An Everyday Slice of Life

Day 352
Poreč North Loop
Time: 3:25:00
Distance: 51.2 kilometers
Avg Speed: 15.0 kph
Terrain: Rolling

One of the things I like most about bicycle touring is the chance to observe everyday life in the places we travel through. Today we went on a ride and for most of the three hours I didn’t find anything remarkable about our route. It wasn’t until we rode through a quaint little village that I was snapped out of my daze. As we pedaled through the town center I noticed a group of men and a few bicycles and then was content to look at the colorful shutters on various stone buildings. As we passed the group of men I became immediately immersed in their space. They were a lively bunch, all probably in their mid to late sixties, discussing everything. Some were speaking loud while others were motioning with their hands. All of them were very engaged in the moment. It was their daily gathering that led to my reflection about the way Chris and I travel the way we do.
Tomorrow we leave Croatia and Eastern Europe. I’m so glad we decided to throw caution to the wind and start the last leg of our adventure in Poland. We’ve seen some amazing landscapes and interacted with some wonderful and fascinating people. The riding was fantastic and we got to see a region of the world where the bicycle is very much integrated into everyday life. Interestingly enough, these countries through which we have traveled are very much developed and have access to most of the modern conveniences that we do at home. It has certainly given us food for thought.

See you in Italy,
LK

Afterward:
Didn’t make it to bed without having a shot of schnapps. Chris settled up the bill with Mr. Biba and then had to come get me so that we could all drink together. What a great host! He is even having an early breakfast for us so we don’t have to travel hungry on the ferry. If you’re ever in Croatia and have a few days to kill, make sure to book yourself a room at Pension Biba.

Zirbenschnapps

Day: 352
Basilica and back

We decided to go into town today and check out the local basilica. The church dates back to the 4th century and has some beautiful mosaics in the nave of the newer church and an original mosaic in the original church. We decided to part with some kuna and climb the clock tower to get a view above town. The tower sits in the courtyard of the church and from the top gives great 360˚ views all around.
After our foray into town we hit the internet café for a little check on email and to try and update our blogs and photos. The café was nice, but it was in lockdown mode when it came to downloading info. We at least let people know we were alive and kicking. Little did we know that our pension had a wireless connection that we could have tapped into. It was later in the afternoon when we put that one together.
The menu tonight was fish and our host didn’t disappoint. I was able to peek at the fish before cooking and did in fact see a mackerel among the pile. There were also small halibut and I think a rock cod or bass. He uses a lot of butter to cook them up in and the crust that forms gives some great flavor. He asked us what we would like tomorrow for dinner since it was our last night and we both decided that fish sounded good. He then asked if we wanted one big one or a mix again. I say don’t fix it if it ain’t broke…go with the mix of fish.
The bad news on the Croatia front is that Croatia lost to England in Zagreb last night. The football match was pool play for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Croatia isn’t out of it, but England put a pretty good licking on them (4-1). Our host didn’t have anything nice to say about England and then added that the only people he liked less were the French. He added a little gesture at the end that is universal, but hard to replicate by word. He thought that anybody who was playing Croatia was his enemy unless they were customers, then he would show ‘a little diplomacy’.
After dinner tonight our host grabbed Leslie and I as we were trying to sneak back up to our room. He herded us into the bar where he was ‘going to give us a little sleeping pill’. The first pill was shot of šljivovica. He liked to call it šljivowhiskey or Yugo petrol. His homemade version certainly had a little more bite than the last one we had, and I bet it would run a little car like the Yugo. He didn’t think we had, had enough so then he got the good stuff. It was ‘quitte schnapps’ and was very tasty. A ‘quitte’ is Croatian for quince in case you were wondering. I saw a bottle high up on his liquor shelf and stepped around the bar to ask him what it was. It had a homemade label and a layer of dust on it. I didn’t want any, I just wanted to know what it was. He fished out a bottle of it lower down and said it was a very special schnapps that his friend made in Austria. Zirbenschnapps was amber in color and had a light taste of rootbeer and pine. Leslie and I both thought it was very good and was very high in alcohol. Turns out to be around 60%. I think that all of our sleeping pills are working quite nicely and if we were going to have a problem sleeping, we won’t now.
Sweet Zirbenschnapps dreams.
CK

The Couple in Room 12

Day 351
Porec to Motovun

The couple in room 12 are definitely new at Pansion Biba.

