Week 34 - Sailing Croatia & Driving Slovenia

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OK, this is a long one. Get comfy.

Monday 1st October

After another crap sleep we sat down with Chris and Simon for a chin wag over breaky. They had brought along their mountain bikes and were keen to pedal around whenever they got a chance. Simon had just cycled a part of the Italian Alps and was supremely fit, probably due in part to his time spent in Antarctica keeping several scientists alive working as a Sherpa. Chris was an architect from Glasgow with a hilarious sense of humour. Although they were travelling together they were most definitely not gay (as suggested by some 😊 ).

At about 10.30am we spotted a little secluded bay so we anchored up and donned the togs. About five of us swam out to the pebbled beach and basked in the sun before being told off for being late for lunch. The rest of the day was very cruisy (so to speak) as we had about 8 hours of sailing to reach the furthermost point of our journey. Novels were read, skin was pigmentized and worries disappeared as we watched the world go by (and a few dolphins!).

Later in the afternoon we arrived at an island in the Kornati National Park, where we all disembarked and headed for a couple of the island's sights. A big salt lake in the middle of the island was the first port of call, and while Kyle was the only one willing to get himself wet, the rest of us were happy to walk around it, led by an enthused Dieter Attenborough. Having done the lake thing we made like goats and trekked up to a lookout point on top of a cliff overlooking the sea. We looked out at the sunset with nothing between us and Italy but 120kms of water. All this climbing was thirsty work so a few of us planted ourselves in seats at the island bar and downed a few Ozujsko Pivo's and Zlatarog's (local brews). I'm glad we weren't eating there though as we all witnessed a ginger cat running across the bar with a rat-like creature in its mouth which headed straight into the kitchen. A few seconds later all sorts of commotion broke out as they tried to shoo it out 😊.

Back to the boat for a scary headed Hake for dinner then we retired to the lower deck for a few drinks. Skipper Alan joined us too with a peculiar looking wooden device in hand. It was about 15cm long with notches along the top and had a metal "propeller" pinned to one end. Alan grabbed a pen, had a stretch, put his left foot forward and uttered the words "Turn left but now.....with feeling". As he rubbed the pen along the notches back and forth, the propeller began to spin around anti-clockwise. Then he repeated it with his right foot out and had it spinning the other way. He challenged us to have a go and although some of us could spin it in one direction some of the time, one by one we all gave up in frustration. He later told me the secret was to rub your thumb along the right side while pressing down on the top of the stick, and then to spin it the other way your index finger had to rub the left side. All the other things were smoke and mirrors but it was good enough to fool us and keep us entertained for an evening.


Tuesday 2nd October

Another fine, glorious day. A good day to impress the others with my newly acquired stick rubbing/propeller spinning skills. After some nice grub we found ourselves anchored in the middle of 3 little islands. The competitive amongst us embarked on the inaugural tri-island challenge involving swimming to each island then back to the boat. In the end Simon and I finished a close draw, with the rest of the field....already eating lunch!

A few hours of sailing later brought us to Molat, a small island with a modest harbour, a couple of shops, bars and restaurants and a very healthy (well, as healthy as one can be when inbred) ginger cat population. We knicked Simon and Chris' mountain bikes and took off around the island. We discovered a colourful graveyard full of slain Italian soldiers as well as a monument to all the Croats who fought and died in World War II. Amongst the typical older houses were a few newer modern ones which were quite fancy. Looks like the Yuppies have already moved in. We pedalled down a grassy track until coming to a secluded little beach, a good place to chill out for a while.

Dinner time was approaching but we still had time to gulp down a few brews. The first barman didn't want our business for some reason, maybe Cam had tipped them off about us. Luckily for us, the only other establishment on the little island was hospitable enough to let us give them money in exchange for several Zlatorogs. After hearing the distant bells of the Albatross signalling dinner was ready, we trekked the gruelling 10 metres back to the boat parked right out front. Tonight on the menu, the crew had cheffed up a meat roll type thing, with some mangold (sounds dodgy eh? It's just spinach and spuds, you filthy beggars!) on the side followed by some pancakes. I was coming down with something, so I shot off to bed shortly after.


