Lake Plitvice

Flights only run from Barcelona to Dubrovnik on Thursdays which meant we were back 2 days earlier than we needed to be. Which meant we could start our road trip 2 days early!

I was scheduled to do a unit drive again. This time I had to drive from Croatia to France and we had 2 vans, one trailer and 45 bikes. Because there were two vans, Ingo was also on the same schedule and turned out to be a wonderful, adventurous, fun-loving travel companion. Game for anything.

Stop 1: Lake Plitvice (I'm pretty sure they did not spell it this way in Croatian). This lake is actually a series of smaller lakes at different elevations. They all pour into one another making beautiful waterfalls. Being one of Croatia's larger National Parks, they also built a series of boardwalks that go around or between the lakes giving you better viewing points. I sincerely wish I had a few more hours and a tripod, but it was more than worth the extra driving to get there. It was the first time I really felt fall. Spain was a little too cold or a little too warm. Lake Plitvice- that was my goldilocks moment of fall, when it feels just right and I can't help but live in the moment, reveling in all the things I love. The crisp air, the bright colors the smells. It was just beautiful.

More pictures

Una aventura epica!

Dylan has this rule that you can only use the word epic 3 times in a year. I'm not really sure where it came from, but it does make you think a little before just throwing explatives around all willy nilly.

But the day has come and I officially cashed in my second epic of the year last for the 2010 Backroads Staff Ride in Spain. I wish I could narrow it down to a more specific event, but it was really just the whole shibang! I had a hard time taking pictures because I was a little too in the moment, enjoying the rides and time with friends (new and old). I didn't want to stop or slow down to set up a shot, I just wanted to go go go!

Here is a little taste of how it went down:

Day 1- meet at the bus station and bus 2 hours to high up in the Pyrenes. Bust out km with breathtaking views of the mountains, a couple good climbs and a great windy descent back to camp for a staff meeting (complete with beverages), a cookout and dance party hosted by one of our regional managers, DJ Tanya. Things are just getting started.

Day 2- The jet lag wore off for most of the US leaders and the trip kicks it up a notch with a 22km climb up and over the mountains. I was clicking along when I passed a kid pumping some tunes. Screeeetch! Hold up. I'm riding with this kid. Turns out he's from Portland! Not surprising. Music and Portland go hand in hand. Temperature at the summit: 3 degrees celsius. Why didn't I bring booties?! Followed by a 26km descent to a picnic lunch with warm "blue" wine by a small waterfall. Back on the bikes we head to the hotel (with several breaks for swinging) and discover that our hotel is actually paradise, overlooking a medieval bridge with sunny balconies and connecting rooms. We took a horse-drawn carriage ride to dinner (I'm not joking) and enjoyed a meat-filled (classic Spanish style) dinner at a local restaurant that opened just for us. I soon found out that the leaders were not joking when they said they had warned the owner that people may be dancing on tables as Dire Straits got the party started. Ridiculous. After deciding that we may have to re-varnish the floors and tables the leaders herded us all into vans and shuttled us to the proper disco. Again...open just for us. My partner in crime, Jessie, and I danced well into the morning before walking back across the street to our hotel. How did that get there? Magic! [I would also like to point out that Jessie happened to be at my first "epic" of the year as well, Chamonix. Where she goes, cool things follow.]

Day 3- I think this was my favorite ride! Not just from the trip, but pretty much my entire life! We went uphill for 6 km then downhill for over 20. I don't know how that adds up, but I like it! It was perfect asphalt and graceful turns with two perfect white lines painted on either side of the single-lane road. It looked like a bike race track and we could see our friends further down the line while we coasted along. Eoin behind me making race car noises...pushing me into high gear. No way I'll let an irishman beat me! Awaiting at the bottom: cappuccinos on cobblestone streets. Unbelievable. Back on the bikes, climbing again...6km up then 15 down to lunch. Great company and delicious food with prompt service. Finish the 100km and roll into . Next stop Salvador Dali Museum! So surreal. Ha! It was incredible. I could have spent all day there, but still enjoyed the treat. Dinner: tapas. More laughing and sneaking away for an earlier bed-time.

