Day 34. 79km. Novalja – Zadar

Posted: October 16, 2014 in Croatia, Cycling
Tags: , , ,

The weather was meant to be a repeat of yesterday, and I was planning to have a R&R day in Novalja. I looked out the window and the sun was shining. Today was a cycle day. I’m writing this sitting in the main square in Zadar with guitar music playing in the background, people dining, and others strolling past the art stands.

Sunset in Zadar

Sunset in Zadar

I know what to expect on my way forward, being in contact with James Lambie – a guy who is cycling from Europe (England, I think) to New Zealand. Our routes are quite similar, and he is two days ahead of me. I now know which parts have steep climbs, when to watch out for ferry times, and even where to buy cheese. Having been told to buy a particular type of cheese at a particular cheese shop on the way to Pag, I got a Facebook message from James exactly as I stood in front of the cheese shop. The universe is saying something.. (Or is that too cheesy?)

The cheese shop

The cheese shop

Pag island became a bit less bleak today, but remained beautiful.

Pag island

Pag island

It seems that each of these Croatian islands has a town with the same name as the island. At least this is the case for Cres, Rab and Pag. All of these towns are cute. Here is Pag.

Pag town

Pag town

Pag town

Pag town

I sat in Zadar on the waterfront watching the sun go down. Opposite are beautiful mountainous islands which slowly fade to a silhouette as the sky turns deeper shades of blue. The water is calm, plied by a few fishing boats.

Sunset in Zadar

Sunset in Zadar

Comments
  1. Ward Ramaker says:

    thanks for posting everyday another (amazing) story Matthew! 😀

    Vanuit Den Haag,
    Ward Ramaker.

  2. Gilles says:

    Every day nice to read your adventures 🙂

  3. Pat Gaudry says:

    Hi Matthew
    Is it a good idea to catch up with James Lambie at least for part of the way? There is safety in numbers and you are entering uncertain territory.It would be good to have a buddy looking out for you.
    Pat

    • Yes, Pat. That is also our plan. We’re working on the details as we both want to see different things. He wants to see Mostar and Sareavo. I want to go to Banja Luka. We’ll work something out.. 🙂

  4. Hi Matthew,

    A great planning and route selection tool we used a lot: http://cycleroute.org/

    Just put in your starting and end points and it will give you a route. You can change the route by dragging the route to another road. It will give you distance, elevations and an elevation graph.

    Safe travels, Pv

  5. Peter van den Hurk says:

    Hi Matthew, more than a month already since you left Eindhoven to start your great adventure! Really nice to read about your experiences, and see the wonderful photos and videos – take care, and enjoy! All the best, Peter

    • Hey Peter. Great to hear from you. Have things calmed down a bit after the PIE?
      Greetings from the ferry leaving Tkon in Croatia.
      Has Annemieke Strous been past with a message from me yet? 😉

  6. Damn it, I was in Zadar early this morning, I went on that road from Ražanac to Zadar at night but I guess you got there a day early 😉

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