Friday May 17th, 2013 - Postira to Bol (Island of Brac), 40K

Peter's watercolor study of the harbor lighthouse in Postira, visible from our hotel terrace.

Once again, time is flying and our 2-night stay in Postira has disappeared in our bike mirrors! After breakfast at our lovely hotel we set out along the coast heading first for the town of Pucisca, a 17K ride on rolling terrain. The skies were still a bit leaden gray with hints of sun at times, but temperatures were mild and the wind way less formidable than yesterday.

In Pucisca we had an hour or so to chill and drink coffee overlooking their harbor.  We are seeing so many impressive boats with large crews  - the boats are spotless and orderly 99% of the time. At 11am the group reconvened to spend an hour at the Stoneworks school in town - it is a high school dedicated to teaching limestone and granite carving using only hand tools. Students are hired all over the world to help in authentic restorations of stone for historic structures. Too bad everything we admired was too large and heavy to put in our luggage!

Peter joins the singing group - they were a bit shy...

Loving up the locals at city hall in Pusisca.

We learned about the stonemason training school from guide Silvija and one of the instructors - it was very interesting!

Once we left Pusisca it was "time to climb"! We had a 6k grind in happy gears to a plateau area, then after another 6K of rolling hills we enjoyed an 8K screaming descent into Bol on the south coast of the island. We contended with hot sun, wind, rain, cool breezes and clouds, all within a span of one hour!

The hills are alive...with dots of bikers.

I'm in the foreground flying downhill - and the road stretches way on into the distance.

After cleaning up Peter and I enjoyed beer and pizza at a wonderful spot right in front of our hotel. We got a town map and strolled the narrow lanes and waterfront, finally arriving at a spot worthy of a quick sketch study by Peter.

At 5 PM we strolled down the harbor walk to the Jako Vino winery for a tour and a tasting. It was by far one of the most elegant and well-designed wineries we'd ever experienced - much like an art gallery. We toured the production area and then enjoyed a rose, white and red wine selection along with lovely hors d'oeuvres. It was hard to leave at 6 PM to let the next group in!

Loved the wine tasting rooms and the wine too!

Once again dinner was a home run of delicious food - I will let the pictures tell the story:

The appetizer - smoked tuna

Scrumptious John Dory fish with grilled veggies.

The vegetables were a feast for the eyes and the stomach.

More great times ahead tomorrow as we head to the island of Hvar by ferry at 9 AM and bike across the island to Hvar city - and of course there is a 10K climb...!

Wednesday and Thursday, May 15th & 16th, 2013 - Trogir-Split-Postira (island of Brac) by Bike and Ferry (38K and 48K rides)

Bright blue skies and favorable winds carried us from beautiful Trogir to Split -  the route took us through many charming seaside towns with wonderful castles and medieval streets.

A view that is nothing like the streets at home!

We boarded with our bikes on a high-speed water taxi at the town of Kastel Sucuracat. It was a very clever and fun way to avoid the traffic and congestion entering Split. We disembarked at the Marjan Hill Park (where Peter and I hiked the previous Saturday in our arrival visit) and had a leisurely ride to the main waterfront promenade on Split. 

Loading the bikes before the people, we do have our priorities!

Finally, a picture of the 2002 ExPlus Camino de Santiago tour pal reunion - from left to right: 

Lee Savage, Carolyn Savage, June Wheeler, Peter Herzog, Nancy Hull and Bill Hull. Great people and great friends!

After a convivial lunch with Santa Barbara travel mates Lee and Carolyn Savage and Nancy and Bill Hull, we gathered with the group for a guided tour of Split's signature Diocletian Palace area. It was a great experience - even though we had visited Split for two days prior to the start of the bike tour, our guide greatly illuminated the early history of Split.  We learned many things we would have never understood but for her narrative! We also were able to visit the subterranean rooms of the palace, which were beautifully restored and blissfully cool (it was pretty warm in the sunshine!).

