Water... water... everywhere

After a nice “welcome dinner” ( fresh red snapper from the fish market in Split) for Barbara, Sheridan, Carol and Peter Wednesday night, we left Thursday morning and headed north to an anchorage outside the Krka National Park. The park encompasses the 47 mile River Krka, which begins inside a canyon on a limestone plateau behind the city of Sibenik and finally empties into the Adriatic after a series of waterfalls, rapids and lakes that are surrounded by lush vegetation.  We took our tender to the small village of Skradin, one of the main access points to the park.  From there, a park boat took us upriver to the base of the first and largest of the waterfalls.  There is a boardwalk that winds through the area from the bottom of the falls to across the top.  Hundreds of small waterfalls surround the boardwalk as you make the one hour hike.  It really is “water water everywhere…” Sheridan is Superintendent of Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine and was quite impressed, as we all were, with the construction and management of this park.  There are signs along the path identifying interesting plants and animals… and if you want more information, you simply hold your cell phone over a scanner.  The ultra-modern, all-glass visitor center in town was a bit of a shock at first sight because the rest of this sleepy little village looks like something from the turn of the century.  It was very well done, with multi-language interactive displays and information centers.

We spent the next day in Sibenik which lies at the mouth of the Krka River.  Although there is no doubt that there were ancient settlements here, this town is the “youngest” of the cities along the Dalmatian coast and the first one founded by a Croatian king (1066).  The historic town center is well preserved and we wandered through local shops, markets and piazzas.  The most impressive of the buildings is the Cathedral of St. James.  It is one of the largest in Croatia, and built with local stone, all so perfectly cut, that the interlocking slabs have no mortar between them.  The detailed carvings along the exterior of the church, as well as the magnificent marble statues, arches and columns inside are truly breathtaking.  The church took a direct hit during the 1991 war and for the last 10 years has been under extensive renovation by Croatian and international experts, paid for mostly by UNESCO, as the church had previously been designated as one of their world artistic sights. 

Our last day with Barbara and Sheridan, we turned back south and spent most of the day at Hvar, a town John and I had visited earlier (see the "Enough is enough"  blog) and had enjoyed so much we wanted Barbara, Sheridan, Carol and Peter to see it, too.  After a hike to the fort at the top, we enjoyed a lovely outdoor lunch in the center of the main piazza.

After a couple hours of cruising back to Trogir for a flight out the next day, the 4 hearty explorers braved the rain-threatening skies, and spent a couple hours touring that quaint historic town as well.

Unfortunately, the weather gods have turned against us:  rain and wind are putting a damper (pun intended) on our current travel plans.

Skradin (entrance to KrKa National Park)

View from top of fort

One or several lovely churches in Skadin

On the park boat 

Up the river to the falls

Krka National Park

Krka National Park from the boardwalk 

The old mill at Krka 

Barbara, Sheridan, Peter, Carol and John

Sibenik (at the mouth of the Krka River)

Cathedral of St. James

One of only two working 24-hour clocks in Croatia

Croatian children on a "field trip"

Lunch in Sibenik (We've found some great Croatian wines)

The Andrea Cay in the harbor of Sibenik

The girls in Hvar, begging for a little shopping time...

View from the fort at the top of Hvar

Rewarding ourselves after the big climb to the top of the fort

The old city of Trogir

Church of St. John the Baptist in Trogir

Getting ready for a relaxing dinner onboard 

One of Shaz's great salad creation!

Splitting up in Split

Traveling north up the Dalmation coast, we arrived in Split on Sunday (10/20), the largest city in Croatia that we have visited.  A sprawling modern city of 175,000, it has an impressive old city center and lovely waterfront area. It also has one of the easier airports to fly in and out of, which is another reason we chose to visit this area.  We were “splitting up” with Howard and Gail who were heading back home, and picking up my sister, Barbara, and her husband, Sheridan.  Also, rejoining the voyage were Carol and Peter.

The old town center of Split grew up and around a huge Roman palace built by Emperor Diocletian in the 4^th century, and has a magnificent cathedral and a bell tower that was finally completed in the 16^th century.  The old town today is bustling with boutique hotels, shops and small restaurants, many of which are actually carved out of the original palace.  We spent the day wandering through the narrow streets and people-watching over lunch at one of the waterfront cafes.

