|
 |
My 'holiday' on the beautiful croatian coast
At the Croatian border, they are taking me for a crazy guy (I’m starting to get used to it) and welcoming me with a big smile. I’m reaching Rijeka by the sea, so I’m leaving the heights. Like in Udine and Trieste, I’m staying here for a few days. Parties and unforgettable times (yes I know, again...). Thank you all of you for all this good time. I’m repairing for the second time already my front carry-luggage (and at this time almost 3 months later I still have it and will keep it for a while I think.. Well, I hope so). The Burro has just stopped when I’m leaving Rijeka (the Burro is a very cold and strong wind of Siberia. It devastates everything on its passage. I got a taste of it during my Slovenian stage) and the rain as well. So I’m spending a splendid day driving along the coast. With the help and advices of my Croatian friends, the plan is now to follow the coast until Dubrovnic, Montenegro and then going up to Serbia to avoid the Kosovo. (I wink to the Swiss authorities who send back the kosovar families while telling them that now they can return safely in their country. In fact, they expulse these poor people in a country in ruins and which is in a total chaos and in hands of criminals)
On the way, I’m meeting Andre, a French cyclist who wants to join Jerusalem. I’m leaving him in a village and I’m driving a few kilometers more to find a place to camp. I’m spending a night with a shepard who is sleeping outside as well. A night to contemplate stars and listening to the sound of the sea. A fantastic night by its simplicity, the kind of night I'm going to spend a lot in the future. The day after, I’m crossing 2 Swiss people on bikes (what for a bicycle highway this Croatia !). Andre is joining us during the midday break and the four of us are reaching Dubrovnic together. With Sybille, a Swiss German girl who wants to join Bethlehem in Palestina for a humanitarian project and her friend Tobias, officially called "the cowboy of |
Dubrovnic" because it is his final destination. Following the Adriatic Sea, we are often renting apartments together. It's quite cheap for four people and it's off season. So we can have a kitchen and we cook nice food, like at home ! In Croatia they produce good wine and we enjoy it as well, especially when it comes directly from the cellar of the grandfather.
In Split, a beautiful city, we’re resting a day because we drove really quickly the last days progressing more than 100 kilometers every day (what is quite much for me with the weight of my luggage, the others have less than me). The weather helps the good performances: sunny, no wind at all, warm and a splendid sea in background. The sea and especially this fabulous Croatian coast where you see the fishermen slowly repairing theirs nets, the women, with long black clothes, walking to the market and where you can enjoy the tranquillity and peace. Despite of all this beauties, Croatia is quiet touristic and a lot of buildings are here just for the tourists. I can't say it's negative because it's good for the local economy and it's better to see touristic buildings than burned houses or full of holes because of the recent violent history of the war.
...Arrival in Dubrovnic (see Bosnia to read the text in continue). Everybody is happy to arrive in this famous city.
Dubrovnic is protected by the UNESCO as a world cultural heritage. They rebuild the city like it was before the war (which destroyed almost everything). A nice city where I enjoy nice walks in the small lanes and where the cats are the only real masters of the place since a long time already. Not the Turkish who never beat the people of Dubrovnic in the past but lost a lot of boats and people during a lot of battles. Famous for his history, it is also a place famous which gave inspiration to a lot of writers as well.
We are sharing a last meal together and with Kevin, another biker who drove all along Europa, in tandem with his girl-friend until Scandinavia (but he is alone for the last part, 'East Europa').
|
Back to countries
|
|
