Tag: croatia

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Last Day in Split, Croatia

June 29, 2019

I was sad to wake up this morning and leave my cabin. It was such an amazing cruise that I did not want it to end. Katarina Cruise Line definitely knows how to island hop along the Dalmatian Coast and I will continue to send my clients here for their vacations. I will most likely send more because this trip taught me more about Katarina that I didn’t know before, like their 60 different ships and they are definitely each for a different kind of traveler and budget. Thank you Katarina Line for this wonderful experience!

Off to spend the day in Split, my flight is at 7:40pm so I booked a culinary tour this morning!

Off to the fish market to choose what we will be eating for our lunch today.

We took a whole bunch of these “scampi” as they call them here. Just like large head on shrimp but with a harder shell more like a crawfish and a bit bigger.

There was so much to choose from, and so many new things that I don’t see in the markets at home. It was very exciting to learn about some of the local seafood and how they prepare it. I also loved how a lot of the seafood is prepared with lots of garlic, olive oil and parsley!!

I chose a nice plump and bright red Scorpionfish, excited to try it, a popular choice among locals here.

This lady was so sweet, she packs all of those jars of anchovies herself. She showed us how she salts them and then how she uses special oil, etc. She let us try them first, nothing like the anchovies you buy in a can that are too salty! These had flavor and meatiness to them, I bought a few jars. I am sure my son Rowan will love these, he started eating anchovies at 2 years old-so an extra jar for him.

The stories about the locals were just as much fun as learning about the fish! This guy has been here every day for 30 something years, the only English he knows is, “the fish is very very fresh” and he was very proud to proclaim it about his offerings.

It took a while but I finally got this gruff monger to smile for the picture.

One of my choices is the local tuna, she is filleting the fish I chose. I had the local tuna sashimi style in Dubrovnik and it was amazing, so I’ll try it grilled with garlic, olive oil and parsley.

Back to the kitchen to drop off our fish choices and then to the green market.

We had some time in between so slowly made it to the market as we stopped along the way to appreciate the beauty of Split.

I love the Austrian influence of this building that was from the Hapsburg rule that occurred after the Venetian rule ended when Venice fell to Napoleon. You feel like you are in Vienna here.

The outer edges of Diocletian’s Palace and one of the four gates that allow entry into the city.

Made it to the green market, another shopping adventure.

We dropped off our vegetables and told them what time we wanted to enjoy lunch. Then off for more exploring.

We ventured out of Diocletian’s Palace to an area higher up with beautiful views of Split and the perfect cafe for a well needed iced coffee.

We worked up a hunger going up all those steps and incline in the heat. Looking forward to lunch and a glass of wine!

Split is a beautiful place.

I found a mini-Stanley in a shop in town. He was so adorable!

The Game of Thrones and Harry Potter Store.

Lunchtime!! Diocletian’s Wine House is a beautiful restaurant right in the palace walls. There’s inside seating with air conditioning and outside seating. Since it was in the nineties today, we opted for inside!

Here is one page of their menu, but we had a custom menu made for us!

Scorpionfish with lemon and seasonal vegetables wrapped in a flaky phyllo packet was probably the best fish dish I’ve ever had in a restaurant!

The grilled local tuna and vegetables was really tasty.

Buzara is a very popular Croatian dish served along the coast. It’s the scampi shrimp I described above with mussels and baby clams. They are cooked in a lot of garlic, wine, olive oil and parsley. There is also a little tomato and fresh breadcrumbs that thicken the sauce. Dipping the fresh made crunchy loaf of bread into the bowl was heaven.

The sad part of the trip, heading to the airport to leave this area of the world that I absolutely adored! So I checked the weather at my next destination…..

Looks chilly to me! 😬

The airport in Split is very small and they are in dire need of an upgrade and expansion. It was crowded and hot and once you went through security, no bar, no seats available and no plugs to charge anything! I did find two plugs that worked but there was a line if people for each! So I sat on the floor and hoped that my three hours would go quickly.

