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| Dalmatia Islands |
Trogir Croatia
Friday 28th
August 2015
I
was woke up by my alarm at 6am and shot out of bed immediately to get myself
ready as today I was going on my last big adventure to the blue and green caves
of Vis, a trip to Hvar and then a trip to the cluster of islands of the blue
lagoon. I was super excited as this was going to be fun plus the fact it was my
last full day in Croatia so I thought it would be a nice day to end the
adventure in such a great place. I freshened myself up and eventually grabbed
my bag leaving the hotel. I headed across the northern bridge again to grab a
pastry from the bakers and then walking to the east of the island to witness a
beautiful warm glowing sun rise above the water. It was peaceful too but then I
had to leave walking for the fortress to the west where my journey would start.
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| Morning Rise |
As
it was early in the morning there was practically no one around which made the
place look like a ghost town. Anyway I had arrived at the fortress so I sat and
waited for someone to show up. Yet again time had passed but this time I could
see a small rubber speed boat heading towards me. It was the one that I would
use to get to the islands so I was dead excited. The people on the boat greeted
me and helped me onboard. They said I could sit at the front and so I did with
a great view in front of me. In no time at all we were leaving Trogir heading
for Split to
pick up more passengers. We were going at a slow pace as we were leaving Trogir
so the driver took the opportunity to have a talk about where I was from and
what I did during my time in Croatia.
He also told me of a new bridge the town was building as we passed a construction
site on the water.
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| Quiet Harbour |
All
of a sudden the first mate accelerated and we were literally flying along the
water towards Split.
It was incredible the speed we were going and because I was used to the ferry
going to Split and back which trundled along at a slow steady pace, it felt
like I was being fast forwarded. In no time at all we were passing Slatine
still continuing towards Split.
The sea was very calm with no waves forming which resulted in cool runnings.
The hill next to Split was rapidly becoming
closer and then we slowed down as we were approaching the city of Split. We closed in to
the harbour and found a small gap to squeeze into. We moored up and then told
we were picking up 5 passengers. So I sat and waited on the boat bobbing around
noticing the bad smell of the fishing boats nearby. I tried to block it out and
then a recognisable face was along the harbour. It was the driver from
yesterday’s trip to Mostar. He had seen me and I waved at him; I think it was
becoming a habit that I would see the drivers the day after a trip. The skipper
came back with the 5 passengers and when they took there seats we set off out
of the harbour. There was a family of three lying on the flat surface of the
boat in front of me and a couple sitting next to me.
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| Leaving Trogir |
We
were heading south straight for Vis to where
the famous blue cave was. As soon as we left Split, we raced off to the south. As soon as
the speed went up, the male passenger’s hat (who was lying in front of me with
his family) flew off his head straight into the woman’s face sitting next to
me. I held my laugh in as best as I could as she wasn’t expecting to be hit in
the face. Anyway, the journey was amazing racing along the sea and the further
we were in open water, the choppier the water became. It was still quite calm
though and we were making good time. There were times a rouge wave would
approach us which resulted in us getting jumped up, down and around. It added
to the experience though and I was really happy and feeling free. The skipper
had music playing on board which fitted in well with the journey as though we
were having a boat party with strangers.
A
long time had passed until we were approaching the island
of Vis. We had been going along the
islands of Brac, Solta and Hvar beforehand which had marvellous views so Vis was the furthest tiny island. We slowed down at this
point to maintain the areas speed limits. It was short lived though as the
skipper turned the throttle up and we were speeding along again heading for the
blue cave which was actually the smaller island next to Vis. As we were nearing
the island there were a lot of other speed boats close and far heading for the
same direction so it was sort of a race to see who could get there first. We
weren’t the fastest out of some of them but we were still keeping up. It didn’t
take long for us to get there and we were soon arriving at the very small
looking harbour and then mooring up with other boats. The area looked
absolutely gorgeous as the water was clear as well as having a turquoise colour
to it too.
