3. Dubrovnik to Krka National Park

Tuesday 28 April

It rained heavily in the night and we awoke to a damp and dreary morning so had a housekeeping day.  In the evening we walked down to the harbour for dinner.   We both ordered a steak and when asked how we would like it cooked we said medium.  Sarah’s was on the rare side but mine was completely raw and there was what seemed like part of a metal scouring pad in my chips!  Not the best meal.   

Wednesday 29 April

Today is our Wedding Anniversary which I had remembered!  It was a beautiful morning with clear blue sky.  We took the bus into Dubrovnik. 

 We booked on to a walking tour at 12 noon and so had a bit of time to kill.  We wandered along a back street and came across a very old fashioned barbers shop, strangely filled with birds in cages.  So I decided to have a haircut which looked ok and cost me about £3.

The walking tour was excellent value at 90 kuna each (about £9.00).  I think our guide, Marko, was a resting actor.  A young man with a significant range in the tone of his voice who put his heart and soul into the tour.   He was born and bred in Dubrovnik and was clearly proud of that fact.  One of the stories he told us was about some graffiti carved into the side wall of a small church in Latin in the 16^th Century.  Apparently, the boys used to play football outside the Church, kicking the ball against the wall which annoyed the Priest and he, therefore, carved a curse on the boys into the wall. 

We also saw evidence of damage caused by mortar shells during the war in the 1990’s.   I’d forgotten that the town had been under siege by the Serbs and Montenegrins for 8 months before the Croatian army regained control.  About 70% of the buildings had taken hits from mortar shells or shrapnel. Many were burnt to the ground but you wouldn’t know it now apart from the odd bullet hole in a wall.

After lunch we walked the walls that surround the City.  You climb quite a way so get an impressive view over the largely new rooftops.  The City was quiet today as there were no cruise ships in.  

Thursday 30 April

From the old harbour in Dubrovnik we took the ferry across to the island of Lokrum which sits just off the coast.  We walked around the island which is largely wooded and populated by loads of peacocks, we even saw one up a tree.   Seemingly the locals flock here in hot weather to sunbathe and swim.  

We had lunch in the only café watched by 3 peahens.  It was a bit like trying not to let the seagulls nick your Cornish pasty in St Ives. We had to constantly shoo them away. 

Lokrum Fire Brigade

Whilst waiting for the ferry the fire brigade arrived in their all purpose fire fighting vehicle.

Friday 1 May

We booked a boat trip for today around the Elaphite Islands.  The boat left from the harbour at Mlini, where we were staying so was very convenient.  Whilst waiting in the harbour we got chatting to two English couples who were staying in a villa in the hills behind Dubrovnik.  They said that villa was new and very nice but appeared to be in no man’s land between the borders of Croatia and Bosnia.

Between Mlini and Dubrovnik we passed a number of derelict hotels and one completely abandoned resort.  The skipper told us that they had been occupied by Serb and Montenegrin troops in the war and then looted before they left. They have been left empty ever since.  The architecture leaves a lot to be desired, they look more like multi-storey car parks or prisons than hotels.  Anyone who has an interest in redeveloping them wants to buy the beachfront as well and the Government will not allow this so they are just left. 

The boat called at Dubrovnik and then motored on to Kolocep where we had about 30 mins to walk around the harbour.  After a good lunch of chicken and salad the next stop was Sipan which was once an important fishing port.   It is not a huge island and only has one road but appeared to warrant a car ferry as one was moored in the harbour.   Our last stop was the island of Lopud which is more developed with at least one hotel and a number of bars and restaurants.  It was a lovely island. We had 2 hours here so managed a 3 mile walk and still had time for an ice cream.   We made a mental note to consider this island for a short break in the future.

Despite it being a lovely sunny day the journey back was freezing so Sarah spent about 20 mins in the shower trying to get warm on our return.

Comment: I was very impressed by the various excursion boats we have seen. Ours was very well maintained and newly painted, not a sign of rust. Our skipper told us that this boat was painted twice a year. It is a former cargo boat and was used to ferry supplies to the islands and return with olive oil or whatever was grown on the islands.  The picture below is of one of two replica Galleons we have seen. It was a beautiful boat.

