Croatia Cruise - Dubrovnik to Split

We enjoyed a late breakfast and a late start to a guided tour of the city of Dubrovnik. I was thankful as due to the jetlag I found myself wide awake still at midnight and slept until almost 8:30.  We wandered around a guided tour of the city for about an hour and a half. At first, I was a little amiss to put in the headset that allows you to hear the guide better as you walk, but as we continued I was SO glad we did. Our guide, Nikola, shared so much about the history of the town and the Croatian civilization that I had not known, including small facts that Napoleon did them a favor by building a fortress atop the hill when he took over Europe, as almost a century later it helped the city to ward off attacks by Serbia during the early 90s. She showed us little points of interest, such as shrapnel damage from bombings still visible on the face of the oldest church, buildings that are original vs. restored after damages from the attacks in the 90s, and a small carving on the side of the wall in an alley from 1597. 

After the tour, we were able to wander around the many shops to explore, and buy food, or you can opt to board a boat out the island to see the monastery and botanical garden, take the gondola up the hill to view the fortifying from above, pay a small amount (250 Kuna or about 35 Euro) to climb up and walk the 2 km of walls around the city, or visit the small museums or art galleries contained within. We return to the boat early afternoon and sailed from there to Slano, a small fishing village where we walked around the town a bit before dinner onboard the vessel.

This morning we left early from Slano for the island of Sipan, a small island village that used to be a big vacation home place for locals in summer. We were supposed to go visit Mljet National Park, but due to high winds, we were unable to reach it and had to reroute. Sipan has some lovely old homes, some dating from the 14th century, many of which look now abandoned and in need of restoration. In some respects, it felt like a step back in time. We walked up the hill to see the old rectors palace, saw the church, and pet many of the cats in town :) Early morning we left to set sail for Korcula. 

We were told to be sure to be sitting or staying in our cabins, as the wind had been so rough the day prior safety is a big concern. Many of the wine glasses broke through their guards and fell on the floor and other items were tossed around. We arrive after a two-hour sail and disembark in the city of Korcula. 

This town is a walled medieval city still intact. The architecture of the streets is incredible, built to keep the city warm in winter and cool in summer. Mostly the city is now a pouring hub, but about 200 residents still live here and it attacks many to its cobblestone streets and gorgeous 13th-century churches. We walk around the town for a bit and take a tour with a fantastic guide explaining the history of domination of the area, of Marco Polo's suspected start in this island town, and of the sad decision by the Austrians to cut the original city walls down for a better 'sea view'. The oldest church in the city dates back to the 13th century. For a small fee, I climb St Mark's cathedral bell tower to spy out a view of the entire town. While I am up there the bells ring which scares me so badly! We enjoy dinner, a drink on top of one of the towers at Massimo's, and dessert at an alley Cafe before returning to the boat for the night. 

The sun came out today! We set off early from Korcula as the rain was coming in heavy, but this luckily seemed to clear up the weather the sun came out, so we anchored in a cove in the morning for a swim stop. Dipping in the Med waters was refreshing (chilly yes, but such that it took my breath away after the first jump). I swam around the cove and grabbed a mask to spy out underneath the black sea urchins and small fish I saw around the rockery. Others hopped on inflatables or a paddleboard to drift around off the boat. It was a lovely way to spend a morning and I think everybody was grateful the weather cleared for it. We were not sure if we would get a single sunny day by the forecast as of the start of the week. 

We enjoy lunch still anchored and then sail across to Hvar Island on a water taxi where we then disembark in Hvar (our boat will meet us up later on the dock). Hvar is a much larger town than the previous ones, boasting a gorgeous waterfront, a large square, and a beautiful fortress on a hill. We go on a guided walking tour of the city before splintering off into our separate groups. We explore some shops on the hill and then I set off up the hillside to see the fortress atop. It is an impressive structure with intact towers and old turrets. Inside the fortress is an old prison (or dungeon) that is still intact. Definitely does not seem to be as kind of a prison as we have today. We go as well to spy out the theater building. Hvar is known for its strict separation of the nobility from the commoners, which was bridged with the first ever "public theater", or a theater opened to all classes together in 1612. The theater is intact and open for viewing today. 
After wandering around Hvar, we find a beautiful restaurant on a terrace overlooking the bay and enjoy a Mediterranean meal as we watch the sunset with live music playing below. The city truly is magical, even breathtaking and you can almost feel as if you've been transported back in time to simpler days.

