SAIL CROATIA

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OK........ I have literally spent the last week sailing in Croatia. I began in Split and took seven days to sail down to Dubrovnik. I joined an organised tour of 27 people and shared a room with an Aussie country girl Jodie. It was a fantastic week and one of the highlights of my summer. I flew into split from Milan Malpensa (italy) where I had stayed for 1 night. I never would have thought that getting from Greece to Croatia would be sooooooooo difficult. Even though they are so close not many airlines fly between the two for reasons unknown, but after a quick stop I was in Croatia. Unbelievably I met 4 australian guys in my hotel in Italy who also did a detour to make their way to Croatia and two of them had done my tour before and loved it so much they were returning for a second year. This worked out perfect because we were all on the same flight and then they directed me where to go when I got to the port to meet my boat, sadly they were not on the same tour. They helped me to catch buses and this gave me more time to do a quick wander around Split. I should probably call it speed sight seeing as I ran around the Diocletians Palace. Its a building that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD. Split has built its modern city around the ruins very well and I enjoyed taking photos of its parallels. A full day would have been nice. I found it very hard to walk around in the heat with my backpack on and that restricted my ability to walk but my time was better than nothing. I wasted no time getting to the boat to see where I would call home for the next week.
When you begin a tour you are always anxious to meet the group you will be hanging out with all week. Its sooooooo funny when you first meet everyone. You kind of sit around looking at each other and start to work out how old people are and who is single, whos a couple etc. I immediatley met the most gorgeous english couple Matt and Annabelle to whom I will refer to as Barbie and Ken cause thats exactly what they were. Good looking, well mannered, great personalities and totally in love. HOW SICKENING! We appeared to have a good mix of boys and girls all of similar age so things looked very exciting and I was pumped. We were introduced to our Captain Nevio, Sailor Silvio and Cook Kuky. Nevio actually built and owned the boat and he was a terrific captain. We all got to have a go at steering the boat and you could tell when you spoke to him that he was very passionate about his nomadic life.
Our tour began at midday so our first few hours were spent eating lunch and chatting. What a great way to get to know each other! The food throughout the tour was fantastic. Options of hot or cold breakfasts and a 4 course lunch every day. We were so full that the evening meals were usually a slice of take-away pizza. To be honest, I had to be really careful as the thought of eating loads of food and wearing a bikini everyday did not really go hand in hand. So pretty much everyday we would sleep in (well kinda), eat, sunbake and party. It was such a hard life and a routine I fell into very quickly. I said kinda when it came to sleeping in because ...... I think this is a great time to talk about our luxury cruise liner! Our boat had four levels to it. The very top had a sun baking area lined with cushions and sun beds. The third level was the main living area with dining room and shaded sitting area. The second level was all the above deck bedrooms and the final floor was below deck bedrooms and captains room. When I initially booked the tour I had a choice of an above or below deck bedroom and either way I wanted my own bathroom. I opted for the below deck room with ensuite bathroom and I am still unsure if I made the best decision. My room was really big and I thought that I had hit the jackpot compared to everyone else when I saw it. But after my first night on the town the sound of the engines at 7am did not make me a very happy girl. YES! My room was right next to the engine room! grrrrrrrr and at 7 am I would carry myself up to the top deck and fall asleep on the cushions. Not to mention that our ensuite continually overflowed because we were on the same level as the sewerage system and people did not press their toilet button properly. YUK! and It was boiling because the portholes had to be shut when we sailed. So this was part of the reason I slept most of my days as we sailed and got out of that room any chance I had.
Spending your days sleeping and sunbaking is a fabulous way to spend your life. Each afternoon we would stop in a deserted cove and pressure was on from all the boys for every person on the tour to jump off the boat. It was a very rare occasion that we swam from a beach or were even close to shallow water. It was really deep and mostly clear but it didn matter how hard I tried, I am still forever ruined by the movie JAWS! Yes my childhood fear still reigns within and unless I can touch the bottom in some way, shape or form I can not stay in deep water. I always tell the story about the time that I was at Universal Studios on a tour and the transport car we were on went past this lake and a giant fake jaws came out of the water as the car tilted to one side. I was so scared I started to cry, LOL and it seems that nothing has changed. So I went in the water a few times and always felt an extra comfort when I had a li-low to sit on but would always eventually get that funny feeling that it was not safe to be in the water and I would make my way back to the boat. Kuky tried many times to convince me that I would not find dangerous sharks in these waters but I was never really convinced. The boys spent alot of time jumping off the different levels of the boat (which was rather high from the top) and the girls spent their days reading, sunbaking and finding the voice within that would tell them that they could make that jump too ha ha ha. I actually finished a whole book beginning to end in 5 days and it was a long one to. It was called The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and not only did I finish the book but I got to see miles and miles of beautiful bushland everyday while I read.
Our first stop on the tour was in the town of Makarska. The mountains around this area are breath taking and are a magnificent sight against the blue water and green bushland. Loads and loads of very expensive yachts sail past you all the time and beautiful people stand on the decks waving as you pass by. I wasted no time in asking Captain Nevio if I could steer the boat, which I did, until I was suddenly distracted by my dolphin spotting. They came right up to the bow and started to catch a ride with the path that the boat left. They were soooooooo close I felt that I could touch them and they made me smile when they jumped in and out of the water. YES! Life can not get better than this....... until Nevio shouts out WHO IS STEERING THE BOAT! and I yell as I am running back to the wheel SORRY just got a bit distracted. Very funny stuff and amazing what trouble a bunch of dolphins can get you into.
