Sunrise over Osoršćica and Lošinj

Above Nerezine’s new bypass road, I leave the car, put on my backpack and headlamp. I set off into the cool air of the still dark night, following the trail marker (red and white circle) along stone walls that initially lead through macchia and pine forests up to the Osoršćica ridge.

The rocky path demands some attention; occasionally, I have to look more closely in the darkness to find the marker on rocks or tree trunks and follow the correct route, which winds in switchbacks up the increasingly steep mountain slopes. Again and again, increasingly wide views open up over the islands of Cres, Krk, and the Croatian mainland in the emerging twilight. After a good hour, I reach the crossroads on the ridge and turn left towards the summit of Sv. Nikul (557 m) with the chapel of Sv. Nikola. A wide panoramic view opens up there; only to the north does the approximately 30 m higher main peak of Televrin (588 m) obstruct the view of the Istrian mainland.

The island of Lošinj stretches far from north to south out of the Kvarner Bay into the Adriatic Sea. To the west lie the islands of Cres, Krk, Rab, Pag, in front of the Dalmatian mainland and the Velebit mountains, over which the new day is already announcing itself with a red glow. To the south, the Osoršćica mountain range slopes gently, forming the stony backbone of Lošinj island with a continuous up and down. The light sculpts the mountain ridges plastically into sunlit and shaded sides. In the distance, the lights of the two towns, Mali Lošinj and Veli Lošinj, glow. To the west, the islands of Susak, Vele Srakane, Male Srakane, and Usinj still huddle under the Earth’s shadow arc. With the increasing warmth of the morning, an intense scent of pine, wild rosemary, and thyme awakens. This is how peacefully a new day can begin.

More pictures of Lošinj in the Croatia Gallery.