Today the sun blesses us with her presence yet again, so we motor across the bay and stop for another swim spot near Stonica Beach on the island of Vis. We are again feeling very lucky to have such good weather after the start of the week. Vis had a strategic military location over the centuries due to its size and location, was used as a base for the Allies in WWII, and has an old submarine hangar you can visit. Full of beaches around her shores, it is a lovely spot to go on a beautiful day. 

I wander around town by myself today as I opted not to go on the optional drive around the island and over to Lomita on the far side. The shoreline for Vis stretches far both ways, so I put to first go south towards a bell tower on the far end. Many of the ruined buildings here are not preserved well and appear to be cordoned off (perhaps in an effort to restore them soon). Many little shops dot the waterfront area as I walk, and I find a lot more locals walking around than it seemed in other islands. I walk along the water's edge on my way back, admiring the many sailboats strung along the pier. They bob and bounce against each other with each wave. I'm amazed at how many boats they can park along one shoreline. I continue walking back north and around to a little peninsula sticking out over the harbor with an old monastery and church. These buildings were built over an ancient Roman theater which it appears the town will soon restore. To the rear is a cemetery overlooking the sea. One of the more gorgeous and well-kept cemeteries I have ever seen, I wander through, trying to spy out the oldest rating place. I find one dating back to 1881. I wander back to the heart of town, and en route I spot an ancient Roman bath site that appears to be in the first restoration phases. I find a nice pizza restaurant spot overlooking the harbor and return for an early evening. 
 

Today we have two stops on the docket. We first stop at the island of Brac, where the town of Bol sits, which boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Croatia. This is the location for some of the main cover photos touting Croatia’s beauty on travel brochures. We walk along the promenade along the coastline to Golden Horn Beach, a pebble beach well known for its shifting formation as the tides pick up and carry pebbles to another part throughout the year. The beach is beautiful, with those turquoise blue waters and you can tell a lot of sunbathers come here for their vacations. After a brief amount of time here, we board our vessel and enjoy lunch as we are motoring on to Trogir.

Trogir is a small little ‘island’ connected by bridges to the mainland. It is known as Little Venice and was originally started by the Greeks in 300 BC, one of the oldest consistently used settlements we have visited. As it once used to be a fortified city, but the French tore down the walls and built a promenade instead to allow you to walk around it. It is said they opted to do this due to hygiene, as the city was kept filthy, and they implemented some other practices to require better cleanliness. The main gate from 1612 still exists as the main entrance into the city, and the whole area is no more than 500m by 250 m in total. Here you can see an old Benedictine Monastery still with three nuns living there who never leave the monastery, St. Lawrence’s cathedral, one of the most ornate and decorative cathedrals we have seen thus far, and the old government building (which is still used as such), and the open air lodge, or court, which was used to settle matters hundreds of years ago. The central square is truly breathtaking and you can imagine living here all those years ago with the bustling restaurants and shops now taking the place of what likely was a lively market in the square. 

We wander around the town after a guided tour and then board the boat again for a Captain’s dinner tonight. The vessel brings in live musicians to play a mix of typical Croatian music, folk songs, and old English language favorites for us. The night is spent enjoying each other’s company, dancing, and thanking the crew for such a good week together.

We travel today south towards Split, stopping for a swim stop on the way. The clouds and wind have rolled back in so we hesitate to get in this time! I can now say I swam in the Mediterranean, so I stay on board and watch others brave the cold.

We enter Split after lunch and enjoy a short guided tour of Split at 3 PM. The main attraction here is Diocletian’s palace, which is not nearly as old as some of the other buildings we have seen along the way, however, is incredibly impressive. We wander around the palace, now a lively market area, and view some bits of the original foundations, as well as the main palace entrance, the last structure still standing. It is amazing to know you are standing inside something 1700 years old, and so fascinating to know they really knew how to build things to last. We wander around the courtyard and view the columns, and the mausoleum, which also is one structure still standing inside the fortress, where Diocletian was laid to rest.  It is now used as a church, which is quite ironic as he more than most Roman Emperors hated the Christian faith and had a reputation for being especially barbaric in his treatment of Christians during his rule. 
The rest of the tour is spent circumventing the fortress to view the other gates and some interesting statues. We spend the rest of the evening chatting, wandering shops, eating delicious food, and enjoying live music in the courtyard.

We spend our last night on the boat and disembark in the morning to head for the airport around 9.