We emerged, groggy from
sleep after the mother of all thunderstorms which had raged from just after midnight
until 4am. Mr B, never one to complain, was muttering
that the storm had been so low that it had even made his teeth ache.
Now, the skies were clearing
and there was exploring to be done! The previous day's journey had been a
long one, with a three hour wait for the ferry and a slow, albeit scenic
drive along the ridgeline of Cres (pronounced Tsress) island, past spectacular
drifts of purple flowered wild sage, to Lošinj, Cres's prettier and more
forested cousin, reached across a small bridge at the southern end. The islands
were originally one, until the Romans (or Illyrians) dug an 11m channel to
allow ships to pass.
Our arrival at Camping Čikat had been in the evening and by morning we were keen to find the beach and have a stretch. We had chosen a pitch in amongst some permanents and weekenders at the edge of the site, with Slovenian neighbours, who were really friendly, and happy to natter in a mix of English and Hrvatski, as we exchenged pleasantries. Here it was dark and quiet and away from the busier centre and we could watch the moon tracking through the trees.
The site itself is pretty
big, more holiday village than campsite, and is still under development. The
coastline is beautiful here, with clear turquoise waters, rocky platforms for
bathing and a coastal path for walking and cycling. A bonus for us was the
on-site aquapark, free to campsite guests, which had a fabulous saltwater pool,
some very entertaining tube slides for kids and adults and a stylish art deco
style building. In fact the whole
site was really rather lovely.
It was on one of our forays
on the bicycles that we discovered Restaurant Lanterna, perched on the cliffs
on the headland of the next bay, with an uninterrupted view west to the island
of Susak and the sunsets.
We booked a table for the
next evening when we enjoyed not only the beautiful views, but also a fabulous
fish supper. No farmed fish here, just delicious locally caught seafood. Mr
B had started tucking in before I had a chance to take a photo! And the night
ride back along the narrow path, back past the swish hotels, just added to the
fun!
We'd watched a strange
little boat chug across the bay a few times before we discovered that it was a
'semi-submarine', a small pleasure craft with an underwater seating area. What's
not to love? And so we took a 40 minute trip into the next bay to look at life
underwater; plenty of fish, loads of sea cucumbers, masses of sea urchins and
seaweed and all in all an interesting trip. Dolphins also live in this area –
maybe we will be lucky enough to see them next time.
Mali Lošinj, the nearest town and just a 20 minute stroll away, offered a number of pleasures, including a fish market, a picturesque harbour, a delicious lunch and one of the most inventive museums we've ever visited, created solely to house the restored bronze statue of Apoxyomenos. The statue is a Roman reproduction of a Greek original, depicting an athlete scraping the dust and sweat from his body with a special tool, a strigil, and found just off the coast here in the late 1990s, by a Belgian diver. The statue was found wedged between two rocks about 45m underwater, sadly minus his specialist tool, eyes and a little finger, but then he had been there almost 2,000 years!
He's quite an impressive
chap with his copper lips and nipples, and although you get to see him very
close up, you can only photograph him through a series of porthole windows, a
bit like a peepshow. The museum is housed in an old waterfront mansion, which
has been transformed inside into a journey through several floors, that takes
you from his history to discovery and onto the restoration project that finally
brought him home after being showcased all over the world.
Each room has a different
sensory appeal; the black room with its rubber walls; the underwater room
entirely covered in a beautiful and colourful wool carpet made to simulate the
sea bed, and the olive corridor, lined with olive wood. (Note the fabric
overshoes we had to wear – an excellent way to preserve a clean environment).
Then we got to meet the man
himself, housed in a pure white fabric-walled room. It was an intriguing
experience, under the watchful eye of a security guard. A final treat is a
mirrored room that both gives views across the town and also reflections of the
visitors within. This is museum innovation and design at its best and we loved it!
As the week went on it almost felt like we'd landed in someone else's very upmarket holiday. Lošinj has been a health resort since the late 1800s, first made popular by the Austro-Hungarians for its curative climate for diseases of the respiratory system. The air is lovely here, warm without being humid and wonderfully fresh, scented by pines (many planted by the Austro-Hungarians) and the numerous aromatic plants indigenous to the islands, such as rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme and myrtle, plus, we had experienced a run of uninterrupted sunshine, along with fabulous scenery, turquoise waters and amazing food. The level of the facilities on site were positively luxurious and we shared the headland with a 5* hotel - just us and them and a discreet sprinkling of bars and restaurants across two bays.
Sadly, all good things come to an end, and the time had come to leave Čikat Bay. We did have one more to-do on our list for this visit that Mrs B had spotted, a visit to the Eco Centre in the north east of Cres island, to learn about the Eurasian griffon vultures there. Cres has a population of about 70 breeding pairs, a breed almost extinct in Croatia. It wasn't easy to get information on the centre and even less easy to find, tucked away on a small single-track road just at the entrance to the village of Beli. As we turned off the main road the scenery shifted again – this island is quite incredible in its scenic variations, becoming more lush and green again, more like Lošinj, but still carpeted in Cres’s signature sage. Cres is on the 45th parallel, with the north a temperate zone and the south sub-tropical and has 1,018 (or 1,500, depending on who tells you!) plant species and counting, almost double that of any other Adriatic island, or the UK.
The centre and its staff
were lovely, and keen to tell us about their work, but the rescued and
recovering griffon vultures we'd hoped to see were only on view via a camera
due to an incident with visitors when the vultures had became distressed. The
centre was nevertheless worth a visit, and the work they do there is vital to
the survival of the Cres griffons.
As we drove back to the main road we decided to stop for a last scan of the sky and were treated to a griffon flying directly overhead on the thermals. It was such a thrill to see one of these incredible creatures so close up. A sight we will treasure always. Breathtakingly beautiful. You’ll have to imagine the bird just 15 metres above the van – as unfortunately none of the five pics Mr B fired off managed to capture much except stunning blue sky…
45 minutes later we were still marvelling at our luck as we joined the long queue of traffic for the ferry to Krk…
J&S.
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