This post is going to be about our greatest adventure on Krk island: our hike from Baška to Vela Luka (bay). I recorded the trail in my ViewRanger account (Veronika StrollEng). This was the very first time I used it, so it’s not perfect, but I’m sure you’ll get the point. Also, if I ever get back there, I’ll post a better version of the same trail – I promise!

We got up early that day. Not that we wanted to… There was a really, really cute little boy in the apartment right next to ours, and he woke up at around 5 a.m. Now, all the adults in the apartment house woke up within the next 15 minutes. For this reason, we decided that the day was perfect for a hike, and we tried to start early. Unfortunately, when we are tired, we are slow… So we started walking some time before 10 a.m. If I could do this again, I would definitely start earlier. You don’t want to be out in the blazing sun on a rocky hill in the middle of the day…

We parked our car in the last parking lot before we reached Bunchuluka Camping Resort (an FKK or nudist camp, by the way). It took us about 5 minutes to walk up to the start of the trail. And there, you just can’t miss the path. It looks like a Looney Toons scene: there are huge arrows pointing toward the way you should go. You can almost see them flashing… Now, your first walk might be the lightest and the most embarrassing. This part of the path leads you across a little wood by the campsite, so you will walk in the shade. While walking there, you might feel fairly overdressed compared to all the people you might see on the other side of the fence. This, in itself, might be your first adventure for the day!

After about 15 minutes of walking, you’ll reach a fork in the road. We took the path going up, so we started seeing amazing views very soon. I stopped every other minute to take a photograph, probably, this is why our average speed was a little faster than a baby’s…

I have always loved watching the hills of Croatia. They are not especially high, but they are rather steep and rocky. I could never imagine how it was possible to climb them. Well, I can’t say it is especially easy, but it is achievable. The paths are made up of sharp rocks, so it is best to wear hiking shoes. Unfortunately, I was wearing sandals. If I wanted to do this hike again, I would definitely wear closed shoes. Also, if I climbed these hills again, I would bring at least 2 litres of water along. We were sweating continuously all day, so we lost a lot of fluid.

Along your way, you can always see the beautiful, bright blue sea, some greenery, and rocks and stones everywhere. The stones often form endless walls along fields. We always wondered: why are they there? Who built them? And when? Fortunately, Google is our friend, so we found all the information quite easily. It turned out that they are part of Croatia’s cultural heritage: the technique is called dry stone walling. Click here to find more information about it.

By the time we reached the last hilltop, we were totally prepared to take in the beautiful panorama of our destination. The path leading down to Vela Luka looks dangerous from the top, but it takes you safely to the shore as it turns several times. It’s the last section of the path which I found quite slippery. If I had taken my hiking shoes with me, I would have felt safer!

When you reach the bay, I’m sure it will mesmerize you, especially in the morning hours. When it’s not crowded, you can really feel at home in nature in this wonderful sheltered heaven. The water is crystal clear, and it’s really safe to swim. There is a Konoba that can supply you with food and drink (and a „free” toilet). Also, you can rent a beach umbrella or a sunbed on the beach.

If you are a really adventurous person, you might want to explore this bay’s younger sister, Mala Luka. It doesn’t take more than 20 minutes to walk over there, but the fields are on fire during the day. It’s better to be prepared for that. The most interesting point of our walk was the presence of sheep in the valley. They gathered around a stone building called Church of Saint Nicholas to hide from the sun. The building is in ruins, but its name might catch your attention. If you would like to read about why there are so many churches of this name in Mediterranean countries, click here.

Unfortunately, there was a high number of boats in Mala Luka, so we decided, it wasn’t the ideal spot for a swim, and we walked back. (Between the two bays, there are the ruins of a stone castle on a hill, which you might want to explore. We decided that we didn’t need any more challenge for the day.)

Many tourists decide that they take a taxi boat back to Baška from Vela Luka, but we took another two-hour walk to get back to our car. On our way back, we discovered a viewpoint we missed on the way there. It is situated in the middle of the first hilltop, and the landscape is absolutely astounding. We also tried the yellow path at its crossroads with the red one, but it seemed too long and dangerous to take at dusk. If we had arrived there earlier, I would have enjoyed climbing down its rocks, I’m sure. Although it was fairly late, we could still feel the heat, so we stopped for a final swim in Baška before driving back to our apartment.

I can recommend this little adventure to anybody who loves nature, enjoys less frequented beaches and doesn’t want to skip their cardio workout while making the most of their holiday… Happy strolling, people!

VOCABULARY

1. to get the point – to understand the most important things
2. blazing (sun) – shining very intensely
3. to flash – when something lights up and goes out a lot of times
4. fork in the road – a place on a path where one road splits into two parts and becomes Y-shaped
5. achievable – possible to do
6. fluid – water mixed with other materials (here: circulatig in the body)
7. greenery – trees, bushes, grass, other plants
8. mesmerize – magnetically attract someone’s complete attention
9. sheltered – protected and safe
10. gather – collect, come together
11. astounding – amazing, positively shocking
12. dusk – when there is little light in the hours around sunset
13. frequented beach – where people go regularly, a lot

Choose the right word from the list to complete the sentences.

1. I don’t think your goal is …………, you should choose another one.
2. The travellers arrived to the inn at ………… .
3. Her beauty ………… every man in the village.
4. If you see the emergency lights ………… , follow the signs to the emergency exit.
5. When I looked out of my window, I could see that people were ………… on the square.
6. I don’t like cities, because I love nature, and I want to see a lot of …………. around me.

GRAMMAR

There are several conditional sentences in the text. You can notice the differences in form.

1. If I ever get back there, I will post a better version of the same trail.
2. If I could do this again, I would start
3. If I wanted to do this hike again, I would wear closed shoes.
4. If I climbed these hills again, I would bring at least 2 liters of water along.
5. If I had taken my hiking shoes with me, I would have felt safer!
6. If we had arrived there earlier, I would have enjoyed climbing down its rocks.

The forms after IF are: present simple - past simple - past perfect.
The forms in the other half are: will - would - would have.

When we use the first form, we want to talk about the future, so our plans are possible.

In the second group, we can talk about the present (or the future), but the possibility of these actions is a lot lower the in the firt group. They might happen, but they are not realitic at the moment.

With the third form, we can talk about the past. These actions are already finished, there is no possibility to change them.

Think about your last trip! Will you go back? What will you do differently? Aren’t you sure? If you ever got back there, what would you do differently? If you had known, what would you have done differently the last time? Write me a comment about it, and tell me, if I should correct you or not.