Day 27. Monday 27 April.

As we left this morning, D made a comment that if he were living in an apartment complex in Zagreb he’d have to become an ‘Ove’ & do something about the graffiti (over spray?) and more particularly the piles of rubbish just left around & spilling very untidily out of bins.

An early departure for a walk back to the bus station, retracing our steps from a few days ago, gave us time for a relaxed coffee. There seemed to be some confusion about the order, much to the amusement of a nearby gent. To make sure D typed it into Google Translate and chased down our waiter, to be reassured that ‘I’ve got it’. The order arrived: two double espressos, hot water on the side, two glasses of cold water, and a shot of something amber in a glass. Mystified, T checked out the docket that seemed very expensive – the shot was Jack Daniels! D took it to the counter, adamant he hadn’t ordered it, never drinks it, never has – and was given a refund. We worked out later that the waiter had probably heard ‘jug of water’ and interpreted it as a Jack Daniels.

Boarded smoothly, although D overheard another traveller being told by the Flixbus staff that his ticket said departure was at 1200 and it was now 1205. Oh dear! Croatian punctuality rivals D’s, although our 1215 bus left at 1216.

 A smooth trip. A request to the driver to raise his sunscreen just a bit so we could see ahead – we had paid a bit extra for the ‘panorama’ seats right in front – was met with great humour and pretending to misunderstand, lowering it further.

At the border with Slovenia the bus was boarded by a policewoman checking passports – which consisted of a glance in passing.

A 15-minute comfort stop after an hour gave everyone a nicotine break. We are constantly surprised by this…all ages, fags, e- cigarettes, vapes…We seem to be the only non-smokers, something else to set us apart.

Scenery was ‘gentle & green’ and neat…agricultural landscape, mostly wheat, and small towns with castles and spas.  Tractors were busy. Such a change after Croatia’s coastal rocks & sea.

Arrival on time and another walk to our ‘condominium’ and for the first time a couple of the cyclists, one food delivery, warned of their coming with a bell.

This time we’re doing AirBnB.  As we stepped out of the lift on the fifth floor two folk were leaving the apartment we’d booked. One was a real estate agent, the other perhaps a client.  He seemed a bit put out that we were early at 1500, when check in was 1600, although our instructions were clear that we could arrive early if the cleaners were finished. T interpreted him saying that the apartment was ‘on the market’ and then asked if he’d sold it…’No, today is the first day it’s on the market’. Checked that with the owner who was slightly apologetic: he’s trying to get an idea of its worth should he ‘decide to sell’. We do not anticipate potential buyers wandering through over the next three days!

The apartment is spacious, with separate longe and dining areas, a change from the studio style.

T had been very pleased that we’d used up all fresh supplies in Zagreb, hence the backpacks only had the essentials: herbs, oil, laundry detergent (a new addition) a packet of pasta, an unopened block of Parmesan..and a bottle of wine. So, the first task was off to the nearest Mercator for milk, bread & some fresh bits for dinner…it was shut. Slightly odd, as it’s Monday. A quick Google check confirms our suspicion – today is a public holiday to celebrate the Day of Uprising Against Occupation (formerly Liberation Front Day or Resistance Day), marking the establishment of the liberation front in 1941. Of course – we’ve done this before! We traipsed around for a while hoping to find ANY corner store open, just bread and milk would do – no luck. T was wondering how to turn a pack of linguine & a piece of Parmesan into a meal. We had passed through an interesting street just back from the river where little restaurants and ice cream parlors were open and T had seen a customer with an enticing mezze plate, so we went back and ordered the same… a very substantial and delicious felafel meal, with a couple of beers. It will keep us going till Tuesday. It included a bowl of potatoes.

On the short walk back to the apartment we stopped at the bridge to take some photos. A group of Asian tourists demanded that T get out of their picture opportunity! As we left D stood next to one of their many models, taking her turn, and said ‘get out of the way’. They enjoyed the joke.

Just for fun, T tries the tv…there’s virtually no choices, but fortunately there is a ‘Lone Star’ channel serving black & white Western films…Roy Rogers, Annie Oakley, John Wayne, Randolph Scott…24/7!!! D will be up all night. T is transfixed – just realising what she’s missed out on.

Dinner

Day 26. Sunday 26 April.

Today will be a quiet day, T declared, no more than 8k steps. Plan is to do a loop: Strossmayerov Park, Botanical Gardens, Art Park, and Museum of Illusions. Departed a bit before midday, after some lovely catch-up calls home.

