Croatian IslandsChorvátske ostrovy

The second leg begins on the island of Cres, just past the village of Porozina. Only a handful of people live here, plus roe deer and fallow deer that stroll through the village unafraid of anything. We wake up next to a sheep pen, the night was colder than we expected. Over the next two days we've got around 50-60 km ahead of us on this island, and then another roughly 20 on the island of Mali Lošinj. What surprises us most is the island's terrain - we expected an easy ride with no hills, but the opposite is true. The weather is on our side, so we end the full day's ride at a campsite just past the bridge connecting the two islands.

In the morning an unpleasant forecast awaits us - a proper storm is charging at us from the direction of Italy. The sky really does darken, and we barely work up the nerve to set off before we're already running from huge raindrops back under the awning. Eventually we do set off for real, but on the way a downpour catches us anyway, and we arrive at the harbor in Mali Lošinj soaked to the bone.

The cherry on top is a set of stairs next to the bike path, which I fly over without even knowing how. Leg bleeding, wheel bent, doesn't look pretty. I can barely push the bike, riding is out of the question. We're saved by a mechanic at a repair shop with an old wheel full of cobwebs for 10 euros, which turns out to fit perfectly. Yes! Not everything is lost yet, the trip goes on!

We load onto the ferry to Zadar and enjoy the sun, which arrives just as unexpectedly as the morning storm did. The next island we're headed for is Korčula, but first we have to get across the mainland to Split for the ferry. So we detour a little inland, and the landscape suddenly changes dramatically. Instead of resorts and beaches we're greeted by war ruins, huge burned-out areas from forest fires, and signs reading beware of mines. We look around, not quite comprehending - a genuinely brutal change.

On the way to Split we visit Šibenik, where, as planned, we meet up with friends heading home from Montenegro. Outside it's the end of the world again, water pouring down in streams, so we hunker down and sleep at their place, a lovely atmosphere. A day later we finally arrive in Split. Compared to the other coastal towns, Split is clearly bigger, and so is its historic quarter. A kind lady puts us up, we lock the bikes in the apartment and go see the city. We wander the winding little streets, photograph everything around us, and for a moment feel like normal tourists on a classic holiday somewhere.

In the morning it's pack up and off to the ferry towards Korčula. The island surprises us with beautiful nature, picturesque villages and turquoise water. Wow. A different world. We fully enjoy riding along the coast and end the evening on our own private beach in the middle of nowhere. Truly gorgeous. Leaving in the morning takes forever, nobody wants to leave such a beautiful place.

Eventually, reluctantly, we say goodbye to our private resort and keep pedaling. Sometime in the afternoon the island's main town welcomes us - with the surprising name of Korčula. We wave goodbye to this island one last time and already board the ferry to the Pelješac peninsula. Ahead of us lies the last leg of our trip - southern Dalmatia, Montenegro, and finally Serbia.