Goodbye Dubrovnik, Hello Amalia

We left our hotel early for our last wander through old town Dubrovnik. Having explored the city on my arrival, I was more interested in what our guide said than seeing the town. Dina did provide an excellent resident's view of the bombings during the 1990s war. It was very hard to imagine the devastation given the present bustling and prosperous town. Good job, UNESCO! The beautiful renaissance era buildings, with their Venetian windows and Ottoman porches still caught my attention. It is a beautiful town.

From Old Town Dubrovnik we boarded a mini-bus to our boat. It turned out the new harbor was near an interesting suspension bridge I had admired from afar. In Rottendam, the citizens were very proud of the new Eramus bridge, called the Swan due to the unique and elegant asymmetrical balance of the cables. Well, not quite unique as there was an identical and equally elegant Swan bridge in Dubrovnik! The roads are so narrow with few intersections that there were no place for any motor vehicles to turn around or make wide cross traffic turns. All turns were to the right. If your destination was on the other side of the road, you would proceed to the nearest highway interchange, switchback and approach your destination as a right hand turn. It was a circuitous method but provided ample opportunities for sight seeing, passing the Swan coming and going.

Our floating home for the next week was called the Amalia. It could accommodate just 38 passengers and staff. Along with our 13 Women's Travel Club Americans, there were two Australians, two New Zealanders, a British family of four celebrating Dad's 80^th birthday and the crew of five. The Amalia featured three levels of passenger accommodations plus below deck engine and crew cabins and a roof top sun deck. Quite a contrast to the fourteen stories and thousands of passengers on common U.S. cruise ships. The upper enclosed deck was the galley, dining room and an open common area. Everyone dined, played cards or just enjoyed the passing vistas here. The next level down was passenger cabins which featured doors onto the open deck and porthole windows. Before the water line were interior passenger cabins.

It was a relief to discover our cabin opened to the deck, not much of a view but the fresh sea air was wonderful. The brightly colored but spartan room had two comfortable single beds, a tiny closet, a few storage cubbies and an en-suite shower, sink and toilet. Complete but somewhat lacking in one odd amenity - - towels. We were informed we could have just the single hand, bath and beach towel provided, although additional towels could be rented for a fee! Once our baggage was sorted to the various rooms, we met of cruise director Uri, who introduced the Captain and crew and gave us an overview of the day to day ship operation. Each day we would meet for breakfast and lunch in the dining room, Uri would outline the day's island and attractions and post a daily standing chalk board schedule. We would steam between islands during the morning and early afternoon, stop at a safe spot for an Adriatic swim, then proceed into the local port for the afternoon and night. On each larger island, we would have a quided tour and a wine tasting event. On smaller islands we were on our own to explore. Dinner was usually on our own to sample local specialties. It was a well planned but leisurely pace.

Slano

Our first stop was the small port of Slano. It was a tiny picturesque seaside village nestled at the end of a long bay. It is less than 25 miles from Dubrovnik, tourism is a major industry but the town features just a couple of restaurants and shops. Walking along the quay, restored buildings alternate with those still shattered by the 1990s war bombardment. 

Looking past the harbor area one can see houses and roads leading up into the hillsides. Having found the one grocery shop in town, I observed several teenage girls eating chips and gossiping. Some things are international. 

A thoughtful passerby told us that there was a archaeological exhibit near the church. Indeed the hidden highlight of Slano, a fascinating display of tombs and tombstones with explanations of the family history of the deceased, set within a garden and olive grove. The time of day was approaching dusk and the weather was misty. The ancient tombs set among the dusty green of the rows of olives was something from a dream

Mjlet

The next day our stop was the green forested island of Mjlet. The entire North side of the island is dominated by Mjlet national park. The island contains the park, which contains a lake which contains another smaller island in the center. On the internal island are the ruins of a Benedictine monastery; ruins which are in the process of being renovated into a luxury boutique hotel. Upon the Amalia's dockage, one walked through the town proper, up a hill through the woods, down the steep hill on stone steps to the lake, around the lake on woodland paths to a small boat dock for a trip to the monastery. At the monastery one could walk up and down the hills past a few donkeys and sheep around the tiny island, back to the small boat dock for the reverse process. The concentric landscape and repetitive activities seemed the active equivalent of a Russian Matryoshka doll. One could vary the stages by renting a bicycle or kayak or just swimming in the clear cold waters of the lake but you would still have to retrace your steps. Someday an extended stay at that secluded island retreat could indeed be wonderfully scenic and relaxing. But, I kept wondering how would they get your luggage up and down those steep narrow paths?

