Around the world » Istria

Diving Baron Gautsch – Porec – Piran

Bérna — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:30:01 +0000

The northern Adriatic is well known not only for its pretty coastline but as well for the many wrecks. Today I (Sarah didn’t come due to the super cold water) went for the nicest one, the Baron Gautsch. After a painfully slow 2 hours diesel boat ride we enter the water to descend on the main line, the surface current is more like a river than a sea, but at 6m it’s all calm. the water is definetly too cold (13°) foar 5+5mm wetsuit but whatever I’m here so lets forget the cold. The visibility wasn’t great, but the wreck looks really nice. At a depth of 35-42m the 100m passenger boat lies flat on the sand and allows very easy dives on the upper deck. I do a 40min dive with 6min Deco using EAN28. I’d be nice to come with doubles, a Deco stage and reels to penetrate the lower decks.
As I get back we leave for Porec and its UNESCO listed Byzantine cathedral with amazing mosaics on the aside, and then further to Piran where we go out for some good fish and spend the night in an hotel.

Rovinj – Pula

Bérna — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:25:51 +0000

Today easy day, after amusing ourself looking at our tent neighbour try to reconstruct his alcholised memories from the night before we go for a stroll in Rovinj pretty old town. After a couple of hours we move to the premanura peninsula , set up our camp and then go visit Pula whit its Roman coliseum. As we enter the main place we find a wifi and discover that Contador had won the Tour… pity for Schleck

Cres – Rovinj

Bérna — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:20:47 +0000

Did you know that there are Griffon Vultures in Europe? I didn’t, but apparently the island of Cres is one of the only places where they are found. After visiting the small village of Cres we decide to check out if this Griffon really exist and head out toward the northern tip of the island where they are supposed to live. To positive surprise, on the way there we see two majestic birds circling over us and we start taking pictures like back in other trips when animal watching was one of our main activity. We visit the griffon’s rescue centre in Beli where we learn more about this huge (up to 3m wingspan) birds and have the chance to see 18 of them that are currently in rehabilitation after having been injured or poisoned by eating animals carcasses (in the sense that man want to kill the animal but then the griffon unfortunately eats the rests becoming poisoned as well). Cres has a Griffon population of about 70 couples, which is good, but there is less and less food since there are not many Sheppard any more.
In the afternoon we took a ferry to Istria and went to a beach waiting for the weather to get a bit cooler and then go climbing to Vela Draga. Unfortunately, we miscalculated a bit the distances and got only a couple of router at this amazing place made of calcium carbonate pinnacles. I got only two routes, but I worked hard, toooo hard for both of them