodajalke školjk in jo prosila, če bi se lahko za nekaj časa ustavila pod njeno streho, da si skuhava kosilo. Družbo ji je delal njen mož Nikolo.


Bila sta vesela najine družbe in sta nama šla zelo na roko. Skuhala sva si kosilo, kasneje pa je gospa Ana skuhala kavo in skupaj smo si jo z užitkom privoščili. To je bila za naju prva kava po skoraj dveh tednih, tako da sva ob klepetu in srkanju črnega tekočega zlata kar žarela od veselja.

Ana in Nikolo sta nama razlagala, koliko se razlikuje življenje na njihovem območju ter v notranjosti Hrvaške proti Severu. Povedala sta, kako tu vlada prava beda in da je bilo na tem območju med zadnjo vojno precej kritično. Pogovarjali smo se o mnogih drugih rečeh. Tudi o tem, kako nevarna je cesta, ob kateri smo sedeli. Vozniki tu so enostavno nori, saj ob ravninah močno preizkusijo moč svojih motorjev, kar je včasih lahko usodno. Razložila sta nama, kako jima kdaj pa kdaj povozijo kako mačko oziroma kako turisti odlagajo svoje »ljubljenčke« na cesti in potem mnogi zabredejo k njima, v njuno varstvo.

Lepo sva se jima zahvalila za enkratno družbo in se odpravila dalje proti Dubrovniku, do koder naju je ločilo le še kakih štirideset kilometrov.

eset kilometrov kasneje je moje kolo »utrpelo« prvi »gumi defekt«, ko sem malo preveč napumpal zadnje kolo. Brez problema sem menjal zračnico in krenila sva dalje.





Kakih petnajst kilometrov pred Dubrovnikom sva postavila tabor pa odličnem mestu, dovolj blizu ceste, pa vseeno dodobra skrito.


Razgled je bil ponovno veličasten, le zopet so se pokazale neprijetne sledi ljudi – smeti.



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7.10.2007, DAY 13 - Trough Neum, towards Dubrovnik

Like we predicted, the night rain soaked the land and transformed it into mud. The rain did not stop during the night and it continued to fall trough the morning. As the matter of fact the rain increased from 6am until our start. We saved our shoes from mud by applying a silver adhesive tape on them before getting out of the tent. It worked like overshoes(galoshes).

While putting away our equipment, the owner of the land came and saw us, but he was OK. We told him we were going to leave soon and he said we can stay as much as we need if we want. We had a chat together, told him about our trip and why we camped on his field. And with that it showed how Slovenian-Croatian stereotype about bad relations isn’t always the case. People are the same everywhere. The important things are first impression and the attitude toward the person you are in contact with. Just before we sat on our bikes it started to rain like crazy, but to tell you the truth we had fun. The important thing was that we were not cold. Our rain clothes was doing us well. The silver adhesive tape wrapped around our shoes turned out to be perfect against mud and water. It saved us a lot of time, because that way we did not have to clean the mud of the shoes. Before going up hill we cut the adhesive tape from our shoes, so we could cycle easily, but the tape on our bikes stayed the whole day so we spared the overshoes a bit.

We were cycling pass this beautiful region towards Bosnia and the weather was also getting better and warmer. Just before the border with Bosnia Azra and I missed each other, because while I stopped to take some photos she passed by and did not see me. And I was next to the road, but she did not see me and I did not see her. When I stopped taking photos I waited for her to come, but she didn’t. I cycled back, but she wasn’t there, so I went forward. A long and steep descent started where we missed each other and that is why Azra gained on speed. The road was devious and we couldn’t see each other.

And so in fear both of us cycled forward hoping to find each other. To be honest I almost pissed myself because we were getting close to Bosnia and the prejudice feelings came up: What if she was kidnapped? What if someone hurts her?

After five minutes of searching I finally saw her on the other side of the bay, but she couldn’t hear me calling her because she was too far and I could not catch up with her because the wind was blowing too hard and stopping me.

She didn’t see me so I decided to stop a car and tell them when they drive pass Azra to tell her to stop and wait for me. It probably looked funny when I was waving, trying to stop those cars. There were quite some cars passing buy but the only one that stopped was THE AMBULANCE. They were looking at me weirdly while I tried to explained to them why I stopped them. But it worked. They caught up wither and when Azra saw the ambulance stop in front of her, her heart stopped because she thought something has happened to me.

When we finally found each other we started screaming on one another why we had to cycle so far apart without any warning and we could not believe how we could missed each other in such a stupid way. I told her I was right next to the road, taking photos of the view. I couldn’t understand how she didn’t see me. She told me she had sunglasses and a hat against the rain on so she couldn’t see much or hear because of the wind.

When we finished throwing our anger out we kept quite and than started laughing , happy everything turned out OK, and so we had another story to tell others.:)

We came to Neum in Bosnia with a smile and came upon a high hill so it took some time to cycle up. The road on this part was really nice, the landscape was magnificent. The only things that scared us a bit was a sign for Neum that still had signs of bullets shooting trough. And a bit forward there was a monument to a fallen soldier. He was as old as me when he died. When you cross to Bosnia on this road you find yourself back in Croatia again in about 10 kilometers.

Before entering Croatia the road changes in a long straight plain and the landscape is beautiful, clean and intact. Heaven for the eyes.

After crossing the border again, we became hungry so we tried to stop somewhere under a roof just in case it rains. After a while we found a nice place.

We went pass the shell seller and kindly asked her if we could stop under her roof for a while and make some lunch. She was accompanied by her husband Nikolo.

They were happy to help and glad they got some company. After the lunch Mrs. Ana made us coffee and it was really nice because that was our first coffee after two weeks. We talked while enjoying the coffee. Ana and Nikolo explained to us how life was different there from some other parts of Croatia. They told us it was hard to live there and that it was really critical on this area during the war. We also talked about how the road close witch we were sitting was dangerous. The drivers there go crazy and their their cars to the fullest witch could be fatal in some cases. They said it happens that some cars run over a cat or they just drop their pets on the road and so those poor creatures find shelter with them.

We thanked them for a nice company and went towards Dubrovnik witch was about 40 kilometers away.

10 kilometers later my bike had a small tire problem, because I pumped to much air I to it. I changed the inner tube without a problem and off we went.

About 15 kilometers before Dubrovnik we found a camp that was really nice, close to the road but hidden enough. The view was again very magnificent but the unpleasant trash that people left behind were again a distraction.

6.10.2007, DAN 12 - Razburljiv dan in sreča v nesreči

Peljala sva se po ravninah, vzponih, spustih, ki jih je vseskozi spremljal čudovit razgled na desni strani. Cesta je velikokrat silila naprej, ter zatem v dolgem, desnem ovinku spremljala zaliv. Asfaltna kača se je ob vsem tem velikokrat vzdignila zelo visoko nad zalivom, ki ga je objemala, tako da je na desni strani nevarno zapretil prepad.

Na tem delu se nama je zgodilo nekaj, kar nama bo za vedno ostalo v spominu.

Pridno sva vrtela pedale in pred sabo sem zagledal še en tak zaliv, globoko pod cesto. Azra je za mano zaostajala kako minuto. Bila sva na eni strani zaliva in sva se ravno spuščala v notranjost ovinka, ko sem na drugi strani zaliva zaslišal silovito zaviranje avtomobila. Voznik, ki je vozil v nama nasprotni smeri je prehitro pridrvel v ovinek in izgubil kontrolo nad svojim vozilom. Med ustavljanjem je s prednjo, desno lučjo udaril ob zid na desni strani ceste, se obrnil za 180 stopinj in pristal na nasprotnem pasu (po pasu, po katerem sva se iz nasprotne smeri približevala midva), mogoče nekaj metrov od prepada.

Če bi se v tistem trenutku pripeljal kdo naproti, bi se zagotovo zgodila huda prometna nesreča. Ne bi dvakrat rekel, da bi naproti vozeče vozilo ne zletelo v globok prepad. Cesta je bila na tem delu prekleto nevarna, nepregledna, nezaščitena z ograjo.

Prešinila me je grozna misel: kaj pa če se z Azro nekaj minut pred tem nebi ustavila in šla na WC? Najbrž bi bila midva ravno takrat nekje na mestu, kjer je voznik izgubil kontrolo nad vozilom in zapeljal na najin pas! Razdalja od koder sem »srečno« nesrečo opazoval se je ujemala. Spreletel me je srh, ko sem pomislil, kako zlahka bi naju avto zbil v prepad. To pa zato, ker ga midva zaradi nepreglednega ovinka, od koder je voznik prihajal, nikakor nebi mogla videti.

Kakšno srečo sva imela, da je Azra morala ravno takrat na WC. Kar nekaj časa je govorila, da se bo ustavila. Namreč jaz sem hotel hitreje uloviti nekaj kilometrov in se še nisem želel ustaviti. Vendar Azra, moj angel varuh, je pač morala iti na WC. In kakšna sreča! Nasproti temu nevestnemu vozniku ni pripeljalo popolnoma nobeno vozilo! Cesta je bila popolnoma prazna tisti trenutek! Kaj če bi se midva kar peljala dalje, namesto da sva se ustavila in šla odtočit?

