It was pretty sad packing the bike up this morning. We’ve really loved staying in Kraljevica. The apartment was just perfect, with views over the bay. It was close enough to Rijecka, Krk, Crkvenica and the mountains to do day trips or just walk around the bay to Bakarac. I was kicking myself that I didn’t go swimming as the water was just magnificent.
Around Kraljevica there were three supermarkets, butchers, green grocers, all sorts of shops, restaurants, and at least six different cafe’s that we visited. All within walking distance of the apartment.
Heading south the weather was just perfect with views across to Krk and the islands. We passed through Crkvenica, where we visited on St Nicholas Day and Novi Vindolski which looked like an interesting place to come back to.
Our first stop was the little town of Sveti Juraj. It really is a slice of heaven and if we didn’t turn off the highway we would’ve missed it. It was right on the coast with views over the nearby islands. A coffee shop on the small town wharf was the perfect place to relax and unwind a bit.
The road south along the coast is one of the most beautiful rides we’ve been on. The road really hugs the coast so there are just breathtaking views across to the islands.
As the road winds around little coves there are glimpses of houses with jetties, and boats floating on crystal clear water. I don’t know often can you use the word beautiful and breathtaking before it’s worn out but this place is all that and more. The trip south became pretty slow with us stopping to take photos and just simply stopping, turning the motor off to just take it all in. It struck me that there were probably people who drive this road daily and never stop to think how beautiful the scenery is.
Our next stop was Karlobag where the local takeaway proudly announced that bikers were welcome. We were so welcome that we were greeted with a plate of local cakes. The place had lots of motorcycle memorabilia and our host happily chatted to us about Australia. The huge sun deck was the perfect place to enjoy a wine and a coffee whilst enjoying lunch. As we dawdled over lunch we chatted about how beautiful the ride is and how lucky we are to be able to enjoy it. The tourists buses were stopping 100 metres down the road and as I watched them cross the road and go inside the tourist restaurant I wondered whether they were having the same experience as us.
One thing about riding a motorcycle is you get to feel the countryside. Maybe it sharpens your senses a bit to the beauty of nature. Riding along you can feel the warmth of the sun, smell the scent of flowers, the stench of smoke. The water looked so inviting but as we were now running a little behind on our schedule we decided to press on.
The rest of the trip was filled with lots of oohs and ahs as we continued along the coast. As we drew close to Posedaje the road left the coast and we realised we were back in civilisation? Riding into Zadar we realised that it was much larger than we’d expected. On the outskirts massive shopping centres were in abundance and apartment buildings were everywhere. The satnav took us past the harbour which is surrounded by cafe’s on one side and the old walled city on the other. As we passed through the old city walls we were reminded of staying in medinas last year when we toured Morocco. A huge market greeted us as we entered the city and as it was a pedestrian zone we parked the bike to find the address of the unit. Michele asked in the local cafe and he pointed us to the building behind, which after a phone call confirmed was the right address. After a coffee we were greeted by the owner of the unit and we followed her up eleven flights of stairs to the top floor.
The unit was tiny but we had access to the roof of the building which had views across the city and market below so we’re already planning tomorrows breakfast on the balcony.
