Our first stop, the Island of Mljet

Croatian is a quite bewildering language. Yes, the spelling above is correct. Two rules make it at least manageable, although unlike French, Italian, Spanish, etc., one can not figure out a word from the looks of it. For example, in French lake is lac; in Croatian lake is Jezero. The rules, though, are: (1) every letter is pronounced and (2) the accent is almost always on the first syllable. Also, a good thing to know is that the letter J is pronounced YE. So Mljet is pronounced MEEL-yet, more or less. As in any language, a foreigner can never speak with the same facility as a native speaker. The pictures here are the approach to Mljet and also the ruins of a monastery that we visited which is located on a salt water lake within the larger island. There are two such "lakes" on this island, but as we were told, they are not actually lakes but rather the sea feeds into small inlets which create the two larger bodies of water inland. The situation and the approach to the monastery is spectacular but the ruins themselves are not very well kept and the effect is disappointing.

Cruising the Adriatic

Marija was able to join us the first night and here is a picture of her and Niksa looking like they are on the set of a Hollywood movie. Oysters and black risotto made with octopus and its black ink were on the menu the first evening. The oysters are harvested locally and the risotto is a specialty throughout the area. We didn't realize this was just the first course and I think we all ate too much of the risotto, only to be served individual sea bass with vegetables for the main course. We soon learned pacing ourselves would be necessary in the food department.

Aboard the Andeo

Mark and Martha arrived as scheduled Friday and Saturday afternoon we walked down from the hotel to our first glimpse of the Andeo. The captain, Niksa, and his crew Vedran and Petar were there to stow the luggage and greet us. Niksa is from a sailing family and has owned the boat since 2005. It is clearly the love of his life, after Marija of course and it shows in the meticulous care and attention showered upon it by the three crew. It was quite warm, but pretty soon we were under sail, drinking wine and eating the snacks that had been prepared for us. Vedran, a trained chef, worked miracles in the small kitchen, each day turning out beautiful breakfasts and then either lunch or dinner according to our wants. The pictures here show our first view of the Andeo; Martha, Don and Gwenna cooling off in the sea; and the breakfast table the next morning.

Just as a preface to the week's cruise, we visited four islands: Mljet, Korkula, Hvar and Brac. There are more than 1,100 islands off the coast of Croatia, only 47 of them inhabited. Many are barely blips of land jutting out of the sea. Many others look like some developer could make a fortune with a modest investment in a few luxury inns and restaurants. This development will inevitably come, of course, but for now it is amazingly unspoiled. Most of the islands in our view are uninhabited. In the major ports though, like Dubrovnik, it is scary to imagine the number of people that will one day overwhelm the limited space.

Dubrovnik

Here are a few pictures of the port of Dubrovnik, looking down from the top of a hill where we traveled by cable car. After leaving Zagreb, we flew to Dubrovnik and stayed at the wonderful Radisson Blu Resort, about fifteen minutes from the walled city, where Gwenna had stayed on her earlier visit to Croatia. It's a huge complex, with many restaurants, pools and even residences that can be purchased. On her visit in May, Gwenna had met a lovely young woman who works in the sales department and by the strangest of coincidences she turned out to be married to our Captain. Marija kindly took us on a tour of Dubrovnik which really merits more time than we were able to give it. Though scarred by gunfire and bombs during the recent war in 1991, it is back in business despite the evidence. It was quite hot and crowded and I can only imagine what it is like in mid-July with so many more visitors. There were a mere three cruise ships in the harbor and apparently up to ten arrive at once disgorging thousands of travelers into the tiny walled city. What do we do when capacity is reached? Still, it is one of the world's sites not to be missed.

Plitvice Lakes--the pictures do not do justice to the incredible color of the turquoise water and the range of greens in the lush foliage. Waterfalls cascade out of the most unlikely places and around every corner is another gorgeous vista. There are wooden pathways which circle the entire perimeter and we walked them all! It is a true wonder of nature created by limestone, water and the immense passage of time.

The next day we drove to Plitvice Lakes National Park, a World Heritage sight and thought to be one of the most beautiful places in Croatia. On the way our driver, Robert stopped at a war memorial showing some of the results of the war of independence in 1991-1992. I won't insult you by pretending to understand the complicated history of Croatia which dates at least back to the 7th century and has been under the domination of numerous states, but it is mind-boggling to know that just twenty years ago much of the country was leveled by the Serbian army and had to be re-built. Only this recently did Croatia achieve independence from Communist rule. Signs from the massive bombings is still evident in many small villages.

Sunday afternoon entertainment in front of our hotel in Zagreb. There were street singers everywhere, mostly individuals playing guitars and singing, but we even had a lady saxophone player who played scales and looked stoned while we enjoyed a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe.

More pictures of Zagreb

Zagreb's very efficient mass transit system is made of trams like this one which race all over the city at short intervals.

Tom and Gwenna with Harry our most knowledgeable and likeable guide

I'm going to post some pictures taken by our resident photographer, Don Brush. He was kind enough to share them with me since my Nike Coolpix S70 is behaving badly. I recommend you do not buy one. Here are some street singers in Zagreb. The small instrument the man in front is playing is called a tambourina, like a very small mandolin. And of course, a classic old lady. Isn't she beautiful? If you look carefully, there is another classic old lady to the far right of the picture.

It’s Wednesday, Sept. 14 and we are leaving Zagreb tomorrow morning, having been here since Saturday. Zagreb is a vibrant, bustling city of about 800,000 people in a country of only 4 ½ million. Our hotel, the Hotel Dubrovnik, is right on the main square and has been the perfect location for exploring the city. We are within walking distance to most of the major sights. The downtown area is filled with cafes where people sit and drink coffee or wine from early morning until into the wee hours.

We had the benefit of a wonderful guide thanks to Gwenna who met him on a previous trip here and was so impressed. Sunday he took us on a walking tour around the hotel which included the market, full of locals shopping for fruits and vegetables, and the old town with its Cathedral which dominates the town from the top of a hill. Later we met a driver who showed us some more of the town including Mirogoj Cemetery. This city cemetery is the final resting place for more than 300,000 souls of all faiths, mostly Catholic since Croatia is about 85% Catholic. Harry told us that it is quite prestigious to be buried there and with space now at a premium, quite expensive. It is one of the most beautiful cemeteries we have seen.

Several views of Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb filled with wonderful monuments and interesting "residents."

One of the many narrow streets in Zagreb filled with restaurants and bars.

The main square, Trg Jelacica, and the Sunday market in Zagreb.

Ok, this is cheating. This picture is from last year's trip to the beautiful French Riviera. But it's such a good picture of Tom I had to put it up. We leave tomorrow afternoon!