CROATIA: LOG OF A MOTORHOME JOURNEY THROUGH CROATIA FROM RIJEKA TO DUBROVNIK AND THE MONTENEGRIN BORDER

Barry and Margaret Williamson

Slovenia, Rupa, Rijeka, Bakar, Selce, Paklenica, Nin, Zadar, Filipjakov, Sibenik, Trogir, Split, Omis, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Ston, Dubrovnik, Montenegrin Border, Italy

Extracts from the Log of a Journey by Motorhome Autumn 2003

Day 1           AUTOCAMP SELCE, SELCE, CROATIA

In which we cross from Slovenia into Croatia, reach the Adriatic at Rijeka and head south

Another fine day for travelling. Leaving Slovenia's massive cave system at Postojna, we called at the Spar supermarket, then drove due south on a narrow country road for about 40 miles to the Croatian border at Rupa. We stopped en route at the town of Ilirska Bistrica to make coffee and spend our remaining Slovenian currency on diesel (precision filling to get exactly 15,941 Tolars' worth - about £50, at 51p a litre).

The border crossing was quick and easy, just a cursory passport check. Barry answered 2 test questions from the Croatian policeman: 'Are you a famous film star?'(!) - B replied 'Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger' - and 'Why is your steering wheel on the left?' 'Blame the Americans' and we were allowed in! Our first impressions of Croatian drivers were that they take more risks and are less law-abiding - a touch of Italian/Greek compared with the orderly Austro-Slovenes, requiring skilled defensive tactics. At least daytime dipped headlights are not compulsory here, as they were in Slovenia and Hungary.

After 15 miles we got our first glimpse of the blue of the Adriatic as we dropped down to Rijeka, Croatia's largest port. A dual carriageway carried us past the town, through a series of tunnels and over viaducts, looking down on blocks of flats and docks, cranes and shipping. We climbed high above the coast, eventually joining a newly built link road to reach the E65 coastal route at Bakar. Our road ran along a narrow shelf between steep mountain sides on our left and the Dalmatian coast on our right, with a view across to the island of Krk. We followed the road SE for about 20 miles, past the resort of Crikvenica to a smaller one at Selce. Squeezing through the narrow main street we found the large Autocamp open, steeply terraced above the water's edge. Just a handful of other motorhomes here (Belgian, Danish and German) and we settled in under Mediterranean trees (figs, olives, tamarisk) - we've not seen the sea since Turkey and it feels good. It's much warmer than in the Alps at Bled and we got our shorts out again before the 10-minute walk round the sea-front into the village.

It didn't take long to find the bank (£1 = 10.5 Kuna, a currency that replaced the Yugoslav Dinar here in 1994), then stroll past pleasure craft and fishermen mending their nets. An end-of-season feel to the place (camping closes on 31 Oct).

Croatian TV was a big improvement, showing American programmes with original sound and subtitles: a film 'Zelda' about Scott Fitzgerald followed by a recent episode of 'ER'. The Croatian language looks very like Slovenian.

74 miles. £9.90 inc 6-amp elec.

Day 2           AUTOCAMP SELCE, SELCE

Daytime temperature back in the 70's, dry and sunny. We enjoyed the sea view, fed the campsite cats and talked to our neighbours from Ulm, also on their way to Dubrovnik in a 'Flair'.

M baked apple cake and chocolate cookies and worked on the diary, while B began the annual overhaul of the bicycles. He stripped, cleaned and regreased both headsets and M's front wheel bearing, pleased to work outdoors. After dinner there was more American TV: a series about the CIA, then the film 'Godfather 2' till after midnight.

Day 3           AUTOCAMP SELCE, SELCE

An easy cycle ride along the seafront and a quiet road to the nearby larger resort of Crikvenica. We bought bread and veg at the outdoor market and explored the town. For internet/email we were advised to try the video-hire shop (out of order), the Happy Cafe (closed) or the library (which we couldn't find)! Nor was there a ferry across to Krk, just glass-bottomed boat trips with a guided tour, wine-tasting and a lunch of fried sardines. The toll bridge from the highway at the northern end of the island had replaced the regular car ferry. Back for lunch then time for cleaning, reading and diary-writing.