Spodnjo fotografijo sem posnel, ko sva bila že mimo kraja nesreče. Na njej se lepo vidi voznik, ki skuša poklesati zvito pločevino, na levi strani fotografije pa sta lepo vidna cesta in smer s katere sva pripeljala z Azro, ter zelo slaba zaščita pred prepadom. Ravno del ceste, kjer se je vse zgodilo je nezaščiten.


Voznik je po tem, ko je končno obstal na nasprotnem pasu svoj avto zapeljal s ceste na pesek, tik ob prepadu, da se je lahko zbral in ocenil škodo. In veste, kaj je bila pri vsem tem največja ironija? Nosil je črno majico neke metal glasbene skupine, na njej pa seveda nič drugega kot okostnjaki s kitarami, nad njimi pa napis »Dead man« (Mrtev človek).

Srečna, da sva ostala živa in zdrava, sva se odpeljala dalje in poskušala pozabiti na dogodek ter uživati v razgledu. In res sva uživala. Pot od Splita proti Dubrovniku je res veličastna. Z besedami je težko opisati vso to lepoto. Edino kak poet bi lahko spravil skupaj prave besede, ki bi orisale te lepote. Mogoče je fotografija še najboljša v tem primeru. Hrvati so lahko res srečni, ker imajo v rokah tak zaklad. Le odlaganje odpadkov v naravi bi morali strožje kaznovati.



Nekatere fotografije sem si izsposodil iz čudovite zbirke fotografij na www.panoramio.com/. Žal ima najin sicer dober, vendar amaterski fotoaparat IXUS 65 svoje omejitve.

Peljala sva se mimo čudovitih Bačinskih jezer, proti hrvaško-bosanski meji.


V Pločah sva nakupila nekaj hrane in pri domačinih zaprosila za vodo. Dobila pa nisva le vode, temveč vrečo polno mandarin. Res so bili prijazni tej ljudje. Sedeli so pred svojo hišo in cela družina se je zbrala, ter naju spraševala, od kod sva, kam greva, pa kje bova spala in tako naprej. Po prijetnem klepetu smo se poslovili in z Azro sva kmalu drvela čez reko Neretvo in pa vzdolž nje.


Sonce se je počasi spuščalo, tema pa je bila še toliko bližje, saj so se oblaki pridno kopičili in napovedovali še eno deževno noč.


Dolga je asfaltna ravnina, ki spremlja Neretvo, ob njej pa ena poleg druge stojnice sadja in zelenjave. Iz obeh strani sva občudovala poljane njiv in vrtov, kjer so domačini pridelovali svoje blago in ga potem na svojih stojnicah skušali prodati mimoidočim. Prevladovale so mandarine.



Začenjalo se je temniti in iskala sva mesto za kampiranje. Dolgo časa je minilo preden sva ga končno našla. Teren poleg Neretve je bil precej neprimeren za naju, saj je bil močvirnat in zaraščen. Bog ve, kakšne živali se pasejo v tistih močvirjih. To je bilo območje tik pred izlivom Neretve, njena delta. Sicer čudovito območje, ki kar vabi fotografa, vendar sva midva sedaj tekmovala s časom.

Takole ta predel izgleda spomladi.


Ujel naju je mrak in pot se je začenjala vzpenjati. Kazalo je, kot da še veliko časa ne bova dobila mesta za tabor in bila sva tudi že precej utrujena. Namreč tu sva naredila skoraj osemdeset kilometrov, kar je bil ponoven rekord. Ravno, ko so me začeli načenjati živci, sva pred dolgo vzpetino našla stransko pot, ki je se je strmo spuščala navzdol, v velik nasad oljk.

Nisva veliko razmišljala. Kljub temu, da sva vedela, da bo ponoči padal dež in da bo ilovnata zemlja popolnoma razmočena, sva se utaborila, pojedla in utrujena hitro zaspala.


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6.10.2007, DAY 12 - Exciting day and fortune in misfortune

We were cycling around plains, ascents, descents that were accompanied by great views on the right side. The road went forward and than followed the bay in a long right turn. The road was going high above the bay and we could see a huge cliff on the right. Something happened in this part that we will remember for a long time.

We were going forward and saw a similar bay under the road. Azra was a bit more behind me. We were on one side of the bay and we were just descending inside the turn when I heard a frantic braking of a car. The driver that was driving in the opposite direction was rushing to the turn and lost control over his car. While trying to stop he hit his right side light to a wall, turned for 180 degrees and stopped on the opposite side of the road, a few meters from the cliff.

If some other car would happen to be there, there would be a big car accident. The other car would definitely fall to into the deep. The road on that part was dangerous, extensive and unprotected.

I had a horrible thought: what if me and Azra would not stop a few minutes earlier and go to the toilet? We would probably be on the spot where the driver lost control over his car and finished on our lane. I got the creeps all over me when I taught that the car would run us over easily to the cliff. And that would be because we would not be able to see him because of the blind corner. We were lucky we had to go to the the toilet. Before all that Azra was saying to me for some time that she will stop, but I wanted to go faster and do more kilometers and not stop. But Azra, my angel guardian luckily went to the toilet.

Luckily, there were no cars driving in the direction of the irresponsible driver. The road was empty.

I took the photo hen we passed the accident site.You can see the driver trying to fix the metal and on the left side you can see the road and the direction where Azra and I cycled and also you can see a very bad road protection on the side of the cliff. Particularly the part where it all happened was unprotected.

When the driver finally stopped he pulled his car on the opposite waistline on the sandy part next to the cliff so he could check the damage. And the irony in all this was that he was wearing a black T-shirt of some metal band and there were bones with guitars on in together with a sign “DEAD MAN”.

Lucky that we stayed alive, we went forward, trying to forget what happened and enjoyed the view. And we certainly did enjoy. The view along the road beetween Split to Dubrovnik was spectacular. It is hard to explain all that beauty with words. Maybe a poet would find the right words. But the photo is the best in this case. The Croatians should feel lucky to have such a treasure and they should have a better punishment system for those leaving trash all around.

I took several photos from the collection on www.panoramio.com/. Even though our camera IXUS 65 is very good it has its limits.

We cycled pass the beautiful "Bačinska" lakes toward the Croatian-Bosnian border.

We bought some food and asked the locals for some water in Ploče. Besides water we received a bag full of tangerines. The people were really nice. The whole family was sitting in front of their house, asking us questions like where are we from, where are we going and so on. After a nice chat Azra and I said goodbye and headed toward and pass the river Neretva.

The sun was slowly going down, the dark was coming and the clouds predicted another rainy night.

The road following the river Neretva was long and next to it there were a lot of stands with fruits and vegetables. We admired plains of fields and gardens on both sides of the road where locals were producing their goods and tried to sell them to people passing by. They mostly had tangerines.

It was getting dark and we started to look for a camping place. It took a long time to find it. The land beside Neretva was fairly inappropriate for us, because it was swampy and overgrown. God knows what kind of animals where in and around that swamp.

It was the area next to the delta of Neretva river. The area is great for taking photos but we were racing with time.

We were caught by the dark and the road started going uphill. It looked like we were not going to find a camping place for a long time and we were really tired.

We almost did 80 kilometers which was a record for us. Just when my nerves started to explode, we found a side-way next to a long elevation that went down to a plantation of olive trees.

We did not think much. Even though it was going to rain trough the night and that the land there was going to be completely soaked in the morning, we made a camp, ate and went to sleep very tired.

5.10.2007, DAN 11 - Še en vroč dan in prvo kopanje

Iz Splita sva odšla lažje, kot sva prišla vanj, saj nama je Dejan natančno razložil, kam morava iti. Petnajst kilometrov iz Splita sva se peljala mimo privlačne peščene plaže, kar sva seveda izkoristila.


Prvič, po desetih dnevih na poti, sva se opogumila in se vrgla v vodo. Bila je kristalno čista, peščen teren pa je bil golim podplatom dovolj prijazen. Ker je bil dan skoraj tako vroč, kot prejšnja dva, se je hladna voda prav prilegla. Čofotal sem po vodi kot razposajen otrok in iz nje izstopil prerojen, pripravljen na nove kilometre asfalta.


Kar nekaj časa sva tako sedela na plaži, uživala v čudoviti kristalni modrini, obrobljeni z belim peskom. Ker pa sva bila čisto blizu ceste in se je mimo peljalo kar nekaj avtomobilov, šolskih avtobusov ter drugih težjih vozil, je lepoto tišine prekinjal hrup jeklenih pošasti za nama.


Vendar pa naju to praktično sploh ni motilo. Uživala sva v pogledu in si sede na pesku privoščila obrok. Zaradi takih trenutkov popotnik potuje.

Zanimivo je, da sedaj, ko greva takole po zapiskih in fotografijah narejenih tega dne, se nikakor ne moreva natančno spomniti poteka dogodkov po kopanju. Spomniva se le čudovite pokrajine in blagih a dolgih vzponov.






Spomniva se tudi kampiranja. Našla sva mesto, skrito pred očmi ljudi, zopet med oljkami. Kljub temu občasnemu dežju in dejstvu, da naju je bilo malce strah, da naju nebi zalotil lastnik, je bila noč mirna.


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5.10.2007, DAY 11 - Another hot day and our first swim

It was easier to cycle out of Split than in, because Dejan explained to us where we have to go.

