Home of the Queen of Oysters (second best in the world in an oyster tasting competition). The man behind the counter crossed the road to pull fresh live oysters from a cage down in the sea water. -- Mali Ston, Croatia
WAS it ever nice look out this morning to see BLUE SKY. I kind of danced my way to the supermarket for breakfast foods and danced a little jig more when I saw that the bakery we thought was permanently closed was, in fact, open.
First was to get some fruit, yogourt, and juice, then to the bakery where I picked up a chocolate croissant and a sour cherry pastry (as in, sour cherries, not a sour pastry). Back in the room we gobbled them down and my sour cherry treat was excellent.
It was time to pack things up after having hung things everywhere to dry after yesterday's deluge. And there was not a drop of water to be found anywhere. As dry as a week old loaf of bread. There was no rush for two reasons - it was a bit cool out so we wanted to make sure the sun warmed things up, plus, we did not want to get to our next place too early and have to sit around and wait for it.
It must have been somewhere between 8 am and 9 am when we got rolling. The initial bit was a retracing of our route into town. First along the water's edge followed by a really steep climb up and away from the water. It was too early to even think of trying to push up such a steep hill so we walked... and got hot, so off came the sweaters. The next little while was undulating terrain but then the climbing started in earnest. Sometimes the sign said 8% and at one point it was 11%. As with yesterday's steep climbs we were not shy to walk. A road cyclist came up behind and passed us so I called out to him that he was making it look easy - but he mentioned he had no bags to carry.
The views of the Adriatic and its distant islands just got more and more dramatic. The water shimmered under the sun and the dark green islands were a bit obscured since they were so far away. The vegetation went from large trees to smaller trees, all the while including many olives, figs, pines, and little unknown scrubby plants. As we approached the summit most trees were gone and it was almost barren save for some grass and lots of limestone. One reason, though, was that the flatter summit was used for cattle grazing so I imagine they would eat everything in sight before it could become a tree of any sort.
Knowing the summit had been reached, we both donned our coats since there would be a lot of elevation to dissipate so that meant no energy expended and it would be cold. Cold but gloriously freeing and suddenly we were down and only 8 km from Ston.
Our EuroVelo route kept us off the highway until we arrived to the edge of Mali Ston, sister town of Ston. We decided to stop for a latte but then realized that the area was world-renowned for its oysters, about the only seafood I won't eat. But that did not deter MA who decided today was the day to try one. The owner of the shop crossed the road and pulled out his cages of oysters - from 2 to 10 years old. I enjoyed my latte while MA gulped down her oyster with lemon and loved it. I was interested in getting a mini bottle of fig liqueur but they were out of it so I'll have to check elsewhere.
It was time to leave so we cycled the last few km until we came to this awe-inspiring walled town. The stone walls run WAY up and around the mountain in what looks like hundreds or thousands of steps. There is a fortress in town as part of the walls and all of the buildings are limestone clad beauties. And the apartment I chose is set right against those walls with a terrace that looks through the owner's beautiful gardens and orchards to the sides of the walls. We had to carry our bikes up a number of stone steps but it was no that bad. The owner said they are perfectly safe on their terrace.
We had enough climbing for the day, so going up the wall's steps was out of the question. Instead, we wandered the streets of this tiny village until it was time to eat. Earlier in the afternoon we had seen one restaurant advertising truffle burgers, and that just seemed to resonate, seeing as I LOVE truffles. The burger and the potatoes were amazing With stomachs sorted, it was time to work on photos and journals on the terrace with a bit of cider and beer as the lowering sun cast its yellow-orange light on the beautiful stone walls of town.
Today's ride: 30 km (19 miles) Total: 102 km (63 miles)