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| Croatian Beauty |
We
stepped off the boat and straight into a small queue to board the smaller wooden
boats which would take us into the caves. We received our tickets from the
skipper and immediately stepped aboard the wooden boat. We soon set off with
everybody crammed in the boat as we headed around the corner of a rock face. I
still couldn’t get over how clear the water was as I could see the bottom even
at the deeper parts. In no time at all we were arriving at the entrance to the
cave. The driver told us all to duck our heads because the entrance was lower
than our sitting height. So we did as the edges of the entrance were just
missing us. All of a sudden, everything went black and the boats little engine
was turned off. Everything was silent except the faint rippling of the water
hitting the boat softly. Then out of the blue came the blue luminous caverns
and it was just spectacular. I was lost for words as we were slowly making our
way around the cavern. It was to be short lived as the driver turned the engine
back on and then we were heading out of the entrance hole so we had to duck our
heads again. I actually thought the caves would be further on than the one
cavern but I still wasn’t disappointed.
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| Blue Cave |
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| Blue Cave |
We were shortly returned at the harbour
area where we had about 10-15 minutes of free time so I took a quick look
around the picturesque area. Time ran out though so I had to make my way back
to the boat. As I got closer I could see one of the other passengers claimed my
seat so I would have to sit somewhere else. So as I boarded, I sat on the
rubber hull holding on to the bar and handles. As soon as we left, we speeded
off heading for the next town on Vis called
Komiza which was about 10 miles away or so. The journey across was slightly
bumpy but to be honest I was having fun sitting on the side holding on as it
was a thrill ride. It made me a bit more confident to loosen my grip a bit just
going with the flow of the water.
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| Speeding Off |
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| Approaching Komiza |
A
short time passed as we were approaching the town and then we were told that
Komiza was a fishing village. As we got closer to the harbour I could tell by
the look of the place that it was a fishing village set along the small area of
coastline. It looked remarkably pretty and then we moored up at the harbour. We
were told we had about an hour of free time to explore the town so with no time
wasted I set off. I did however take a slow stroll along the seafront admiring
the look of the place with all the small boats all moored up in a row. I then
walked through a narrow street following the waterfront until I arrived at a
medium sized pebble beach full of sun bathers. Along the way I came across a
winding looking stairway so I climbed them in the hopes I would find a
marvellous panoramic type view of the town and islands. I finally reached the
top of the stairs and took a left turn catching sight of a couple of benches
assuming they were facing a wondrous view. I wasn’t wrong as when I reached
them the views were far and beautiful with the clear sea and village below me.
I spent a bit of time up there before making my way back down to the beach
area.
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| Fishing Village of Komiza |
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| Komiza |
I
then walked back along the seafront to where I started and then veered off
behind the large fishing museum. I arrived at narrow streets with left and
right turns thinking that it wasn’t going anywhere. I was wrong though as I
arrived at another beach area with yet more incredible views of the sea and
islands. I was running out of time so I started making my way back but I was
tempted to dip my feet in the clear sea. So I walked down a narrow stairway and
then onto a little patch of pebbled beach. I only walked in as far as my ankles
and I was overwhelmed with the feeling of the warm water on my feet. I could
have stood there for a while but I had to make my way back to the boat. Along
the way I noticed a lot of the cars on the island were not a modern type car as
I came across old Mercedes and old Volkswagen golf cars which looked as though
they had seen better days.
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| Croatian Beauty |
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| Our Boat |
Anyway,
it was only a short walk and I arrived pretty soon as was the other passengers.
The skipper told us where we were going next and he pointed at a bay at the
south of Vis Island. He stated that the small bay we
were going to was a secret exclusive type of bay and so when we all climbed
aboard, we were soon heading south. The sea was slightly choppier which built
the thrill factor up speeding across the coastline. We were making good time
again and in no time at all we had arrived. It was secluded and it did look like
a secret cove James bond would use. The shoreline was clear as crystal with a slight
turquoise colour with a pebble beach and sharp jagged rocks. It looked like
paradise too as we tied the boat to the rock face. The skipper told us he had
snorkelling equipment with him so we could all see under the water. I took
advantage of this and grabbed a set. I took my sandals and top off and jumped
with no hesitation from the side of the boat into the water. It was an amazing
feeling despite having salty water in my eyes and mouth. The water was great so I placed my snorkel on
and began to look under the water.
