FRIDAY 15-6-18

So yesterday evening with the German's next door having gone out, The Chef goes around the back of the motorhome to draw some water from the shared fresh water tap. Next thing she's shouting out for me. The 'Hoselock' arrangement on the tap had come off and water was pouring out everywhere. I tried to stem it but without success, and so went over to the owners house to let them know. They fixed it temporarily. I said to The Chef that I bet the 'Idiot German' had known what he'd done and got in his car and legged it for the evening leaving some other unsuspecting person to 'discover' the problem.

We slept really well again last night. The night is nothing but total silence, we can't even hear the water lapping, which is unnerving, as should there be a tsunami we'd be among the first to go, so it would be good to get a bit of a heads-up.

Having scrubbed up we went for a walk along the service road beside the water's edge in the opposite direction to yesterday. Sadly we couldn't go nearly as far that way without going up on to the main road and walking along it without a footpath. That didn't seem like a good idea and so made our way back.

There wasn't much wind and so we decided to deploy the wind-out awning, an engineering marvel in my opinion, how they get so much to fold and wind up in to such a small space amazes me. It was fine for a while and then, of course, the wind increased and the awning was again not terribly happy again. As I didn't want to spend another day in the full glare  of the strong sunshine, continually slapping on sunscreen, I needed to find a solution. In the end I tied the awning down with nylon string and tent pegs. That worked for a while until the awning 'canvas' started flapping. Then I had to pass a length of string over the top of the awning and secure it to the existing pegs. That worked quite well, though I did need to keep tightening it. What frustrates me more than anything is that just about everybody else's awnings seem to sit there quite happily, not flapping, not trying to dance around in the wind. It's always been like that. I think I will ask the folk at Essanjay to take a look at it when we turn  up there to get the gas problem sorted.

I said to The Chef, if I'd had a crystal ball and had known how this trip would work out I could have left a ton of stuff behind saving lots of weight which would then have allowed me to bring along all of the awning guy ropes and straps etc that I have at home gathering dust.

The 'Idiot German' next door has today been joined by fellow campers. They arrived in a motorhome and have pitched up in front the German's caravan, and having had to listen to them for most of the afternoon I can officially confirm that there is nothing more irritating than the sound of noisy, happy Germans.

I spent a bit of my time this afternoon sorting out my wardrobe and spraying 'Mr Sheen' on the interior surfaces. Tomorrow will be wash-day and Sunday housework. I'm keen that when we leave here on Monday for Venice we're straight and tidy with all jobs up to date.

Checking the news on the BBC News website I see that two moped riders have been given life sentences of something like twenty-five years each for stabbing a charity worker (what's that going to cost the taxpayer?). This got me thinking.

London is suffering an epidemic of knife crime and murders, more this year, I think, than New York City. Well, remember the good old days when the police had the powers to 'Stop & Search', and how the ethnic community complained that the police were targeting black youths more than white, ignoring the statistics of who was actually committing the majority of knife crimes, and so to appease the ethnic minority the police drastically reduced 'Stop & Search', and those they did stop they meticulously documented, just to appease the limp-wristed liberal do-gooders. Wouldn't it be ironice if now those same people went back to the police and pleaded with them to start 'Stop & Search' again so that their kids can be safer?

Learning lessons from the past maybe the Met Police could introduce a 'Loyalty Card' scheme whereby if coloured youths got stopped and searched, say more than three times a month, they would qualify for a stamp on their loyalty card. The card could then be redeemed in one of two ways. Firstly if the police finally nail them for a crime they DID commit, then for every fully stamped card they get a full year off their sentence, and secondly, if they didn't get prosecuted for any crime, particularly drug related, then at the age of 25 they would qualify for a free  set of steak knives.

Next it was a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons regarding making 'Upskirting' a criminal offence which was blocked by Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope who shouted out 'Object' during the reading, that's all he had to do or say to kill the bill off. I do hope his constituents remember that disgraceful act come the next General Election.

In the end I had to bring the awning in as the nylon string kept stretching and the awning kept dancing. Hopefully we can get it out again tomorrow.

This evenings meal was the last of the 'Parsley Box' meals - Coq Au Vin, which, to Essex man, is a bit of sophisticated dining. To a Frenchman, it's nothing more than  sex in the back of a Ford Transit.

THURSDAY 14-6-18

Well that was a nice quiet day. We slept well as expected, what a treat it was to wake up next to the water rather than the motorway.

We decided to go for a walk towards the local community, but before we left I wanted to deploy the wind-out awning (we put it away every night) to ensure some cheeky camper doesn't try and squeeze in between us and next door. Unfortunately the wind had changed direction since yesterday and the awning really wasn't happy, so back in it went.

We didn't have too far to walk before we came across what there was of the village. It wasn't much but at least it had Mini Market which sold milk should we need it and a bakery where The Chef bought a rather nice fresh loaf.

Then it was back to do not much at all really only to move the vehicle over about eighteen inches so that it really would be unreasonable for somebody to try and squeeze in the gap.