Saturday 2 May

During the night we think we experienced a minor earthquake.  About 11 pm there was quite a loud bang and then the caravan shook for a few seconds.  Apparently they happen quite often.  Had a fairly lazy day.  We drove along the coast to Cavtat, about 5 miles.  It is a very pretty small resort.  We had a wander and some lunch before returning the caravan.

Comment.  When we are driving along Sarah likes a play a version of I Spy.  How many different nationalities can she spot from the number plates.    We are used to the usual central European countries but around here they are quite different.   The most unusual we have spotted are Albanian and a number of Russian cars. 

Sunday 3 May

Began heading back today by moving on to The Peljasac Pennisular which is not far from Dubrovnik and is about 50 miles long.  We were going to stay at Camping Nevio as the reviews were so good but were not taken with it.  The site was very steep making you feel a bit hemmed in.  So we moved on to Camping Palme which a couple had told us about.  It is a small site right on the beach.  Sarah was not impressed at first as it had showers where there was nowhere to hang anything (again).  However, we got a pitch right on the front with a fabulous view towards the Island of Korcula and its main town.  You can sit and watch the many boats going by. 

Monday 4 May

Another lovely day so Sarah got down to some serious washing.  We ventured into the town of Orebic just a couple of miles away.  The town doesn’t have much to offer apart from the ferry port.  We enquired at the Tourist Office if we could get a ferry to the island of Mljet and were told “no”.  However, after a bit of research I found that a ferry was running from today from Korcula to Mljet and there was a regular ferry from Orebic to Korcula.  In the afternoon we had a walk along the coast.  Each house seems to have its own jetty or small harbour.  This area is completely unspoilt by tourism and very quiet.  Visitors seem to come mainly for the water sports.   It is a good wind surfing area.

Had our first evening meal outside!

Tuesday 5 May

Caught the 9 am Ferry to Korcula and then caught the catamaran that comes from Split via

Brac and Hvar to Korcula and on to Mjlet and Dubrovnik.  It took about 40 mins to reach Mjlet.  A large area of the Island is a National Park so you have to pay an entrance fee.  There are two salt water lakes connected to the sea by narrow channels.   There are many footpaths and in all we walked about 8 miles. Fortunately, there is a lot of shade.  One of the lakes had an island with a monastery on it which makes for an excellent picture opportunity.   

We decided we couldn’t walk any further and returned to the port.  We had some time to kill so sat in various bars around the bay.  Five small cruise ships had appeared and we asked the barman about them.   He said they operate out of Split doing 7 night island hopping cruises to Dubrovnik and back.   They were very well presented boats all run by a company called the Katarina Line, with passengers seeming to be mainly American and English.    Back in Korcula we had an hour to kill so had a look around the town.  It is like a mini Dubrovnik.  It seemed to be quite a lively town as there were a number of small cruise ships and yachts moored in the harbour.  We would have liked to stay for dinner but unfortunately the last boat back to Orebic is 7.30pm. 

Wednesday 6 May

Drove to Ston which is a small town near where the peninsular joins the mainland.  It is only a small town but it has the most impressive defensive walls you are likely to see. 

Built in the 14thC they surround the town but also rise up a very steep hillside and right around the hill to the next town of Mali Ston.  At the top of the hillside is a fortress.  Presumably this was so they could defend both sides of the peninsular.  We did walk around part of the walls but they were very steep and it was tough going.

Thursday 7 May

Moved on to the town of Makarska, heart of an area called the Makarska Riviera.  The drive from Orebic to Makarska was stunning. A bit like the French Riviera with a turquoise sea and pretty little towns along the way.  We were not very impressed with Camp Jure.  Very steep access and small pitches but within walking distance of the town. 

All along the sea front to the town are restaurants which looked really nice.  The town itself is quite pleasant.  While there we booked car ferry tickets for the following day for a day trip to Brac.  When we arrived we heard some sport being played with cheering and music playing and quite a few youth on the beach but didn’t think anything of it.  On returning to the caravan it was still going on and was coming from a hotel a short distance away.  Around 7pm the noise stopped and we thought they had gone home.  At 9pm the dance music started.  Sarah wondered if it had been a sports camp and this was the last night party!  We weren’t too concerned as we thought it would stop around 11pm or, at the latest, 1 am as in most resorts.     Listened to the start of the election night coverage on the radio and turned in about midnight – music still going.