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| Secret Bay |
I
was speechless at the spectacular sight of tropical fish swimming right below
me. There were some large fish in small groups, larges shoals of tiny colourful
fish synchronising with each other and a few brightly coloured fish hiding along
the coral. This was when I caught my eye on the coral along the jagged rocks
below me so full of different coloured life even spiky sea urchins which I had
to avoid with my feet. There were other times I would look down deep holes and
come across spiral coral shells. I was going to take one away but I put it back
as I didn’t want to take anything away from the sea. I continued swimming
further out the bay and heading towards the smallish caves stretched across a
large rock face facing the open sea. As I swam away from the bay the sea floor
became very deep and as I looked down into the distance, it looked like a blue
abyss and couldn’t see anything beyond. It was quite a weird feeling as there
was a part of me thinking a shark was going to appear out of nowhere and have
me for dinner. So I kept checking around but nothing came thank god. It was
time I started making my way back but I would take my time enjoying nature
underwater.
A
long time passed until I was coming up to the boat where everyone was pretty
much waiting for me. I climbed aboard and we were soon on our way. We were not
going far maybe another 5 mile or so along the coastline and I had more
confidence to stand up at the side riding the waves. It felt exhilarating as
the wind was blowing hard against me with the speed we were going at. All of a
sudden, the skipper called me over to have a go at the wheel. I was really
excited as I took command at the wheel. I had a great big smile on my face and
the skipper was impressed with my steering. He was giving me a few tips along
the way about how to notice when the big waves were coming. We were nearing the
next bay and the skipper told me to make a sharp left turn towards it. So I did
and we were then slowly approaching the cove. This one though had a narrow
entrance and had too many people swimming on the shoreline for the boat to moor
up. So the skipper took back the wheel and asked his first mate to lower the
small anchor. We had stopped and I was soon in the water.
I
wanted to get onto the pebble beach so I swam towards it. As my feet finally
touched the seabed, I was going for the whole James Bond coming out of the
water again but I came out like a drunken pirate as the pebbles were quite
large and hurting my feet; so much for the smooth arrival I thought as I
finally got onto the beach. I had a quick look around the small area with a
large slope in front of me before I decided to stumble my way back into the
warm water and back to the boat. I grabbed the snorkelling kit again and was
soon swimming around the area looking at more species of fish. I got right up
to a jagged rock face at the right hand side of the cove and I came across a
very deep dark looking hole. God knows what was down there I thought so I
headed back to the boat as it was time to leave again.
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| Croatian Blue Sea |
Our
next stop was the green cave which was at the south east of the island of Vis. I didn’t steer at this point as it
was only a few miles along from where we were. Before I knew it we were slowing
down approaching the green cave. There were already a couple of boats inside
the cave with people swimming around inside. We slowly manoeuvred passed the
swimmers and boats as we were inside the cave. I couldn’t see what was green
about the place as it was mostly dark. However, there was a small hole about
the size of a manhole which let the suns light through. It was a real treasure though
as it looked quite magical when the beam of light was coming through the hole
and creating an emerald green spot at the bottom of the cave as though it was
marking a location for treasure. We had a choice to swim around in the cave and
the majority of the passengers did. However, I didn’t mainly because I was
having problems with my ear. So I watched on as everyone was floating directly
below the beam of light. Everyone soon returned to the boat and we were off to
our next destination.
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| Green Cave |
We
were heading for the blue lagoon which was quite a long way so I stood up again
on the boat as I was going with the flow of the water which actually became choppier
than before. The skipper was concerned that I was standing at the side with the
choppy waves so he asked me to stand next to him and the first mate at the
wheel. It felt amazing standing at the wheel again but I wasn’t to steer it
again which didn’t bother me as I wanted to take note of the scenery. We all
began chatting again which passed the time too. I then noticed the water became
calmer which meant we were approaching the blue lagoon.
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| Approaching Blue Lagoon |
The
blue lagoon had a cluster of very small islands close to each other with the clearest
water I had ever seen on my travels. The water was a vibrant blue as well and I
definitely wanted to get into the water despite my ear problem. There were
quite a lot of boats moored up along the piers so the skipper weighed anchor
once more quite a way from the shoreline. I grabbed the snorkelling kit again
and jumped straight into the water. I swam around the area dodging boats moored
up and coming in following the odd fish swimming under the water; I actually
felt like a fish myself as I tried to keep up with them. I was having so much
fun I didn’t want to leave the water but I had to return to the boat for our
next location. I took the long swim back and as I climbed aboard my ear started
playing up again. Great I thought as I was pressing inside my ear to get the
water out.