Wednesday 3rd October

Woke to the pleasant sounds of a donkey ee-or-ing right outside the boat. Our usual breaky of eggs, muesli, bread, OJ, coffee and fruit (not necessarily in that order) was downed before we pulled anchor and said goodbye to all the ginger cats of Molat. It wasn't too long before we found ourselves at another beautiful bay, much to the disgust of the nudie inhabitants that scrambled to cover up. The Albatross' crows nest had been eyeing me off all week, no one had done it yet, so the time had come for me to say my prayers and start climbing. I have to say, it didn't feel that safe, and as I climbed up and each step got shorter and shorter I was having second thoughts. Bugger doing this in a storm! I squeezed myself through the hole in the platform and took a firm grasp of the rails before taking in the grand views.

Daily swim time now, and most of us made it to the beach where Deiter was conducting a science lesson. He had found a slippery, black sea cucumber (or coocoomber as he would say) on the way in and was whacking it on the rocks. All of a sudden it squirted all its intestines out of it's end (the bum end I think). Amazing! It was supposed to have a 3 stage sacrificial defence system but this one it seemed only had one. Dieter, we discovered, came to Croatia a lot, sometimes with his pupils on school camps and he loved the place. While Em and Dieter went for a trek over the hills, I found another cucumber and as I couldn't get it to squirt no matter how hard I bashed it (oo err) I handed it over to Dieter who had the magic touch. This time the cucumber went through the stages as had been explained. Stage 1 and out squirted water from the cucumbers bum all over an unsuspecting Cam. Stage 2 and a white cloudy ooze emitted from its nether regions. And finally after a bit more whacking, the poor guy dropped his intestines out into the hands of a waiting Zoe (buggered if I'd catch it!). It was like a thin sandy sausage. Everyone cracked up in a fit of laughter. Dieter did explain that it had no nervous system so felt no pain (to any greenies out there) and would survive the ordeal.

A relaxing read on the deck filled the time between lunch and our arrival at the island of Otok Losinj. We pulled into the beautiful, colourful harbour town of Mali Losinj which was quite big like Rab. Along with Stan, Paula, Kyle and Karen, we hired some bikes and rode along a coastal path towards the smaller sister town of Veli Losinj. The vivid colours of the buildings and boats and the interesting characters about made Veli a photographers dream. It looked cartoonish in a way. Riding and photography are both thirsty work, so on the way back we ducked into a restaurant right on the water's edge providing a great view for a few drinks. Kickin' back with a drink, some good friends, beautiful weather and the Croatian views was hard to take, but we battled through.

For dinner we all met back in Mali Losinj at a restaurant named Don Marcio. Remember this name. Remember it as somewhere to avoid if you want a good meal! Em's Coke was flat, my shark had a chemical after taste and most of the other meals were very average. We made the best of it though, couldn't fault the company. "I am a girl, but I smell like cheese" and "Sugar the fudge up!" were highlights of the conversations. After dinner we shuffled down to a tiny, little (unfortunately very smokey as well) karaoke bar named The Catacombs to listen to an energetic German baldie belt out a few numbers. Simon took a shine to a local lad's steering wheel guided push-bike who returned (rather unamused) just in time to catch him straddling it. Some of us checked out the Zanzibar, another bar a couple of streets away, before returning to the Albatross for some shut eye.


Thursday 4th October

Still feeling craptastic today. Chatting with Deiter over breakfast about his biological studies was very interesting. At university his thesis was on the self defence mechanisms of beetles, including the "exploding" Bombardier beetle, which stored chemicals in its body that it then mixed and shot out of special glands. Crazy! It was very foggy today and it even rained a bit, but seeing as though we'd had fantastic weather all week we couldn't be upset. It made me think of all the pirate movies I'd seen, with ships hiding from each other amidst the fog. Everyone was pottering about when two dolphins popped up near the stern of the boat and criss crossed each other for a while before disappearing as quickly as they'd appeared.

