Exit Croatia. Enter Germany

 

Monday 7 October

Feeling a bit like a space shuttle just now having gone in and out of so many passport controls ...

We are in Frankfurt and it has never been a place I would choose to stay; however, I have been pleasantly surprised.

Firstly, the public transport in from the airport to our hotel was soooo easy and non-stressed I almost fell off my perch. For starters, the disembarkment from the plane was seamless. No queues at passport control, bags ready and waiting. No stairs. Bought train tickets at machine and found the signposting to the city to be excellent.

[Going back a step, we had got up at 4.00 a.m. in Dubrovnik, walked to the bus stop - made very easy by the location of our B&B - and saved ourselves a small fortune by taking the airport bus the 14 kms to the airport rather than a taxi. Our check-in was processed efficiently and we counted out the last of our kunas to buy the most expensive coffees in Croatia plus just enough left to share a cold and boring croissant for breakfast. However, we got a delicious healthy bread roll on board to make up for this and departed and arrived on time into Frankfurt - at 9.30 a.m. despite my reservations about Croatian Airlines - a 7-hour trip.]

When we exited the railway metro system at our stop - Bockenheimer Warte (what a name!) - there was Kathryn - and it was great to see her!

Our hotel was 2 minutes walk and they had already agreed to take our bags but when we arrived they said the room was ready so we had an early check-in which was great. This is a great hotel - family-run and  so friendly. It will definitely get a good TripAdvisor review from me. Easy to access. Not expensive by Frankfurt standards. Helpful reception. Out in a pleasant residential neighbourhood.

We had a beautiful lunch with Kathryn in the Caféhaus Siesmayer at the Palmengarten gardens nearby and spent a couple of hours catching up. The sun was intermittent and, when out, was lovely and warm. It's definitely autumn here with the colours of the trees pretty in reds and yellows.

After our wonderful lunch, we walked (which we needed to do!) towards the centre of town (Innenstadt?) and found ourselves at the attractive Opera House.

We were at a metro station here so we used the city transport passes we'd bought at the hotel to investigate the city further and ended up in the historic (Römer) area by the river. It was very picturesque with its pretty, coloured traditional buildings.

Further walking took us through a busy market area where they had stalls set up selling food and wine. We each had a nice glass of riesling (trocken), followed by a coffee at Starbucks (1. To get the free wi-fi; 2. Because it's seems to be the only place to get a decent coffee in Germany; they make terrible coffee here!).

We had dinner out at a nearby German restaurant with the friends (Ash & Lina) that Kathryn is stayng with in Frankfurt and then crashed into bed.

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Tuesday 8 October

We had a bit of a sleep-in and then we ventured back to the Römer area where we had been yesterday and enjoyed some window-shopping on the way to a traditional cider house, Zum Gemalten Haus, for lunch.

We had the apple wine (apfelwein) also known as "scrumpy" apparently, but I can't say I'm a fan. But lunch was true German fare: meat loaf with egg, spâtzle (egg noodles), frankfurters, sauerkraut, etc.

We wandered on through the historic district taking in the Dom that was badly damaged from air bombardments by Allied Forces in WWII and rebuilt in the 1950s; and we went to a war exhibition at the Carmelite Monastery (Karmeliterkloster) which dates from 1246 and is the only preserved mediaeval monastery in Frankfurt.

We returned to our hotel to collect our bags and say farewell to Kathryn. It has been a lovely couple of relaxing days catching up.

The train to the airport was seamless - again - and we marvelled at German efficiency.

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Wednesday 9 October

We are "cooling our heels" at Changi Airport (Singapore) in-transit to Melbourne.

 

Dubrovnik - day 2

Sunday 6 October

They say you can easily "do" Dubrovnik in a day - even maybe a few hours. Having "done" the wall yesterday, this left today free, essentially.

So we took our time getting up initially. Then about 8.30 a.m. - and with the anticipated rain not appearing, thankfully (although it was overcast) - we set off to "beat" the tourist hordes which are overwhelming when en masse around these parts, and walked along the Stradun (the main thoroughfare of the Old Town), visited a few churches (one of which had 4 young female singers of very good voice).

And had breakfast of pancakes, fresh fruit and icecream at Dolce Vita. Yum!

We wandered on, exiting via the Pile Gate and the Old Town, and meandered upwards through a maze of streets and along the harbour edge eventually finding more good views and a park and some pleasant gardens before arriving back at the Pile Gate and into the Old Town again.

We sought out a photographic exhibition I had read about - a New Zealander who had captured images of the Bosnian conflict. Excellent black & white shots. It was stunning but depressing at the same time. Isn't war always? - depressing, I mean!? Such a dismal, hopeless, desolate business which reminds one of how we never learn!

