Well, it has been quite a while since my last post. i've only gotten access to the internet once or twice since, and neither warranted enough time to post, so, unfortunately, this is gonna be a long one, and probably without pictures, as i can't get my ipod to work on this computer. So, let your imagination run wild (really wild with some of this), and have some fun...
As planned (for once), my bike finally did show up on Friday, after i arrived in Prague. There was an extra bolt floating around the box, and the big heavy homemade (thanks, dad!) box had only three of its original four wheels as well as some scuff marks, but it made it, delivered right to my door. Actually, apart from the moderate stress created by not having it with me right away, it was almost easier getting it delivered. Carrying the 70lb box up the four flights of stairs to the apartment i stayed at, though, was just as brutal.
Miraculously, i got the bike together in relative working condition. The gears were a little off, and the handlebar ended up not quite as tight as it should have been (found that out later), and of course, i didn't have any air in the back tire, but other than that, it was ready to go.
So, i loaded up my bags, grabbed my bike, and caught a 22 hr train from Prague to Split, Croatia, where i would have to take another train to Šibenik. So, i left Prague at 8am, and sat, and sat, and sat. Had a six person compartment in the car to myself for much of the ride. in fact, during the stretch through Hungary (which was BRUTALLY hot), i had the entire car to myself. I tried to sleep as much as i could when this was the case, but the heat made it difficult. Evening finally came, and i was in Zagreb, Croatia, about 8hrs from my final destination, and the train kinda filled up. Slept a little, lightly, but at about 3am, the nice lady left in the car with me found out i spoke a little german and talked the rest of the way to Split. It was a good excuse to try out some more rusty german, but i was extremely tired. i also didn't pack enough water, and would have killed for a bottle. i arrived in Split at about 6am hoping to quench my thirst and get the next train by the late morning, only to find out the next train would leave shortly, and had no bike car. i didn't have a chance to exchange any money, and, consequently, didn't get any water. i loaded my bike haphazardly onto the back of the train, much to the ticket guy's dismay, and, after an hour and another train change, i finally made it to Šibenik. i started to wonder around a bit outside of the train station, looking for an ATM and massive amounts of water, when i finally saw Fitzy and Greg ride up the street. Ah, what a great sight!
So, being that i had 22hrs on the train to think about this, i painted what would be the perfect picture of my arrival: i would get off the train and find the guys almost immediately; they would have a place for us to stay for the night; we'd stash our stuff, perhaps walk about town some, drink lots and lots and lots of liquids, go to bed early, and wake up after a full night sleep ready to ride.
Well, the first step happened as dreamed, but i would not be so lucky with the rest. After saying hello and getting me some water at the station, we headed to a park, where we chatted some more, relaxed, and shared plans. We ended up going to a small bar/internet cafe for a short time, then started riding. Day one, for me. 25 total brutal km, up (and only sometimes down) hills. We made it to a national park, which was pretty cool. It was weird, because the brochure you read before going down said no swimming, yet when you got to the bottom of the falls there was a swimming area. Greg definitely enjoyed the swimming, i just chilled.
As we were leaving, we got stopped by this guy in a car who had a campsite for a good price for the three of us, so we did it. Turned out to be a good campground, with good showers and bathrooms, so my first night out wasn't too bad.
The next day, we rode 75km, again with many hills (i seem to have met the boys in the hilly part of the trip). My legs cramped many, many times, once or twice to the point where i could hardly stand. Definitely very painful. The guys have been very understanding of my 'growing pains,' and took my groaning and moaning in stride.
Because of the heat, the guys usually stop in the middle of the day for a 'siesta.' The one my first day was the national park, and the day two was to be something near the water. Well, we missed some turns and ended up behind a school, sitting on the concrete in the shade. It wasn't the most comfortable, but a place to lay was enticing to me, especially for a couple of hours.
That night was to be my first experience 'squatting.' We found a trail off the road, took it up a ways, and just made camp. Pretty area, on top of a hill that was away from the road. One could see the Adriatic Sea in the distance and mountains all around.
Woke early, to start riding again. We made it (back for me) to Split, found a place to stay, and, yes, finally put the bikes in the room, and walked around. The place even had A/C. i felt like i was in heaven.
Split was a nice town with an ancient roman-era palace made almost totally out of white marble. The palace really consists of walls surrounding an area. Much of the area inside the walls actually has been adapted to the needs and uses of people living there, which is both interesting and maybe from a historical perspective, unfortunate. However, it was amazing to see so much marble in the streets and buildings, not just in the palace area but all throughout the city. In fact, apparently the marble is mined from islands off the coast of Croatia, so many of the towns are littered with white marble, the same kind that is shipped all over the world for buildings such as the White House.