Lunch was had on board before pulling into the Island of Cres, quite a large port town, once again with all the action centred around the docks. We promptly knocked back a couple of cappa's each with Jim and Zoe, (only 6 Kuna/60p each!) giving us the energy to explore the local souvenir shops and sights. We walked through the maze of old streets with old houses, past an old church and up to the modern harbour. We hadn't had our daily swim yet and we definitely felt worse off for it, so we decided to strip off and have a quick dip in the rather chillsome Cres waters. This was where I spotted the donkey (see photo) who tried his best to eat my camera.

Em had booked herself in with a local hairdresser to get a wash and blow-dry, so while she was busy I headed over to the scooter hire joint to pick up some wheels. Alas, they had all just been hired out (thanks Cambo!). Didn't worry me, scooters suck anyway! 😞 It was approaching pivo o'clock and I spotted the Cornwallians enjoying a drink at a cafe, so I joined them for a couple. Em emerged from the hairdresser looking like she'd held her hands on a Van-Der-Graaf generator for a few minutes. It was poofed out but it was shiny and clean!

For dinner we all ate outside at a restaurant recommended by the skipper, Alan. We really tested the structural integrity of the wooden table with our huge banquet of food. Most of us ordered the grilled roasted lamb which was superb but Em had some non-chewy squid (the best kind) which was becoming her favourite. Everyone had a great time sharing stories and reminiscing about the week whilst stuffing themselves like pigs. After a great night (only about £16/$38 each) the host came out with a bottle of clear liquid with a bit of plant in it. Those that were game enough knocked back the potent grappa (or was that ethanol??)...definitely not to everyone's taste. After the obligatory gelato and a chat by the boat, we hit the sack on the deck and slept like spuds.


Friday 5th October

I started the day off with a climb of the crows nest again for the Frisbee shot (a special photo compilation I'm making). Not to be shown up, Emma shot up there quicker than a rat up a drainpipe. I think I was more scared than she was, especially with the slippery, wet steps! Leaving Cres, we were now on the home straight back to Opatija and a tinge of sadness that our band of merry men (and women) were soon to be disbanded was creeping in.

We stopped 6 km's short of Opatija at Medveja and had a quick swim and lunch. A weird sort of slick was mixed through the water...taste good but. Zoe went diving for starfish, Dieter was tackling another coocoomber and the guys were competing in a skimming contest. Before some of the group took off on foot for a coastal walk back to Opatija we got one proper group photo. Well, as proper as we get anyway. Simon took off on his bike (he only travelled with 3kgs of gear excl. his bike, Emma's toiletries bag probably weighed more than that!) to get a bit more exercise as he was getting a bit flabby 😊.

Back in Opatija, about half the crew walked around from the harbour to a nice cocktail bar overlooking the bay. At only around 30 Kunas each we tucked into 2-3 each, with Chris almost managing to burn his lungs on the last one. Yes, it is possible. From there, we walked down the main street to an outdoor pizza bar where we had the nicest pizza's in Opatija for only 50 Kunas. Bellissimo! After dinner Cam and Em couldn't resist strapping themselves into one of those bouncy slingshot thingamees for a jump, not my idea of fun after stuffing my face with pizza. We got a last gelato and chockies from the ice cream parlour before heading back to the Albatross for our last night on board.


Saturday 6th October

Our last morning with the crew had arrived, so after breaky, we said our collective thank you to Alan and the rest of the crew before handing over a sizeable donation for their great service throughout the voyage. We all said our goodbyes and wished each other safe and happy travels before heading up the road for a coffee with Chris, Cam and Nat who had buses to catch. It was a weird feeling not having our regular buddies with us, even though we weren't by ourselves it now felt a bit lonesome.

They caught their buses and we went back the Hotel Krystal as it was such good value last time and we'd decided we'd rather spend another day here than in Ljubljana. I can't tell you how good it was to have a big comfy bed again, we spent the whole arvo catching up on sleep...in the spread eagle position...just because we could. Later that night we dined in a cosy restaurant while the rain poured down, where we were (almost) personally entertained by a singer/ivory tickler extraordinaire. Em found a little jewellery shop on the way home where she had an old Croatian lady match some gem stone earrings to the necklace she already had. It was cool to watch her make them from scratch and we had a good chat about Croatia and her family while we waited.