However, it was 2 hours well spent as I had wanted to get "into" what this conflict must have meant for the locals. Stijepo yesterday had said "no electricity, no water, no food, no money for 6 to 8 months"..

Needed a drink afterwards though!

So we found a pizzeria and shared a pizza and a nice fresh salad plus a wine.

We wandered on and found a concert taking place in the main square with great singing and dancing - in traditional costume. Lots of photos - again! My Friend had lots of fun but had to sit down as his arms (from holding the camera) and legs got tired!!

Found a wine bar with expensive wine by the glass.

Running out of "funny money" - kunas. Wish they used euros here. Travel card emptied out on the beach where we had cocktails. Now using credit card.

I am writing this on our terrace with the sun setting. Every time I look up, the sky has gone pinker and pinker. Just stunning.

Tomorrow we have to get up very early (ugh!) for bus to airport and flight to Frankfurt where we will spend 24 hours. Looking forward to seeing Kathryn who will arrive from Vienna.

So this may well be the last of the blog. Cancel that - more to come...

Split to Dubrovnik

Saturday 5 October

Breakfast on board. We say "goodbye" to all our new-found friends. Goodbye also to "Tuna", our home for the past week, and to all the crew who did such a fabulous job and especially Damir & Ivana. Then onto the bus at 9.15 a.m. to Dubrovnik.

A very scenic drive - we passsed through Omiš where we had been yesterday and Makarska the day before. Nice to see places from the viewpoint of land for a change. The Baćina Lakes near Ploče are very scenic.

We pass unexpectedly through Passport Control to go via Bosnia & Herzegovina. Pretty. Scene of terrible conflict however. The Bosnian War took place here in 1992-5 as a result of the breakup of Yugoslavia whereupon the Serbs, supported by the infamous Slobodan Milošević, pursued the ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Bosniaks & Croats.

We arrived into Dubrovnik about 2 p.m. and were met by the dearest Stijepo who guided us off the bus onto a local bus (he already had bought the tickets for us!); he waited until we caught the bus and then followed us on his "scooter" to meet up with us when the bus dropped us off at the Pile Gate, an entry into the Old Town through the city walls.

He then pulled BOTH (!) our suitcases - he insisted! (we felt like Royalty) - through the Old Town, stopping to tell us about various sights along the way, smatterings of history, (don't mention the war!!), "there goes the mayor ...", good place to eat, buy your souvenirs here, best place for iceceam, here is the bakery, the supermarket, oh yes - we have problems with young Australians who come here and get drunk and cause lots of problems (we are so embarrassed on behalf of our foolish countrymen), etc., etc.

It was an amazing introduction to Dubrovnik and all the while the immense city walls towered impressively over us.

The war in Dubrovnik, by the way, was an 8-month siege which began 1 October 1991 during which, under Serb attacks, much of the Old Town was destroyed; Dubrovnik was dragged into the Croatian War of Independence and the city was shelled mercilessly by tanks and warships.

I had come expecting to be under-whelmed; you know, you want to love the place you hear so much about it but you really expect to be disappointed.

However, this place is WOW!! Really amazing. Breathtaking.

On we walk, and Stijepo is just warming up. He is so enthusiastic. He walks us through the Old Town and out the other side through another gate - the Ploče Gate. We start to walk gradually up and away from the Old Town, but not too far; just 5 minutes later and we pass through a blue wooden gate behind which we are introduced to his mother and our wonderful apartment. We have views over the harbour, out to the city walls, a lovely huge stone terrace, several cats and the pet tortoise "Mali".

A welcome beer and we go through the usual paperwork, passports etc. and then information on what to do and when.

Finally, Stijepo leaves and by now it is time to go and investigate things on our own. The city walls beckon - especially as rain is on the way. We access the wall ramparts via a third city gate which is lesser known and quieter: the Buža Gate. We spend until closing time at 6 p.m. walking what is only 2 kms but it is absolutely amazingly scenic. We take 100s of photos. The camera battery is HOT.

We return to our apartment to freshen up and then dart out to one of Stijepo's recommendations for dinner. The food is lovely and I have yet another glass of the local red from Dingač (a wine-growing region on the Pelješac Peninsula in Dalmatia): the ever-reliable Radović.

NOTES:

http://winesofcroatia.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/the-donkey-delivers-dingac-plavac-mali-"kolekcija-04"/

http://winetastingcroatia.com/croatian-wine-cheat-sheet/

 

Makarska to Split

Friday 4 October

We left Makarska at 7.00 a.m. and arrived in a cove near Omiš as Omiš itself was too busy for our boat. As I understand it, the captain had anticipated this and had hoped to be early enough to avoid it, but it was not to be so and he needed some locals on the land to help him berth.

