CYCLING CROATIA

We are currently in Dubrovnik resting after our cycle tour whixh finished yesterday, so I will be recanting what happened over the past week. The days were too full to have any spare time to write what happened in the day's doings.

So where does it commence.....

The first day of the tour is just a logistics move into the hotel and meet and greet the other riders and guides who were to be our company for the week.

It was not a difficult move for us to wheel the cases down the narrow lane where our apartment was, turn left, up some steps and around the corner to the luxury Jupiter Hotel. It gained its name from the Greek god which Diocletian had taken on when he came to his new palace. We knew the city so well by now. We were greeted so warmly from the receptionist. We are finding that Croatians are a very friendly people. Lucky for us we were able to enter our room early at midday. This was 5 star and beautiful. I was a very happy lady.

We enjoyed the room for a little while and then went out separate ways with Phil attempting to find the Maritime museum and I walked the whole length of the Riva and around some of the small streets of local residential area. There I found lots of locals in small cafes having coffee. I came back into the city via a broader street where top brand department stores were located and wound down very narrow maze of lanes. At one point I heard an English speaking guide say to his clients....you are now entering the smallest street in the city and it is called....wi you let me pass!!

The final attraction I visited was off a small lane from the Palaca and was guarded by another beheaded sphinx and was where John the Bapistry was situated.

Then back to the hotel, quick shower and down to the lobby. A group of German people were waiting there and I thought oh no I won't have much in common with these people but they were not our group.

A young, tall man in a Cycling Croatia jersey appeared. His name was Dalybor or Dali for short. He was our main guide. He was from Zagreb but now lives on the island of Havr with his family and has been doing cycling tours for 3 years. Then came Erwin, a Slovenian who was a freelancer working with Dali for the next three weeks.

The group then assembled and much to my relief they were was a mixture of ages from say late 40's to late 70. We introduced ourselves -

Cheryl and Tim from Calgory, Canada
Karen and Rob from Englewood Colorado, USA
Jane and Chuck from Washington, USA
Carol and David from Boulder, USA
Barbara and Peter from Breckenridge, USA
Wendi and Jimmy from Breckenridge
Natalia from Anchorage, Alaska
Natasha from Siberia, Russia
Alex from Edinborough, Scotland and
Celeste from Denver, USA
and us representing Team Australia

Immediately the group clicked. There was laughter and chatter filling the room. I felt relieved and relaxed.

After a briefing which included having the bags packed by 7.05am and to be ready to be on the move by 8.00
am to walk to the port to catch the ferry for our ride around thd island of Brac and where we were to meet our 3rd guide, Pero who would have our bikes ready.

Dinner was in the hotel restaurant under the stars and archways

It was simply devine setting. The meal of fish mix Croatian style, cheese cake all washed down with white wine set the tone of what was to come.

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