Adriatic jewel of Dubrovnik

A jewel in the Croatian crown, even if expensive by Croatian standards is Dubrovnik. For us it was almost 5 hours by comfortable inter city bus from Split to Dubrovnik and a great ride along the coast road and some stunning scenery. We arrived early on Saturday evening to find the old town alive and well, if a bit overloaded with us tourists. We had booked an apartment in the old town just a couple of steps from a picturesque square and it turned out to be perfect for us. Close to all sites and eating places with no need to go outside the fantastic city walls. The place is full of history which we are slowly taking in.

Seeing a city like this and realising that just 20 years ago, war was tearing the place apart made us realise just how futile some people can be. Whilst most people just want to get on with enjoying a peaceful existence with family and friends, there are always those who covert wealth and resources and who have an overwhelming desire to control other peoples' destiny.

As a cross roads between “Christian Europe” and “Muslim middle east”, the communities in these parts have long suffered from outside invasion or indifference. Bosnia, Serbia, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan are all places where invaders, including Australia, have pursued, and continue to pursue misguided foreign policies with tragic consequences. There is plenty to learn by just sitting in a cafe in this beautiful city of Dubrovonik and watching the people of the world pass by enjoying themselves whilst the inhabitants here make the best of the assets they have preserved for us all.

Australia has been sucked into almost 9 years of useless invasion in Afghanistan based on cooked up pretences and is continuing these foolish polices which have unknown consequences as we follow a dying US empire towards an inevitable consequence of collapse. If only people who aspire for power and control could take the time to come to places like Dubrovnik for just a few days of actually thinking before acting then things might turn out differently for us all.

Le Tour de Croatia-derniere etape

Day 6 was an extremely impressive day on the island of Hvar. In the morning we sailed in to Hvar town where we had just an hour or so to check out the town. It was enough time to get a feel but soon enough we were on the bikes and climbing into the hills towards Brusje and the old town of Stari Grad. It was another quite tough day of climbing, climbing. Over the day we biked just over 40 kms with about 400-500 climbing metres required.

Stari Grad is a very sophisticated town with a long history of human inhabitation and we were glad to be spending the night there.

Day 7 was unfortunately the last of the bike riding. We sailed back towards the mainland and Trogir heading from Hvar and past the strategic island of Vis to the relatively quiet island of Solta. On Solta we had a fairly easy 19 kms of riding from an almost deserted Necujam to a little town, Maslinica. The day was hot and the hills were slightly flatter than the others. By now we were all just that bit fitter and more confident in handling the bikes and the conditions. So there was plenty of chatter going on as we rode along. We were also joined by a group on a sister ship also heading back to Trogir and the finish of their trip from Dubrovnik to Trogir.

After the bike ride we sailed along for about 30 minutes before stopping for just one more swim in the warm Adriatic. Heaven.

And that was our bike and sail adventure over. A farewell Captain's dinner, a restless nights sleep alongside in the now hot and noisy port and after breakfast we were packed and back into travel mode again.

Le Tour de Croatia-etapes quatre et cinq

On day 4 we made a brief stop at the tiny port on Mljet of Pomena to unload the bikes for our brief visit to this island national park. We only had time for a 12 kms ride to a couple of inland lakes and then a quick swim before getting back onto the “Romantica” and sailing away. By late afternoon we were tied up alongside other ships being 5 in a row of 7 deep, in the major resort town of Korcula and relaxing before our dinner.

Day 5 was the zenith for bike riding. An all day ride from Korcula town along almost the whole island to Vela Luka. About 60 kms of riding and 800 climbing metres. There was an option of a shorter ride to Racisce where you could be picked up by the boat as it was making it's own way to Vela Luka. And some did take the shorter ride.

For the majority, we found the first half of the ride to be very tough indeed. Training results were in and I have to say that the Germans, Swiss and Austrians were outstanding. There were some very fit forty, fifty and sixty year olds in this cohort. The Australians and the Swedes were quietly competent whilst the US component was quite good but showing the results of living in a society where technology is the answer to everything. When it comes to basic pedal power and fitness, the Europeans had us on toast, Not that this was a competition!

Coming down the mountain from Blato was almost a repeat of day 4's descent into Bol. Sheer exhilaration as you stream down through the ranges, sweeping around bends whilst taking in the views. Photo opportunities were sometimes difficult to do as it meant slamming on the brakes, taking a quick point and shoot before heading down again, trying to catch up with others.

A quick swim with the locals at Vela Luka and then it was food and wine before crashing into bed.