Day 4           AUTOCAMP SELCE, SELCE

Weather remains warm though overcast, windless and humid. B worked on the rear and bathroom windows which had leaked in the Slovenian rain, resealing them with fresh mastic. In the long hot summer the sealant had dried out and cracked - we were only surprised that all the other windows were still good. The campsite cleaner, a very friendly woman speaking basic German, did a load of dhobi for us for 40 kuna (talked down from the 'high season' rate of 60). We chatted with a newly arrived Cornish couple, on holiday with their 10-year-old foster-son. The man is a pilchard fisherman (as are his 2 grown sons) and we learnt a little of the problems of over-fishing and EU quotas in the industry. After lunch a short but strenuous cycle ride to the next port south of Selce. Rather than 3½ miles of busy highway, we reached Novi Vinodolski by climbing inland on the road towards Bribir then dropping to the coast again. Coffee by the harbour, looking at the track of our climb on the GPS, the first time we'd used it for hill-climbing. Then back by the same route, as rain threatened.

We updated our list of Greek campsites open in winter, to print a copy for the Cornish couple who wanted a change from Spain, and did a bit more work on the August diary.

Day 5           AUTOCAMP SELCE, SELCE

More talk with the Cornish fisherman in his AutoRoller. After lunch we cycled along the sea to Crikvenica, posted our letters and finally found the library, the only internet place (1 machine at 15 kunas an hour, printing free), in an anonymous building between shops and restaurants on the waterfront. Back to the campsite to prepare to move and update accounts and diary.

Day 6           AUTOCAMP NAT PARK, PAKLENICA

Highway E65 is narrow and twisting, running along the narrow ledge between the Croatian Riviera with its offshore islands (past Krk, Rab and Pag today) and the steep limestone hills. A small miracle of engineering, which would need a bigger miracle to widen it. We passed a succession of tiny fishing harbours below us to the right and nothing to our left, the land more barren than the Mani peninsula in Greece, even devoid of goats. There were frequent parking places, enabling coffee and lunch breaks with sea view. Just before the small town of Senj we crossed the 45th parallel, giving us a good sense of latitude (we regularly cross it in northern Italy). We got a frequent sense of altitude, the road climbing over headlands (max 1,170 ft), all recorded in profile by the GPS.

About 10 miles before the road turns sharply for Zadar we came to Starigrad-Paklenica, on the coast below Croatia's 2nd largest National Park. All the other campsites along our way today were either closed or too small, or both, except this one by the National Park's HQ. By 2.30 pm we were settled right by the shore on a wooded promontory with a handful of Germanic neighbours. We had an easy walk back along the sea into the town, about 1½ miles NW. The water is very clear, studded with sea urchins on the bottom, its 'beach' all pebbles and shingle, but popular in the summer judging by the number of Zimmer and Apartment signs. Now the season is clearly over (this camp closes 1 November).

88 miles. £9.70 inc elec.

Day 7           AUTOCAMP NIN, NIN

Before lunch we took another walk along the shore from Paklenica, SE to the edge of the next village, Seline, past a ruined medieval watchtower. Then we drove the few miles to the end of the long inlet and turned SE for Zadar, including about 10 miles on a brand new motorway (60p toll) which ends near Zadar airport but might reach Split one day.

Past the old walled city of Zadar to Borik Beach just to the NW, where the large and very convenient Camping Borik was firmly closed, though we noted plenty of parking space by the marina. We continued up the coast for 10 miles to the even larger Camping Zaton (also closed) and soon came to the little town of Nin, where the Tourist Information was open. They directed us to Autocamp Nin, just past the town on the Vir road, an unpromising sloping field of stored German and Dutch caravans. An extremely friendly woman appeared from the extended family house to welcome us (the man at TI had rung her) offering all we needed for a night (bring your own hot water). We just managed to reach her hook-up with both our long leads. M went up to the house to pay and ended up drinking wine (from their vineyard) in the kitchen with the woman (eager to practise her school English) and her aged father-in-law. She was keen to be paid in euros (10), able to change a €50 note but not a 100 kuna one (odd, as it's freely convertible now).

We talked of the recent war, 1991-92 (2 yrs after they'd taken the campsite over). Zadar was shelled, no more tourists, factories closed, power cuts - it had been hard and they were just starting to recover. Later, the old man came over to give us a bottle of the wine as a gift.

A very cold dry wind was blowing from the north - the Bura - important for the production of the local pork speciality called Sokol, salted, smoked and air-cured in the wind. We wrapped up against it and walked over the fields back into Nin, which is actually on a tiny island where a sea inlet ends in a lagoon. Over a footbridge, through a 15thC arch in the crumbling medieval walls, we passed 4 little churches spanning the 9th-18th centuries and came to the jumbled foundations of a Temple to Diana from the Roman settlement of Aenona. Nin became the residence of early Croat kings. but eventually fell into decay, ravaged by both Venetians and malaria. We returned past the small fishing harbour of flat-bottomed boats, backed by a few incongruous holiday apartments. We had an excellent view across the clear water to the grey barren slopes of the Velebit range along the Dalmatian coast we had followed from Rijeka.

