Post It from Camping Bi Village, Fazana, Istria, Croatia. Monday 25th May, 2015.

We followed the coastal scenic road from Rejeka down to Point Masnjack in Istria and whilst it was good for Sharon to take in the sights I could not take my eyes off the road for a second. It was a very narrow and bendy single lane road and unfortunately for us, as we were driving south, there were no stopping places on our side of the road they were all on the shoreline. A small lorry almost hit us as he was crossing the solid central white line, as did most of the cars, on this 25/30 mph road. I was hoping to get a good view from the viewpoint at Masnjack but it was forbidden to turn left into the car park. After then there were still no proper stopping places as we crossed farm land and down a beautiful valley with a small turquoise river running its length towards Pula. We ended up having lunch just off the road outside a closed fresh produce sales shack almost at Pula.

After stopping at the Lidl on the outskirts of Pula to replenish our stocks we arrived at Camping Bi Village just as they opened again after lunch. This site is very large with over a 1000 camping pitches and I think around 500 holiday homes and chalets plus a tent area. Despite its size I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was and the many facilities it had. The site was not full by any means when we arrived but over the next couple of days many German campers arrived in their droves as it was the start of the 2 week Bavarian school holidays. We had campers arriving and setting up as early as 0730, which I assume was the earliest you could enter, and they probably drove overnight to get there. The large reception, manned by a row of clerks ready to check you in, looked impressive but they were nowhere near as friendly or engaging as the ones at Krk. They were very professional though so would not wish to give the wrong impression.

That first nights view from the camp site’s own beach over the bay was beautiful despite the clouds. Across from the site was the National Park of the Brijuni Islands and just around the headland was the town of Fazana. The Islands could easily be accessed by boats from Fazana and had a number of large hotels on it which could be seen from the mainland. There was also a paved path all the way to Fazana and whilst strictly not for cyclists many of our German and Dutch campers ignored the signs.

Our first full day here, Friday, was a wet one and we decided to visit the old Roman city of Pula where we trod the old roads and took in the Roman sites such as the Amphitheatre, Roman walls with arched enterance gates (with a tarmac roller parked in front) and the impressive Roman Portana gates where you can see Sharon keeping the rain off with her brolly! The weather spoiled it a little but we enjoyed the visit and once again we found the food and drinks in the cafes and restaurants remarkably low priced, lower than Krk in fact. The bus service from the camp site gates was good although it took some time ensuring we knew where we would catch it back from. More information from the site on such things would have been better; they provided the schedule to take away but nothing else. I am sure they would respond well to questions but were less proactive in providing such information and just a little more information about where to get off and back on again would have been really helpful.

On the Saturday, after heavy overnight rains, we set off on foot along the shoreline path for Fazana. The stroll took around 15 minutes and the views were delightful. Fazana is a small town but in its day, circa 1910, it had every major public service located in the town and was quite an important place for tourists. Steam boats arrived in their scores averaging more than 3 a day bringing guests who would often go on to Brijino by fishing boat, today a ferry carries people to the Island with their cases. A photograph hall of fame by the shore depicts many famous people who had visited over the years. I only recognised Sophia Loren, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Fidel Castro personally but more recently I understand Angelina Jolie visited and what did surprise me was a bronze bust of Tito being there and it was decorated with fresh flowers. The shoreline has many restaurants and cafes but not a lot else in the way of sustaining campers for a prolonged period of time. The site supermarket was reasonably well stocked though, in addition to its 3 on site restaurants.

As the days passed it became more evident that this was a family campsite with lots of organised activities for the children. However this did not detract from the overall pleasantness of the place and it was the quietest campsite so far for sleeping! This was also the first site where we had seen more than a handful of British vans during our stay and there were even 5 beautiful Diplomat RV’s parked facing the sea. A quick chat through the fence as we were passing revealed they were from South Yorkshire. I recognised the accent, and whilst we there one of their number had gone away into storage again but would be coming back our soon. I did not like to ask but did wonder if such large and expensive motorhomes may perhaps be in shared ownership and we were given the impression they did not tour there. There was also a German registered one close by but clearly not with the group.

The weather was okay, but we would have liked a little more sun and an increase in temperature slightly, so we have decided to move on tomorrow to Rovinj only 23 miles further north. We plan to stay at camping Amarin so I can take the water taxi to the town and capture, hopefully, the beautiful scenes of the old town from the water. Those who follow the forum will see that Chas has recently posted a photograph of the view for me on a thread from Barsar about his Croatia tour. The couple who set up next to us at Krk was Barsar and somehow we did not manage to recognise in conversation that we were both users of the Club forum! A missed opportunity I think but perhaps our paths shall cross again. A very pleasant couple from Welwyn Garden City we have met here have stayed on that site before a few weeks ago and are returning again shortly, they say the last ACSI site reviews from 2013 are not accurate today and the place is fine.

Just a quick note for those sad people, like us, who want such information, but we have not managed to source skimmed milk since leaving the UK and we are desperate for a nice cup of tea now ours has run out and we have not been able to get Actimel type drinks or fresh grapes since Austria! We do weigh less however now since leaving home, which is good or not so depending on which way you look at it, but we are thoroughly enjoying all these new countries.

Regards, Roy