Hanging out in the Croatian Islands

A post by Alison, Laura, and J.D.

Laura: Our last trip in Croatia was to an island off the Dalmatian coast. Many people had recommended that we go to Korčula.

J.D.: We had to take two ferries to get to the island. The first ferry went from the mainland to a peninsula, and the second ferry went from the peninsula to the island.

Laura:  The ferry line that we took to and from Korčula is called the Jadrolinija, which is based in Rijeka.  From our apartment in Rijeka, we watched Jadrolinija ferry boats departing from the harbor every day.

Ferry to Korčula

Laura: Our friends from our hometown/Zagreb/Baska Voda recommended one particular place on the island of Korčula. What a great place!

Alison: I agree.  The Hotel Feral was a amazing place to stay, especially for a kid. There was a pool, a beach, a hairdresser, and big lobby! The WiFi (very important to me!) was only available in the lobby, but that's the only bad thing. The pool was beautiful and a lot of fun, as was the beach.

Laura: Our time in Korčula was very relaxing.  We spent much of it hanging out at the beach and the pool at the hotel.

Sunset at our little cove by the hotel in Korčula

J.D.: We also explored two towns on the island--Korčula Town (sometimes called a mini-Dubrovnik) and Vela Luka.  And we drove around different parts of the island.  Korčula was much greener than many of the other areas along the coast.

Korčula Town

Korčula Town

Korčula Town

Laura:  To get back home, we took a three hour ferry from Korčula to Split and then drove another four hours back to Rijeka. 

Ferry from  Korčula to Split
As you can see, the Adriatic was choppy that day.

Our journey to Korčula seemed the perfect way to end our Croatian travels.

Baska Voda (again)

A post by Alison and Laura

Laura: After our friends left Rijeka, we stayed there by ourselves for one day and then joined them at their beach house in Baska Voda, which is on the Dalmatian coast.  We cannot thank them enough for hosting us there.

Sunset in Baska Voda

Alison: If you read my earlier post about Baska Voda with Ana and her family, you know what I'm talking about. Baska Voda was just as beautiful as it was the last time I saw it. Ana's aunt and uncle (American) were there along with their kids--Ana's cousins Abbey and Sophie. Abbey is exactly Caroline's age as they were born on the same day. Sophie turned five recently. Ana and I knew that we would not get to hang out by ourselves, but we had known that for awhile. When we first got there, we went to a beach--one that I had been to before. Ana and I swam and caught up on that one day we weren't together. :) Sophie was shy around me that first half an hour, but then.....

Laura: I really liked seeing this place that we've been hearing about for years and which is so important to Boris's family.  Their family's place is a very short walk to the beach.  The beach is right against a rocky coastline, and the views are dramatic.  The boardwalk has a lot of things to do--including bungee jumping, a mechanical bull (watching that mesmerized Caroline), and balls like the ones in Aquaworld in Budapest that kids could get zipped into and placed in the water (this time, in the Adriatic Sea). 

Alison:...she wouldn't leave my side!  Sophie gave me hugs all day, and I think I gave her way too much attention!

On the beach in Baska Voda
Back: Ana, Alison, Drago
Front: Abbey, Sophie, Caroline

Alison: When we were walking in downtown Baska Voda, I noticed a fast food place called McKebab.  Hmmmm, I wonder who they're trying to copy.

Laura: On one of the days, we went to Makarska, a small town on the coast not far from Baska Voda.  Here are some photos from that day.

Selling fruit to beach goers

Alison & Ana in Makarska, close to the beach

Makarska beach

Laura:  One night the three families--our family, Ana's family, and Ana's American uncle, aunt, and cousins--were invited to go to a barbecue at some cousins' house in Ercegovci, deep in the Dalmatian countryside and the birthplace of Ana's grandfather.  Ercegovci is a small village about 20 minutes from Split, and it's about an hour from Baska Voda.  For J.D. and me, this was a highlight of our time there.  Boris's cousins, Verdrana and Drazan, were extraordinarily generous to us, sharing with us a wonderful meal, homemade brandy (one cherry, one lemon--all fantastic) and wine, and a tour of their village, including a stop to Drazan's wine cellar where we did some tasting.  Boris explained that in this village during World War II, the Nazis killed every male over the age of 16--except for his Grandpa, who happened to be in a different nearby village at the time, and one other man who was in hiding.

Verdrana and Drazan's vineyard

Drazan giving us some of his wine

J.D., Drazan, & Boris enjoying the fruit of Drazan's labor