Sunday 7th October

We checked out of Hotel Krystal with the intentions of walking down to catch a bus to Rjeka, then a train back to Ljubljana, then hire car to Bled before nightfall. Plans are made to be broken though, and as we passed a car hire business on the way we thought we'd check it out. He must have been a good salesman because before I knew it, we were planning the route to Bled, driving all the way ourselves (when I say ourselves I really mean myself). This way we would be able to see more of the countryside, as well as being able to stop at the famous Postojnska Jama (Postojna Caves) and Predjama Castle on the way. No waiting for horrible buses or trains either.

So, after a quick lap of Opatija to get some fuel, he left alone with the almighty Fiat Punto (£140 for 3 days, bit of a rip, but that's the price you pay for freedom). Driving down the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car, using your wrong hand to change gear did take a little getting used to. I must admit, the window winder was almost wrenched off the door a couple of times as I mistook it for a gear knob. Having no GPS didn't make anything easier either, we were relying on just 2 crappy maps. Somehow we made it up the hills of Croatia's little villages, past the Slovenian border checkpoint, and through some beautiful green countryside, sitting on a comfortable 85 mph.

When we reached the caves after a hour or so, we were greeted by about a hundred rally cars buzzing around, competing in the Rally Postojnska Jama -> Trst. Sweet! We headed to the cave entrance and boarded a little train that took us down to the "best part" which was bound to be good, as some of the formations we were zooming past were bigger and better than any I'd seen before! We pulled up at an enormous cavern and worked our way through the crowd to the English language tour. For the next hour or so we walked down a km further and were blown away by the sheer size and number of the stalactites and mites. Amazing when you realise it takes 10-100 years to grow just 1mm of stalactite. Hopefully some of the photos do it justice. Near the end of the walk we were shown the extremely rare Olm, a white snakelike amphibian that is blind and lives in total darkness all it's life down in the caves. We were also told they only eat about 5 times in their entire lives. No McDonald's down in Postojna!

When we emerged from the caves, the Rally trophy/champagne presentation to the winners was taking place so I got amongst it for a few snaps. We then had a 10km drive to the Predjama Castle, a Renaissance castle built within a cave mouth. It didn't look real sitting there on the side of the mountain, it was just amazing. We had a beer or two here as it overlooked the magical castle and as far as views while having a brew, it doesn't get much better. We entered the castle and had a bo-peep around, entering all the rooms and seeing the speccy view from another angle. There was nothing too exciting within. Climbing higher and higher, we got to the top room which had a well (a good well was most important if you were under siege) and then headed back down. The castle also had a canal system inside the caves for escape purposes.

Back out on the road now and we drove north along the motorway to Ljubljana. This is where the fun began. It should have only taken an hour to get to Bled from the castle but instead it took us 2.5 hours! We only had the shitty map and we kept missing the correct turn off which sometimes meant driving another 10kms before we could get off the motorway and turn around. Each time we exited and re-entered we had to pay another toll! It didn't make it any better that it was now dark and that when under pressure I'd try and change gear with the window winder. As you could imagine I was getting about as calm as tornado but Em did well to keep things under control and we eventually found our way to Bled. Even then though we had to ring Luka (the B&B host) to come and guide us in from a petrol station 😊.

Luka was a fantastic bloke and the Penzion was very cool, with an A frame type look, furnished inside with an abundance of pine. Our room was huge and very nice indeed. Just what we needed to settle the frayed nerves. After we dumped our gear we wandered down to a restaurant and had a pizza (third one in 3 nights!) and a beer. **sigh**


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DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE PICS ON THE NEXT PAGE/s
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Photos

Scrub Those Soiled Undies
And when you've finished mine you can do the rest of the crews!

Everyone Wanted To Swim In The Lake
Only one reeeeeally wanted.
In Kornati National Park.

Em And Dieter
Italy's just over the horizon.

Beers At Sunset
Just like home.

My Minions On The Lower Deck
Trying to look up me shorts I bet.