Sunday April 27, 2014, 36 miles (58 km) – Total so far: 2,330 miles (3,750 km)
April 27, 2014 31 miles After two nights in Vela Luka we were finally ready to leave and headed to the southern town of Kurcula (on the island of Kurcula) to find the next ferry. After 4 hours we arrived at the ferry dock. We encountered many bike problems. My bike was making several noises while climbing, my rear brake when used would cause a jerking motion and Jocelyn’s rear wheel gave out an occasional ping indicating spoke problems. During several steep climbs her gearing would switch almost causing her to fall. She would stop and make spoke adjustments through the entire ride. It was then a quick 20 minute ferry ride to Orebic on the Peljesac peninsula of Croatia. At this point we decided that both bikes need work. The next big city is in Dubrovnik about 68 miles away. Tomorrow morning we will bus there.
April 28, 2014 5 miles We were at the bus stop for Dubrovnik at 6:45 AM. The bus was full but the driver found a place for us and our bikes. After a 3 hour trip over the mountains we were in the ancient city of Dubrovnik. We reassembled our bikes then searched for a bike shop. Jocelyn’s internet search last night revealed nothing but one guy that works out of his garage. I walked the streets and asked about bicycle repairs and finally after a dozen shop inquires heard about this guy as there are no bicycle shops here. The scooter rental guy called him and I was given directions to his garage. Thanks to this we found his garage. And thanks to another great guy who translated for us. Tony worked on our bikes and Kreso offered us a very reasonable apartment if needed. We took Kreso up on his offer and after Tony completed repairs on our bikes and we were led to an apartment for the night. This was great as we really wanted to explore the old town of Dubrovkik.
We also found a great Mexican restaurant after which we walked the 2 km to the old town and spent the rest of the day exploring this 3rd century historical city. What a great time we had and are very anxious to start on our bikes tomorrow.
Old town, the walled city of Dubrovnik.
The pictures do the talking.
Great adventure, and thanks for sharing it. In 2016 we planned to ferry to Vela Luka from Hvar, but we could only find a Jadrolinja foot ferry which supposedly does not take bikes. We wanted to ride to Korcula town and on Orebic like you and Jocelyn did. How did you do it? Thanks
Mike from Oregon
Hi Ann. If there is a bike shop they usually have boxes. If not look for an appliance store. In Iran we used television boxes that we shaped to fit our bikes. We also buy big bags that will hold 3-4 panniers. The bags are always under 50 pounds and we don’t get charged extra for each pannier. The Croatian drivers are some of the worst we encountered. Montenegro was beautiful. Thanks for writing.
I am planning a cycle holiday in Croatia and Montenegro. My only worry is finding a bike box to pack my bag for the return. Do you have any advice?
What do the locks with the names on them signify?
Karoline’s grandfather and grandmother were from Dubrovnik! Except for the rude drivers, it still looks like you guys are having a blast. Hope you got you bike problems fixed. I liked Jocelyn’s comment about having the drivers watch out for the slow guy! The SP Sat Eng job has been posted! ha! God Bless