Sibenik to Trogir

May 30, 2023

The hills are my friends, the hills are my friends...

About 2/3 of the way through my day, "the hills are my friends" became my mantra. Hills are definitely not my friends but hey, I was trying the power of positive thinking. I didn't die and for me there were a lot of hills today so it must have worked.

I actually didn't set my alarm this morning as I was so exhausted last night and now sure how today would look. I had one major issue of cramping last night and it's so painful that my subconscious seems to know not to move any more in my sleep because that frequently will set it off.

I woke up feeling okay although I noticed going up steps, my legs felt tired. However, I also knew I've managed much more tired legs so I made the decision to continue on today. I was anxious to keep moving. A little concerned about a later start because of the heat, but I decided I would not be shy about rest breaks. I also made the decision to stick to the main road along the coast. Euro Velo has me riding further up into the hills on a more remote route. If I stuck to the coast, I knew I'd find people and camping if I needed to stop.

Soon I will be riding on the other side of that water

I did follow EuroVelo 8's route as I left Sibenek and after the initial congestion, it was on quiet and peaceful roads. Grebastica is where the routes split. I was very happy of my decisions to stick to the coastal route following the highway. Some fantastic scenery and the traffic wasn't too bad at all. I was actually quite concerned about thunderstorms as they looked like they were forming and are in the forecast. Another reason I decided it was safer to stick to the coastal route.

Most of the climbs were gentle, but I was getting tired. After a bit of a harder climb, there was a great downhill and the supermarket Plodine was advertised ahead. (As you arrive to the turnoff for the town of Rogoznica. )They always have a little cafe area (separate from the store) but I bought a Pepsi and took a nice long lunch break.

I laughed because as I was doing a Facebook post, Bryan Adams' song "In the Heat of the Night" came on the radio. I joked that surely, he must have meant "In the Heat of the Day." No, the heat's not getting to me at all!

I mean, if I'm going to take a rest break where I actually pull out my chair and rest for awhile, may as well be at a beautiful spot with some shade under the pine trees.

After this break, the road got very narrow with a bit of a climb my break was perfect timing. Always good to be able to focus on traffic....

... and not falling off the cliff in between the "guard rails." Couldn't they have just made the whole section safe?!

I made my way directly across the little island of Trogir to Hostel Marina Trogir which as the name suggests, is along the marina.

The entrance to the hostel is a bit disconcerting, but the hostel itself had great reviews.

My view out of my dorm room window is not too shabby!

I am a very independent person and sometimes it's hard for me to ask for help. However, with all the stairs involved in Europe, and frequently no elevators, I kind of draw the line at lugging my bike up stairs at this point. I asked if someone could help me with my bike and sure enough, there was a guy who carried it up the stairs to the hostel for me. I still made multiple trips to carry up all my panniers, but the bike is heavy and awkward enough that it's easier to just ask for help, especially when I am so tired.

After I got settled and showered, I headed over to check out Trogir and get a bite to eat. Finally, a decent milage day accomplished.

Ice cream makes everything better. Now, time to go explore.

I was surprised by those mountains in the distance. Huge, but beautiful!

Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 447 miles (719 km)

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