26 August 2017: Dubrovnik to Ston, Croatia

Mileage: Today-36; Total-74

I slept poorly the first night but soundly last night, waking at 6 am to make coffee. With a coffeemaker in the room and two types of coffee, I eliminated the instant Taster’s Choice jar and chose the coffee from the tin with the unreadable, non-English-language label. The filtered, drip product was extremely strong, so I added hot water. Being a good guest, I removed the filter basket to empty the grounds, finding the filter clogged but no grounds. Clearly, the coffee was caffeinated instant.

Having determined our entry route at the upper Goza Gate was the least onerous, we carried and rolled our bikes and gear to the upper entry gate, taking advantage of a few boards placed by the liquor delivery crew to roll kegs up the same steps. After toting a full beer keg, our bikes and gear must have looked pretty light.

Resupplying the Bars. A small part of the crew that was delivering beer and liquor and removing the empties. A quote from one of the crew: This is what you do if you didn't like school. You must have liked school, as he watched Stuart and I mount our bikes.

We rolled away about 7:30, hoping to beat heavy traffic. I managed to lead the way without any wrong turns. Dubrovnik is essentially seal level, surrounded by steep hills, so the first 3 miles required steady climbing before a descent by the cruise ship terminal to the bridge crossing the inlet north of Dubrovnik.

Bridge to the left, cruise ship port to the right.

View from the Dubrovnik Channel bridge looking northwest.

How to Cross. I rode directly across without any traffic issues. Stuart opted to use the sidewalk and has to lift his bike over the double rail upon crossing. Meanwhile, several local cyclists simply rode over in the opposite direction. In general the drivers are courteous to cyclists.

Coping with Vehicle Traffic

My friend Harold Simpson taught me to ride in traffic. The key is to communicate with drivers, make your intentions unmistakable. Use a mirror to watch approaching traffic. Seize the lane to eliminate an unsafe pass. Emphatically signal turns, especially left turns. Hold a straight line but an occasional wobble often prompts drivers to allow more passing space. I particularly appreciate the professional truck drivers who move left, perhaps slightly in the oncoming traffic lane to allow more space.

Croatian drivers, especially in the larger towns and cities, have limited parking. Drivers drive over curbs to park in rocks and weeds. While leaving Dubrovnik, we saw two cars that had been hit. One had the rear wheel bent at a 45-degree angle and the rear quarter panel severely damaged, with no sign the owner or police knew it happened. We passed a four-car collision a few miles north of the Dubrovnik bridge. Inattention. One local observed that August Saturdays in high season might not be the ideal time to ride the coast road.

Some large trucks, busses, and vacationers carrying bikes sound a friendly horn when passing. I encounter fewer rude drivers in Europe than in the US, but the semi-professional Goya tour bus driver that offered long rude horn blasts on approaching and then on passing was particularly irksome. A$$. With oncoming traffic queues and a guard rail to the right . . .

The Croatian Coast road is beautiful—new surface, beautiful views of the sea and islands to the left, and scrub-coated coastal hills/mountains to the right. Most grades have been cut with 8% the steepest yet encountered. The air is hazy, either fire smoke or evaporation. Much like the fire smoke in Montana. However, the smell is more diesel exhaust than wood smoke.

1st town north of Dubrovnik.

Stopped here for breakfast.

 Zaton Waterfront. Just stirring on Saturday morning.

 Sailboat Anchored in Zaton Harbor. 