We decided to eat our lunch outside as it was so lovely, though also so windy. This meant that the crisps on my plate which I had with my sandwiches kept blowing off, never mind, more for the ants to eat.

This afternoon whilst soaking up the sunshine our Austrian next door neighbour moved his motorhome around ninety degrees to try and shield is awning when he deployed it, only to move it back again about an hour later, so I guess that didn't prove to be such a good idea after all.

On our other side we have new neighbours - German caravanners, the worst kind. Now I know I keep mentioning them, and I'm sure some may think I exaggerate their land grabbing habits. But indented to this text is this afternoons picture of their satellite dish. Most people would mount it on a tripod, that is  normal practise, but not these people. They have decided to mount it on the fresh water tap mounting. The squealing from his tuner went on for ages and will no doubt continue to go on from time to time as people like myself continue to draw our water from the tap and hopefully throw out the tuning. I still can't make up my mind whether these people are rude or stupid, or maybe a bit of both.

Tomorrow we'll take ourselves off for another walk, this time in the opposite direction. The joys of having nothing to do. Mind you we needed a bit of a rest, and our next stop is Venice where we'll be in the thick of things, so we should make the most of it.

WEDNESDAY 13-6-18

What a noisy night that was. Not from the passing traffic at the Truckstop but from the multiple thunderstorms we heard, complete with sheet lightening, but fortunately with very little rain, so I suppose we must have been right on the edge of it all.

This  morning we needed to decide what we were going to do as we have a whole week to get to Venice where we're booked in for five nights. We considered going back to Omis, even thought it was awful, but at least from where we could get the bus to Split, a visit to which still alludes us. But I felt we should keep moving forward if we possibly could. In the end we agreed that we would come off the toll road at the next interchange, take a ride along the coastal road between Pirovac and Zadar, and if we had not found a suitable campsite by then we'd get on the toll road and leg it north to the Istria Peninsular and try our luck at the campsite we stayed at last time near Pula, which I think was 'Camping Arena Stoja', that's if they had space for us of course.

So that was the plan, and off we went. The toll fee was only about two pounds, that's because we found the Truckstop soon after joining the toll road last night, and managed to get off it just down the road this morning. Still it did provide us with a cheap night's accommodation.

After coming off the toll road we arrived at Pirovac and decided to take the plunge and have a look around. Down towards the water's edge we went. It was in fact, a very nice community and we thought it would be good to find somewhere to camp and enjoy a few days there. I spotted the Tourist Information Office and The Chef popped in to find about campsites. Out she came - there were three and she showed me where they were on a map. Having then found ourselves at a dead-end down by the jetty I had to do a three point turn in a confined space much to the amusement of one of the locals who stood and watched me in disbelief, especially if it had been his driveway I eventually used to assist with the turn.

Back on track we found the first campsite. We were invited to take a look around and pick a pitch. The Chef said that it would work out about thirty euro's a night, and if we pitch on one of their 'Premium' pitches it could cost up to forty euros. So we drove around. What a dump, before long the owner of the campsite waiting in anticipation of a quick sale, instead saw us drive straight past and out again. Then we tried the second campsite. What a nightmare. The access to it was down a very, and I mean very, narrow roadway past private houses, before turning right in to what was supposed to be the campsite. Well it may have been able to accommodate a handful of tents but that was about all. What a hell of a job I had to back up and get turned around. The air was blue, and we were gone. Back on the road again.

It was an enjoyable drive along the coastal road, seeing the real Croatia. What we have noticed is the lack of litter or graffiti, which is good. It says that they are proud of their country and communities. Something we lack back home these days.

We did come across a Lidl supermarket and bought a few bits and pieces. Our thinking being that if we did find a campsite we needed to be self-sufficient whist we were there. That done we plodded on. It was lunchtime and the Chef had suggested we eat at Lidl's but I didn't want to because we hadn't actually parked in the Lidl car park, it being too small and crowded, and had instead parked in an area outside, which I felt we should vacate in case other campers wanted to pull in there.

We were getting closer and closer to Zadar, our cut-off point, when I spotted a sign for 'Camping Antonio' here in Turanj (GPS: N43.973773 e15.399949). The access road was good, the manager very relaxed and helpful and the pitch really nice. We had a choice of being in the scruffy bit with the caravanners amongst the trees or at the water's edge, but with a bit of a breeze blowing as the norm. Well since we'd sat indoors on Truckstops etc with not a breath of air, a breeze was going to be a bonus. And all for twenty-three euro's a night including electricity.

I think it likely we will now be here for five nights since we have nowhere else to go. The Chef reckons this is the most relaxing site we've been to since the start of the trip - and who am I to argue.

This evening's meal was two more 'Parsley Pot' meals, this time it was Chilli Con Carne, and I have to say it wasn't bad at all. The Chef had to add the rice element, ending up with enough to feed the neighbours as well, but never mind. We're going to finish off the remaining 'Parsley Pot' meals while we're here, and that will make a bit of space in the rear garage locker. With the meal I had another glass or two from a box of some ghastly Greek red wine which I'm sure doctors there prescribe for kids with a bad cough. It seems to be getting sweeter every time I drink it. I can't wait to get in to France and buy some decent stuff to drink.

