The forecast was for rain in the morning and thankfully we woke to clear skies, brooding dark clouds stayed someway down the coast. We left the hotel at 8:00 and retraced our route back across the spectacular Krk bridge and then turned south for a ride along the coast.
Weather kept fine and a great ride along the granite coastline. Stopped in Sibinj for coffee before the first serious climb of the day a relatively gentle 10 kilometre, 1000 meter climb up into the mountains overlooking the coast from where we turned inland towards our destination in the Plitvicka Jezera National Park
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| First climb of the day |
As we cycled through the countryside we got our first real impression of the devastation caused by the Serbian – Croatian war nearly 25 years ago. We passed through villages that seemed deserted, burnt out houses with missing roofs, bullet holes pockmarking nearly every building and pathetic memorials by the side of the road, no doubt marking the site of some atrocity. The grey, windswept afternoon somehow creating an appropriate backdrop to this melancholy scene. Sometimes it is easy to forget that living in a country that has known only peace for decades is the exception rather than the rule.
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| And the bullet holes... |
Our route took us deep into the ancient forests of this national park. Tiny roads ran parallel with murmuring streams dark under the canopy of this ancient woodland. One last climb and got to the hotel about 6. Excellent fish supper.
Todays stats
95 miles, 8,700 ft. of climbing. Average 13 mph
Keep you posted
GPX file of today's route
Krk to Plitvice Lakes
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