Osor

Not so steep on the left, steep around the shadow to the right.
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Sleeping in peoples houses while you're tavelling is great bacause you kind of feel more like a local. Had a really nice sleep followed by a lovely breakfast in the morning. Chatted to some italien people in the sign language people use when they have no other common language which was fun. Managed to have quite a conversation about bikes and riding.

Left by 10am thinking I'd get to the ferry in no time (I was changing island and going to Cres(pronounced something like stress but with a c at the front)). Funny thing was, Danny was sitting at his front table so I dropped in to say thanks. Didn't manage to leave until 11.30. Met his son who was really nice and funnily enough I had eaten at the restaurant he works at the night before. Met his wife too. I think he got it right this time.

Danny the Dangerous Plum Schnapps Man
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Hour to the ferry and I was on my way to Cres. Looking at the island was a bit  terrifying. I´d met some people who had said that Cres was pretty sreiously hilly and from the look ahead of me they weren´t saying the half of it. It looked like you got off the ferry and it was straight up to 500m. And then I was on my way back to Krk as I had left my Crotia map behind which was very useful as the GPS didn´t have very accurate maps of the islands.

When I finally got off the ferry in Cres I found that there were two ways one could attack the mountian. The new way which was 12kms and totally exposed to the sun, or the old way which was 4km and through a forest but kind of steep. I took the old way.

The track
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Started up a pretty steep slope which I managed to ride up and then it went downhill again. Don´t like having to reclimb things and I was having doubts when a couple drove up in their car so I asked them about the route. It seemed it went down to a little village and then went straight up the hill. And it wasn´t a road, it was a track that was sometimes slightly concreted but mostly just rocky gravel. I did it anyway.

Started out pedalling but realised vey soon that I couldn´t keep it up. So I walked for a bit then pedalled when it wasn´t quite so steep. It was really rocky aswell and you have to be a bit careful of punctures when you have a bit of weight on the back wheel.

The ferry down the bottom holds 5 semis end to end and 3 wide.
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It was actually quite nice, if a bit strenuous, because the trees kept the sun off yet it was quite warm and the light was soft. I stripped down to my bike pants thinking that there would be noone within cooee when a family of bushwalkers came wandering around the corner. They told me I had about 2km before the top so I got a wriggle on. I don´t think it was that far in the end but it was nice  to get up to the old farm that was at the top and have a look back. It´s funny but when you´re at the top looking back down it always amazes me how fast you can get up sometihng so high.

One room of the pension
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Than there was the lovely downhill to Cres town itself. Bought myself a nice big peach and checked the place out. It was so stuck up it was ridiculous. I had a nicecream and the guy just wasn´t interested in serving me. People seemed to look at me funny being on the bike and everyone was that slight bit snooty and fairly unhelpful when I was trying to find somewhere to stay so I thought stuff this, I´m off.

It was getting a bit late so I wasn´t particularly sure if that was such a good idea. I was pretty knackered from the hill climb but I did it anyway. I knew it was 45kms or so till the next town but I thought I could manage it. It was uphill forever. Every corner I was thinking it would go downhill but there was always a slight incline if it wasn´t steep. Finally I got to a long flat bit which gave me a break and I could get some speed up but it was getting late and it didn´t feel like I was getting much closer.

My balcony
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Then came that wonderful downhill. It seemed to go on forever. Not very steep but it went on and on and on. My legs were starting to cramp slightly and I was thinking I better get somewhere soon or I´d be in trouble when I came to Osor.

Really nice little fishing village with one pension. The guy in the restaurant gave me directions but I must have got them wrong because I ended up in a caravan park and had done a full circle and ended up back up the hill a bit. I rode back into town and forund the pesion. About two minutes up the road from the restaurant. I´d ridden for about fifteen.

The owner
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I knocked on the door and noone answered. Knocked again and still nothing. I was about to give up when one of the guests opened the door and came out and let me in as the owner was way out the back of the place and would never have heard me. I was lucky enough to get the last room he had. A really easy going house with different levels all over the place and balconies and gardens and courtyards. I would never have guessed there was so much behind those gates.

I was absolutely exhausted. I had myself a shower, went and had some of the most garlic covered pork chops I´ve ever eaten (house specialty), walked about for a bit and went to bed. Out like a light.