Balkans_2018...You Only Live Once!

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Back to the Coastal Artery via the back-ways for a smooth cruise northwards to the turn-off to the Peljesac Peninsula....and our home somewhere around there for the next 5 days. :thumbs:
And SO MUCH MORE!!!

A long-standing contact and local, Dooby (Frgich) from the ADVrider forum, had offered his family getaway at Trstenik, a small bay and fishing village along the coast of the Peljesac Peninsula....and smack-bang in the midst of some world-reknown wineries, a hub to ferry-ports to all sorts of mainland and island harbours, a treasure trove of historical sites and all within 80km reach of Dubrovnik and it's sizeable airport, if needed.

Using the turnoff to Zuljana, another coastal fishing village off the main road, we were brought down to single-laners-through-the-coastal-vineyards-speeds immediately.
That warm, fuzzy "coming-home" feel was somewhat too sudden, but most certainly welcome :clap::clap::glu


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Trstenik....first things thirst!! :woot:



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....while staring at that....


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...and with the Trstenik-Trademark of the world-renowned Grgich Winery centerstage and the Peljesac- Artery-Road in the hills above...




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...a second coldie isn't far off...



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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
.... while someone is trying to find our famous, little "house-of-mystery" up that small and lush side-valley.



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The little Trstenik Hideaway



It sure takes some rootin'-around and plenty of U-turns in the smallest spaces as well as some early contact with the locals.... :killingme
Just down this lane, mista!!!
Ursula, our local contact (AWESOME!!) has picked up the wandering/ wondering Aussies....



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Nothing,...but NUTHIN'!!!...can go wrong now!! That Plavac from up the road is a bloody winner!!
And so are the grapes from that shade-canopy vine-stock.
:party:


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Off to dinner....




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Peace over Trstenik....




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No doubt from the first minute: this is a GOOD place :chug:



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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Trstenik/ Peljesac (Croatia) -> Nakovanj -> Trstenik

https://goo.gl/gDYVRA


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Time for a maintenance and re-group day...sorting through some gear, some small repairs and fixes, getting some cash and shopping done and
get some washing on the line.
There also seems to be something brewing around us...clouds are piling high and there's some "spark" around somehow.
Let's pick some target not far away with a possible quick and short home-run, if needed.

The old ghost town of Nakovanj might be the ticket.


Our little doll's house...:thumbs:


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From the hills above Orebic....a busy channel with Korcula and it's many islets on the right...and the air somehow full of moisture or salt, no idea.



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Nakovanj/ Nakovana...only a caretaker is left, now that the place is a heritage-listed area.
Some of the Nakovanj story here.




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It still shows where the timber shaft of the grinding wheel was anchored in the wall of the house.


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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
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I still wonder what those looped-stones at each top-corner of the windows were there for....maybe they had some sort of "roller-blind"?


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The place where many yarns were told? Or where the Elders decided on "politics"?


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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Home-run along the coastal hillsides....


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The narrow coastal road through the vineyards between the Dingac Tunnel and Trstenik...the vines are so heavy that the fruit sits + bakes on the asphalt!


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Was that a flash and rumble up there? Makes the hair stand-up, too.
Time to get under roof, maybe?
Boy, that was TIGHT!! :chug::chug:

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The wall of rain even starts before the almighty squall and massive rush of air that makes things fly around the neighbourhood and rattle the crap out of anything not bolted tight.

Don't know if that BBQ chimney is weather-proof, though :bs


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And so start two and a half days of Bora that not just whitecap the normally calm Mediterranean waters, but at times even make it foam up. The gusts are
ferocious and temps drop 10-15C within 10 minutes.
It certainly tries to : " BLOW THE HOUSE DOWN"

BORA!!....WOZZAT??




The little Trstenik Hideaway
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Trstenik/ Peljesac (Croatia) -> Mljet Island -> Trstenik


https://goo.gl/SRwDgh



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The island of Mljet....and a monastry-on-an-island-on-an-island.


Impressive....the Grgich Winery Estate before a sea of whitecaps whipped up by the howling gusts.
No complains though, the sun is out, temps have dropped drastically overnight to a nippy morning....and the tiny single-laner curling along the hillside towards
Zuljana is a little gem.
One just has to hang onto the bars a bit harder and stay about the middle of the road to ride-out the hammering gusts.


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A little loop through the backblocks, just for a snoop, and up the mountain and down the road to the ferry at Prapratno.


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We still have to learn to pass all traffic and line up at the front :thumbs:


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She' a'blowin!!


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The local soccer-"stadium" at Polace, Mljet's northern end....


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....which is all National Park


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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Island traffic is a bit slower...



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Interesting construction....pull the wall under, then buttress the outside W-)


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What a gorgeous little place !!
:glu


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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
If they're not crowding the soccer-stands :doh:, the good folks of Polace
hang out around here....


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Time for a late lunch at the waterfront watching the odd dinghy breaking its mooring and drift past....


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...as long as it's not the Big Dinghy over there!! :bs


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Local car+scooter hire...LOVE the name! :D


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What a sweet, old, lazy day along the Dalmatian Coast.
Did we have another bottle of that Plavac around?
Feet Up!!

:gday:


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The little Trstenik Hideaway
 
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