Day 48 to 52 Croatia - Trogir Villa - Pool, Beach and ferrys to the old town

Day 48 to 52

We drop mum and dad off at the airport this afternoon and back in the van we will be heading further north west up the Croatian coast. Our days in the villa are over, they feel like they have gone quickly but it all round been excellent.

Boy and I on ferry roof

the rest down below

A 15 minute walk down the road you can catch the 20 minute ferry ride into Trogir old town for 20 Kuna ( ~£2 ).

Getting off the island and into Trogir, be it by bus or car, is not a reliable option as the whole island is served by just the one road bridge ( hence the ferry no doubt) . It soon all becomes gridlocked and we fall foul of it just the once on Saturday morning where it takes us an hour in the van to do the mile into town

The ferry leaves and returns every 15 minutes right into the early morning and so it becomes our means of travel both to shop and also to go out in the evening for food.

'Lidl' has missed out on our cash this week in preference for the market and with my spear fishing techniques still being honed the fish market has had many a visit....... I am running out excuses for the repeated bleak harvest when I emerge from an hour's 'hunting'..... 'not many fish' or 'too small for spearing' - I'd like to think that learning to spear fish is a bit like learning to surf where it takes you 5 years to learn to catch a wave properly...practice is clearly required however the muddy Irish sea of Lancashire will not provide me with the much needed opportunities if we are going to rely on my spear to provide tea on future holidays.

C attempting a back flip

Most days we are by the pool; the beach is only 50 m away but it is constructed of grit so we take the van a couple of times down a pot holed track to a quieter area and a really good beach at the far eastern point of the island.

No holiday would be complete without a sneaky photo of my dad pouring himself a drink. He has taken to the 3 litre bottles of  ' Vranac'  - a tasty little red wine at less than £1 a litre - the rest of us are allowed an occasional glass !

Mum and Dad kindly babysit one night and it is weird to have a few hours without Charlie  - our first for 7 weeks. We take the ferry to town and make a real night of it - top notch grilled fish, people watching in the open air bars and then a late ferry home under a lightning filled sky for cocktails in the local bar and a late world cup game ( Algeria getting the draw they needed to go through against Russia) on the huge screen.

Dad pips mum to victory in the Trogir Pool Olympics

Time for a last lunchtime beer by the pool before packing the van up.


We are looking forward to Slovenia and the mountains however the weather forecast is for heavy rain and severe flooding in the Alps so we will watch it closely  - who knows we may stay on the coast a little longer

Susan......Airborne 

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Day 45 to 47 Bosnia for a few minutes......we also mark the 1/2 way point of our trip.

Days 45 to 47 Bosnia and then to Trogir and the villa

We packed up and being a Sunday did an early 'Big shop' in readiness for the villa lest the shops shut early. We rejoined our drive up the Ionian/Adriatic coast having started it 2 weeks ago in Greece, up through Albania, Montenegro and now into Croatia.

Croatia has a massive coastline, over a 1000 miles of it just on the mainland coastline plus twice that amount on its 1200 + islands. The road is slow and sticks to the coastline and the chain of off shore islands means an uninterrupted sea view to the horizon is rare in the first 100 miles of our drive. Its hot and windless, the sky is deep blue and the sea is fantastic; a superb blue green ....the route is beautiful. The islands and mainland are rock, small trees and scrub with the occasional shore side house or small village. The land is too poor to be farmed and so the sea is instead, with many mussel farms in the multitude of sea inlets and bays. 

We come across an unexpected border post on the coast road. Perhaps with our lack of research it shouldn't have been !......It's a hot and sweaty 15 minute queue wait whilst the Croatians police and then the Bosnian Herzigovinan police study our passports. Just 20 km down the road we are again at a border post queue being baked in the van before the Bosnian and then the Croatian police repeat the document inspections....Its all feels pretty bizarre and pretty pointless.

