So, all’s well here. It’s been a fab four days of holidaying. And Mrs Sun has been persistently present.
We’ve cycled (7 miles each way) from this pretty good ACSI site at Punat to the village of Krk. Think a mini Dubrovnik and you have it. In many ways, especially as you’re not hemmed in by cruise loads of tour parties, it’s actually better. Walls, towers, a small but delightful old town, a harbour and, of course, the wonderful Adriatic.
Krk – fab
We’ve paddled almost around to Krk, avoiding the rocky coves where the naked people are. There are a lot of naked people here, which I can’t get excited about. C thinks it’s a bit much when they’re naked and closely shaved (I haven’t been paying that much attention), but as she’s skinny dipped on a whim here, I’m not sure she’s got much to complain about. We paddled back into the bay and canoed around an island with a monastery on it – which has now made it into Book 4, more of which in a minute.
And yesterday we cycled to Stara Baska, another 16 mile return trip. Stara Baska is a small fishing village at the end of our road, up a blooming big mountain, and then down the most wonderful coastal road until the Tarmac runs out. Unfortunately C broke a second spoke on her bike (she lost one a couple of weeks ago) which made her front wheel buckle ever so slightly. This presented us with a dilemma as we wanted to walk from SB up into the mountains to see if we could see the mainland on the other side of the island. The worry was that we wouldn’t be able to get the bikes home, back up the blooming big hill (just measured it – it’s a 1000 foot climb), and then down the other side.
We needn’t have worried. We trekked up the hill in hot, but hazy conditions. It was lovely, even if we were pursued by some pretty strange black bees. And we got the bikes home, although C will need a new front wheel.
And we’ve walked, swam (C mostly naked – there are plenty of secluded spots, especially if you have a canoe), ran – it’s going well for me (Rebecca and Steven are running hard in the Bahamas, and I don’t want to get left behind when we put our shoes on during the honeymoon), and I have written.
Prologue done. Chapter 1 – tick (I love it already!). Chapter 2 started – it includes the monastery here. And walking over the hills yesterday I just about have the plot. So it’s just a question of getting the thing on paper. Brill.
Finally, a few words on cost. For us, Croatia isn’t cheap. We have to pay for campsites, which, on average have been costing us £18 a night. That leaves C with £22 a night for food etc. We don’t eat out, although meals even in the resort, are cheap – about £7 for meat and chips. But we do drink coffee regularly (v cheap here) and have a beer every so often (£5 for a round of 2 x 500 ml, which is good.). And, so, she’s still saving money! Hurrah to that!
