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Travel : Cavorting in Croatia

What breathtaking beautiful coastal views welcomed us on the afternoon of 21 August 2003 when our taxi driver drove us from the airport to Dubrovnik - a city described as "paradise on earth and a jewel in the crown of the Adriatic".

Dubrovnik gets more sunshine than almost any other town in the Mediterranean and is situated between the cobalt-blue sea and the grey Karst hills. Succulent Mediterranean and subtropical vegetation, cypress and pine trees provide the backdrop to the coastal city where the scent of orange, lemon, oleander and almond trees lingers while the purple clusters of bougainvillea creep across the ancient walls - charming the senses. It has been called the most perfectly preserved medieval city in the world and is a city which for centuries, rivalled Venice as a major sea trading port. Following the battering it received in the 1991-92 Balkan war, Unesco stepped in and it has now been fully restored to its former glory and is an ultimate expression of all that is fine in medieval building. The churches, monasteries, palaces, statues, fountains, wide marble paved squares, steep cobble-stepped streets and houses have remained unchanged for centuries. But Dubrovnik is no museum. It is alive with the comings and goings of people whose homes line the narrow streets and sunlit squares.

We set down our luggage in a square outside the city walls and ordered some refreshing drinks from a restaurant near the Nautika restaurant - lovely atmosphere with a view of the Adriatic Sea. We then ventured into the city via Pile gate (one of the four city gates) and noticed the statue of St Blaise, the city's patron saint, set in a niche over the Renaissance arch. We passed through this outer gate and came to an inner gate dating from 1460 and then into the main pedestrian street of Dubrovnik called the Stradun, which runs from the Old Harbour to the West Gate. At the far end the clock tower dominates the square. Inside the gate is the entrance to the city walls and the Church of St. Saviour and nearby Franciscan Monastery, home to one of Europe?s oldest and still working pharmacies as well as Big Onofrio's fountain. Restaurants and coffee shops and bars are everywhere and from here you can order a strong coffee - or something even stronger - and indulge in the favourite local past-time of people watching.

Dubrovnik comes alive in the summer months when it plays host to the world-famous festival. You can choose from plays, concerts, ballet and local folk displays, all staged outdoors using the fortressed walls, squares, streets and parks as a dramatic backdrop. Unfortunately we had just missed this but there were still remnants of such a festival in the town. We managed to locate a place at the end of the main street near the Sponza Palace and Bell tower and bell lounge to store our luggage which was really useful so we were able to wander about freely and explore the old port. We could view Lokrum island in the distance from the old port and discovered it can be reached by a 15 minute boat ride and is uninhabited with an abandoned botanical garden - perfect for picnicking.

It wasn't long before we had to catch the 20:00 ferry from the port to take us to Lopud island - one of the seven Elaphite islands of which 3 are inhabited (Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan). It was here where we were staying for the next 4 nights. We caught a taxi from the old town to the ferry port which is about a 10 minute journey (4km) and costs about 60 Kn. See website http://www.jadrolinija.hr/jlenglish.nsf/timeframe?OpenFrameSet for ferry timetable. At the harbour we purchased our tickets and sat on the bollards to watch the most amazing sunset. The ferry journey took approximately 50 minutes and we were met by Robert the owner of Pansion Tomic and his two children who were on school holidays. He had brought along a 4-wheeled cart which we loaded our luggage on to as there are no vehicles on Lopud island. Pansion Tomic is a family run bed and breakfast and the rooms are simple, comfortable and clean with a balcony overlooking the bay. Telephone number is 385/20/759-057 should you wish to stay there. We freshened up and enjoyed a delicious meal of seafood risotto with a great bottle of wine at a quaint waterfront restaurant called Konoba "O'Bala" whose roof was covered with grape vines. There is a bank machine on Lopud island and a tourist office (+385/20/759-086). We found that Croatian Kuna (Kn) was the preferred currency and Euro's are not frequently used, even for taxi journeys.

It was a brilliant sunshine day the following day so after a delicious breakfast on the terrace we decided to spend the day on the beach sunning ourselves and relaxing. We visited the local supermarket and loaded up with supplies and headed for Sunj beach which is a sandy, part nudist beach located at the southeastern side of the island. We had to follow a goat's path (about a 3km walk) that leads to the very top of the hill overlooking the bay, where the Church Our Lady of Sunj is located. It was then a small trek down the hill through a pine forest and thick Mediterranean brush before we finally reached Sunj beach and on a clear day the island of Saint Andrew can be seen. We had worked up quite a sweat by then so settled our things on sun chairs and under umbrellas and dived into the sparkling waters. The day was spent playing frisbee and frolicking in the water, swimming out to the magnificent boats anchored in the bay, sun tanning and enjoying a delicious tuna salad at one of the restaurants followed by ice-cream. I was rather fascinated by the nudists on the beach who came in all sorts of shapes, sizes and ages and had their own designated area. That evening we enjoyed a delicious fish dinner on the terrace of hotel Villa Vilina http://www.villa-vilina.hr/ near the Franciscan Monastery at the western end of the bay.

