Author: NLAdmin

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This trip started in Dubrovnik, within the walls of the Old City.

After a few nights there, our group gathered for our Pedal and Sea week of “sailing” and biking. (Our boat, the Voyage, sported three tall, white masts that I’m fairly certain have never hoisted a sail.) What follows are boat and pedal photo galleries “by day.” Most photos originated from my iPhone15, some from Eileen’s, and I also borrowed liberally from photos posted in the WhatsApp boat group.

Day 1, September 06. Getting settled in the boat, meeting fellow travelers, and a guided tour of the Old City. The first thing we learned is that the chance of our boat being right next to the dock was generally slim. Throughout the trip, multiple boats would sidle up sideways at a docking site and tie together. It was routine to walk through as many as five boats to reach ours. (Click here.).

Day 2, September 07. Our first day of sailing and our first of five bike rides. Mjet and Korcula Islands. 31km pedal. (All rides were on islands.) This is where the crew really earned their keep. 30 bikes stored down in the hold, all of them had to be hoisted out. We all inherited ownership of our bike batteries, which we charged up at night in our rooms. At the end of the day, all the bikes, back in the hold. Antonio had to unlock each battery with its own key. He had a very large set of keys! (Click here.)

Day 3, September 08. Korčula. 61km. (Click here.)

Day 4, September 09. Hvar and Brac Islands. 31km pedal. (Click here.)

Day 5, September 10. Island of Brač. 23km kpedal. (Click here.)

Day 6, September 11, Island of Brač (2nd time). 29km pedal. (Click here.)

Day 7, September 12, Split and Trogir, no biking. (Click here.)

Sept 13:In Troger. Last morning, early checkout. (Click here.)

Thus ends the week of Pedal and Sea

A final few days in Split. Nikolas Tesla. Perusic. (Click here.)

Half a day hiking around Plitvice National Park, home of waterfalls. Crowded! (Click here.)

Three days in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Flew out from there to Frankfurt, then home. (Click here.)

March – Mt. Lemon
April – Wisconsin – test of new 20mm lens

May
Trip to Northfield/Duluth/Silver Bay
Stereo Grotto with Mani2 speakers
Tundra Sale pics

June
Lake Geneva Family reunion
New roof for Southwick

July
Epic Campus tour #1
Old photo scans
Geo Pro ad pics
iphone 15 pics on a walk
Weber Octave Mando sale pics
Walnut Grove 4th of July in the park

August
Eastman Mandolin pics
Solar panel install – Southwick

September
Colorado Road Trip
DC Trip (Rubeys)

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From Amsterdam we trained to Brugges. Paid big $$ to ride a bullet train, which returned the favor by steaming by us (and many others) in the station without stopping. No one, including professional help, seemed to know where to board this train. We hopped on the next one, a commuter. Ok ride, but slow, stopped multiple times. Started picking up many people. Pretty soon it was packed, standing room in the aisle. It gets better. Some kerfuffel on a track. The system shut down for about 45 minutes. Out train didn’t move.

What was supposed to be a 2 hour ride turned into 5. But we made it, took a cab to our Airbnb. Turned out we were only 2 miles from the city center, bike paths the whole way (does it even need to be said?) The airbnb offered us two bikes. Mine was an ancient 3-speed. Wait – make that a one speed, stuck in a gear so high I could not start it from a dead stop.

I complained to our non-sociable, hermetic host. He secretly put out another bike for me. His own personal ride! The guy must be 6’4″ tall. I could barely stand over this bike, and better yet, it didn’t have hand brakes! Coaster brakes. I hadn’t used coaster brakes since I was 10. Given that I was sitting high off the ground like a Penny Farthing, I had tough choices. I could either brake to a stop, then tump over, or I could get down off the saddle before I came to a complete stop and deploy the bottom of my shoes as backup. Try it some time in heavy pedestrian traffic.

We did the usual sight seeing on day 1. On day 2 we circumnavigated the entire circle around town, barely made it to our chocolate making class, then had beers with friends we’d make on our river cruise at an obscure Belgian Beer Bar that claimed to be the oldest in town. Their bottled Belgian Beer list went on for pages.

The crowds in the main area were pretty intense, made especially so by multiple tour groups consisting of a good 50 or more bodies.

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All the videos in no particular order.

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