Overland to Bosnia Herzegovina 2014 (Hopefully)

[XCovlov70]

Stage 11B “Our time in Tisno”

Tuesday:

Surprise day really as the sea was nice and calm, so off we went on the Kayak and within 1 hour the wind had risen along with the waves, so it was a quick exit back onshore then a bit of fishing in which I have to admit that my good lady caught more than I did and that was off a small quay.

Wednesday:

Going up to the reception today to check out a couple of things I spotted this large and very gaily coloured butterfly going in and out of the door at reception, but could not get a picture in flight to show the colour of its wings on the inside, as they were very vivid and full of different colours….



Set off for the nearest large Supermarket in ‘Flamenco Red’ while the Kayak was still loaded up, and from the stares from some people we went by we don’t think they had seen a Kayak on top of a car as then could not take their eyes off as we passed by!…..

Shopping over, and it was time for lunch (This is a real R&R time for us, so we are making the most of it, trust me!) then we went down for a bit more fishing as the water and wind had risen again, and while catching a couple of ‘tiddlers’ I noticed some quite large Oysters on the rocks that made up the wall of the quay that we were on.
Managed to get a couple off and without trying to take off my little finger again I got them open and they were delicious, straight from the sea, sadly no lemon but no fresher than that and slightly salty! YUM!

Part of the seafront along the campsite….



While after dinner it was nice to take a stroll and watch the sunset here…..





While the wind had dropped and the sea became calm again so you could easily see those ‘Spiky’ little Sea Urchins that if they get into your feet then as well as ‘OUCH!’ it’s a trip to the Hospital to get them removed!.…



Then as we had a look around the lower section of the campsite we spot this rather old ‘Slide Out’ trailer which must have presented a few problems to get in place considering the terraced levels of the campsite….



Then back in the sea as we move along the promenade we see a lot of the Sea Urchins on the bottom but they all had small stones resting on the spines…..



While I nearly stepped on this little fella in the fading light!….



Then I spotted this Oyster, Sea Urchins and what looked like a couple of Mussels in a little cluster on a large rock at the bottom of the wall ….



As the sun dropped off the edge of our world for the night….





While there endeth another nice day here…..

[ssicarman]

You seem to be attracting a lot of bugs. Some very strange looking ones at that.
Safe to say that you are camping right on the water?

[XCovlov70]

You seem to be attracting a lot of bugs. Some very strange looking ones at that.
Safe to say that you are camping right on the water?

At least we haven't found any that 'Bite' except for the Mosquitoes at night!
While we are about 200ft up from the water.

[XCovlov70]

Stage 11C “Our time in Tisno”

Thursday:

Another HOT day in Tisno today as the Bora wind had virtually stopped so we set off on the bikes for a ride to have a look on the other side of the water.
While this was the view as we got there, the campsite was huge and while quite nice we found it was rather expensive so decided to head into Tisno and have a look around the town ….



While there is the main road through Tisno there is really only one back street as the others are small narrow roads leading to the houses which are all nearly apartments for rent….



Then at the end of the back road is this tree in full bloom….



As we then get onto the quay in Tisno we see this old sailing ship which was a nice change from all the power boats that go hammering up and down the channel….



As we continue along the coastal path once again to Jezera coming to the end we see the Policija boat heading into the port who then spent some time checking out all the moored craft before going around to the fuel station to get filled up.…



Way at the back of the town is the church, so we set off to see what it looked like, however when we got there we found it was all locked up so could not see inside….



While taking a different road back to the port along the side are these plants with very large heads which turn out to be Artichokes but the only person who likes them seemingly now lives in Australia!…..





While a little bit further along we see ‘Little & Large’ waiting patiently for some haulage business to happen ….



Next stop was a Café/Bar for some lunch with an old wicker lobster pot hung over the bar….



While outside was this very large clay boot that was made by the owners mother to decorate the place, and it certainly did that…..



Then after a very large Salad starter followed by a Mixed Grill and 0.5L of Beer and a small glass of Schnapps it was time to ‘Get on our Bikes’ & peddle back to the campsite which was a struggle and required the rest of the day to recover…..

[ssicarman]

First the Mussels and now the Artichoke. You are making some ones wife hungry and jealous.

Interesting seeing the Artichoke. Not something that I have ever seen before.

[XCovlov70]

First the Mussels and now the Artichoke. You are making some ones wife hungry and jealous.

Interesting seeing the Artichoke. Not something that I have ever seen before.