15 kilometers out of Split we passed by a very nice sandy beach and of course we took advantage of it. For the first time after 10 days we got the courage and throw ourselves into the water. It was crystal clear and the sandy pavement was great for the feet. And because the day was almost as hot as the previous two, the water felt great. I was playing with it like a child and when I came out of it I was reborn and ready for new rides.

We sat on the beach for quite some time and enjoyed the cristal blue water, surrounded with white sand. But since we were close to the road, many cars and buses passed by so the beauty of silence was interrupted by the traffic.

But it really did not bother us. We enjoyed the view and made lunch sitting on the sand. These were the moments we travel for.

It is interesting that now, after going trough the photos and the notes, we cant really remember what was happening after the swimming and the beach. We just remember wonderful landscaper and mild but long up-hills.

We also remember camping. We found a spot hidden from the people in the olive trees again.

4.10.2007, DAN 10 - Proti Splitu

Ko sva spakirala stvari in zapedalirala, sva končno začutila utrujenost, ki se je začenjala v nogah. Tudi riti so naju začenjale boleti. Takoj ob štartu sva srečala Francozinjo Saro, ki je z nekakšnim belim prahom označevala prekolesarjeno pot za svoja dva ameriška prijatelja, ki sta za njo zaostajala eno uro. Njene oznake sva potem pogostokrat srečevala, zarisane na asfaltu.


Kar pridno sva kljub vročini vnovični požirala klance in kmalu sva bila v Trogirju. Malo pred mestom sva pri prijaznem gospodu zamenjala slano vodo, ki nama jo je prejšnji dan natočila prodajalka v trgovini. Preden jo je natočila, naju je sicer opozorila, da imajo pri njih malce slano vodo.

Kosilo sva skuhala v Trogirju na parkirišču nekega luksuznega hotela. To mesto je bilo glede na ostale okoliščine še najbolj primerno. Malce naju je bilo sicer strah, da naju ne bodo zalovili, vendar naju uslužbenke hotela, ki so po končanem »šihtu« hodile mimo niso motile. Ena se je celo nasmehnila in nama zaželela dober tek.


Po kosilu sva vozila naprej proti Splitu, kjer sva si našla prenočišče pri enemu izmed članov Hospitality cluba. Pot od Trogirja ni bila ničkaj idealna, saj je bilo prometa ogromno, vozniki pa izredno nesramni in nestrpni, vročina pa ni in ni pojenjala.

Ustavila sva se, se pomirila in med pavzo sva srečala nekaj prijateljev.




Nadaljevala sva pot, vendar je bil promet še vedno precej neznosen. Vse to se je stopnjevalo, ko sva se približevala Solinu, ki je nekakšno predmestje Splita. Najhujša izkušnja na celotni poti do sedaj naju je doletela, ko sva se vozila po glavni cesti proti Solinu in se je celo razširila v dvopasovno obvoznico in kasneje v tropasovno. To pomeni, da so avti švigali mimo naju zelo hitro, midva pa se nisva imela kam umakniti. Skratka za kolesarje izredno neprimeren del ceste. Nikjer naokoli ni bilo znaka, ki bi kolesarjem prepovedoval vstop, pa tudi alternativne poti za kolesarje nisva poznala, oziroma je nisva niti videla, saj je bila cesta ograjena z ograjo. Tudi policija se je večkrat peljala mimo in naju ni nič opozorila.

Kar naenkrat sva se znašla na tropasovnici na sredinskem pasu, okoli naju pa nevarno švigajoči avtomobili. Nikogar ni bilo, ki bi imel prijazne besede in nama pomagal. Raje so se drli iz avtomobilov in stresali vulgarne žaljivke. Seveda, dokler te ščiti jeklo avtomobila, ima vsak jajca.

Vendarle nama je nekako uspelo priti do čudovitega starega jedra Splita, ki sva si ga seveda ogledala. Starinske ozke ulice so res zanimive, vendar si zaradi utrujenosti nisva mogla privoščiti natančnega ogleda. Spodnje fotografije starega mestnega jedra sem si izposodil na www.panoramio.com.



Ta dan sva opravila 76 kilometrov. Šla sva samo skozi nekaj ulic in bilo nama je dovolj.


Tudi tema se je delala, tako da nisva uspela narediti nekih posebnih fotografij, zato sva prilepila to kar sva našla na internetu.


V slavnem "đardinu", kjer se ponavadi, ob mraku zbirajo prostitutke, sva sedela in počivala, dokler naju ni prišel iskat najin gostitelj Dejan. Prikazal se je po službi, ob 21h. Najin bioritem je sicer veleval, da sva ob 20h že spala, ampak ni bilo kaj, kot čakati na najinega rešitelja. Odpeljal naju je do svojega stanovanja in tam sva spoznala tudi Ireno iz Hospitality Cluba.


Dejan in Irena sta prav prijetna družba in če z azro nebi bila utrujena čakalo pa naju je tudi vstajanje ob sedmih zjutraj - bi se zagotovo zaklepetali pozno v noč ob petju in igranju kitare.


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4.10.2007, DAY 10 - Towards Split

When we packed and started to pedal again, we felt the pain in our legs. And our behinds were starting to hurt too. Right after the start we met an French girl Sara that was marking the cycled path with some sort of white dust for her two American friends who were one hour behing her. We met her marks on the pavement many times after that.

Despite the heat we were doing well on those up-hills and soon we were in Trogir.

Before arriving to the city we replaced the salty water that a shop assistant gave us at a nice gentleman's house. The lady in the shop warned us that the water was a bit salty.

We made lunch in Trogir in some parking lot owned by a luxury hotel. Considering the circumstances this place was the most proper. We were a bit afraid that we will be kicked out but the hotel employees that just finished their shifts were very nice.

After lunch we went on to Split where we had accommodation at one of the Hospitality Club members.

The road to Trogir was not so good, because the traffic was terrible, the drivers unkind and inpatient as usual and the heat just wouldn't go away. All that was increasing when we were entering Solin, the sub burns of Split. The worst experience on the entire trip happened while driving on the main road towards Solin that spread into a two-way lane and later on into a three-way lane. That meant the cars were rushing by us quickly and we had nowhere to move. A very unpleasant ride for cyclists. There were no signs that would forbid the entrance for cyclists and we did not know any alternative road there, in fact we did not even see one because the road was surrounded with a high fence. Even the police drove pass us and did not say anything.

Suddenly we were on a three-way lane in the middle and the cars were rushing pass us, which was dangerous. There was no one that could help us. The drivers preferred insults and bad words. Of course everyone has guts when protected by the steel of the car.

Somehow we managed to come to the city center and took a look around. The antique narrow streets were very interesting but we were to tiered to take a better look around.We made 67 kilometers that day. We just went trough a few streets and that was enough for us. It was getting dark so we did not take lots of photos.

In the famous park by the locals also called "đardin", where prostitutes gather after dark, we sat and took some rest until our host Dejan came to pick us up. He came at 21.00 after his work.Our rhythm was saying that bed time was at eight but we had no other choice but to wait for him. He took us to his flat and there we met Irena, also a HC member. It was great to be in their company but Azra and I were too tiered and we had to get up at 7am – otherwise we would have talked late in the night while singing and playing the guitar.

3.10.2007, DAN 9 - Vroč dan

Verjetno je bil ta dan najbolj vroč na celem potovanju. Odkrita koža naju je pekla in vsake toliko naju je Azra rešila s sončno zaščitno kremo.

Pot do Šibenika od naju ni terjala prevelikih naporov, mogoče zaradi tega, ker sva se na pedaliranje in usklajen ritem po dobrem tednu dodobra navadila. Pridobivala sva kondicijo in še toliko bolj uživala v pokrajini, ki se je odpirala okoli naju.


Prav zanimivo pa je dejstvo, da na tem delu nisva naredila veliko fotografij, saj sva se raje zatopila v vožnjo, v dihanje in nekoliko pusto a zanimivo naravo.

Proč od prašne ceste sva si ponovno skuhala kosilo in se skrivala pred soncem, ki je očitno hotelo povedati še nekaj zadnjih besed pred dokončnim zimskim počitkom.


Ko sva vstopala v Šibenik, ki je sicer lepo mesto, vendar polno grdih spominov na zadnjo balkansko vojno, se nisva veliko obremenjevala s fotografiranjem, saj sva vedela, da je na internetu veliko fotografij Šibenika in če bo potrebno pripeti kakšno že objavljeno, bova to storila.


V centru mesta sva našla čudovito, moderno knjižnico z razliko od Zadra z zelo prijaznimi knjižničarkami in skoraj zastonj internetom. Iskala sva gostitelje v Hospitality Clubu na najini nadaljnji poti.

Nisva se veliko zadrževala v knjižnjici in mestu samem. Odpeljala sva dalje, ven iz mesta, mimo predela, ki pa je ob najinem izhodu na prvi pogled delovalo malce zastrašujoče in dekadentno z morjem starim, propadajočih socialističnih blokov.

Prispela sva do trgovske cone in večjih trgovskih centrov ter nakupila nekaj hrane. Dolgo sva pedalirala, po razgibani cesti, se peljela mimo požarne cone, ki jo je bilo prav žalostno gledati. Kot je dobro znano, je Hrvaška, tako kot Grčija to poletje utrpela hude izgube zaradi večinoma podtaknjenih požarov.


