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!

Austria, Stonkered on the Grossglockner!

Rosenheim, Germany - Walchsee, Austria 40 km
We crossed the bridge over a river leaving Germany for Austria. The first person we talked to was an elderly man, he spoke no English and was not sure we understood him so he left his gardening, jumped on his bike and led us 2 kms down a road to a cycle path. A friendly introduction to Austria.
A lovely ride to Walchsee, a popular holiday spot by a lake. The first campground asked us for 36 euro to place our tent on some stones, (plus it cost to swim in the lake! ) it did have a nice view... But we continued a bit further to a more reasonably priced place.
Walchsee - Fieberbrunn 45 km
Stunning scenery, great bike paths and a nice place to stay though somewhat chilly overnight. Austria is exactly as you imagine, big houses with gorgeous flowers on every deck, very clean, rivers, lakes, mountains, green grass, cow bells..And we even saw men wearing trousers with a cuff that stops just below the knee as well as the typical Austrian hat on their head.
More expensive than Germany, (which we found quite reasonable.)
Fieberbrunn - Fischhorn 50 km
We followed a bike path that was a loop encompassing about 20 sculptures then continued up to the top of a lake. It was still quite early in the afternoon so we put the tent up then biked another 15 km to the local attraction, a walkway around a gorge and waterfall which was spectacular.
We stopped to get a few supplies for the next day but not much on offer on a Sunday. But I did get to help a number of women who appeared to be recent migrant arrivals. They asked me to show them how to weigh the fruit and vegies, which was fine,  then they wanted to discuss each purchase to make sure it was what they thought it was. I am not sure how they picked me to be the English speaker... And considering I can not read German I am not totally convinced I was much help but I did my best. 
The weather forecast for Monday looked pretty good and the locals told us it would be the only day possible that week to cycle over the Grossglockner high alpine road so that became the plan for the following day. 65 km up over and down the other side.
Fischhorn - Heiligenblut 65 km
We were on the road by 7.00 am, a cool calm morning, 15 km of fairly flat riding before the climb began. Then it was up up and up. A toll booth not far from the start, a whopping 35 euro per vehicle and 27 for a motorbike. Thankfully nothing for bikes. The steep gradient was punishing enough but as we got higher the wind really picked up, huge gusts blowing us all over the place. There were quite a lot of cyclists going up, most just going to the top and back down on a day trip. No others that we saw with panniers. The wind got so strong I could not ride my bike, (nor could a lot of others) on the outside corners of the switchbacks it was particularly bad, at one stage I had my feet planted, both hands on the brakes bracing myself and hoping I wouldn't be picked up and blown away.
So there was nothing else to do except walk pushing my bike... Far out it was soooo  exhausting. Trevor managed better than me but still had to walk a bit as well.
I totally focused on just getting to the top, quite a few kms...  what a relief to finally get there, (about 2500 metres high) then put on all my warm clothes for the descent, gingerly heading down being buffeted about. After dropping quite a way down the road then went back up, nearly as high as the summit, really demoralising! By then we were also in the clouds making it difficult to see.  Through a small tunnel then down, only to go up again. By then I was totally over it, exhausted with not an ounce of energy left but in the cold alpine environment there was not a lot of options.  It was probably the only occasion on this trip where I just wanted to be somewhere else!
At that point preferably at home, sitting by the fire with my slippers on enjoying a cup of tea!!
We were both pretty stressed, unable to eat any of the food we had with us, the bread buns were really stale with a fennel flavour, the bananas over ripe, nectarines mushy...  Even the Wetherals original caramels, (that have helped me over a lot of mountains!) did not do the trick.
I was ready to flag down a campervan and beg a ride but McGyver was having none of that so he joined all the bungee cords together and towed me the last 500 metres up to the 2nd tunnel.  I wouldn't say we conquered the Grossglockner, it felt more like we survived it...
Finally the descent, a couple of kms down the wind dropped and it was a pleasant ride to the ski village of Heiligenblut arriving about 3.30 where we had a cappuccino and a pizza, found a campground, showered, crawled into our sleeping bags and slept, woke to cook a late dinner then straight back to sleep, another memorable day cycle touring!
Heiligenblut to Lienz - 50 km
A lovely descent in cool weather with nice scenery,  joining a bike path after about 20 km. A bit of a climb over a small pass, our tired legs protesting then down into Lienz.