Off to Moscow with a terrible airplane meal, thankfully I was so exhausted I slept most of the almost 4 hours.

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Bol & Omiš, Croatia

June 28, 2019

We woke up to a beautiful day but very windy. Everyone was excited to go to the Great Horn beach in Bol on the island of Brac. Unfortunately we were not able to due to the high winds.

The two pics below are of the famous beach from above-not my pictures.

We were scheduled to spend the whole morning at this beach and swim. We were so disappointed but of course understood.

The wind was so strong we couldn’t even sit out on the sundeck!

Thankfully it still was a beautiful day so the Captain cruised to the other side of the island that was protected from the wind and we searched for a place to swim now that it is calm.

Everyone is looking and eagerly waiting to swim!

This area looks pretty good.

We’re all like little kids who can’t wait to play!

Our lunch today was amazing! Gnocchi in a Parmesan sauce and baby lamb chops, which I really don’t like but enjoyed these!

Omiš is our stop after lunch, it is back on the mainland not far south of Split.

Look at the dot right above Splitska, that is Omiš at the mouth of the Centine River.

View from above (not my picture)

Time for an afternoon of river rafting on the Cetine River!

It started out calm but it was so hot out we couldn’t wait to get splashed.

And cool off with a swim!

Morena jumping off the rock.

Ready to go!

So much fun and the perfect weather.

Getting ready for the Captain’s Dinner tonight, our last night.

Cocktails to start

Beautiful sunset as we arrive into Split, our final stop and where we started.

The dining room set up nicely for the special dinner.

Captain Dino makes his speech

Local Tuna Carpaccio

Mussels

Captain Dino’s favorite local musicians. They were really good and fun! Everyone enjoyed their entertainment during dinner.

Seared Local Sea Bass

Molten Chocolate Cake

Fun times dancing then a trip into Split.

Wandering through the maze of Diocletian’s Palace.

This picture came out better than the one I was taking.

Not easy to find your ship when they are all tied together so you have to walk through each one to get to the next-and they all look similar!

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Hvar, Croatia

June 27, 2019

This morning we start our journey to Hvar. Hvar is another island in the Adriatic Sea and is best known as a luxurious summer vacation destination. It is also known as the sunniest island in Croatia and for its beautiful and fragrant lavender fields. Hvar Town has swanky hotels, elegant restaurants and it is the place to see and be seen-rubbing shoulders with posh yachties and hundreds of young partygoers.

Good morning from the MS Maritimo!

Breakfast onboard is really nice, there’s a nice variety from meats and cheeses, to fruits, muesli and yogurts to eggs, bacon and breads.

Later on in the morning we stopped for our daily swim and there was a tiny beach not far from where we anchored so we took the dinghy to explore.

Nevin and I ready to explore

I loved walking around the shallows near the rocks and looking for sea creatures. I saw a lot of sea urchins, made me really hungry but I don’t know how to open them to eat them! There were also a lot of sea slugs, which I don’t like to eat! So it was tough to walk around on the pebbly bottom but fun to explore!

While it was beautiful, I preferred swimming from the ship, no worries about walking on the bottom!

Fun with the floats

My cool toes in the water

Morena, one of our hostesses

Just watching the swimmers as I dry off

Look at that water!

Captain Dino going over the maps with us.

Beautiful lunch today! Our starter was grilled zucchini and eggplant rolled around soft cheese.

There is the harbor in Hvar with the 13th Century Fortress keeping watch over the town.

We couldn’t get a place to dock, it was so busy. So we went for another swim to kill some time and then had a local wine and olive oil tasting onboard.

Time for a nap!

Walking into Hvar town on the beautiful promenade.

Ready for a night of fun!

Our hostesses Morena and Natasa

Cocktail Hour in Hvar

The main square is anchored by the Renaissance-era Hvar Cathedral.

Notice the worn step on the left side under the bottom of the door. That is the side the commoners would use.

The pjaca, is what they call the main square which is the largest square in Dalmatia. Originally part of the bay, the land was filled in and fully paved in 1780 and the fountain in the square dates back to 1520.

