We're all going on a summer holiday

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Despite all the travelling we have done over the recent years our last true summer holiday was our honeymoon in February 2003 so we were very excited at the prospect of twelve days of sun, sea, sand, swimming, seafood, wine and of course icecream! I couldn't wait to feel the warm sun on my shoulders and the salty sea on my skin, and I especially couldn't wait to put some colour back on my pasty-white-post-English-winter limbs.

Croatia is constantly listed as one of the world's hottest travel destinations of the moment. And it is none more popular than with Australians, so we were not too surprised to find ourselves surrounded by our country men and women as we arrived at Gatwick airport for our journey down Europe's coast.

Before we knew it we were on the plane and looking out the window as the bright blue sea filled the tiny square in the side of the plane as one by one the stunning Croatian islands came into view. Some were virtually uninhabited, some dotted with resorts and towns and one perfect tiny island had just room enough for what looked like a private residence right in its centre complete with its own enormous swimming pool. When do we move in?

As we alighted from the plane we were hit by the familiar, but long absent feeling of being enveloped by hot summer air. It felt so good and I realised that it had been so long I'd almost forgotten what it was like! We made our way from the airport to the town by the airport bus, passing along the way families eating dinner and drinking wine on their balconies, relaxing into the weekend in their idealic bouganevillia-clad sand coloured houses with distant views of the sea. We arrived into the heart of downtown Split and wandered along the lively harbour unable to wipe the smiles off our faces. The harbourside boulevard was packed with families, couples and groups of friends eating dinner, playing on the grass, watching a local street performance or sitting on benches with their dogs at their feet slurping the amazing Croatian icecream. And the harbour was full of the boat loads of young antipodeans finishing off the week long trip that we would begin the next morning.

Andrew had booked our first night's accommodation: a local bed and breakfast, on the internet and I had visions of staying in a tiny room in a little old Croatian lady's house so I was very pleasantly surprised when after walking uphill through windy, narrow marble-tiled streets we arrived at a very modern and comfortable apartment complete with friendly host, air conditioning and even cold beer in the fridge! To round off the evening we went to a cute little local pizza bar, successfully ordered in our non-existent Croatian language skills and made our way back down to the harbour to eat. The food in this part of the world is very Italian in style and the pizza was delicious topped with local cheese, thinly sliced dried mushrooms and salty strips of hand made proscuitto. Yum! It was very hard to resist but we did manage to drag ourselves home without yet sampling the amazing-looking icecream.

After a long awaited Saturday morning sleep-in we had a leisurely wander through the old walled town of Split (add history here) and then made our way back to the harbour to meet our boat (name?) which would be home for the next seven days and transport us around the islands of Southern Croatia. The Australia fest continued as hundreds of young Aussies lined the docks with exactly the same plans as us. I looked around somewhat nervously and hoped that we would be placed on a boat with some friendly, like-minded travel companions.

By early afternoon we were all loaded onto our boats and seated around the tightly packed dinner tables as we chugged away from Split headed for the port of Markasska (sp?). (As we were to discover our 'sailing' trip was more of a motor-boat trip!). After introductions to our captain and crew the cruise started with a bang - a shot of a potent local spirit which had us all wincing and wondering what we were in for. A big three course lunch was to follow and then we all retired to the sundeck above the boat to get to know each other and watch the beautiful, lush coastline whizz slowly past. Occassionally a cove would reveal a beach of soft, white sand with clear, blue water and people paddling in the shallows. Around another corner would be a tiny harbour with room enough for just a few yachts. The weather on deck grew very windy and cool as the skies above became greyer and greyer and I begged that this was not going to be a sign of things to come!

We arrived in the gorgeous town of Markasska at dusk and alighted the boat to wander the streets and take pictures of the lovely harbour and town which was bathed in the warm yellow glow of a perfect sunset. We wandered through the tiny town and its picturesque square and figured there was not much else to see so we retired to a lovely restaurant with a big deck overlooking the moored boats with an Australian couple we had met on board. We had a great dinner eating seafood salad and grilled fish washed down with some surprisingly good Croatian wine. I was a bit disappointed to find out later in the night that there had actually been a beach to see and that some of our ship mates had stumbled across a tiny market and a local dance performance. Never mind ... there were plenty more towns to come. Most of our boat-mates seemed to find each other the towns livliest bar. It was an open-air place with palm leaves for a room and the obligatory gorgeous, long-legged Croatian girls promoting the drink of the day. After an amusing night of watching people dance on the tables we retired late to bed as a howling sea breeze rocked us to sleep.

