Yesterday Frank, Ceila, Bill and Cary enjoyed a day with us on Brač Island.
After the 45-minute ferry ride from Split, we drove to the trailhead above Pustinja Blaca.
Blaca was a monastery found in 1551 by Glagoltic monks from Poljica Republic. This small Republic, behind Omiš, was wedged between the Venetian and Ottoman Empires. The monks, fearing Turkish raids, fled to Brač in the 15th Century and later received permission to build their monastery in its current, well-hidden location. Setting to work in the harsh landscape (blaca means desert), they created a vibrant community - the richest on the island. They were self-sufficient in food, and exported honey, olive oil, wine and cheese to Venice and Vienna. They owned 3 trading boats, large estates in other villages and had up to 120 workers laboring for them.
The last monk, Don Nikola Milicevič, was a true Renaissance man. His favorite hobby was astronomy and we saw what was once the largest telescope in south-east Europe. He reported his findings to the world authorities and his work led to the naming of 2 asteroids as well as a comet.
All this work took place in the middle of nowhere. We got just a taste of its isolation - after a long drive down a dirt track, we still had a 2km hike into the canyon in which the monastery is tucked away. Yesterday, as the temperature soared, the sun beat down and reflected onto us from the white limestone - not an environment conducive to refined pursuits.
To recover we headed to Murvica, just outside of Bol. The terrace of the restaurant at which we ate lunch looked out across the water to Hvar Island. After an excellent seafood meal, the water was too inviting so we had to have a swim. The beaches along the south coast of Brač are some of my favorites in Dalmatia.
The highlight of the return ferry ride was sailing through an afternoon electrical storm.
Saturday night was the first Split Party Bus to Aurora Club in Primošten. Aurora is the biggest club in Dalmatia, and given the demand from locals and foreigners to visit, we decided to start a bus service to it from Split.
At 10.30pm we all met down on the waterfront and piled in our 50-seat coach for the 45-minute drive. Aurora sits on a hill overlooking the old town of Primošten. The carpark was already jammed when we arrived.
Danny, the owner, spent alot of money renovating the whole complex over the winter to get ready for the opening night. Downstairs there is a big bar and more importantly for those early morning cravings - a huge wood-fired pizza. Upstairs is the lounge and behind that the outdoor dance floor and terraces.
DJ Todd Terry got the crowd jumping when he started on the tables at 1am. The new sound and light systems added to the atmosphere.
At 5am, with the sun coming up, the party ended.
For the schedule of DJs and other acts check out the Aurora website. This year they are expecting another visit from David Morales plus the Shape Shifters, Cedric Gervais, etc.
Like something straight from the 1930s Depression Deep South, the touring stunt drivers arrived in Split this week and unpacked their caravans. With plenty of tire squealing action, all that was missing was the ‘Stars and Bars’! It was so cheesy but great and a bit of fun for the kids. Balkan OH&S (Occupational Health and Safety) Regulations were in effect - the wearing of safety equipment, such as helmets, was optional!
Since 1998 over the last weekend in September, off the town of Murter on Murter Island, a regatta has been held each year for boats with traditional lanteen rigs (such as those in the pictures). The regatta is the Latinsko Idro (the Latin Sail) and is organized by Zeljko Jerat. Its website can be found here (though it needs to be updated for this year). Zeljko also can teach those interested how to use one of these old fishing boats - he has a house on the Kornati Islands which is used as a base for 5 days of sail training. (Contact us for further details.)
There is a renaissance currently in the building and sailing of Dalmatian wooden fishing boats.
Our plan is to take 2 boats - the gajeta and the leut - to this years regatta.
Emilio Mendušič was kind enough to show us the birds at his Falcon Centre on Saturday. Emilio and the volunteers have created one of the rare raptor rescue centres in Europe. Visitors can spend an hour walking around the compound, including the hospital, feeding the birds and being educated by the team. (For example did you know owls have serrations on the leading edge of their wing feathers that produce tiny vortices which reduce drag thus allowing the bird to produce only 0.1dB when flying?)
For those wanting to get in touch with their blue-blooded heritage, the centre also organizes 5-day adventure where guests are taught to hunt with falcons. Croatians that complete this package are then asked to become first responder volunteers - if the centre receives a call about an injured bird in their area the volunteer is called to make initial contact. There are now 75 volunteers around Croatia.
