Croatia Part 4: The Return Journey

The shortest return journey is 1,700 km long, and I still have 14 days left. I will divide the route in Croatia into small stages and stay longer at beautiful places.

28.05. Friday, Kupari Bay. Today I don't have a specific destination yet. I will go swimming first, then have breakfast, and then take a leisurely look at the two hotel ruins. I drive past the Bosnian border to the Dubrovnik fjord. Here, a huge river flows out of the mountain. Of course, I have to go in. It is noticeably colder than the sea. In Rožat, I climb up to the church because of the view. I drive north along the coast, passing through a small part of Bosnia near Neum. The border controls are no problem. It gets warm in the car, and I can hardly keep my eyes open. Time for a refreshing swim and lunch break. Although you're not supposed to turn left, I drive to the beach in Duba. It's cozy here, even though new houses are being built again. I explore the ship bunker by bicycle. Then I continue towards Ploče and find a nice parking spot near the church above Rogotin with a view of the Neretva river. Here, I still have evening sun and a beautiful view of the seven mountains. I wonder if Snow White will still come by.

29.05. Saturday, near Rogotin. I take advantage of the coolness of the morning and start early. The road is winding parallel to the A1 motorway along the Bosnian border to Gata. Along the way, there are beautiful views of mountains and valleys. Vrgorac looks nice. Along the Biokovo mountain with its holy Jure, the road is still old and winding. I take a breakfast break here. Then I go down to the Cetina river and back up to Gata. At first glance, it doesn't look very exciting here. But after I start the ascent to the refuge behind the chapel, I have a beautiful view of the mouth of the Cetina river in Omis. I still remember the via ferrata there. A wide donkey path with switchbacks leads to the refuge Trpošnjik. After the closed refuge, I start another climbing section with a search for trail markers. Only on the ridge does the trail improve again and is well marked. The uphill sections take a lot of energy, and I'm tired when I reach the summit of Sveti Jure (1319 meters) at 3 pm. While eating my muesli, I enjoy the view in all four directions: in the north, I see Split, in the east, snow-covered mountains (I'm not exactly sure which ones), and from the south to the west, Brac and Hvar stretch out. Especially during the descent, I miss my hiking poles. So, I have to take more breaks. I reach the small chapel Sv Ivan at 6 pm and take a shortcut back along the terraces. To my horror, I realize at the car that I have lost my camera. Holy Anthony, help! I go back, looking at the GPS to find my way back to the off-road path. Luckily, thanks to Anthony, I find the camera hanging from a bush. The strap had apparently gotten caught on a branch and slipped out of the bag. I drive a few hundred meters back to a nice parking spot near beehives. Now it's already 7:30 pm, and the sun disappears behind clouds as I enjoy my beer with dinner.

30.5. Sunday, Gata. I had put mosquito nets on the windows in the evening to let fresh air into the car. But during the night, it started raining, and I had to close the windows again. Now the rain has cleared, but it's still very windy. I'll make my diary entries and have breakfast in front of the car. The first stop today is above the gorge of Omis. Then I drive along the valley towards Split and steeply up through the settlements to the via ferrata. Although there are no signs to the via ferrata, I have chosen the right path. A snake hisses past me on the concrete path. I saw it too late, and now it has disappeared. I would have liked to capture the encounter in a picture. That was snake number 7. Ahead of me, there is a group on the via ferrata, but I can't catch up with them because I take my time. I climb the route three times to take some photos. The via ferrata is not really difficult, but you have a great view of the Bay of Split all the time. At the top, there is a summit cross and a view of the backcountry towards Sv. Jure from yesterday. I also walk along the ridge to the chapel of the same name. Now it's time for a swim in the sea and a nap. During my first visit to Split, I had seen a parking lot from which you can easily reach the city by bike. Now I have dinner here and then ride my bike to enjoy the evening atmosphere in the city. I head towards the Peristyle. There is guitar music with singing and many young people with children who sometimes dance to the music. I stay for a long time and then take a walk through the alleys. Back at the harbor, I ride my bike along the sea back to the car. There is still a lot going on in the parking lot, but I fall asleep quickly.