Zopet sva zaradi težavnega terena komaj našla mesto za kampiranje. Tokrat sva se le odločila za kampiranje v bližini oljk, verjetno na privatem zemljišču. Noč je kljub temu minila mirno.


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3.10.2007, DAY 9 - A hot day

This was probably the hottest day on our trip. Uncovered skin was burning and every now and then Azra saved us with a sun lotion.

The road to Šibenik was not demanding, maybe because after a week of cycling we found our rhythm and got used to it. We gained on our fitness and enjoyed the surroundings that opened before us.

It is interesting that we did not take lots of photos in these parts because we were so into cycling and breathing and the surrounding that was a bit bland.

Away from the dusty road we made ourselves lunch and were hiding from the sun that clearly wanted to make a last statement before get his winter nap.

When we were entering Sibenik, which is in fact a nice city but full of bad memories from Balkan war, we did not bother taking photos too much because we knew there were photos on the Internet and if we wanted to put some up we would.

In the city center we found a wonderful library, and unlike in Zadar the employees were very nice and the Internet was almost free. We were looking for Hospitality Club hosts.

We did not stay long in the library or the city itself. We cycled on out of the city, passing a site that looked a bit frightening with all those socialist styled buildings that were falling apart.

We arrived to shopping zone and shopping malls and bought some food. We cycled for a long time on an agitated road, trough by the fire destroyed zone, which was actually sad to see. Like most of you know that Croatia as well as Greece had lots of fires that summer and most of them were caused by a human set ups.

It took some time to find a camping place again because of unproper terrain. This time we decided to camp close to the olive trees witch was probably a private property. Despite that, the night was calm.

2.10.2007, DAN 8 - Miren dan za spočita kolesarja

Osmi dan najinega potovanja je potekal gladko. Po čudoviti pogostitvi v apartmaju sva bila naspana, najina oblačila pa oprana. Dan nama je postregel lepo vreme in zelo enostavno vožnjo brez težjih klancev.


Kakih omembe vrednih posebnosti ta dan nisva doživela. Edine omembe vreden je bil borov gozdiček, prepreden z apnenčastimi skalami, ki so štrelele iz rahle, mehke prsti. Tu pa tam se je našlo kako primerno mesto za postavitev šotora. Edina velika žalost tega dela so bili odpadki, ki so jih ljudje zapuščali za sabo. Prava sramota za take, ki so to počeli. Na takem mestu se si nisva želela kampirati, saj sva se bala nočnih obiskovalcev – podgan.

Odpravila sva se globlje skozi gozdiček, ob obali in le našla primeren prostor, brez odpadkov okoli naju in bilo je prav lepo. Kolesi sva morala raztovoriti in ju nositi v rokah čez korenine in skale. Preden je zašlo sonce sva napravila nekaj posnetkov in žal mi je, da tokrat nisva fotografirala odpadkov. Bil je to pravi omadeževan raj.



Pojedla sva pekočo rižoto in se počasi pripravila počitek.


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2.10.2007, DAY 8 - A calm day for rested cyclists

The eight days of our trip were going smoothly. After a great feast in the suite we were rested and our clothes washed. The day gave us a great weather and a nice ride without hard up-hills.

Nothing out of ordinary did happen this day except maybe the encounter of the pine woods surrounded with limestone rocks that looked out of soft and tender soil. Every now and than we found a nice place to camp. The only sad thing about this day was all the trash that people were leaving behind. It is such a shame for people that did that. We did not want camp in those places because we were afraid of night visitors – rats.

We went deeper trough the woods and found a suitable camp place, with no trash and it was really nice. We had to unpack the bikes and carry them over the roots and rocks. Before the sun went down I took some pictures and was sorry for not taking any pictures of the trash because it was a really desacrated paradise.

We ate some spicy rise and slowly went to sleep.

1. 10. 2007, DAN 7 - Mrko razpoloženje v Zadru

Jutro je bilo bolj optimistično, ko je skozi drevesa končno posijalo sonce in začelo sušiti slano na najinem šotoru ter rastlinju, ki naju je obkrožalo. Strah pred minami je počasi bledel. Boljše volje sva se pognala proti Zadru.

Optimizem pa naju je kmalu zapustil, ko sva opazila, da naju do Zadra loči bistveno več, kot sva sprva pričakovala, pa še neugoden veter nama ni prav nič pomagal porivati v dolge in naporne klance.

Cesta je postajala vse širša, bolj umazana, promet gostejši. Kmalu nama je še števec kilometrov zaradi šibke baterije dokončno odpovedal in ni nama preostalo drugega, kot da se ustaviva nekje in kupiva novo. To pa ni bila edina baterija, ki je ostala brez energije; po enem tednu na poti je odpovedala tudi baterija fotoaparata, tako da je ta dan ostal nedokumentiran, v škodo ljubiteljev fotografije.

Ko sva se približala večjemu nakupovalnemu centru Metro, nama je bilo jasno, da mesto ne more biti več daleč. Tam sva nakupila nekaj hrane in baterije za najin števec kilometrov, za katere se je kasneje izkazalo, da so neuporabne, saj so bile za malenkost prevelike. Po lastni neumnosti sem torej zapravil denarja za nekaj burekov. Poleg tega me je Azra takoj oštela, saj sem kupil baterije znamke Duracell, katerih proizvajalci so eni izmed najhujših pri testiranju svojih izdelkov na živalih.

Šla sva naprej in ob vstopu v mesto pojedla pozni zajtrk.

Zadar se nama je prikazal takole: gost promet, nestrpni vozniki, ter mrki obrazi mimoidočih. Primanjkovalo nama je vode in niti malo si nisva želela prosjačiti zastonj vode v mestnih barih. Negativne energije, ki jo oddajajo neprijazni pogledi in geste natakarjev, ko jih prosiš, da ti napolnijo plastenke sva se že naveličala in sva se temu skušala čim bolj izogibati.

Šla sva skozi staro, zanimivo mestno jedro, ki pa je kolesarjem precej neprijazno, saj so ulice ozke, pa tudi na stopnice sva nekajkrat naletela. Tako sva kolesi, v slalomu mimo ljudi, porivala na roke. Srečevala sva turiste, stare, mlade, domačine in domačinke v urejenih, modernih oblačilih, s pridihom sodobne obsedenosti – kapitalizma; »če danes nisi urejen, ko hodiš naokoli, si pač klošar«. Vsaj tako sva se takrat počutila. Kot klošarja z vozički polnimi šare. Kolesi sta bili najini vozički. Bila sva oblečena v prašna oblačila, z nekoliko blatnimi kolesi, pa še z brisačami, ki so se sušile na zadnjem delu najinih koles, zataknjene z elastikami. Imela sva občutek, da naju ljudje gledajo z negotovostjo in s prav nič prijaznimi obrazi. Kot da sva dva brezdomca. Še enkrat, po dolgem času sem se spomnil, zakaj se doma v Sloveniji vedno toliko obremenjujem, s tem, kaj oblečem.

Še enkrat več sem se torej spomnil, kak svet sva z Azro za nekaj časa zapustila v Sloveniji, ko sva se odpravila na to najino potovanje. Potovanje, na katerem se res naučiš živeti in ceniti malenkosti, ki jih doma zaradi vsakdanje rutine niti ne opaziš. Četudi so tam, na dosegu roke. Govorim o nasmehu neznanca, iskrenem pozdravu, občutku toplega sonca na koži, vonj svežega jutranjega zraka in še bi lahko našteval.

Ko sva torej takole kot dva brezdomca romala po mestu, sem sicer pogrešal nekatere stvari, ki jih na poti nisem imel. Nekajkrat sem pogrešal dom, udoben fotelj, kavo takoj po kosilu… vendar sem bil zadovoljen, da se lahko sedaj za nekaj trenutkov ustavim in pogledam v množico ljudi, ki hitijo po opravilih, zaklenjeni v vsakdanjo rutino. Dvignila sva se in vse to videla iz ptičje perspektive. Bilo je osvobajajoče. Upal sem, da bom to izkušnjo prenesel domov in živel lepše, bolj umirjeno. »Bomo videli čez eno leto«, sem Azri večkrat povedal z nasmehom.

Tako sva se po nekaj krogih sicer lepega, vendar majhnega in dragega centra kmalu naveličala in se odpravila na lov za mladinskim hotelom. Želela sva se stuširati in uporabiti internet ter tako najti najinega gostitelja ob nadaljevanju poti proti Dubrovniku. Našla sva mestno knjižnico, kjer so sicer imeli Internet, vendar skrajno neprijazna knjižničarka je Azro takoj opozorila, da je uporaba interneta rezervirana samo za člane knjižnice. Tudi plastenk nisva natočila tam, saj naju je po tej neprijazni gesti odvračalo, da bi to storila.

Po daljšem premisleku sva pristala na to, da greva v bližnji Internet Caffe, se prijaviva na Hospitality Club in tam opraviva svoje ter se še istega dne odpraviva naprej po cesti ter s tuširanjem še počakava.

