30 August 2017: Marina to Knin, Croatia

Mileage: Today-65; Total-195

Due to the mid-afternoon heat, we started an hour earlier, 7 am. Given the rest on the ferry, cooler weather, and less climbing, we covered far more miles. However, the coast road traffic was heavy, so we are taking the inland route that will include Bosnia. We cycled through two tunnels as we crossed the coastal mountains.

Shadows

Adriatic Coast North of Marina

2nd Breakfast. The first was a peach, yoghurt, and coffee.

Just another village and harbor.

Pomegranate. 

Ready to BBQ.

Stuart Exiting 2nd Tunnel.

After crossing the coastal range, we cycled through a dry plateau, mostly shrub evergreens and dry weeds, confirmation of Southern Europe’s heat wave and drought. While the coast was dry without a hint of rain, we saw numerous fig trees, olives, grapes, and gardens with tomatoes, peppers, and beans. Here, only grapes, thriving where they had water, OK if well established with deep roots. Many vineyards and orchards are abandoned. Clearly, the population of the country side is declining. The number of abandoned homes and out buildings is increasing, probably both economic and the wars. Seems that the roof goes first, leaving only stone walls.

Getting drier as we ride inland

We initially stopped for lunch at a winery with a restaurant. Today’s menu was posted on a chalkboard without prices. Stuart proceeded to a table but it was reserved, announced in a sharp tone. A woman from Houston asked: Are you with Backroads or another touring company? She seemed quite surprised to find us touring on our own. She was driving a group of American women about as the tour guide-van driver. They found the restaurant on Travelocity. Croatia, at least the coast has been discovered. Stuart has marveled at the change since 2013.

We moved on to a large restaurant, vastly more appropriate for touring cyclists lacking access to gourmet reviews. Warmly greeted, we enjoyed an excellent meal featuring spit-roasted pork, the specialty of the house. They also produced red and white wines.

Specialty of the House. Pork, fries, tamponade consisting of roasted red peppers and olives.

In Croatian kuna, thats about $9 each for the meal and $2.50 for the beer or tea.

New Best Friends. Clockwise, Nino, Joseph 1, Larry, Stuart, and Joseph 2. Joseph 1 emigrated to the USA 30- years ago, and subsequently married a fellow Croatian immigrant. He now lives in Chicago and was visiting friends and inspecting property he owns on one of the coastal islands. Encounters like this are a major reason we bicycle tour.

We considered staying in Drmis, about 45 miles on today’s route, but opted to continue to Knin, a larger town with more history. The road appeared to generally follow a rail line, so I thought is should be a reasonable grade. It was, until the last mile. Every day involves a similar decision, how early to stop. Heat is the major factor.

Mostly Roman Catholic Croatia.

Machine Gun Pill Box to the right.

Knin history from the web: Knin Fortress (Croatian: Kninska tvrđava) is located near the biggest mountain in Croatia Dinara and near the source of the river Krka . It is the second largest fortress in Europe and most significant defensive stronghold, and a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin County in the Dalmatian hinterland. The construction of the Knin fortress started in the 9th century, in the period of forming the Early Croatian Republic. Some Croatian kings had their occasional capital city in Knin, while the king Dmitar Zvonimir had the permanent one here. The fortress consists of five parts connected in-between: Donji Grad (Lower Town), Srednji Grad (Middle Town), Gornji Grad (Upper Town) or Kaštel Knin, Kaštel lab or Bandijera, and Južni Grad (South Town) or station Belveder.

The fortress is located 345 m above sea level and about 100 m above the Town of Knin, it is 470 m long, and on its highest part it is 110 m wide. The defensive walls, about 2 km long, enclosing the fortress from all the sides, are high even up to 20 m at several places.

Kinin also had a key role in the Croatian War of Independence. Operation Storm was the last major battle and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory for the Croatian Army.

Essentially, the Croatians defeated the Serbs, and forced them to withdraw from Knin as part of that operation.

Kinin Church. Churches of this style seem to feature two steeple bells.

Engine in Kinin Rail Yards

The hotel signs were for properties 2 miles onward, on the edge of the city. Knin appears to remain a garrison town, with numerous men in uniform, off duty, on the streets. One directed us to a nearby restaurant that offered a number of rooms. As suspected, rooms does mean one or two beds, AC, bath, small desk, and internet. However, the internet is OK for e-mail but takes 5 minutes to upload photos, and long delays to open web pages.

Kinin Lodging.

Modern church across from our hotel.