We had in fact been through the top part of Strossmayerov Park before, so once we got there headed down towards the railway station, admiring the facades and the green space. D was desperate for a coffee – we found a nice spot right in front of the station. Coffee culture is strong here, and happens at so many outdoor  ‘lounging points’, usually a drinks-only thing, so D’s hope for an accompanying pastry were dashed.

Apple Maps decided it did not want to guide us to the Botanical Gardens: just dropped out repeatedly as soon as directions were asked. Google maps was more obliging. A slow walk along the shaded paths, with T delighted to see that weeds were allowed to grow in pretty much all the beds! Fisher garden joins the club.

The frogs were having a great time, making a lot of noise, and were not ashamed to show their skills, perhaps tadpoling.

Apple Maps now on best behaviour, so let’s go to the Art Park, located just opposite the entrance to the Tunnel Gric. A couple of guides promised an abandoned park, transformed by street art and a vibrant open-air museum. It is all boarded up and gates padlocked – no entry. Staff at Café Grif directly opposite had no idea what T was asking about. Seems the reviews might be a bit out of date.

Maybe we do the Museum of Illusions. As we got near, Ilica street was closed off for market stalls, probably stretching for over a kilometre. What fun! As well as the stalls, there were a couple of dance groups giving demos and inviting passers by to join in. People-watching is a lovely slow activity. Enjoying the atmosphere so much we dropped the idea of visiting the Museum AND there was a Heineken stall nearby! Folk gather in groups and as solos …a lovely atmosphere.

T has designed tonight’s meal, cleaning up veges & rice, so it’s duck into Spar for the missing ingredient.

Step count: 12770.

Day 25. Saturday 25 April.

Forecast for the day: 25 degrees & cloudless. A relaxed start to explore Zagreb. Yesterday the initial impression was of a city a bit tired – that was not the case today. Different, of course, from the Adriatic towns and cities…(Z has lots of green); today the city buzzed with locals and tourists, and apart from the obvious groups, there was usually nothing significant to distinguish them – just occasional accents or features – and behaviours with cameras.

With tourist map in hand we wandered towards the old part of town, through a green patch – Park Ribnjak –  abutting Zagreb Cathedral. Peaceful, a squirrel and some examples of ‘street art’.

 Architecture is less ancient, Zagreb having been hit by earthquake and rebuilt in 18-19th Centuries but still suitably impressive to a couple of colonials.

We were looking for the fresh food markets and were initially disappointed to come across what were basically tourist souvenir stalls – but below these were the real thing.

There was also an adjacent ‘Adelaide Market’ equivalent.

Moved down into the main square – called Trg bana Josipa Jelacica (Trg is ‘Square’ in Croatian) – and the flower markets where a beautiful springtime bloom was on her bike.

The sound of a band and the clatter of hooves – it was the changing of the guard! Two guards were protecting the statue of bana Josipa Jelacica and were being ceremoniously replaced. And the tourists flocked to watch, which was the whole point.

Found the Tunnel Gric and walked through under the historic neighbourhood of Gric (D thought it was the ‘Greek’ tunnel) which gave the tunnel its name. It was built during WWII by the government to serve as a bomb shelter & used again in more recent times (1991-5).

Continued our wandering, briefly dropping into an artist’s gallery-opening where patrons were sipping wine: we were not offered. Theme was botanicals & quite delightful; we did not buy.

Locals were out, enjoying the day, including kids tiptoeing through the tulips.

Through the Stone Gate – the most famous and only preserved old city gate, believed to have been built in 1266. Its present-day appearance dates from the 18th century and it now serves as the shrine of Mother Mary for a painting that survived the Great Fire of Zagreb in 1731. As well as tourists snapping photos irreverently, there were worshippers reverently occupying the little pews and a woman diligently dealing with excess wax.

Passed by St. Mark’s, where there was serious wedding photography taking place. Very fancy roof! And the back of the dress was divine.

 It may have been the ‘real thing’ but felt a bit like some sort of promotional shoot. The proximity to the Museum of Broken Relationships was not a good omen.

Having visited the Love Stories Museum in Dubrovnik (9 April), we just had to visit its opposite here: the Museum of Broken Relationships (a popular attraction).

 There were some very poignant stories of lost love, including several from Melbourne. And some to chuckle over.