Conservation efforts are relatively new in Croatia - for most Croats the land and the sea are to be worked; caring for wildlife is way down the list of priorities. But several other rescue centres have appeared in the last 10 years.
Near Krasno Polje, below the North Velebit National Park (one of our favorite places to hike) is Kuterevo Bear Refuge - a small sanctuary for the local brown bears. Croatia still has a bear hunting season and cured bear meat can be found on the menu in some restaurants.
Unfortunately for local dolphins fishermen regarded them as competition for fish and destroyers of nets - so they were killed. With fish stocks also dropping the number of these mammals has decreased. The Adriatic Dolphin Project in Veli Lošinj is attempting to rectify the situation.
Eurasian Griffon Centre successfully lobbied for the habitat of these birds on Cres Island to be proclaimed Special Ornithological Reserves. They also run a rescue compound where injured birds are cared for, before being released to the wild.
Pictured above is one tired but ice-cream fueled soccer fan.
Croatia have done an excellent job to finish top of their pool at the European Football Championships. They started slowly against Austria and were lucky to get away with a 1-0 victory.
Locals were then fearing the worst against the Germans - one of the favorites for the title. But Croatia performed well above expectations and comfortably won 2-1.
Finally, last night the Croats strolled past Poland 1-0 in a flat game. But wins are wins and the Splicani celebrated into the early morning with flags, flares, fireworks and car-horns!
One of our favorite cafes to relax in during the summer is the Luxor. They have setup cushions and small tables on the steps of the Peristil, where you can sit and have a drink while you listen to the live music (usually jazz) or watch the couples dancing salsa. There are not too many places in the world can you sit on 1700-year-old steps on a warm evening with a cocktail in your hand listening to good sounds!
Aklie wanted to see where SpongeBob SquarePants is from, so we went for a drive up the coast to Krapanj - apparently the smallest and lowest inhabited island in Croatia. Krapanj, located in the Šibenik archipelago, lies 300m from the mainland town of Brodarice and is best known for sponge diving and the unusual occupation of its women - fishing.
Antun, a monk from Crete, introduced Krapanj’s inhabitants to sea sponge gathering and processing over 300 years ago (beginning of the 18th Century). Diving for sponges became the major source of income for Krapanj families, earning them the title of Spužvari (Sponge Experts). And while the men were diving, their wives did everthing else - working the fields, rowing the transport boats and fishing (eventhough they did not know how to swim).
Every year the local divers gather over 4 tonnes of natural sea sponge from the surrounding waters - of mainly the Euspongia Officinalis Adriatica - Fine Dalmata variety.
Natural sponges have been used for bathing for millenia - as they are firm and durable yet soft. The Romans even used them for lining the inside of their armor. Compared to man-made sponges, natural sponges are much more absorbent and static electricity free.
Sponges are sensitive and require warm, clean seawater to grow. The unpolluted, relatively shallow waters (5m - 50m) around Krapanj provide perfect conditions for them to thrive.
If cut properly a sponge will regrow in the same place. As it takes a sponge 2 years to grow to 15cm, traditionally sponge diving was forbidden every third year in order to allow them to regenerate.
The Krapanj monastery museum permanently exhibits a show on sea sponge diving. Next door is the Hotel Spongiola - where you can take classes in the traditional way of collecting sponges - ‘free diving’.
Thanks to Tim Jarman for the picture of Krapanj - more of his pictures can be seen here.
Tim and I went to Šibenik today to sit the small boat skipper license (voditelj brodice) examination at the Harbour Master’s (Lučka Kapetanija) office.
If you do not have a licence from home or if you have a licence that does not contain a VHF-licence, you need to sit a short oral test to get a B Category License of Competency - similar to the Recreational Skipper’s Ticket in Western Australia. Apparently as no such national licensing regime exists in the U.S., Americans wishing to charter a Croatian-flagged vessel may be required to sit the test.
The license is valid for boats up to 30 registered gross tonnes and for less than 12 people. It allows you to travel 3nm from the coast or islands - given that the islands are so close along the Croatian coast, this means you can cruise to nearly all of them.