The motors were going by 7am the next morning so there was not much of a sleep in to be had but there was nothing stopping a bit of snoozing on the sun deck as the day went on! After breakfast we retired to the sun deck and again watched the coast roll slowly past as was to become a major part of our day for the next week. This morning we were off to Mjlet, an island infamous for being Odysseus' favourite spot to holiday. We passed the amazing island of Korcula on the way and enjoyed some fantastic views of the old walled town that clings to the end of the island. I couldn't wait to come back later in the week. We arrived in Mjlet shortly after another huge three course lunch and quickly made our way to the tiny pebbled beach to test the water. It was quite choppy but the beautiful crystal clear water was far to inviting to resist. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring this enchanting island. We hired ourselves some bicycles along with another couple and set off for the lake in the middle of the island. The dry, dusty heat and smell of pine needles reminded me of home. We caught a tiny boat to the little island in the middle of the lake and set off to explore the tiny church and enjoy the surrounding views. The sun and heat were definitely with us today and we soon found ourselves jumping into the crystal clear water to cool off. We found ourselves in the most tranquil paradise. It was so quiet, calm and serene with just the sound of cicadas to keep you company and the smell of pine needles and gum trees and the sun on your face. I felt really at home and could have stayed there for hours. It was bliss! After the hot and bumpy ride back to our boat we definitely deserved an icecream and could wait no longer. It met all our expectations too, it was cold, creamy and full of real pieces of fruit, nuts and chocolate ... I think Italy has a contender on its hands for the world's best gelati. The rest of the afternoon and evening was all about relaxing and enjoying a sunset drink and dinner by the tiny, quiet harbour watching the sun go down. The town was very small and would have been very sleepy if not for the invasion of ten plus boats of mainly antipodean tourists. We made it til near midnight and then left the young things to it ... I believe they were still up to see sunrise the next morning!

Woken by the motor early again we were off this morning to Dubrovnik and I was very excited to see the beautiful terracotta city. The boat was rocking wildly as we pulled out from shore and the rough ride continued through breakfast meaning I had to beat a quick retreat out of the increasingly hot and uncomfortable dining room. Luckily a good lie down and the seasickness had subsided ... I don't have a very good record on unstable land and it had crossed my mind when we had booked ourselves on a week-long boat ride! We made it to Dubrovnik just after our now-expected three course lunch and got set for an afternoon of sightseeing. We had stopped en-route for a swim off the boat and the sun beating down on our shoulders made us dream of another swim. We walked up a long, steep hill and made it to the imposing walls to the old city. Across a moat on an ancient walkway with huge dark wooden doors and we were into the city and soon climbing the stairs to walk along the top of the wall that acted as an ancient protection system. The views over the terracotta rooftops and surrounding hills were lovely but things became all the more breaktakingly beautiful as we rounded the corner and found ourselves on the sea-side of the city. Out over the city walls were blue sky and turquoise sea as far as the eye could see. There were tiny, tree-filled islands just off the coast and bright yellow and red kayaks gliding through the water. We rounded another bend and below us, right on the very edge of the water was a tiny cafe clinging to the cliffs with palm tree umbrellas to keep the sun off its guests in between dips into the cool, inviting sea below. Paradise! When the views of the terracotta rooftops and deep blue sea became too much we descended the slippery marble steps back into the town below and found ourselves a spot in a cafe overlooking the piazza and an ancient church or two.

As we arrived back to our boat to relax before the evening began our young, enthusiastic boat mates and the young party animal cook were well into planning a night of frivolity at the local nightclub. Not wanting to be party poopers we agreed to meet them there later but first went for a civilised dinner with two other slightly more sedate couples. And very civilised it was! We had a gorgeous dinner of cocktails, more seafood and more lovely Croatian wine whilst sitting on a terrace overlooking the sparkling, boat filled harbour. The old town was even more serene and atmospheric in the evening with glowing lights revealing the tiny alleyways and buskers singing opera in the streets. From there to the gawdy and boasterous night club where our fellow ship mates were having a wow of a time downing copious amounts of alcohol and amusing themselves on the disco floor complete with a pole for the most adventurous. Oh dear, I am getting old!

The next morning we did not have to leave until midday so Andrew and I walked along the harbour to the beach resort area of Dubrovinik. The road leading to the beach was a wide, long, shady boulevard lined with souvenir shops, sideshows, cafes and restaurants, many of which featured swinging garden chairs. It was a perfect holiday street with an air of calm that was very appreciated after the craziness of the night before. We had a quick dip in the fresh, almost cold sea before it was time to get back on the boat en route for the terracotta tiled roofs of old town Korcula. Unfortunately today turned out to be a very frustrating day. Due to some problems at port we spent the day moored just off the coast unable to do anything but jump off the boat for a swim or lie on deck with a book - alright so it doesn't sound too much of a hardship but after a few days the boat can get a touch claustrophobic and we were keen to see as much of the islands as possible. We made the best of it and swam to the shore to explore the coastline and the church that we could see from the boat.

