Wednesday, July 10, 2019

THE DALMATIAN ISLANDS


SAILING THROUGH DIAMONDS
Do an online search of the Dalmatian Islands and you will be amazed at the stunning array of beauty stretching into the Adriatic Sea. There are major islands like Hvar and Korcula with towns of weathered stone buildings, and breathtaking islets of white sands surrounded by azure water. You’ll look at the pictures and you may think that is inaccessible. It is so far away, the price, etc.
 
ELAPHITI ISLANDS

There are many excuses, and but one reason to go; it’s a big world out there someone has to see it.

Don’t worry, if you decide to go to Croatia you will not be alone. Millions of tourists descend on this beautiful slice of the world each year, with the hordes peaking in July and August. Since the 1991-1995 Croatian war for Independence the tourism industry has steadily grown to become a major source of income for the country. As an American you’ll get to mingle with people from all over the world. Croatia is a popular vacation destination with Germans, Austrians, Poles and the English, just to name a few of the countries.
 
PAKLENI ISLANDS, CROATIA
Team VFH is especially excited about this particular trip because it will be an adventure, one might say this will be out of our comfort zone. We’ll just not be lolling about on the beach, walking the boardwalk hitting the arcades. Going to a foreign land that is quite safe for travelers, but with a completely different culture is always exciting and one that we don’t do quite enough. 
DUBROVNIK

Most of our traveling will be on the southern half of the 200-mile Dalmatian coast, from Dubrovnik to Split; two wonderful destinations. Dubrovnik is a medieval walled city fortified first against the Turks and then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Split is where the Roman Emperor Diolectian had a palace built in the 4th century. The palace is a tourist drawn today. These are the destinations, but everyone knows the journey is as important.

THE GO BETWEEN
To get between here and there we will be sailing with Unforgettable Croatia on their luxury cruise ship the MV Infinity. With a maximum capacity of 38 passengers the Infinity is just 3 years old and the company claims this will be an intimate experience.
STON OYSTERS

Our travels on the Infinity will include several stops. After leaving Dubrovnik we will head for the Elaphiti Islands, known for pristine beaches for a swim, and then to the coastal town of Slano for a visit to a fisherman’s village, then to the village of Ston on the Peljesac Peninsula to visit an oyster farm and some oyster sampling. This is where Croatians get their oysters. Perhaps we'll get enough energy from eating all these oysters to walk the Walls of Ston, a defensive fortification started in the 1300's.
WALLS OF STON, CROATIA

Then it's the Captain's dinner on board.

We will visit the large island of Mljet and the Mljet national park there and then see the salt lakes Veliko and Malo Jezero where we’ll have the chance to visit a 12th century former monastery on Melita Island in the middle of Veliko Jezero. Mljet was once an important maritime stop for ancient Greeks and supposedly there’s great diving here. On the western side of the Peljesac Peninsula where my friend has his summer home, Mljet is called Croatia’s Greenest Island, and boasts some of Croatia’s best beaches. We’ll have plenty of time to explore as we will anchor in the port of Polace.
MELITA ISLAND

We will sail next to Korcula, the island where Marco Polo, the famous explorer and creator of that pool game was born. I had been to the island once before and I am looking forward to returning to this lively island. Again, we’ll have plenty of time to explore as we anchor overnight here.
 
KORCULA
Other islands we will visit are Vis where first we'll have breakfast  before quickly moving along to a local winery to sample some very good white Vugava and the red Plavac. 

The 2017 film, "Mama Mia: Here We Go Again!" was filmed on Vis. Once a sleepy island real estate prices have soared on Vis with the release of the film.

Bisevo Island is our next stop where, if the conditions are good, we’ll get to visit the Blue Cave.  At certain times of the day and seasons sunlight reflects through the crystalline water and bounces off the white floor of the cave to bathe the area with a blue glow. A boy can dream.
BLUE CAVE BISEVO

We’ll have lunch at the Pakleni islands, a chain of strikingly spectacular islands, before heading for the revelry of Hvar and anchoring overnight. Hvar calls itself as “the sunniest spot in Europe,” and it a popular tourist destination with yachts filling the harbor and hard partying going on late into the night with young crowds filling the discos. Don’t worry I ain’t busting a move anywhere near them. Hvar is also known for vast stretches of fragrant and beautiful lavender fields. Perhaps a tour of the lavender fields is more our speed; don’t want to break a hip dancing….
LAVENDER FIELDS FOREVER

The last island before we hit Split is Brac and a swimming stop at the famous Zlatni Rat. Sometimes called the Golden Cape this spit of land that extends into the Hvar channel, is listed as one of the top beaches in Europe. When I first saw pictures of this beach, I knew I had to someday visit it. Extending about 2,000 feet into clear blue waters it is quite a remarkable place for a swim!



We’re not off the boat once we anchor in Split. We get a tour of the city and we stay in our stateroom until the next day where they will then drive us to a rental for the next part of our journey to Croatia, the Plitvice Lakes National Park.
 
THE GOLDEN CAPE CROATIA

This will be quite unforgettable.

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