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.
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.
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.
Split is expecting an increase in cruise-ship arrivals this year. For these guests and others who wish to explore the coast, rivers, hills and islands around Split we have teamed-up with our Danish friends at Solitum to provide interesting half-day and full-day tours.
An old friend from New York City, the Gregster, dropped in to visit us this weekend. We hadn’t seen him in 7 years - it was great to catchup and talk about the days in NYC - the bars, restaurants and clubs, and playing for the NY Magpies. It was also an excellent opportunity to eat at some of our favorite restaurants and take some embarrassing pictures of Greg.
The first day we had lunch at Konoba Šperun, next to the laundrette. We often grab a quick meal here - usually during the summer on their curb-side tables and just the cold appetizers. They have excellent marinated anchovies, a cheese and tomato plate, calamari, bread and olives - really simple but tasty things.
The next day was a gluttonous road-trip to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful towns in the world. Now is the perfect time to visit before the summer cruise-liners arrive and swamp the cobbled streets.
On the way we stopped at Kapetanova Kuća in Mali Ston- one of Croatia’s Top Ten Restaurants - which has been mentioned previously on our blog. After denying ourselves breakfast we were ready for a huge lunch.
We started with oysters of course - as Mali Ston is famous for them. I had always thought that all oysters were the same - but after visiting the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station in NY many years ago, where you can order them from all over the world, I learned that every region produces different size and shape shells and, more importantly, different flavours.
After the oysters we shared a plate of mixed mussels and clams - cooked buzara style. Buzara is a Dalmatian white wine and garlic sauce in which they cook their shellfish. The sauce is so good that after eating the shellfish you then mop it up with plenty of bread.
The main meal was black cuttlefish risotto (made with the ink from squids) and grilled squid. People always jump when they see the colour of the risotto - but, if the initial fear of eating black food can be overcome, black risotto is delicious. The squid was simply grilled and then drizzled with olive oil and garlic.
All this was washed down with a bottle of Marco Polo Pošip. Pošip is the white wine variety from Korčula Island.
And if all this wasn’t enough, Greg need a slice of rožata - Dalmatian creme caramel - to top it all off. I was thinking to offer him a glass of desert wine - prošek - but that would have been excessive!
Once we arrived in Dubrovnik we needed to rest. So we found a hole-in-the-wall cafe clinging to the town’s famous walls and watched the big ships sail passed.
In Dubrovnik there is only one place to eat - Lokanda Peskarija. All the other restaurants are tourist traps. The Peskarija has a limited menu - maybe 10 dishes - and they are all served in small black pots. Its such a simple, elegant idea. Its location is stunning as well - right on the edge of the water in the old port, under big umbrellas. After such a big lunch we just needed something small - just calamari, grilled prawns and a big mixed salad - and a little more wine and coffee.
The next morning, nursing the first twinges of gout, we decided some brisk sea air and a little walk would do us good. So Greg, Jules, the kids and I piled into the Fiat and caught the ferry to Hvar Island. We drove across the island to look at its southern slopes which are famous for producing excellent plavac -Dalmatian red wine.
The plan was to hike amongst the vines but the weather gods were against us so we retired to Konoba Vrisnik for lunch. The owner, Andro Grgičević, welcomed us in but said that they were not yet officially open for the season. However a group from Zagreb had organized a meal and he said we could join them.
The meal started with a broth made with goat meat stock and buck-wheat - very tasty. Then Andro brought us a plate of boiled goat meat, mashed potato and tomato sauce. He explained that this was typical Saturday meal for the villagers of Hvar. After the first course of goat another bowl of goat meat cooked with peas appeared. The sweetness of the peas was excellent with the young goat meat. Just as we were settling down completely satisfied, we saw Andro serving the other guests with yet more plates of grilled lamb and salad. Thinking that heart-attacks were imminent if we continued with the last course, we went for quick a walk.
After returning to Split, for the evening meal we decided to try Restoran Perlica. The restaurant had been recommended as the best place near Split to get lamb-on-the-spit. And we were not disappointed! The friendly staff (often a rarity in Croatia) provided us with a plate piled high with roasted lamb, green salad and a side-order of young spring onions. Once again really simple food but so good. The reason we wanted to try Perlica was we wish to include it in a half-day tour from Split to the archaeological sites of the Roman city of Salona and the hill-top fort of Klis. We will definitely bring guests to it!
