Dalmatia 2023
Dalmatia 2023
Like many here, owing to the ‘Wuhan Flu’ pandemic, I had not been outside the UK since 2020. Now that the pandemic had abated, a friend and I decided to have a fly-drive type holiday covering the Dalmatian coast from the Istrian peninsular in the north down to Montenegro in the south.
So, upon flying to Dubrovnik international airport we crossed the road to pick up the hire car, and drove to our hotel at Mlini near Cavtat, approximately 15km south of Dubrovnik. This was the only hotel we used during the fortnight’s trip; for all successive accommodation we used self-catering apartments, all of which were of the highest standard of cleanliness, facilities and yet all were very reasonably priced.
The next day we drove south to Montenegro, crossing the border near Herceg Novi, and then drove around the edge of the Tivatski zaliv ‘fjord’ to Kotor. The countryside was very beautiful and Kotor itself a charming town.
The Tivatski ‘fjord’, Montenegro
Montenegro is not (yet) part of the EU, and is noticeably poorer than its northern neighbours. Nonetheless, they accept euros, take card payment, understand English, and offer excellent food and drink (especially beer).
Kotor, Montenegro
I was amused to see Cyrillic used on some of the digraphic road signs, and was expecting to see it used for some shop signs, but its use seems to be dying out. However we did see several road signs warning you to be aware of bears and/or wild boars crossing the road!
Having visited Montenegro, albeit briefly, we returned to Croatia and drove northward along the coast to Dubrovnik. The main interest for us was the old city and its city walls, which date from the 16th century. The old city is quite compact, and it is possible to see most of it in about three hours.
Dubrovnik, as seen from the city walls
We then drove northwards, briefly having to enter and then leave Bosnia Herzegovina, in order to join the main road to Mostar (so more passport stamps!).
Bosnia Herzegovina is now part of the EU, and it shows. Like Croatia, the roads are superb – making the majority of ours look like farm tracks. But the excellent state of their roads was not the reason to visit Mostar – it was to see the famous bridge: Stari Most.
This stone single-arch bridge is considered an exemplary piece of Balkan Islamic architecture and was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557. It was destroyed during the Croat-Bosniak war in 1993, but has now been rebuilt; to the same design and by using the same type of limestone sourced from local quarries, as well as recovering, and repurposing as much of the original stonework from the river Neretva, over which it bridged. The rebuilt bridge was inaugurated in 2004. The civil engineers have done an amazing job, and apart from the stone looking new, it is an exact copy of the old bridge.
Not surprisingly owing to its fame and recent history, the bridge is a very popular attraction - so we found the bridge to be crowded with visitors, as well as a few enterprising locals who, for a small sum, will dive off the centre of the bridge into the icy waters of the Neretva 20 metres below!
The bridge at Mostar
Another bridge in Mostar
Stopped for an excellent late lunch (and as always to drink the local beer), did a bit of shopping and then drove back to Dubrovnik.
View from our lunch stop in Mostar
Set off the next day for Split, but this time rather than have to enter and leave Bosnia Herzegovina, we discovered a route which bypassed the coastal corridor, and crossed the Neretvanski Kanal at Ston on the isle of Pelješac, where they have built a new motorway (so new, it was not marked on any of the maps or road atlases we had taken with us!) and a spectacular looking bridge crossing the canal and joining the mainland just north west of Neum.
Split’s main attraction is the Roman amphitheatre and Diocletian’s palace, as well as nearby national parks and various wetlands (my friend is a very keen ornithologist).
The Amphitheatre is impressive, but I was disappointed with Diocletian’s palace. The palace dates from the fourth century AD and occupies about half the old part of Split. It was crowded; unfortunately a cruise ship had just berthed, so swelling the number of visitors, as well as having some locals dressed up as Roman centurions. Despite various buildings being of architectural interest, several have been converted into Christian churches, so visiting their interiors was of little interest to me. I even found the temple of Zeus disappointing.
Diocletian’s palace, Split
Museum of Fine Arts, Split
The Peoples Square, Split
Church of St. Dominic, Split
The Adriatic from Split
However the local food and drink was, as usual, excellent.
The following day we drove to Šibnik to visit the Krka (pronounced ‘Kirker’) National Park. Made a national park in 1985, it covers 110 square kilometres and features seven waterfalls. We chose to walk a modest 2 km route taking us through woodland and encompassing some of the minor waterfalls.
Waterfalls at Krka National Park
After visiting the Krka National Park, we then drove out to the Vranska Lake wetlands, so my travelling companion could look at the bird life there. Bird watchers are well catered for, with several viewing platforms along with descriptive information boards (for the likes of me – someone who knows nothing about birds!)