At 4 pm the group reconvened to board a large car ferry to the island of Brac - our first of three islands we will visit on the tour. After a pleasant 45 minute ride we arrived in Supetar and biked 11K to our STUNNING hotel in Postira. Our terrace wrapped around the spacious rooms offering 180 degree views of the sea and the mainland shore. WOW.

Approaching the island of Brac from the ferry - Postira is in the distance.

Postira is a very picturesque setting and a wonderful layover spot - we love staying put an extra day!

A Hockney-esque terrace view - yes, it was the terrace of our room. Huge! Unreal! The distant shore is the mainland.

We had dinner together at the hotel restaurant and called it a night. The weather report was not encouraging for Thursday and our optional island bike loop, but I remained optimistic and resolute that we would be able to tour the island and enjoy the spectacular views offered by climbing!

We awoke Thursday to howling ESE winds and leaden gray skies - makes you appreciate sun and tailwinds all the more! However, with temperatures in the 60's, we hardy Minnesotans were undaunted. After breakfast Peter and I set out to conquer the 48k loop and its "scary" topography! We were joined by fellow bike tour compatriot Peter P. and he was welcome company!

Not exactly welcoming weather but we had been spoiled to this point - so we just got out there and biked!

The wind was amazing at times, gusting to 30+ MPH, which did not exactly assist us once we entered the climbing phase from Milna to Donji Humac. I was  silently thanking my trainer Lisa Hane at Flex Appeal in St. Paul for suggesting last December to add more cardio to my workouts - I have never been stronger climbing grades of 10-15%.  It was very sweet to hear our guide Silvija tell me I was "kicking a** on the climbs" - thanks Silvija!

All roads lead to Mirca - uh-oh! Good thing we have our chalk arrows to follow!

The tiny spec on the left of the long road is me...there were great stretches of downhill as well as big climbs! Breathtaking landscape...

Beautiful vistas before the wind and rain made photography a bit tough.

The Experience Plus day sheet with topo profile of the ride - "got climbing"?

We gratefully took a break from the wind and rain showers to have coffee, soup and for me, walnut cream crepes in Donji Humac. Thus fortified,  we were escorted over one more short climb before descending - rapidly - back to Postira. It was a bit of a shame the roads were wet and not totally safe as it would have been a hoot to zoom down from our high point, but safety first!

Back to Postira, with clearing skies later in the day on our pre-dinner walk.

The natives are shy but I try to break the ice - he was a strong, silent type!

We felt very accomplished upon our return and high-fives were exchanged all around by guide Silvija, fellow biker Peter P., my Peter and me. Nothing like a hot shower and a beer at the end of a big ride!

Dinner was yet another wonderful party at a local restaurant - the food was excellent (beef brisket-style with gnocchi) and the company even better. Peter and I agreed that this is one of the very best groups we have traveled with in our 9 ExPlus tours - so convivial and so fun. Big climbing day again tomorrow so I'm signing off for now - more news in the next 2 days!

Wonderful new friends Tom and Lynn from Park City, UT. We love our group!

Monday and Tuesday May 13-14: 51K from Skradin to Primosten and 43K from Primosten to Trogir

How can two days be so incredibly crammed with highlights and activity? Croatia is proving to have the beauty - and topography - of Italy, Spain and Corsica rolled into one. 

Peter's sketch of Skradin from our hotel balcony

Looking back at Skradin at the top of our first "official" climb.

On our first "official" day to bike touring we left Skradin around 10:30 am and climbed about 8k - this provided a wonderful view back to the National Park Krka we visited on our first tour day. We greatly enjoyed our rest stop at about 20K in Sibenik, a UNESCO World Heritage City with wonderful medieval streets and better yet, freshly fried sweet dough balls sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar - wow.

Fueling up on the local Sibinek treats...

And smiling along with the Sibinek locals.