Bosnia has a total of just 15 miles of coastline and it splits the Croatian mainland in two. The contrast is marked from Croatia as the 15 miles is pretty much end to end developed. Croatia are considering building a bridge, a highway corridor, leapfrogging across small islands in the bay to avoid the customs fiasco and reduce the hassle of moving goods around their country. Bosnia is not in the EU whereas Croatia is - fortunately they didn't press us for insurance/green card evidence.

After a 100 miles the scenery changes to an isolated fertile plain and we get on the brand new motorway which tracks the coast but from a few miles inland. It's carved through another 80 miles of mountainous scrub - tunnel followed by bridge followed by tunnel until we turn off down to Trogir and to the villa. 

Trogir

We unpack and I go and pick my Mum and Dad up from Split airport just 5 miles away. The villa is about a mile from the walled city and tiny island of Trogir town which is another UNESCO world heritage site( as Dubrovnik). It is a maze of small polished stone alleys, a large 7 day a week market and many churches, squares, bars and restaurants.

Over the next couple of days the the weather stays hot and we spend our time messing around the pool and around the villa. My dad, Charlie and I head off in the kayak to explore the bay, the 2 massive floating dry docks and their shipyard where I am surprised to see them part way through building a fairly large ship.

Later its off to town for a wander around and to watch the England game in one of the squares at a bar - the Uruguay v. Italy game is on in all of them - I should have worked this one out before ( Not much at stake in the England Costa Rica one !) and so we are graced with the TV highlights of our 0-0 draw after watching Italy's demise from the competition.

Inside Trogir centre

Boy's tea - whilst we watch the game

This week has felt quite different from our first 6 weeks away. Probably a combination of a number of things - all the space in the villa, knowing we are not moving on for a whole week, meeting up with my mum and dad and also Croatia itself. Apart from a few days in Greece we have been mainly in countries or areas of countries that are not much visited by Brits...it has been uncrowded in our first 13 countries as indeed Greece was.

June 24th 2014 - Half way point of our Trip

Time has moved on since we left home in early May and now in late June the Croatian holiday season is pretty much in full swing. The beaches and bars are filling up, Trojir town is too and it is only the Van parked up behind the villa that reminds us that we are not on a 'normal' Mediterranean holiday break. I like the change as it just adds to all that has made this a very special trip to date......the variety ........be it food, supermarkets, beer, menus, people, wine, agricultural techniques, campsites, hotels, time spent in the hills, and time spent on the very many and different coastlines, river and train trips.....even petrol station 'etiquette' where in Albania there will be at least a couple of blokes fighting to get to your petrol cap before you can get out of the van.

Looking forward to another 45 days full of different experiences - roll on, but not too fast and hopefully the van will survive it as it has done to date

Day 45 Mlini ( Cr) to Trogir ( Cr)   289 Km          Total 6740 Km

Days 43 and 44 - Into Croatia - Dubrovnik - bus, submarine and ferry rides

Days 43 & 44  Croatia

We pack the van up early, said good bye to our luxurious pad and we're off continuing our route north west up the Adriatic coast and only 30km later and we were over the border and into Croatia and by 11:00 a.m. we were installed again in our first near full campsite 7km south of Dubrovnik. Its full with mainly German and Dutch, who to date have dominated the motor-home travelers of Europe, but also the French and Austrian are about.

The beach is a 150 step climb down and is typical of what I had read of Croatian beaches - small and pebbly with crystal clear water - it all becomes clear why most people have a foam camping bed roll under their arm as we struggle to get comfortable lying on the stones...fantastic swimming and snorkeling

Back at the campsite Charlie and a blonde dutch girl ( a couple of years older than him) take a shine to each other and become inseparable - a little like watching a David Attenborough documentary. They do endless circuits of the campsite on their bikes and when they fall off they stand over each other not really doing much but looking duly concerned.

Next day we catch the crowded hot bus to Dubrovnik and it is heaving when we arrive such that getting in to the walled city is a full on scrum. It's another cruise liner stop off and obvious why.

