Dubrovnik to Mostar - Cruise days 2, 3 and 4

Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Mostar, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sunday 15th July: cruise day 2
Woke early and enjoyed the solitude of the upper deck to check electronic communications and bring blogging up to date, noting that none of the passengers on next door’s party boat who were apparently very noisy until late the night before, were on deck to witness the departure of their boat shortly before ours at 7. 30 am. A few of my fellow passengers were up then and we enjoyed seeing the major Dubrovnik bridge above and the Gruz (Dubrovnik) harbour disappear behind us. 
As we cruised out to among the various islands, the views took on a level of sameness, but certainly not monotonous, of a panorama of blue (varying all the time) water, rocky shores, small tile topped buildings, some beaches and very green vegetation. My pics will show this, maybe not the variety, and that it is consistently beautiful!
Breakfast on board was fab with plenty of fruit, meat, cheeses, cooked options, coffee etc. i worked out that it was important to eat well as lunch was a fair way off and no morning tea option!
The next highlight was an optional swimming stop in a small bay. About half of the passengers took a swim and reported that the water was pleasantly warm, very salty and enjoyable. Not being a recently practiced swimmer and with my last deep-water swim being in a very buoyant wetsuit in the Galapagos, I decides that I was very happy to be an observer!
Following a bit more relaxing on the upper deck, lunch was served and was very yummy . .. mushroom soup, steak, potato and greens followed by fruit for me, and a strudel dish for others. 
With the relaxing swim and lunch stop over, we continued on to the historical town (yes, I know the are all historically significant here) town of Korcula. The accompanying pic provides a good summary of the old town as it is, but it has a significant history ....
‘The old city is surrounded by walls, and the streets are arranged in a herringbone pattern allowing free circulation of air but protecting against strong winds. Korčula is tightly built on a promontory that guards the narrow sound between the island and the mainland. Building outside the walls was forbidden until the 18th century, and the wooden drawbridge was only replaced in 1863. All of Korčula's narrow streets are stepped with the notable exception of the street running alongside the southeastern wall. The street is called the Street of Thoughts as one did not have to worry about the steps.
The town's historic sites include the central Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of St Mark (built from 1301 to 1806), the 15th-century Franciscan monastery with a Venetian Gothic cloister, the civic council chambers, the palace of the former Venetian governors, grand 15th- and 16th-century palaces of the local merchant nobles, and the massive city fortifications.
Cursola, as it was called in Latin, became an episcopal see in the early 14th century, when the bishop of Ston (Stagnum in Latin) asked to be authorized to transfer his seat there because of Serb pressure on Ston. This was granted and he was made bishop also of a new diocese of Cursola united with his previous one. In 1541, the Ragusans asked for the separation of ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Ston, which they had conquered, from Cursola, which in the previous century had become a Venetian possession. In 1828, when both the Korčula and Ragusa (Dubrovnik) belonged to the Austrian Empire, the territory of the diocese of Cursola was made part of that of Dubrovnik.’
On arrival we had an hour of free time (read .... ‘for an ice cream’ and then a coffee) to wander around the old town then meet back at the boat to start a group tour with a local guide. Our guide, who was extremely charming, very knowledgeable and more than just a bit amusing, suggested we call her ‘Sunshine’ to avoid struggling with her Croatian name!
She took us on a one hour tour which covered lots about Korcula’s history, culture, structure, society and various changes over the centuries. As she has a long family history on the island and physically has features from various descendants (Roman nose, Illyrian eyes. ...) she was well qualified to inject a very personal side into her tales about Korcula .... which was much appreciated!
At the end of the tour Sunshine and out tour leaders recommended several restaurants for dinner, so we quickly spotted one that offered a tapas style menu and wine tasting, and together with 6 others, booked a table for a bit later. So... back to the boat for a shower, change and head out to the restaurant.