I was very happy when we pulled up anchor and motored our way to Korcula but further frustration was on its way when we arrived in port and were trapped on the boat for another hour whilst we waited for a huge cruiseliner to depart so we could pull into its spot: a mediteranean traffic jam! Whilst I was resting in our cabin Andrew and some of our shipmates spotted an enormous yacht sail past complete with its own helicopter and launching pad. When we finally made it onto the island we saw the owners of this yacht enjoying a quiet coffee at a cafe hidden in a cobblestoned alleyway - one Mr Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones! Star spotting over we explored the ancient walled town with its narrow winding alleyways, numerous churches and of course icecream shops, art galleries and jewellery shops. Andrew and I decided to enjoy an evening to ourselves and we started with cocktails on top of an old turet that you had to climb up a wonky step ladder to get to and your drinks were sent up to you on a pulley-powered tray. The sunset was absolutely stunning and turned the sky a golden, fiery orange but as soon as the sun began its retreat we also hastily made ours as the wind was whipping up a frenzy and we were beginning to grow goosebumps. We found ourselves a table in a lovely little enclosed square opposite a church and were serenaded by a group of singers who seemed to be rehearsing on the stairs of the church. The food was simple and delicious, the wine good and the service friendly and we had a fantastic time. On such a beautiful island we couldn't yet bring ourselves to retreat to the boat - and besides we were sick of the sight of it after the past day so we wandered further around to another side of the island and found a fabulous outdoor cocktail bar with big comfortable wicker chairs, a view over the harbour, the warm slight breeze tickling our arms and of course yummy cocktails. After an hour or so of people watching and chatting and a night cap or two we reluctantly retreated to our 'cosy' bunk beds and wished for at least another day to explore the delights of Korcula.

Another day, another stop off for a swim mid trip, more sunbaking on the sundeck and watching beautiful islands float past and another leisurely, huge three course lunch. Now we were getting into the swing of things! Today we were en route to Hvar, the St Tropez of Croatia complete with the most amazing, huge, decadent, expensive yachts I have ever seen and reputed to be party central. We had another long wait to get into the harbour as an enormous cruise liner motored its way out to the open sea. But today we were in luck and were in harbour early afternoon leaving us plenty of time to explore the beautiful island. Today was a very hot day and the sun beat down hard on our shoulders as we climbed up the switchbacked path to the top of the steep hill which was topped with an amazing old fort. The fort was still complete with marble floors (which do not mix well with slippery flip flops as poor Andrew found out) and a couple of cannons and afforded the most incredible views out to sea, the surrounding islands and the endless stream of luxury yachts coming and going on the watery highway. We spent ages admiring the view and taking ridiculous amounts of photos (thank god for digital cameras!) and discovered that a few other couples from our boat were doing the same so we all stopped in the pretty little cafe for a drink before continuing our explorations. We made our way back to the harbour side and then around to the swanky end of the island where the luxury hotel and private beachside units were located. I wished that I could give up my tiny, hot, claustrophobic cabin on the boat to stay here in luxury for a few days! But alas the closest I could get was to sit here and dream about it for a few idle moments.

Being on party island central the young things on our boat (and every other Sail Croatia boat lined up on the harbour) were gearing up for a big night. The occupants of the multimillion pound boats were also getting into the spirit although I think their evening was more along the lines of cocktails and expensive champagne on the deck. Our regular dinner companions Matt and Edwina and Andrew and I headed to the cobblestoned streets on the side of the hill leading under the fort and found a lively but atmospheric restaurant for another great meal of Croatian seafood, bread and wine. It was not quite the cheap and cheerful dinner I had in mind but it was absolutely lovely and I figured we could leave the saving until we got back to London. The sun had set by now and we decided that a cocktail was in order to get into the spirit of Hvar so we headed to a fantastic open air waterside bar which was complete with swaying palm trees and comfy cushioned benches. We had bumped into four other girls from our boat and had a great evening relaxing, chatting and listening to the groovy music. We walked back into the centre of town which was now alive with bright lights, loud music, and happy people spilling onto the pavements, relaxing at seaside tables with beverages in hand, all over looked by the residents on the amazing expensive yachts. We bumped into some of our fellow travellers and were tempted to join them for a drink but headed back to the deck of our boat to do some people watching. It was close to one by now but the buzz in the warm summer night air made it very hard to turn in for the evening. I was very tempted to head out for another round but the sensible side of me (or was it Andrew's influence?) suggested that it was enough for one night. We made our way back to our tiny cabin and inserted our ear plugs which did little to drown out the party outside. We were awoken in the middle of the night (rather annoyed) by two girls singing the Bob Moran car commercial ... an rather disturbing and bizarre experience given that Bob Moran is peculiar to Adelaide!