Day 2 or 3 (I can remember) took us to Brac and sneaky Shaun thought hes 30th birthday was going to slide on by without been noticed but Captain Nevio had collected our passports at the beginning of the tour so it was shots all round! Wahoo! That night all the singletons sat on deck and drank beer on tap before we headed out for a bite to eat and some partying. Shaun was absolutley smashed and funny and we had a great night. Most people went to bed at 2am, including the birthday boy but Mark, Jodie and myself headed to another bar. So this is when I reveal my secret crush that I had on Mark (yep now you know Mark) and kill Jodie for hanging around like a bad smell LOL (still luv ya girl). But then I say thank god she did cause she saved me from embarressment because he had his eye on somebody else, and she was very adorable. So it was really great that I could establish early in the tour that I would not have a love interest and could therefore not make a very big dick of myself!
Most nights that followed Shauns birthday ended with Myself, Mark and Shaun in a bar somewhere. The days continued to be about getting as much sun as possible and every now and then we stopped in early at a town and took a look around. Our next stop was Vis and my bad luck just continued when we headed into an alluring Grotto. We jumped on a small boat and headed into the hidden gem where the exquiste water was clear to the bottom and it was so peaceful it made you never want to leave. I was in aw of such a sight and had to take a few photos which I did. It was rather dark and when I asked the girls to take a pic with me in it, I went to take of my hat, which was creating a shadow and heard a plonk in the water. Within seconds I realised that my Versaces had gone for a swim and I freaked. One of the boys jumped in the water after them but they sunk really quickly. In shock, I asked the girls if it was ok to cry at such a loss and they all agreed it was a given. THEY WERE GONE and I had left the grotto. To drown my sorrows Nevio gave me a very toxic shot of his home brew and everyone expressed their sympathy and I moved on, still in disbelief, a few hours later.
That afternoon we stopped at Hvar, which before I arrived, was reccomended by loads of friends. Hvar is the longest island in the Adriatic and one of the best known. It was the perfect weather for another night out. As soon as we arrived Jodie and I took a look around the town walls. We found this 5 star hotel that had all the party action happening just like in Mykonos and Bora Bora in Ibiza.We didn stay long cause we wanted a nap before our big night out. Hvar is defiantly a pretty town but it is very busy and full of tourists which kinda took the edge of it compared to some of the other places I visited. We got all dressed up and headed to the bar that everyone told us to go to- Carpe Diem! There appeared to be nothing special about this bar, except that it was jammed with people and after , my experience at the bar I was not fussed about hanging out there. The bar tenders were all about showing off their moves, lighting up shots and throwing bottles in the air and been extremley rude to customers. After a short time we moved onto another bar that was much more fun and finally made it home in the early hours of the morning. It was a funny night all round when Jodie never returned to her bed. I awoke to see one of the other guys on our boat in her bed and Silvio, our sailor, got very drunk. ha ha ha ha ha
Our next stop was Korcula and my favourite place. The birth place of Marco Polo ( not the pool party game) is idillic. Filled with character and a relaxed atmosphere. I spent some time by myself exploring the streets, looking through hidden shops and taking photos until I came across a bar that seemed to be the prime location for a cocktail and the sunset. Some of the gang were already one step ahead of me and had found a prime seat. We sat for a few hours and the view was stunning. It once again reminded me how lucky I am to live such a great life and wonder if it can ever get much better. We headed for a cheap dinner then the usual three muskateers headed to a bar and another night of fun. One of my favourite nights was a date with Shaun who shouted me to 2 euro pizza on the dock. Making new friends is my favourite part of travelling.
At some point over those days I finally built up the courage to jump off the top of the boat and got some great shots. Even after the first time it was still difficult to jump again but I was determined to step outside my comfort zone. Our last few days were spent at Mjet and Dubrovnik. Mjet is mostly national park and most of us opted to get some exercise and go for a walk. It was the smallest village with the prettiest scenery and the biggest news was that Beyonce and Jay Z were holidaying on a luxury liner just near us. We tried to do some celebrity spotting without any luck. That night we di not dock in atown but opted to stay on the boat in a secluded area and have a Captains dinner. The night began with some shots and the crew played guitar and accordian. They taught us to sing a traditional croatian song about a beautiful women called Mariana.. We ate another 4 course meal and drank loads and loads of alchol and before I knew it I was wearng the captains hat and dancing to the proclaimers. Ha ha ha ha. Don worry I was the tame one compared to the boys who went for a skinny dip. Our tour ended in Dubrovnik and we all hung out on the last night. The streets came alive and people stood around drinking and dancing which was a little sereal. My brand new camera that I bought to replace my stolen one in Bene decided not to work and I suddenly was camera-less. Which was very very frustrating. Dubrovnik was gorgeous! It has an a large ancient wall around its old town that you are able to walk around and see spectacular views. I stayed in a hostel out of old town but closer to the beach so I spent the days at the beach then wandered into town in the afternoon. I was feeling a bit down after losing access to both my expensive cameras and the man in the Dubrovnik camera shop told me I was very very unlucky to have such a thing happen to me. So I sat on these amazing steps and began to sigh. Suddenly all these well dressed people started to climb the many stairs and I could not resist the temptation to follow. At the top was a church and a wedding was about to take place. The bride had walked through the town and arrived looking stunning so I decided to sit for 1 hour and enjoy the ceremony. She was croatian and was marrying a scotich guy in a quilt. It was a lovely ceremony and cheered me up very quickly. After the wedding I got over myself and took the time to actually look around instead of looking for the perfect photo. What a difference!

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Photos

Grotto in Vis
Where my Versace sunnies shall forever remain

The Sing-a-long
On Captains Dinner night

More of the same as we sail along
What a difficult view to look at

The Three Muskateers
My party till late buddies Shaun and Mark