We just love the bike riding

Day 3 was quite dramatic, stimulating and quite tough at the same time. The 55 kms of bike riding included some 500 metres of climb as we made our way from Pucisca essentially across the island to Bol. These Croatian islands have a lot of high country once you get away from the small port towns hugging the coast. So after only a few hundred metres around the port area, you are straight into climbing up, up and up with no real relief. It was a morning climb and the day was obviously going to be warm. The promise was a dip in the Adriatic after reaching the boat which had moved to the beach resort of Bol. Most of us struggled up the steep hills and after only about 30 minutes of riding we were strung out over several kilometres with each individual trying to settle into their own rhythms. But the good part was streaming down the mountain from Humac in the centre of Brac Island to the beach town of Bol. Just fantastic being able to see for many kilometres along the coast whilst hugging the cliff side of the road. There was plenty of chatter over lunch as members of the group exchanged notes on the day.

From Bol we headed south towards the island of Mljet. We all enjoyed a mid afternoon dip from the back of the boat somewhere along the way just off a small island.

More details from bike and sail-day 2

Yvonne was rightly pleased with her bike effort and made it up the climb with only a bit of walking. The hills here seem to go on forever. As you turn one corner thinking this must be just about the top, another bend appears in front of you and your head goes down a little with determination. 27 gears were almost all put to use on this first real bike day.

We then had some lunch before leaving for a relatively short sail to the island of Brac. This island is famous for its' marble like limestone which was used in the US White House. In the town of Pucisca we parked just outside the school where interested people are taught stone masonry in the classical way, for 3 or 4 years. After dinner we visited the school and had a briefing on the history and techniques used.

A Kingsley smile from Korcula

After 2 days on board the Romantica, we were well settled into our holiday from our normal travel routine. The company that operated the tour is German and so, pleasingly, we now have a very international group of new friends. We were about 31 with a mix of Germans, Swiss, Italian, Swedish, US and Australians. The two young girls who were the guides are both Croatian as is the ship Captain and crew. The whole group worked and played very well, despite language difficulties.

We joined the group on time around mid day last Saturday in Trogir. Some people lost baggage en route so we were a little delayed getting out of the harbour. But the first day worked out well enough with an hour or so on the bike at Split followed by dinner and a short guided walk through Diocletian's Palace where we had been a day or so before by ourselves.

We slept on board in Split port which was a bit noisy at times for some although R had no trouble in his below deck cabin. The next day we sailed for about an hour to Omis on the mainland where we had a great ride for almost 5 hours along the Cetina River valley then steadily climbing up about 600 metres into the hills behind the valley. A separate group decided to go river rafting instead of biking but this was a softer option as the rafting was not difficult.

Island hoppers return smiling

The Croatian Islands at this time in history, in this part of summer and with this type of travel are an absolute delight to visit. We were given a warm and friendly welcome as we boarded our ship in Trogir port and shortly after that we headed off towards the port town of Split and our week of island hopping. The first day was dull and overcast but the weather improved to be sunny and hot for the rest of our time whilst the water always looked perfect and irresistible in every way. Whilst we saw many ships in harbour, as they dispersed each day into the 1,000 plus islands in these parts, there was plenty of room to be seemingly sailing along alone in paradise .

Whilst each island visited was often quite different from the others, the configurations were expectedly similar. The boat quays were very close to the town centre. The walkways are wide, extremely clean and a pleasure to wander along. There were often groups of men sitting on appropriately placed benches, cigarettes in hand and having a chat about the latest happenings. There were plenty of cafes for the younger set and the tourists to gather for coffee and a chat. Families on holiday were wandering along looking for a place for the kids to play or to have a swim. The islands are just full of history with evidence of times past. There is great respect for retaining the “look and feel” of these islands and so there is a refreshing lack of so called “modern” developments.

Life appears to be uncomplicated with a focus on simple routines. But then there is also plenty of evidence of modern “sophistication” and opportunity to enjoy modern creature comforts. The whole country has a quietly confident and relaxed feel about it. The people we dealt with were all very friendly and courteous and they had no issues with our language shortcomings.

The island hopping experience exceeded our expectations in every way. Our group was 31 and we came from 7 countries to get here. We had an almost perfect week. The ship “Romantica” is a very comfortable and relatively new ship built along traditional lines. The crew was great and our two young female tour guides were fantastic. And we enjoyed good food, drink and company whilst making new friends.

We had no trouble filling each day with our planned bike rides along or across the islands of Brac, Mljet, Hvar, Korcula and Solta. The early in the day climbs up out of the ports were often quite tough but the free wheeling finishes, often sweeping around cliff side roads before diving down into the next port were exhilarating. In between we enjoyed our swims off the back of the boat, in harbours or along the coast.

This part of Croatia is a great part of the world. In short, our island hopping experience was just fantastic.