44 miles. £7.14 inc elec.

Day 8           AUTOCAMP RIO, Sv FILIP i JAKOV

Drove back from Nin to park at the Borik marina, from where we cycled along the water's edge and over a footbridge into the lovely walled city and port of Zadar. The narrow traffic-free streets are cobbled with white stone, polished like marble over long years. The 4 centuries of Venetian rule are evident in many of the medieval buildings. The main square has the remains of the Roman forum, the foundations of walls neatly cemented with children's electric cars for hire to buzz round them! Opposite is a fine new archaeological museum. St Donatus, a 9thC Byzantine domed church, stands in the forum, built of Roman stone right over the altars of Juno and Jupiter. The single Corinthian column outside was used as a medieval pillory.

The city was heavily bombed by the Allies in WW2 and in the recent civil war, but we saw little sign of damage apart from continuing restoration of churches. The centre looked prosperous with busy cafes and shops. We found the post office to enquire about the package sent from Budapest and were directed to the main sorting office beyond the old city. Indeed, it was there. Then we cycled along the coastal promenade, collected a ferry timetable from the Jadrolinija office, bought fruit at the market (and a slice of Burek, the local flaky cheese pie) and returned to Borik marina to complete our lunch.

An easy drive south down the E65 for another 20 miles, following the flatter coastline. Our Dutch camping guide told of a site which was Open All Year, and it's true! Rio is a small campsite in an olive grove by the beach, behind the home and surgery of its owner, a dentist, where we joined 2 Austro-German vans.

34 miles. £10.17 inc elec.

Day 9           AUTOCAMP RIO, FILIPJAKOV

The cold wind still blows, though sea and sky are blue. After lunch we cycled along the coast to the next little port, Biograd, complete with ferry to Tkon on the island of Pasman, 25 mins across the water. We found the only internet place, just 10 mins before it closed, and 4 photographers, all closed (obviously getting into the Mediterranean siesta zone). We rode back, past the campsite and on into Filipjakov, an even smaller village with a tiny fishing harbour, post office and little else. Very quiet. The Costas of Spain must once have been like this.

Back at Camping Rio, B began fitting the new GPS aerial to the roof (minus instructions) while M did some diary-writing.

Day 10           AUTOCAMP RIO, FILIPJAKOV

M did some dhobi and baking while B finished installing the GPS aerial, permanently wiring it into the 12 volt system - it immediately gave much improved reception, up to 8 full-strength satellites. We finished and printed 'Camping Karpouzi' and began an article about our recent travels called 'Among the Bulgars and Romanians'.

Day 11           AUTOCAMP RIO, FILIPJAKOV

After a few more odd jobs - cleaning, more dhobi and writing - we sorted and selected photos for 'Camping Karpouzi'.

After lunch the cold wind dropped and we walked the narrow path above the shore to Biograd. Nature-spotting, the path was lined with pale mauve autumn croci, opening to the October sun, and we saw hooded crows scavenging along with the seagulls. Near the harbour we noticed the pockmarked walls and street, where they'd been strafed from the air in the 1991-2 hostilities.

The men of the town were playing boules in the park or messing in their fishing boats, the women were nowhere to be seen.

Day 12           AUTOCAMP RIO, FILIPJAKOV

We rode into Biograd on the unmade seafront road and bought bread and rolls to replenish the freezer (excellent choice of loaves here and in Slovenia, just as in the former Yugoslavia, compared with the rest of Eastern Europe). Then to work on one of the 2 machines in the town's computer shop for the next 3½ hrs, sustained with a flask of instant Hungarian coffee (a taste we're still trying to acquire) and a packet of German export Doppelkekker biscuits.

We looked up the schedules and prices for ferries from Croatia to Italy: Jadrolinija (Dubrovnik-Bari or Split-Ancona, both overnight at the same prices), or Adriatica Line (Split-Ancona in the daytime), which would save £50 on a cabin.

Hungry, we cycled back to camp, arriving just as it began to pour with rain - good timing.

Day 13           AUTOCAMP IVO, OMIS

Dry again, we took to the road. We parked by the harbour in Biograd to post our mail and shop at the market. Looked in at the computer shop but the lad said 'Not today' - quite a relief. Continued SE on the coastal highway E65, running for the next 10 miles between Lake Vransko and a sea studded with tiny islands. Stopped for lunch just before the bridge over the broad estuary of the River Krka, with a view across to Sibenik, its old quarter crowned by the medieval castle of St Ana.

