When Kez first joined me 900km ago in Turin, we had two options. One was to do a consistent daily distance so that we reached the Soundwave music festival in Petrcane on-time. The other alternative was to blaze a trail through the frenetic and industrial central belt of Italy so that we would then have plenty of time to soak up the beautiful coastline and culture of the Adriatic.
We chose the latter.
Despite very sore wrists and very saddle battered backsides, we are very much glad we did! We arrived in Zadar on Saturday evening – a full 7 days early for the Soundwave music festival. Our average distance per day was over 100km – with the vast majority of the distance being covered in just 4 testing days in Italy (this bodes very well for us as we contemplate the 1600km ride to Istanbul).
So having had so many days on the road, it was a great relief and privelege to be able to stay with Zvonco Brzic and his family in Zadar, Croatia. Zvonco is a safety officer on a Croatian merchant fleet that operates oil tankers and transporter ships. His son (our fantastic guide and fountain of historical knowledge) is currently studying to be a lawyer…and an impressive one I’m sure he’ll one day be!
Not only were we given a roof over our heads; we were also treated to some fantastic Croatian food (including the tastiest of peach sponge cake! – thanks to Mrs Brzic for that!!). We were taken on a historical tour of the old city of Zadar…which really is a magical place…and were taken to the Beach Handball Championships where Zvonco’s son was competing.
All in all, a fantastic and welcome break from our usual wild camping spots (not having to worry about midges/mosquitoes/cess pits really is unbelievably satisfying!!). & special thanks to Zvone – Zvonco’s son – for helping bring to life the city of Zadar. A truly spectacular place, which may otherwise have simply been just another city on my global odyssey.
So yes, a huge thank you to the whole Brzic family…it really was fantastic meeting you – and you are most definitely a credit to the Rotary organisation that you represent.
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