From Grado, we head via Trieste and Slovenia along narrow country roads to Nin, in the heart of Croatia. The little one is enjoying the trip to the full. Nin is often described as Croatia’s windiest kitesurfing spot. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case at all during our visit.
A stretch of calm doesn’t matter, because our lovely little campsite in Zlaton has a swimming pool. The Smurf is over the moon, the neighbours are friendly and the beer is cold. A few metres down to the sea, the sun sinks into a fireworks display as a sundowner.
Surrounded by the sea and salt pans, Nin is said to be Croatia’s oldest town. Apart from a tower without a church and a town gate, however, there is absolutely no sign of this. The crowds stream through a small village and pay any price for expensive nothing.
The main kitesurfing spot is right in front of Nin, on the bay. On either side of the 600-metre-long sandbank, there are standing areas at least 80 metres wide. The lads from the kitesurfing school are friendly and helpful. You’re allowed to kitesurf from the middle of the sandbank onwards. Before that, the area is reserved for swimmers.
The only danger is a long line of rocks about 80 m out to sea. I watch a Croatian on a 12m kite drifting away. I wonder what weapon I could use to shoot down the 21m Soul and silence his cries of joy. With a zero forecast for a full two weeks, I desperately need a compensatory sport.
We head into the truly impressive old town in nearby Zadar. Surrounded on three sides by the sea, it offers a truly hilarious mix of old communist prefab buildings set amidst Baroque, Romanesque and Venetian history.
After four days comes the most gruelling stretch of the journey. Despite 100 km of toll roads around Split, it takes us a full eight hours to reach Dubrovnik. From Makarska, the coastal road is the most beautiful cliff-side rollercoaster in the world. Deep blue waters, old villages and speeding motorcyclists take us over 180 km to the Neretva river delta with its orchards and vineyards.
Dubrovnik became an exclave following the creation of a sea access route for the Ottomans in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, around Neum, in 1718. On my last trip, two tedious border crossings were still necessary. Today, you can travel comfortably and quickly via the new Pelješac Bridge and motorway-like expressways to within 50 km of Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik lies on a mountainside with a 45° gradient. Nature dictates the architecture. New houses almost exclusively have flat roofs at street level. Cars are parked on them. Not a single square centimetre goes to waste. The tow truck operators at the bus stops are pieceworkers in the parking war, with fees of up to €120 a day. Only in Cannes during the film festival can you find parking in Europe that’s even more expensive.
We speed on 15 km to Plat, as €80 a day for a campsite in Dubrovnik (without electricity) is a bit too steep for us after all. The lovely Laguna Autocamp is set in a steep, terraced olive grove. We have a direct view of the turquoise-blue Adriatic Sea, 100 steps below. The whole family is happy with the little beach. The Smurf sings “Irgendwann bleib i dann da”. Strong mountain winds rattle our tent during the night.
The next morning, the bus takes us to Dubrovnik quite quickly for very little money. None of us has ever been here before. But Game of Thrones. And that’s also why there are up to five cruise liners full of ‘terror tourists’ every day. Because of them, Dubrovnik is considering introducing a general entry fee. You have to understand that, because the €40 entry fee for the castle and city walls simply doesn’t cover the costs.
A scoop of ice cream €3.50. A kebab €17.90. Lost parking ticket €450. Mooring in the harbour €700. I’d expected more. The rest? A beautiful white old town. In front of every house stands a flag-bearer with his catchy-tune-singing entourage. “That wall. That window. That door.” Fascinated, I understand why, for the “free” walking tours in Dubrovnik, a globally unique €50 per person is recommended as a tip for the guide…
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.