Our gathering in Kanegra was full of movement and pleasure: three cycling trips, waiting for the sunrise and the moonrise, a warm sea and weather that simply invited us to enjoy ourselves. We rounded it all off with a picnic where, alongside good food, drink and fine company, we tested each other at Mölkky, the Finnish skittle-throwing game.
Mölkky: simple, yet never exhausted
The essence of the game is that it combines simplicity, tactics and unpredictability into something at once relaxed and surprisingly competitive. The rules are clear within two minutes, so anyone can start playing straight away. Yet for all its simplicity the game never wears thin, because the situation on the pitch keeps changing. Mölkky is full of small surprises: a throw that ought to have been perfect ends up in the grass; a skittle bounces off in entirely the wrong direction; someone hits the ideal number by pure chance; one odd ricochet turns the whole layout upside down. In the end it hardly matters who wins — what matters is that we all have fun.
Three cycling trips
Kanegra makes a fine base for cycling trips. This year we managed three, each with a different line-up. We rode as a mixed group of electric and ordinary bicycles. Five of us cycled this year; next year perhaps more!
First trip: Portorož and the Forma Viva
The first cycling trip, to Portorož, already counts as a proper classic: a climb up to the campsite reception and a little further to the turn onto the Parenzana, then a pleasant descent to the Slovenian–Croatian border, and from there along the scenic route past the Sečovlje salt pans to Portorož. This year too we climbed from Portorož up to the Forma Viva — a park of stone sculptures. The sculptures stand in a meadow and in the shelter of old trees, where we always like to rest and cool off.
Day two: Umag
The second day was the more sporting one on the bike. The route to Umag runs largely along a regional asphalt road. We came back along the coast through Savudrija and the settlements of Crveni Vrh, where part of the cycle path is surfaced but sadly does not run all the way to the Kanegra campsite. Our group split up. Some of us took the asphalt route uphill, the others the stony but shorter way straight back to the camp. We reunited over ice cream on our own plot.
Third trip: Grožnjan
The third trip was something new for many of us, as we climbed up to the picturesque medieval town of Grožnjan. The route follows the gravel Parenzana trail almost the whole way, which means the gradient is constant yet kind to cyclists. It suits riders of ordinary and electric bicycles alike. When those of us on pedal power alone began to flag, we gladly accepted our friends' offer and swapped bicycles for a few kilometres. The feeling of electric assistance is fantastic, and we had to work quite hard not to ride away from them. From the campsite in Kanegra to the village of Grožnjan we measured 22 km, and even then we were looking forward to the long gentle descent back to the start.
Grožnjan itself has many galleries and artists' studios, and is a venue for various jazz and classical concerts. We agreed that next year we shall go there in greater numbers by car. We will take in the art and enjoy good food and drink along with it.