Having fortified ourselves with those treats, we ended up riding the last 30K straight into Primosten. The coves and inlets are incredibly picturesque and the waters of the Adriatic are a remarkable, cerulean blue we have never seen in our neck of the woods. We had stunning vistas of the nearby islands - and as the Dalmatian Islands are a large part of our later bike route we started to get VERY excited to experience island biking!

Old fortress walls on the route to Primosten.

Primosten is a sweet town that is actually an island itself (a la Mont St. Michel) - our hotel was situated right on the beach, and we loved hearing the surf from our balcony.

Peter sketched Primosten from the terrace of our hotel.

We all took shuttles to dinner at an "Agrotourism"  site in the ancient village of Draga, just outside of Primosten. It was a fascinating mix of ancient cooking styles melded with modern agriculture. As Peter said, it is one tough place to make a living - the land is 99% rocks, and to plant a few olive trees and grapevines requires laborious backbreaking work. Even so, we enjoyed flavored liqueurs and native Croatian cooking that belied the struggle to farm in such arid country.

The EPlus bikers at Draga...

And our intrepid guides Cristina, Sylvija and Ante lead us by example!

Corsican "crock pot" cooking that dates back hundreds of years...

And the incredibly delicious outcome of the 2-3 hours of slow cooking!

After a short but good sleep we were off again this AM to bike 43K to Trogir. The ride started with a very VERY challenging 4K climb right off the bat - we are talking 15% grade with precious little warm-up. I am ever so glad to have worked hard this past winter with a trainer, as we had so few chances to bike outside in Minnesota this spring. Both Peter and I fared well on the 3 steep climbs on the route. 43K (25 miles) is a walk in the park in our town, but the topography of today's ride made it a challenging but rewarding workout - the views at the top are stunning!

Primosten is WAY in the distance after our first big climb of the day.

Beautiful poppies (and Peter) decorated the landscape during our awesome ride.

We arrived at our hotel by noon, cleaned up and strolled over to the medieval center of Trogir, another UNESCO World Heritage site. Its architecture is wonderfully intricate, a complex blend of Greek, Roman, Venetian and Croatian influences. The harbor area is full of boats of all sizes and purposes, one more  interesting than the next.

Looking at Trogir from the bridge crossing.

The old medieval city was a fascinating warren of small streets 

We loved the intricate architecture.

Peter had the chance to sit and sketch in two different spots within Trogir, both in public courtyards:

Dinner was on our own tonight, and thanks to the recommendation of John, Carolyn and Lee we ended up at a wonderful restaurant (Kamerleago). The service was superb  - which in my definition is funny, friendly and hugely helpful - and the food was just delicious.  Word got out quickly in our group, and after our foursome was seated at 7 pm, eleven more Experience Plus bikers showed up to eat as well!  It was great fun.  Tomorrow brings a great day of biking, boat rides and ferry rides - and hopefully more fab weather!

Trogir by night from our hotel balcony.

And do I ever love the new ExPlus titanium hybrid bikes!

Sunday, May 12, 2013 - Departing Split to Skradin and the Start of the Bike Tour

A whirlwind day - we had coffee at the meeting hotel at 8am and watched our new fellow bike tour friends gather for our 9:30 am departure from Split to Skradin. We would have loved another day or two in Split, and that is always a good sign! 

One of Peter's watercolor studies of old Split.

Our guide Silvija gathered us up and we took a motor coach ride north to the tour start in Skradin, a very sweet little town that sits at the gateway to Krka National Park. After getting rooms and luggage squared away, we we off to the harbor and a boat that takes you to the entrance of the park, a short and picturesque trip. The highlight of Krka NP is that there are over 17 waterfalls that you can view from walking trails and overlooks that encircle the park. The weather is perfect - warm sun and cool breezes - and we spent a few hours exploring the park and having lunch.

The beautiful falls at Krka National Park.

Upon our return we changed into our bike clothes and went to the bike fit - and I must say I am TOTALLY STOKED that Experience Plus has absolutely brand-new titanium bikes with awesome gearing and rapid-fire thumb shifters just like ours at home. They are feather-light and absolutely gorgeous - it was hard to limit myself to the 8k shake-down ride!