Locations of the Harbour Masters’ Offices can be found here.
You need to bring:
a. 815 kuna.
b. 40 kuna in tax stamps (from the closest newspaper stand).
c. your passport.
d. 2 passport photographs.
Some subjects of the examination are:
a. Navigation.
b. Navigational lights.
c. Right of way.
d. VHF radio procedure.
Amazingly there is no practical examination. They print a handy study guide and the test can be taken in Croatian, English, German, and Italian.
The staff of the Šibenik office were very friendly and helpful - unlike some of the characters found in the Split office, with whom we have had problems before.
While waiting for the test, Tim showed me some of his old haunts in Šibenik - I had never spent time there though its only 30 minutes from Split. The old town was quiet but in many ways nicer than Split.
The centrepiece of Šibenik is the Cathedral of St. James (Katedrala sv. Jakova).
The idea of building a cathedral originated in 1298 when Šibenik was given its own diocese. The actual decision to build it was finalised in 1402, though construction did not begin until 1431 and with minor disruptions lasted until 1536. Not much has changed in Croatia - this is a typical construction schedule even today!
It was built on the city’s south-side, where a Romanesque church had stood. The cathedral’s construction began in Venetian Gothic style, and was completed in Tuscan Renaissance style, due to the change over the years of the main architect.
In 1441 Juraj Dalmatinac (George of Dalmatia) was elected architect. At the time he was living and studying art in Venice. He had done some work there on Saint Mark’s Cathedral. Juraj, a devotee of the Late (Venetian) Gothic style, decided to enlarged the original plans for the cathedral, adding a side nave and apses. By the time of his death in 1475 he had also put up the basic constructive elements for the building of the dome and enriched the cathedral with numerous sculptures.
After the his death, Nikola Firentinac (Nicholas of Florence) took over the cathedral’s construction. Sticking to Juraj’s basic plan he however continued the building in Renaissance style, completing the top parts of the cathedral: the dome, the sculpture of Saints Michael, James and Mark, the roof complex and the upper part of the facade. Following Firentinac’s death in 1505, construction continued under Venetian constructors and local craftsmen.
The roof and the dome of St James’ are unique in the world. Like all the other parts of the church, they were made exclusively from stone (i.e. no wooden beams or clay tiles), using the same dry wall techniques Juraj Dalmatinac used while building the apses and the sacristy. The stone slab roof of the central and lateral naves form a semicircular vault visible from the inside as well as from the outside.
The dome of the church was heavily damaged during the shelling of Šibenik in September 1991. Today it has been fully restored with no visible damage.
The cathedral was consecrated in 1555 and in 2000 was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
We went to visit the Hotel San Rocco in Brtonigla, Istria. It won the award for the best small hotel in Croatia for 2007. They renovated several buildings into one new complex including a restaurant, wellness centre (every hotel in Croatia now seems to have one of these) and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. They have finished everything to a top level and the restaurant has some interesting dishes using local produce.
Istarske Toplice uses the water from the Saint Stephan Spring - apparently the Romans even enjoyed bathing in it. We always visit it for a swim whilst we are in Motovun - its just down the road. The hotel complex is still very Communist in the level of quality and service it provides - but the spa was recently renovated and makes for a warm dip in the middle of winter.
Things are progressing at our house in Motovun. The structure for the floors has been put in, the roof replaced and the rendering of the facade has begun. We hope it can be ready for use in October.
In March, a commission setup by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Culture set a limit on the number of beds for the Jupiter Group-proposed golf course/development below Motovun. This followed a previous Enviromental Impact Report which came to a similar conclusion. Yet are developers continuing to lobby behind the scenes with direct talks with the Ministers to have these recommendations overturned. And the current indication is that they appear to be succeeding. So, this development has failed government-organized tests twice and yet Jupiter still tries to ‘back-door’ this project using ‘old fashioned’ methods used to influence officials prevalent in a country such as Croatia. There has already been a previous incident regarding this project that the courts deemed illegal. We will have to wait and see.
Andjelka, our cousin, got married the other day. Every good Croatian wedding needs several things.