Feet dictated when to turn for home via Dverce Palace, along a route becoming familiar. Zagreb city is very walking friendly, pedestrians only need to dodge the tramlines where little blue trams snake every which way.

Long day – home to put feet up and plan/book next stage in Ljubljana (done) – and think about options from there. Weather has been very kind: warm, windless day but still knackered from walking.

Day 24. Friday 24 April.

An addendum to yesterday. To fill a little pre-dinner space we took an evening stroll into the old town to look at the II Palaces: the Rector’s Palace (which had been rebuilt after serious damage in the 1991 conflict) and the Providur’s Palace. They are exhibition & concert venues now.

Then on to the Bell Tower next to St. Donatus’ Church. It was still open, despite twilight approaching so up we went …many flights of stairs to a panoramic view of the city at sunset with a very stiff breeze.

Now the day starts. Such punctuality! Booking was for 0855 & sure enough there it was…Uber to bus station, short wait, fight our way on to the bus without being trampled, toss out a man sitting in our allocated seat, and on the way on time. Interesting how the ‘rules’ are approached…have a crack at what you want to do & deal with any challenge seems to be the go. Almost four hours, with a 15-minute break somewhere after halfway. Fairly comfortable trip – the driver seemed to have both hands on the steering wheel most of the time! When it comes to bathroom rules, it might be different. The bus took a 15-minute break at a servo/café & the queue to get to the toilet was long. T saw that a ‘disabled’ cubicle was available & looking around, could not see anyone needing it, so tapped on the shoulder of the woman in front of her, asked the obvious question in gesture language, checked with the woman behind with the same gesture & then broke ranks to use it. The chatter was instant…it’s for ‘invalided’…& on exit, there was a brief scowl from the toilet monitor. Seriously?

Arrived into Zagreb, and tried to get an Uber to our apartment: app refused to play so we decided to walk the 1.6 kms, all fairly flat and just a few stairs to negotiate on arrival. Entry was easy. The little apartment is in a ‘newish’ part of town, with a tiny balcony & teeny tiny kitchen.

Evening stroll into the city with no destination in mind. Great danger from cyclists and scooter riders zooming past – had two near misses. Parts of the town look tired, other parts alive. Lots of folk out enjoying a mild evening with drinks & snacks or just waiting for the tram.The tram network snakes all over and it’s not clear where one should cross the street but we got home safely, cooked salmon tail & potatoes in the teeny tiny kitchen, washed up in same & will face a new day tomorrow (ANZAC Day).

Day 24. Thursday 24 April.

T has been reading a rather trashy novel set in Paris about a bakery and the regular references to preserves going onto bread & pastries has inspired a new thought… turn the half-punnet of strawberries into a kind of preserve to accompany the leftover piece of pork loin from Monday night. It’s a challenge to use all fresh supplies before moving on. So, the strawberries were sautéed with some balsamic & a pinch of paprika. We’ll need a final shop for a potato & a small tub of yogurt for Friday brekky. T announces that today’s breakfast will be a café treat.

A small spot in the sun was needed, out of a very fresh breeze. Found just the ticket & ordered coffees to start. Then when a woman arrived at the next table& ordered a rather complicated coffee, T struck up a conversation. Her accent was a bit ‘South African’ but she was an Aussie from Sydney & we talked with some embarrassment about our shared pedantic approaches to coffee. And yes, she was originally from South Africa.

Somewhat distracted by conversation, T ordered the Dalmatian breakfast for two: tuna pate, shrimp, aragula, eggs, tomatoes, toast. What wasn’t mentioned was that the eggs were fried and there were three each – and when the plates arrived, to T’s dismay she had forgotten to ask for no eggs. D was faced with a choice!

Conversation flowed – travels, places, Cape Town (add to bucket list), Croatian bus drivers, her brother the famous cartoonist…..On researching later, we concluded that her brother was probably Jonathon Shapiro nicknamed Zapiro. She was travelling alone with no itinerary, a 6-week break from a stressful Sydney job…her Chinese husband is at home. No names exchanged, but laughs and travel tips…She agreed with our comments about bus drivers, and had registered a complaint!

T walked, D pecked and scratched his way, over to the museum, T worrying that at any moment he might start ‘clucking’. The displays on three floors traced the history of this region, from the first days of human occupation until basically the Roman occupation. It was simple but comprehensive: too much to take in fully but a terrific background and so much of the Roman Empire cultural practices are with us still.

