Istria Peninsula, Croatia

Sun 29th June – Tues 1st July

Flat tire numero three! While parking at a supermarket near the Croatian border, a friendly Slovenian pointed to our front right tire and said, “Kaput!” Well that's pretty clear in any language and we knew we were in for a lovely afternoon of standing outside yet another car repair shop. Once again, we've been impressed with the efficiency and complete honesty of mechanics on this trip. The tire was resolved in under 2 hours (just enough time to eat lunch in the shade) and ₤15 later we were cruising towards the Croatian border once again.

Street dancers in Porec

I'd like to retract my earlier comment that it was hot in Austria. At the time, I had no comprehension of just how hot it could get and now I can safely say, it is really and truly damn hot. We're talking the type of heat that makes it impossible to move. Our first morning in Croatia, and we were dripping with sweat at 8:30am just from packing up the van. Trying to be tourists is an absolute joke, and we're only lasting until 2:00pm before we are back at an ocean-side camp site swimming in the Adriatic just to keep from passing out.

Clearly I had chosen the wrong outfit to wear into the basilica

Bevan is not coping very well and the heat makes him behave like a Labrador. He just sits down in the shade mid-stride and refuses to go on, panting from the heat and begging for water. I end up walking off in search of a cold drink and ice cream just to lure him back on to his feet long enough to cycle home to the van. (He doesn't actually eat the ice cream – he just holds the cool wrapper to his forehead.)

Bevan at the Roman ruins in Pula

So our sightseeing has become sort of a heat stroke blur of events rather than an educational experience over the past few days. I think we spent a few days in Porec and Rovinj, exploring some world heritage basilica and watching Croatian dancers perform in the streets. Then all I remember is plunging head first into the ocean with my mask and snorkel on, where we spent the remainder of the day. We finished up the Istrian Peninsula in Pula and had the common sense to wait until 5pm before venturing into town to check out the Roman ruins. What a difference it made to avoid the heat of the day, and we actually cycled all the way up the hills to the camp site without stopping for a break on the way home. Either the heat really makes a difference or we may just be getting fit from all of this cycling.