V Internet Caffee-ju sva zopet doživela nesramnost, tokrat s strani natakarjev. Prepričana sva, da sva bila zelo vljudna do njih, vendar nekako nisva mogla razumeti od kod vsa ta negativna energija. Nekaj nama je govorilo, da se čim prej odpeljeva iz tega mesta in greva dalje po najini poti.

Še vedno nisva imela vode in sitna kot sam hudič sva svojo jezo utapljala v pedaliranju. Končno sva se pripeljala izven mesta in ob cesti so se začele pojavljati hiše, tako da sva izkoristila prvo priložnost in najine plastenke so bile polne. Kako zanimivo je bilo opazovati razliko v razpoloženju ljudi izven mesta. Takoj se najdeta nasmeh in prijazen domačin ali domačinka, ki ti z veseljem napolnijo plastenke, ob tem pa te radovedno sprašujejo »Odakle ste?«, »Kuda idete?« in zelo pogosto jih slišiš reči »Pa da, vi ste mladi. E kad sam ja bio mlad… « Verjetno ni potrebno poudarjati, da je tako vedro razpoloženje nalezljivo in ti hitro zleze pod kožo, še posebej, ko po grlu zopet steče sveža voda.

Vredno se je ustaviti in pokramljati s takimi ljudmi, četudi te čas preganja, saj prav v takih trenutkih "alkimist" najde svoj zaklad.

Še vedno sva se morala stuširati in ko sva se vozila mimo neštetih avtokampov na najini desni, naju je prešinila ideja, da bi se v enem prešvercala… toliko, da se na hitro stuširava in odrineva dalje. Našla sva primeren kamp in prav z lahkoto sva se stuširala. Sicer naju je vest pekla in sva vseeno preverila na recepciji, če lahko uporabiva njihove tuše. Bila sva pripravljena plačati, vendar nikjer ni bilo nikogar, razen turistov, ki so počivali v svojih premičnih domovih.

Opravila sva svoje prav lepo počasi in z užitkom ter spoznala mlad par iz Kamnika. Dokler nisva bila pripravljena na odhod, sva z njima še malo poklepetala.

Dan se je začel prevešati v večer in začelo se je iskanje tabora. Vozila sva se in vozila, se peljala mimo mnogih oljčnih nasadov, v katerih bi se sicer dalo lepo kampirati, a so bila vsa primerna mesta preblizu prometni glavni cesti. Zadnje, kar sva si želela, so bile težave z lastniki nasadov ter s policijo. Tako se je na pokrajino kmalu spustil mrak in zopet je bilo potrebno uporabiti čelno svetilko ter odbojno srajco. Kar nekaj časa sva pedalirala po mraku in približala se je ura, ko je bil najin biološki sistem pripravljen na spanje. Saj ni čudno, ko pa sva že en teden vstajala ob šestih zjutraj, ob osmih zvečer pa sva že spala. Odločila sva se, da bova noč preživela v sobi, a dobila sva več kot to.

Triintrideset kilometrov od Zadra, na začetku skoraj štirinajst kilometrov dolgega Vranskega jezera, sva z veliko pomočjo uslužbenke na bencinski črpalki našla apartma, za skupno ceno 20EUR, kar je bilo zelo ugodno. Sezone je bilo res konec. Poleg odlično urejenega in prostornega apartmaja s kuhinjo in kopalnico, naju je skrajno prijazna družina postregla z govejo juho in mesom s krompirjem, za kar niso hoteli ničesar v zameno, le najino družbo ob pitju rakije. Bili so res od sile. Povedali so mi, da so gostili že veliko Slovencev ter da so tudi oni precej razočarani, da imamo Slovenci in Hrvati tako velike politične razprtije.

Ko sva na roke oprala najine cunje, sva se mrtva utrujena odpravila spat. Po enem tednu se je zakonska postelja še kako prilegla!

Ta dan sva opravila samo petdeset kilometrov, saj sva v Zadru izgubila kar nekaj časa.


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1.10.2007, DAY 7

Bad mood in Zadar

The morning was more optimistic when the sun finally started to shine trough the trees and dry off the frost that accumulated on our tent and the surrounding trough the night. The fear from the mines slowly faded away.

We headed towards Zadar in a good mood but the good mood left us pretty soon when we realized that it will take longer to get to Zadar than we expected and the wind did not help at all when we had to push our bikes in to long and unpleasant slopes.

The road was becoming wider, dirtier and the traffic was thicker. The kilometer counter went off because our batteries were dead so we had to stop somewhere and buy new ones. And that wasn’t the only battery that was out of business. The battery from our camera also went dead after one week so for all those who love photography, unfortunately we did not take any photos this day.

When we approached the big supermarket Metro, we knew that the city wasn’t far away. We bought some food and the batteries for counter and they turned out to be useless, because they were a bit too big. Which means I wasted some "burek" (pie) money. :) And also Azra gave me a moral lesson, because I bought Duracell batteries because apparently they are the worst when it comes to testing the products on animals.

We headed forward and had our late breakfast before we entered the city.

This is the first glimpse of Zadar for us: thick traffic, inpatient drivers and the impolite faces of some passerby. We were running out of water but we did not want to ask for it in bars. The negative energy that you get from unpleasant looks and gestures from the waiters was something we learned to avoid.

We went trough an old city center which was cyclist unfriendly because of its narrow roads and we bumped in to some stairs too. So we pushed our bikes with hands.

We saw tourists, young and old, locals dresses in modern clothes with a touch of contemporary obsession – capitalism; »if you are not properly dressed in fashionable clothes you are a bum«. At least that is what we felt. Like two bums pushing our carts full of stuff. Bikes were our carts.

We were dressed in a bit dusty clothes, muddy bikes and on top of everything our towels were drying on back of our bikes, stacked with elastics.

We had a feeling that people were looking at us with doubtfulness and unkind faces.

That is when I remembered after a long time, why I put so much energy in what I dress when I am in Slovenia.

I also remembered what kind of world Azra and I left behind in Slovenia when we went on this trip. A trip where you learn to live and to appreciate the small things you don’t notice at home because of everyday life. I am talking about a smile from a stranger, a sincere greeting, a smell of fresh morning air and so on.

While walking around the city I missed some things I had at home like a comfortable chair, coffee right after lunch,… but I was happy I could stop for a moment, look at the crowd rushing to do their tasks, locked in an everyday routine. We rose above all that and saw it from “birds perspective”. I hoped to take this experience home and live nicer and calmer. »We will see in a year«, I told Azra with a smile.

After a few circles of a beautiful but small and expensive city center we had enough and left to find a youth hostel. We wanted to take a shower and go on the Internet to find our HC host while on the way to Dubrovnik.

We found a city library where they had Internet, but a very unkind librarian told Azra that the Internet is for members only and showed her the door. We did not even fill our water bottles there. After some thinking we went to a Internet Cafe, log in to Hospitality Club, find a host and hit the road and the shower would just have to wait.

Again, we experienced unkindness from the waiters in the Internet Cafe. We were polite to them, so we just could not understand where all the negative energy came from. Something told us to go out of this town as soon as possible.

We still didn’t have any water and we threw out our anger on the pedals.

We finally came out of the city and soon we saw houses next to the road so we used the first chance to fill our bottles with water. It was interesting to notice the difference of the behavior of the people out of the city. You instantly find a smile and a kind host, who will fill your bottles with water and while doing that they would ask you: "where are you from? "Where are you going?" And soon after that they would say: “Of course, you are young..oooh, when I was young,…" It is probably not necessary to point out that a happy mood is contagious and goes under your skin quite quickly, especially when you drink some fresh water after your mouth hasm dried out.

It is worth it to stop and have a chat with that kind of people, even if you are running out of time, because those are the moments when the "alchemist" finds his treasure.

We still had to take a shower and while passing a lot of auto camps on our right, we got the idea of sneaking in one of them and have a quick shower and than continue the ride.

But than we felt guilty so we checked at the reception if we can have a shower and of course we were willing to pay, but there was no one there besides the guests having a rest in front of their "moving homes".

We enjoyed a long shower and than met a couple from Kamnik, so we had a chat before we were ready to go on.

The day was becoming darker and so we had to find a place to camp.

We were driving and driving, passing many of the olive grow where we could camp but it was too close to the road and the city. The last thing we wanted was trouble with the owners and the police. It was becoming darker so we had to use our headlamps and repulsive jacket again. We drove for quite some time and were coming closer to a time when our biological system was ready to go to sleep. It was no wonder since we were getting up at 6am for the past week and going to bed at 8pm. We decided to spend the night in a comfortable room, but we got more than that.

33 kilometers out of Zadar at the beginning of almost 14 kilometers long lake Vransko we found a nice suite with the help of a very nice gas station worker. We paid only 20 Euros which was quite cheap. The season was really over. Beside the well organized and nice suite with a bathroom and the kitchen, the kind owner served us dinner which included beef soup and potatoes with meat which only I ate, because Azra does not eat meat.

After a week of camping a warm, double bed felt great.

We only made 50 kilometers, because we lost a lot of time in Zadar.

30.9.2007, DAN 6 - Ponovna rekordna razdalja in zanimivo srečanje

Prebudila sva se okrog sedmih zjutraj in ko sem pomolil glavo izven šotora, me je ponovno osupnil razgled na Pag, obsijan z jutranjim soncem. Bilo je zelo mraz in kot ponavadi, je bila prava mora izvleči se iz toplih spalnih vreč, vendar sonce in modro nebo sta napovedovala še en topel dan.


