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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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….
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| 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.
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| THE GOLDEN CAPE CROATIA |
This
will be quite unforgettable.
