After a short, uneventful flight from Prague, we headed to the Excelsior Hotel, where we entered a beautiful luxury suite courtesy of our friends Corey Krehel & Katy Fox. After rinsing off the travel, we soaked in the waterfront lounges atop what felt like an extension of the Dubrovnik fort nearby. This hotel was a stunning example of combining the ancient charm of the Roman fortifications, the Venetian aesthetics and the modern luxury that offered a unique and inviting hotel, a lovely break from the recent accommodations.
Later that night, we walked to the nearby Old Town of Dubrovnik, renowned for the beauty of its monuments, its magnificent walls and welcoming atmosphere. Dubrovnik was founded by the Romans in the 7th Century and came under Venetian rule in the 12th. It flourished as a trade port that reached as far as the Americas. The artistic influences of the Venetians and Romans are still present everywhere, despite some items being rebuilt after withstanding several heavy bombing campaigns during the Yugoslav wars in the early 90’s.
Jen quickly fell in love with Dubrovnik and its charming alleyways stuffed with restaurants offering fresh fish dinners and little cafes at the foot of ancient ruins. We could have spent several more days in the vicinity, but the islands were calling. We made our way to Split; just 3 hours drive north of Dubrovnik, situated in the middle of the Croatian coast. The long drive was enough to send us to bed early with a belly full of the Croatian specialty, lamb from the hillsides grilled in lots of garlic and savory onions.
The next morning, we boarded the boat to Vis, a sleepy island founded by the Ancient Greeks that offered a quiet reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. We were particularly looking forward to this leg of the trip, as we were due to stay a couple of nights in a single place. We wanted to be lazy among the many white pebble beaches the island has to offer. When we arrived, we found our hotel, a lovely boutique established by some Italian women who welcomed us with smiles and answered all our questions. They offered to do some laundry and make reservations at local destinations.
We quickly set off to find the highly recommended beach of Stoncica, which was accessed by a short drive down a rocky road and then a 10-minute walk through a ravine to the beach. There we found a lively restaurant packed with sailors and their guests. Jen grew enamored with the resident “stray” dog that had a leash but was covered in ticks, as sure a sign that Jen needs to bring back a friend for Louloudi. We had a lazy lunch and then headed to the beach, a slightly dirty beach with shallow waters that extended 50 meters.
The next morning, we made our way to the town of Komiza on the other side of Vis, that connected to the famous Blue Cave, a short boat ride away. While we passed the time exploring this little village, our boat finally came, and we were off. It was quite spectacular, but a bit of a tourist trap, as we waited nearly an hour in line to see only 10 minutes of this cave. We paid handsomely for the privilege of a boat ride to the island and tickets to the cave. The cave was quite spectacular as it requires everyone in the boat to duck towards the middle as the captain steered the small motorboat through a tiny, jagged opening. Then we turned into a dark tunnel that opened into a glowing blue pool that begged us to swim in it. The Blue Cave is supposedly “famous worldwide” for its ethereal blue water that appears from a sunlight opening below a submerged cave.
Later, we headed to the beach of Miljne Podje and caught the afternoon sun. We returned to town for a few hours of emails and project management, before having another fresh fish dinner, as there is not much else available. The cuisine is tasty, but still far from the excellence we know within the Cycladic islands. There are dishes that seem to be distant cousins of saganaki, boiled octopus, briam, moussaka, Greek salad, but just don’t compare in taste and freshness. Perhaps it is because Vis is about a fifth the size of Paros, or perhaps the country’s cuisine is just not as well developed as it’s Greek and Italian influences.
Now, as I write this, we are headed back to Dubrovnik for a short nights stay before our flights to Athens and then to Paros by way of Mykonos. While our stay in Croatia was marked by unusual light rain and heavy overcast; we would gladly return to explore more of the some 200 islands in the Adriatic Sea belonging to Croatia.
