Split

Thursday, 18th June.

Thunder, lightning and strong winds through Tuesday night caused us to wake and hastily batten down the hatches but the rain didn't arrive till morning, and then it was little more than a drizzle.  The wind persisted all day which made driving difficult and tiring so we were pleased to stop for a break at the town of Pag, seeking shelter at a cafe where we partook of coffee and f.a.c.c.s, followed by a walk around before continuing on to Razanac, our intended overnight stop but by this time, the wind was so strong we were practically blown away when we ventured out into the open.  After a brief look around the town, with the wind blowing sand into our eyes and stinging our bare legs, we decided we'd move on and try to find a wind free zone.  
Stopping at a supermarket in a shopping centre on the outskirts of Zadar, we found a hairdressing salon where I was able to buy a haircut, which cost roughly $A5!  There was a little difficulty with the language but fortunately for me, one of the staff spoke some English and I'm quite happy with the result.
Having chosen a campsite for the night at Pakostane, we headed there after the supermarket and hairdresser visits but weren't impressed with what we saw, chose another camp a little further down the road at Drage but decided on a small, one star site we saw on the way and stayed there last night.  We hadn't escaped the wind, it followed us all day though it did ease from time to time.  We had a drink with our friendly Italian neighbour, a lovely walk along the waterfront, hot showers and a quiet night..
We made the decision last night (Wednesday) to drive to Split today, stay a couple of nights and then head to Dubrovnik, bypassing people and places we want to see, visiting them on our return journey as we will retrace our steps part way back to Italy...or to Austria.
Once again, the scenery was spectacular along our coastal drive today, around nearly every bend in the road there's yet another stunning bay boasting a lovely beach with crystal clear water...we can't stop taking photos!  Our camp is about 6kms east of Split and after a couple of hours R & R, we caught a bus into the city for an evening stroll.  The modern city of Split is huge but the old town is full of ancient buildings and narrow streets which we haven't yet explored so we'll go in again tomorrow for a second look.