Or table chose the option of plates of a wide selection of antipasto, accompanied by a 5 different wine tasting [3 white and 2 reds). The restaurant owner / waiter provided an informed description of the production and taste of each wine - some international medal winners and all available only locally. Our eating was enhanced through lively life discussions with our fellow diners (New Zealanders), and after finishing up at the restaurant we enjoyed a post-dinner ice cream for the stroll back to the boat and chat.
After taking a few pics of our boat sandwiched second in a row of five, it was bedtime and sleep undisturbed by the traffic of passengers through our boat to the three other boats moored parallel to and on the sea side of us.
A lazy day ...6,769 steps, 19 floors, 4.8km!
Monday 16th July, cruise day 3 
It was quiet when I woke a bit after 6am but knowing that there were 3 boats to head off before we were due to leave at, I thought there would be some action soon so I headed to the top level to watch. At the same time it was a chance to catch up on a couple of days papers at home and confirm the Wimbledon finals outcomes!
Once we all got going, heading to a swimming stop near the village of Loviste ( which is actually on the Croatian mainland, at the end of a very long peninsula) which was a surprisingly quick process, I did the showering and decent clothes thing, and joined everyone for another yummy breakfast, this time enjoying one of the light and fluffy omelettes with cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms. 
After breakfast there was a slight change to plans due to the windy and choppy conditions, and the swimming spot option was abandoned and we headed straight to the cute little town of Trpanj which has a charming waterfront and the appeal of being sleepy, with no other cruise boats in sight!
The early arrival meant that there was time fo walk under eagle eyes of our tour leaders Ziggy and Nate. They led us through the town (not very far to go) and up a 400 step path to a church at the top of the closest hill. Interestingly the steps are engraved with the names of former residents of the town, and not surprising the church on top of the hill is no longer very popular - and a large church near the harbour is now the worshiping place of choice. 
After a short free time, during which some passengers opted for a swim in the nearby popular beach, while I ducked into a close shop and purchased a couple of clothing items, then lunch was served. The now-expected high standard of food was achieved with antipasto, squid ink risotto and fruit for me - cheesecake for the others. 
After lunch the tour split into two and we went in a small bus to a local winery - Mosato - which produces a range of white and red wines, making use of the micro climates that result from the mountains and the differences between the sea side, and the other side of the hills. I noticed that most of the grape vines were not grown on wire support structures as I am used to seeing, and the rows are much closer together. Also, it has been traditional not to irrigate vines in this region, though climate change is impacting on this and some wineries are now irrigating when conditions are extremely hot.
At the winery we had a short tour that included underground areas with bottles, casks and vats, followed by a tasting session at which we sampled several whites and several reds, followed by a fruit flavoured brandy, and the inevitable grappa! The samples were very generous and I was surprised that we could all make it up the stairs onto the bus. As one of the largest winery on the peninsula the winery is clearly successful, particularly as outside I noticed a Maserati and an expensive Harley, each with a winery sticker on them.
 As the other tour group had arrived it was time to head back to Trpanj on the bus, enjoy some free time (for me that meant a stroll and an ice cream) before boarding and departing to head to the town of Opuzen, which is 20km up the ......river. Our overnight stop here was planned to enable us to make an early morning start on getting to Mostar, In Bosnia Herzegovina, before a gazillion other tourists descended on the town via day trips from Split and Dubrovnik. 
The cruise up the river provided a change from the coastal views, and from a vantage spot at the pointy end of the boat I enjoyed the changing landscape. On arrival open Opuzen there were quite a few locals to say hello, including a group of kids who entertained us with their antics. 
A bbq dinner was planned for on board (perhaps because the very small town did not have a restaurant that could cater for 33 people? I am not sure) and while the crew went to a lot of effort to prepare the sun deck and get the cooking underway, we passengers started a round of pre dinner drinks and stayed out of their way. The buffet style dinner was excellent, with a variety of meats, including my favourite chivapcici, and a variety of salads. 
Following dinner was a quiz conducted by tour leaders Ziggy and Nate. As we were at a table with two younger couples, including one (an Australian) whose family have Croatian origins, there was some psychological pumping up for the quiz, running through possible questions and putting out our preparedness to the other tables! 
