Saturday 6 September: TROGIR to SIBENIC (28 miles) Climb every Mountain

I am awake early feeling a little anxious about our route today: up and over the mountains to Sibenik, our first real day of cycling. I start packing and feel a twinge of Pannier Envy as I survey Simon's meagre pile of "man packing". That extra sundress and bottle of moisturiser seemed a good idea at the time but now I'm not so sure! Breakfast of muesli and fruit on the balcony and we hit the road. Stationary traffic trying to leave Trogir involves us overtaking and meeting oncoming vehicles head on. I am certainly awake now. We buy provisions and start our steady climb. It is now getting hot and tops are soon off as we continue our sweaty ascent. The views are spectacular as we gain height. Once at the top the road heads inland and becomes more undulating. I can keep up with Simon on the up hills but prefer a steady more sedate descent. We pass through wild boar country and see several whole hogs being roasted outside on spits over wood fires. The locals are beginning to congregate for their Saturday carvery. We have a deliciously strong coffee at the half way point which gives me renewed energy. We arrive in Sibenik at about 1pm and are pleasantly surprised at the attractive old town but a little dismayed to find it perched on a hill, its narrow streets cobbled and steeply stepped. We are not sure how we will find our apartment with a bicycle. After a few enquiries we find the address but it appears to be only a locked door. We ring a few bells and eventually the owner appears to show us in. The Grand Terrace Seaview Apartment lives up to its name and we enjoy our simple lunch seeking shade from the sun on the terrace. We wander the medieval streets - a wedding party arrives at the Cathedral. We lie on the town beach for a while and watch a storm approach. We take shelter in the large Fortress at the top of the town and are inprisoned there for a long time listening to the thunder and watching the torrential rain. Back to our by now rather wet terrace to rescue our equally wet washing. Tea and cherry pastry before chilled white wine waiting for the sun to start shining again. There is a medieval festival this weekend and the streets are filled with people jousting and fencing adorned in traditional costume. The owner of our apartment recommends Peligrini for supper and we sit outside in a delightful courtyard surrounded by floodlit fortifications. We drink Babic, a local red wine, expertly decanted into an impressive wide based decanter. Our waiter recommends local specialities and I am brave enough to try Monkfish Tripe ( which really was made from the stomach of the fish - we didn't even know fish had stomachs!) Anyway it was absolutely delicious - as was Simon's Athlantic Benito: a type of Tuna. We walk back along the sea front where the festivities continue and watch them making an enormous type of pizza pie filled with chard and garlic and cooked on an open fire.