Croatia: A photographic trip report in (almost) real time.
Oct 1st, 2021, 05:29 AM
#61
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The photo of the cross on top of the rock is one of my favorites!
Last edited by MinnBeef; Oct 1st, 2021 at 05:36 AM.
Oct 1st, 2021, 08:11 AM
#62
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Wow what wonderful pictures. I am leaving in a couple of weeks for a visit to the Istrian peninsula, Ljubljana, Lake Bled and Zagreb ( and a couple of random stops beyond that). You have me more excited to see more of Croatia. Looks like we will need another trip to the Dalmation coast. We have visited Hvar and Dubrovnik but not much else. Thank you so much for posting!!
Oct 1st, 2021, 11:07 AM
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Oct 1st, 2021, 11:33 AM
#68
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Mimice, misc.
A couple random things I forgot to mention.
I had brought a gel pack with me to put in the freezer when I needed a cold compress for my neck injury, but had left it in the freezer of our previous AirBnB in Rovinj, so when we arrived in Mimice, I asked our hostess if she could recommend a pharmacy where I could buy another one. Not only did she call the pharmacy to make sure they had one in stock, but she then insisted that I let her nephew run out to pick it up! Amazing!!
Regarding our dinner out our second night, most places cook their fish and meat on an open charcoal grill, often within view of the customers. I particularly liked that the restaurant we ate at in Mimice used an electric hair dryer to stoke the embers. You can see it in the pic below, hanging to the left of the grill. It was like having your hair dresser cook the most amazing dinner for you!
I had brought a gel pack with me to put in the freezer when I needed a cold compress for my neck injury, but had left it in the freezer of our previous AirBnB in Rovinj, so when we arrived in Mimice, I asked our hostess if she could recommend a pharmacy where I could buy another one. Not only did she call the pharmacy to make sure they had one in stock, but she then insisted that I let her nephew run out to pick it up! Amazing!!
Regarding our dinner out our second night, most places cook their fish and meat on an open charcoal grill, often within view of the customers. I particularly liked that the restaurant we ate at in Mimice used an electric hair dryer to stoke the embers. You can see it in the pic below, hanging to the left of the grill. It was like having your hair dresser cook the most amazing dinner for you!
Last edited by russ_in_LA; Oct 1st, 2021 at 11:49 AM.
Oct 1st, 2021, 11:46 AM
#70
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No problem with the roads. It’s a highway until the last 200m, and then a one lane road. Here is the location where the highway and the smaller road intersect, in case you want to see a street view.
Dropped pin
https://goo.gl/maps/ns2FHtMnkkVsDZaP6
Dropped pin
https://goo.gl/maps/ns2FHtMnkkVsDZaP6
Oct 1st, 2021, 12:47 PM
#72
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Hello, here is the link you asked for. My only complaint is that another guest next to our room smoked cigarettes morning, noon and night, which was a drag (pun intended). https://abnb.me/r0MsmapJZjb
Oct 2nd, 2021, 04:49 AM
#73
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Makarska Coast: Omis to Ston
The next day we made our way to Korcula by car, via Ston and the Peljesac peninsula. This stretch of coastline was by far the most dramatic and beautiful drive so far.
Reaching its terminus at the sea in Omis, the Cetina river gorge cuts its way through massive limestone cliffs, the gnarled faces of which are a testament to tectonic collisions in millennia past. Continuing south, the road rides high along the pine covered mountainside, with views over the vast Adriatic, broken up by the islands of Brac and Hvar, jutting up above the water. The urban sprawl of the modern town of Makarska is the only significant blight on the beauty of the landscape.
After about 90 minutes, we found ourselves at the geo-political quirk which is the Neum corridor, a 20km or so strip of land within the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, giving them their only access to the Adriatic, while at the same time, cutting off the southern Croatian coast from the rest of the country.
Just before the border crossing, we could see the brand new suspension bridge extending from the Croatian coast to the Peljesac peninsula, which will soon eliminate the need to leave the country when driving between Split and Dubrovnik. This is much to the consternation of Bosnia and H, who claim it will hinder the ability of large ships to one day reach their port, if they should ever decide to expand to expand it.
Anyhoo, the border police gave our passports a cursory glance before waving us through and on our way.
The first village we encountered on the peninsula was tiny Mali Ston, famous for its oysters. Fortunately we arrived right at lunch time. I’m usually not a huge oyster fan, but these were incredibly delicious, in both raw form as well as tempura battered and fried. Funnily enough, I exchanged texts with Fodorite Progol, who was on a boat headed to an oyster farm in Ston with her husband, while we were gorging on oysters two kilometers away. But we passed like two ships in the night, us on our way to Korcula, they on their way from.
So, sufficiently stuffed from our meal, we then headed out onto the most renowned sight in the area, the dramatic walls which connect Mali Ston to sister village Ston, a couple of kilometers away. It was a steep, steep climb, as the wall rises up and over the high hill that separates the two towns. I have to admit that I almost lost my lunch, but we were rewarded with amazing views on both sides, including the neat grid of salt pans off the coast of Ston, the other food-related product for which the area is known. After making our way on wobbly legs to visit the castle in Ston, we walked back to Mali Ston, this time along the road, which fortunately was flat the entire way.
Reaching its terminus at the sea in Omis, the Cetina river gorge cuts its way through massive limestone cliffs, the gnarled faces of which are a testament to tectonic collisions in millennia past. Continuing south, the road rides high along the pine covered mountainside, with views over the vast Adriatic, broken up by the islands of Brac and Hvar, jutting up above the water. The urban sprawl of the modern town of Makarska is the only significant blight on the beauty of the landscape.
