Blogs from Istria, Croatia, Europe - page 5

Do you know anything about arm pump? I didn’t until I started watched MoTo GP and Little Danny Pedroza the Spanish rider who gets arm pump riding his huge bike. He is shorter than me and that is saying something and weighs less than me. That is beside the point though . What is the point of this then? Glenn driving Suzy along mountainous roads which hugged the coast of Croatia with the stormy sea to the side of us. The mountains touch the road and then drop away to the sea. The wind – what can you say about it? It howls up the coast and Glenn trying to handle Suzy in it is an art form. My thoughts if this carries on he will get arm pump. It never stops. There is no respite ... read more

Hvalu na Posietu - thanks for visiting the blog. We wondered if we would get off Cres easily as we had heard that the ferry from Pag had not been running . Nearing the end of April you would hope the weather would be fine for a ferry but this weather is so changeable it is hard to second guess. Plan A had been to head for Mostar from here but we failed to get insurance . Plan B Pag but then another island, another ferry , and another grey old landscape. Plan C - lets get back to the mainland but this time to Krk and then over the bridge to dry land. The drive to this ferry was slightly better as the road was wider and more manageable in a motorhome. Still karst scenery ... read more

Today we visited Rovinj, a coastal town built on land that was once an island, but was connected by a causeway in the 18th century. It has a population of approximately 14,000. You hear a lot of italian here because this area was formerly part of Italy. It is a quint little town like so many other European towns, with the narrow cobbled streets. The houses are tightly crowded down to the seafront. At first sight it reminded us of Venice. I was surprise to see so many bicycles as it is hilly and some of the street are actually stairs. It has a big marina. All around the marina you find restaurants and shops. It also has a market where there are a lot of people selling olive oil among other things. Of all the ... read more

Geo: 45.3392, 14.3063Border controls were in place when we crossed into Croatia, though scrutiny was low. Both Slovenia and Croatia are members of the European Union, but only Slovenia is part of the Euro Zone and a member of the Schengen border control regime. This necessitated the formal border crossing, and when we crossed back into Slovenia a week later -- at different entry point -- we would see the results of the Syrian migrant crisis up close.By the time we descended down into the city of Opatija, we each had dozed for a bit. The air along the coast was much warmer than in the mountains, and with this inversion, the air was markedly hazy. It took away from some of the views as we got closer to the Adriatic, but it was still beautiful.It ... read more

Geo: 45.2367, 13.9386We drove to the interior of Istria to see the gorge that inspired Jules Verne to write "Journey to the Center of the Earth". After seeing it all we can say is Jules was a very easily inspired person. And Frommer gave it three stars! Sorry, no picture. In fact, we only include one of an olive grove.Now for the sad part. We must leave Croatia tomorrow, and our route will take us by Vicki and Carol Ann's old stomping grounds in the former Northwest of Yugoslavia. The Croatian people are a very pleasant lot. Invariably with a smile and quick to assist. Most of their country is rugged, doesn't lend itself to agriculture, but beautiful and extreme. In some contrast to much of the country Istria, which is a triangular peninsula in the ... read more