16 May 2022
Big day today.
For Martin…poor guy had to wait over an hour to clear passport control at Stansted …and arrived in Ottley at 1.30 in the morning! My thoughts have been with him and his family all day…
….and for me, a big day too…it turned out! I was expecting a fairly big one…but it was bigger than expected…for Cres Island is not a sliver of flatness…but a big long high ridge!! But it was a good day!
A long slow climb out of Rovinj……the same hill I happily free-wheeled down yesterday!…into long wooded sections on largely empty – but excellent – roads. Indeed…I did not come across a coffee all day until I arrived at the ferry at Brestova (by which time I was thirsty enough for a beer…and it was lunchtime!).
The arrival on the East coast of the peninsular was lovely…and a nice ride along the ‘corniche’…before the plunge down to the ferry!!
I came across a tandem coming off the ferry…I did not envy them trying to get up this!!
But then…it was largely the same on the other side!! A tiny ferry port settlement…
……then a long 10km and battery-draining steep climb up the side of the island!! I was worried I was going to run out of power…but the top arrived in time…for a pleasant run down to Cres town.
Came across this sign en route…
…and some sheep!! Fairly messy (but cute) things…! Cannot find why they are so revered…but they certainly eat them!
Cres town is delightful. Very laid back…after the relatively hectic Rovinj (..certainly preferred Piran of the two “mainland” stops!). Indeed…Rovinj was a bit uncomfortable really…for it was all but empty. But all the many many restaurants were open…so every time I stopped for a moment…I was approached by the nearest waiter. All a bit sad really.
Cres is suffering from the same a bit…I imagine it gets mobbed in peak season…but there are still very few tourists around. Almost all German. Quite like the town slogan ….
Had a swim when I arrived……
.a wander…..and now back trying to help the local economy. (…probably would help less if I was on the wine…22Kr a litre!!!…that is around 3 Euro….or $5NZ!)
Thinking of Martin……
….eating pizza…..!!!
Good to see you are enjoying some nice country Neil esp. while the tourists are absent. And the weather has come right too by the looks of it. Hopefully things looking up for Martin too…….