Day 31: Gračac to Zadar, August 1st. 98km

Up at 8, ate a banana and some croissants, then off around 9. Most of the morning was spent climbing up over a mountain ridge out of the valley. It was arduous but was mostly made up for by what came after. A vast vista of distant mountains and semi-arid hills opened up. I zoomed down a tarmacked road alongside it for many kms, revelling in the sun and breeze.

When I reached the bottom I finally saw a sign once again for E8. This route took me up shallow hills through semi-desert shrubbery, dust and dirt. The heat was intense, and I had to drink a lot of water, but I felt like I was on a real adventure. This felt foreign, dangerous even. I can’t believe I cycled here from my house in Southern England. Around 12 the first GPX route ran out. I bought an apple, juice and cookies from a shop and finished my crisps, then I was off. More hills, then coastal and beach towns followed. At 13:30 I stopped in a shaded grassy area by a beach, ate my food and read some of my book. I had received a message from a girl called Lisa on insta about going for food in Zadar. Lit.

On I went. I stuck close to the coast, passing through harbours and amazing looking swimming spots. Around 15:30 I arrived at my hostel. A shower, relax and nap later, around 18:00, I took a walk to Lidl and picked up soap and this pen. It’s a souvenir one, but it will hopefully do. Then I walked to Zadar old town. It’s a walled peninsular full of roman ruins. Spectacular stuff. I passed a pillar called “the pillar of shame” where Christians used to be chained and humiliated. Cool. 

I picked up a kinder bueno ice cream and went to the end of the peninsular – “greeting to the sun”, where I’m to meet Lisa. Several people jumping into the water pushed me away from its edge. That’s where I’m writing this.

***

Lisa arrived just before sunset on a scooter which she couldn’t park. We had to stand by it as the price ticked up. The sunset was very pretty, and we had good convos. We bonded over having been bitten by dogs. [There was some kind of festival going on here, and when talking about security I mentioned I had a knife on me. Probs not the best move when you’re a stranger hanging out with a girl he just met!] After sunset Lisa zoomed off to park her scooter and I wondered to the middle of old town. We met there again and spent a little while looking for an affordable, available restaurant. In the end we settled on submarine burger, the same place I’d been in Rijeka. This time I got the sliders and the truffle fries again. Lisa was driving, so wasn’t drinking, which was a pity cause she was good vibes.

After food we wondered again and ended up going to a couple of good bars where she got non-alcoholic cocktails and I got long island iced teas. The second bar was buzzing. It had a dance floor and many young people vibing hard. If I had more time, I’d spend several nights in every Croation city. Instead, around 12:30, I walked Lisa back to her car, said goodbye, and went back to my hostel and slept. It was a fun night though.

Video of this day