Korcula 

After the peaceful little town of Slano and the rural hillside of Mjlet, the island of Korcula

was bustling tourist destination. The old town of Korcula is a typical medieval walled Dalmatian town, with walls and towers. Korcula's biggest claim is as the birthplace of Marco Polo. The “new” town of Korcula dates back to the renaissance, with modern buildings added through the centuries. Walking along the harbor past pebble and sand beaches, both old and new sections were equally picturesque. In Korcula, we experienced a combined town tour and wine tasting. The town tour being that we hiked from the dockside through various residential areas to the other side of town and the restaurant hosting the tasting. Having lived in places seasonally overrun by vacationers, I wondered what Korcula's residents thought of these groups of strangers wandering around, gesticulating in wonder at common place things and speaking in tongues?

Vis

The next day we docked at the island of Vis. Perhaps as it is furthest of the Dalmatian islands from the Croatian mainland, under Tito's rule it was used as a closed military base until 1989. As a naval base, commercial development was restricted and the island remained relatively untouched. Beautiful old stone buildings dating to the early days of Venetian rule, still dominate the towns. The sailboats and pleasure craft docked in front of the old buildings alternated with pebble and sand coves. In the clear clean water, sea urchins crawled among the rocks as bathers stayed on the sandy sections. Whether gazing towards the red roofs of the old town or off to the blue seas, Vis provides a perfect vista.

The remnants left behind by the military have been creatively adapted by the civilian

population. Our second wine tasting was in a former underground bunker, a cave used by the army to store weapons and supplies. The winery used both vintage wooden barrels as well as modern steel tanks to age their wines. The vats and tasting room all housed in the constant temperature and humidity within the mountain. The cave was set midway up the mountain and our hike to reach it was as interesting as the destination. Along the way we passed another repurposed remnant of Tito's might. His barracks and offices were now the seasonal grape pressing plant. Nature had overtaken what buildings and facilities, wine production had not yet needed. Fig trees and blossoms grew throughout the area and all along the roadway, making our hike up the hill along the road as pleasant as a walk in the park. There just didn't seem to be anything about Croatia, which was to be dismissed.

Blue Cave on Bisevo

The tiny island of Bisevo was not a port but never the less concealed a unique experience. The Blue Cave, is a natural eroded limestone seaside cavern, expanded by Tito's military. The coastal cavern is sufficiently shallow that sunlight reflects off the pale seabed up into the white limestone void, washing the entire space with an eerie electric blue light. Small boats take you to the low cave entrance, ducking down the boat handler poles his way around the cavern as you marvel at the seemingly unnatural lighting.

Hvar

Hvar is the hot spot of the Dalmatian islands. It has the most sunny days in Croatia, which

has made it a major tourist destination for both Croatia and neighboring countries. While the harbors of most of these seaside towns were lined with small sailboats, in Hvar the pleasure craft dwarfed our petite cruise ship. The dockside similarly instead of a few small cafes and gift shops was full of discos and nightclubs, which all keep the beat going until the wee hours. Celebrity visitors had tweeted and posted the charms of the town, spurring the party frenzy. In Hvar our wine tasting was conducted just before dusk on the balcony of a hip dockside restaurant. After dark that evening the quiet restaurant had turned into a rocking disco. Next door was another louder disco pumping out a wholly different musical genre. Cacophony reigned in Hvar at night.

Until we arrived at Hvar, the Amalia had been among one or two similar ships rafted to the dockside. Here we were rafted seven deep. This meant the often intoxicated party goers had to negotiate crossing gangplanks from the land through each boat to the next gangplank to the adjacent boat and on and on. It was somewhat surprising that there were no cries of man or woman overboard during the night. The cruiser tied up next to the Amalia was hosting a party for their young patrons plus crew from several ships. The musical choice was retro; stuff popular in the 70's. It was quite a rave-up and several of the Amalia crew looked a bit worse for wear the next morning. While tourism was the main economy of Hvar, between the floating and landed parties, I suspected the local residents might have some misgivings about their guests.

Brac 

Throughout travels in Croatia, I had wondered whose were the hands that carved all of the limestone? In past centuries, guilds trained apprentices; who now maintained these traditions? Between new construction, normal rehab and post-war repairs, a lot of stone needed to be quarried and dressed. The source of the stone, huge dusty quarries dotted the islands. These at first glance appeared to be a catastrophic landslides but the presence of cranes and loaders made the function clearer. The beautiful limestone graces buildings all over the world including the U.S. Whitehouse. Mechanical strength replaced manual skill to obtain the base material but the delicate engraving and swirling acanthus leaves to restore medieval and renaissance buildings require an experienced sculptor. In New York City, in order to repair the St. John the Divine Cathedral, a special training program had to be developed, recruiting retired Italian craftsmen as teachers.