Friday 8 May

Music stopped at 7am – just in time for our alarm to go off at 7.15am to get up for the ferry!  We might as well have stayed up all night and listened to the election coverage for all the sleep we got!

We got the ferry to Brac but it was rather a fractious day out as it was very hot and we were very tired.  Drove to the town of Bol which was very attractive and had an excellent beach.  We set off on a walk but turned back as there was no shade and it was just too hot.  Having done some research before we came I was expecting temperatures in their low 20’s. However, they are regularly hitting 25 and 26 deg C which is typical for June.

Aftr a drive across to the other side of the island to Supetar, another nice little town, we headed back for the return ferry.

On returning to the site the noise had increased further.  They were playing basketball but it was like being at an ice hockey match.  Every time they scored there were beating drums, cheering and loud music.  I complained at reception and they said they had called the police and the Head of Tourism but nothing happened.  I went round to the hotel where the receptionist said they were staying until Sunday and there was nothing she could do.  She said that they were University students and did have two professors travelling with them but they were not staying at the hotel.  She gave us the number for the police and suggested we rang them.  At this point we packed up and left.  We wouldn’t normally choose to move sites at 6pm but couldn’t face another night with no sleep.   Found a site in Ormis for the night.   Had a mediocre pizza in the site restaurant, listened to the news on the radio and went to bed.  (It seemed to have been a pretty momentous day at home!).

Saturday 9 May

Moved on to a site near the Krka National Park.  It is called Camping Marina and we were waved in the gate by Marina herself.  We had been stopped a little way back on the road by the police who allowed us through to the campsite but the road beyond the site was shut for a car race of some kind.   It is a small site but has a swimming pool and a restaurant and somewhere to hang your clothes while you have a shower – hurray!   There was already one English van on site and we were later joined by another.   Had a lazy afternoon as it was very hot.  We watched the cars,  some were pimped up production models others were very old Ladas making a very loud noise.  We couldn’t really fathom out the race they just seemed to drive up and down the road.  Apparently, this is just a practice session and the real race is tomorrow.

Sunday 10 May

Visited Krka NP today.  It is a little like Plitvice Lakes but on a smaller scale.  However, it was just as stunning.  We followed the boardwalks for about 2km, passing many small cascades of water before coming to the main event Stadinski Buk. 

This is a large series of waterfalls.  After lunch we drove on about 20 miles to another area of the Park called Raski Slap which has a section of small cascades and water meadows.  One area had high cliffs on either side and reminded us both of Dove Dale and Lathkill Dale in Derbyshire.

On returning to the site we found we had been invaded by the Dutch.   A group of about 20 vans touring together had checked in.  It seemed they were on their way to Corfu.  As the site was quite full the wi fi ground to a halt.  We had dinner in the restaurant and chatted with another English couple.  They live in Spain but still have a home in the UK.  They usually spend about 3 months each year touring with their van and gave us some very useful information on how to access our home TV via the internet. I would like a ‘Slingbox’ for Christmas.

Comment - WiFi. So far we have had access to free wifi on almost every site we have been on.......and in most cases the speed has been good enough to listen to BBC radio and in some cases stream live TV. The UK has some catching up to do.

Monday 11 May

We ventured to the town of Sibenik about 10 miles away on the coast.  The town was found in 1066 (busy year). 

The fort is now used as a music venue and has 1066 seats in commemoration.  There was a Thomson cruise ship in so the town was full of English voices.  They had started in Dubrovnik, called at Venice, Koper in Slovenia (no, we hadn’t heard of it either) and were going on to Korcula, Bari (in Italy) and back to Dubrovnik.     In the afternoon we drove on to Skradin which is a small village from where you can take a boat up to the Krka falls, it also has a huge marina and two men in an inflatable appeared to be on parking duty, directing the yachts to the appropriate berth.