Here we began to check on ferry times and spaces by ringing Adriatica Navigazione, and making a provisional booking on the daytime Split-Ancona sailing on 6 November, just in case.

The highway bypassed Sibenik and provided a challenging but beautiful drive along the fretted coastline, through small fishing villages and the occasional marina. At Trogir, about 15 miles before Split, we paid to park near the entrance to the medieval walled town and walked over the causeway onto the tiny island. A maze of narrow shambling cobbled streets between tall buildings of light Dalmatian stone, like a miniature Venice - a further bridge links it to another island. The Kamerlengo Fortres, very Italianate, is separated from its tower by a modern sports stadium, but most of the town is unspoilt. The central square, the only open space, is flanked by historic buildings: a 15thC Venetian mansion houses the tourist office (which knew nothing about campsites), another 15thC Loggia has a handsome clock tower, but all is overshadowed by the Cathedral of St Lawrence, much more attractive from outside than in. The Romanesque church was begun about 1200 but finished off 300 years later in sombre Venetian-Gothic style. Inside was gloomy, carved dark woodwork and few windows, relieved only by an incongruous Renaissance chapel to St Ivan, all light and cherubs. The best part, lovingly described in our old Rough Guide to Yugoslavia (pre-war), is the exterior of the west portal, fantastically carved by the master-mason Radovan and his apprentices in 1240. Adam and Eve frame the door, each standing on a lion and clutching a fig leaf (very early nude sculpture). On each side, the undesirables of the time (Turks and Jews) carry pillars on their bent backs and above them is a chaos of decoration and twisting tendrils - animals, peasants, biblical figures, saints, mixing orthodox iconography with ordinary life and legend. We liked it: perhaps the masons were part of a heretical sect.

We drove on to Split (Croatia's largest passenger port, with industry and shipbuilding along with one of the most imposing Roman ruins in existence: Emperor Diocletian's Palace). Looking very keenly for a place to spend the night - campsite, restaurant or hotel with parking, service station - there was nowhere. It was about 5 pm, the roads very busy, dark in an hour, no time to waste checking out the ferry terminal. We bypassed the city and carried on along the coast, hoping to find somewhere to the east of Split. Nothing! About 15 miles further, between Dugi Rat and Omis, we came to a succession of small campsites along the sea, all closed but one, so here we are, on a small site with 2 German vans, about to close at the end of the week. The steep and abrupt entry road scraped Rosie's bottom in a very undignified manner.

104 miles. £8.96 inc elec.

Day 14           AUTOCAMP IVO, OMIS

Rain began in the night and poured steadily all day, a good test for the windows which B had resealed. The site began to flood and the owner came out wearing only a pair of swimming trunks (it's not cold) to clear a blocked drain! We postponed visiting Split and did some writing, baking and planning. M ventured out to check on buses to Split and phone Jadrolinija ferries. We booked the overnight boat from Dubrovnik to Bari on 28 October, our final decision. It took the rest of the day for M's jacket and trousers to dry out!

Day 15           AUTOCAMP IVO, OMIS

Weather had changed again, dry and breezy. We caught bendi-bus 60, Omis-Split, at 10.15 am, a good 12-mile ride right into the town centre for under £1 each (as ever, we seemed to be the only ones paying). The bus station was a short walk from the harbour and ferry terminals, where we collected the Jadrolinija ticket booked yesterday. Reservations were computerised, credit cards accepted, all very organised.

From there, we walked along the palm-tree lined waterfront, the shops built into the front wall of Diocletian's Palace - indeed, they now hold it up. The heart of the traffic-free old town is an open-air museum, modern life continuing inside the original palace/fortress walls, washing strung between ancient columns, satellite dishes on Roman arches! Diocletian (245-313 AD) came from Salona, the nearby Roman colony and capital of Dalmatia, and had the palace built for his retirement. It took 10 years (295-305) and contained a garrison, 3 temples, imperial residences, public buildings, store-rooms, etc and his mausoleum. It was later used as a retreat by other Roman rulers and when Salona was abandoned to Slavs in the 7thC, its inhabitants took refuge inside the high walls of the palace. The usual waves of invaders included Byzantium and Hungary, then Venetians held sway from 1420 (when Aspalathos was renamed Spalato, evolving into Split), strengthening the walls against the Turks in the 17thC. Austria took over from 1797-1918. Since 1945 Split grew into Croatia's largest coastal city, with industry, shipyards, limestone quarries, a military port and high-rise concrete flats, but mostly across the harbour from the old town.