Preden sva se poslovila od Nade in Jureta, smo naredili še nekaj skupnih fotografij, si izmenjali podatke in obljubila sva jima, da ko prideva domov, jima bova poslala fotografije. Kot sta nama razložila, sta jima mnogi obljubili, da jima bosta poslali fotografije, vendar nama je Nada z razočaranim izrazom povedala, da tega do sedaj ni storil še nihče. Zagotovila sva jima, da se z nama to ne bo ponovilo.

Preden sva dokončno štartala, se mi je števec, ki mi je vseskozi delal probleme zopet pokvaril in spet sva izgubila nekaj časa, da sem ga lahko spravil na svoje mesto.

Sledili so večinoma spusti, nekaj šibkih vzponov in vseskozi naju je spremljal veter iz nasprotne smeri.

Kake dve uri po najinem startu sva doživela prijetno presenečenje. Srečala sva Kokora Ita, japonskega kolesarja, ki je bil na poti že dve leti.


Sam je prekolesaril celotno pot iz Japonske, njegov namen pa je v štirih letih prekolesariti okoli sveta. Hrvaška je osemnajsta država, ki jo je do tistega trenutka prečkal. Ni bilo druge, kot malo pokramljati in si izmenjati izkušnje, ter osebne podatke. Ker je imel namen prečkati Slovenijo in je imel nekaj problemov z gonilnim sistemom, sem mu takoj priporočal Rudija v Bazovici.


Ker smo se vsi trije zavedali, da so minute dragocene, smo se kmalu odpravili vsak na svojo pot. Mi na jug, on proti severu.



Na tem delu poti sem se zopet večkrat poigral s fotoaparatom in prvič pomočil boleče noge v mrzlo morje, kar se mi je še najbolj vtisnilo v spomin tega dne. Glede na to, da je bilo precej vroče in so bile moje noge zatečene, ne morem dovolj dobro opisati užitka, ko sem svoja stopala potopil v hladno, kristalno morsko vodo.


Kakih trideset kilometrov pred Zadrom sva se ustavila na čudoviti plaži, kjer sva hotela v miru pojesti zgodnje kosilo, preden odrineva dalje.


Tam sva celo srečala nekega samotarskega Ljubljančana, ki se je sončil v družbi svojega psa z imenom »Fruc«. Povedal nama je, da se ravnokar s svojim avtom vrača nazaj v Ljubljano.

Skuhala sva si kosilo in uživala v tišini in lepoti narave.


Najin plan je bil kolesariti do predmestja Zadra, se utaboriti in naslednji dan sveža vstopiti in si ogledati mesto ter prespati v mladinskem hotelu, se stuširati s toplo vodo ter na internetu najti kakega gostitelja preko »Hospitality cluba«.

Še enkrat sva napolnila plastenke z vodo pri prijaznih domačinih in kmalu prikolesarila do področja, kjer bi bilo raziskovanje narave izven ceste morda lahko usodno, saj so table jasno govorile, da se na tem področju še vedno nahajajo mine iz zadnje vojne na Balkanu.


Ko sva se vozila mimo tega področja naju je spreletaval srh in odločila sva se, da bova mesto za kampiranje našla daleč proč od tu. Kmalu sva prispela v kraj z imenom »Islam Latinski« in ko sem pogledal na števec, sem na njemu zagledal naslednje: »66.6km«. Trojna šestica na števcu! Pomislil sem: "obkrožena sva z minami, na števcu pa hudičeva številka". Nikjer tu okoli si nisva želela najti tabor mesta, zato sva hitela in hitela, ter se kmalu zavedla, da sva zopet prekoračila svoj včerajšnji rekord v razdalji.

Ko sva končno in z velikimi mukami našla primerno mesto za kampiranje v predmestju Zadra, je števec kazal 78km.

Ko je bil šotor postavljen in sem v temi nabiral trske za ogenj, me je večkrat spreletel srh, saj me je spomin na mine resnično strašil. Bal sem se preveč postopati naokoli. Še nikoli v življenju nisem okusil podobnega občutka. Poleg tega je bilo okoli naju veliko grmovja in ni nama bilo popolnoma jasno, kje se nahajava. Bila sva precej utrujena in želela sva se samo naspati.


Pa vendar se je na koncu mesto najinega tabora izkazalo za dobro, saj so klini zdrseli v zemljo kot v maslo in teren ni bil preveč trd.


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30.9.2007, DAY 6 - Repeated distance record and an interesting encounter

We woke up around 7am and when I looked out of the tent I was again amazed by the view on island Pag, enlightened with the morning sun. It was cold and as usual it was a real nightmare getting out of the warm sleeping bags, but the sun and the blue sky were predicting a warm day.

Before we said goodbye to Nada and Jure, we took some pictures together and, exchanged data and promised to send them photos when we come back home. They said that many people promised to send them photos, but Nada disappointingly said they never did. We promised, we will.

Before we finally started, my kilometres counter, which was making lots of problems, broke down and we lost some time fixing it. Descents followed, some weak ascents and the wind from the opposite direction was accompanying us.

Two hours after we started we ran into a nice surprise. We met Kokoro Ito, a Japanese cyclist who was travelling for two years already. He cycled all the way from Japan and his plan was to cycle around the world in for years alltogether. Croatia was the 18th country he visited. We had a little chat, shared personal data and experience. He intended to cross Slovenia too and since he had some problems with his driving system I recommended he has it fixed at Rudi's in Basovizza.

Because all three of us were aware of how precious the minutes were, we soon said goodbye and went on our way. We went south and he went north.

On this part of the road I used my camera a lot and also soaked my feet in to a cold sea watter for the first time since we started our trip. Considering that my feet were swollen and it was pretty hot I cant describe the pleasure of stepping in to a cold, fresh crystal clear water.

Around 30km before Zadar we stopped on a very beautiful beach where we wanted to have our lunch in peace. There we met a solitary guy from Ljubljana and he was enjoing the sun with his dog named Fruc. He said he was going back to Ljubljana with his car.

We made lunch and injoyed the silence and beauty of the nature.

Our plan was to cycle to the suburban area of Zadar, find a camp site, and head toward the city fresh and rested the next day, check the city, find a hostel have a shower and maybe find a host trough the Hospitality Club.

We filled our plastic bottles again at some very nice people and soon came to a place where exploring the nature i nthat area can be quiet dangerous, because there were signs that clearly said there were still mines (from the last war on the Balkans).

When we were cycling trough this area we were a bit spooked out and decided to find a camping place far away from that part. When I checked my meter I saw the numbers 66.6km and toughed to myself: how scary. We are in a place surrounded with mines and the number on our meter is a devils number. Even Azra agreed it was a bit spooky and we really were in a really strange and weird place.

We did not want to camp close to these places, so we went on and soon saw that we made more kilometers than yesterday.

When we finally found a suitable place for camping before entering Zadar the meter showed amazing 78 kilometers.

When I sat up the tent and found some branches that scary feeling came over me when I remembered the mines. I did not want to walk around to much. I never had a similar feeling in my life. Besides there was also a lot of bushes around us so we did not really know where we were.

We were tired and we just wanted to get some sleep.

But our camping place turned out to be a nice one, because the pitons went in the ground perfectly.

29.9.2007, DAN 5 - Rekord v prevoženih kilometrih, lepo vreme in prijeten stik z domačini

Prebudila sva se v prelep, sončen dan. Poseben čar je pokrajini dajal svež jutranji zrak in pogled na prazno cesto. Nikjer nikogar razen naju in narave.


Medtem, ko sva se počasi pripravila na odhod, se je tudi cesta prebudila, a vseeno se je videlo, da je turistične sezone res praktično konec. Tokrat je bil promet večji proti severu. Ljudje so se očitno vračali v svoje domove.

Noge so po štirih dnevih začele kazati večjo odpornost do klancev, kar sva dodobra preizkusila na dolgih vzponih, ki so se odpirali pred nama. Kljub temu, da je bilo poletja konec, je sonce še vedno imelo toliko moči, da je iz naju pobiralo veliko vlage in najina koža je pridno pridobivala barvo.

Ta del poti je bil sicer res težak, a pogled okoli naju je bil tako veličasten, da nama sape niso jemali samo klanci.

Počasi pa sva začenjala razumeti, zakaj so malo pred najinim odhodom jadransko magistralo, po neki svetovni raziskavi, označili za eno izmed najnevarnejših cest na svetu; neoznačena in nezaščitena cesta, prepadi...


In ker so vozniki dandanes precej nestrpni, so neprestano trobili za nama, češ naj se umakneva bolj k robu, kar nama je počasi začelo popolnoma uničevati užitek potovanja. Že tako sva vozila kakih 50cm proč od cestnega roba in situacija je znala biti precej nevarna na trenutke, saj naju je na najini desni strani velikokrat pozdravil nevaren previs, na njegovem dnu pa morje s skalami. Ni se mi malokrat zgodilo, da mi je srce popolnoma zastalo, ko me je prehiteval avtobus in za nameček še začel trobiti, ali pa ko sem zagledal Azro v vzvratnem ogledalu voziti čisto ob robu.

