
We had almost a rest day yesterday with the early arrival, a long afternoon nap, swims, late lunch and nice dinner in the cute little town of Mimice. After almost 9 hours of good sleep, which we needed after the sweaty and short night on the ferry, we had a nice breakfast by the sea and got out on the road by 10.00.

We both remembered the steep descent into town that we would have to go up first thing. And yes, it was steep, and by the time we reached the 8 Road again, all legs were awake and warmed up.

The scenery was again stunning, with the mountain range hugging the shoreline of the Adriatic. However, maybe because it was Sunday, there was a lot of traffic for the first 25km / 15 miles, making it a bit more difficult to enjoy the views.

The late start also made for rather hot cycling. Thankfully, the wind was blowing from the sea, cooling us down. We also climbed a good bit more than yesterday, and in many of the climbs, the cooling wind was blocked by the terrain. So it was twice as nice to reach the top, because the wind would return and a descent would give us a nice break.
At about half way, we stopped for a Coke and Fanta (not the nice tasty Italian Fanta anymore, but the more artificial kind, like we have in Switzerland), and an crepe and beef broth. Somewhat re-energized, we set out to cycle the remaining 33km / 20 miles in the early afternoon heat.

We arrived at the guest house for the night at 15.00, after a quick stop in a supermarket to buy some of the tasty proper lemonade radler that they have here. Further cool-off was provided by a quick swim in the sea.
Gradac is full of tourists, and so are most of the towns we passed today, and we decided to head inland tomorrow to avoid the touristy shore. This turn would also result in a more direct path to Constanta at the Black Sea, which we picked as the goal for the time being.
Total distance/elevation to date: 4309km/34’173m
Rest days: 14
Route and Stats
Relive Video
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