Adriatic Rollercoaster (4SC1402)
25 Jun 2014
Day 6 From Otocec to Klagenfurt
Time flies, and we are at the end of our tour. About a week later, here we are, on the Slovenian Alps in the Savinia valley, crossing again into Austria. Before that we still have plenty of charming views oh little villages scattered around picturesque hills and plenty of curves!
Thank you everyone for the trip! Have a safe journey home!
Day 5 From Plitvice to Otocec
It's time to cross back into Slovenia today, but before doing that we still have a whole amazing day trough Croatian countryside life and twisty narrow roads trough vineries, hills and dense forests.
Let's start with a coffee stop in Plaski at Café Barocco...
Hello Jovana... and too bad that Jelena wasn't here today! They serve the best espresso of the entire region!
Oh, what happened? Speeding ? Not at all... something else. Some bad boys didn't like to wait at the railway crossing until the bar was up, and the surveillance camera caught them. A police car was strategically positioned a few hundreds meter later for the ambush! I guess everyone has learned the lesson... NEVER pass your tour guide, if you wanna stay safe!
Arrived at the hotel... and boot beer for everyone (yes, even for the 5 bad trespassers boys)
Picture perfect place for photoshooting....
Day 4 Rest day in Plitvice
Yesterday we got a bit of rain, but today the weather is just fantastic! Waking up with a warm blue sky is the best way to get inspired for a hike trough the countless waterfalls and creeks of Plitvice Park. We head first to the upper lakes and then we will work our way down to the lower lakes trough some aerial views and wooden boardwalks.
Quite a nice group shot we managed to get!
Stunning falls... and majestic views!
Resting after the hike and waiting for the trainbus to bring us back to the hotel.
For those wishing to ride in the afternoon some more highlights are coming: a sculpture park in the garden of the ruins of a castle partly from the Ottoman empire époque and partly from the Habsburg era.
The wind of the castle that was built over a century ago by the Habsburgs.
Now it's in decay but it has maintained a certain atmosphere, it feels like a hunted house.
Day 3 Opatija to Plitvice
After enjoying some fine roads and quality relaxing time on the Croatian Riviera we are going island hopping today: first the Tito bridge that links mainland with Krk island, then a ferry to Rab island, lunch at the marina, another ferry, coastal roads, mountain twists and finally the alto-piano towards Plitvice lakes.. what an intense day!
Coffee stop in Krk with a vintage beamer...
... and a German Harley Rider that hates beamer!
A San Francisco babe met on the ferry...
And our lunch terrace. The weather wasn't particularly sunny (i.e. storm when we stopped in Rab) so we got some indoor table instead... beautiful stone building a few centuries old. The seafood is very fresh, though!
Drying time... catch as much wind as you can to dry up your gear!
Manuel's favourite photo stop...
And finally time to get rid of wet pants!
Day 2 Rest day in Opatija
Does anyone wanna rest in Opatija? Please take a swim in the blue Adriatic, or a walk along the elegant seafront promenade... but if you still wanna ride, let's join the tour guide for another 200km around Istria! We are first cruising along the magnificent coastal road towards Rabac, then we cross the Istrain peninsula until Vrsar for a seafood&fish lunch at the marina, then back trough the Limski fjord and backcountry roads until we hit once again the coast and reach Opatija mid afternoon... leaving some time for some relax at the beach terrace. Does it sound like a plan?
The gang.
The Frenchies.
Ed's boat. Which one was yours?
A toast with water... yes, it can still be fun and memorable... look at the background.
Feeding time.... stuffed squid or mixed shells? Why not both?
Someone prefer to stay light... only dessert!
One of the prettiest road stall ever seen.
On the Limski fjord.
Day 1 Klagenfurt to Opatija
Here we are, again in Klagenfurt, our home base for the Adriatic Rollercoaster tour. Time to start our motorcycles again for a fantastic tour around Slovenia and Croatia (and a bit of Austria). This time the group is composed mostly by North Americans, with Europe represented by three French gentlemen and the tour guide Manuel (Italy).
Are you ready? Let's go! Welcome to Dermuth hotel... briefing time!
Packing the luggage on the bikes, no support van on this tour.
Reaching the first mountain pass, Loiblpass.
Photo stop in Kropa, now the roads become serious, with narrow hairpins trough the forest.
A well deserved lunch break by the river.
Lots of roadwork here, so why not to enjoy some electric sigar while we wait? Right Chris?
Visitin Postojna Cave... over 35 millions visitors in 200 years.. and for a good reason!
The symbol of the cave: Diamant and Brilliant
We are in Croatia now!! Opatija is not far...