At 6 pm we had a welcome meeting with drinks and appetizers on the hotel patio. We met our guides, had our orientation talk and all introduced ourselves. It is a great group of 18 and we are already entirely enjoying each other! Dinner was at a local restaurant a short walk from the hotel - we enjoyed mussels, veal risotto and grilled tuna with more delicious vanilla cake for dessert. The conversation was very spirited and we are primed for a great touring day tomorrow...if we can get enough rest, as it is already approaching midnight - yikes!

Tuna on the grill...very rustic charcoal hearth inside the restaurant!

Friday-Saturday, May 10-11, 2013 London to Split, and a day in Split

We arose in our London hotel at 4:45 am on Friday morning to begin an epic travel day. Took the Underground to Heathrow terminal 1 and arrived well in advance of our 9:00 am flight, so we enjoyed some quiet down time and breakfast. 

We then flew to Frankfurt and changed planes - and terminals - to fly to Split. I know Heathrow has a reputation for being sprawling and confusing, but that was totally eclipsed by our experience in the Frankfurt Airport. The planes land and park on the tarmac - you deplane and board a transfer bus to the terminal, which takes quite a long and circuitous route. We alighted in Concourse A needing to go to gate B30. I am not exaggerating to say the walk took at least 20 minutes and involved a second security checkpoint. We were grateful to not have a close connection, luggage or any infirmities!

Everything was smooth and on time, and I had my very first experience actually seeing my name held up on a paper sign for our car transfer to Split (a Dr. Galazkiewicz experience, for those who remember the 1995  Bud Light commercial!).  After a 17k ride we arrived at the old walls of the former Diocletian palace, and after some casting about we found our lodgings (I suggest Googling Apartment Salvenzani for some good photos of the place). Our apartment is built into the palace walls and oozes history and charm. Hostess Irina is also charming! Our process of finding her and our lodgings is a whole blog unto itself...

Ok, so I'm not really Mrs. Wheeler - close enough!

Hanging out on the steps that lead up to our cozy apartment.

We then successfully rendezvoused with 1/2 of our bike traveling reunion pals (Lee and Carolyn Savage of Santa Barbara, CA) and went out for a delicious dinner. 

I admit to extreme fatigue from sketchy sleep and awoke this morning at 9:45am. Those who know me well will likely fall off their chairs at that admission! We had coffee and croissants at the local cafe and then did a lot of walking, first up to a wonderful overlook just NW of old Split, and then to a sculpture museum dedicated entirely to the works of Ivan Meštrović. A highlight was the gorgeous terrace cafe at the museum entrance which overlooks the Split harbor area and the Adriatic.

View of old Split from the top of the Marjan hill stairs.

The view of the Adriatic from the portico of the museum.

The museum's terrace cafe - a huge highlight!

Peter went off to sketch and came flying back to the apartment to let me know that a traditional Croatian acapella singing group was performing very close by and to hurry over! They were fantastic and very reminiscent of the Corsican singing we loved on our 2006 trip there. We bought a CD and I used my iPad to video them - hoping to successfully post that to Facebook if the blog doesn't like videos. 

Peter's peak experience - beautiful voices of Klapa Vestibul.

Peter (middle at green doors) sketching in the Peristil.

The day was topped off in fine fashion with dinner at Konoba Matejuska - thanks to the wonderful contributors at Trip Advisor we made reservations and had an incredible meal of locally caught fish - our group of 7 (we hooked up with our other two bike pals, Nancy and Bill Hull) ate family style and enjoyed five varieties of fish, appetizers of fried shrimp and smelt, wonderful salad and zucchini plus good white wine and dessert. It was also astoundingly inexpensive, even with a generous tip! What more could anyone want - except biking! Tomorrow starts the tour - shuttle picks us up at 9 am, we are ready to roll!

The morning fish market at Split - bet one of these beauties was a part of our dinner!

Let the bike tour begin!