Being on the coast the
temperature was definitely warmer than I had experienced in recent weeks,
though it was still cool with passing rain and showers during my two (2) day
stay. I then continued north up the Croatian coast, turning off the main coast
road and heading through the hills to the small town of Orebic, the final
twenty five (25) kilometres of the ride were in the rain, the rain also
persisted while I waited forty (40) minutes before a vehicle ferry transported
me to the island of Korcula. I spent two days on the island, visiting the
historic fortified town of Korcula, the
old city is surrounded by walls, and the streets are arranged in a herringbone
pattern allowing free circulation of air but protecting against strong winds. I
walked from my accommodation along the water front road to the town's historic
sites including the central Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of St Mark (built from 1301 to 1806) and the
15th-century Franciscan monastery with a beautiful Venetian
Gothic cloister.
Tourist
season was over so it was very quiet on the island so I rode back onto the
ferry for the thirty (30) minute trip to the mainland, I then rode in the rain
for three (3) hours to the city of Split. During the ride up the coast the
speedo, tachometer and digital instrument panel on my motorcycle stopped
functioning, it had been turning off and on while riding since Iran and now it
had not come back on so I was keen to get it repaired or replaced. I was in
luck, there was a BMW dealer in the city and the mechanic at Tomic & Co completed
a very thorough diagnoses and determined I needed a replacement unit. The new
instrument panel was ordered and while my bike was in the workshop I took the
opportunity to purchase and have fitted a new front and rear tyre, I decided on
a tread pattern that was a little more road orientated than I had been using,
I’m sure to be encountering more rain in Europe and I will be riding on only
tarred roads for the foreseeable future.
After several days visiting the sights in the
Old City of Split I quizzed the BMW mechanic about the best route to continue
my travels beyond Croatia, an avid motorcycle rider himself, he advised me that
the road to northern Croatia was regularly closed at this time of year due to
extremely high winds and my best option would be to leave split on a vehicle
ferry.
After
considering the mechanics advice I decided to visit a couple of towns just
north of Split while waiting for my replacement instrument panel to arrive.
First up I rode to the beautiful little town of Primosten, built on a hill
and dominated by the parish church of St. George which was built in 1485 and
restored in 1760 and sited close to the local graveyard, the town’s position
provided a unique view that spread to the inlet, the sea and surrounding
landscape.
I then
rode back towards Split before turning off to visit the historic town and harbour
of Trogir. Situated on a small island between the Croatian mainland and the
island of Ciovo, since 1997 the historic centre of Trogir has been included in
the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. I then rode back to Split and dropped
my motorcycle at the BMW service department.
After nine
(9) days in Split my motorcycle repair work was completed and it was time to
move on, I had initially pre booked an apartment for a four (4) night stay in
Split, but the replacement bike part took several days longer to reach the
dealer so I asked the young lady managing the accommodation for a reduced rate
during the remainder of my stay, she said she would check with her boss.
Packed and ready to leave I walked up to the
reception office to settle my account, the young lady informed me that after
speaking to her boss the two decided an early Christmas present was in order and
gifted my additional five (5) night’s accommodation for free, a little shocked,
all I could do was thank her for the generosity and wished her a very merry
Christmas. I then rode to the city port and onto a vehicle ferry for an overnight
voyage to continue my adventure.
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