31.5. Monday, Split. Yes, the beach parking lot has some practical advantages. There are toilets and benches for breakfast. I drive on the city highway northbound. Most people want to go to the city, so there is a traffic jam on the opposite lane. I park the car after the bridge in Trogir. Today I want to explore the island of Ciovo by bike. In the bay, there is a rusty-looking freighter at anchor, they still have a lot of painting to do. Before going up the mountain, I take a swim behind Okrug Gornji. After the garbage dump, I continue on a gravel path. The gravel is very rough and difficult to ride on. Many beautiful flowers grow on the meadows on both sides. After 5 km, the shaking becomes too strenuous for me, so I don't fight my way through to the tip of the peninsula but ride down to Slatine. Here, there are small bays with water in all shades of blue. I leave the bike, take a swim, and walk up the mountain to enjoy the beautiful view. From here, you can see all the way to the port of Split and all the mountains I climbed up to Omis. On the way back, I briefly meet the two enduro riders again. Today, I want to find a sleeping spot earlier. I find one in Mirena Bay, north of Primosten. After a snack, I discover the large wall that protected the peninsula from the Turks. So cooking will have to wait, and I first explore the wall. But the food is ready on time for the sunset. Afterward, I have a small talk with a couple from Frankfurt who have just arrived.

1.6.21 Tuesday, Mirena Bay. I decide to drive to the national park entrance of the small canyon in Paklenica. I start at 5:30 am and have breakfast on a hilltop at sunrise. On the way, I go downhill in switchbacks to Obrovac. An old castle ruin on the rock is surrounded by a river and barracks. I'm the first one in the small, shadeless parking lot. I have to pay 120 kuna in cash at this entrance for a 3-day ticket. The trail leads directly through the canyon, crossing the dry creekbed several times. At narrow points, you have to walk directly through the creekbed, and where there would normally be a small waterfall, I have to climb. I take two breaks together with a couple. However, I walk the trail alone, so I can enjoy the silence interrupted only by bird chirping. In a large cave, water drips from the ceiling into plastic bottles. Here, I can refill my water once again. At an altitude of about 550 m, the trail leaves the creekbed, which I don't notice. So I deviate from the trail and discover a little paradise. Suddenly, there is water in the creek. I take a little swim and see lots of life in the water: crayfish, newts, and two small green snakes. After the ascent from the valley, I take the turnoff over the ridge back to the entrance in Seline. Along the way, I treat myself to a nap. I'm back at the car at 5:30 pm. It's only 5 km to my sleeping spot tonight, on the cliffs near Seline. I ride my bike to Rt Pisak for the sunset - it's beautiful!

4.6.21 Friday, Seline. After breakfast on the cliff, I ride my bike to the main entrance of Paklenica National Park. I walk into the large canyon. The stream rushes here, and I walk up the well-paved path in switchbacks. Soon, the path becomes boring. I think I should have walked the loop the other way around. Unfortunately, this thought doesn't leave me all day. Just before the Anića Kuk turnoff, a dark cloud is moving towards the mountain. Fortunately, I'm near the shelter cave. There, I can wait out the lightning, thunder, and hail shower. It would have been unimaginable if it had caught me on the via ferrata! Although it's exhausting, I still want to finish the via ferrata. But for that, I need another two and a half hours. Another dark cloud that worries me passes thankfully by the mountain. At 4 pm, I finally reach the summit cross of Hochstaufen at 1,771 m with tired arms. The view of the surrounding valleys is beautiful, but the distant view is too hazy. The descent via the Steineralm also takes another three hours. So, after more than 11 hours, I'm back at the car. I would love to jump into a lake now, but I'm too tired to go searching afterwards. So, I cook my last dinner. At 9 pm, I lie down on the mattress after taking a look at the sunset.

11.6.21 Friday, Piding. I slept very poorly last night, everything hurts. For breakfast, I drive to the parking lot on the A8 at Lake Chiemsee. All the seagulls come to see if anything falls. I continue on the A8 past the beautiful Alpine foothills to the quarry pond near Dachau. At 3:30 pm, I get tested for COVID-19 in Schwäbisch Hall to be sure. And then I have coffee and strawberry cake with Conny and Meinolf. We sit in the garden for a long time, enjoy delicious grilled food, and talk a lot about my trip and other events until the bats catch the mosquitoes above us. ARRIVED. Mileage: 148050 km