Day 4- Last day. Already! We had some big rollers in the morning and ate our lunch in (another) medieval village then rolled the rest of the way to the beach. Picture it, two days earlier I was at 1800m freezing in the pyrenes and now I'm at the beach, sweating in the sand! Amazing. I chose to do the long option despite the discouraging hills and ominous warnings from the leaders (the ride was actually called, ")and it was worth it! Gorgeous views and Alex waiting at the top with juice and potato chips! Raced the boys down the big hill and onto the dirt bike path for a cyclocross style 8km finish! Our final night hotel is overlooking the water with a little beach party going on out front. Food, food and more food. Oh...and massages! Followed by a nice(r) dinner in the hotel restaurant then a quick superman change to get ready for the send off...our private foam party at the local club. It was soapy, slippery and silly and the manager of Europe was dancing on the bar in a swim cap. How does this happen?

Dear Backroads,

I love you. You rock my world.

Sincerely,

Erin

You couldn't wipe this smile off if you tried. Pictures are slow coming as I compile my friends' photos together, but this should get you started. They might be a little backwards chronologically.

Bar(th)elona

It is a regional thing: they have a lisp. It is completely noticeable and very fun/funny.

We had one whole afternoon in Barcelona before the start of our grand adventure with the rest of the party people so Ingo and I enjoyed lunch with Lynny, Joel and Becca then hit the streets trying to cram in a little intro to Spain.

After that we commandeered a hostel. 16 Backroads leaders in one place, unplanned. The unsuspecting regular guests were a little scared.

Now it's off to the festivities! "Cause there ain't no party like a Backroads partay...hey...ho."

Where was I?

Ahhh...yes. Croatia.

I had two quick, back to back trips in Croatia. Both smaller groups. Both overshadowed slightly by the inclimate weather. Both with great co-leaders, entertaining guests and tons of laughs.

We even experienced a puppy surprise! We were biking down a small road in the wine country on Korcula Island and a bunch of little puppies jumped out of the bushes and started chasing us. Then they got tired and took a nap. This is not a joke. This is my life...it is THAT good.

And of course, after finishing a trip the best thing a leader could possibly do is have a falafel at Nishta (probably the only veggie place in all of Croatia) then lay out and work off the food coma with the kitty cats.

I would also like you to meet Ed. Within the first 3 days of our trip he sent over 40 postcards! Detailed, individualized post cards with tiny letters and black ink. Here's to you Ed. Thanks for reminding me to stay in touch with the ones I love and make time for the little things.

FAMiliarize yourself.

Every time you are sent to a new region with Backroads you a few days (in my case 4) when you are paid to go see the area. We call it our FAM. It's a lot of driving (you drive all the routes you will be biking and try to take notes), and meeting subcontractors (or knocking on their doors with no answer), and seeing hotels and restaurants, and pretty much asking everyone where their bathroom is, not because you need to use it but you have to be able to tell your guests. You basically want to finish your FAM and be able to visualize the whole trip so that you can BS the first one you lead and the guests will all think you have done it before.

Unfortunately for me, it rained tropical storm style rain for the first 2 days. That's always exciting. But after the rain stopped (and I got my rental car towed out of the mud puddle it was stuck in) I finally fell in love with Croatia. Truth be told, I was on the fence. I'm not sure why but it was starting to feel like one of those places that people talk about and I just look around and think I don't get it. Don't get me wrong. It's beautiful! But there are a lot of beautiful places in the world with good food and friendly people (see Ireland posts). Then I was driving through Korcula (the 3rd island we visit) and it hit me. Holy crap. I get it. This place ROCKS!

Love at second sight...or third. 6 ferries and about 30 hours of driving later...I get it. The history is fascinating and the crystal clear water is intoxicating. It was not built to accommodate tourists, or cars or convenience. It was built for agriculture and family and, in the major cities, defense. They were at war only 20 years ago. I would have been 10 when Dubrovnik was bombed by the neighboring Serbs and the former Yugoslavia (from whom they were seeking independence). I can not fathom that. These people are strong and resilient and defiant. If they aren't overly friendly to make me feel better, well...that's just fine. I got over it.