Zaton Beach

Zaton Market Stalls

Zaton Village Church

Zaton Refreshment

Zaton Waterfront Statue

Coast Road, Highway 8

Accommodations

As noted, we reserved the first two nights lodging in January. Nothing I could find on the web suggested that stairs, extensive stairs, were involved. Seeing numerous signs suggesting that a quarter of the locals rent spare rooms, we reverted to arriving and inquiring. Upon entering Ston, we parked the bikes, looked for signs, and inquired. I inquired at a wine shop advertising rooms, the young man thought they had one but had to confirm with his mother, expected in 30 minutes. A priest, a rabbi, and an atheist walked into a bar, and . . . , Stuart walked into a Ston bar, asked about a room, and Nicholai overheard. Nicholai: “How many nights?” Stuart: “Just one, with two beds.” Nicholai: “I have one.” We walked a short way to the apartment, 40 euros or 300 kuna, about 22 USD each. A double- and single-bed in one room, bath, large couch, dining table, and small kitchen. No steps. Perhaps Nicholai is sleeping at a friend’s place. He’s an entrepreneur, chef, in the process of opening his own restaurant. A few quibbles: no WiFi, no bed over sheet, nicely stacked boxed flooring in the lounge, non-working refrigerator, usual dim lighting, no AC. Beats a tent, and sleeping pad, and camp shower.

Twinned, Walled Towns. The walls were built to protect the valuable salt pans.

The annual Ston Wall Marathon invites runners to circle the walls. No thanks.

Nicolai, our host, and I in front f the future site of Nicolai's restaurant. Imagine table under the giant mulberry tree. Oddly, the building is less than 10 years old.

Mali Ston Street.

Home Sweet home, Mali Ston

Mali Ston City Walls

Critter/Cat of the Day. Mali Stop, and many of the villages, are rife with feral cats.

I had a request for food porn. While we all see too many Facebook food posts, my friend Fraser was curious about what foods are available in foreign countries. So, balme Fraser for the many upcoming food pics.

Stuart's Mixed Meat Grill.

My Mussels in Garlic and Olive Oil. 

Random Riding Observations

• ·     Miles ridden in the am are 50-percent easier than miles in the pm.
• ·      Small gears are great.
• ·      Only the 3^rd day, so the constant hunger has not yet risen.
• ·      Numerous British accents overheard; few American accents except in Dubrovnik.
• ·      Many of the local are really tall. Big dudes and dudettes. Must be the high-protein diet.
• ·      When we sat down at an outside table at a closed restaurant, the woman prepping for the day wagged her finger, scowled, and nodded her head. A nearby local observed: She’s a Yugoslav.
• ·      A Backroad Bicycle Tours van passed us on the Coastal road. At $200 USD per day, we understand the convenience, but prefer the personal adventure.
• ·      Ston seems to be a great place to raise children. As I write at a table outside our apartment in this mideval town (pedestrian only, parking in perimeter lots) children chatter excitedly in a safe environment. The Saturday night entertainment in the square outside the church was a DJ playing disco targeting 2- to 8-year-old children. An elderly artist was showing her art in the town hall, accompanied solely by her cat. We guessed few of these children are likely to stay in Ston when educated.
• ·      Other cyclists: Spotted one touring cyclist riding south, many mountain bikes on cars and campers, and 5 road cyclists.
• ·      Many European families seem toto-row seating for 5 or 6 and room for luggage behind the rear bench seat. Often seen in pairs.
• ·      Why do people neatly tie their trash in a plastic shopping bag, then toss it out the window?
• ·      Evening temperatures are perfect, 68-70F.
• ·      Looking forward to less traffic on the islands tomorrow.
• ·      When riding behind a companion, one cannot help observing variances in riding style. Stuart’s right leg and foot, injured and pinned in a terrible cycling accident years ago in Germany, points perfectly straight forward. His uninjured left leg and foot splays out at a 10-degree angle, prompting his SPD pedal to release every few minutes.
• ·      Even highly experienced cyclists vary when they coast or pedal. Every cyclist pedals uphill. Some pedal lightly on the flats and downhills while others coast at every opportunity. Some minimize downhill speed, some let the bike run, and some press for maximum speed thrills. On group rides, the variances are somewhat related to competitive cyclists. When touring, it disperses the group.
• ·      If ahead of a touring companion, the ideal and/or mandatory spots to regroup offer: safe exit, shade, top of hill for easier restart, clearly visible to lagging riders upon entering towns, and where routes divide. The last two are most important.
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