We wandered in amazement inside the rectangular fortress, finding its 4 gates and 2 roads which intersect in the central peristyle (colonnaded courtyard), still the scene of everyday life. An open-air lunch at McDonald's (outside the walls and the first we'd seen in Croatia) before entering the Cathedral which was built right over Diocletian's domed mausoleum. He lay there for 170 years, then disappeared. We found the heads of Mr and Mrs Emperor in the sculpted frieze above the altar - ironic, as he persecuted Christians, including St Anastasius, whose figure in the Treasury has a millstone tied round the neck. A very strange mixture of styles again, Roman with Venetian Gothic overtones in the choir, added in the 17thC. The leaflet mentioned carvings by George the Dalmatian, whom we'd first spotted in Trogir Cathedral - a clever dog! The neo-Romanesque bell-tower could be climbed (we didn't). The Treasury had gloomy reliquaries with holy shinbones and silver heads with a circular cut-out to touch the sacred skull inside.

Through a narrow alley off the peristyle, opposite the cathedral, we found the Temple of Jupiter which looked impressive but was closed for restoration. It had been used as a medieval Baptistry, topped by a bell-tower which has recently been removed. Centuries of addition and alteration make Split a most unusual Roman site.

We moved on to the underground basement halls of the palace, still undergoing excavation since their discovery in 1956. A passage leads through them, from the south gate (which once gave onto the sea) to the peristyle, now lined with souvenir stalls. For a small charge we had access to many more empty chambers, giving a good impression of the huge size of the imperial residence. In the Middle Ages the rich merchants had built their houses within the walls (one is now the museum), along with a 15thC Venetian town hall, all in a maze of tightly drawn passageways. The only jarring note, outside the north gate, was a modern (1929) sculpture of the wonderfully named Bishop Gregorius of Nin, who fought for the right to say Mass in Croatian in the 10thC. He deserved better. Finally, we shopped at the market just outside the walls before catching the bus back to Omis - standing room all the way. Back to reading and writing, picking pomegranates and preparing to move.

Day 16           CAR PARK BY FORTRESS, STON

A fine day's drive down the coast, first along the Makarska Riviera, a string of tiny resorts backed by pine groves from Makarska to Zivogosce. Splendid views all the way of blue sea and offshore islands, the well surfaced road twisting and climbing over headlands. It was easy to find panoramic parking spots for coffee and lunch. B spent much of his lunch-hour fixing the 12-volt supply when we found nothing worked - no water pump, no light, no fridge ignition. At least the solar panel provided enough energy to light the gas fridge and fill the kettle, till the fault was cured.

The E65 bypassed the industrial port of Ploce and crossed the wide estuary of the Neretva River. Its delta forms a broad expanse of reclaimed marshland, very flat and fertile, with an oasis of orange groves and green fields. Citrus fruit was on sale along the road until the landscape dramatically changed again, twisting between sea and jagged limestone hillsides to the border with Bosnia-Hercegovina ( yes!) This small enclave gives that large country its only access to the sea: there is no connecting road and they only use their 5 miles of coast for holidays. There is a customs post but no formalities. We turned off the highway to the signed parking for caravans and made a pot of tea but, with no-one else around except 3 stray dogs and the driver of a hearse, who had stopped to strip some trees of their greenery (for a wreath?), we didn't linger. Past another customs post, we were back in Croatia. They didn't even stamp our passports.

We drove a few more miles, looking for a place for the night (the many small campsites were closed), following the strip of water devoted to oyster and mussel farms between the Peljesac Peninsula and the mainland. We turned onto the peninsula, a 56-mile mountainous finger of land, and soon came to Mali Ston and then Ston, the twin towns guarding Peljesac at its narrowest point. Both villages were extremely well fortified with encircling walls, look-out towers and bastions, and amazingly linked with each other by walls and guardposts which still trail high over the connecting hills. They appeared to fear attack from land as well as from the sea. In Ston there was a nice flat parking area by the sea-level fortress, a quiet place for the night well away from the coastal highway. We took a short walk round the small cobbled centre and out to the salt flats - now abandoned, the little wooden railway trucks and salt-sacks left to the elements. A long stretch of wall, climbing steeply up the hillside, was being restored and provided with a handrail - we left it for tomorrow. The evening TV had a late-night surprise - Frostov Pristup - or David Jason's 'Touch of Frost' with subtitles.

96 miles. Free parking.