On the Saturday we opted for a ferry trip from Lopud to the island of Mljet. This island is one of the loveliest and most densely wooded islands in the Adriatic. Time magazine has quoted it as among the 10 most beautiful islands of the world. See website http://www.hotelodisej.hr/html/mljete.html. And lonely planet says of all the Adriatic islands Mljet may be the most seductive. A third of the island has been declared a National Park (3,000 ha), whose main attractions are two salt-water lakes - Veliko jezero and Malo jezero (great lake and small lake). We arrived at Polace port and paid our Park fees and waited for a shuttle bus to take us to Veliko Lake. Fortunately we decided on this mode of transport rather than bicycle hire as there were some steep hills that we would have had to negotiate on the main road. We did however notice that the island is criss-crossed with paths around the lake and through pine forests which would make for excellent walks and bike riding. From Veliko Lake we hopped on a taxi boat which took us to the tiny island of St Mary. Here there is a ruined 12th-century Benedictine monastery where there are two inexpensive restaurants which have tables laid out beneath the trees. By this time we were ravenous so enjoyed a delicious seafood pasta lunch at Taverna Melita. After lunch there were plenty of secluded spots where we could take a nap, relax with a book, snorkel or stroll around the islet. So enjoyed snorkelling in the lake?s aqua blue waters.

We left the island at 18:00 hours and watched another magnificent sunset from the back of the ferry. That evening we chose to go and visit "Barbara's Restaurant" located on the path to Sunj beach. It proved to be a hilarious evening as Elsie ordered the house local wine which to put it mildly was unpalatable. German husband and wife "eager to please and misunderstood" proprietors were politely informed by Els that we could not drink the wine and before long a variety of wine and small glasses arrived at our table. The only gracious thing to do was to taste the equally shocking wine with smiles on our faces. However, the food (scampi) and those who had ordered beer made up for it and was delicious.

On the Sunday it was early rise and shine time as the ferry from Lopud to Dubrovnik left at 07:50. Els and I decided to do a bit of sightseeing in Dubrovnik and sunbathing on Ploce beach (near Ploce gate) while Shels and Denie decided to explore the coastline on a moped which they hired from the ferry port. The plan was to meet up late afternoon. Els and I found out from the ferry port tourist office that there is a bus route (1a or 1b) which could take us from the ferry port to Dubrovnik old town so we opted for this. By 9:00 am we were enjoying some coffee and cake in Dubrovnik's main street before our wall walk.

The wall walk costs about 15 Kn and takes about an hour to two hours. These huge walls surrounding the city were built between the 11th and 17th centuries and are still intact. The walls are thicker on the land side - up to 6m - but run 1.5 m to 3m on the sea side. The round Minceta Tower protects the northern edge of the city from land invasion, while the western end is protected from land and sea invasion by the detached Lovrjena Fort. The Pile Gate is protected by the Bokar Tower and the Revelin Fort protects the eastern entrance. The walk provides an intimate glimpse of local life, passing unshuttered windows, washing lines and courtyards and some splendid views across orange-tiled rooftops and cathedral spires to the glittering Adriatic below. We could distinguish quite clearly the difference between the old tiles and new tiles which had been replaced due to damage during the war. By the time we had completed the walk we were boiling hot so the afternoon was spent relaxing on Ploce beach and cooling off in the Adriatic.

Shels and Denie met up with us at a restaurant Els and I had discovered which is near Ploce gate inside the old town and has awesome views of the old port and we heard all about their day. They had enjoyed a breakfast at the pension Mali Raj ("little paradise") www.maliraj.de.cx which is located at Zaton Veliki, 18km north of Dubrovnik in a protected, quiet bay right on the water. They had then continued their coastal journey to Trsteno which sounded awesome so a definite must for next time. We ordered more seafood and wine and before we knew it we (Els and I) had to make a dash for a taxi and Shels and Denie for their moped to take us back to the ferry port to catch the 20:30 ferry back to Lopud. It was great entertainment when we passed an oblivious Shels and Denie in the taxi and saw them struggling with wrong turns and then Shels jumped off the moped, leaving poor Den to drive over the traffic island on her own. So with the giggling girls back on Lopud we decided to go for a few more drinks at one of the local bars which had swing chairs for seats - such fun! Took a sip of this ghastly local spirit (forget the name) but then settled into a cherry brandy. It was then skinny dipping time....

On the Monday we woke up at sparrows and left Lopud on the 06.20 ferry, arriving in Dubrovnik at 07.10 and caught a cab to the airport for check in by 8:30 am. We departed Dubrovnik at 9:30 am with a stopover at Rijeka airport before arriving at London Stansted at 12:30 pm. A bit of a wasted day but that was the only scheduled Air Adriatic flight through www.hiddencroatia.com. Another good website is www.tzdubrovnik.hr.

It can be said that Croatia certainly was about a beauty that takes your breath away, a beauty that encourages the expression of the soul, needing no words or explanations. A beauty which is timeless and the more you discover it the more you discover yourself.