Nekajkrat so me predrzni šoferji tako razjezili, ko so me popolnoma stisnili ob rob ceste, tik k robu previsa, da je moj sredinec kar nekajkrat pogledal proti nebu. Oba z Azro sva bila popolnoma osupla nad nevednostjo in predrznostjo premnogih voznikov. Tako sva se kmalu za tem odločila, da se bova robu izogibala kot mačka vode in sva si vzela tisti meter razdalje od roba, ki je tudi predpisan po cestno prometnem zakonu. Res je, da so vozniki tokrat postajali še bolj nestrpni, vendar se mi je v dani situaciji zdelo to najbolj primerno in varno. Oba sva se previsov preveč bala.


Jadranska magistrala zna biti na trenutke zelo ozka in ker je v mnogih odsekih zelo ovinkasta, je prehitevanje zelo oteženo. Bila sva tudi priča mnogim prehitevanjem v škarje na nepreglednih delih ceste, da me je večkrat mikalo, da bi situacijo fotografiral s fotoaparatom in poklical policijo. Jeza je kar kipela iz mene. Po premisleku in pogovoru z Azro, sem se odločil, da mi to ne bo pokvarilo sanj.

Kljub vetru, dolgim klancem in debilnim voznikom, sva hitro seštevala kilometre.

Po Jadranski magistrali se nisva prvič vozila, vendar je Prizna tista točka na tej vijugasti črti, do katere sem že stopil. Pozitivno razburjenost je vzbujalo tisto, kar naju je čakalo za to točko. Neznani kraji!


Preden sva dosegla to točko, sva si ob cesti, pod vročim soncem privoščila topel obrok in nekaj minut čez trinajsto sva tja tudi prispela. Peljala sva se naprej proti Karlobagu in končno so se najini dolgi vzponi obrestovali. Sledil je namreč dolg spust do Karlobaga, kjer sva nabavila hrane za naslednjih 5 dni in dodatne pajke (elastike), saj je vreme dodobra načenjalo tiste, ki sva jih pridno uporabljala do takrat.Dan se je prevešal v večer in sonce je zopet izgubljalo svojo moč. Od Karlobaga je bila vožnja zelo enostavna in cesta nama je poklonila lahko potovanje. Bila je ovinkasta, polna epih zalivčkov, dobro zaščitena z ograjo in kar je še najbolj pomembno, bila je brez lukenj, praktično nova ter popolnoma prazna! Zanimivo je bilo prav to, da sva prav tu srečala kar nekaj slovenskih avtomobilov. Bilo mi je malce žal, da nisem imel slovenske zastave, da bi vozniki videli, da smo naši. Bog ve, kaj so si mislili, ko jim je Azra mahala v pozdrav.

Zopet je bil čas iskanja primernega mesta za postavitev najinega šotora. Nahajala sva se v majhnem kraju s petimi hišami, imenovanem Kijac. Ta leži kakih 100 metrov nad morsko gladino, pod vznožjem hriba Javorovca. Na najini desni strani, pod cesto, se je odpiralo veliko, peščeno mesto, tako veliko, da bi še avtobusi lahko obračali na njem. Bilo je sicer vidno iz ceste, vendar se je kasneje izkazalo, da so bili strahovi odveč, pa še razgled na Pag je bil čudovit. Na levi strani ceste je stala hiša, kjer prebivata Nada in Jure, starejši par, doma iz Reke. Po pripovedih Jureta, sta se sem preselila po smrti Nadinega brata, saj je pokojni za sabo pustil precej veliko čredo koz. Odločila sta se, da bosta poskrbela za njih.



Bila sta zelo prijazna in imela sva občutek, da jima v tako odročnem kraju manjka družbe, saj sta naju sprejela zelo lepo, brez predsodkov.


Povedala sta nama, da se pri njih med turistično sezono ustavi veliko turistov, med njimi veliko motoristov in kolesarjev. Seveda tudi Slovencev. Pojasnila sta nama, kako gost zna biti promet in da je prečkanje ceste v takih trenutkih zelo nevarno. Njuna hiša stoji le kakih 15 metrov od glavne ceste.



Okoli hiše se je kar gnetlo mačk, ki jih je Azra, seveda, takoj poslikala s fotoaparatom.


Izpustila ni niti simpatičnega osamljenega psa, privezanega na dolgi verigi. Ko je videl, da se mu Azra približuje je začel noro mahati z repom in cviliti. Ko se mu je Azra približala in ga pocrkljala, je izgledal kot najbolj srečen kuža na svetu.


Nada in Jure sta nama dovolila kampirati čez cesto in naju prepričevala, da naj ne skrbiva, če se naju vidi iz ceste, saj je tam prenočevalo že veliko popotnikov in se nikoli ni nič zgodilo. Preden sva se odpravila spat, smo dolgo debatirali o vsem mogočem in med pitjem domače rakije z medom, nama je Jure razkril, da je vrsto let delal v Reki na nogometnem stadionu kot redar. Ko sva se končno odpravila proti najinem taboru, nama je povedal, da če želiva, si lahko zvečer skupaj ogledamo nogometni derbi med Splitom in Reko. Prijazno ponudbo sva morala zavrniti, saj sva se hotela umiti, oprati kolesarska oblačila in se dodobra naspati, saj sva prav ta dan kljub vsem omenjenim težavam na cesti prvič presegla 60km. Opravila sva jih 65. Za nekatere izkušene kolesarje se bo to zdelo malo, vendar midva nisva bila izkušena in so nama take razdalje odgovarjale.



Ponovno sva preživela suho in mirno noč, le vsake toliko so mačke iz soseske skrbno preučevale teren okoli najinega šotora in ustvarjale šume. Predvidevala sva, da vohajo hrano od večerje, tako da sva ostanke tunine morala skrbno zapakirati v vrečko in jo zapreti v šotor.


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29.9.2007, DAY 5 - A record in driven kilometers, fine weather and a pleasant contact with the locals

We woke up into a beautiful, sunny day. Fresh morning air and an empty road gave a special glow to the morning. There was no one except us and the nature.

While we got ready for our departure the road was waking up, but you could still see that the tourist season was basically over.

This time the traffic was bigger to the north. People were going back home.

Our legs started to show bigger resistance to the slopes after four days, which we tested fully on long ascents that were opening before us.

Despite the fact that the summer was over, the sun was still strong enough to drain a lot of moisture out of us and our skin was getting color.

This road was quite difficult, but the views were so magnificent they were taking our breath away as well as the slopes did.

We were slowly starting to understand why one world research said that "Jadranska Magistrala" road is one of the most dangerous roads in the world: unmarked and unprotected roads, cliffs,…

And because the drivers these days are quite intolerant, they were constantly making noise with their horns so we moved more to the edge of the road, which started to completely destroy the enjoyment of our travel.

We were already driving around 50cm away from the edge of the road and the situation was getting dangerous sometimes, because there was a cliff on our right side that showed rocks and the deep sea.

Manny times my heart stopped because a bus was passing by and started to horn or I saw Azra on my rear mirror driving completely on the edge. Those disrespectful drivers made me angry that my middle finger looked up to the sky quite a few times.

Azra and I were completely astonished by the ignorance and imprudence of those drivers.

So, soon after that, we decided to avoid those edges as much as we could and we took that meter of distance from them, according to the law. The drivers were becoming even more intolerant but to me being away from the edge meant a safe and appropriate thing to do. We were too afraid of the cliffs to risk.

"Jadranska magistrala" can be quite narrow sometimes and winding in many sections and therefore hard to pass trough (with a car). We witnessed many passing in scissors on blind parts of the road which made me want to take photos of those situations and call the police. That’s how angry I was. But after thinking things trough and talking to Azra I decided that all this will not destroy my dreams.

But, despite the wind, long slopes and stupid drivers, we were acumulating kilometers quite fast.

We were driving on "Jadranska Magistrala" before but Prizna is far as we went. A positive excitement was awaking because of the unknown that was awaiting us.

Before we reached Prizna we stopped close to the road and had a nice, warm meal under the hot sun and after 13.00 we arrived there.

We drove towards Karlobag and finally our ascents paid off. A long descent to Karlobag followed, where we bought food for the next five days and some extra spiders (tow trucks, wreckers), because the weather was starting to destroy those we already had.

The day was turning into night and the sun started to loose its power.

The road from Karlobag was very simple and we had a really nice ride. It was winding, full of coves and had a well protective fence and most importantly it was without holes, almost new and almost empty. The interesting part was, that we ran into some Slovenian drivers there. I was a bit sorry for not having a Slovenian flag so they would recognize us. God knows what they were thinking when Azra was waving at them.

And again came the time to look for a camping place. We were in a small place with five houses, called Kijac. It lies around 100 meters above sea level under the hill Javorovac. On our right side under the road a nice camping place was opening up, so big that even buses could turn on it. It was visible from the road, however the fear was redundant and the view on island Pag was nice. On our left side stood a house where Jure and Nada, a couple from Rijeka live. Jure later explained to us that they moved there after the death of Nada's brother, because he left behind a big herd of goats and they decided to take care of them.

They were very nice and we had the feeling that they lack company in this remote place. They excepted us warmly and without any prejudice. They told us that during the season a lot of tourists stop by at their place, among them many motorcyclists and cyclists. And of course a lot of Slovenians. They explained to us that the traffic can be quite thick and crossing the road at those times can be really dangerous. Their house is around 15 meters away from the road.

