Croatia - They have BEARS here??...

August/September 2015
Rovinj
A nice boat trip around the coast of Slovenia to Rovinj in Croatia. A beautiful old city amongst the new. But thousands of tourists! And everything to keep tourists happy, hundreds of restaurants, bars and cafes. We checked out a few campgrounds, they could accommodate over 2000 people... We stayed close to town, had a swim in the sea, no beach, and sharp stones in the water, we are so spoilt in NZ with our beaches that often nothing compares elsewhere!
We joined the throngs of tourists watching the sunset, wandering through the ancient stone streets and steps of the old town. (it is hard to imagine how long ago those stones were laid) They are now slippery and smooth from all the use. We enjoyed a meal out, raw onion was the salad/garnish on every plate. (That continued for the week)
Nice but not really us. We were happy to pedal away the next morning.
We met a South Korean cycle tourist in Austria, he was amazed we were going to Croatia and said he would never ever go there as they had bears there... We decided we would keep an eye out!
Rovinj - Opatija 95km
A busy 15 km heading out until we turned off onto a quieter road then it was lovely. Rural concrete rds winding up and down through small villages, we stopped for coffee at a bar, joining the few locals enjoying a mid afternoon drink, a friendly waiter, great coffee and as she gave us the 2nd coffee she said "on the house." We are back into 35 degrees plus weather and after 70 km had a 5 km really steep uphill which took forever as we zigzaged up it. The motorway went around and through the hill, the old road that we were on went over it ! A rest near the top at a spring where we cooled off and refilled our water bottles along with the locals then a 20 km fast descent to the coast on the Rijeka side. We stayed on the outskirts of the city enjoying a restaurant meal and local beer to finish a long but enjoyable first day cycling in Croatia.
Opatija - Crikvenica 58 km
This city seemed really spread out and busy. We skyped with the kids so it was a late start then stocked up with food, enormous pastries stuffed with apple, so it was in the heat of the day as we headed south along the Adriatic coast.The road is actually really high up with the villages down below it. Great views but so much traffic, mainly western European camper vans. The road was quite narrow so a lot of concentration was required to keep safe. After months on cycle ways this amount of traffic whizzing by so close was a rude awakening. We headed down into a village, quite a few kms, to check out the campground, the tent spaces were basically in a quarry, the price was 25 euro and the swimming area was barely adequate so it was back up the hill and another 15 km along the highway to the next turn off. We were hoping the next place would be ok as it was a really long way down and then a one way out along the coast. Luckily it was and we got to enjoy a couple of swims, still no beach but nicer concrete platforms all around the rocky outcrops that gave access to the water and a place to sit. 
It seems every second house in Croatia rents out rooms or has turned the house into apartments, they have signs out advertising everywhere but we wanted to have access to the water while the temperature was still so high. So far, not the big hotel and resort places like other coastal areas in Western Europe or deck chairs that you have to pay to use. Long may it continue!
Crikvenica - Spasovac 55km
We continued down the coast hoping that the traffic would be lighter on a Monday morning - No - the narrow road wound up and down around the coast, concrete bollards spaced out along the cliff edge making the cycling even more difficult. We had to make sure we stayed as close to the edge as we could without our panniers hitting them. Riding really straight lines, no wobbling on the steep bits, it was a tough day. Basically the road was a bit narrow for the amount of traffic so when overtaking the cars and campers stayed in the same lane coming very close. Big drop offs over the cliff edge.
We stopped mid afternoon at another coastal campground on the edge of a cove, a nice spot to swim. We had decided if the traffic was still bad we would head over the hill inland instead of continuing down the coast. The quieter road up the hill skirting a national park turned off just a few kms south. Definitely no bears on this coast!
Spasovac - Otocac  60 km
So up we went, fantastic views back along the barren dry coast and surrounding islands then over the hill about 24 km into what seemed like a different country. Hills covered in pine forests, greener and cooler. Possibly a bear hide out...
Firewood and sawmilling seemed to be the activities here. Quite obviously a lot poorer. We filled our water bottles at a house on the way, a chatty Croatian, the first we have come across, he was keen to tell us all about the road ahead, we were keen to hear we had done most of the climbing for the day.
It seems the coast is where the wealth is, and is geared towards getting you to part with your euro but sometimes you don't get a lot for it!
Otocot, our destination for the day, was an eye opener, with bullet holes from the Serbian/Bosnia/Croatian war, (over 20 years ago) still visible on a lot of the unmaintained buildings and run down apartments. The town was under siege by snipers for a long time. Clear evidence of still damaged infrastructure and lack of money to fix things up. So different to the nearby coast, Otocot is a rural service town struggling to get ahead.
We stayed in a self contained apartment, just one of the many with a sign outside. The lady brought us up a welcoming cup of coffee, so undrinkable, Croatian coffee is definitely an aquired taste...
Otocac - Plitvice lakes 74 km
A nice ride until we joined the busy highway 20 km from the lakes. Lots of very small road side stalls along the way with people sitting all day selling honey, I don't think they would make much money. A few tourist buses passing by on the way to the lakes. We found a lovely new apartment to stay in for two nights, about 8 km north of the lakes and caught the local bus to the lakes entrance the next morning. Plitvice lakes national park is a world heritage site, 16 crystalline lakes tumbling into each other via a series of waterfalls and cascades. A really lovely day wandering around the lakes. Sorry my photos don't really do it justice! Lots of tourists, it is Croatia's most popular tourist attraction. I must have picked up a virus as I felt not particularly well and needed a sleep at the picnic spot on the way round! Guess I can't complain, I have been fighting fit since we left NZ.
We are very close to  Bosnia Herzegovina, we will cycle to the border tomorrow, still no bears!