Day 17           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

A beautiful clear blue day after a cold night. We walked along the top of the walls, steeply up to the apex on the hillside high above, for a dramatic view of Ston. The grid-iron street plan of the little medieval town, pressed within its defences, was laid out below, the salt-pans and channel to the open sea beyond. Walking down from the guardpost was easier, ending in a scramble of ruins into the town where the restoration wasn't quite finished. The length of wall leading high over the hill to Mali Ston is also being equipped with a handrail but we felt there would be few takers!

A short drive back to the E65 and SE again, past more tiny ports and resorts, stopping for lunch overlooking the largest, Slano, at the head of a lovely deep bay. Approaching Dubrovnik, a new suspension bridge spanned the Dubrava River, after which we dropped down to the working harbour and ferry port at Gruz, a couple of miles west of the old city which lies on the other side of the wooded Lapad peninsula. We persuaded a car park attendant that we weren't prepared to pay 10 kunas (almost £1) to stop for 10 minutes to check which quay the weekly Bari ferry used, then continued round Lapad to see if the much advertised Solitudo campsite was open (unlikely but true). Very large, only 4 months old, open all year and 10 mins drive from the ferry - and it lives up to its name at this time of year, with just 2 German neighbours.

We made a pot of tea and had another TV surprise - an old episode of 'Morse' which we'd never seen (in black & white on a channel from Montenegro) followed by the second half of Frostov.

43 miles. £12.13 inc elec.

Day 18           SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

End of Daylight Saving - all clocks back an hour. It had been a cold clear night and a newly arrived German told of snow in the mountains, coming via Zagreb and Plitvice Nat Park. Diary-writing, dhobi and bringing the motorbike back to life occupied the rest of the morning. After lunch the motorbike took us the 4 miles over the Lapad peninsula to the Old Town, his first outing since Arad in Romania. We left it just outside the Ploce Gate at the NE corner of the walled city, proudly parked between gleaming German machines, all Sturm und Drang in chrome and black leather. At least he'd had a wash today and could tell them a story or two.

Through the gate and into Byron's 'Pearl of the Adriatic', a town founded in 1300 by Greek refugees from Epidavros. 'Ragusa' (as it was called until 1918) soon became an independent city-state, second only to Venice in maritime wealth and power, through trade with the east. We bought our tickets to mount the steps by the gate and walk round the complete circuit (1.6 miles) of the magnificent medieval walls and forts which frame the city, the sea below us on 3 sides (once forming a moat on the 4th). Dubrovnik survived fire, plague and an earthquake in 1677, finally falling to Napoleon in 1808. The remains of his Imperial Fort can be seen, high above the walled town on the bare crest of Srd Mountain at 412 m/1,360 ft. A cable car used to take tourists up there but it was destroyed in the 8-month siege and bombardment of 1991-92, after which UNESCO supervised restoration of this World Heritage City.

Looking down on the marble-paved squares, fountains, palaces, churches, monasteries, the broad pavement of Placa running east-west between the Ploce and Pile Gates, and the grid of steep narrow lanes (all cut from the same white stone), the reconstruction of the walled city is impressive evidence of substantial international aid after the deliberate and pointless shelling by the Yugoslav army (led by the 'Dubrovnik Trio', whose most notorious member 'Rambo' has just been brought to trial for war crimes). Sadly, the majority of the rose-coloured clay pan-tiled roofs had been destroyed and were redone in new red tiles, a stark contrast to the paler weathered originals, but this was the only telling sign. Masonry had been rebuilt with stone from the original quarries on a nearby island.

Walking the walls (the most complete of their age in Europe) we passed 2 round towers, 14 square ones, 2 corner fortifications (including the Minceta Fortress by George the Dalmatian again) and a larger fortress, and overlooked many a line of washing in the yards, gardens and windows of the residents. A few houses were still damaged and abandoned but most had recovered. The interplay of sun, sea, light and stones was magical. Only one cruise ship stood out to sea, its tenders ferrying passengers across for a shore visit (being led round like children in numbered groups), and no large crowds ruined the atmosphere.

Dropping down from the walls, we walked the length of Placa, from the Dominican Monastery at the east end (its staircase balustrade partly filled in by the monks to stop peasants staring at the ankles of ladies on their way to church!) to the Franciscan one at the west (its 14thC pharmacy still working). We returned along parallel Prijeko, the street of a thousand restaurants: 'No thanks, we've already eaten', even though they offered 'Buy One, Get One Free'. Back home, after dinner, we reviewed the latest digital photos. It was hard to choose between the many images of the photogenic Old City.