I can just remember President Tito's ( of Yugoslavia) gradual death back in 1980 as what felt like a nightly BBC 9'oclock news update was given as to what new internal organ had been successfully removed as they attempted to stop the cancer spread. The division of Yugoslavia into its various parts was in the early 1990's and I remember much more of it - the close down of Tourism, Slobadan Milosovic, the Sarajevo siege and more so the geographical nearness of a war so close to Britain. Most of the orange pan-tile roofs in the Dubrovnik old city are less than 20 years old and once you notice it you realise just how few buildings were unaffected by the 6 month siege in 1991/92; many of the building facades in the city squares are also new as are many of the windows. Its been rebuilt carefully so unless you were looking for it you probably wouldn't see it.


Later in the day we catch the coastal ferry home and it passes close to a bay of abandonned hotels that were bombarded by shells from the Yugolsav Peoples Army some 20+ years ago. The shell hole damage is plain to see as they await the bulldozer and developer who will eventually come.

The 2km walk around the walls is impressive as is the interior  - highly polished limestone streets from the many feet that have trodden them. The boy has been going  on about a 'captain's' hat for a while so we find him one and he also gets a submarine ride out around the coast.

There are 'tours' of the city going on all around us....poor travel guides leading their pack from the front with some flag or number on a stick held high to keep the stragglers in touch. Most of them are 'wired up' to listen to the commentary that they no doubt have to run through day after day - they are clearly on a timescale as the pace is fairly quick. A Japanese tour unfortunately fulfilled their stereotype image by photographing anything and everything - the focus on their camera dominating what they were looking at and seeing as I am sometimes also guilty of.

The crowds start to dwindle mid afternoon as the cruise ships leave and the day trip coach tours depart and we have a couple of drinks by the harbour before heading back by sea to the van.

Ferry home to Mlini and the campsite

We are out of food and so I cycle off down to the supermarket to stock up whilst Charlie and the Dutch girl resume their cycling courtship.

C gets his 'submarine' ride

Tomorrow we are meeting up with my mum and dad and off to a villa in Trogir near Split...

Day 44    Kotor( Mne) to Mlini (Cr)      73 km       Total   6451 Km

Day 45    Mlini ( nr Dubrovnik)                0 km      Total    6451 Km

Day 41 & 42 Montenegro - thunderstorms, a ruined village and the walls of Kotor

Day 41 & 42

After my foray up the hills to find the abandoned church I hit bullseye when I found there was a whole abandonned village only 5 km north of  us sitting an 800ft climb above the bay.


For most day of our days in Kotor the weather has flipped from hot sun to torrential rain and thunderstorms. This day was no exception - we just got to the start of the path up to the village when the rapidly darkening skies opened; early drinks and food in a bar saved us from a drenching. We started up the 2 km path; again a work of engineering art of cut stone and steps, polished as glass due to the wear and pretty lethal post rain - this was the main donkey trail route to Gronji Stoliv village.

Amongst the decaying houses and the their overgrown gardens and paths there is evidence that 2 or 3 houses are still inhabited, possibly during the summer only. You can readily see why the advent of cars, the absence of a road and the whole business of having to go up and down to the valley floor for everything couldn't hold on to the next generation.

The church gates are locked but it doesn't stop us climbing over for a good look around. The village is very peaceful and quiet except for the sound of bells from some cows.

Kotor - the walls lit up by night

We head back down and cycle back into Kotor to test Charlie's legs again by a walk up the walls. They are hugely impressive built and added to from the 9th to as recently as the 19th C...4 km long, up to 20 m high and up to 16m thick they have been built not just around the town but up the 800 ft high cliff behind the town.

