Wednesday and Thursday, May 22-23, 2013 - Final Ride, Vid to Mali Ston (50K) and Shuttle to Dubrovnik

 As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end - an we were ever so fortunate to have a rain-free ride last ride on Wednesday from Vid to Mali Ston.  There were lots of conflicting weather forecasts, but the general theme was RAIN IS COMING...

We left Vid right at 9 AM and rode through busy Metkovic into the countryside, dotted with agricultural villages that caused me to consider that I'd entered a time warp taking us back 200 years. It was a marvelous, peaceful road  with a big steep climb that eventually led to the border crossing into Bosnia - a feature of this tour is a "bonus country"!

Peter zeroed in on this carrot patch - carrot envy!

In Bosnia! I'm pointing to the Bosnian flag to the right.

The 5K through Bosnia was uneventful (my understanding is that this piece of Bosnia is there to allow port access to the Adriatic for this otherwise land-locked country). We crossed back into Croatia waved on by a smiling guard. Neither Peter nor I had to show a passport - although a few others in our group were asked for theirs at the first crossing into Bosnia.

The descent into Mali Ston was fast and dramatic, with huge vistas of the oyster beds that make this area famous. We arrived tired, safe and unscathed. It was such fun to sit with our tour friends and have a beer to mark the end of the biking. As the last rider was safely in and we headed to the hotel, it started to rain - hard! How lucky can you get?

The oyster beds and the bridge crossing on the final leg to Mali Ston.

The finish line - dry and hungry! From left June, Laura, Mary, Peter P. and Guy.

Peter and I cleaned up and walked on our own into Ston, 2K away. It is famous for its salt beds and has been a center of salt production for hundreds of years.  We enjoyed a late lunch of risotto (veal for Peter, mussel for me) and were able to return to Mali Ston relatively dry.  Most of our group opted to go to Ston at 6 PM for a look at the salt works and some input from a local guide.

Peter's study of Mali Ston, our final bike destination.

We all met at 7 PM at the Villa Koruna restaurant in Mali Ston and had an amazing seafood-fest final dinner together. We had everything imaginable - oysters, seafood soup, shellfish sampler, and a lovely piece of whitefish as the main event. Our host gave us lots of info on the local seafoods ably translated by our guide Silvija.

Seafood soup eaten from a most elegant shell dish.

More shellfish delicacies served in an abalone shell!

And what a good day to be done biking as Thursday dawned! The wind was howling and rain came cascading down in sheets. After breakfast we bid our guides Sylvija, Cristina and Ante a last farewell (such sadness!) and boarded a motor coach shuttle to the walled city of Dubrovnik, arriving just after 10 AM to pouring rain and HUGE crowds of tourists with lethal umbrellas at eye level.

THANK YOU Silvija, Cristina and Ante for a wonderful Experience Plus tour!

But once again, we were very lucky kids - we found our way to Villa Flores and our apartment for the next 3 days. Our host was there already and we were able to get into our rooms early - and what rooms! We are on the 4th floor (more climbing!) and have a wonderful suite with a kitchen and living room. It is also spotless and quiet! Big wow, thank you again Trip Advisor...

A leisurely lunch in our fab apartment - Villa Flores.

We bought groceries, had a light lunch, napped and then ventured out again around 3 PM as the rain had stopped and skies were clearing. It was a great time to walk the fortress wall of the Old City, and what amazing views! It was a super way to get oriented in Dubrovnik from an aerial perspective.

Our apartment is the white shutters that are dead center in this photo.

Peter strolling on the wall - we had a lucky break in the rain.

I want to get this view made into a jigsaw puzzle.

As recommended by neighbor Ray Skowyra - beer at the "hole in the wall" bar!

The view from the bar of the crashing waves was hypnotic.

Peter poses in one of the grand public spaces now devoid of tour groups - and with blue skies!

By the wonders of modern communication (texts) we were able to meet bike friends Carolyn, Lee and John at a sweet pizza place, Mea Culpa, for a really entertaining dinner "hosted" by waiter Sasha from Bosnia. Great pick Carolyn!

The efforts of the previous 10 days are catching up with us - it was easy to go to bed early and rest up for 2 days of sightseeing in Dubrovnik Friday and Saturday. We will miss our touring group very much - there are a great bunch of people and we hope to see them again before too long!

Monday and Tuesday, May 20th & 21, 2013 - Korcula/Island of Korcula (49K) and Korcula to Metkovic (Vid) (47K)

Peter's sketch of Hvar looking up the stairs to the fortress 

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Sunday afternoon's high-speed ferry to Korcula from Hvar saved us  a 5-hour conventional trip, compressing the journey to 1.5 hours. The boat felt much like an airplane, with similar seating and no outside seating options! 

We arrived about 5:30PM in Korcula and had a short walk to our hotel.  Our room for the next 2 nights was almost the size of our house in  St. Paul, with a water view! Great place to have an extra night and full day to  explore. We had a lovely "reunion dinner" with our Santa Barbara buddies that evening at a terrific restaurant within the old city walls.

A massive "room with a view" - plus a sitting room and huge bath!

The view!

On Monday we did a loop ride with "extras" - every day has a climb of at least 7 to 10K that the group has deemed "volcanos", due to their shape on the topographic distance/elevation graph! That said, our biking friends are all great gamers and they are conquering those volcanos despite all of our collective misgivings at the start of the day. One feature of this ride was the steepest downhill 5K I have ever experienced - the views were stunning, but my right hand was almost cramping from the need to brake at every moment!

