Small Towns of Croatia's Dalmation Coast

This is a long overdue post and in the months since I visited Croatia the world has changed in previously unimaginable ways. But now that most of us can only travel virtually from our armchairs these days, I thought I'd go ahead and post something more about Croatia, a popular bucket list destination.

As I mentioned several months ago, last October my family and I took a weeklong cruise from Split to Dubrovnik and back, stopping to explore several of Croatia's scenic small towns along the way. Our first morning found us in Bol on the island of Brač.

We spent a delightful few hours strolling from the harbor in the main part of town to the Dominican monastery and back, with views of the Adriatic the entire way. This little chapel was particularly charming.

Our next stop was Hvar, on the island of Hvar. Here it is seen from the water, with the early 16th century Spanish fortress on the skyline.
 

As in all the towns we visited, nearly everything is made from local stone: churches, residences and shops, and even pavers in the town squares and the smallest alleyways.

At every stop we walked and walked, and climbed flight after flight of steps.

In Hvar you can climb all the way to the fortress (though we took a cab) to take in the views.

Hvar town, spread out below us, glowed in the late afternoon.

Another day found us on Korčula, a gem of a town with a long and complicated history, having been under the control of Greeks, Venetians, and French, among others. If our guide is to be believed, the central old town is largely unoccupied now, and the buildings have been turned into restaurants, shops and hotels catering to visitors. Still, it is worth wandering around the narrow streets and alleys. 

It is also worth climbing the bell tower of St. Mark's Cathedral to see the town's red-roofed buildings spread out below.

Dubrovnik, the best known town on the coast, has largely recovered from damage in 1991-1992 during the Croation War of Independence and now hosts thousands of cruise ship passengers every day. Sadly, I found it overcrowded and missing the lazy charm that I found so appealing on my first visit in 1989. Still, it is a beautiful city. The afternoon sun bathes the old stone in yellow light, making it look like it has been carved from butter.

Grand architectural details abound.

At every turn you can find picturesque scenes, from the harbor

to the vibrant streets and closely packed buildings.

Amid all the hustle and bustle we managed to find a place of quiet refuge, the Franciscan Pharmacy in the old monastery. It is apparently the third oldest operating pharmacy in Europe. You can tour the museum, sit in the lovely central garden, and even purchase skin care and other products from the pharmacy.

 

Our next stop, Mljet National Park, was, thankfully, far quieter. I spent the first part of the afternoon running the 10 kilometer trail around Great Lake, a salt lake with clear blue water and a couple of tiny villages along the way.

Then, I hopped on the little boat for a ride to the isle of St. Mary's to visit the Benedictine monastery.

Our last island visit was to the village of Pučišća, on the island of Brač. Next to Korčula, I thought it the prettiest of our stops, with modestly sized white stone buildings, capped with red tile roofs, stepping up the hillsides. In this village even benches and light poles are made from local stone. 

Which is no wonder, since it is adjacent to a large quarry and home to Croatia's only stonemason school. We were given a nice tour of the school by one of its current students.

Our final stop before returning to Split was the town of Omiš, about ten miles east of Split.  Massive, steep cliffs loom up over the town.

We spent the morning motoring up the Centia River gorge in a small boat, passing fishermen and their little huts.

The area offers many opportunities for recreation, including zip lining across the gorge.

Our destination was Radman's Mills, a several-hundred year old mill site now operated as a restaurant and picnic area. We had a nice snack of local cheese, meat, and fresh bread before heading back to Omiš.

Back in Omiš I spent a little more time appreciating the details: a colorful waterfront, 

an elegant public water faucet,

and aging, but still sturdy and elegant buildings.

And here is a photo of the clear Adriatic water, which beckoned some of us to swim every day.

I will end with this quilt top as I did some of the hand piecing while on this trip. It was inspired by Denyse Schmidt's Free-Wheeling Single Girl Sew-Along. Mine is rather wonky because I didn't manage to get the official templates and used hand-drawn paper ones instead. I have to admit that I got a little bored working on it, probably because the colors are fairly muted, but I think it turned out pretty well. More importantly, I think it will always make me think of Croatia. Besides working on it there, the blues remind me of the Adriatic and the yellows remind me of Croatia's stone buildings glowing in afternoon sunlight. 

Croatia's Dalmation Coast

Croatia is a tiny country, smaller than West Virginia, but it packs a lot worth seeing into that small space. Dalmatia, the southernmost region of Croatia, strung out along the Adriatic coast, encompasses about a quarter of the country's area and includes 79 little islands. It is packed with lovely and historic towns, stunning scenery, kind people, and many delightful restaurants and cafes.

The best way to see the islands and visit the smaller towns is to book a tour on small boat. Last fall, along with my family, I went on a seven day excursion from Split to Dubrovnik and back, with lots of stops in between, aboard a 38 passenger boat, the M/S Desire. This post focuses on Split, the second largest city in Croatia. I'll follow up with another post or two on the other towns.

Split's main attraction is Diocletian's Palace which was built for the Roman Emperor, Diocletian, in the 4th century as a place for him to retire. Here is a view of the peristyle, or central courtyard, the heart of the palace.

Original construction of the palace included twelve sphinxes from Egypt. This one is the best preserved of the remaining three.

Wander through the palace and you can spot other original decorative elements, such as this mosaic floor,

and the round vestibule, or waiting room.

Today you can see the sky through what was once a domed roof.

It is fascinating to explore the narrow alleys,

the impressive basement (which now houses vendors of local wares),

and open courtyards.

Today the palace is a fascinating patchwork of private residences,

shops, hotels, and restaurants.

Speaking of patchwork, here are a few images of patchwork that I have been stitching away at recently.  I worked on a few pieces for Denyse Schmidt's Free-Wheeling Single Girl quilt-along during this trip, using fabrics from my visit to Phoenix. I will need nine of these to make up an entire quilt so I am clearly way behind on but it's fun to work on here and there.

And here is a top that I finished almost a year ago, using up some blue scraps. I've finally picked out a backing for it, so maybe I'll have a finished quilt soon.