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June 2013

Part 3: Split - Lukovo Sugarje

Next morning finds me heading North, driving on the coastal (non toll) road), on a very nice route that I would enjoy even more without the part time rain. Still early season hence the traffic is not so heavy. I don't want to imagine what it is like with all these slow campers later. I make it to my next AirBnB at Split without drama. I have booked a place up by the castle and the first thing that catches my attention is... the peacocks! These beings can jump on the road any time regardless the traffic. Fortunately I was riding slow looking for my place but still missed one only by a couple of cm. However, there's and even more annoying habit of their's: they start screaming from 5:00am. Free alarm clock. Whether you want/need it or not. And just in case they might not be heard, they climb on the rooftops to amplify the effect:

The city of Split is really nice to walk around, the historic center at least which I enjoyed (surprise surprise) much more than the contemporary one. I manage to take some pictures after the rain paused.

Blame emperor Diocletous for the above attractions around its palace.

Next day's nice weather pushes me to tour around Split and so I decide to do a loop: Sinj, Knin, Sibenik and then back to Split again via the coastal road. Lake Peruca wins the prize offering unique moments. I couldn't have a better natural mirror there. Some of the most calm, cleansing and therapeutic images of my life:

Heading back to Split via the coastal road it was such a nice ride. Many attractive view points. Here's some from Morinje bridge:

This kinda short ride brings me back to Split early enough to park the bike and walk again around this nice city. As I walk Peristil street I meet a street band covering Pink Floyd in front of a Roman building. The band plays spot on, the natural reverb of the square enhances their sound and in this perfect scenery I decide to enter that building. Turns out I am inside Vestibul, a circular tall hall with open roof:

The above is what you see standing in the center looking up to the sky. Reading that it was designed for special meetings back in 4th BC I'm easily convinced it fit its purpose.

The day is too nice to stay long indoors so a walk by the sea pays back instantly:

Split by night is not bad at all either:

Strossmayerova Fontana

Time to leave Split next morning and head to my next destination, one of the least known places on earth. I mean... who knows this?

Maybe the least famous seaside settlement

This place hosted my first swimming in the Adriatic Sea. Cold water but prestinely clean:

While swimming around I find this piece of glass reading "25". Shall I adapt this as my lucky number?

At this place I am hosted by a Croatian girl who had just quit her job to make a new autonomous living at her house there which is shared by her brand new boyfriend. The post swimming hungry me is more than happy that their cooking didn't fail:

The place is also shared with a cute 'n sweet French girl who was travelling on her car solo, sleeping in her car most of the times and stayed with us for a couple of days. Quite a composition aren't we? I leave behind my hosts fighting in Croatian and decide to walk around, happy that I don't get a single word of their conflict.

I am impressed by the top quality of the tarmac and the (almost) off season low traffic allows me to take pictures like the following ones:

Butterfly poses in the absence of traffic...

...while others prefer to make love.

Next morning has new places waiting for me as I continue North by the Dalmatian coast.

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