We’ve mentioned this before, but one of the favorite aspects of our travels abroad (and to some extent in the states) is that we don’t really plan too many details ahead of time. We generally have a vague idea of our route, some bigger spots we would like to hit, but rarely book any accommodations or do any research before we end up somewhere. We just sort of figure it out as we go along, which makes for an interesting and often surprising traveling life. So many times we have rolled up on a place and been like “Whaaaaaaaat?! We had no idea!” Not knowing where you’re headed can be stressful sometimes to be sure, but we’ve never ended up stranded and the magic outweighs any anxiety. Laura especially had not envisioned the trip like this but found that her type A-ish tendency toward trip planning melted away fairly easily, replaced by more flexibility and a more acute sense of adventure.
Which is all to say it’s a good thing we’ve developed that flexibility, because there are invariably curveballs thrown at us along the way. Originally we had plans to cycle up to Zadar and at some point we thought we would even make our way to Pula and then ferry to Venice, Italy around the beginning of October. But when we were in Korcula we realized there was no way we would make it to Pula by then. Even using ferries to hop through the northern islands, it would be far too expensive and likely take far too long. Additionally, we spoke to the ferry company and were informed that Zadar ferries to Ancona, Italy stopped running in September. So our only option to ferry to Italy was from Split. Given our generally relaxed attitude towards planning, this was obviously news to us but no biggie, we would just bike around for a week and then come back to Split.
We discussed the idea of heading to the Bosnia/Herzagovina border and crushing some mountains, but our leg muscles said “NO WAY!” Instead we opted to chill in a beach town named Makarska a little south of Split. But before leaving Split the area had one final gem to offer. The archaeological treasures of Salona / Solin are just north of Split and offered us one more amazing stop before we headed south.
We had a hell of a time getting down to Makarska over the course of two days; those coastal mountains are brutal. We camped near Omis the first night and the next day after another brutal ride we were finally chilling in our tiny Airbnb apartment up on a hill. We absolutely loved Makarska. We had a great time cooking in, looking at the ocean from our little terrace, doing some planning for Italy, and of course exploring the area. We liked it so much we decided to stay an extra night for a total of 5 nights. One day we did our very first paid tour on this trip, a “safari” tour on a sit on top Land Rover to the Biokovo Nature Park, which is the breathtakingly beautiful mountain range behind the town. It was so lovely to hang out in such a neat place and actually stay put for a while. Other than London and Crete, we hadn’t really stayed put anywhere for very long.
On the last morning we reluctantly packed the bikes, started pedaling and made our way back to camp in Omis, which is equally beautiful, where river meets ocean, and a haven for climbers and river rafters. We had an amazing ride along the mountains and river to Omis and another good ride to Split the next day. We camped at a site south of the city and had the best sausage and French fry stuffed sandwiches ever (aka Cevapcici). Then finally the next day we hopped on our (third!) overnight ferry to Italy!
We were on the Dalmatian Coast (which is the name of the region) almost three weeks and loved every minute. It is SUCH a gorgeous place with layers of history and beauty everywhere you go and we hope we get to explore the rest of the country some day. Hvala Croatia!
Croatia Pt. 2