Finally, Greg fell in love with a Croatian beer - Karlovačko - which always seems to be the favorite of foreigners visiting here.
After such a debauched weekend I was happy to see the back of Greg - but hopefully it won’t be another 7 years before we meet again.
For those visiting Split and needing a little mid-holiday exercise, the local expatriates play football (or soccer for us Australians) every Monday and Thursday nights. If you are interested drop by the laundrette for more information.
Tonight our friends Jane Cody and John Nash had the official Croatian launch of their book, Croatia Cruising Companion. Jane also did some writing for the new Timeout Croatia magazine, and she presented it as well to the audience of marina representatives and tourism agencies.
The Cruising Companion took Jane and John several years to research - they visited every bay of significance from Zadar to the south. For each they produced anchorage charts as well as wrote lengthy descriptions on available facilities - such as our laundrette in Split.
The book is perfect for those coming here to rent a yacht and visit the Dalmatian Islands. It is currently ranked #3 for both books on Croatia and those on sailing on Amazon.com.
Timeout Croatia has a thicker guide magazine again this year. More stories and more information are crammed inside. One of our kayaking pictures, taken on a tour around Vis and Hvar Islands, appears in the adventure section.
Spring is here - so there is a rush to finish the winter boat building projects. The picture above is of a model of the research vessel One Eagle. It was completed in the German Neue Jadewerft Shipyard in 1969. When it left, after final fit-out, the Arista Nautica yard here in Split last week it looked a little different (see the pictures below) - and is now known as the Amadeus. Reymond Langton Design delivered a sleek-looking renovation for owner Bernard Arnault of Louis Vuitton.
Last summer Tony Blair and Bono were enjoying sunning themselves on her decks.
The Amadeus is 70m long, with a 11.5m beam and a 4.5m draft. She is pushed along by nearly 3 000hp-worth of Caterpillar diesels. The previous superstructure was removed and replaced with aluminium, plus a new bow was added. She now has luxury rooms for 12 guests and 18 crew have their own berths downstairs.
Murray and Cathrine, whose Zephyrus Apartments are the best in town, have been fixing a 11.2m Classic. She is an Argentinian boat, built in 1967 at the German Frers yard to a Dorado B design and was sailed for 6 months to reach Split from Buenos Aires. Murray has replaced the rigging, stripped and re-varnished the teak decks, repainted the hull and re-wired her.
Progress on the leut continues. The planking and caulking have been completed. Next work will begin on the interior.
Warm spring day; the crack of leather on willow followed by polite applause from the crowd; men dressed-up like modern day white knights in helmets and padded armor; picnic blankets and coolers filled with wine, brie and crackers - yesterday anyone would think we were enjoying watching cricket in the English countryside.
Amazingly the game was being played right here in Split between the local Split Sir Oliver Cricket Club and the Further Friars Cricket Club, a traveling team from England consisting of gents in the wine industry.
Cricket is a game you must grow up with - or the rules will never make sense. We attempted to explain them to the French expats - they just got bored and went home. But there is an historical connection between the French and cricket in this area.
Cricket is not so alien to Dalmatia as could be expected. On Vis Island there is the Sir William Hoste Cricket Club. It is run by Nik Roki and his son Oliver (Oliver was born in Perth before they moved back to the island in the 70’s).
The club’s namesake was an English naval officer stationed on Vis Island for several years at the start of the 19th Century - the English had just kicked the Napoleonic French garrison off the island. (The English called Vis Island the ‘Gibraltar of the Adriatic’ because of its excellent strategic location.)
William decided that the wild Dalmatian island on which he found himself needed a touch of civility - so he started a cricket club. A couple of years back Nik and Oliver re-established it. Oliver usually cooks us an awesome baked lamb ispod peke on their winery whenever we visit Vis with our tour’s guests.
Unfortunately for the visitors yesterday they ended their innings 3 runs shy of the local team. Their next match is to be on Vis this week.