Yikes - sure steeper than it looks in this photo.

Amazing views are the payoff for climbing.

A leisurely coffee stop in Racisce.

Peter and I did a lovely add-on spur to the small fishing town of Racisce and sat having coffee, watching life slowly and peacefully unfold. We then enjoyed an easy ride back to Korcula, where Peter stopped at the hotel to clean up and go sketch while I continued on another short optional spur to the beach at Lumbarda. I rode back and chatted with with guide Cristina (who braved swimming in the cold Adriatic) and met Peter in the old town.  He did some great sketches:

Time simply flies on these trips. After another convivial dinner, we packed in preparation for our next boat-bike-boat-bike day on Tuesday.

We awoke to warm, sunny day with cool breezes - lucky us! Our first boat ride was a short-hop private ferry to the Peljesac peninsula, a "volcano climb" (450 meters over about 6K), and a fabulous 8K downhill to the port town of Trpanj and our next ferry. We had about an hour to spend waiting to depart so we had MORE coffee - specifically cappuccinos that were works of art!

Private ferry with bikes atop!

The view from the top of our day's "volcano"

Epically beautiful downhill to Trpanj and the next ferry ride

Our barista gave us cappuccino art (and they were really tasty too).

The ferry had a "Jonah and the Whale" quality to it.

We really enjoyed the ferry to Ploce - the sea was very calm, the sun warm and the breeze cool. The Croatian mainland is spectacular with arid peaks crashing down to the sea. The ride from Ploce to our hotel in Vid was the flattest stretch of riding since the trip began on May 12th - 27K of Minnesota-like grades that took us along the Neretva River.

The Archaeological Museum of Narona sits right across the street from our hotel, so we hurried to clean up and visit it before the 4 PM closing time.  It is a great facility, both for its architecture and collection of artifacts taken directly from the site upon which it sits:(http://www.thebestinheritage.com/presentations/2008/archeological-museum-narona,18.html).

The museum was a highlight.

As ExPlus is always planning great diversions, Our group got back together at 6PM and had a wonderful boat ride on the Neretva River, which flows right along the back of our hotel. The grappa flowed freely and we got to see where some of our dinner specialties were obtained.

Enjoying grappa as an aperitif while boating on the Neretva river.

Dinner was entirely themed around the local specialties - we had fried frog, cheeses, and a local stew that contained frog, eel and whitefish in a spicy tomato base, served with polenta.  It was quite good, albeit exotic. After a huge slice of chocolate torte I was ready to burst - but I wanted to get this blog entry done before our last bike ride tomorrow to Ston, just outside of Dubrovnik - so sorry to see the biking end, we will so miss this fab group of new friends!

Saturday and Sunday, May 18th & 19th, 2013 - Ferry from Bol to the Island of Hvar/Hvar Town (35K) and a day in Hvar Town (rest day)

It is time for a photo essay - enjoy! Biking resumes tomorrow on the island of Korcula...loving Croatia more every day.

We departed the charming town of Bol via ferry, heading for Jelsa on the island of Hvar.

The view of Bol as our ferry boat leaves port.

Gorgeous "rear view mirror" views of the Island of Brach as we head for Hvar.

Island magic!

Coming into Jelsa, Island of Hvar.

Even the ordinary looks magical on the islands.

Off we go - heading to Stari Grad, our first stop on the ride across the island of Hvar.

Gorgeous poppies dot the landscape in this UNESCO-designated landscape.

Peter, Lynn and I visited the villa of Croatian poet Petar Hektorovic - he designed the villa himself and it was surrounded by interesting Latin inscriptions to invoke thoughtful contemplation.

ExPlus guide Cristina and I watch the action in the fish pond.

The bike from Stari Grad to Hvar Town was beyond epic - the 10K climb yielded stunning vistas.

Fields of lavender just before bloom time - it is grown for export and you see it everywhere on the islands.

Higher and higher!

My peak experience - top of the climb, a Croatia bike jersey obtained and new friends - the ultimate Experience Plus tour moment!

The terracing of hills remains from ancient times; the land was divided up with stone walls for retiring soldiers to farm. The aridity of the land makes that a tough proposition.

Our bike route is a part of Hvar's designated scenic bikeway - and Peter appreciates that as much as I do!

We arrive in Hvar town and enjoy the view from our hotel window.

The Venetian influence in Hvar is everywhere - including the view of the main square, a mini-San Marco plaza.

Oozing history and charm up every path.

We had to bid Rob and Lulu goodbye on Sunday morning as they took the shorter tour option. We will miss them terribly but are hoping to see them again before too long - safe travels friends!

We had a great guided tour Sunday noon which included a hike up to the Venetian fortress overlooking   Hvar town. 100 meter climbs give wonderful vistas!

Hvar town and marina spread out below us as we climb to the fortress.

The reward - picnic lunch! Our guide Silvija created a delicious and artful spread inside the fort. We enjoyed every bite. The cheeses are especially wonderful!

We will reconvene the group later this afternoon (minus two, sniffle) and ferry to our final island, Korcula. Looking forward to getting back on the bike to burn some cheese calories, so worth it!