That’s not how we bicycle. But we did it anyway.

On April 28, 2023, Rob and I embarked on our first ever guided bicycle tour. As I mentioned in my previous post, my friend Mac and his wife Suzie invited us to join them on a tour of the Istria Peninsula in Croatia, sponsored by Island Hopping (https://www.inselhuepfen.com/en).

Going into this we knew it would not be like any bike tour we’ve done before. When we take off on our bikes, it’s just the two of us and everything we need to be self-sufficient for camping and cooking our own meals.

Forget about plans. Our plans can – and do – change in the middle of the day. We love the spontaneity of our style of riding, even if it does entail the challenge of making sure we have a place to lay our tired bodies down somewhere safe and comfortable each night.

Forget about paying a tour guide. We’ve done countless tours on our own on a low budget, camping, staying with Warm Showers hosts, and cooking our own meals.

Forget about riding with anyone else. It’s not that we’re antisocial. It’s just that Rob and I are so in sync with each other it would be hard for us to take into account another person’s wants and needs.

Forget about E-bikes. How would we charge them and can a charge last for 60 or 80 miles and if it doesn’t then we’re stuck riding a heavy bike. Not to mention the pride factor. We’re not that old yet. Are we?

So here we were, ready to take off on what seemed to us a luxury cruise with a little bit of bicycling thrown in. The longest day would be 38 miles, the shortest 10. How can you even call this a bike tour?

It was wonderful. Every time Rob talks about it, he says he wants to do one every year.

And the timing was perfect to try out an E-bike for the first time. Not only did I spend the last six months recovering from back surgery, but the winter was too snowy, icy, and cold for bicycling anyway. To top it off, just when I could have started riding, I slipped on ice and broke my wrist (in January). I was extraordinarily happy to not have the added worry of figuring out how to train for a bike ride. (I hate riding indoor exercise bikes.) Our training consisted of a few 10 and 20 mile rides and one 40 mile ride in April. We were ready to go.

The bicycling was not strenuous at all. We had electric-assist bikes so we still had to pedal, but it felt like a stroll in the park. We rode on a number of bumpy dirt roads that our bikes easily handled. I pretty much stayed in the lowest setting to counteract the weight of the bike and give me just a bit of a boost up the few hills we had to tackle. Except on the last day when we had a steep hill and I wanted a little fun trying out all the settings – Tour, Sport, and Turbo – I zipped past everyone else.

This was a very relaxing way to travel. All we had to do was show up – for breakfast, for our morning bike ride, for our afternoon city tour, for dinner. We were served enormous quantities of food. Every day we’d have a tour of the city where our boat was tied up for the night.

For this trip, one of the first of the season, the staff outnumbered the guests. We were eight: Rob and me, Mac and Suzie and their friend Paul, a couple from Portland, Oregon, and a German fellow. We were all of retirement age. The staff of ten included the ship’s captain, two sailors, two cooks, a bartender/waiter, and four guides (two in training). We mostly got to know the guides – Ana, Kristofor, Mirta, and Ivan – as, in addition to riding with us, they shared our sit-down meals on the boat.

Sonjay, our bartender/waiter, told me this was his first time trying out his dream job. He practiced elegance in everything he did. We’d sit down to a table set perfectly with napkins folded beautifully and uniquely for each meal. (If Sonjay worked at Downton Abbey, Carson would be proud.)

If someone wanted a drink Sonjay didn’t have, he found a way to purchase it. If he didn’t know what it was, he researched how to make it. I asked for a chai latte. He looked it up, found that he had all the ingredients and made one of the best I’ve ever had.

Most of the towns and cities we visited were hundreds of years old, with narrow cobblestone streets, filled with beautiful historic buildings. Istria belonged to so many different empires throughout its history it was difficult to keep them all straight. So close to Italy, it was part of the Holy Roman Empire, under Venetian rule, and I lost track of the rest.