I ordered "salt fish" one night. Thinking I like fish and I LOVE salt. Sounds good! Yeah. Sardines, whole sardines. Lesson 1: Every time you order fish here it's the whole fish: head, skin, bones and all. I think it's looking at me.

Lesson 2: The roads have very few guardrails and big cliffs or water right next to the edge. This is the definition of a blind curve: go around the fortress wall praying there is no one on the other side and don't drive off into the water. This is a main road. The only road actually. All the little towns make you do a quick second guessing of directions when you feel like you are driving on the sidewalk.

I made wine!!!

Whenever you are leading with Backroads you are given a leader house to stay in wherever you may be assigned. The great thing about Croatia is our leader house is actually a family home. As in...there is a family that lives here. Tony, Nikka, their son Mato, his wife Julianna and their children Matea and Anton. It is actually a really good break from the backroads world and be invited into "normal" Croatian life.

What is extra awesome is that this particular family is well educated, liberal minded and completely sustainable. They make everything that they eat with the exception of meat, sometimes fish and cheese. They grow all their fruits and vegetables, bake their own bread, make their own olive oil AND make their own WINE (and grappa which is kind of like brandy).

They only harvest the grapes one day each year and they have to make the wine that day so that the grapes don't go bad and I just happened to be here! Lucky me!!!

SO first they harvested the grapes. I was not actually here for that part because I was riding to Dubrovnik to take a walking tour regarding the war in Dubrovnik. Learning. Once the grapes have been harvested they keep them covered and out of the sun as much as possible so they don't go bad before smashing.

After they harvest the grapes they have to weigh them. They have this archaic scale that works just fine with a long rod and counter-weight. Apparently this contraption was Tony's granfather's originally, but it works so as we would say in America, "if it ain't broke, why fix it?"

After weighing the grapes you smash them. This machine is from the 60's...but again...it works. You throw them all in (skins and stems and all) and then the machine crushes them releasing the juice and you put all of the juice and grape remains into a larger plastic tub for fermenting.

After you have added all the grapes to the big (white) plastic tub you measure with a cylinder and pipet that acts as a buoy and measures the amount of sugar that the grapes naturally provide. This determines how much sugar they need to add, not only for flavor but also for fermentation purposes. Fermenting the grapes only takes about a week. It actually starts NOW. They will put a big "presser" on top tonight and that smashes them down to squeeze out more juice. By the time we finished tonight it had actually already started to "bubble". By this time tomorrow if you lean over the tub you could pass out from the CO2 and fall in and drown. Apparently people die this way every year! It's in the paper.

After a week in the big, white plastic tub the "grape juice" is filtered out (through a drain on the bottom) into wooden barrels and then left in there for 3-4 months. (Now here is where really good wineries would probably say at least 2 years...but who's counting...it's home-made!) All the other stuff (the stems and grape remains, etc) is used to make the grappa, but I have no idea how, because we didn't do that. We made wine.

Last step: they move it once more into steel casks which stops the wine's aging process but allows them to open and draw from the casks as often as they want. So that next year when I am here we will be drinking MY wine.

This last picture is a plaque on the wall outside their home. You can't read it because of the light and you woudn't be able to anyway because it is in Croatian, BUT it is a memorial plaque to the rebuilding after the Homeland War. In 1991 this house was burned to the ground as were all the homes around here. It was five years before they were allowed to return to their own house, living in hotel rooms in the city and commuting every day to rebuild it. That was only 19 years ago. All the adults here remember it vividly. Incredible.

See more pictures of the wine-making process here.

My library

I have a lot of information to study since I have never actually been in Croatia and starting Sunday have to lead a trip here and teach people all about the area and the history and the fascinating Balkan region. Point being...I have a lot to read.

BUT I have a beautiful "beach" to read by and study at. I have to pay 25 kuna to be there, but it's worth it.

PS. 25 kuna is about 5USD. Expensive.

And then the cruise ships come in.