Day 19           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

Seeing a German motorhome about to leave, M went over to wish them Gute Fahrt and discovered they were on their way overland to Greece, via Albania, the first such intrepids we'd met. The map came out for a look at the route and they insisted that ADAC had advised there was no problem: roads mountainous but safe, sealed and passable. (Not what ADAC told us last May.) Their normal insurance covered them for the whole of Europe and to the eastern edge of Turkey (particularly annoying, that - same applies to French drivers). We were tempted to follow them, but we'd need more information and insurance.

We went in search of a garage able to give Rosie a service and oil change in the next few days. One red herring led to another (we even tried the yacht marina), but eventually we spotted a good place, the Citroen dealer who also serviced lorries and buses and booked her in. Back home, B worked on the 'Bulgars and Romanians' article, tracing the map for it.

Day 20           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

Barry found he had a painful swollen leg, following an insect sting (wasp or bee, spider or scorpion?) yesterday (despite liberal application of 'Stingose') and we went to the nearby pharmacy for advice. They suggested an injection for an allergic reaction and directed us to the 'English-speaking Tourist Doctor' at the President Hotel on the sea-front near the campsite but the surgery was closed. The receptionist said we could come back at 2 pm or pay about £25 to have him called out.

Next, off in search of an internet place: a sunny walk through a leafy area of pavement cafes and hotels, finding one by the Kompas Hotel (a large Thomsons-type high-rise). It was quieter and cheaper than the internet cafe by the ferry terminal and we had a good 2 hour session with a nice sea view. Surfed for more info on the countries blocking an overland route to Greece. The RAC and AA travel advice was useless (wish we could join ADAC), but the Foreign Office advisories were thorough. Back before dark (by 6 pm now), to read and write.

Day 21           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

A short outing for Rosie, driving 5 miles past Gruz harbour and along the inlet and via a diesel filling station (a rarity in Dubrovnik) to the Auto Servisni Centar (and Citroen agent) we'd found yesterday. Access was blocked by a bus having a wash, a lorry having a new tyre and 2 cars and a van on or waiting for the ramp, but eventually we got in for a service and oil change, using the oil filter brought from Frenchies. The chief mechanic came inside for a look, followed by an old man called Joseph from Montenegro. When they'd finished we got presents - some lemons from Joseph's garden, a Michelin map of Croatia, an overpowering musk air freshener - and they got lots of kunas: MasterCard no. Joseph had spent 2 months in Albania recently and told us, in German, that we shouldn't travel there. No Way!

Back to the campsite, pausing at the car wash bay by the entrance to fill and dump and give Rosie a quick hose down. Just as we settled back on our pitch for lunch it began to rain hard - good timing - so the afternoon was spent diary-writing, reading, defrosting the fridge, etc.

10 miles.

Day 22           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

Met Londoners, Mitch & Ricky, who had arrived last night in a small Foster & Day, bringing 2 friends on a whistle-stop tour to Dubrovnik and back (seriously rushed - they are due back at work in Basildon next week!) At our own sedate pace, we rode the motorbike to the Hotel Kompas internet centre for another 2-hr session. We checked ferries from Italy to Greece on the net. On the way back we got fruit & veg at the harbour market - half the stalls were given over to candles, wreaths and flowers, with All Saints Day imminent.

By lunchtime rain set in again. Then we got down to some forward planning, making lists and poring over maps. B wrote provisional itineraries for another round-the-world route for 2004 to be posted to a few agents for a fare quotation. And we began the list of 'to dos', ranging from bike overhaul to rabies jabs and Rosie's storage to GPS maps - 46 items initially.

A dark wet windy evening, on which we didn't take up the invitation to join the Londoners at the nearby bar.

Day 23           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

A very stormy day, postponing further exploration of Dubrovnik's walled city. We didn't venture further than the shower block! Tried to make contact with a Swedish couple who have been parked nearby for several days but they speak only Swedish (unusual) and we didn't (usual). We just managed to agree that the weather was wet. They have lured our ginger tom away with tins of sardines, which obviously beat Greek cat-bix!

A good day for writing. The diary for October was completed and printed. Romanian fruit from the freezer made a nice plum & apple crumble, to follow the curried remains of yesterday's chicken.

Day 24           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

Mitch & Ricky came in for a chat before setting off back on the long drive up the Croatian coast. All that way, to spend one day in Dubrovnik in the rain - sadly, even their intended boat trip to a nearby island only runs on Sundays. They turned out to be inveterate travellers though, funded mainly by renting out the 2 large houses they owned (inherited), whilst living in a tiny flat and running a garden furniture business. They also have a campervan in Australia, left at a friend's in Adelaide, based on the Toyota Coaster bus, larger than the one we had, which they might want to sell soon ... another idea. Then another couple of hours at the Kompas Hotel internet place, where we're this week's best (if not only) customers. We checked the visa requirements for East Asia (India and Vietnam, yes; Thailand and Malaysia, no); requested passport renewal forms from Liverpool; found a GPS dealer in the Lake District and asked for a price for a carrying case and a larger chip (32 or 64 mb).