More beautiful side streets.

If you look at the top of the picture, you see the holes in the building around the windows. These were for a pole to be put in and either used as a pulley to bring things up to their home or hang a wet blanket for natural air conditioning.

The beautiful Pjaca

We went to dinner as the sun was setting.

Thinly sliced octopus, local tuna tartare, sea bass ceviche, oil cured anchovies, and white anchovies.

Beef carpaccio, local sharp cheese, beef Tartare, butter slices, liver pate, carmelized onions and arugula salad.

Fried calamari

Local catch-baby clams, mussels, grilled squid, grilled tuna, huge prawns called scampi.

Summer night life in Hvar is one of the best on the Adriatic. The town is alive at night and partying goes on all night long!

We took a long walk after dinner and the island started to get going. Music was starting, the bars and cafes were filling up.

We sat out here at these high tables, there was a balmy breeze and a great fun vibe. We sat with a bunch of friends and had a really nice evening.

Good night Hvar!

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Katarina Line & Korčula, Croatia

June 26, 2019

I slept well on my first night onboard and woke to the sound of the engines starting at 7am. Breakfast is between 8-9am so I went up to grab a cup of coffee and see us leave Split. There’s not much motion on the ship, pretty smooth but I guess we are in semi protected waters with all the islands around us. Dalmatia is what they call this area of coastline and it is where Dalmatian dogs come from. They say their spots represent the islands and no two are the same. There are actually

The morning was spent relaxing onboard while we cruised. It was so nice, I really enjoy the sundeck and there is a small jacuzzi up there we used to cool off while we were cruising. We stopped before lunch and had a really nice swim. The water is refreshing, not too cold but cold enough that it feels great because it is hot, low 90’s! It is also so clear and pretty, I love the color. Thankfully we are cruising during the heat of the day and the breeze keeps us cool and comfortable.

Just look at that water!

Another ship similar to ours, same company too.

My home, MS Maritimo

Lunch was fabulous today!

We stopped at a nice cafe for a refreshment while in Korčula.

Look at that water!

Walking along the promenade into the Old Town. The island town of Korčula is best known as the birthplace of Marco Polo and often referred to as a “mini” Dubrovnik because of the medieval stone ramparts and towers. The town has striking Venetian architecture that makes it beautiful with bright flowers spilling over the limestone blocks with azure blue seas-I LOVE Korčula!

Old Town’s main entry is the Great Land Gate or Veliki Revelin.

St. Mark’s Cathedral

Korčula town was laid out in a fishbone pattern. They really knew what they were doing when they built the town and they are still reaping the benefits of this layout today.

The Main Street goes through the town like the spine of a fish. The streets come off the spine at each side like the bones but the left and right sides are different.

The streets to the left, or west, are straight and allow the cool Maestral winds into town like natural air-conditioning. The streets to the right, or east, are curved to keep out the evil Jugo winds. These Bura are winds in Croatia that control the coastal weather and are tied to the everyday lives of the people, everything from weather, vegetation, architecture and tourism.

Looking down this street you can’t see the end due to the curve.

Looking down this street you can see the water at the end because it is straight.

The outside of the old town has a ring street around it with fabulous cafes on the water with views of the azure blue water.

I just love these streets, so atmospheric!

I have been perusing many of the jewelry stores in Dubrovnik, Split and now here in Korčula to find a Konavle button necklace. These filigree style old buttons are now sold as necklaces, rings and earrings. I found this jeweler making them and finally bought my own necklace.

Dinner tonight was a more local type of dinner in Korčula and a real experience.

We rode into the island away from the coast and up higher in elevation. Then walked up a country road to find this amazing spot!

The gregarious owner greeted us with a local drink and some dried figs while he told us about this place, the area and growing up here.

We learned how to make a local type of pasta.

We went up to the high point and learned about the changes here since he was a child. He pointed out the places of interest and where the school was and town.

We had a big family style table with beautiful views all around us.