I hope your good lady will not be even more hungry & jealous after she sees the next update which I am just putting together.
If she is then maybe it is going to cost you a couple of plane tickets with swimming fins, snorkel & mask in the suitcase!

[XCovlov70]

Stage 11D “Our time in Tisno”

Friday: 6th June “A very special day”


Turning on the TV this morning as we had breakfast we found that nearly all the broadcasts were coming from Normandy (France) marking the D Day Landings that took place 70 years ago on the 6th June which thanks to the Armed Forces gave us the freedom we still enjoy today, and that is what made this day ‘special’….

As we then set off in ‘Flamenco Red’ to go and see a small town called Bettina, after parking up and making our way to the harbour we first saw this War Memorial while for such a small place there were a lot of names on both sides of the memorial of soldiers who never came home from WWII, while the centre motif shows one man who did being greeted by his wife and child.



Although the motif on the other side shows men in a rowing boat either side of that were also names from top to bottom of the memorial….



We then made our way up to the church, which was closed….



Coming back down to the centre through the narrow streets…





Then back to the harbour with this very well preserved old single sail sailing boat….



Looking over the edge into the sea the water was so crystal clear you could easily see the small fish (Centre picture) going along the wall looking for food…..





While on the inside of the harbour were these rather LARGE Mussels but they were just out of arms reach if you hung over the edge! ….





As we moved around the harbour I then noticed this extra-large Mussel that must have been all of 4 inches in size but too far away to pick unless you went in the water…..



Then after a coffee it was back to the narrow streets for a walk around….









With a last look across to the marina, we made our way back to ‘Flamenco Red’ and back to the campsite…



Then after a late lunch we went down on the small jetty for a bit of Sunshine and a spot of fishing, but also found a couple of Oysters on the rocks of the jetty that were easy to pick….



Must say they were both excellent, so my sincere ‘Thanks’ to the D Day Allies for giving us our freedom to enjoy these things, ‘We will remember’



While I did catch a couple of fish, but as they were ‘tiddlers’ they went back in…



While finally, as we turned on the TV later we heard about a D Day Veteran who was told he was too frail to go to Normandy, so by himself he got dressed with his medals, then put a raincoat on to cover them up and set off alone to get there.
He made it as his family reported him ‘missing’!
I just hope he met some good people who thanked him and like us were amazed by his tenacity and effort.

[XCovlov70]

Stage 11E “Our last day in Tisno”

Then after 72 Hours with no Internet/WiFi at the last campsite it's now Tuesday I can start updating the Blog again, from the previous Saturday!

Saturday:

After our time here in Tisno this is now our last day in this very tranquil and nice place, while it is rather sad to be on our way after meeting Ivana on reception who has been extremely helpful with information and sorting out a couple of problems for us ….

So we went for a final cycle ride down into the town and called into an Ice Cream and Patisserie shop.

Then while trying out a few words of Croatian with the owner and his wife while buying a pastry for myself and a ‘Jagoda’ (Strawberry) ice cream for my good lady he gave her an extra scoop of Kiwi flavour ‘gratis’ and also presented me with a small double scoop of ice cream ‘gratis’!

We think it was because I made the effort with ‘Dobra Dan’ (Good Morning) ‘Kako si’(How are you?) and ‘Hvala’ (Thank you) while the smile on his and his wife’s faces was wonderful to see.

After a trip then along the opposite side of the town and the view of Tisno below…



We made our way for two coffees in about the only Bar/Café that didn’t have any WiFi, then went across the road for a few items in the market store before heading back to the campsite for some lunch and to start packing up….

Then thanks to a very ‘HOT’ day with virtually no wind we went down to the quayside for a dip in the sea and came back with 5 Oysters….



Which with a cold beer was a wonderful way to round of our final day here!...



While I must apologise to ssicarman’s wife as I know that she will be even more hungry and jealous when she sees these pictures of the Oysters as they were very nice and as fresh as they could be, but I still had no lemon to go with them!

I was so excited by the size of the final oyster that I managed to get a slightly ‘fuzzy’ picture, so apologies for that, but the taste was exquisite when I ate it!



Next stop tomorrow is Dugi Rat and campsite Delfin on the seashore with a sandy beach….sounds good!

[XCovlov70]

Stage 12 “Tisno to Dugi Rat/Omis ”

Only 70 miles this morning to our next stop, so we set off on the alternative ‘back road’ from the campsite which meant we did not have to get through the narrow roads in Tisno as we went through the countryside and then through this final short stretch of some houses….



Before we got back on the main road….



As we make our way along and pass this? Not sure if it is a church, castle or lookout point….