This morning we eagerly descended the stairs for our first breakfast at our new accommodation. No surprise, we had been analyzing the potential buffet offerings since last evening. As we strolled past the breads, cereals, meats, and cheeses, Chris headed for the table where we sat last night at dinner. I decided that I didn’t want to get in a rut and beckoned him to a different table. Actually, I just wanted a table that already had a carafe of coffee ready to go. As I sat down and started to pour myself a cup, the host rushed over and stopped me before I could splash a drop. He pointed to our table from last night and then another one next to the spot I had chosen. He then hurriedly got me settled at the new table and then explained to me (in Croatian, German or Italian – I’m not really sure) that we had assigned tables. I felt really bad – I was just trying to break my own annoying habit. Chris had that “I told you so smile” on his face as he sat down. I shrugged my shoulders and went on about my coffee drinking and breakfast eating. It was about mid-meal when I realized that I could have saved myself a lot embarrassment by just looking at the sugar dish. Each one is marked with the room number. Rookie mistake – tomorrow I will look for the number 12.
We spent the day on a “training ride” to the village of Motovun. I had read that it was a picturesque hilltop village. The loop I laid out was about 60 or so kilometers and it would be a good way to see the countryside and get some miles in.
The riding was great without panniers and made us miss riding at home. Sometimes I’m amazed at how much we like to ride our bicycles. Plain and simple; it’s just fun.
Motovun was really cool. Not only is it a hilltop village, it sits alone in the middle of a broad valley. We’re guessing that it was an important location for the region as it provides endless views in all directions. Chris and I pedaled up the main road until our tires hit the cobble. From there we walked to the top with the rest of the tourists. We lingered awhile to soak in the views, architecture, and people. By early afternoon, our legs began pedaling back to our bed and breakfast.
The comic relief for the day came at the end of the ride as we rode back into Porec. Chris noticed a bicycle path on the opposite side of the road. Since traffic was pretty heavy we decided to cross over. As I slowed down in a driveway, a car coming from the opposite direction layed on its horn. As it turned in, it swerved a bit like it was going to hit Chris. As it slowly rolled by an irate young man rattled off a litany punctuated by an “FU” in the middle. We both laughed out of nervousness and complete shock. We were also confused by his anger and his use of the expletive in the middle of the sentence. Normally one would use such vulgar language at the beginning or the end of an outburst.
But wait…we haven’t gotten to the best part yet.
We hadn’t noticed the other cars waiting behind the enraged motorist. Just as we were ready to get on our way, another car honked at us. We were ready to throw up our hands in disgust when man in a little white car yelled “ha-lo” and then pointed down the road to the other driver. He then put up his middle finger, smiled, and then pointed down the road again. I guess he was on our side…