From there, over to St. Donatus church, which has been stripped of most of its internal fittings etc, which are on display or storage at the museum, for further renovation.

The church was built in 9th century on the old Roman forum, ceased being a church at the end of 18th century and was stripped of altars, fittings and religious paraphernalia…and during archaeological work, the floor has been removed to reveal the Roman foundations. It was marvellous to be in ‘a church stripped bare’.

Much of the stripped items are held in the archaeology museum next door. The forum, the church & museum make a terrific trio.

Afterwards, we had a fascinating talk with the young lady at the entry, initially about the church then about the war in the 1990s. She was very animated: her father had been involved, and family property damaged, including her grandmother’s house, destroying all memories. She said her grandmother had died before she was born, but as there were no photos left, she had no idea what she looked like. She mentioned that Zadar had been hit hard and there was lingering resentment – as we parted company, D& T wondering whether there was any truth about her optimism that ‘things are ok now, with the young people’ in the Balkans.

Back to the sea organ. The Adriatic had been whipped up by a strong wind, so the music was much louder, but still no Bo. D hasn’t laid that egg yet but T wonders if he needs any more protein tonight…maybe he can just go with greens & the strawberry- surprise! The answer is ‘No’.

Day 22. Wednesday 22 April.

Plitvice Lakes today and forecast is COLD.

A 0830 bus means an early start, which in turn usually means a restless night. We are at least consistent.

Arrived at the bus station at 0730 – D had, of course, arranged an early Uber, and the Uber driver was early. Bus loaded and departed on time.

The driver mostly drove one handed, occasionally no hands, but never two hands. He manipulated his mobile while driving, having a first conversation continuously for about an hour, the second for about half an hour, and four smaller ones. However, we arrived safely and the thermometer sat on 7. T was surprised that there were so many visitors already, tour groups and student groups and a trio of sweet young things had clearly not previewed the weather forecast, arriving in shorts & singlet tops, then gasping at the cold.

Coffee, entry, and then the park spoke for itself. Plitvice Lakes is the oldest and largest national park in Croatia, situated in the mountainous region of Croatia, between the Mala Kapela mountain range in the west and northwest, and the Lička Plješivica mountain range to the southeast.

The park is primarily covered in beech forest vegetation, with smaller areas under grasslands. The most attractive part of the park – the lakes – cover just under 1% of the total park area.

The lake system is comprised of 16 named and several smaller unnamed lakes, cascading one into the next. It is impossible to do the whole complex justice in a few photos! As with Krka National Park, the boardwalks were narrow, mostly without rails and in this case the rushing, gushing, icy water splashes up & onto the timber path. Not sure how parents manage their little ones & would hate to deal with summertime visitor numbers. And it was a bit disconcerting having people walking in the opposite direction! The boardwalk timbers were of different and irregular widths, so T was extra cautious. It was ‘surround sound’ & visually jaw-dropping.

Met up with an Aussie couple from Mollymook – Sue and Greg – both retired school teachers, and shared some part of the way, after agreeing on the correct route. Their son is teaching music at Deakin High (but we didn’t get to surnames). They are also independent travellers, but with an arranged itinerary.

A beer at the end was a perfect end, then to the bus. Same driver, same situation. Alighting the bus D booked an Uber to get back to the apartment, and we were picked up by Ivana, an engaging and industrious young woman. We got the full story – divorced, two kids (12 & 5), kindergarten teacher with three other jobs to make ends meet! She was a new uber driver (one week in) & had come to this new part-time job after previously child-minding (too much like her kindergarten stuff) & apartment-cleaning (causing back and shoulder problems). It’s a 7-day week working lifestyle, as costs are steep but she was optimistic…’this brings positive energy’ & she certainly had it in spades. T felt very humble.

Day 21. Tuesday 21 April.

Up early (for us) to get to the fish market by around 0800. Lots to choose from: whole fish, some shellfish, scampi, octopus and squid. We opted for some squid. Very impressed by the knife work in cutting out a chunk of the tuna!

Passed through the fresh food market, but baulked at the fresh asparagus at 5 Euros (about $9) a bunch, despite the vendor demonstrating freshness by snapping a stalk. Past the Roman ruins – the Forum.

 Decided to wander down to the sea organ again, assuming that this early there would be no noisy kids or tourist groups. We were right, but….