After boarding the boat in Omisalj on the afternoon of April 28, we motored to the Island of Cres and had a tour of the city of Cres before dinner. Our first full day, Saturday, April 29, we bicycled about 35 miles from Banjole to Pula by way of Medulin and Vodnjan.

Before dinner Ana took us on a tour of the historic area of Pula. It never occurred to me that there would be coliseum ruins in places other than Rome. But there it was.

Sunday morning we cruised to Vrsar then bicycled about 24 miles to Porec, by way of Klostar.

We were back at the boat in time for lunch, then a tour of Porec.

Monday, May 1, was a particularly happy day. We rode 42 miles, our longest day, with two long climbs, beautiful views of hilltop towns, olive groves, and rolling hills.

First we cruised to Novigrad where we began our ride. Then, after riding about ten miles we arrived at our first stop, Buje, partway up a long hill, at around 10 a.m. just as a band had gathered to perform for the Labor Day holiday. They played music reminiscent of the music I heard growing up at our annual Gottschee picnic in Queens. When they played a polka I grabbed Rob and we danced in the street.

Then it was on to the beautiful hilltop town of Groznjan, known as an “idyllic artist village.” We had plenty of time to wander through the maze of cobblestone streets and grab a bite to eat in a little courtyard cafe. We met the boat in Vrsar.

Tuesday May 2, we cruised to Ravinj, just a ferry ride away from Venice and equally enchanting.

We only rode ten miles in the morning in the rain on an out-and-back route along the coast, an unremarkable ride, but good to get exercise since we would have two large meals on the boat. The midday meal was called lunch, but it wasn’t. It was a full dinner. Then we had another one later.

After lunch Ana took us on a tour in the rain where we tried not to slip and fall on the wet cobblestones. Afterwards we had time to explore on our own.

We didn’t let the rain that came down all day dampen our enthusiasm for the beautiful city.

While walking around town I was intrigued by this outdoor restaurant with tables situated on a cobblestone hill. How did they stay level? I took a closer look.

Every town and city we visited had a monument commemorating the Partisans who fought in WWII, along with individual busts of noteworthy individuals. Ravinj was no different.

Walking along one street I looked down an alley and saw that it went directly down to the water. Then we noticed several more. Walking down one set of steps we found a house that had its front door literally on the water.

Eventually we found Mac, Suzie, and Paul enjoying wine outside under an awning, protected from the rain. They were especially happy because they had just done laundry. We joined them (for the wine, not the laundry).

These are views of Ravinj from where we were docked.

Wednesday, May 3, we rode to Bale then Fazana then to a nondescript harbor because the boat couldn’t dock in Fazana as planned. From there we cruised to Rabac where we spent the night.

The highlight of our last day cycling, Thursday, May 4, was the hilltop town of Labine.

While we were there Rob and I climbed the bell tower of the central church.

Back in Rabac, there seemed to be some confusion as to when the boat was leaving. It pulled away from shore, leaving the cooks and bartender waving to us from the dock. The captain quickly changed course. Then it was back to Omisalj, where our journey began, for a celebratory good-bye dinner. Kristofer (one of our guides) played a Croatian song for us on his guitar; then Rob took a turn, playing “Margaritaville.”

Sadly, all good fun comes to an end. So it was with our luxury cruise that had just the right amount of cycling to leave time for tours (in English!) to learn about the places we visited, time to explore on our own, time to eat good food with friends, and time to relax.

Check it out: Island Hopping by Boat & Bike https://www.inselhuepfen.com/en

Friday we disembarked early in the morning. From Omisalj Rob and I spent a day and night in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Then we flew to Dubrovnik where we spent a delightful two days and three nights. We went sea kayaking, walked around the city on the old stone wall, had a private walking tour, and ate lots of great food. If you’re visiting Croatia, skip Zagreb but don’t miss Dubrovnik.

The maps below of each day’s riding are compliments of Mac Jacob:

Tomorrow we leave for Quebec to bicycle around the Gaspee Peninsula, which will not be a luxury tour!