Biokovo

The Biokovo Mountains have been beckoning, and not being one to sit still for very long, I started asking questions like - how high, how far, what’s up there. No matter where you are, they are a towering presence. I’m told that at the moment there would still be snow up there, and that the old villagers didn’t live by the sea because the mountains had the fertile soil. Each family had plots further

up the mountain as land for growing food for the family, and as time went on houses were added at the top of the mountain range rather than trekking down each time.
I started out today intending to walk to the old village of Makar. It’s about an hour’s walk from the apartment, up Put Makra (photo added to show what a main highway it is) and then just keep going. I think that there must be mechanics in town who just do work on gear boxes because if you live up at Makar (or any of these old towns, like Tucepi or Covici) you would only ever use 1st and 2nd gear. I tried to get into 2nd gear walking, but it was pretty hot (jako je vruc). Branka had told me that there are jokes each summer about Czechs (there’s always a group to laugh at) who go up the mountain in their jandals with half a bottle of water and have to be rescued. I looked at my jandals and went back and filled my water bottle… I did get to Makar (sorry, Tucepi holds the place in my heart for the prettiest stari grad), was tempted by a sign that pointed to Sv. Jure (the highest point), and thought again about the Czechs and generally being laughed at. .. and came back down again.
Now, here’s a thing. I noticed people drinking wine and beer at 10 this morning, and thought that I would go to a café and have a cold glass of wine. But at 4, there were only people drinking coffee again! I thought by that time it would be teeming with people with long cold glasses of something, Friday afternoon and all that! I had to satisfy myself with an icecream (yes Kelly, gelato!)