Last full day

Katka and I got up early and cycled to the small charming village of Podobuce along the main road through Orebic and then on a long winding cliff road through the wine village of Postup and then around the rocky cliffs and bays to the steep steep road down to Podobuce, where we left the two bikes leaning up against a lampost and walked down past the petanque court beside the sea and the wheelbarrows with ropes, past the lady sweeping her step and the sleepy breakfast families. We had coffee at the house at the end of the bay watched by a sleepy cat. It was a great ride 38km and 400m elevation. When we got back we learnt that Maros and Oliver had found a scorpion! I'll be checking the tent extra

carefully tonight.

We got back and swam and I tried snorkelling again and had a lovely lunch. Then the heavens opened and we sat through an exciting and scary thunderstorm - big lumps of hail fell at one point and lightening flashed in front of us and the thunder rolled overhead. We watched the huge yachts sailing down the strait with the binoculars. Afterwards, the sun came out and there was a glorious rainbow.

We swam and paddled and went shopping and then went out for a last meal of wine, pizza and pancake.

Monday in Paradise

Katka and I set off before 7am for another bike ride to Loviste. We got overtaken up the hill by a very sporty runner. I hadn't charged the bike so I went all the way in Tour. We had a coffee at the harbour cafe and then cycled round the bay in search of the path to the lighthouse. We didn't get there this time though. 

We cycled back and enjoyed the fantastic views.

We went swimming. Oliver had his windsurfing lesson and I tried snorkelling. I saw plenty of different kinds of fish and old crates and blocks abandoned by fishermen on the seabed.

In the evening Maros flew his drome across the strait and later we walked along to the chapel for a pancake and some red wine. 

Highlights - the bike ride, the drone flying and the snorkelling.

Sunday by the Sea

Another lovely hot day. We got up at 6am and had a great breakfast of  scrambled eggs and bacon and onion with bread. Then Katka and I set off on our bikes to Loviste. Beautiful views over the sea and mountains. Katka's watch measured the altitude as 280m. We had coffee by the bay and climbed, climbed back up in the hot sun. We picked ripe figs for energy and wild sage for tea. We got back at 11 and jumped into in the cool sea to refresh ourselves. 

We had a great lunch of spaghetti. We then all read our books and happily digested our lunch. Then more swimming, paddling and windsurfing. Oliver was able to jump the step into the caravan.

In the evening we had a lovely meal by the sea - mussels, squid, Croatian ham, pancakes and white wine. We cycled home in the summer night with our bike lights flashing by the wine-dark sea.

The highlights were for Maros the travarica, for Oliver the chance to sleep, for Katka and I it was our morning bike ride.

I feel great. I am sleeping well, eating well and my skin is healthy. Croatia is a great place for an active sporty holiday.

A hot Saturday by the sea

Today was really hot again. We relaxed, swam in the sea, Oliver and Maros were windsurfing. 

The Polish family living in Austria who had been packing to leave got stuck due to a problem with the steering of their car. The campsite is now 50% full.

In the evening after our supper of Balkan salad we walked along the 

seafront

 and Oliver and Katka had pancakes by the chapel and we had a beer and watched the kite surfers and the sunset. Oliver had a last swim in the darkening sea.

Highlights Maros - windsurfing, Oliver - his last swim, Katka enjoyed her day and I enjoyed our evening walk.

Friday by the Sea

The caravan site is emptying a bit as the big German group packed up and the Dutch caravan set off. 

I saw the big yacht from Korcula sailing up the Peljasac strait this morning. I cycled to Loviste on my own this morning as fast as I could which annoyed one fragile mamil. 

We had a nice lunch. In the afternoon Oliver persuaded me to haul myself onto the paddle board which I managed to do. We all went for a walk and an ice cream this afternoon. Oliver enjoyed jumping into the sea from the jetties.

The highlight of Oliver's day was the jumping, mine was the cycling and Maros enjoyed lying on the sunbed.

Day trip to Racisce on Korcula

We took our bikes and caught the ferry from Orebic to Korcula. We had a glass of juice in a cafe and went to see and enormous yacht from George Town. Then we cycled along the coast to the beautiful little town of 

Racisce for a welcome cold beer, swimming across the bay, jumping from the pier, a lovely fish lunch, fishing - Maros and Oliver caught 4 fish from the stone pier and then let them go again. Then we cycled back and caught the 7pm ferry. We had supper of pizza, pancakes and ice cream and cycled home in the dark, tired but happy. We cycled about 44km. 

Best part of the day for Oliver were the parrots we saw in Korcula and the catching fish, for Maros is was the jumping into the sea, for Katka and I it was the whole trip.

Fruit of the campsite

Carob tree, pomegranates, figs, olives and grapes.

Wednesday - the taste of carob

Maros and then Katka paddled across the Peljasac canal this morning. We watched Katka return through the binoculars. It looked like hard work.

I knocked down some carob beans with the paddle and we tried them. They tasted grainy like sweet old beans. We went swimming. Katka and I walked to the bakery and had a coffee by the sea. Maros and Oliver went windsurfing. In the evening they went fishing and Katka and I went for a walk to see them. 

Tuesday by the sea

Another beautiful, hot day - swimming and cycling. Maros went by paddle board across to Korcula and back - over 3km. Katka and I cycled to Orebic along the lovely seaside road for a coffee and some shopping. Oliver and Maros cycled to the sunset chapel. We all swam in the clear warm sea. We watched Antony Boy TV which means watching the other people in the camp - always interesting.

In the evening we sat and drank spritzers and talked. Highlights were - for Maros paddle-boarding to Korcula, for Frances and Katka iy was coffee in Orebic. 

Monday in the sun

Another great day in Viganj. This is a windsurfing and kite surfing centre for a reson. The winds that blow here are the jugo from the south, the bora from the north and mistral from the west. Maros and Oliver were windsurfing this afternoon and we saw a man learning to kite surf get pulled over and dragged over the rocks on his bare back.

 Katka and I went for a brilliant 26 km bike ride over the hill to Loviste on the other side of the peninsular. The road was marked as a 9% climb up 257m . We also ate delicious ripe figs from a tree at the side of the road on the way and blackberries. At Loviste there was an older lady doing her exercises on the jetty in her bikini looking out over the water.

In the evening we had a glass of Cornelian cherry schnapps with our Polish neighbours. Today's highlights were for Maros - teaching Oliver to windsurf, for Oliver learning to bring the board back to the point that he set off from, for Katka and I it was our Loviste bicycle trip.