The kingdom of water

SATURDAY 2

We set off early, we have an appointment with Ale and Fra at 7 at the Campora service station on the A7. Today a long road awaits us. We were supposed to leave yesterday afternoon, but we couldn't. We take the A21 towards Brescia then the A4 towards Trieste. The journey goes well, the traffic is regular, only at times heavy but we don't get stuck in queues. We stop for lunch after Venice and at the service station we take the opportunity to buy the Slovenian vignette; we will cross the border at the Fernetti crossing to head down towards Fiume, or Rijeka as it is in Croatian. Our destination is the Camping Selce in the town of the same name. The choice of the place was dictated exclusively by the fact that it was at a suitably convenient distance and it serves us only for an overnight stay, which is forbidden outside campsites throughout Croatia. The place is however a pleasant surprise.

It's a pretty town, on the sea, with nice bars and lots of shops; we are still in low season (fortunately) and there isn't the crowd you would expect in a holiday resort. The campsite is nice but the ground is sloping almost everywhere; we put in the chocks, which improve the situation without fully solving it. We take out the bicycles and go for a ride along the seafront. The water is crystal clear but the temperature can't be very inviting, seeing that no one dares to swim. The evening passes pleasantly, but the 650 km behind us make themselves felt and by about 10 o'clock we all dash off to bed.

SUNDAY 3

We leave Selce very slowly, we slept badly, the slope could be felt and Ivano kept sliding off the bed. We decided to follow the coastal main road as far as Zadar so as not to miss the beauties this sea offers, and we are very happy with the choice. We arrive at Senij and admire its castle built on top of the promontory; we stop to visit it, it opens at 10 and we are the first. At lunchtime we find a clearing right by the sea, a bit sunny but that's fine anyway. We get onto the beautifully kept motorway, absolutely smooth as a billiard table and free of any roadworks (the comments that come to mind comparing it to ours are merciless, and yet we Italians are always so full of self-importance...) exiting at Ravca.

We are heading for Medjugorje and ask for directions from the very kind toll-booth attendant, who reassures us, in almost perfect Italian, telling us we are on the right road and that it is well signposted. The Croatian-Bosnian border causes us no problem; on both sides we find kindness and courtesy. At Medjugorje we stop at the Camping Zemo, it has clean and tidy facilities and WIFI connection, the rate is 10 euros a night, decidedly convenient; our worries about the language and the currency turn out to be completely unfounded. Here almost everyone speaks Italian, in all shades from passable to excellent, and the euro seems to be the current currency in any form, small change included.

MONDAY 4

Rise and shine early! We want to climb the mountain of the apparitions before the heat becomes unbearable. By 7 we are already on our way; we get a taxi to take us (5 euros per ride) to the start of the very steep climb that leads up to the statue of the Madonna. The climb is very demanding, not so much because of the length of the route as because of the very steep, rocky terrain; it almost feels like walking on a moraine left by a glacier, and you have to be very careful. Up there, where even today the visionaries speak with the Madonna, silence reigns supreme despite the multitude of people. We pause in recollection. Going down you have to be even more careful. As far as I'm concerned, I am happy to have come here before this place turns into an amusement park; the signs of evolution in that direction seem to me already evident.

The afternoon passed in complete relaxation among small daily chores and the purchase of souvenirs; in the evening we decided to taste the famous roast lamb; we head for the restaurant recommended to us but see everything dark, not a trace of the lamb, so we go back to the campers with our hopes dashed and prepare ourselves some excellent gnocchi with pesto.

TUESDAY 5

This morning we went to Mostar, a symbolic city of the martyrdom of Bosnia Herzegovina; the ancient bridge, symbol of the union of Christian and Islamic cultures, bombed and destroyed during the recent war, has been rebuilt in masterly fashion and makes a fine show of itself over the Neretva. The old town is very beautiful and reminds me very much of the bazaars of Turkey, both in layout and in the goods sold. Here too, many speak Italian or English, so there are no problems of any kind, and the euro is accepted everywhere without problems. A pity that suddenly a copious downpour spoils things; we take refuge in the bazaar of the Mosque, buying a few objects including a pair of slippers like the ones I had bought in Demre in Turkey and which I had by now worn out, they were so comfortable.

We go back to pick up the campers we had left in a paid car park very close to the old town and therefore very convenient, having lunch before setting off again for Dubrovnik, where we arrive at about 4.30 pm. The road is beautiful; we stop at one of the many fruit stalls along it to buy cherries and apricots; a pity the weather is so grey; the coast is very beautiful and we stop often to photograph it. The destination is the Solitudo campsite (N 42°39'43'' E 18°4'16'') which is practically in the city; tomorrow morning we will take the bus to visit the old town, for today we rest, do the washing, and in the evening have dinner in a restaurant near the shopping centre where for 20 euros you eat a buffet with everything you want and as much as you want.

WEDNESDAY 6

The weather is splendid; with bus no. 6 we go to the old town. It's beautiful with its walls and fortifications incredibly preserved and restored from the damage suffered in the war of the '90s. We wander through the streets visiting the churches and admiring the column of Orlando, we stop at the market buying the characteristic candied dried fruit and an orange liqueur. We climb onto the walls walking their long perimeter, 1940 metres, which encloses the city and offers a splendid viewpoint over the rooftops and the sea. Tired and hot we come down just as it's lunchtime, but, being very hot, we stop at one of the ice-cream parlours on the main street and get a gigantic and above all delicious ice cream. We return to the campsite in the early afternoon and, after resting for an hour, go down to the beach; the sea is clear and even if a bit chilly I can't resist a dip.

We end the evening having dinner under Ale and Fra's awning with a nice pasta with friggitelli peppers and fried mozzarella sandwiches. Tiredness makes itself felt, and we dash off to bed.

THURSDAY 7

We head back up towards Zadar retracing the road we had taken coming down from Mostar. At Ravca we get back onto the motorway to go faster; we would like to arrive early enough to be able to visit the city. We go to the Borik campsite which, like the one in Dubrovnik, is the closest to the centre. We take bus 8, which makes a nice tour around the harbour and drops us right at the gate of the old town; Zadar is beautiful too; we visit the cathedral then go onto the pier to listen to the highly original and unique sea organ. After buying a couple of bottles of Maraschino (the typical liqueur of the area) we return to the campsite. The facilities are not up to the standard of a campsite with these prices and this location; the first block of bathrooms we see is unpresentable, the