POINTING TO ONE SPECIFIC SPOT ON THE CROATIAN COAST: MY FURTHEST SOLO MOTOTRIP EVER (SO FAR)

 

IN THE VERY CENTER OF PRIMOŠTEN, ONE OF THE PEARLS OF DALMATIA, CROATIA

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FOR THE FIRST TIME, I DECIDED TO RIDE THROUGH THE HIGHWAY,
IN ORDER TO REACH AS QUICKLY AND DIRECTLY AS POSSIBLE
 A PLACE THAT HAD BEEN IN MY HEART FOR 15 YEARS,
SINCE MY VERY FIRST VISIT THERE, IN 2009: PRIMOŠTEN,
AND, MORE PRECISELY, THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DOLAC.
WHEN I FINALLY ARRIVED, I STAYED FOR 4 NIGHTS
AND 5 DAYS IN THE EXACT SAME HOUSE
WHERE I HAD SOJOURNED JUST FOR ONE NIGHT 15 YEARS BEFORE!
A DREAM COME TRUE, WHICH TOOK A TOTAL AMOUNT
OF 1.138 KILOMETERS (=702 MILES) FOR THE ROUND TRIP,
BECAUSE I RODE 565 KILOMETERS (= 351 MILES)
AND 8 HOURS ON MY WAY THERE IN MY FIRST DAY,
AND AGAIN 565 KILOMETERS AND OTHER 8 HOURS
ON MY WAY BACK IN MY LAST DAY OF HOLIDAY.
OF THOSE 565 KILOMETERS, 505 HAVE BEEN HIGHWAY.
IN BETWEEN, I ADDED + 9 KILOMETERS RIDING 
WHILE EXPLORING PRIMOŠTEN IN A COUPLE OF HOURS 
DURING THE 2nd DAY. THE REMAINING TIME, I RESTED, 
RELAXED AND ENJOYED THE MESMERIZING BEACHES OF DOLAC
AND THE WELCOMING COMPANY OF MY HOST VLADIMIR
AND HIS LOVING ASSISTANT MARIJANA.

                                                    DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE 

DAY FOUR

DAY FIVE

MY AWESOME HOST, MISTER VLADO MARIĆ, GIFTED ME
WITH TWO BOTTLES OF THE DELICIOUS WINE
HE PRODUCES FROM HIS OWN VINEYARD!
I HAD HAD THE PLEASURE TO DRINK A COUPLE OF GLASSES
(OR MAYBE MORE) OF THIS WINE TOGETHER WITH HIM,
THE EVENING BEFORE LEAVING, AND I COULDN'T SAY NO
TO HIS GIFT: HE WOULDN'T ACCEPTED IT!
SO, I PACKED THE BOTTLES VERY CAREFULLY,
PUT THEM ON MY MOTORCYCLE BAGS,
AND I TOOK THEM HOME WITH ME,
ALL THE WAY BACK TO ITALY,
WHERE I'LL SAVOUR THEM IN NOSTALGIC MEMORY
OF THIS SPLENDID EXOTIC HOLIDAY ON TWO WHEELS!

THIS SOLO MOTORCYCLE TRIP HAS BEEN
THE LONGEST TWO WHEELS TOUR FOR ME SO FAR,
MY MOST OUTRAGEOUS ENTERPRISE,
THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF A AIM THAT I HAD CHERISHED
IN MY VISIONS FOR LONG TIME,
AND A TRAVEL ON SPACE AS WELL AS ON TIME,
SINCE I FINALLY RETURNED TO A BELOVED PLACE
THAT I FOUND INTACT
EXACTLY LIKE IT WAS IN MY MEMORY,
FULL OF BEAUTY AND ENERGY.
 

EXPLORING THE RIVER KRKA IN A SOLO MOTO ROADTRIP IN SOUTHERN EASTERN SLOVENIA

ONE OF THE GEMS ALONG THE COURSE OF THE KRKA IS THE CASTLE OF OTOČEC UPON A LITTLE ISLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS RIVER FULL OF TREASURES

A SOLO MOTO ROADTRIP OF 5 DAYS AND 4 NIGHTS,
COVERING A TOTAL AMOUNT OF 660 KM (=408 MILES),

FOLLOWING THE COURSE OF MANY DIFFERENT RIVERS,
BUT ABOVE ALL POINTING TO EXPLORE THE RIVER KRKA,
FROM ITS SPRING TO ITS MOST SPECTACULAR SCENARIOS,
IN THE SOUTH EAST OF SLOVENIA, AND ALMOST 
TOUCHING THE BORDER BETWEEN SLOVENIA AND CROATIA.