We have become somewhat destination driven as the year is rushing by and there are still a few countries we want to visit so we organized a train from Lienz to Trieste in Italy. No more Alps this week... But Austria is a great country to cycle in, we would love to come back.
The train left at 6.30 am so it was an early start but a lovely scenic trip. We arrived in Trieste early afternoon, crazy chaotic Italy with little cars zapping about parking anywhere and everywhere. A quiet day Thursday, resting and sightseeing,  then a boat trip Friday morning to Rovinj, coastal Croatia. The Balkins here we come.

All things German, August 2015

This song entered my head not long after arriving in Berlin... I'm leaving on a fast train (jet plane) don't know when I'll be back again...
Our friend Robert, visiting his mum in Berlin, so kindly met us at the station at 7.30 am, Trevor raced off to get the bikes from the cargo carriage, Robert offered to watch our panniers so I could go help, we had just unlocked the bikes when the carriage slammed shut and the train departed with us still on it. Ahhh! I banged on the window trying to get Robert's attention but he was looking the other way. We had no idea how far the train was going or how we were going to get back.  I was glad Trevor was not alone with the 2 bikes, that would have been awkward!  We were pretty sure Robert would settle in for the long haul, hard to go anywhere with 8 bags.  Luckily the train did not go too far, a helpful local wrote down the connections back, 2 different train lines, escalators and stairs manouvoured, Trevor bolted to the carriage with the bike symbol on it, I was a bit slow reacting, after he was swamped with people following him on I realised I was not going to make it to that carriage and got in the next one, stressing Trevor to the max when he didn't know whether I was on the train or not. We managed to both get off at the same stop, no mean feat during rush hour... And the only clue I had was a long name starting with M. We then got the next connection and back to the main station where we found Robert, took a few deep breaths, all had a good laugh and then biked about 12 km south to where we were staying for a few days in a lovely little cottage by a lake. Incidentally there was a little plaque in the same street showing that Aubert Einstein lived there many years ago.
We took the bus back into the city in the afternoon to visit the Hungarian embassy as we wanted to find out if we would have any problems leaving Hungary after being in the EU for over 90 days. Turns out yes there would be issues, even though we have 90 day stay agreements with a number of countries those countries we do not that belong in the EU revert us back to a 'Schenegan' visa which allows just a total of 90 days over 180 days so basically they said don't come, we could consider you as overstayers. So we needed to go for plan B which was to leave the EU into a non Schenegan visa country from a country we have a 90 day agreement with. So Italy to Croatia was the only real choice to be hassle free. But that is a few weeks away.
Meanwhile we looked around Berlin, it was amazing to us how many tourist sites were war related. We went to the holocaust museum, check point Charlie, a part of the Berlin wall that is preserved as well as a war museum. Very sobering, seeing the deaths of 6 million Jews documented as well as the divided East/West Germany years.  It is difficult to visit these places and then carry on with a normal day. I find I have to box it up and put it out of my mind to think about at another time. One quote particularly stood out for me, "It did happen so it can happen again"
So very true when thinking about all the violence and wars that have been since 1945 and continue all around us still.
On a brighter note, we are thoroughly enjoying Germany, there are cycle ways everywhere, I think you could travel the whole country without mixing with any cars. I guess I had never really thought about it but I am surprised at how flat the entire country is. Berlin has no high rise buildings, 3 - 5 stories max. And very square buildings, quite different to anywhere else I've been. The bread is divine, best in the world no question. And we have eaten a lot of bread in Europe...
We enjoyed blatting around Berlin trying to keep up with Robert on his new E-bike, ate nice cakes with coffee, wolfed down curried sausages on the street corner, enjoyed a wheat beer, wandered around the different 'Platz' (squares or Plazas) saw some sites and enjoyed a meal out with Robert and his mum. Probably not enough time to see Berlin properly but enough of a taste.
We then headed south through Eastern Germany to Liepzig.
Easy riding south through the lovely village of Potsdam to a campground at the south end of the lake,  a short day due to an afternoon storm.
80km to Radijke, we finally found a kebab shop open after 65 km. No cold drinks or ice creams for sale here on a Sunday. Very rural, quiet places, the church spires rise up in the distance letting you know there is a village nearby.
Old disussed factories and less populated. Locals tell us wages are still less in the East. 
