Winding Down in Croatia...

Well, we are preparing for our departure from beautiful Croatia!! Yesterday, we went back into Dubrovnik and explored parts of the regular city, that we had not seen on previous visits! We found the most beautiful walking path along the coast line, stopped for a Mexican lunch (where we warmly reminisced about our Holiday in Mexico) and checked out a couple of shops, where I found an awesome sweater!!

As we were leaving this remarkable, historical city, we walked along the Port of Gruz, which is the main Harbor for all sea vessels. It was a perfect evening....and, as the sun was setting, it seemed appropriate that we said, "Goodbye Dubrovnik.....it has been soooo nice getting to know you!"

We woke during the night to fierce winds and in the morning, to a significant drop in temperature!!! Today is the first time, we have dressed in long pants!! (It is 12 degrees with a strong sea wind, so it feels colder.) We will begin packing, go for hikes around our beautiful Zaton Bay,  and prepare to leave on Saturday morning, heading back to the warmth of Barcelona, where we will spend 4 days before going to Lisboa, where we fly home from!!  Depending on weather, we may take a drive to a different area of Montenegro, tomorrow.We'll  see which way these strong Mediterranean, winter winds might blow us!! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Island Of Korcula

Today we decided to make our way to The island of Korcula (Pronounced Korchula), which is about 100 km northwest of where we are staying. In order to get to this island, by car, you have to drive almost to the tip of a peninsula, to a community called, Orebic, and from there, take a ferry. 

The road to Orebic is very serpentine.....INCREDIBLY narrow, winding and much of it is on an incredibly high coastal ledge....with rock walls on one side and steep, deadly, rugged drops to the ocean, on the other side. Keep in mind, NO SHOULDERS, a FLIMSY metal guard rail on the ocean side, a speed limit of 30 km/hr and locals who drive very aggressively and FAST!!! It was a scenic but intense drive.....putting our winding road trips, in Portugal, to shame!! (It took about 2 hrs to drive 100km!!) 

We stopped for gas, and while there, I saw a young man sitting on a cement ledge, cracking something with a stone, then eating what he had gotten into! I went over and saw it was fresh walnuts! (OMG!!!)He was sitting under a walnut tree! I was so excited to gather some walnuts, which we, then, enjoyed while resting there, for awhile. We were able to take a small bowl full home, as well! Did you know that walnuts (and almonds) have a soft 'skin' around the hard shell of the nut, which breaks down and is shed when the nut is mature??  Fresh walnuts are soooooo good.....there is nothing like them, for flavour!! Here is the tree and the delicious fruit from it!!....

The drive we took, also had us in SERIOUS wine country!! Each town, we drove through, had a wine (and olive oil) tasting/ selling venue every second building!! We stopped at a lone wine shop along the highway at a VERY elevated point, where the view was amazing!  We bought a bottle of their best wine and enjoyed some conversation with the owner. There were 2 stray puppies there, foraging in the garbage and just hanging around, hoping to get a ride to their forever home!! They wanted to come back to Canada with us, sooooo bad!!! I felt so sad leaving them behind!!

We stopped in Orebic, for a very tasty pizza lunch, before taking the ferry over to Korcula....

Orebic is a very pretty and vibrant coastal/port town. We did not spend too much time exploring it, but enjoyed what we saw....

The ferry ride to Korcula took about 20 minutes.....

One of Korcula's claims to fame is that it is the birthplace of Marco Polo!! We toured the 'Old Town' and enjoyed a walk , along the coast line, from one ferry port to another! Korcula's is clearly a very beautiful island with quite a pulse. We did not have time to fully explore it but, it was clear to both of us that it would be a nice place to vacation! There were lots of quaint, artistic shops, which we enjoyed browsing through and of course, the scenery was amazing and beautiful! I know I have said it before, but I am going to say it again.....the water in Adriatic Sea is sooooooo crystal clear and inviting!!! So beautiful!! 

We had a good time in Korcula. Our drive, home, in the dark, on the harrowing, serpentine road was not that fun, but once we got safely tucked in, at home,  we enjoyed our special bottle of wine and felt grateful for another day of adventure!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A Beauti-VIEW Day!

Ohhhhh, we have had a wonderful day experiencing beautiful views of the Adriatic Sea, the Old  Town of Dubrovnik AND the gorgeous coastal village of Cavtat (pronounced:Savtat)!!!! 

One of our destinations, as we headed out this morning was Cavtat, but then, we intended to drive on to Kotor, Montenegro. Both places were highly recommended to us, so....off we went, on this cloudy but warm day, with great intentions to see both! Well....we stopped along the narrow, winding coastal road and got spectacular pictures of Dubrovnik's Old Town and then we found the quaint and charming community of Cavtat!!! Needless to say, we did not make it to Kotor!!!!! 

Cavtat, Croatia is such a beautiful coastal community!!! Some legends mention it as 'the darling of the gods, nature and people". Another legend connects the name of Cavtat with an old Croatian verb "captiti", which means "to flourish". And....flourish it is!! This little community is pulsing with nature, beautiful beaches, art, culture, history and my favorite....lots of quaint shops and restaurants along the sea wall!!!! 

We went for a great, long  scenic hike around 2 penninsulas, that make up the horseshoe bay of Cavtat!! The views were simply spectacular.....it almost felt sad because I just wanted to absorb the incredible beauty we were viewing, knowing that we may never pass this way again, in our lifetime and I could hardly bear this truth, while being in the midst of such beautiful-views!! 

We stopped for an incredibly delicious lunch....lobster-corn chowder and a beet, pumpkin, goat cheese salad and fresh rolls, at a place called Bugenvila!!!

 

 

Then, later, we went for coffee/latte and dessert, (a phyllo-walnut roll thingy) at a different place....also was sooooo tasty!!

We really enjoyed shopping and strolling the seaside shops! It was a super great day!! 

We drove home, in the dark, as the rain finally fell.  Once home, we enjoyed tapas and wine as we marvelled at all the 'beauti-views' we have been blessed to see, in beautiful Croatia!!