You can really see why it is magnet for the cruise ships - its pretty much got everything with the bay scenery, a fortified town and a dockside only metres from the town walls. We have tea in town  - all restaurants are equipped with a 'World Cup' TV temporarily mounted outside and so we watch the Dutch beat the Aussies 3-2 in a good game before cycling the 5km home in the dark looking at the fantastic lights of the bay.

Kotor from the walls above

Tomorrow  we are back in the Van and off to Croatia - a couple of nights only before we meet my mum and dad for a week in a villa......never knew camping was so easy

Day 38 to 40 Montenegro - The 'Fjord' of the Med....big cycle ride, kayaking and abandoned church

Day 38 to 40 Luxury after the van

3 days of luxury on the bay of Kotor in Montenegro. The appartment's roof terrace is the business and S and C are clearly enjoying it full well.

The bay is perfect for cycling and also for the Kayak - flat roads all the way round and calm waters with no wind.

So we take full advantage of it and spend a day cycling the 40 Km around the bay fuelled by a few beers, lunch of course and the added interest of a ferry trip too, albeit short, which is required to close the circle around the bay.

Kotor Bay is on the Mediterranean sea however open sea is many miles away - it visually looks like the Fjords you see in Norway and there is no other place like it in the rest of the Med....hence the cruise ships. There are also many many Russians  - 1 in 5 cars appears to be from Russia and they are very nice cars...BMW, Porsche, Audi.

The bay has crystal clear flat calm water; it is lined with tiny harbours and small platforms on which locals and tourists install themselves on to sun bathe and swim from...its stunningly beautiful. I take the spear gun as there are many fish but they again are pretty small and my skills are lacking - however big fat mussels are plentiful and whilst I fail to bring any fish home I do bring a bag full of mussels back for squid and mussel pasta lunch - top drawer.

Susan nails the 40Km  - Kotor Bay Circuit on bike - as seen from SPACE

After 5+ weeks in the van our stuff needs a decent clean out. Anything that can be washed has been  - towels, bedding and the pillows too... I even catch Susan ironing some of her clothes.

The waterfront is faced with the most beautiful of old stone buildings. Lots of them are in a state of decay - in the UK they would have been snapped up years ago and renovated  - some of them have been picked up but you sense there are some bargain gems to be had out here that given a few years the opportunity will have passed.

Susan ( in yellow ) on roof terrace

In the photo below there is a large ruined church up the hillside behind our pad - no buildings are near it and you just know it is going to be rarely seen, overgrown and frozen in time - just too much effort to go and see, vandalise or conversely maintain. I decided to see if I could get to it. Flip flops, thunderstorm and heavy rain coupled with tracks and paths that faded to nothing were not going to hold me back. I was determined that nothing was going to stop me and whilst it took me almost 2 hours to get to the church made it in the end.....The paths were full of spider webs, thistles and were overgrown but the building and its grounds did not disappoint.

A phenomenal structure that vegetation is rapidly swallowing back up again. The overgrown path to the church is a work of art, cut stone steps but now barely visible - its eerily quiet, the roof has caved in, there is no vandalism, no bottles, no graffitti.....the very latest date reference I can find is 1958 on a small wall plaque, however it looks more like it was added after the church was abandoned as it is all 19th Century of earlier.

I slip and slide down the hill side - not a stray dog in sight - this whole episode would not be possible in Albania, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria etc...as I would have been dismembered and eaten by stray dog and then left to the insects to pick my bones clean.

Bad boy

330 year old tombstone encryption as if done a few years ago

It is such a top place that we negotiate 2 more nights here with the owner and so we now get the opportunity to see England beat Uruguay on Thursday from the comfort of our palatial apartment.

tombstone carving from 1728 - Awesome

Boy having fun in Kotor 

My Mum and Dad join us this Sunday in Trogir in Croatia for a week in a Villa. When I spoke to them tonight they were proud to announce they had bought themselves 300 Euros....

A lack of knowledge on European countries EU status and/or currency clearly runs in my family as Croatia uses the 'Croatian Kuna'....Rock on