It bucketed down as we arrived at the campground so took a lovely cabin, bedroom, kitchen, lounge and heater, finally we have found some cooler weather.
Radijke to Bergwitzsee - 83 km nice riding cruising through the countryside to Wittenberg, a gorgeous small city which we looked around, had lunch and took photos. The afternoon rain arrived early, we were really drenched and this time the campground had a stylish container to sleep in, again warm and dry, facilities are very good in Germany.
Bergwitzsee to Liepzig, 79 km, all in the rain through off road forestry type trails, bikes and us totally covered in dirt. No way could we stop at a hotel so we continued right through the city (after numerous instructions from a local) to a campground with tiny cabins.
Liepzig, we cycled the canal into the city and enjoyed a day sightseeing in the drizzle. Gorgeous old but renovated buildings. The forecast was for more rain for the next few days so we took a train, (actually 4) the next morning to Rosenheim south of Munich.
On arrival we could see the Austrian mountains in the distance, such a lovely vista. It was about 6 pm as we cycled out towards the campground on the map to find it was not there... We got instructions from a local to another one quite a long way away, it was drizzling and getting dark and I was keen to head back to a hotel. We stopped to talk to a couple out for a walk with their baby girl and they asked us where we were from. When we said NZ they asked us if we had cycled the rail trail. Turned out they had worked in NZ on the rail trail and in Clyde having visited NZ a few times and they immediately invited us to stay with them. A well travelled couple who enjoy adventure and were keen to repay the great NZ hospitality they had enjoyed.
We had an amazing evening, beautiful pasta meal with salad and then an Austrian dessert to finish, a type of pancake with fruit, as well as the real 'pine cone'  Snapps. (The trees need to be over 60 years old and then just the young pine cones are used, well that's what I understood...)
Not to mention the hot shower and comfy bed and route planning through Austria.
Each day we cycle we are continually amazed at peoples generosity, kindness and friendship. It is these spontaneous occasions that really stay with us.
An enormous breakfast of everything we love, muesli, yoghurt, fruit, toast, egg, marmite! Coffee etc, Then we all rode about 25 km, with the baby being towed in the buggy, through the back roads and out to the river track that led to Austria passing the 'onion top' church  on the way.
Auf Wiedersein Germany, we are so glad we visited. Definitely a place to come back to.

Time to head North, The ViaRhona, The Jura and The Doubs - July August 2015

A relaxing day in St Jean Pied de Port which started well when I discovered the Monday market and roasted baby potatoes for breakfast. Then we sat  under the big shady trees cooling off in the river. We headed off early the next day towards the city of Bayonne, intending to get the train the last 20 km instead of the stress of motorways. 37 km to the train to find the station closed and we needed to take the bus which was coming from where we had left! We got dropped off at the main train station where we figured out where to go. We were at the completely opposite end of France from where we had originally intended to be, in fact quite close to northern Spain where we had left. So we wanted to leave promptly in case we were sucked back into one of the trailer parks never to be seen again!
Arrived in Toulouse mid afternoon and sorted our onward ticket to Avignon for early the next day. The regional trains are good, the bikes go in the carriage with you not in a separate cargo carriage. While I was sorting the ticket a young couple who had just finished - 2 days before - a 15 mth cycle trip started talking to Trevor and invited us to stay the night, so we did. It was really lovely, we enjoyed a shared meal and chatted about routes north and all things French. A bolt back to the station before the rain at 7 am then a nice train to Avignon in Provence.  Stinking hot there and arts festival week so packed out. We found a campground on the outskirts and enjoyed the pool. We have pretty much crossed the bottom of France by train and ready to cycle north. We had planned to cycle some of the alps but it was just unbearably hot, 43 degrees most days. So a day north of Avignon we got onto the ViaRhona, a cycle way along the Rhone river that goes south from Geneva in Switzerland to the Mediterranean, (we are going north)The area around Avignon is not finished but most of the rest is. So it was up and away before 8am each day to get a couple of hours cooler weather then a mid afternoon stop hanging out at the swimming pool or sometimes a river at a campground. Easy riding and nice to get the helmet off and wear a sunhat instead. Quite peaceful, every now and then the trail went above a motorway and it was a shock to see so many cars. The signs are pretty good but they have all these interest loops as well which we often took in error and added kms to the day!  We cut the corner before Lyon and enjoyed a 110km day on rural roads. Alps in the background and lots of corn, sunflowers and more hay making.  We made it to the small quiet town of Les Abrets about 7pm thinking the campground would be the same but it was a 4* (think club med !) with a price to match. We were too late to enjoy any optional extras but got the non- optional ones instead. The teenage kerioke, the eccentric, (in our opinion)  Checz pilgrim on one side of us desperate for our map, the loudest snorer on the other side and the early morning crying baby behind us! We were a little slow getting going the next day. In fairness, it looked an amazing place for families with lovely views and hectares of land for every activity but not quite us.