The next day we rented a car and set off to explore the countryside.  Out first destination was to see the Cetina River, which cascades through a narrow gorge and out into the Adriatic.  It was a very steep and winding road that we followed up the side of the river and it was so heavily wooded that we barely saw the water.  We were saved from total frustration by the discovery of a local Croatian family-run distillery.  And yes, as we drove up, the son was filling a bucket of schnapps (or something alcoholic) from his still right there on the patio.  They were closed for the season, but the German-speaking matriarch, barking orders to her English-speaking son, encouraged us to stay. We were taken to the cellar for “tasting”, and along with 6 flavors of home-made schnapps, there were 4 different wines, fermenting in big aluminum vats.  After making our choices of the least-worst samples, Mama pulled out her homemade goat cheese, sheep cheese and cured ham (hanging from the ceiling…).  They were all delicious, so of course we made their day and bought all of the above, including wine and schnapps (which we have to admit were pretty tasty, particularly considering the cost). 

A one hour drive across the top of the ridge and back down the other side, took us to the town of Trogir, another medieval town, where the old city is flanked by small, ancient “palaces” along very narrow streets.  These old stone houses are ornately decorated on the outside with balconies, mullioned windows, carved doorways, coats of arms and quaint courtyards, indications of the once widespread prosperity of Trogir’s past, when it was an important center for the arts.  Unfortunately, the town has not been as well restored as most that we’ve visited, and there was widespread graffiti on many of the historic old buildings.  

Split           

                                                                 

                        The tunneled entrance into Diocletian's Palace (Split) 
                  

       Bell tower of the Cathedral of St. Domnius

         

View from half way up the bell tower  (Gail and I were too scared to take any from the very top!)                                            

                                               

                                     Happy to be coming down... the open staircase was a bit freaky
                                                        

We were very relieved the bells were not rung while we were climbing the tower

                                                                                                                                      

                                        John and Howard anxiously awaiting our safe return

                                     What shall we get for dinner from the fish market?   Fresh eel?

                                                                                       

                                                 I think we could use this sofa on the boat

      

                                                      "Have we got a deal for you..."

                                        Filling a plastic bottle with our first-choice red wine

                                  We finally escaped, but only after buying wine, schnapps,                                   
                                    cheese, ham, a giant loaf of bread, and a crocheted fish

                                                  Gate leading into the old town of Trogir

                               Ornate marble entryway to the Church of St. John the Baptist

                         Tomb of the first bishop of Croatia surrounded by the 12 apostles                                                                     

                                            Part of the remaining wall surrounding Trogir

Enough is enough...

As fascinating and charming as medieval towns and forts are to visit, there is a limit… and after a week, we had reached ours.

So, after leaving Dubrovnik, we spent a day at the Mljet National Park (on Mljet Island). It was as if we had been transported to a magical place – it was so quiet and peaceful.  The island is mountainous with two salt-water lakes linked by a channel.  There are many trails throughout the heavily-wooded pine, cypress and oak forest and along the lakefront.  We took a minibus into the park where we were picked up a small boat that ferried us out to a tiny island in the middle of one of the lakes.  There we found a Benedictine monastery from the 12^th century (which like many others around Croatia, is currently being “restored”…  editor’s comment: they have a long way to go).  We were then ferried back to the main island, spent some time enjoying the beautiful views, and then hiked back into the small village where we had left our dingy.  It was an exceptionally warm day and we went back to the boat and enjoyed a relaxing lunch on the top deck.

We left mid-afternoon and arrived at our next destination, the island of Korcula, at sunset.  This town’s “claim to fame” is that Marco Polo was born here, so as one might expect, the tourist shops sell all sorts of “authentic” Marco Polo artifacts.  I succumbed to T-shirts for a couple of my grandkids who drive me crazy playing “Marco Polo” in the pool.

Hvar Island was the next stop on our “island tour”.  We spent Saturday exploring Hvar town, one of the most visited along this Dalmation coast (according to the guide book).  We are obviously at the end of the tourist season (other than in Dubrovnik), which has its advantages and disadvantages. We’re very happy to not be fighting crowds along the narrow pathways on our hikes to the top of the forts.  On the other hand, we’ve been frustrated by the fact that most of the restaurants have closed for the season (… particularly the ones recommended by Trip Advisor).  We did happen across a wonderful outdoor taverna after we had hiked to the top of the fort in Hvar.  Timing is everything… they were closing that day and we probably had the best meal we’ve had since we arrived in Croatia!

                                  The Andrea Cay anchored outside Mljet National Park

                                         Sleepy little town at entrance to the park

                                             Joc and Shaz enjoying a day off the boat    

                                                    Benedictine Monastary (in the park)

                                                    We hiked around this peaceful lake

                                                       Our perfect weather continues

                                                      Korcula (Marco Polos's birthplace)

                                                                 Gail strolling the old city

                                 Searching for a dinner spot (don't they look hungry?)

                                        Hvar (of course we hiked to the fort at the top)

                                                                Hvar village square

 

                                           The strongly fortified walls protecting the fort

                                                              The fort of Hvar

                                                                View from the top
                                                    

                                      Rewarding ourselves with lunch after the big hike!