Dalmation Coast-Croatia August 24-26, 2012

The Dalmation Coast in Croatia has hundreds of islands.  Only ten percent of them are inhabited.  It reminds me of the British Virgin Islands where sailing can be done by line of sight and no crossing takes more than a few hours.  We arranged for a 54 foot mono hull sailboat named Acustica (www.acusticayacht.com).   It is a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 54 DS.  Our skipper named Alen picked us up at the Split, Croatia airport at 8:00 am. and we went directly to the boat and set sail.  His wife Natalega was the perfect hostess and a wonderful cook.  Alen is an accomplished Captain and has a lot of experience as the Captain of a 150 foot motor yacht based on the French Riviera.  He loves to sail and it was fun to learn from him.  We sailed to the Pakleni Islands.  There are many islands with many inlets and protected bays.  We stopped to swim at San Clemen Island in a bay where other boats were also anchored.  The first thing we noticed was that swim suits are optional on these islands!  We sailed from island to island and occasionally anchored the boat, jumped in the water and swam to shore to sun bathe on the rocks.  Hvar Island was our favorite.  A fortress guards the harbor.  We climbed to the top of the fort ramparts at sunset to take photos.  That evening Nata had prepared a wonderful dinner for us which we ate on the boat with the help of candlelight at anchor out in the harbor.  The fort was lit up and it was a beautiful view.  Barb thought it was a perfect romantic date.  Our dates just get better all of the time.

Alen and Natalega

City and Island of Hvar.

Scott enjoying some fresh fruit on the boat.

Barb on the boat, soaking up the sun and fun

Sails are up!

Scott at the helm.

Our Sailboat is the furthest out in the water.

From the top of the castle on Hvar.

Hvar

A

Hvar

After we said goodbye to Alen and Natalga, we visited the city of Split on our drive toward Dubrovnik.  The old town is beautiful.  

Old town of Split-Underneath the square

Split

Scott in the town of Split

Barb in Split

Trogir



Bosnia shares a border with Croatia.  We decided to visit a town called Mostar in Bosnia.    It is half Christian and half Muslim.  The Muslims live on one side of a river and the Christians live on the other side.  The area was heavily destroyed during the war first by the Serbian military and then by the Croatian military. Much of the city had to be rebuilt including the famous bridge that connected the Christians and the Muslims.  Unesco donated millions of dollars to rebuild the bridge deeming it an important symbol of peace and understanding between peoples with different cultural and religious backgrounds.  

Mostar, Bosnia

The famous bridge in Mostar.  It had to be completely rebuilt after the war.  Young boys jump off it into the river for money.

Mostar, Bosnia-from the famous bridge



Dubrovnik is an amazing City.  We stayed at the Imperial Palace Hilton Hotel right next to the Old City at the Pile Gate.    The area is often compared to Venice, it is right on the water and was an important trading zone for merchants.  It is a very clean city, and the worn polished limestone walkways are beautiful.  We took a ferry out to Lokrum Island.  There was a dramatic difference in temperature, (it was cooler) because of some dense vegetation.  It was like a big park, with lots of paths.  In the evening in the Old City they were practicing for an Opera at the Cathedral.  

Hilton Imperial Hotel in Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia by night

Old city Dubrovnik-they were practicing for an Opera

Dubrovnik from the ramparts walk

The Ramparts walk around the Old City

Dubrovnik old city is built right on the water.