For another perspective on the day’s proceedings visit Jane Cody’s Croatia Online. Jane’s the lovely lady in the picture above, making sure the batsman’s box was properly adjusted!
The Croatia Boat Show was on again this week. Its Split’s chance to see the latest bling - and not just that which floats. Here’s Aklie learning what’s important in life!
The Lamborghini was not for sale - it was a sweetener if you bought one of the super-yachts.
Most of the boats were of no particular interest - just a lot of plastic, stainless steel and LED lights.
The boat of the show for me is built by a Slovenian company, Shipman Carbon Yachts. They were showing their 24m version, the Shipman 80, designed and produced in their factory next to Lake Bled. Its almost a Wally Boat - but not quite. The particular boat at the show was recently purchased by a Croatian. The Shipman 50 won European Boat of the Year in 2004.
Leopoldo from Bolici Yachts showed us the Carbon Cube 36 - a racing yacht made completely from carbon-fiber. Its like a Ferrari 430 Scuderia - a stripped-down red racing machine - but with what Bolici saved in weight during the construction of the hull they added some cruising comforts - such as a kitchen and a head and made these out of carbon-fiber as well.
For those that already have a Porsche Carrera in the garage, Fearless Yachts have teamed with the Porsche Design Studio and are making a 8.5m speedboat with 600hp and a top speed of almost 75 knots inspired by the car, for the boat shed.
After the sun went down, the parties began.
Azimut Yachts was kind enough to be offering music and free Moet. Tim seemed to also appreciate the girls which were serving it.
The European Cities Marketing Association has released figures which shows Split is #1 on a list of European holiday destinations for growth in visitors between 2001 and 2006.
“Split saw an annual growth of around 17% in tourists, to top their survey of 93 locations across Europe.
In 2006, some 200 000 holiday makers crowded into city of some 250 000 inhabitants, a 400% rise in the number of holiday makers from 1999. Their average stay was 2.2 days.
The trend continued in 2007, but according to Split-based daily, Slobodna Dalmacija, tourist numbers decreased slightly by 5 000 due to a lack of accommodation as old hotels underwent renovation. (It may have been something to do with the terrible job that was done on renovating the waterfront or the fact Split suffers from a lack of a coherent tourism plan!)
The 2001-2006 survey shows that U.S. visitors and tourists topped the list and were followed by French and Spanish visitors.
A transit point for a number of Croatian islands, Split and its famous old town dominated by the Roman Emperor’s Diocletian Palace dating from the end of the 3rd Century, has become a key tourist attraction in Croatia, challenging the status of the legendary town of Dubrovnik, some 200kms to the southeast.
The tourism boom has seen real estate prices skyrocketing with properties in the old towns going for as much as 6 000 € /square metre. (This is just nonsense made-up by the local real-estate agents!)”
Some of what is written above is true - we have seen a constant growth in our laundrette business - but I wouldn’t trust the figures supplied by the local tourism board here in Split. Personally I think Dubrovnik tourism would have had far more (and better quality) growth. The opportunity is here in Split - it will just take hard work by everyone.
As a follow up to the last post about Croatia’s bid to join NATO -
“NATO leaders have agreed to invite Croatia and Albania to join the alliance.
The agreement was reached at an informal dinner of the NATO heads of state and government on Wednesday night.
For the third aspirant country, Macedonia, the leaders hoped that it can be invited as soon as possible given the fact that Greece, a NATO ally, has made clear that it will veto the invitation unless Macedonia changes its official name.
The Greek delegation made very clear on Tuesday night that Macedonia’s accession to NATO would be impossible before the settlement of the name dispute.
Greece fears that the former Yugoslav republic’s constitutional name — Republic of Macedonia — implies territorial ambition for the neighboring northern Greek province of Macedonia. But Skopje has refused to exchange its official name for NATO membership.
On Ukraine and Georgia’s application for NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP), chances are small for them to be given this status at the summit.
The leaders reaffirmed NATO’s “open door” policy and were of the view that MAP for the two countries is a matter not of whether, but of when.
The leaders also reiterated that there is no veto by third parties, apparently in reference to opposition by Russia.
Russia has warned that NATO membership for the two former Soviet republics would bring instability in the region.”
