Rab

Today we move to a hotel on Rab island, so we have planned a short walk in Risnjak National Park. The weather at the coast is okay, but further inland it’s raining. We park at the main entrance near Crni Lug and set off with the camera bag and a day pack containing the picnic provided by the hotel. It’s not raining, but there is a lot of wind and the weather seems changeable. The Leska Educational Path is a 4,4 km trail dotted with educational panels explaining about the fauna and flora. The start of it is over an asphalt road, but further on it changes to a small path going up and down the hillside. It turns out Leska means mountain meadow and indeed the walk goes around a couple of open meadows. There should be bears and lynxes around here, but all we see is a couple of squirrels (large and bushy, but of a darker colour than in Belgium) and lots of small birds. We have lunch on a sheltered bench, near an old tree stump that must house the nest of a small bird, seeing as how the boy bird is constantly coming and going, carrying unidentifiable bits into a small hole in the trunk. It’s here that we discover that educational trails are actually used for educational purposes, several groups of young children accompanied by patient adults and park rangers stop near our bench for a small explanation of whatever (we don’t understand a word they are saying). All in all a very pleasant walk, there’s the occasional small shower but more and more sunny periods.

We decide to drive directly to the ferry, since it’s quite a drive and we’re not sure how long we’ll have to queue to get a spot for the car on the ferry to Rab. The drive along the cost is very pretty, with views of the Kvarner bay and its islands on one side and the coastal mountain range on the other. The road is windy, but it’s very smooth driving and we get to Stinica ahead of time. We’re at the ferry quay 15 min before scheduled take-off, but there are too many cars ahead of us and we don’t make it. No problem, I spend an hour with my book and Arne makes a business phone call until the next one arrives. It’s a 15 min crossing, from this side Rab looks rocky and dry. We drive to Rab city, where our hotel is in the center of the old town.

From the reception desk I call Jogi at the kayaking place where we have planned our day out tomorrow to make the necessary arrangements (we had mailed a couple of times to determine the best place to go kayak, so we’re on a first name basis). Dinner at the hotel, all alone in the restaurant. It seems the hotel is pretty full, but people are eating elsewhere. It cannot be due to the quality of the food, I have a great cauliflower soup and a nice glass of local red wine. Sort the pictures and early to bed.

Today’s statistics: 12.678 steps, 8,95 km, 51 floors