The food was so fresh and so delicious. There was also a local red and white wine that paired perfectly with the meal.

Korčula changed many colors during sunset. After our big family style dinner we decided to take a nice walk, it was a beautiful night and had cooled off nicely. The views back to Korčula town as the sun set made us stop and take a picture every 5 minutes!

We stayed here and watched the sun as it dipped below the horizon and the colors were gorgeous!

Good night Korčula.

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Travel to Split

June 25, 2019

The coastal road between Dubrovnik and Split is just breathtaking! A curvy two lane road that winds along the edge of cliffs with the beautiful Adriatic alongside you. There are also many areas with pine trees so you’ll smell the scent of pine mixed in with the fresh sea air. I usually don’t like roads like this, they make me nervous but for some reason I’m totally content and enjoying the ride. Pepo, my driver, is good company and drives this road every day so his high speed isn’t bothering me.

We crossed the border into Bosnia-Herzegovina and stopped for coffee. There was a cafe with a beautiful terrace over a harbor. We stretched our legs and had some good strong coffee. The drive between Dubrovnik and Split is about 3-4 hours and can be longer depending on the border crossings. You have to go from Croatia, cross the border into Bosnia then cross back into Croatia. Luckily we didn’t wait more than 15 minutes at each crossing-good timing I guess. Croatia is building a bridge from the mainland across a waterway to their peninsula that juts out close to the Bosnian Coast. We could see all the construction and when it’s finished it will make it so much easier to go from Dubrovnik to Split-no border crossings.

Wow it’s hot! There’s a heat wave in all of Europe right now. While I had fun staying in Kotor and Dubrovnik, I am relieved to get on a boat! I am cruising with Katarina Line Cruises, a Croatian company that I have done business with for my clients. They have great itineraries and have been in business almost 30 years. You really need to see the Dalmatian Islands from a yacht. Taking days trips by ferry is tiring and no fun. We boarded the MS Maritimo, a beautiful boat that has 19 cabins with a max of 38 passengers – we were 24 travel agents on this trip. It’s always so exciting to board and explore!

I unpacked quickly and love my cabin! There’s so much room and it’s cool and quiet. Nice to stay in one place for 5 days.

Now off to explore Split for a few hours before we all meet up at 5pm for the first time.

In the fourth century, Roman emperor Diocletian retired and built a residence for his retirement in his native Dalmatia. When Rome fell, the palace was abandoned. Eventually, a medieval town built up from the abandoned palace. Today the maze of narrow alleys, which were Diocletian’s actual hallways, make up the core of Split. The residents of Split are actually living in a Roman emperor’s palace. Diocletian’s Palace is one of the largest and best-preserved examples of Roman architecture in the world. 

One thing I noticed when looking at pictures of Split and Dubrovnik was that the streets always looked wet. Either that or too many filters, but I couldn’t figure it out. Now that I am here and I am slipping and dragging my feet over the super polished limestone, I understand. It is as smooth as glass from the thousands of years of footsteps, pretty amazing when you think about it.

Notice that some of the columns are darker, they are red granite from Egypt.

The Peristyle was Diocletian’s main square and still has the feeling of the center of everything. A Peristyle was an inner courtyard with columns that surround it, a place for relaxation for the Emperor and also as a place for religious and other public events.

There are two Sphinx still in Split, there were originally twelve and are made of black granite. both are from Egypt and dated at about 3500 years old. The other one is in front of the Temple of Jupiter and is decapitated. As Christianity spread through the region, they destroyed anything that was Pagan but this one survived.

The Temple of Jupiter and the other Sphinx.

The domed Vestibule is one of the most important parts of Diocletian’s original palace. It used to be the dramatic entry into his private residence. Now, because of its great acoustics, cappella singers perform Dalmatian folk music.

There are four gates that allow entrance into the palace and each one leads to the Peristyle dividing the palace into quarters.

This is a rendering of the what the palace looked like.

This is a picture (not mine) of it today from above.