It always bodes well when ‘instability’ and ‘Balkans’ are used in the same sentence!
As can be seen from the last posts we have been catching up on our newspaper reading. Old lefties who read The Guardian in the UK may have seen a recent article about the best places to take your loved one. Under the title Glamorous Romantic Getaways, our friend Goran and his restaurant Vila Kaliopa are given an excellent review, “Hidden behind the 16th-century Garibaldi Palace walls on the island of Vis, Villa Kaliopa is a secret garden of palms, sculpture and candlelit tables each out of earshot so you don’t have to whisper your sweet nothings where smiley waiters present the days catch.” (And Jules says I never take her anywhere special!)
Sounds like the perfect end to a day of arguing with that special person in a double kayak!
Felix Oppenheim, an excellent outdoor photographer, snapped us eating at a less salubrious (yet just as charming) eatery. Several photographs on our website were taken by him.
The Guardian also recently put Istria in its 100 Underated Foodie Breaks, and even mentions Motovun, “A cone-shaped peninsula, Istria is where the Balkans meet the Adriatic. Lushly forested and decidedly hilly, Istria is also where some of the world’s best (and biggest) truffles are dug. A lengthy meander around the inland walled hill-towns of Trst, Hum (the world’s smallest, so it boasts), Lupoglav, Buzet, Motovun - and many more - rewards you with enchanting eagle’s eye views, sleepy villages, and delightfully affordable restaurants with truffle-centred menus. Add fresh, young Croatian wines and a mere scattering of tourists and you’re in gourmet heaven.”
Another magazine, another poll and the Dalmatian Islands are again ranked very highly. Travel + Leisure Magazine put them at #7 in their Top 10 World’s Best Islands. Follow the link and you arrive at a 2005 article about many of the islands we often visit.
Of Dubrovnik - “Dalmatia’s most famous city is touted as an unspoiled gem, though this is really a matter of degree. While it’s not yet as overrun as, say, Prague or Positano (the two unlikely places that Dubrovnik most resembles), it’s well within the crosshairs of mass tourism. Dubrovnik’s Old Town maintains a precarious equilibrium between Then and Now, Here and Elsewhere. Menus in Italian, English, and German hang outside every traditional wooden-beamed konoba, or tavern. Benetton and Diesel boutiques line the medieval lanes. And pushcart vendors proffer not just handmade olive soaps but also Old Town mouse pads.”
On Korčula - “The sharp scent of pine resin mingles with salt air on Korcula, three hours by ferry from Dubrovnik. Forests of Aleppo pine, cypress, and holm oak make this one of the Adriatic’s most verdant isles. It’s known for top-notch wines and for being one of several alleged birthplaces of Marco Polo.”
About Hvar - “By far the most glamorous of the Adriatic islands, Hvar is heir to that noble lineage running from Cannes and Capri through St. Bart’s and South Beach: the latest of the famous international playgrounds. At the height of summer, Hvar Town is so relentlessly gorgeous it makes your eyes ache. Everything screams, Ogle me: the harbor edged with bougainvillea, the perfectly aged Renaissance façades, the absurdly huge yachts and sailboats, and a nonstop parade of caramelized torsos. As if the cast and setting didn’t already suggest a perfume ad, Hvar’s entire waterfront is redolent of lavender, which proliferates on the island and is sold in satchels by sidewalk vendors.”
And Vis - “From the sea, Vis seems an unforgiving hunk of rock, dotted with parched scrub and brush. Despite its desolate appearance, Vis holds remarkable natural bounty. More than 500 varieties of herbs flourish on the island (consider that the whole of England has only around 300). Climbing those scrabbly hillsides, you can grow dizzy from the scent of rosemary and sage. Asparagus, garlic, and arugula all grow wild here, alongside the mandarin-orange and carob trees—carob infuses the local grappa. There are also some passable island wines, such as the dry white Vugava and the ruby-red Plavac, which, for some reason, Viskis often dilute with ice cubes.”
We could have posted a picture of the islands surrounded by blue seas and sky, but instead its a dark interior shot - of another of Dalmatia’s draws - Modra Špilja (the ‘Blue Cave&
