The Adriatic coast ride

Oh boy do I have a story for you. So much that I don’t quite know from where to start. But let’s just start at the beginning: me leaving Lubljana and heading for Croatia. I had received very good comments about the Postojna caves and thought that it would indeed be a shame to miss it since I was passing so close to it.

Three coffees, some pedal strokes and Beethoven’s 9th symphony later I got to this unassuming town. Indeed, you wouldn’t have thought that such beauty was buried there deep underground. The Postojna cave (discovered a few hundred years back) regroups the largest variety of cave animals, and its long and tortuous galleries lead you through a new world of sparkling grandeur.

It is a shame really, my pictures don’t even begin to suggest the size of the rooms and doesn’t do justice to the cave at all. From what I gathered the main gallery extends over more than 24km, taking you through rooms where the ceiling sieges 30m above your head and the far-off walls still remain hidden, beyond the reach of the various lamps shedding lights over the many stalactites, stalagmites and various pillars laying around.

And so this is with my head still buzzing from the wonders I had witness that I crossed into Croatia. Croatia is still my favourite Eastern country so far. It may not have the shininess the Postojna caves had, nor the mind boggling grandeur of the Alps, but its routes will take you along its coast and deep into its wild inland, far away from the touristic attractions.

I dipped my toes and quickly realised the water was a tidbit too cold to my taste. I retreated in all haste and contented myself to enjoy the sun with a nice book, slouched on the beach, the whole thing accompanied with the regular rhythm of the waves crashing on the rocks all around me. I’d call it a win overall.

Along the coast I met Noa, German guy who was doing his first bicycle trip, although going the opposing direction. We decided on a nearby spot to camp at and spent a nice night sharing lentils, pasta, their sauce and some tales to spice it all up!

Then I quit the coast and got to the inner land.

Mia, as swag as always

Overall the majority of people whom I met welcomed me, smiled, stared and were very friendly! I was sad to quit Croatia but the road wouldn’t bend the other way around for some reason. It took me straight East to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I spent two days in Bosnia before arriving yesterday to Sarajevo. But the last night before getting there, I had the brilliant idea to camp out at the very end of a forsaken dirt road near a small town. I had noticed the meat piled up with some flies buzzing around on the corner of the spot, but exhausted as I was I thought nothing of it. Surely it is some spoiled meat, surely animals won’t eat that. Too tired to get another spot anyhow.

I effortlessly slid into sleep, only to be… You guessed it: woken up at 3am by some snarling, barking big dog (that I surmised, I didn’t got out of my tent to check this fact out – these were huge barks though). Apparently this sweet fellow deemed the meat perfectly edible and was wondering what the heck was a tent that smelled of human doing that close of his meat?! His single single lovely voice rose in different tones of snarling, barking and and sniffing, the whole performance echoing all through the valley I was towering over. But as with any musical piece, new voices began to rise from all 10km around until this cacophony of barks and howling dogs reached the peak of the symphony and undoubtedly rousing the whole damn town.

All the while, I was trying to be as quiet as possible in my tent, my knuckles white from clutching the knife I hoped I wouldn’t have to use.

After a time, the initial suspect seemed to understand that I wouldn’t steal his bloody meat and he began to feast with excruciating explicit sounds and noises of slurps and bones cracking.

And there I was, laying still in my tent. The whole circus had been going for a whole hour at this point and I was honestly just hoping for my guest to leave soon so I could really go pee. Funny how sometimes some situations are punctuated by such mundane tasks?

On the morning, I woke up and after witnessing the various bones scattered all around my tent, I decided it was past time for me to leave and get to Sarajevo and leave the local dogs to their dubious cults.

Yes, this is the road for bicycles/pedestrian. Yes, this is a working railway.

Arriving in Sarajevo felt great. First I had my first real shower in 9 days, but I also got to witness how much the culture had changed. Sometimes, it isn’t all that evident when going from one shepherd to another. But the city regroups all the history, the architecture and the life of so many people, the culture washes over you like a wave.

Now, I’m getting ready for setting out tomorrow to Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. I will let you know how it goes!

With love,

Mia & Chloé