The ‘Tarin’ left the port of Novigrad at 07:00 and during breakfast we motored northwards the thirty kilometres to Umag, a town where one of the ATP World tennis events is held each year. It’s about five kilometres south of the Slovenian border.
At 09:00 we commenced our ride which followed a fairly gentle rise initially but there were three or four sections of about 2km each where the climb was fairly demanding and strenuous. We arrived at Buje a hilltop town at 222m above sea level. It is sometimes referred to as the ”Sentry over Istria”. After a coffee we had half an hour to wander around the old city and we found in the hidden alleyways the Parish Church of St. Servulus. This church was built on the foundations of the Temple of Jupiter in1272 and refurbished in 1784. Its entry door is magnificent as is the bell tower next to it.
Hill up to St Martins Church, Buje
Clock Tower, St Martins Church, Buje
St Martins Church 001, Buje
Street, Buje
Our next hour’s riding took us up to our highest point at just over 300m. The ride was up a near constant gradient with an occasional respite that was always welcome in the early afternoon sun.
Just before entering the historic city of Groznjan we had our first sight of the remains of the Parenzana. This was a railway line built in Mussolini’s time connecting Trieste in Italy through Slovenia to Porec in Croatia. The line operated from 1902 to 1938 and carried passengers and freight. Our introduction to the Parenzana was to ride through a disused railway tunnel and back just for fun.
Tunnel on Parenzana railway line, Groznjan
We then rode a little further into Groznjan for a lunch break and some well earned rest.
The city of Groznjan is a ‘picture perfect’ location with beautifully preserved old medieval buildings and glorious views over the Mirna Valley. It is now an artists’ enclave with numerous galleries and boutique shops within the old town. Despite the fact that it has fewer than 100 inhabitants it can be called a city because it has a cathedral, a city square, a post office and an administrative building. The view from this hill top ‘city’ out towards the Adriatic was glorious with minimal haze and a deep blue sky.
Street, Groznjan
Water tank, Groznjan
Beers, Groznjan
After our lunch break we had the luxury of a fifteen minute downhill ride which brought us back to near sea level again. The high-speed descent was exhilarating with some in our group going at seriously high speeds and others riding more cautiously.
Then we had a less than pleasant 10km ride on a gravel road that is a cycle track made along the old Parenzana rail-line. The road was rocky and bumpy with loose stones and potholes and followed the Mirna River through to the Adriatic. The waters of the Mirna provide irrigation for paddocks next to the bike trail. Farmers were forage harvesting lucerne as we passed.
Bike path along Mirna River
At the end of the gravel road we then had a short but steep sealed road for two kilometres into Novigrad. This meant that we’d covered 55km in our travels with a total ascent of just on 600m.
The ‘Tarin’ left Novigrad port and anchored for the night in a bay close by.
Sunset from MV Tarin, Novigrad
After our evening meal the crew put on a concert with the skipper (“Admiral”) playing acoustic guitar and the boat owner playing piano accordion. Our two guides sang Croatian and German songs although Waltzing Matilda was also included in their repertoire.
The admiral & owner, singalong sesion on MV Tarin
Ina & Villy, singalong sesion on MV Tarin, Novigrad
At 21:30 we all decided it was time for an early night after an excellent but energy sapping day. Tomorrow should be much easier as we will just follow the coastline from Novigrad back down to Porec a distance of only 25km.