Split was also the place of my first jump into the Adriatic Sea. Very salty, but it felt really, really good.
Our comforts of home left us early the next morning, as we realized we needed to catch a 5am ferry to get to the island of Hvar. Lots of lavender fields, lots of sunshine (though not more than CO), and the greenest of the islands are the highlights of this island. It was a beautiful ride along perhaps the prettiest road i've been on, but also one of the steepest. We road 62km across the island. We started at sea level, and ended at sea level, but it seemed like we went up hill more than down, though it was likely pretty even. Beautiful views of the sea and more mountains, especially looking out to those on the mainland. Prettiest ride, and definitely brightened my spirits and gave some reprieve to my exhausted muscles.
When we reached the other end of the island, we ferried back to the mainland, a bit further south than we started. Our goal was a town called Ploće, but we ended up squatting about 7km out. We were running out of daylight and options, and ended up at this place pretty close to the sea, which was amazing. You could hear the waves as we fell asleep.
Two things, though, made this campsite sketchy. First, we found out during our siesta that the train out of Ploće to Mostar only ran at 5:40 am and 3:15pm. So, we had to wake up at 4am, again, and hike our bikes out of the place where we squatted, and then ride the rest of the way to town. Second, the house we thought was abandoned below us, turned out not to be, and we all awoke at 12:30 am to the sound of the guy talking on his cellphone, not far from where we were camping. We found out that the house was not abandoned earlier, when a family of three came walking down the trail to the house right on the ocean. We had all our stuff, not out, but with us, ready to sleep. We said hello, and they said hello back, and just walked on by. Kind of strange, but we thought it meant things were going to be okay. So, just after midnight, we're awake, not sure whether he was talking to the cops or not, and not sure of what to do. Needless to say, i was freaking out some (i am very new to the camping thing, and especially very new to the squatting thing), and the other guys were a bit unsure also. We decided that since he didn't come talk to us, we were okay, and i said Hail Marys until i fell back asleep. We woke up at 4am, again, packed up, and were on the road.
Turned out, the train didn't leave until 6:20 (not too far off, but that's what we get for using a travel book that is three years old), but it was no problem. The train also did not have a bike car, so we took up the rear entrance. The train guys were pretty nice, though we did have to pay a little more for the bikes once we got into Bosnia.
And Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina is where we are at now. We arrived into Mostar just before 8am and were actually able to find a place right away. My German came in handy again (well, just so he could tell us to follow him in his auto, to the left, 2 min away, not exactly rocket science), and we got into our room, again with A/C. Showered, chilled, planned some of our day, and then headed out.
Mostar has a very interesting history. A river splits the city into East and West. The east side consists mostly of Muslim people, the west, now, predominantly Catholic. Orthodox Christians also used to be a major population percentage.
The city is named for the 'Old Bridge' (Stari Most) that was originally built in the 16th century. However, during the conflict in the '90s, the bridge was destroyed, an almost symbolic gesture of the relations between the Muslims and the Christians. The conflict was brutal and bloody, and much work was done to try and save the bridge. However, in 1993 it was destroyed. When the fighting finally ended, work began on patching relations between the Muslims and Christians, and also on the bridge. In 2004, the bridge was fully restored, and relations between the two sects in the city have also become much more peaceful.
Walking around the city, though, there are many, many reminders of the war that ended over 10 years ago. Abandoned buildings with bullet marks and collapsed sections stand right next to newly restored apartment buildings. The rubble in the streets shown in pictures taken during and immediately after the war is gone, but there is still much rubble in the structures themselves. Some buildings that are still used have bullet marks (including the building we're staying in). Much of the east side and all of the mosques were destroyed, and today many of minerats that sit atop the mosques again stretch high into the sky. There are several old mosques, the oldest dating back to the 1400s, and one we toured today dating back to the 1600s. Atop some of the minerats were speakers, where we could hear the call to prayer.
One of the coolest things today, was just after touring the mosque, we were able to talk with a young man, probably in his 30s, asking him questions about the mosque and what some of it means. It was interesting to hear the history of the town, especially the relatively recent history, from his perspective. He seemed very happy about how things were now in the town, and hoped it could again return to some of its 'golden years' of tourism, that apparently took place in the late '80s.
So, yeah, that's all for now. We're headed to Medjugorje tomorrow (for our siesta) and onwards back towards the Croatian coast, towards Dubrovnik.
Check out the other guys' blogs for other accounts, videos, and cool pics, as well as Fitzy's for a map of our route, which he links at the end of his entry.
JC
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