Back for breakfast then to retrace our steps for another try at the sea organ: by this time the tourist and school groups had arrived, but there were gaps where the background noise abated, and the wakes of a tug towing a barge and then a small cargo vessel overtaking them gave Bolero a bit of a run – but then subsided again without anything like a Bo Derek finale. The sea organ has four lots of ten pipes and does occasionally have a high note.

Further wandering brought us to the university via Spiridon Brusina, a Croatian zoologist with a special interest in the study of marine and fresh-water molluscs, the snails and shells of coastal Croatia – we were stopped at the door and politely and humorously told that we couldn’t enter as it’s a university.

Around a cute little bay, past the Land Gate and into a green space where the acanthus plantings look fabulous (envious, as ours in Fisher often look wilted by sunlight or snail-chewed).

Back into the old town walls, just meandering. Dropped into a Catholic church for a brief contemplation but not St. Simeon’s which was next door.

The museum was next but by now it was after 1400 and it closed at 1500, so that’s postponed.

 Past the Church of Saint Chrysogonus, to Konzum for some groceries, the fresh market for a lemon (not a whole bag) and a later thought, perhaps a leek at Studenac for tonight’s designer dinner.

This guy fancies his chances – we’re not so sure.

 Cook won’t need lessons. She has ‘designed’ something with calamari, leek,zucchini lemon, garlic & paprika on spaghetti (it will be the next best recipe on google). And a chunk of blue cheese!

Have decided on Plitvice Lakes for tomorrow (Wednesday) & forecast shows only 9 degrees/ shower!!! Bound to be a quiet day also for boat excursions & snorkelling.

Before the cook gets stove revved up, she has confirmed an accommodation in Zagreb for the weekend, leaving the Adriatic behind in favour of a ‘green’ environment’.  D has booked transport & advised T of departure timings…

Verdict on dinner offering? D says ‘alright’ but he really means ‘terrific’, agreeing with the cook.

Day 20. Monday 20 April.

The only leftovers were green: a handful of rocket, so the turtles should be happy.

None of the forecast showers, no pressure to leave by 1000 – although we were ready -so an easy departure with suitcases and down to the bus station for the next leg along the coast to Zadar. Even time for a takeaway coffee on the waterfront, observing with great amusement the unrequited love of the male pigeons. And some sympathy.

The coast road is a strip of urban apartments, small shops, lots of bakeries (pekara),   autokamps (empty, as it’s not yet the season. But would be perfect for Crans!), small olive gardens and stones. The water, nearby islands & boats are ever-present. Not much of a beach.

Nicotine is still fashionable for all ages and our bus driver was desperate as he pulled into Šibenik with fag poised, closing the doors so he could exit for that fix, much to the consternation of the baggage handler. He wasn’t the only one: a couple of passengers needed the same. Our bags were stowed (2.6 euros extra please) & we boarded, choosing seats on the driver’s side (for the best view).  At some point D wondered if we were in the right seats: were they actually allocated? Nobody else seemed to be concerned. When he checked, seats were in fact allocated, but as someone else was in ours…what the heck. A woman nearby started coughing & continued…D initially hoped it was a smoker’s cough, but suspected after sustained coughing that it was something else. Fingers crossed.

The route was not spectacular (T had hoped for amazing scenery).  And then we were at Zadar, a big concrete bus station and the taxi tout was onto us. There was no question of our walking the 2 kms to our abode so we took up his offer. We are in an unpretentious (ugly) building one street back from the waterfront and very near the footbridge across to the old town. The apartment is at ground level!!  And inside is beautifully new and appointed, just as  described.

A quick check on where the markets are showed a nearby fish market, so a short walk across the bridge to the market…a fish offering might be possible!  But it was all packed up… the last, lonely retailer offered us a ‘first class’ fresh thing that looked like a bream for 30 euros! He would clean & scale it…ah, no thanks. We’ll come back tomorrow. The market opens 6 maybe 7…we might make it around 8. So provisions happened at Konzum with a pork loin (5 euros), potatoes, zucchini…and D keeps ahead of the wine supply. We’re close to running out of black tea: Twinings English Breakfast is the only & very rare offering of black tea, although you can have any sort of herbal tea ever imagined.

In the late afternoon it was back to the waterfront. Dropped in by chance to the tourist office to be greeted by a huge smile and enthusiasm by an engaging young woman – somewhat surprisingly, that has not always been the case. We took her advice, following the marked map past the usual churches and cathedrals (there are 18 according to the old town tourist map) to arrive at the wave organ: the sea hitting the concrete quay produces the melodic sound…just a pity that a whinging child and general chatter interfere with a meditative albeit repetitive piece (D thought of  Bolero without the build up).