I would have been very happy to stay in the bright lights, buzzy atmosphere and beautiful surroundings of Hvar but as was the nature of our tour it was another day another port and
I had to be happy to relegate Hvar to that piece of my mind filled with all my favourite places that I will forever dream about and promise myself that I will one day get to visit one more time.

This morning we made our way to Zlatni Rat, a gorgeous finger of sparkling white beach that stretches out into the lovely blue Adriatic Sea and graces well over half of all pictures used to promote Croatia as a tourist destination. We anchored our boat just off shore and swam for about ten minutes to get to the beach where the shining sun had made the huge pebbles that cover the surface very warm. It was like having a hot stone massage on your feet walking along them and lying on them was a treat for the back. I found three tiny little heart shaped pebbles that I thought would be a perfect addition to my treasure box so I tucked them tightly into my hand as we swam back to our boat for the final part of our journey back to the port town of Split. Another afternoon stop for a swim off the boat, a few more
hours lazing on the sundeck and we were back to our original starting point, feeling a little less refreshed than we had hoped when we set out but happy none the less. We all went our separate ways for a few hours before rendevousing back at the boat one last time for a farewell drink or two. The young ones headed to a nightclub on the beach and the rest of us headed into the marbled streets of Diocletian's Palace to enjoy a few more cocktails in the beautiful balmy night soaking up the atmosphere of our ancient surroundings.

It was another late night and were up and packed early the next morning keen for a bigger more comfortable place to lay our heads and a bit of peace and quiet. It was quite sad to say goodbye to our sailing companions but email addresses were exchanged and a few of us were hanging around Split for a few more days and had agreed to catch up again. We spent a frustrating hour or so looking for accommodation but managed to find a little apartment to stay in and as soon as check in time arrived we were in there, unpacked and fast asleep enjoying a long mid morning/early afternoon nap to sleep off the exhaustion that had built up over the past week. We managed a lazy swim at the beach, a trip around the market, and organised a bus trip for the next day but that was the extent of our enthusiasm today! I felt like a simple, healthy dinner and early night but it was our last opportunity to have dinner with our boat mates so it was more cocktails and a lavish seafood dinner before turning in.

The next morning we were up early on a bus to visit the Skradinski Buk waterfalls at the nearby Krka National Park. It was lovely to be out and about seeing some of the Croatian countryside away from the beautiful but now familiar island landscapes. We had the company of a couple from Perth for the day who had been on our boat and it looked like they were as tired as we were as they slept all the way to the little town of Skradin where we caught a boat to the waterfalls. The area was a mecca for holidaying Croatians and had a lovely sleepy

feel along with one of the most bizarre attractions I have ever come across: Frogworld, the largest collection of taxidermed frogs in the world! We didn't venture inside the attraction but from the looks of the pictures on the posterboard outside if we had we would have been treated to stuffed frogs playing tennis, stuffed rockstar frogs and all manner of other amazingly talented dead frogs. The things you discover ....

Our day included a relaxing boat ride to the falls, a walk along the mangrove paths, swimming in the fresh, cool waters below the falls (we resisted jumping off the top as many people do in this park), icecreams, a visit to an old church with a big hole in the roof that we thought might be a victim of the most recent unrest in the country. One of the highlights was the long bus ride back to Split which travelled along the coast, winding along a clifftop revealing bend after bend of beautiful beaches and harbours as the sun set on another perfect balmy evening. We wished we had another week to explore some more of this gorgeous country. But alas tonight was our last night and we finished the day with one more meal of seafood pasta, yummy Croatian white wine and our last sensational Croatian icecream before walking back through the pretty Diocletan's Palace, which sparkled in the evening as the street lights hit the marbled streets.

The next morning after some last minute souvenir shopping (a beautiful chunky silver cuff carved with hundreds of flowers) we made our way to the airport, a little less relaxed than we had hoped but with fantastic memories and tans deep enough to hopefully see out the next English winter.

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Comments

[mum m]

Wow. Oh for another holiday like that this summer.

[Ella]

Yet another place I absolutely have to go. Love your blogs!