Aliways and Ulice

As discussed, you will be drip fed my day today because (a) it was long, very long, and (b) I have lots of photos. I lay in bed this morning looking at Trip Advisor to see whether there were any cycling tours to get myself around the city and oriented. My first experience of this sort of tour was on the Blue Bikes in Zagreb, and found it very useful (and actually started my love affair with cycling). Yes, an e-bike tour!  The tour started at 9 in Krajl Milana 8. As I paid for the tour online, it was 8, and my phone GPS told me that it was a 20 minute walk away. Quick Shower. No dorucak, no coffee, walking quickly. After doubling back a few times (road closures etc) I found the place with 15 minutes to spare. I waited. Wandered back and forth along the street so that I wouldn't miss the place opening. By 9.15 I was concerned. I lady wandered by and tutted and said 'Kasne' told me that they should be there at 9 (yes!) and promptly rang them to tell them to get there pro

So. I'm in Serbia! I'm pretty excited about being here. Plane of course was an hour late leaving which created a bit of consternation for fellow travellers who had connecting flights, but the Serbians on board just rolled their eyes. Seem's it's a thing. I chatted to a couple at the airport and asked about how to get to my accomodation  - he said 'taxi drivers would rip you off, they are morons, buses are disgusting', and helped me download the local app for 'uber' Siberian style. It seemed that the price was going to be more than a shuttle from my B & B so quickly contacted them. I have to say that it was so stress free walking out of the arrivals hall to see my name for a pickup. Big round of applause for the place I'm staying in Smokvica Dorcol. Fabulous interior design and style, amazing reception and entrance which doubles as dining (there are three different areas for dining, all elegant and understated, modern Scandinavian style with

I’m sitting at the brand new super-efficient Split airport, waiting for the departure board to tell me the gate for my fight to Belgrade. It is only a 50 minutes flight – it never ceases to amaze me how close everything is in Europe. I was talking to a lovely woman on the shuttle bus to the airport – 1 ½ hours to Croatia from Vienna, just   20 minutes more to get to Greece – and with all of these low cost budget flights, why wouldn’t you? I’d be like a pig in muck if I lived over here, exploring every corner of Europe. Yesterday was another glorious day on Annette and Srdjan’s yacht – different anchorage, in a bay on the side of Brac called Studenac. The water was cooler, and I sat on the beach revelling in it all. The sea, the warmth. There were white caps as we left so the sails went up. I’m not a natural sailor as you know and the waves made me feel a bit icky. Or maybe it was a combination of the heat and the waves – it was still an amazing day.

I hope you all gave the notion of 'activities' in the promotional brochure some thought. As I waited at the pickup place outside Hotel Meteor, looking earnestly for a camouflage jeep (surely I couldn't have missed it? Too well camouflaged?). I worried that the activities mystery would lay unanswered. Apparently there was some miscommunication, but Mladan doublebacked and picked me up after a few phone calls. First 'tick' for the 'audio commentary', it started playing as soon as I got in the jeep, with 'odakle ste vi'  quickly answered. Loud and in wonderfully accented English - words like 'bewildered'  pronounced as though it was a wild beast. Mladan tells me that his wife is jealous of his love for Biokovo, and he is certainly passionate about it. We picked up the other two guests 5 minutes down the road where he had left them to come back to pick me up - these two (mother and daughter) are also from Tucepi but live in Makarska - a