Tourist Season Over
Since we no longer have tourists staying at the house on Krk, I decided to bring my bike and my talents and spend a week or two there. The water here is still good for swimming, which I can’t say for grandma’s village this time of year. It would take a week or two of consistent 20+ degree days without any wind for me to set even my foot in the water back home. In general the weather is much more stable on Krk this time of year.
It’s not all fun and games though. There’s some gardening and other odds and ends to tackle before closing up the house for the year. I painted the downstairs kitchen white a couple of weeks ago, quite happy with the results (although looking at the before picture, I’m not so sure now 🤨).
Cycling
Did one ride back home along the coast before finishing the week with three rides on Krk. With how little I have ridden the past month and a half it feels a little, I would say uneven, on the bike at the moment. But it’s fun to be cycling again (even the bad rides).
Now, looking at the 4 rides and how I felt during them, one would say: why not do a short easy ride Friday, then a longer (5h) on Saturday, and then a short easier ride on Sunday. My answer? I don’t know, man.
To be completely honest, I’m not entirely sold on cycling on Krk. While the island has plenty of charming old villages with beautiful stone houses, great views, and lots of climbing, the problem lies in the stretches between those, things. The roads in between are pretty boring, with not much to see, so it’s more of a destination cycling experience. In contrast, along the coast, in the mountains and in Istria, you’re surrounded by stunning scenery and breathtaking views throughout almost the entire ride.
The southern part of the island, around Punat, Baška, and Stara Baška, has a bit more dramatic topography, but it’s often windy there. I planned to ride down to those villages, but as soon as I neared the southern end (Punat), I got bored with the wind and wasn’t up for it at all in the shape I’m in.
That said, Krk is still a great place for cycling in fall and winter because the climate is a little milder and more stable compared to the mainland. And I might be a bit too hard on Krk, it does offer fantastic rides, just as I describe in the regions section on the webpage. It’s just that I’m comparing it to the other places where I ride, and then Krk falls a bit short.
The Dolphins
No ride today. I spent the whole day doing gardening and felt tired from the last four days of cycling. Since it was such a beautiful day, I wanted to take a dip at my favorite beach on the island, in Vrbnik, probably the last swim there for the season. The dolphins where pretty close, maybe 100m from the shore.
The two American girls who had just finished taking photos on the cliffs and where heading back got pretty excited when they saw them, but not nearly as excited as the person you can hear in the distance 😁
