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Gale force winds almost caused us to cancel our planned day trip to Krk, but cabin fever took hold and we decided to risk the bridge crossing. As we drove down towards the coast we caught glimpses of the island and the churned up sea around it. The wind was so strong that we passed motorcyclists stopped on the side of the road, unable to proceed. We weren't sure whether the bridge to Krk would be open, but when we arrived we found that it was only campervans, buses and lorries that were being held back. The bridge crossing was pretty spectacular, with the wind catching the spray below and swirling it in pirouettes across the surface.
The wind was less strong on the other side of Krk Island in the township of Krk. The place was teaming with tourists taking a break from the beach to wander around the numerous souvenir shops and take photos of the scenic old town. Helpfully, many of the old buildings had small signs on them with information (in Croatian and in English) about the history of the building. We passed the old trough, fed by an underground spring, where women used to do the laundry. Next to this old laundry was a statue of a woman carrying a tub on her head (Beks and I amused the boys by posing with her for a photo.).
The town's Roman history was apparent from the Latin names given to some of the streets, the remains of Roman Baths, and the city layout (with two main roads intersecting at right angles to each other). There were also remnants of the defensive fort built to protect the city from the Venetians (unsuccessfully as it turned out).
Down on the waterfront the wind was whistling through the rigging of small yachts moored at the marina. We found a sheltered lunch spot, which turned out to be a bit of a tourist trap with disappointing food for inflated prices. At least the ice cream afterwards was good! On the drive back across the Krk bridge we noticed smoke billowing further down the coast of the mainland near Crikveniza. The wind was still strong enough to make our little Yaris shake, as Dale gripped tightly to the steering wheel. The smoke down the coast was spreading horizontally out to sea. Once across the bridge we got caught in a traffic jam due to the road ahead being closed, so we had to take a detour. We later discovered that fires had broken out at a town just south of Crikveniza and that local authorities were struggling in the wind to get the fire under control. It was so bad that one of the firemen lost his life, as hectares of forest area burned. The fire also threatened residential properties, causing damage to a few unlucky enough to catch some of the sparks being blown about. Meanwhile in Crikveniza, the wind was wreaking havoc at the marina - with boats getting blown from their moorings and smashing into each other and the dock.
By the time we made it back to Drivenik, the 40 minute journey had taken 2 hours. The wind continued to blow for the rest of the evening and into the following day, foiling our plans to take the ferry to the island of Rab. Instead, we arranged to meet Milica and Ouma at Sabia (an upmarket restaurant and bar in Crikveniza) for coffee and cake. Before we could head into town we had to tidy up the one casualty to the wind in Drivenik, a window in the upstairs back door which smashed when a violent gust slammed the door shut. The cake at Sabia was worth the wait. Rich dark chocolate cake (which was still warm) served with mascarpone, cooked figs, raspberries, and a nutty crumble. It was amazing, but I was glad to be sharing it with Dale. Satisfied with our sugar fix, we returned to the house for builder Tim and Dale the apprentice to repair the broken window.
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