Croatia Cycling: Day 8

Day 8: Ston to Žuljana, via catamaran to Mljet
Distance: 44.2km + 9.3km
Elev Gain: 723m + 165m

A segment for an off-the-beaten path!?!

Itinerary Description

From Ston to Mljet Island National Park. It's a heavily wooded island, known for its white and red wines, olive oil, goat cheeses and stories about Homer's hero Odysseus. Two warm saltwater lakes, with high saline concentrations thought to have healing properties, as well as a former Benedictine monastery built in the 12th century are visited as we cycle the pathways of the park.

What I Will Really Remember

(1) If "Plan A" didn't work. The alphabet has 25 more letters!

The ride out of Ston was on a busy road. We've been spoiled for the past week riding country roads with little traffic, so this was an unpleasant change of scenery. While most drivers were courteous and moving over the centre line to pass us safely, the drivers couldn't always see us in the blind curves until the last moment. After a pit stop at a winery, the group consensus was to move off the major road onto a side road. The side road has a major uphill, but we all much rather climb the hill rather than dodge traffic.

What goes up must comes down! And before we descended back to sea level, we were rewarded with an incredible view. This off-the-beaten path was so much better than Plan A. Thanks to our guides and everyone in our group for being accommodating and flexible in changing plans as requested.

D, risking his life, climbed on top of the van to capture this photo for us!

(2) Sailing!

Wow, wow, wow! Sailing is a whole new experience for me! I've sailed a couple times before, but it was always a work or business networking function. Never just for pure fun!

At the front of our catamaran, we had a big net where we can watch the water moves under us, and by chance, spot a mermaid! It was also a great spot to even out the tan lines from the bike jersey and bike shorts. Sailing is truly the perfect complement to cycling!

Huck Finn is the name of our boat, and it comes with a handsome skipper. ;-) Every port we dock at, you can tell all the ladies at shore come flocking to "chat" with the skipper. He was one of the few Croatians who didn't speak fluent English, so I got to practice Spanish with him as he has been learning Spanish to converse with his Venezuelan lover!


(3) The secrets of Mljet

Mljet, or "honey", Island is a national park known as a "green island" because it is heavily wooded. Its centerpieces are the two saltwater lakes - the smaller lake in the North is connected to the larger lake in the South by a canal underneath a small bridge. The lakes' high saline concentration is said to have healing properties, especially for skin diseases and rheumatism.

A 12th-century monastery and its Church of St. Mary sits in the middle of the larger lake. To reach the island within the island, one waves a flag and a water taxi rows over to pick you up.

In the evenings, after all the day trippers depart, tranquility quietly sets in. A perfect opportunity to look up towards to the sky at the moon, the stars, and the milky way!