The outcome was that we were clear winners of the first found, partly because of our Croatian advantage, and partly because of our lucky preparation and some facts retained from the Peregrine trip notes. While another table beat us in the second round, we were the overall clear winners and were awarded the prize - a bottle of local (very pleasant) liquor, which we shared with everyone after enjoying a couple of rounds at the table. The other tables were awarded chocolate ... which they did not share though!
A sudden shower then set everyone to the lower deck where lots of conversation and laughs took place, though we were mindful of an early start the next day and had a reasonably early night.
7,813 steps, 23 floors 5.5km - another lazy day!
Tuesday 17th July, cruise day 4
As breakfast was scheduled for 6.00 am, with a 7.00 pm bus departure, everyone was up early and ready to leave on time. A short walk through the town to the bus meeting place enabled us to look at a bit more of the town than just the river side, which interesting and quick. 
As planned (hoped for) the early start meant a relatively quick transition through the Croatian -  Bosnia and Herzegovina border and then trip on into Mostar. On Arrival the bus was parked in a special bus parking area, which was empty when we arrived, but later in the day (ie at 1. 00pm when we were due back), it was totally full of buses, camper vans and cars. 
Not far from the bus we met our local guile Jenna, who told us a lot about the culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is complex in terms of the various mixes of nationalities (Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian, religions (Christian and Muslim) and politics (socialist, communist). He showed us a few relevant spots and told us a lot about the impact of wars in the 1800’s and 1900’s -particularly the 1990’s war and the breakup of Yugoslavia. As a born Yugoslavian his stories about the breakup and destruction of his birth country were quite emotional....
For me the most relevant part was of course the famous Mostar bridge, its part in the creation of the very unified town, an then its destruction by the Serbian army in 1991 and 1992. We had a nice photo opportunity below the bridge and later viewed a short video on its destruction, before moving on to a welcoming shot of the local liquor rakia. After that we were given free time and asked to be back at the bus on time, so following a necessary iced coffee I set out to check out the shops, bearing in mind that it was very touristy and the origin of items could not really be guaranteed to be authentic Bosnian, despite what the shop keeper said!
Bearing that in mind I managed to locate a necklace, earrings and some cushion covers that were happy to come home with me (paid for with euros I found in the zippered compartment of a little clutch bag that I haven’t opened since I was in Italy last year!), and of course several ice creams!
Too soon it was time to head back to the bus and as soon as the stragglers arrived, we left to face a bit of a delay at the border on the way back to Opuzen, Croatia.  
On returning to Opuzen there was time for a stroll around the town and a coffee, before meeting up with the tour and walk to a canal that runs through the town (part of an extensive network in the river delta that have formed since the river was partly dammed to reduce flooding) to board small, flat bottom, wooden boats for cruise into surrounding wetlands to a local restaurant (accessible only by boat) for dinner. 
The boat trip was accompanied by two musicians, and enhanced by shots of grappa, dried figs and small, local donut-like treats. After a 20 minute trip through the calm, green wetlands we arrived at the large, very nice restaurant and were greeted warmly by the restaurant owner and numerous staff. The service, drinks and food were first rate, with the highlight being Peca veal - which is the style of cooking in a large, flat pan on hot bricks and covered with a bell-shaped cover suspended from above. After eating our fill and enjoying the alfresco dining set-up and company, we re-boarded the boats and returned to Opuzen, and headed back to our boat.
The evening was topped off by further socialising, trying a few more types of Croatian drinks and tumbling into bed for a sound night’s sleep. 
9,578 steps, 10 floors, 6.7 km.... a bit of a dawdle!
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Comments

Sally
2019-07-17

Great entry again and pics! All sounds amazing. Love the doggo :).

Maureen
2019-07-17

What an utterly fabulous trip you are having Jenny! Thanks for the accounts, including the history, and the pics, all so evocative for this armchair traveller :o)

2025-02-10

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