Home for lunch via the supermarket, where the roast chickens were just coming off the spit - good timing again! Then M found she'd left her specs by the computer, so back to the Kompas Hotel for them. We found another absolutely final email in from Keith: 'Spain and Morocco here we come - over and out!'

M rang Blue Star line in Ancona to check availability for Brindisi-Igoumenitsa (no problem). An ideal ferry, giving us 2 days to drive down from Bari.

Day 25           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

Another wet and windy morning, though still warm (70 degrees). Barry redid letters to 8 travel agents, written but not posted, amending the outline itinerary for another round-the-world, to include Australia. M kept the microwave busy, producing porage for breakfast, carrot & apple soup for lunch, a carrot cake for the journey and a tuna supper dish.

By mid-afternoon, the rain eased and we had a brisk 2½-mile walk (the GPS acts as a pedometer as well as pointing the way home when dusk falls). Down to the beach, past the complex of hotels at Babin Kuk, along the shore and back over the headland via stepped alleyways. The lights of Gruz Harbour, the moored cruise ships, the new bridge, the offshore islands, all shone bright to welcome us - this is a good base.

Day 26           AUTOCAMP SOLITUDO, DUBROVNIK

The motorbike took us back to the old town's Pile Gate from where we explored the traffic-free interior. We shopped at the little market, getting souvenirs from the stalls of local lavender crafts, and bought postcards inside the 16thC Sponza Palace, which houses the state archives and a memorial to the men killed in 1991-2, as well as gift shops. Also looked briefly in the baroque Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. We entered the Rector's Palace, now a museum with an entry fee, causing a rapid exit! A lovely medieval town best seen from above, walking the walls as we did, over the heads of the coach-loads of Japs and cruiser-loads of elderly Americans who fill the streets in guided crocodiles. On the way back to Solitudo, we did some photocopying and supermarketing.

After lunch, a final visit to the Hotel Kompas internet centre. On the web, we looked for the Adventure Cycling Association (formerly Bikecentennial, with routes for cycling across the US). Finally accessed them via www.bicycling.about.com under 'adventurecycling'. Their Western Express Route, from San Francisco to Pueblo in Colorado is recommended for 'May through September'. At Pueblo, it picks up the Trans-America Trail, suitable 'Mid-May through October'.

Back to base, for our last night in Dubrovnik.

Day 27           CABIN ABOARD JADROLINIJA FERRY

As the weekly ferry for Italy departs at 11 pm tonight, we took our time preparing to leave the campsite after lunch. We discovered that the 2 young Austrians, Patrick & Iris in an old Bedford campervan, were also bound for Bari and then Greece.

We spent the afternoon driving to the end of Croatia's scenic E65 coastal road, the Jadranska Magistrale, which became ever emptier and eerier once past Dubrovnik's airport. Barry took it even more gently than usual (our Croatian insurance, for both Rosie and ourselves, expired yesterday!) The border was open, but we did a U-turn and returned for a pot of tea with a sunset view, poised above Dubrovnik, on the way back to Gruz harbour.

We cooked and dined on the port car park, where the ferry terminal cafe had one computer, allowing a quick look at our email. Perched on a bar stool in a noisy smoky corner, we didn't stay to send replies.

Loading of the ferry began at 9 pm - a small, ancient, rusting tub with a single car-deck. Our booking for a 2-person cabin had beenmissed, but this turned to our advantage as all the 2-berths were taken and they had to give us a more spacious 4-berth to ourselves! Sited below the car deck, it had 4 bunks, a washbasin, no life jackets ... After exploring the boat and watching the lights of Dubrovnik recede (Barry on board, armed with GPS), we slept surprisingly well. At least we didn't have to join the Austrians in sleeping bags on the deck.

54 miles.

Day 28           COSTA MORENA QUAY, BRINDISI

We had wondered how the Jadrolinja slow-boat could take from 11 pm to 8 am to reach Bari: it stopped and moored for 1½ hours off-shore while a buffet breakfast was served! As this was included in the cabin price, we enjoyed the cereals, salami, cheese, jams and tea (though not the stale hard bread). Once disembarked, with some difficulty (cab mirrors pulled in to avoid the sides of the exit), we stopped on the huge lorry parking area for coffee before making our way through Bari onto the SS16.