Tomorrow we plan to go on an exploratory walk about.

TUESDAY 12-6-18

My word what a dreadful day this has been.

First we left Dubrovnik and backtracked about five miles, two of which were through Dubrovnik itself. We were on our way to a supermarket back down the road which we spotted on our way in to Dubrovnik. Once there The Chef popped in and got the bits we needed while I stayed with the vehicle, in case where I had parked caused somebody a problem.

That done it was back towards Dubrovnik, but rather than go in to the town we bypassed it and crossed the very impressive road bridge.

The plan was to make our way along the coastal road towards Omis whilst enjoying the views of the Dalmatian coastline along the way. We hadn't been gone too many miles before we were caught in a long and almost stationary traffic jam. It was so slow I kept turning the engine off to save a  bit of fuel. When we finally reached the front it was nothing more than some idiot having put his small van in to the wall. Nothing major, yet the police were incapable of traffic control to ensure the traffic moved in both directions equally.

Once finally clear of that we were held up by an old Hymer motorhome towing a trailer with a motorbike on it, registered in the Netherlands. He made no effort at all to assist other vehicles to get past him which of course makes for irritated drivers who then often make careless mistakes trying to overtake. We didn't shake him off until we got to the Bosnia and Herzegovina border. This is a stretch of their country about twenty miles wide which we have to pass through, before re-entering Croatia. We cleared the border before him and were away.

Luckily we found ourselves on a new stretch of toll road which helped us eat up a few miles in a more relaxed way. There were very few vehicles on the toll road and we wondered if it was because of the charges. Croatia has been the most expensive country we've passed though on this trip and we were worried that the charges on the road might be horrendous.

Time was getting on and we needed to find somewhere to pull over for lunch. Unfortunately there were very few lay-by's. Eventually we came across the Croatian version of a Truckstop. By now it was about 13:30 and it was really hot, but there was nothing we could do about it.

Fed and watered we were back on the road. The satnav had been given the GPS co-ordinates for 'Camping Galeb' at Omis, a campsite we stayed at three years ago. Although there was clear signage above the exit for Omis and other destinations the satnav took us along just one more exit, leaving us to struggle down from the mountains on a dreadful winding, narrow road, where I had to peep my horn in a few places in case there was something coming the other way. I think the satnav realises there is a reducing number of opportunities to mess us about on this trip, and so is trying to get in as many as it can in the time remaining.

On arrival at Camping Galeb (GPS: N43.440389 E16.679664) The Chef popped in to Reception to book us in for two or three nights. Out she came to inform me that we had to find a pitch in Zone 'B', so I locked up and off we went. My word the campsite was busy, it was almost deserted the last time we were here. As we walked down the road between two lines of pitches I noticed one or two familiar faces, then more. Bugger me-  it was only most of our previous neighbours from the German circus which had left Dubrovnik this morning the same as us. Obviously they didn't go shopping, and used the toll road for the whole journey, thus avoiding the long traffic jam.

We picked a pitch number, B6 and returned to Reception to claim it. Too bad it was already booked, presumably for a late arrival from the German circus. That was it for me, the place was heaving. We decided to make a our way along the coast to Split itself and see if we could find somewhere. I checked the Camperstop book and there looked to be one, and so I punched in the co-ordinates, only to find on our arrival it was a campsite I had been in communication with months ago with a view to our staying there during or Split visit, to be told that at this time of year they will not accept less than a five-night stay. Anyhow, we were there and so may as well ask. We were told they are very busy but there may be space down at the bottom near the tents, and there might not be any electricity. So once again I locked up and we walked through the campsite. It went on and on. I didn't realise they had campsites so big. It was my idea of hell. In the end we gave up walking towards the tents however much further ahead they lay, and returned to the vehicle fired it up and left.

Now we were going to continue along the coastal road keeping an eye out for any suitable campsite along the way. We did pass a few but they looked both full and scruffy, so I kept going. We agreed to carry on along the coastal road until we got to Srbenik when we'd get on to the toll road again.

And so it was, and here we are - on a Croatian Truckstop with no trucks having joined us so far, though there a half a dozen on the one across the road on the other carriageway.

I've been too frustrated and fed up to be able to think of a plan 'B' now, as we are not booked in to Venice until the 19th, a week's time. We could contact them and see if we could bring it forward, but I have booked and paid for a tour of the Doge's Palace on the 21st.

The problem is that normally we'd have passed through here a couple of weeks or so ago, but we came away later than usual because we wanted to tie in our journey through Provence in France with the flowering of the lavender and maybe even the sunflowers. But in doing so it's now biting us on the bum, because everywhere down this part of the world is now very busy with the holiday season.

Hopefully we'll get a good night's sleep here and in the morning we'll come up with a plan 'B', though there'll be no guarantee there will be somewhere for us to park when we get there.