Happy Wednesday,
LK

Fun in the Sun

Day: 349 and 350
Poreč Rest Day 1 and 2

We are taking a few rest days in Poreč before heading out on some day rides in the countryside. Yesterday our day was really simple. Laundry, drying of laundry, sunning of bodies at camp, sunning of bodies at the beach, lunch, dinner, sunset and finally ice cream. The sunset was exceptional with the giant orange orb sizzling as it hit the water.
Today was moving day for us since we were moving the operation down the road to the Pension Biba. We figured we couldn’t check in until the afternoon so we had a slow leisurely morning eating brekkie, packing up our gear and checking email. We finally got on the road around noon and headed into town for a little lunch and a roll along the water front. Leslie drew shopping duties today and came rolling out with a few items in a shopping cart. To the casual observer it would have appeared that it was empty, but to people living out of bags, it was a refrigerator full. We ate our lunch in a little park by the historic basilica in town (more on that later in the week) and had fun watching a little boy play soccer with his mom. After we got all packed up again we rolled along the big stone waterfront making note of all the little sunning spots for later in the week. Finally it was time to head out to Biba’s. We got there and our host quickly showed us to our room, told us dinner was at 7 and let us be. They (the locals) take a siesta from 1-5 in the afternoon here and I think we rolled in on the middle of it. Leslie and I took refuge at the pool and after a quick dip to cool off she grabbed some sun and I grabbed some shade. I like to fancy myself as a professional sun worshipper, but I really like the shade more. Leslie and I grabbed our siesta from 5-7. I thought I had better get registered and grab some drinks that we had put in the fridge downstairs so I ventured out to find the host. I handed over our passports and he thought I looked thirsty and offered me a drink. The grappa (homemade wine) here is great and I have taken a liking to the white variety. As we were sipping our wine he thought that I needed a shot of schnapps as well (homemade also) so I had a shot of that. After that I made a slip out of the bar and got upstairs before he handed me another. Leslie laughed at me and added ‘that he really had to twist your arm to have those drinks’. OK, not exactly twist, but I thought it would be rude not to accept. Dinner was at 7 and fish was being served. I figured that it would be a fillet each with some potatoes and that would be that. We had a salad bar, followed with more wine, followed by a platter with potatoes, spinach, and 5 fish. This was our platter. The other tables all had similar platters with just as much or more. I would love to tell you the fish we ate, but the only one I recognized was a mackerel and I not even sure that is right. All I know they were all good. Yes, I said all, because we ate them all.
The end of rest day 2 has ended with promise. Now it is active rest until Italy.
Fishy, fishy coco pop.
CK

Mental Maps

Day 348
Pula to Porec
Time: 5:19:00
Distance: 76.0 kilometers
Avg Speed: 14.3 kph
Terrain: Rolling
Location: N 45˚ 11’ 41.8”, E 13˚ 35’ 24.2”

My mental map for the day was about 50 km with an early afternoon arrival at a nice guesthouse. Reality took us over 75 km to Porec and a campground. So much for mental maps…

What is a mental map exactly? I picked up the term after reading a book about survival by Lawrence Gonzales. It’s the idea that when we approach a task or event, we have certain preconceived ideas about what will be the outcome. Mr. Gonzales presented different case studies and tied in the survivor or victim’s mental map. They expected to do a,b, and c while d, e, and f happened.
I’ve been trying to not pay attention to my mental map, but I think that it is human nature to formulate one. I’m getting better at not having any expectations and just being open to whatever the day brings. I think it’s a process that will last my entire life.
I picked the destination today based on the symbols on the map and the proximity to a certain town I want to visit. In addition to lovely beaches, the Istria Pennisula is said to have beautiful medieval looking towns. When we arrived at the town, there wasn’t much action and basically no guesthouses. I hadn’t really planned on anything else since guesthouses seem to be readily available. We stopped for a food and water break and made a new plan – actually a couple of them. In the back of my mind I suspected that we would end up at a campground for the night. It definitely wasn’t the first choice but a reliable one.
As we traveled down the road to Porec we found not much in the way of available or affordable rooms. We pedaled the way of the campground and stopped one last time to check out two possibilities. When we found no one at the guesthouse we rolled down the driveway to the pension (B & B). It was very nice – a quaint stone house surrounded by a vineyard and a pool. Chris found the host and quickly went to work discussing options. The man spoke a lot of Croatian, a little Spanish, and a little English. As the conversation went on we figured out that a large group had just called and was on their way to fill up the remaining rooms. We could tell that he was a little disappointed because we were ready to stay for the rest of the week, especially after we found out that the room rate included breakfast and dinner. He poured us each a glass of wine while we waited to see if his phone call panned out. As he examined his schedule book to see about any open rooms, he asked us about the distance we rode today. When we told him 70 kilometers his arms flew up in the air and he rushed to pour us another glass of wine. I think he might have even said a hail mary too.
So tonight we are in the campground after all. However, we won’t be here all week. Our new friend has an opening on Tuesday so we’ll pack our panniers and head over for four nights of home cooked meals before sailing over to Italy.

Here’s to a few glasses of wine after a long hot day on the road,
LK