After about 90 minutes, we found ourselves at the geo-political quirk which is the Neum corridor, a 20km or so strip of land within the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, giving them their only access to the Adriatic, while at the same time, cutting off the southern Croatian coast from the rest of the country.
Just before the border crossing, we could see the brand new suspension bridge extending from the Croatian coast to the Peljesac peninsula, which will soon eliminate the need to leave the country when driving between Split and Dubrovnik. This is much to the consternation of Bosnia and H, who claim it will hinder the ability of large ships to one day reach their port, if they should ever decide to expand to expand it.
Anyhoo, the border police gave our passports a cursory glance before waving us through and on our way.
The first village we encountered on the peninsula was tiny Mali Ston, famous for its oysters. Fortunately we arrived right at lunch time. I’m usually not a huge oyster fan, but these were incredibly delicious, in both raw form as well as tempura battered and fried. Funnily enough, I exchanged texts with Fodorite Progol, who was on a boat headed to an oyster farm in Ston with her husband, while we were gorging on oysters two kilometers away. But we passed like two ships in the night, us on our way to Korcula, they on their way from.
So, sufficiently stuffed from our meal, we then headed out onto the most renowned sight in the area, the dramatic walls which connect Mali Ston to sister village Ston, a couple of kilometers away. It was a steep, steep climb, as the wall rises up and over the high hill that separates the two towns. I have to admit that I almost lost my lunch, but we were rewarded with amazing views on both sides, including the neat grid of salt pans off the coast of Ston, the other food-related product for which the area is known. After making our way on wobbly legs to visit the castle in Ston, we walked back to Mali Ston, this time along the road, which fortunately was flat the entire way.
Last edited by russ_in_LA; Oct 2nd, 2021 at 04:55 AM.
Oct 2nd, 2021, 12:06 PM
#76
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Parking has also been no problem. For the pay lots you can download an app that lets you pay by credit card through the app. It’s not high season now, so we have had no trouble finding parking. July and August would likely be a challenge. We rented our car here which includes full coverage insurance with no deductible. I can’t speak to theft or break-ins. You can probably google for stats, but we have felt safe everywhere we have gone.
Last edited by russ_in_LA; Oct 2nd, 2021 at 12:08 PM.
Oct 2nd, 2021, 01:14 PM
#77
Oct 2nd, 2021, 02:51 PM
#78
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The roads we have been taking are in perfect condition, better than much of Italy, where I used to live and where I spent a month last year, driving around the entire county. It is much, much easier to drive here than anywhere near Rome, Milan or Naples. We picked up the car in Split but did not drive it though the city.
Parking has also been no problem. For the pay lots you can download an app that lets you pay by credit card through the app. It’s not high season now, so we have had no trouble finding parking. July and August would likely be a challenge. We rented our car here which includes full coverage insurance with no deductible. I can’t speak to theft or break-ins. You can probably google for stats, but we have felt safe everywhere we have gone.
Parking has also been no problem. For the pay lots you can download an app that lets you pay by credit card through the app. It’s not high season now, so we have had no trouble finding parking. July and August would likely be a challenge. We rented our car here which includes full coverage insurance with no deductible. I can’t speak to theft or break-ins. You can probably google for stats, but we have felt safe everywhere we have gone.
Looks like even though it's not high season, still good clear weather and warm as well, in late September and into October.
Oct 3rd, 2021, 10:41 PM
#79
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Captivating Korcula
From Ston it was an hour long drive to the ferry port at Orebic. The last 30 minutes had spectacular views of the limestone cliffs and the sea, with the islands of Lastovo and Korcula seeming close enough to touch. From Orebic to Korcula was a quick 15 minute ferry to the port at Domince and less than 10 minutes later we were standing on the terrace of our Airbnb admiring the incredible view of the Korcula old town, rising up from the small bay.
Since it was a Friday evening, I was expecting some weekend crowds, especially after how busy Split and Hvar were; but it was eerily quiet when we arrived, providing the opportunity to take far too many pics without having to jostle for space. The architecture of the old town has a very unified and harmonious look, due to one architect who designed most of the major buildings.
The next day we could see from our terrace that a small cruise ship had arrived and started ferrying passengers to the old town, so we decided that this would be a good time to explore the rest of the island a bit. At noon we found ourselves at the other port town, Vela Luka, on the opposite end of the island. Unfortunately, after seeing Korcula town, this one seemed a bit drab and lackluster, with the exception of an incredibly long mosaic in the sidewalk (which I completely forgot to photograph), so after an unremarkable lunch we headed back to Korcula old town, where we enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny, but the highlight was a climb up the church tower, which afforded us wonderful views of the town and the surrounding islands.
Room with a view
Since it was a Friday evening, I was expecting some weekend crowds, especially after how busy Split and Hvar were; but it was eerily quiet when we arrived, providing the opportunity to take far too many pics without having to jostle for space. The architecture of the old town has a very unified and harmonious look, due to one architect who designed most of the major buildings.
The next day we could see from our terrace that a small cruise ship had arrived and started ferrying passengers to the old town, so we decided that this would be a good time to explore the rest of the island a bit. At noon we found ourselves at the other port town, Vela Luka, on the opposite end of the island. Unfortunately, after seeing Korcula town, this one seemed a bit drab and lackluster, with the exception of an incredibly long mosaic in the sidewalk (which I completely forgot to photograph), so after an unremarkable lunch we headed back to Korcula old town, where we enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny, but the highlight was a climb up the church tower, which afforded us wonderful views of the town and the surrounding islands.
Room with a view
