Aventures Bicyclétales ...

country overview, map and followed itinerary, the journal with the best pictures, the highlight, what I liked / didn't like, useful information.
.

Country overview (as of April 2009)

• Capital city : Zagreb.
• Area : 56,542 km2 (= 0.08 x France).
• Population : ~ 4.2 million inhabitants (= 0.07 x France).
• Density : 74 inhabitants / km2. 

• Language : Croatian.
• Religion : Catholicism.
• Human Development Index (HDI) : 0.862, the 45th country out of 177. What is HDI ?

• Government : Republic.
• President : Stjepan Mesic (depuis Février 2000).
• Prime minister : Ivo Sanader (depuis Décembre 2003).

• Growth rate in 2007 : 4.7%.
• Currency : Kuna (HRK), 1 Euro = 7.24 Kunas.
• Main imports : oil, vehicles, equipment and machines.
• Main exports : boats, oil, wood and wooden products.

Croatia map and followed itinerary (in green)




The travel journal in Croatia with the best pictures

Thursday the 14th of May : we arrive in Croatia early afternoon … we ride through the town of Dvor and we follow the road going to Glina (tonight stop) and Karlovac (tomorrow stop). The road is very quiet, there is actually no traffic at all. Small mountains are all around us, covered with thick wild forests …





... and the small wood-made farms we come across on the side of the road are really pretty … everything is quiet, there is absolutely no noise in the valley.




Friday the 15th of May :  the forest accompanies us all the way to Karlovac, even though cultivated parcels are becoming more and more common …



Karlovac is a medium-sized city created from scratch by the Austrians during the 16th century to resist Ottoman forces. The city prospered since and is home today to the factory of one of the most popular beer of the country !



Karlovac suffered much damage during the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995). The southern sections of the city were close to the front lines between the Republic of Croatia and the rebel Serbs, and were devastated by shelling. The city center, the city hall and numerous other buildings were also damaged.




Saturday the 16th of May : we arrived the day before yesterday in Croatia and we are leaving today for Slovenia !

Croatia’s shape looks more or less like a horse shoe, the upper and lower parts being very long … and the center being very narrow. As a result it took us less than 200 km to go from one border to another.

Below : about 10 km from the Slovenian border, the castle and the church of the Croat town of Ozalj …



... and a last multi-flowered Croat grassland.



To be continued in Slovenia, where Katja and Klemen are expecting us !!




The highlight in Croatia

Our stay in Croatia did not last long, and it’s difficult to “feel” a country over such a short period of time. However, one thing really struck both of us, it’s the forests ! Thick, deep and wild, they look amazing.




What I liked / didn't like in Croatia

I liked	I did not like
deep preserved forests	bullet marks and mortar impacts on houses
traditional wooden houses and farms	uncoated houses to avoid paying the « finished house » tax
very light traffic on the road	-

 



Useful information about Croatia :