1. Cars with horns blaring. Saturday is wedding day in Croatia, and weddings are not quiet events. The racket starts when the towns are filled with lines of cars, all with horns blasting, traveling from the grooms’ houses to the brides’ houses - where the grooms have to buy the brides from their families - before they all move on to the church.
Andjelka skipped this bit as the service took place in Trogir, a small medieval town with pedestrian-friendly narrow streets. Trogir is situated on a small island between the Croatian mainland and the island of Čiovo, about 27kms west of Split, and since 1997 it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
2. Flag. The lead car always has a large Croatian flag flying from it. (No one seems to know where the tradition of having a flag at the front of the procession comes from.)
3. Band.Whenever there is a wedding (or any type of festival) in Dalmatia the folk band is dusted off and sings in front of the church, before and after the service.
The video above shows Tomislav Ivčić singing a Dalmatian party favourite “Večeras je Naša Fešta”at the 1986 Split Summer Festival. From the looks of it, he could do a mean Borat impersonation as well.
4. Pregnant bride. At about 80% of Dalmatian weddings the bride’s father is seen prodding the groom down the aisle with a shotgun. Thanks to the Catholic Church’s excellent safe-sex program many young kids are married in their late-teens or early-twenties - all so the Church will accept the expected baby. We saw three weddings one Saturday in Korčula - all teenage brides were 8 months gone. Andjelka, happily, was not in the family-way!
5. Flares. In front of the church, after the service, you could be mistaken that you stumbled upon a local soccer match. Croatians love to light a good flare, and the more the better.
6. Lots of food. Food is at the centre of every Croatian get-together. At the reception you are still being served food at 5am - pršut, cheese, black risotto or roast lamb.
Andjelka had her wedding at one of Croatia’s most interesting churches - the Cathedral of St. Lawrence (Sv. Lovre). The building of the cathedral started around 1200 and was finally finished in 1589, when the last storey of the bell tower was completed. (The bell-tower took so long to build that spanned four architectural styles - Romanesque, early and late Gothic, Renaissance and Mannerist.)
The west portal of Trogir cathedral is known as Radovan’s Portal after the master sculptor who carved his name on it in 1240. It is covered with sculptures of some one hundred figures. A series of reliefs with scenes from Jesus’s life, from the Annunciation to the Resurrection, occupy the concentric arches above the door. Adam and Eve, the Original Sinners, were placed on lions that flank the entrance.
The portal was completed during a period when Bogomilism was prevalent in Dalmatia, after it crossed over from Bosnia and Bulgaria at the end of the 12th Century. The Bogomils opposed the existence of a church as a fixed organization; they were also against the church possessing property and leveling compulsory tithes. The original Bogomil teaching preached disobedience to rulers and masters.
Bogomils explained the corporeal life as a creation of Satan, an angel that was sent to the Earth. Due to this duality, their doctrine rejects everything that is socially created and that does not come from the soul, the only divine possession of the human. Therefore, the established Church, the state, and the hierarchy is totally undermined by Bogomilism. That is why its followers refused to pay taxes, to work, or to fight for their state. The whole social system was to be overthrown.
They denied the divine birth of Jesus; refused all veneration to Mary; the miracles performed by Jesus were interpreted in a spiritual sense, not as real material occurrences; they had no special priests; prayers were to be said in private houses, not in separate buildings such as churches; they declared Jesus to be the Son of God only through grace like other prophets; they believed that the bread and wine of the eucharist were not transformed into flesh and blood, and icons and the cross were idols and the veneration of saints and relics idolatry.
The Bogomils were the revolutionaries that laid the foundations of Protestanism - so the Church tried to squash them!
The portal is influenced by them - it is orientated towards the more humane side of the Church - the Nativity instead of the Last Judgement.
So why is this interesting. Well, the name of the movement was bulgarus in Latin (meaning “Bulgarian”). It became bougre in Old French meaning “heretic, traitor”. It entered German as Buger meaning “peasant, blockhead” (and went on to English as bugger) and the French term also entered Old Italian as buggero and Spanish as bujarrón, both meaning “sodomite”, since it was supposed that heretics would approach sex (just like everything else) in an “inverse” way. The word in Venetian Italian became buzerar, meaning “to do sodomy”. So next time you say “Oh, bugger” you know where the it came from.