Vranska Lake wetlands
Overnight in Zadar, then drove to Starigrad to visit the Paklenica National Park. Created in 1949, it covers an area of nearly 100 square kilometres, and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. Ideally one would be able to enter the National Park and drive a couple of km through the canyon to reach the parking lot where the road ends and the main walking trail starts. However the car park was full, so we had to park along the access road around the entrance and walk up to the park.
Being a weekend, the place was busy with rock climbers, families enjoying the day out, as well as walkers (us!) and hikers. Not being equipped for hiking, we contented ourselves with walking. The park is breathtaking in its beauty – in both its rugged mountains and in its beech forests. But the walking is not easy; the paths are hard underfoot and uneven! To be honest, despite the grandeur of Paklenica, I much preferred Krka.
We had intended to continue up the coast to the Istrian peninsular to visit Pula and Poreč; both ancient Roman towns. However given the excellent roads in Croatia, we decided to strike off inland and tackle the winding roads and some very long and curved tunnels. So we headed north and climbed in altitude some 1200 metres. Experienced interesting change of weather en route: we entered a tunnel where it had been a bright sunny day, and exited out into mist and fog due to the change in altitude. Close to the border with Slovenia, we headed west and entered Istria near the town of Rijeka.
Pula dates back to being a Roman colony called Pietas Julia. It was destroyed by the Ostrogoths sometime in the 5th century, but flourished again when it became the main base for the Byzantine fleet in the 6th and 7th centuries. In the 12th century it came under Venetian rule, but thereafter the population declined only to be revitalised in 1856 when Austria made it the base for its fleet. The peninsula’s coastal strip remained Italian-speaking well into the 20th century, and an Italian minority still remains in Pula, with many of the road signs being bi-lingual.
The town of Pula is quite compact and it is easy to park near the train station and walk to visit the amphitheatre; the castle; and historical and maritime museum, as well as other sites of interest.
The amphitheatre was originally built by the emperor Claudius, before being enlarged by Vespasian in AD79. It remained intact until the 15th century when some of it was cannibalised to construct the castle and other buildings. Restored in 1816 and again later in 1932, it is now used for concerts, operas, ballets and plays and the hosting of an annual film festival. It really is spectacular, being one of the largest surviving amphitheatres it allow one to really imagine what it was like to witness gladiatorial combats – something I had only experienced, to a lesser extent, when I visited the amphitheatre in Durrës in Albania.
Amphitheatre in Pula
Gate of Hercules, Pula
The Historical and Maritime Museum, housed in the Castle, is somewhat disappointing in only housing a few exhibits, but the castle ramparts offer wonderful views over the city and of the harbour.
The Temple of Augustus, built in the first century AD, is a good example of Roman architecture and one of the finest Roman temples built outside of Italy. Today it is a museum displaying a few Roman antiquities.
Temple of Augustus, Pula
Some of the narrow roads we had to tackle in order to drive to our apartment in Pula!
Having basically seen all we wanted to see in Pula itself, we booked an evening boat trip taking us around the islands of Brijuni, then out to sea to hopefully see dolphins and enjoy an evening meal as the sun went down. Unfortunately we didn’t see any dolphins – but no matter, there was unlimited free booze on offer during the trip!
Sunset over the Adriatic
The next day we left Pula (having abandoned the idea of visiting Poreč) and drove along the coastal road to Rijeka.
Without doubt the most interesting visit was to the Maritime and History Museum of Croatian Littoral (bit of a mouthful there!). Housed within the Governor’s Palace, the history of navigation is told through a collection of model ships and seafaring equipment from the 17th and 18th centuries. There is also a fine collection of archaeological items from prehistory to the Middle Ages, as well as an interesting ethnographic collection,
This museum more than made up for the disappointment of finding the archaeological museum in Pula closed for refurbishment, despite our guidebook (published 2021) stating that it would be soon be open.
Rijeka
Overnight in Šibnik, then we drove back to Dubrovnik via Stom, a town notable for its defensive wall built by the Austrians to keep out the Ottomans. The way it ‘curtains’ the hillside is remarkable. One can walk and climb the lower portions, but we did not really have the time to do so.
Defensive town wall, Stom
Stom
Returned the hire car after having made a total trip of 1,200 km, we then crossed the road back to the airport for the flight home, visited the duty-free shop, and then had to suffer the rude and officious security checks demanded by the Croatian airport staff.
But I have to say overall Croatia is a wonderful place to visit; stunning scenery, excellent national parks, interesting architecture, history and museums, with excellent food and drink (both wine and beer) available. The locals are friendly and helpful, the place is clean and the roads are superb.
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Originally Posted by Jimbo
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