Over one of the bridges…



On the way towards Split but we turn off here and take a ‘back road’….



With a bit of ‘hill climbing’ and some interesting scenery…..









What goes ‘up’ must come ‘down’!....



The ‘grey’ section in front is a built up section for the Railway….



Then we came to another one and caught the Loco going across…..



With this quarry in the hillside extracting Marble….



Still going down towards Split…..



Then after a Left Hand Turn we are back on the Coast Road and the outskirts of Split…..



With the centre of Split on the right hand side as we skirt around….





We come to the high rise apartments of the city…..







Saved from the scrapyard, a high rise s—t—r—e—t—c—h Cadillac…..











As we came past this church we could see the doors open and the congregation had filled the church and were also outside for the service…..







Not much further and a right hand turn down a fairly steep ramp into the campsite….







With this lovely little set up that was had a retired couple from Poland in, while I thought the water bottles holding the car cover down was an excellent idea….





Then in the campsite that was next door but one we see these ‘Tin Tents’ nose to tail, which would rather upset one of the clubs in the UK, as they expect to see a gap of around 10ft between units, which doesn’t seem to work over here in Europe!.....



After a bit of lunch we got the Kayak onto the water for a trip out, not over the ‘Sandy beach’ as the write up would have you believe but over small stones and grit…..







As we managed to stay out of the way of the Ferry….



Then back on dry land for a nice swim in the sea, then our evening meal and Sunset comes along…..



WOW! That day went over very quickly, as we then also found that the campsite does not have any Internet Access, so this update will have to wait!

[XCovlov70]

Stage 12 “Our time in Omis”

Monday:

Very windy morning as we think the ‘Bora’ has returned so we decided to walk the 2 miles into Omis for a look around and we were not to be disappointed…..

Set off and we spotted this little ‘square bit’ on the mountain….



While zooming in produced this….



Making our way further along I wasn’t sure if we were in some other part of the world like Austria or maybe even South America!….



But then we came to the official ‘Town Sign’….



While for a minute I thought this was a monument to a Pop Group….



Then we just took in the scenery of Omis…..













With a nice panoramic…..



Then it was on to the Fire Station!.....



While the lads on duty after asking in both Croatian & German if it was possible, I got this picture of their ‘rest room’!
The ‘Flying Boat’ holds 53,000 Litres of Water and is used on Mountain and inland fires, and takes its water from the Sea!…..



Then I ‘heard’ the music coming from this boat which was superb with a real ‘Rock & Roll’ beat from a Croatian group while the boat looked good as well!…..



Then it was time for a bit of ‘interior exploring’….



In the narrow streets….



As we came to a church…..







Then we followed the signs for ‘Peovica (Mirabella), so off we go along the path.
Well are you coming or what?…..







Lots of steps, so I hope you have had your breakfast as you will need all your energy to get to the top!....







No! Your NOT there yet, we still have more to go, so come on....Onward & Upward we go!





Wartime watch tower….



As we get to the door to the Castle Tower, outside is a Free WiFi ‘Hotspot’!
UNBELIEVEABLE!







So after a quick check on the weather, it was up and through the door to the tower….



Then up the 3 flights of stairs, then a short ladder and out onto the roof for a fantastic view over Omis!.....









While here is the small roof which suddenly became occupied with 7 children and 5 adults….



With a look over the edge back down,



Time to get off and back down me thinks!….



Back down but not yet at sea level…..





Re-cycled car tyre as ‘Pot Plant’….



Then we get to the entrance to the Church we saw before….



While the statue above the door seems to be holding the ‘Scales of Justice’ and I cannot remember what the Sword is for!….



With some rather interesting ‘protrusions’ in the wall of this building a bit further along….





Then back down the narrow streets….



With another church, but this was closed and locked….





Then out of the narrow streets we find ourselves by the river Cetina…





As we look up to our right and see where we had been on the Tower….



With some nice river level views…..





As we come back to what we think is some Roman stonework…..



Then after a bit of lunch followed by coffee and definitely an Ice Cream we started the walk back to the campsite, but the heat was quite intense with very little wind, so we hopped on a Mini Bus as the driver kindly dropped us off outside the entrance to the campsite!....

While a bit later as the heat subsided I took a walk around the large trees on the site to look at the Snails that were up in the tree trunks, and the colours provided by Mother Nature looked rather special while they were all different…..









That’s it for Omis, while we planned to stay longer with having no Internet/WiFi onsite it makes it extremely difficult to keep in touch with health related issues back home, as Mobile calls are not cheap!

Next stage is to Podaca & Camping Uvala Borova…