The inland of Croatia

We have left the Croatian islands behind us and an unspectacular stretch of coast follows, which at least is quite flat, so that we can gain some kilometres. We are always amazed at how many flats and campsites there are; in the low season there must be hardly anything going on. Before we turn inland at Pirovac, we are invited for coffee by our Croatian campsite neighbours. We enjoy the coffee in the morning, a rarity, but even more the conversation with the two locals. Motivated, we cycle off into the inland, eager to see what awaits us there.

Suddenly another world. Off the main tourist route, everything seems a bit quieter and sleepier. People meet for a midday beer in front of the local shop, in the morning there are many men in the villages having a coffee chat and we are much more often motivated by passing drivers by shouting and honking (we at least believe that this is mostly well meant). We get a coffee from a lady somewhere in a village while we have breakfast in the shade. The landscape is hilly, there is less vegetation but we enjoy the change. Although we can no longer cool off in the sea every day, which was very helpful, we still like it.
Our route takes us past the Krka National Park, where we stop to see the waterfalls. We also visit an old monastery, where apparently Titus and Paul had already been.

After this touristic detour, a rather lengthy route follows along a reservoir. The encounter with Pablo offers a change. He is also Swiss, is on pilgrimage and like us has Israel as his goal. We enjoy a picnic together by the lake with interesting conversations before we part ways again. We cycle on, sometimes with music or podcasts in our ears, sometimes chatting, sometimes in silence.

An unexpected highlight for us is Imotski. Not far from the Bosnian border, the village lies on a slope. The climb is worth it. A nice restaurant alley awaits us where we treat ourselves to a burger. We visit the "Blue Lake". This is a lake in a collapsed doline on the edge of the village. The cauldron is imposing and the water perfect for cooling off. In the evening we start the daily search for a suitable place to spend the night. We ask a woman if we can pitch our tent in her garden. She disappears for a moment and comes back. We are allowed to spend the night in her and her husbands house. They prepare a guest room for us, we have dinner together and that's how we get to know them. They speak perfect English, which makes lively conversation possible. We sleep wonderfully and are overwhelmed by the hospitality, because in the morning there is no end to it. When we get up, they have already fetched breakfast at the local bakery and there is fresh coffee, so we sit together at the table for a long time and chat about this and that. They have almost everything. Olive trees with their own olive oil, vines for wine, the world's best tomatoes and much more. We are impressed and incredibly grateful for their generosity. We take a photo and say goodbye. Such moments remain in our memories and are great highlights for us.

So we drive exhilarated towards the border. Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina is our next destination. But our farewell to Croatia is not yet definite, we will return again for a side trip to Dubrovnik.