There were a lot of cats around the house and Azra of course took a lot of pictures of them with our camera. She also took a picture of a very sweet and lonely dog and when he saw that Azra was approaching him he started to wave his tale and he started to squeal.

She cuddled him a bit and he looked like the happiest dog on the planet.

Nada and Jure allowed us to camp across the street and told us not to worry if the place was visible from the street because a lot of people were sleeping there and nothing happened. Before we went to bed we spoke about a lot of stuff with them and while we were drinking rakija (a strong Balkan alchohol drink) Jure told us he used to work in Rijeka on a football stadium as a security guard.

When he finally went towards our camp, Jure said we could watch a a football match later with him if we want. Rijeka and Split were playing. We had to refuse the kind offer, because we wanted to wash up, clean our clothes , because this day we drove more than 60 kilometers, despite the problems. It does not sound a lot for experienced cyclists but we were not experienced and this kind of distance was good for us.

We had a calm and dry night, only the cats were making sounds sometimes by examining the area around our tent. We assumed that they smell food from our dinner, so we had to pack the leftovers quite well.

28.9.2007, DAN 4 - Vetroven in deževen dan, poln lepih razgledov

Prebudila sva se okrog šestih zjutraj, dobro naspana. Zame je bilo jutro najlepši del dneva in ko sem pokukal skozi vrata šotora sem takoj postal dobre volje, saj je izgledalo, da ne bo večjih komplikacij glede vremena. Umila sva se, pozajtrkovala in spakirala opremo v torbe.

Ko sva hotela pospraviti modro platno, sva doživela prijetno presenečenje; čez noč se je na zadnjem delu šotora nabrala velika luža kristalne deževnice. Prav lepo darilo narave sem takoj pomislil, saj sem hotel plastenke napolniti s to vodo, kar bi nama takoj prihranilo žicanje. Zagotovo jo je bilo dovolj, da bi napolnila vse 4 plastenke. In ravno, ko sem hotel to storiti, me je Azra ustavila in me z lekcijo o bakterijah in o čistoči platna takoj odvrnila od dejanja. V končni fazi bo držalo, da ne vemo, kje se je platno valjalo preden sva ga kupila. Da niti ne omenim dejstva, da sva prejšnjo noč kampirala nekaj kilometrov proč od rafinerije INA, od koder se je v zrak preko ogromnega dimnika spuščalo bog ve kakšne kemikalije. Kljub temu mi je bilo žal zavreči toliko kristalno čiste vode in preden sem jo zlil na travnato podlago, si nisem mogel kaj, da si nisem vsaj obraza umil v njej. Bilo je prav prijetno in mrzla voda je botrovala, da sem bil dokončno buden. In preživel sem.


Prepričan pa sem, da če bi potoval sam, bi voda pristala v mojih plastenkah. Vendar sem, roko na srce, globoko v sebi vedel, da ima Azra prav. Nisem želel, da bi mi potovanje pokvarila nezaželjena zastrupitev z vodo. Obžaloval sem, da s sabo nisva imela tablet za razkuževanje vode. Dobra izkušnja za naslednjič.

Ko sva želela spakirane torbe naložiti na kolesa se je iz oblakov, ki so medtem postali vse gostejši vsula toča. Hitro, kot tren očesa sva bila oblečena v nepremočljiva oblačila. Potrebno pa je bilo še montirati torbe na kolesa. To je bilo potrebno narediti v največjem nalivu in priznati moram, da sem takrat dodobra potrošil svoj besedni zaklad kletvic. Še posebej ironično je bilo dejstvo, da ko sem se že dodobra skuhal v nepremočljivih hlačah in ko sem končno uspel natovoriti kolesa ter opravil z delom, je dež popolnoma ponehal in zopet je posijalo sonce. Pod nepremočljivimi oblekami pa je bilo skoraj tako kot jih sploh nebi imel, saj je kondenz premočil moja notranja oblačila.

Vseeno sem se pomiril in odpravila sva se navzdol po ozki, kamniti poti s kolesi ob sebi.


Ni minilo veliko, ko sva že bila pred cerkvijo in naredila najino prvo skupno fotografijo.


Odpeljala sva se dalje, v klanec. Doživela sva nekaj odobravanj s strani voznikov, pa vendar sva se spet počutila neprijetno, ko sva v vzvratnih zrcalih občudovala, gost promet. To je bil najtežji del poti in sicer umikati se avtom. Cesta je postajala vse ožja in ožja, ter za kolesarje zelo nevarna, saj ponekod ni imela nikakršne zaščitne ograje. Na desni strani samo prepad.

Kljub vsem vzponom, prometu, vetru in občasnemu dežju, je bilo kolesarjenje čudovito, to pa predvsem zaradi lepot velebitskega naravnega parka. Poleg čudovitih gora na najini levi, so se na najini desni važno postavljali hrvaški otoki, obkroženi z morjem.



Klanci so postajali vse daljši in vse težji, tako, da sva že komaj čakala, da najdeva primerno mesto za kampiranje. Kar nekaj časa sva iskala in porivala kolesi na roke preden naju je ujela tema. Promet se je umirjal.


Vsake toliko sva se ustavila, si malo oddahnila, pojedla kosilo in uživala v prelepem razgledu. Ko naju je kdo vprašal, kam potujeva, se niso mogli načuditi, ko sva povedala, da greva vse do Grčije s kolesom.



Ko sva med iskanjem mesta za tabor zaradi nemogočega terena že skoraj obupala, sva nepričakovano dobila prostor. Po natančnem pregledu odstavnega odseka na najini desni, polnega smeti in druge umazanije - rezultat nevednih turistov - sva se obupano odpravila dalje, popolnoma izčrpana od dolgih klancev in vetra. Opravila sva samo 54km, pa se nama je zdelo, kot bi jih opravila še enkrat toliko. Ko sem spet ravno začel preklinjati, saj sem mislil, da bova tabor iskala do mraka, sem na drugi strani ceste opazil kamnit makadam, ki je izginjal kakih dvajset metrov proti hribu in se v loku zopet vračal proti cesti.


Prečkal sem cesto, ki je po zaključku serpentine zavijala v desno. Mesto, ki sem ga odšel raziskovati, je bilo dobro skrito. Vsak avto, ki se je peljal iz nama nasprotne smeri je hitro švignil mimo, tako da ni čudno, da je bil odsek, popolno nasprotje prejšnjega – nikjer nobenih smeti, nikjer smrada po človeških iztrebkih, poleg tega pa je bil teren idealen za postavitev šotora, saj je bil raven, ne preveč kamnit in postavljen ob vznožje hriba, tako da o kakem vetru ni bilo ne duha ne sluha. Prav smejalo se mi je, ko sem ugotovil, kaj zamujajo vozniki, ko tako hitro švigajo po cestah.


Tako sva na srečo dobila idealno zatočišče. Najbolj zanimivo pa je bilo, da je bila cesta le kakih 20 metrov od najinega šotora, a še vedno sva bila s pomočjo ovinka in grmovja dovolj skrita.


Ponoči me je nekolikokrat zbudil dež, ki je začel trkati po šotoru, medtem, ko je Azra spala kot ubita. Iz Slovenije sva prejela vzpodbudno sporočilo, da bodo naslednji dnevi naravnost idealni za kolesarnjenje kar se vremena tiče.

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28.9.2007, DAY 4 - Windy and rainy day, full of nice landviews

The hardest thing for us was moving away from the drivers. The road was getting narrower and more dangerous for us because it didn't have any protective fence or whatsoever and all you could see was a cliff on our right side.

Despite of all ascents, wind and occasional rain, cycling was wonderful, mostly because of the natural beauties of the Velebit national park.

Alongside the wonderful mountains on our left, we had amazing Croatian islands.

Slopes were becoming longer and heavier, that is why we could hardly wait to find a suitable camping place.

For some time we were searching the place and pushing the bikes uphill by hands, before the dark caught us. We stopped every once in a while, took a break, had lunch and enjoyed the beautiful view.

When people asked us where are we heading they were surprised to find out we are cycling all the way from Slovenia to Greece.

We almost lost hope of finding a good camping place because of bad ground and unexpectedly we found one. But after we checked the place out we saw that it was full of garbage, which was a result of careless tourists, so we took of completely exhausted from the wind and long slopes. We only did 54km but it felt like we did 100km.

I started cursing again, because I taught we will search for the camp sitein the dark, but than I noticed a dirt road on the left side of the main road that was disappearing around 20 meters against the hill and was returning on the road in right turn.

The place I was discovering, was well hidden. Every car that went by from the opposite direction, shot by quickly so it was no wonder that this camping place was completely opposite from the previous one – no trash, no bad smell and the ground was ideal for for a tent because it was flat, with a few stones and it stood against a mountain hill so we had no wind.

It was funny for me when I realised what the drivers were missing while passing by so quickly with their cars.

The interesting part was that the road was only 20 meters away but the place was still hidden thanks to the turn and the bushes.

I woke up during the night several times because of the rain, but Azra slept like dead.

We received an encouraging message from Slovenia that the weather will be ideal for cycling in the next few days.