In the tiny port of Pusisca, a stonemason / high school program was established to meet the demand in Croatia. The school was founded in 1906, a more recent innovation is implementation of a full accredited high school certificate program. We were supposed to have a tour of the school but no one was present in the school office when the dozen of us arrived from the Amalia. While the rest of our group wandered off, I observed that someone was explaining the training process in English. I crashed their tour, no one seemed to mind.

The school used an organized logical progression of skill development. Students were presented with their tools and a rough block of stone. Under guidance, their first task was to smooth one side, then square an adjacent side, rotating the block until it was a uniform cube. That process would take the first semester or possibly the first year. From a smooth cube the student next would carve out the inside, creating a simple rectangular basin. From this stage they would progress to decorative carving and ornamentation. Completing this initial project might take a student up to three years. 

To graduate a student would design an ornamental window frame, balustrade or similar complicated project and prepares a written proposal and drafts a measured architectural drawings, obtaining approval from his tutors. The student then selects and successfully carves the item to obtain their certificate. As a journeyman carver, there are job positions available both all over Croatia as well as overseas. The professor who explained and demonstrated the program, told us he and most other skilled masons had private clients, as well as, big public projects. The school matriculated about 100 enrollees each year. The students were predominantly young men but the school was proud to announce that there were a number of young women well.

As we cruised around the island of Brac, we passed an extraordinary beach area at the town of Bol. A white sandy beach followed two sides of an exposed point of the island, creating a very popular v-shaped shoreline for sunbathers. We overnighted in the picturesque town of Makarska, where we had our fourth wine-tasting. By this time the wine-tasting, some of our Women's Group had bored with the event and the Brits, Auzzies and New Zealanders started taking their places at the table! This event was in a restaurant operated by the vineyard. It was without a doubt the best snacks if not the best vintage. Not being a oenophile, I can only say it all the Croat wines were thoroughly drinkable. We were served a white, a rose and a red. The Rose tended not to be to my liking. The whites were similar to an un-oaked Chardonnay. The reds were rich. Apparently the grapes are the progenitor of the popular Zinfindel.

Omis

In the next port of Omis, some of us opted for a little adventure. Ziplining over the Cetina river. Going downhill, no problem. Getting to the top, was a different matter entirely. We had to climb up a 45 degree goat trail on the side of the mountain, no railing. Given that I am as surefooted as goat with a broken leg, a substantial portion of the up-hill climb I was on all fours. Once we arrived at the top, it was a breeze zipping downhill. There were a total of eight zip-lines up to a mile long criss-crossing back and forth over the river ravine. It was blast. Among our group of retiree age and not necessarily physically fit women, led by two hearty young athletes, we would imaginatively translate their radioed comms to each other. Later, we found out the 80 year old Aussie and his family had completed the zip course. He was the oldest person to ever do so!

Split

Our last port of call was the town of Split. All the tour books, advise that one should see Diocletian's palace, what they don't say is that the old town of Split is inside Diocletian's palace! The immense palace was built around 300 AD. After the fall of the Roman Empire, parts of the castle were predictably dismantled to reuse materials but the majority of the structure remains. Over the centuries people moved inside the walls, sometimes building their homes with stones removed from the walls. Now there are ample remnants of the palace itself, filled with both Diocletian's collections and with medieval, renaissance and modern infill. An Ottoman empire building sets next to one built during the Venetian occupation on a plaza clustered around a statue of Marko Marulić, Renaissance humanist and writer. Marulic, the Croatian equivalent of Chaucer, is considered the Father of Croat literature and the bane of existence of present High School students.

Other evidence of modern times permeated the ancient walls. Gift shops promoting “Game of Thrones” souvenirs and an opportunity for photographs sitting on a replica of the Iron Throne. A few young men dressed as Roman Gladiators would, for a fee, pose for pictures with you. A group of men stood in the ruins of the conical watch tower, great acoustics, and performed traditional a capella folk music. Ringed around the Palace Walls ranged a variety of farmer market, flower market and flea market stalls. Anything you might need on a holiday or want to take home as souvenir, was available. 

In a large shaded park just outside the walls, a number of bistro tables and chairs had been set up facing an enormous outdoor screen televising the on-going soccer world cup. The park was packed with folks enjoying local beer and cheering on the foreign teams. Incongruously, a two story tall statue of St.Gregory of Nin stood scowling down on the soccer fans. He had strongly opposed the Pope in 900. It did appear that he approved of modern soccer fans either.

The wonders of Diocletian's Palace matched the other attractions of Croatia. It may have been a whim to go there but it certainly worked out to be a more than worthwhile experience. Popular too, the Women's Travel Club has listed a similar trip for next year. My next trip would be with the family: return to Iceland to sample the geological features.