Punat and Baška

In the middle of the night, feeling thirsty, I took a swig of flavoured tea. Instant vertigo. Wow, I must be undernourished to be affected like that by a bit of sugar.

After a breakfast of pastries and coffee, I met up with Ivo to go to Košljun Island which is only 200m off the coast. There is a Franciscan monastery there where Ivo would attend mass, and I would take a walk around the island. Transport is by water taxis waiting at the wharf.

Here we see a reminder of the Italian part of my trip, half a lifetime ago, our friend the Wolf of Gubbio and his saviour, St. Francis. For those who are sceptical of St. Francis talking to animals, the story has probably been embellished over time. One suggestion is that the Wolf was the nickname of a notorious bandit who was persuaded to repent by St. Francis.

The island is small and it is possible to do a circuit in half an hour. There are interesting birds in the trees but I don't know what they are.

Back at Punat, Ivo is going to do some work, so I will go to Baška, at the southern tip of Krk. The bus isn't until 1340 so I have lots of time to get lunch. There is a "Mexican Restaurant" in Krk and I see that they serve hot wings and chips. Good, I haven't had wings for a while and it will be a sour and spicy change from Croatian cuisine. While waiting for my food, I saw some tourists buy wine from door sales at the wine cellar opposite the restaurant. Some things are still done the old way in the country.

Baška is given over to mass tourism: oily bodies, beach chairs, ice cream vendors, kitschy souvenirs, apartments; the whole catastrophe. It was a Sunday and the place was fairly thick with tourists. Still it is one of the best beaches in Croatia and I seem to recall that it is actually sandy, unlike the majority, which are pebbly. I actually didn't mind the crowds, but the day was a bit hot for my taste so I enjoyed the breeze under shade.

These "cars" are floats for the use of swimmers. Eye-catching idea.

At one end of the waterfront is where ferries leave for Rab Island. Rab is visible from Krk.

That evening, back in the hostel, I realised that I had reached a milestone in my travels. I was now on my second tube of toothpaste and my second pack of disposable razors. Dear oh dear, I must be itching for a change to make such observations in the diary. Ah well, off to Zagreb soon, and then after a few days, onwards to a different country, Slovenia.