We rode into Omiš through the Old Town while it was still quiet.

Then along the pretty valley of the Cetina River to Radmanove Mlinice via 3 tunnels where we had a coffee break. 

Back in Omiš, we locked up the bikes and climbed up to the Mirabella Fortress with its views over town. This first pikky is a panoramic by My Friend.

They love their pomegranates - many of the gardens have at least one tree.

We arrived into Split mid-afternoon and spent the rest of the day being tourists - did the Diocletian's Palace, etc.

And found a great wine bar and had the only Croatian white wine we've had. It was excellent (a 2009 chardonnay from near Zagreb, the capital). Well worth the wait.

After dinner with most of the group from the boat, My Friend and I revisited the Diocletian's Palace to find it ethereal by night. Just lovely.

 

Pelješac Peninsula

Thursday 3 October

We are back on the mainland.

The day started with an early departure from Mljet Island to Trstenik on the Pelješac Peninsula.

Then an early ride along the coast and back from where we docked to the seaside village of Orebić (an important maritime centre in the 16th century).

Then the climbers set off for a 13 km ride up 300m and then down the other side to Lovište where the boat met us and where we had lunch. The rest of the day we have off and we will sail this afternoon to Makarska, a popular resort at the base of the impressive Biokovo mountain range. This is where we will berth for the night.

Beautiful meal with a whole bunch of people from the boat - and a great regional red wine: Dingač Radović 2010.

Mljet Island

[we have been without wi-fi]

Wednesday 2 October

We set sail about 7.30 a.m. from Korčula to the island of Mljet which is a national park. It is the most southerly and easterly of the islands and we are off the coast from Dubrovnik.

Another splendid day, although a wind has picked up. An easy day is planned - you can pretty much do what you want: walk, kayak, cycle, snooze, whatever!

We cycle after coming into dock at the town of Pomena for about 16 kms (return trip) past two salt lakes (jezero) - Veliko & Malo; past a small island in the middle of Veliko Jezero with an old 12th century Benedictine monastery and the church of St Mary; and on to a beach near where the lakes exit to the sea (where some swam).

After cooked lunch onboard (again!), to burn off a few calories, a small group of us (Jill, Chris - two Aussies who have just competed at the Masters Triathalon in London - & the 2 Kiwis - Bernie & Chris) rode to Polače, the most ancient village on the island and which had a downhill we knew we'd have to come back up again later. However, Polače was a good "find" as it has a number of ancient ruins dating from the 1st to the 6th centuries. Then back up the hill and down another hill to Pristanište and then along the lakes through Soline before arriving back into Pomena.

 

Korčula Island

Tuesday 1 October

The boat set sail at 7 a.m. when most of us were either still in bed or just getting out. It was a beautiful sight to come up on board to watch our departure from Hvar Town and the early morning light which was casting a lovely glow over the islands, the sea and sky. It was a spectacular morning.

We had breakfast as the boat motored across to Korčula Island arriving about 10.30 a.m. at Račišće. We set off on a lovely undulating coastal ride of about 15 kms to Korčula Town where we are berthed for the night. It is incredibly picturesque. They say that Marco Polo was born here.

After a cooked lunch on board, we cycled to Lumbarda, a village about 5 kms SE of Korčula Town. This has a lovely pebbly beach - Bilin Žal - where we lazed around in the sun or at tables and chairs in the shade of kabanas with dried palm fronds as the roof. A few braved the crystal clear water for a swim - I'm told it was a tad cool; I dipped my feet in and didn't think it too bad. This photo of My Friend's is better than mine:

My Friend is developing a reputation for his "dad" jokes ... He also managed to get "lost" today temporarily on the morning ride.

Back at the boat, we changed quickly to go into town while the light was still good. There is a grand staircase that leads up to the main entrance of the Old Town and the other main sight is the Gothic and the Renaissance St Mark's Cathedral (14th century) with its alterpiece painting Three Saints by Tintoretto.

The smaller Gothic church of St. Peter dating from the 14th century is also an attractive building.

We continued wandering around the Old Town where the main street (unusually for a medieval town) has been carefully designed to resemble a fish skeleton with the western streets oriented straight to allow the refreshing NW Maestral winds to cool the town and the eastern streets are curved to keep out the SW Jugo winds.

Dinner was upstairs in a pleasant konoba where we had good wine and food as a group of 6 - Marie & Steve from the States plus Bernie & Chris from NZ.