Crossroads of Adriatic Day 11
Crossroads of Adriatic
May 10, 2007 - Thursday - Travel the Adriatic Coast-Arrive in Lovran
Everyday it seems there is more luggage for Nik to pack into our small bus! This morning it was no different, but he managed to get everything wedged into the tight spaces.
By 8 AM we left Split and headed north on the main inland highway. We passed the famous Croatian soccer stadium in Split where the Hajduk team plays. Tammy told us about the fascination of the country with "football" as well as other sports specially team handball, skiing and basketball.
We passed through the industrial area and saw the first glimpse of pollution from the cement and plastic factories. We entered the brand new tollway (A1) which costs 150 Kuna ($30) to go from Split to Zagreb.
We only went one third of the way on the road but it was relatively empty. Tourists want to take the scenic coastal highway and locals cannot afford the tollway.
Our first stop was at a beautiful new rest area at Sibenik. It was well maintained with wide limestone paths and many wildflower gardens. Some of our group "took a coffee", some took pictures, and we took advantage of the opportunity to walk and stretch our legs. At 9:45 we got back on the road.
On the way north Tammy told us many humorous stories and misunderstandings because of words or phrases that were lost in the translation in the Balkan languages. As a Slovenian, she speaks many of the distinctive Slavic languages.
She then took time to tell us all about the social and economic systems of taxes, health benefits, and retirement pensions. The taxes on their income range from 16 to 50% depending on the amount earned.
This tax covers all general health care. In order to go a specialist or to a hospital it costs about $22 per month for extra insurance. Everyone has healthcare.
We made a very short comfort stop at 11:40 and decided to walk the perimeter of the rest area just to get the kinks out of our legs. Our journey on this main toll road has taken us through many long tunnels today, one of the longest being 5.67 KM. The speed limit on the road is 130 KPH for cars but Nik keeps it around 90, but cars pass us like we are standing still.
We got off the toll road, crossed the mountains, and then drove a serpentine road to the coast. Along these rural roads there were many roadside stands selling homemade cheeses. I asked Tammy if we could stop and she agreed so we could sample a goat and a cow cheese. She cut us all a generous slice of each kind and they were both delicious.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on a back street of Senj. We had the local fish, hake, which was excellent. It was very warm along the coast, 81° and the humidity was 52% without a cloud in the sky.
We continued our drive along the coast winding our way up the steep switchbacks in the rocky limestone. Traffic was very heavy again this afternoon. We passed through Rijeka that was once a part of Italy after WWI. After WWII it became part of Yugoslavia.
We went through many more small villages along the coast and finally arrived at Lovran at 4:15. Lovran is a beautiful seaside resort town at the top of the Adriatic with strong Italian influences. Located in the Kvarner Gulf that separates Dalmatia from the heart-shaped Istrian Peninsula, it is surrounded by landscaped parks and gardens dotted with elegant aristocratic villas.
The town itself contains an ancient fortified section, located on a small peninsula along the coast, and a more modern part built on the slopes of a hill that extends to the sea. Several early 20th-century villas with lush gardens line the coastal promenade.
We waited for our luggage and checked to make sure we had internet access in our room. At 5 PM Tammy took us on an orientation tour of the little seaside town pointing out places to eat and also the grocery store.
A few of us discussed just getting some snacks, meat and cheese and then sharing wine for an evening get together. About 12 of us went Dan and Phyllis' room as they had the largest balcony. We had a great time and learned to appreciate our fellow travelers even more. At 8:30 we returned to our room to do a little laundry and work on the journal.
Hotel Park - - - Meals: B, L,
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OAT Map of Trip
Rest Area at Sibenik
Buying Homemade Cheese
Senj Tower - Lunch Stop
Hotel Park - Lovran
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