Europe Spring 2019 Croatia II

Onward through Croatia!

As you can see we are Happy Travelers! Although sometimes it can be tiring, we have learned to listen to our bodies and just take down days even if it feels like we might be missing something. Besides there is no way any of us are going to see everything in our lifetime so ‘just chill out!’

Here we will highlight some of the other islands and coastal towns we visited on our small cruise. First there is Slano on the coast of Croatia,

Another town with those high walls to the sea for protection from not just the sea but from enemies who might try to conquer,

We had a great day renting bikes and just riding around Slano,

Nancy is always happy with those grilled vegetables.

Also manged to have a nice lunch of grilled vegetables and assorted marinated fish. We also purchased some of the local olive oil, which is very mild with a very unique fruity flavor. Very different than the olive oil we purchase from local farms at home.

Then to Hvar, with it’s commanding fortress on the hill above the city. We found the city itself to be a bit over touristy. But the fortress was worth the visit,

After the fortress we wandered the city and took some photos of not just old structures but some artwork,

And this guy is everywhere!

We spent this night docked in Hvar, and were greeted in the evening with this view,

Next day we were woken up early to go to the Blue Cave near the island of Vis. The weather had been pretty bad so we were not sure to get to see this sight, but early in the morning we got the go ahead,

We depart in little boats to view this phenomenon.

You have to enter through a hole that you swear is not big enough for the boat you are in,

But the captain of your boat times the rolling tide, tells everyone to keep bent down with your heads below the boat, and we’re in

The guide takes you around the cave to explain that this iridescent glow is created by a larger opening that is just under the water where the light comes through. As it is early in the morning the sun is at it’s best for this effect.

Well that was a stunning way to wake up, next we stopped at the nearby island of Vis. This island is the farthest inhabited island off the mainland Croatia, and closest to Italy.

Vis island’s main town is by the same name, Vis. It is very small (less than 2,000 inhabitants) and is primarily a tourist attraction. One of the main attractions starting this year is that the Mamma Mia sequel was filmed here.

As we were docked here for the night we found an out of the way restaurant, and as the only customers, we were treated to a nice wood fired dinner.

So our Croatian cruise is almost over, next stop is Split on the mainland, where we spend our last night on the yacht.

Split is a fairly large city, second largest in Croatia (pop. 200,000). There is a long and wide promenade near the waterfront that attracts a lot of tourists. And there can be a lot going on, music, food, crafts, etc. However, as is our wont, we traveled outside of those areas, and into the suburbia of the city.

There are definitely some really nice old parts of this city, in fact there is one part that is all underground. But it was so crowded with tourists we could not fathom going in there.

So wandering the city this are some of the pictures we took.

That is a pretty cute taxi by bicycle power

These type of wall medallions were to be seen often,

We stayed a night here as our boat to Italy was not until the next day.

On our walk, the next day, we could smell some bar-b-que, and Gary could not resist.

However, ordering was a bit problematic. ‘Cause there were no English translations on this menu. That did not stop him, even if he was not quite sure what he ordered.

Then there was the wait. And wait, and wait. Seemed like maybe he really had not completed the order.

Meanwhile, Nancy got a pretty good shot of the kitchen, or something like a kitchen.

Alas, his pork sandwich was ready with a special local pepper sauce on it. And it was quite yummy!