Time to head back to the yacht to meet everyone. Definitely felt great to get out of the heat. The ship is really pretty and very comfortable.

One of my favorite areas, great to grab coffee in the morning and sit back here before breakfast.

The cabins are very modern and have lots of space and light.

Deck plan of our vessel MS Maritimo

First night dinner onboard and meetup with the other guests.

Dinner was very good, gazpacho, beet carpaccio, veal and dessert.

Time to go back out to town to experience Split at night.

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

June 24, 2019

Luggage update, I followed up this morning with Aeroflot and the Tivat Airport Lost & Found department. They were hoping it might arrive this morning on the 9:15am flight from Moscow…it didn’t…so back to the same clothes as yesterday. I did get an email later that day that it was on the same flight today that I took yesterday, arriving at 5:30pm in Tivat-I was excited.

My driver was supposed to pick me up at 10am this morning but that had to be put off. They didn’t know how long it would take to send it to me once I cross the country into Croatia, they couldn’t do that easily.

We arrived to the airport at 5:30pm on our way to Dubrovnik. I went in with a positive feeling and lost and found said is this your bag? It wasn’t, they said this is what they sent….I went out to the belt to look around for myself….nothing. I started crying because I didn’t know what we could do. They were figuring out a plan and planned them to send from Moscow to Zagreb then Split-where I’m cruising from. I was just so worried I wouldn’t have it in time for departure. So I walked out defeated, red eyes and head down. As I was walking down the steps the lost and found lady ran out to me, there’s another bag they just found. We excitedly ran in and the belt starts again and my bag appeared! I was so happy I hugged her! Fresh, clean clothes and all my stuff!!

I got in the car and Zoran and I headed up to Croatia! Since it was after 6pm and he knew the tricks, we went to the less popular border crossing and got through in about 10 minutes.

The approach into Dubrovnik was spectacular as the sun was setting! So we stopped at a high vantage point and admired the beauty of the walled city.

Since the Old Town is completely surrounded by a wall, I was dropped off at one of the gates. As I navigated through Dubrovnik, it was already starting to hop, music, people, cafes, a lively scene. I couldn’t wait to get out and experience it.

Dubrovnik’s riches came from shipbuilding and the salt trade and has a beautiful old port, Stara Luka nested behind St. John’s Fort.

I am right on the famous Stradun or Placa-the main thoroughfare through town. The place to see and be seen. It was very busy but the cruise ships left so the crowds weren’t as bad at night.

Dubrovnik is the “Pearl of the Adriatic” and flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries. Luckily it never developed that socialist dullness like many of the other cities did during the Tito years of Yugoslavia. It was always the the glittering tourist destination bringing in money. Until 1991 when it was the only coastal city in Croatia to be dragged into the war and the city was devastated and tourism gone. Today it is back and better than ever albeit too many tourists!

I went to Dalmatino on recommendation for great seafood and atmosphere and it didn’t disappoint!

I ordered cold dry glass of local Rose to start, Local Tuna Sashimi with Mixed Salad, Spring Onions and Black Risotto with Cuttlefish-made with the ink from the cuttlefish-it had a very distinctive briny taste, I loved it. The dinner was even better than I expected.

I don’t mind going out to dinner alone at all, I actually enjoy it once in a while. I like to read and enjoy my food slowly plus the waiters always talk to me so I enjoy learning about new people.

Probably the hardest part after dinner was where to go?! Every door in every alley was spilling with music and people. Outdoor cafes lined the streets too and every seat was full. Groups of friends were laughing and having fun going from place to place. Dubrovnik has a great nightlife!

The views from my window were pretty and right on the Stradun so I could hear all the fun but it was so hot I had to close the windows and put on the air conditioner.

The best time to enjoy Dubrovnik’s Old Town is early morning before the day trippers and cruise ship guests descend upon the town. I really enjoyed seeing the town like this!

Same view from my window in the day.

I don’t watch Game of Thrones so all I know is that Dubrovnik is King’s Landing? I think?!

Quick breakfast-Burek with beef!