While all of our biking days we have woken to sunshine, that was not the case this morning. It looked to be drizzling and was definitely overcast.   It was our last day of biking, so we were all optimistic and dressed for the ride.   At breakfast, we saw people passing with umbrellas which is never a good sign. 
 
Unlike most days, we started out with a 20 minute bus ride to our biking starting point. As we got closer, the windshield wipers kept sweeping the rain from the bus windows. Not good. I had begun to seriously think about whether I would get on the bike. Last year in Tuscany, Hilary, one of our best bikers had a bad crash on the wet pavement while it was drizzling. But,  I withheld my decision until we got to the drop off point. When we stopped,our top bikers, the 3 Steves, all hopped out and promptly got in the van. Andrew, another good rider went out and immediately came back to the bus and said "no way". It wasn't looking good.   

After a few minutes, Anjay got int the bus and said it was not good outside as it was very windy and rainy. He proposed that we cancel the bike ride and keep on the bus to Korcula Town, where they would arrange a walking tour from a guide they used for the Backroads Croatia Walking Tour. We took a vote and all agreed to cancel the biking. Mags, from Toronto was wavering and really wanted to get on the bike, but gave in and agreed that it wasn't a good idea.. I think the most relieved may have been Katja who would have had to be on the bike with anyone who decided to ride.  

The disappointment was visible, as many were changing from their biking gear to their regular clothes. I, too, was disappointed and knew exactly how Ken felt (minus the broken elbow) at not getting in some cool biking. It would have been our last day on the bikes, so we said goodbye to Tyler and the bikes, which were going to the Backroads Leader house for tune-ups for the next tour group.  

Anjay had the bus driver take us the bike route, so we could experience the views and one LONG climb via the bus. It would have been a good ride,but we were all safe and dry, which was the most important thing.  

30 minutes later, we arrived in Korcula Town and had an hour to wander and grab a cappuccino. We all met Ivan, who took us on a 1.5 hour tour of the medieval walled city. We learned about the long history and how it was inhabited from the 15th century. It houses about 3,000 people and subsists mainly on tourism today. http://www.korculainfo.com/places/korcula/

After the tour, we had time for lunch (on our own) and to wander around the little town a bit more. Ken and I had stopped at a cafe before to the tour for a coffee and had the most amazing croissant ever. It was warm, flaky and we found out later homemade....I could dream of that croissant!  So, we went back to that cafe for some pizza. We figured anyone that can do wonders with a croissant should be able to do equally well with a pizza! It was good, but didn't live up to the croissant.

At 1:45 we met the group for the short walk to a small boat for the 30 minute ride to the mainland. Once there, we boarded a large bus for the 2 hour trip to Dubrovnik. The route had beautiful views of the coast, that reminded many of Big Sur. Lots of rocky coastline, with dramatic cliff views. We also passed the Grgich Winery, which we all would have voted to stop...but no time.  

As we were getting into Dubrovnik, Katja gave us a bit more history of the Balkan war. This area was so scarred in the 90's and she admitted that views are very different depending on whether you are Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian (she and Anjay are Slovenian). As we came into the City, the traffic became very heavy and we passed several very large cruise ships in the harbor. We are back into the real world. 

Our hotel for the night is the Hilton, very different from the small local hotels we have experienced this past week. After being in the rain most of the day, the hot shower felt amazing, as did the powerful AC. One thing we were all looking forward to was the WIFI, as it had been spotty or non-existent for several days. But, patience was still needed, as all cell and wifi was down in the city. We are getting used to being off the grid.

Our good-bye evening started with a celebratory drink at a local bar. Anjay and Katja had to go to "plan B" due to the weather (still drizzling), as the first choice was having a drink at a bar overlooking the ocean. But, with the weather not cooperating, we did so inside. Then it was on to dinner on a covered patio at the Pucic Palace. We had great wine, enjoyed more fun conversation with our fellow bikers and had some fabulous food.   

Hard to believe our week was coming to an end.