A slow walk back along the sea front, no crowds, marvelling at the big schools of fingerlings and the occasional bigger marauders. And then on to the ramparts before heading home, dropping in to the local Studenac supermarket to discover Twinings English Breakfast!! Bought two boxes.

Pork loin & roast veges worked a treat. Can’t navigate dishwasher, so it’s just as well D likes to get his hands soapy.

Day 19. Sunday 19 April.

Power off from 9 to 2, so cup of tea and breakfast (and showers) done promptly. ‘Let’s do just 10k steps today’ says T. Brigita had provided some links to things to do: for starters, we thought we’d first visit St. Michaels’s Fortress, followed by a boat ride to St. Nicholas’s Fortress.

People were starting to fill the street cafes and there were a few stalls along the promenade. T spotted some recycled clothing stalls where women were taking wares out of suitcases & hanging them on racks, hoping to attract who? T spoke to one woman who said she’d lived in South Africa, Germany, Belgium…( T lost track) & was now back at home base in Croatia. T asked her where she sourced the gear…’all over’ was the reply.Trade was very slow, but, as we know, ‘the season….’

While T was chatting, D ducked into the information office nearby and learnt  that the boat trips to St. Nicholas’ fortress do not start until 25 April. So on to St. James Cathedral which was en route to the Fortress – but no entry just yet, as Mass was in progress. However,There was some lovely music and singing happening.

The up -market/ marina part of town contrasts with our ‘working’ section. Of note in Šibenik is the amount of graffiti and street rubbish (including dog poop) not seen so far in any other place we’ve stayed in or visited in Croatia.

Plenty of churches and castle/ fortresses here as is the norm. In Šibenik, there are: St. James Cathedral, St. John’s Church, St. Francis’s Church and Monastery, St. Grisogoru’s Church, New Church, Church of the Holy Spirit, St. Nicholas’ Church, St. Barbara’s Church, St. Dominic’s Church, St. Gregory’s Church, St. Lawrence Church, All Saints Church, Ascension Church, Church of the Holy Cross, St. Nedilijica Church, St. Savior Church, Gospe Vanka Grada Church and St. Luce Benedictine Monastery. According to the 2021 Census, the city of Šibenik has a population of 42,599 inhabitants but obviously the city needed heavenly protection in its heyday (16th century).

At the fortress, a reminder of 25 April, just like last year in Spain.

A tour of the fortress doesn’t take too long as it’s pretty self contained. The main points if interest are the open-air auditorium, that seats 1077, and the historical displays, particularly on the salt industry. T wondered how the 1077 patrons access this venue…surely they don’t do the climb that we did, hundreds of steps from the ground/old town/marina level through narrow laneways…answer from the fortress staff…yes, that’s what they do. There is a small car parking drop-off point & a lift for the disabled, but basically it’s climb! The guide was surprised by the question, saying she’d never considered it before. And concerts are sell-outs.

The auditorium hosts some big gigs in the season of June to September: two we recognized were Wilco and Robert Plant…what if it rains? (never).

Interestingly, the salt industry was the economic basis of Šibenik in the 1500s to 1600s, brought to an end, inevitably, by war.   Conflicts were as usual between: Venetians, Ottomans, occasionally Greeks, (not to mention the 20th century wars).

Another good coffee – now expected in Croatia – at the garden of the church of St. Lawrence. And T considered some changes to our Fisher garden.

On coming down all those steps to St. James’ Cathedral again we were met by what appeared to be the end of a mass Christening – at least three babes in white: the little ones, that is –  and mothers, who were also in white. One had a fetching bow (or angel wings?) on the back of her dress: probably not wings, as she was sucking on her vape vigorously.

Gelatos on the street, then a quiet sit in a pleasant park before heading for ‘home’ and an early mark. Steps so far today: 8100, so we’ll make the 10k. On to Zadar tomorrow by  bus and weather forecast is showers. So far we haven’t had to drag our gear dodging raindrops. Dealing with stairs is quite enough. Our backpacks carry the bottles: oil & balsamic, spice bag: cumin, oregano, parsley, paprika, occasionally an unfinished wine –  T tries to have no extra foodstuff but tomorrow there will be a can of chickpeas in the rather full backpack or suitcase.