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jnj away 2012...the journey continues

Cruising the Dalmatian Coast

CROATIA | Wednesday, 27 June 2012 | Views [651]

Dubrovnik from the chair lift.

Dubrovnik from the chair lift.

Saturday 26th May – Saturday 2nd June 2012

Cruising the Dalmatian Coast

We all boarded the boat, scrambled for the best Stateroom, made ourselves at home as the boat pulled out of Split harbour headed for one of the innumerable, quaint islands that we would pull into over the next week.  On reflection we got to know each other better, we were the life of the party, we rapidly de-stocked the bar, we formed lasting bonds with Tony, the barman and point of human interface between crew and customer (the skipper didn’t even front up at the skipper’s dinner…hmm, what had we done wrong?), braved the still chilly Dalmatian waters (some braver than others), scoured each seaport for the best restaurant that would accept a rowdy, laughing mob of us with 6 Taswegians and their new-found Kiwi and Melbourne mates!  We did it all…grey-water rafting (well it was too tame to be called white water…), ferries to island churches in the middle of dolomite-blue lakes, cable-cars and fortress wall walks in Dubrovnik, the inevitable shopping (some of us “re-applying” as we went), dining out, searching for Marco Polo’s house, a guided tour of Split with Lana our young Croat friend on the cruise, exploring the wonders of Croatian cocktails, pole-dancing and practising français with Armand and Danièle, the only couple brave enough to share our table on board.

One highlight for Janet and I was a visit to the Steve McCurry photographic retrospective which, by good luck, was in Dub (as we fondly call it…).  What a career – peaked by that photo – it’s up there with that ball of Warney’s – you know, the one of the afghan girl with the light-filled, dolomite green-blue eyes.  The whole display was immensely moving, including the pics of her when he went back to find her 18 years later.  The light had faded somewhat in the eyes through hard work and the poverty shared by billions on this planet, but she was no less determined to make sure her kids would enjoy a better lot than she.  It was an inspiring morning.

South Croatia is a rugged, sparsely vegetated coastal strip which looks most appealing from the sea, armed with a cocktail. Its people are intelligent, good looking (well, up to about 35-40 when we all fall to bits, anyway) and passionate for life.  It’s hard to see what motivated the Serbs to set up gun emplacements on top of the hill overlooking Dubrovnik and shell the crap out of that beautiful, ancient city other than Milosovitch’s mindless, ego-driven grasp for control of the states that once formed Yugoslavia, and their version of ethnic purity…sad, oft-repeated, but sad.

We farewelled most of the group back in Split and, with the Volvo packed to the gunnels, we headed north for Plitvička Lakes.

 

 

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