DAY 130 - ROGOZNICA TO ZABORIC: 18.01 MILES (36,000 STEPS)

28 August, 2011

Rogoznica to Zaboric

18.01 miles (Total: 1203.9 miles) 36,000 steps (Total: 2,341, 091 steps)

After a slow recovery from my leg cramps at Marina Frapa, I set out up the coast again with Zadar in my sights—about 80 km away. I had not fully recovered because the leg cramps were worst when I was sleeping; in turn this would keep me awake and it was probably the lack of rest that was the main cause of my slow progress. Before leaving the Marina I had received advice from Kike Curavic an endurance diver, that I should try to finish each day of walking by having a swim in the sea and doing some gentle stretches and allowing the salt water to relax the muscles—this I did and the result did help the recovery.

The great joy awaiting me in Zaboric was the Pralija family who had offered accommodation at Apartmant Pralija, Zaboric (http://www.go-reservation.com/croatia/apartments-pralija.php). Ivan Pralija took me for a swim on arrival whilst his mum, Sonja, prepared a wonderful meal. It is true to say that most of my memorable stays have been with families and Ivan and Leona’s young son, Frane, kept us entertained. In the warm evening Ivan and I talked about life for young people and especially young families in Croatia—he was a fully trained IT Consultant who was able to give my laptop a full healthcheck for the first time in years and discovered all sorts of nasties which he removed, with the result that my laptop speed went from Reliant Robin to Aston Martin in the space of an hour. But here is the point—Ivan has seven years higher education behind him and is in a ‘growth sector’ and yet his salary is less than the UK minimum wage. To add to this his wife Leona is a Law graduate and currently doing her articles to qualify, but she is required to work for free. The result is that they are forced to live with Ivan’s parents—who are wonderful—but it does make you wonder about a socio-economic structure where two highly qualified professionals can’t afford to have their own home and therefore the irresistible temptation is for them to leave. Ivan doesn’t want to leave and has a dream not of making a zillion from some IT start-up, but of owning his own restaurant down by the beach and doing his own grill work.

Before  I left the next morning,  Ivan took me up a hill overlooking the town and the bay of Zaboric—it was utterly stunning; I told him that any sympathy I had for him the previous evening had completely evaporated and now most people would be so envious of him—he laughed and we parted. I would guess that if I have the privilege of passing this way again in ten years time, Ivan will still be there with his family and will have that restaurant of his dreams in the land of his fathers and will have chosen the better part in this life.

DAY 130 TO DAY 138: 218.25 MILES (455,390 STEPS)

Day 130 (28 August, 2011)

Rogoznica to Zaboric

18.01 miles (Total: 1203.9 miles) 36,000 steps (Total: 2,341, 091 steps)

Day 131 (29 August, 2011)

Zaboric to Vodice

21.1 miles (Total: 1225 miles) 42,200 steps (Total: 2,383, 291 steps)

Day 132 (30 August, 2011)

Vodice to Biograd n/m

22.05 miles (Total: 1247.05 miles) 44,010 steps (Total: 2,428, 301 steps)

Day 131 (31 August, 2011)

Biograd n/m to Sukosan

10.8 miles (Total: 1257.85 miles) 21,600 steps (Total: 2,449, 901 steps)

Day 133 (2 September, 2011)

Sukosan to Rovanjska

25.53 miles (Total: 1283.38 miles) 51,060 steps (Total: 2,500, 961 steps)

Day 134 (3 September, 2011)

Rovanjska to south of Karlobag

32.31 miles (Total: 1315.69 miles) 62,620 steps (Total: 2,563, 581 steps)

Day 135 (4 September, 2011)

South of Karlobag  to Karlobag

6.33 miles (Total: 1322.02 miles) 12,660 steps (Total: 2,576, 241 steps)

Day 136 (5 September, 2011)

Karlobag to Sv Juraj

32.9 miles (Total: 1354.92 miles) 65,800 steps (Total: 2,642, 041 steps)

Day 137 (6 September, 2011)

Sv Juraj to Klenovica

15.22 miles (Total: 1370.14 miles) 30,440 steps (Total: 2,672, 481 steps)

Day 138 (7 September, 2011)

Klenovica to Rijeka

34 miles (Total: 1404.14 miles) 68,000 steps (Total: 2,760, 481 steps)

DAY 125 - TROGIR TO ROGOZNICA: 18.1 MILES (36,200 STEPS)

23 August, 2011

18.1 miles (Total: 1185.9 miles) 36,200 steps (Total: 2,305, 091 steps)

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more.

Lord Byron, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage

I set off early from Trogir, but I knew that there was something wrong as the cramps continued to bother me. I had received a call from Kike Curavic, who was a world record holding endurance diver and with whom I had been invited to stay in Sebinik, and he told me that I was crazy for walking in these temperatures and that it was going to be hotter today than yesterday and hotter tomorrow than today. I had walked in high temperatures before, especially in Albania, and thought I could make it to Rogoznica.

I had set off at six o’clock in the morning and had expected to reach Marina Frapa, where I had been invited to stay through a contact of Mr Reic in Split, by about 2pm.  It transpired that they were expecting me then and had organised a welcome celebration involving a band. I ended up arriving into the Marina at close to 7pm—five hours late.

As I had walked from Trogir, I had found that I needed to stop every hour for at least half an hour to take on board fluids and Ibruprofen. I reached a beautiful village called Marina at lunchtime and the leg cramps were getting worse. A very kind lady approached me and said that she had read about me in the newspaper and wanted to know if there was anything she could do to help. I said that there wasn’t, but we talked for about fifteen minutes and that took my mind off my legs, which was a relief.

As I stopped at cafes/bars and restaurants along the way, invariably the owner/manager would come out and say that Mr Franjo, the owner of the Marina, had called in looking for me—this must have happened at four out of six stops I made along the way and was backed up by phone calls. I felt guilty at having messed up the plans, but I just couldn’t physically have gone further, faster.

By the time I arrived, the absolutely stunning ‘Marina Frapa’ in Rogoznica, the band may have long gone, but the welcome party led by the Director, Jure Mula (picture) and Marketing Manager, Branmir Jakircevic was a joy to see; not only for their welcome, but for the ice cool selection of fruit juices and water which they had provided.

I had a quick shower and then went on a short tour of the marina, which is certainly amongst the most beautiful and best equipped on the Adriatic, if not the Mediterranean. The array of luxury yachts confirms that they are a favoured place for the ‘discerning client’.

The marina is the vision of a visionary entrepreneur called Franjo Pasalic, who developed the marina from scratch over a period of fifteen years. It is a good lesson in the power of development because with the marina, came first the shops and the restaurants to service the high level clientele of the marina at the marina itself. The marina now employs around 150 people directly, but sustains the growing town of Rogoznica, as the employees at the marina need somewhere to live and they in turn need shops, supermarkets etc. Because the town was attracting attention for its prestigious marina, property developers saw it as a place where non-sailors might want to come on holiday and mix with the ‘rich and famous’ etc. etc. What has been a struggling small fishing village of a few hundred, has now grown into a thriving town of several thousand, providing vital jobs for the local population. But without visionaries prepared to take a risk and local officials prepared to support that vision through planning, then this would never have happened. Moreover without positive welcoming staff, it could not be sustained.

I have been privileged to stay in some very special places on this journey so far, but ‘Marina Frapa’ is probably the place I would most look forward to returning to for a holiday—now there’s a thought to get the legs moving again.