                                             DAY 1: FROM HOME TO VRHNIKA

ENTERING SLOVENIA FROM ITALY THROUGH ONE OF THE MANY BORDERLINE POINTS OF ACCESS: THE ONE NEAR KOBARID AND ALONG THE RIVER NATISONE

THE CENTER OF KOBARID

ALONG THE RIVER SOČA (=ISONZO)

THE ROAD ALONG THE RIVER IDRIJA

THE CENTER OF THE TOWN IDRIJA

THE CASTLE OF IDRIJA

THE RESTAURANT "TURK"

ARRIVAL AT THE HOTEL TURSIĆ

 

UPON MY ARRIVING, THE STAFF OF TURSIĆ, WHICH IS A "WELCOME BIKERS" HOTEL, GIFTED ME WITH A MOTORCYCLIST HEADBAND

BALKAN STREET FOOD: THE DELICIOUS BUREK

SLOVENIAN BEER: I LOVE IT!

HOTEL TURSIĆ AT NIGHT

DAY 2: FROM VRHNIKA TO DVOR

MY BREAKFAST ON DAY 2

    

                                                              

LEAVING VRHNIKA

PASSING THROUGH THE FASCINATING BISTRA CASTLE, WHICH LITERALLY STANDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAY OF ONE OF THE MAIN ROADS

FEELING FULL OF ENERGY, FORTUNATELY...

BECAUSE I HAD TO FACE THE RAIN...

THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF THE ROUTE WAS THE ONE LEADING ME TO...

THE MAGICAL ŽUŽEMBERK!

I FINALLY ARRIVED TO THE TOWN OF DVOR...

AT THE BLATNIKOV HRAM HOTEL, 
WHERE I STAYED FOR 2 NIGHTS

 

          DAY 3: EXPLORING THE RIVER KRKA UP AND DOWN

EXPLORING THE CITY OF NOVO MESTO, THE DAY AFTER

THE CENTER OF NOVO MESTO AND THE KANDINSKI MOST

THE WOODEN BRIDGES OF THE FABULOUS OTOČEC

RIDING ON THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION,
TO REACH THE SPRING OF THE RIVER KRKA,
IN THE LITTLE VILLAGE OF KRKA

THE POETIC FRAME WHERE THIS POWERFUL RIVER SPRINGS OUT OF THE EARTH

BACK TO DVOR

ENJOYING THE KRKA SHORES IN DVOR

HOW REFRESHING THESE WATERS IN SUCH A HOT AUGUST DAY!

YUMMY DINNER AND BEER!

                                 DAY 4: FROM DVOR TO DIVAČA

LEAVING DVOR IN THE EARLY MORNING

A BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN ROAD

A LOVELY COUNTRYSIDE ROUTE

AT THE AVIO PUB, THE BAR OF THE AERODROM OF PRESTANEK

THE CASTEL OF PREM

ARRIVING AT THE HOTEL MALOVEC IN DIVAČA

SURPRISING EVENING IN THE CULTURAL CENTER OF DIVAČA, WHERE THERE'S AN INTERESTING MUSEUM DEDICATED TO THE SLOVENIAN CINEMA

DAY 5: FROM DIVAČA TO HOME

RETURNING HOME THROUGH A SECONDARY ROAD CROSSING
THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA KNOWN AS KRAS / CARSO

EXITING SLOVENIA FROM A NEW POINT (FOR ME) ALONG THE BORDERLINE,
NEAR THE VILLAGE OF OPATIJA SELO

IN MEDEA,(PROVINCE OF GORIZIA, ITALY,), A QUICK STOP AT THE"ARA PACIS MUNDI",THE MONUMENT DEDICATED TO WORLDWIDE PEACE.

ENJOYING MYSELF FULLY IN THIS AMAZING SOLO MOTO ROADTRIP!