A much bigger variety of food in France, while Spain is the land of Tortillas, (potato pie) and tapas, Portugal it is salted cod fish, in France it is the baguettes and potato salad, it is everywhere! Lots of prepared food to buy, sliced cucumber in yoghurt, chopped freshly cooked beetroot, salads, dips, we have not had to cook. Dairy products are incredibly cheap, 200 gms of brie or camembert for 1 euro. Yoghurt very cheap too. No big fast food outlets which is fantastic and you can still eat out, sit down, table cloths etc  quite reasonably. Shops, banks etc all close from 12-3 so everyone can have lunch and open again till about 7. We tend to have to shop in the morning and again in the evening as it is too hot to carry much fresh food. One campground had a whole shelf of English books so we stocked up,5, including Eleanor Cattons 800 plus page book The Luminaries , great!
After 350 km along the Rhone river we turned off about 80 km from Geneva and headed towards Belligarde and the Jura mountains. This is a well known ride, 330 km through to Besancon on quiet mtn roads, some steep pitches, deep dark, blue black forests, 40% is covered in forest, plus pastures and gorges and mostly small villages.  We actually only met one other cyclist, they must be all on the river trails. Houses look more alpine, wooden with a Swiss, northern Italy feel and ski fields. Gorgeous fresh cheeses, we bought a different one each day. Slightly cooler which was lovely but a couple of days of rain, one wet day we hardly left the tent, the next rainy day it was Saturday, (absolutely nothing opens on Sunday) and we had nearly run out of food so had to ride in the rain, arrived in Malbuisson, the biggest town on this ride, early evening, eagerly anticipating a hotel but all 10 were full and only a sloping tent site left, pitching an already wet tent in the rain completely soaked was not fun but we survived the night and raced down as the weather cleared to the medieval fortified village of Nozeroy for lunch, through thick fir forests and into the gorgeous wine centre of Arbois, where it was so hot everything dried out quickly. We enjoyed a wander around the town noting the Jura was a hotbed of French Resistance in WW2 and seeing photos of when the town was liberated by the allies.  From Arbois it was a nice ride along the Doubs river to Besancon.
The Jura was a gorgeous ride, easy to recommend, if it is peace and tranquility you are looking for.
From Besancon we continued up the Doubs river valley, enjoying the flat riding along canals and watching the boats go through the locks and weirs and meeting lots of other cyclists. We got lost finding the campground in Belfort and eventually met up with two French families, who we had passed previously, also lost although they had a GPS and they obviously spoke French, it made us feel better!  We joined them in our trek across town stopping for a beer on route. We continued to see them for the few days that took us up to Mulhouse and into the Alsace area. Here we were a bit underwhelmed. It was so hot and the trails were winding through corn fields taking 40km when on the rd it was just 10. We were hoping to get a train to Berlin but trying to buy a ticket  in France was impossible and we couldn't seem to book our bikes on the website so on our way to Strasburg we did a right turn heading for the Rhine river and 84km later were south east in Huningue, the French town across the river from Germany, (Weil am Rhein) and the Swiss city of Basal.
A stroll across the bridge into Germany and we felt like we were in Turkey! Kebab shops everywhere. Big servings, yum. And the most enormous supermarket that the Swiss use...
A tiny campground, mostly cyclists, a couple rode in (French) and immediately came over to talk to us. We had met them some 2000km before in Picos de Europa in Spain where they had been hiking. They immediately noted our bikes had changed colour! Lovely couple, quite uncanny to meet twice.
So next day it was France for breakkie, Germany for lunch, a visit around the Swiss city, (we decided not to change any money here being the most expensive country in the world) and then back through Germany to France.
We managed to get a reasonably priced overnight train (which really means uncomfortable and sleepless!) to Berlin so Au Revoir France, its been a great 5 weeks.