The Istrian Peninsula of Croatia

Dear friends and family,

As I sit here in bed, I can hear the church bells ringing loudly for a long time. It’s January 6th, which is a big holiday in Croatia. It is the Epiphany. In Croatia the women go to church to get holy water and bring it home for the men to spray it over the house, animals and crops for a blessing for the next year. To me it means that no businesses are open today, no restaurants, grocery stores, or fast food. Luckily for me, I was warned, so I’ve stocked up on supplies and can cook in the communal kitchen where I am staying. 

I’m spending a lot of time exploring the Istra Peninsula. I typically will ride a full day and then spend the next day off to recover and explore the town I landed in. Here in Pula I took an extra day off as there’s more to explore and it’s raining and I am laying low for the holiday since I have cooking facilities here. 

Pula is the biggest city of the Istria Peninsula and is a mix of tourist attractions and commercial center. I can see as I walk the waterfront all the day tour boats tied up for the winter and further on the commercial shipyards for repairing cargo boats and a huge center for unloading containers. For some reason I find myself attracted to the grittier working class towns as they seem more real. Here now, since even on this holiday three day weekend, it’s mostly just a few Croatian tourists enjoying a weekend away in their own country. 

This Istrian Peninsula includes Italy and Slovenia, but is mostly Croatia. In about 177 BC the Romans conquered this peninsula from what they called “the Pirates”. They built things like the Coliseum and the walls and the entryways that still stand. Soon after the churches were built  once Jesus got his thing going strong. 

This Coliseum is still used by the locals. It seats 23,000 people and there are many concerts held there. In the winter a portable skating rink is set up for the (mostly( kids to skate and of course it is decorated for Christmas. It is open to anyone to wander around and imagine the “sport” that took place here years earlier. 

In 1922 this peninsula became part of fascist Italy and the language had to be Italian as well as street names, etc. and that influence is everywhere still.  After World War II, most of the peninsula became part of Yugoslavia. In 1991 it became an independent country and later part of the EU and now uses Euros as its currency.

Street signs here are labeled with four languages: Croatian, Italian, English and German. I find as I walk the marinas and people I’ve met that this is a big tourist destination for Germans. While talking to a German boat owner here I found out that the slip fee is only slightly lower than in Port Townsend for instance (which means really high) and I find the prices in restaurants in the tourist areas are very high as well. I was told that because of the influx of tourists from Northern Europe, like the Germans, that those high prices can be charged and still customers will pay. Groceries are still inexpensive so by cooking for myself I am immune from those high prices. 

This is one of the best and easiest places for a German citizen to keep a sailboat, and used to be affordable as well. The mooring prices doubled in the last couple of years as the charter fleet moved boats from Turkey with the political instability there and now there are no slips available. Supply and demand the economists say.

The bicycling becomes more challenging each ride with more hills to climb and rougher trails to ride. Taking the day off in between rides helps me recover, but still I find it tough.

I had a moment two days ago when faced with a huge climb of about 1500 feet over one and a half miles the thought crossed my mind that maybe I can’t do this anymore. Then I found myself able to crank away in a low gear and pedal the whole climb without any walking. Left me wondering who that guy was down below that didn’t believe.

I am appreciating the riders who camp every night that I see videos of on YouTube as that would make everything more challenging. I stay in nice apartments now at about $45 USD per night and can cook, shower and sleep in a cozy bed. 

I’ve read many times about a few customs and local laws to be mindful of:

It is considered very rude to go out in public with wet hair.(I’d sure like to find out why, so will start asking locals. Or maybe I should just go out with wet hair and find out that way?)

Also it is illegal to camp in public parks and merits a big fine. If you are snoring when you get caught the fine doubles! I am not sure if there is a fine for snoring while in an Airbnb dwelling, so I keep my door locked at night. 

The calendar moves on and I am in my last month of allowed time in the Shengen group of countries, so I have to keep moving south. Herzegovina is not Shengen, so once out of Croatia I can slow down. On this trip i sometimes feel that I am going extremely slow, both in the speed of riding and the pace of rides per week. I am not trying to set any records and am here to explore the country so I feel the privilege of “only three months in Shengen countries” as I explained to a Croatian couple yesterday with a big smile on my face.

I don’t forget that privileged situation I am in as I enjoy this trip and appreciate all of you “riding” along with Me. Life is good!

Sending love,

Charley

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5 thoughts on “The Istrian Peninsula of Croatia”

  1. Still interesting to read. Eventually the rich take over and prices go up. Talking about slip fees. Amazing how many Roman ruins are still standing and in use. Skating rink is an unusual use for one

  2. When we traveling along the coast in 1968, one of the first sentence I learned
    was.” I do not speak German.”
    Ne govorim nemško

  3. I quite enjoy riding with you, Charley – me sitting on my couch, dog on my lap, reading of your day’s adventure; you doing all the pedaling. Doesn’t seem fair though.

    Love your stories, keep ‘em coming!

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