Biking in Croatia

About a month before leaving for the cruise, we booked excursions for three out of four of our destinations. The first of these excursions was a bike tour through the hillsides near Dubrovnik, followed by a wine tasting at a local winery.

On the way to Gruda, where we picked up the bikes, our guide pointed out sites of interest, including the town of Dubrovnik (where many of our fellow cruisers spent the day). As we passed the city, she said, "You'll notice two types of roofs -- ones with yellow tiles and ones with red. The yellow tiles are traditional. The red ones are replacement tiles for roofs rebuilt after the war." Almost all of the roofs were red, a sobering reminder of the recent conflicts in the area.

Dubrovnik

She also showed us a milk factory which had been bombed during the war and never rebuilt. Even in the stories of war and atrocities, however, I felt that there was a common theme of Croatian resilience. While some buildings were left in shambles and many farms abandoned, the people in the area had refocused their energies on the tourist industry, which now supports much of the economy. The area in itself was so beautiful, it is not surprising that the tourist industry has bounced back so well after the war.

Soon, we finished our ride to the town of Gruda, and arrived at a rather suspect looking building, surrounded by a high fence and built out of gray cinder blocks. Whispers circulated around the bus about how the building looked like a prison.

Our Destination

However, when we walked inside, we found a beautiful winery, with stone walls and large, sturdy tables.

Inside ... It's a Winery!

After a quick restroom break, the guides for the bicycle portion of our tour passed out the bikes, asked us to check the seat levels and brakes, and we were off. Even though I've been riding a bike for months, I suddenly realized I wasn't really sure what to do with the two sets of gears. (I have a traditional Dutch bike, which means there are no gears to switch.) Fortunately, (with a little help from Mr. Traveler), I figured it out pretty quickly. Unfortunately, my bicycle seemed to have a problem where the chain didn't stick properly when I changed gears, so I spent a lot of time going back and forth between gears trying to get the bike into gear.

We rode uphill past vineyards, olive trees, and streams. On the way we passed one house, which our guides told us had been left as-is after the war as a reminder to never forget what had happened.

Small House Attacked During War

The furthest point on our bike tour was a monastery at the top of a steep hill. Once we made it to the top, the 30 minute break to walk around, take pictures, and enjoy a snack was certainly welcome.

Monastery Courtyard

Bikes Lines Up During the Break

Across from the monastery was a small chapel that was used by enemy forces to store weapons during the war.

Chapel Across from Monastery

In this peaceful location in the mountains, it was hard to imagine how this beautiful place was plagued by war only a couple decades ago.

Beautiful Scenery with Grape Vines and Olive Trees

On the way down, we stopped at an old waterwheel and mill. We weren't able to spend to much time looking around, but we did get a quick demonstration about how the mill operated.

Mill Demonstration

Finally, we returned the the winery, where the owner provided us with tastes of several of the local wines. I was pretty thirsty and hot, so it was hard for me to truly appreciate the flavors in the wine. For each sip of wine, I had about 3 sips of water.

At the end of the day, we were tired and sweaty, but I definitely thought the excursion was worth it. We saw amazing scenery, both from our bikes and from the bus, and sampled local Croatian wines. On the bus ride back to the ship, Mr. Traveler and I agreed that we would put the area on our list of places to visit again.

Taken from Bus