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| Blue Lagoon |
We
got under way with me standing next to the wheel again letting the wind dry me
off enjoying the thrill of going fast to our next destination called Hvar. It
was a very long way to Hvar from the blue Lagoon so we headed out speeding as
fast as we could. The sea was even choppier than the last time which meant we
were getting thrown around a small bit but nothing too severe.
A
very long time had passed racing to the north east riding the waves until Hvar
was dead in our sights. As we got closer, I could see how busy it was and
because we slowed down approaching the town, the wind was not there and I could
feel how hot it was going to be. We were told by the skipper a bit about the
history of the town and how a lot of young holiday makers come here for beaches
and parties. The way he was describing it to us sounded a bit like Ibiza. We eventually moored up and we all stepped foot
off the boat. The place looked very beautiful and I was looking forward to
exploring it. However, we followed the skipper up a narrow street heading for a
restaurant. It was less than 100 yards away and we were there straight away.
The skipper recommended eating there so everyone began to sit down. The skipper
turned to me and I asked him how long we were to have in Hvar and then said 3
hours. I was about to take my leave when he stopped me in my tracks. He
explained that I was to get a free dinner at the restaurant which was included
in the excursion price to my surprise. So I sat down at the table and read the
menu given to me. The waitress arrived and I ordered a chicken fillet and
waited for a short while until she came back with my food. It looked lovely so
I wolfed it down and was soon on my way exploring the town of Hvar.
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| Arriving to Hvar |
It
was really hot and I could feel the sun on my neck as I returned back along the
harbour with its wide stretch of promenades with huge palm trees in a row.
There was also a very large square with a large church at the far back end of
it. In the square were dozens of billboards with aerial views of places around Croatia so I
looked at some of them though it was really just an excuse to jump from shade
to shade. I headed around the church and back on myself to head along the
harbour. The area I was in had very large ships and ferries dropping hundreds
of people off into the town. I continued passed the big ships heading in an
easterly direction along the seafront to come across a lot of people sunbathing
in a patch of shoreline. It looked quite beautiful with the crystal clear water
and boats scattered around. I continued on walking until I ran out of views. So
I made my way back as at the top of the town of Hvar was an old fortress which I could get up
to. So when I returned to the harbour I began heading up the stairs towards it.
There weren’t really any signs showing the way to go so I had just followed my
instincts. I was doing well considering I had to weave through streets and
climbing steep steps until finally I seen a very small gateway saying Hvar
fortress.
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| Hvar |
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| Hvar Fortress |
After
catching my breath with all the climbing, I headed up more steps and then onto
a zig zagging rough footpath up the hillside. I was walking in between rows of
trees and cactus with nobody around me whatsoever which was fantastic as it was
very peaceful with the odd cricket sound. I continued the route I was taken for
a good 15 minutes until I reached the base of the fortress and no doubt would
have had to pay to get in; so I just stayed where I was. The outer wall towered
above me with a few rusty cannons poking out from in between the gaps at the
top. I then turned around to witness an incredible 180 degree view of the town
below and the islands scattered in the distance as dozens of boats were
approaching the harbour. All the aches and pains were worth it with the
brilliant sight so I spent a long time sitting down taking in all the things I
had done during the trip and what I was looking at. I felt at peace but than
looking at the time made me get up and leave heading back down to the harbour.
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| Climbing the hill towards Hvar Fortress |
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| Incredible view of Hvar |
As
I approached the harbour, I couldn’t see the boat where it was moored up making
me think that they had left me. Then a relief came when I seen it moored to the
side. I walked over talking to the first mate saying that I thought that they
left as he laughed. I climbed aboard as did everybody else and we were heading
for the long journey back to Split.
The skipper had told us that the water was a lot choppier again so he asked
most of the people sitting at the front to sit at the back seats and happily
enough he asked me to stand in front of the steering wheel with him on my right
and the first mate on my left. We were soon leaving the island of Hvar
heading north to Split when the boat began to shake around with the waves. I
was laughing with the thrill of getting some air on the boat and sometimes
getting thrown around. It was great fun I thought and I didn’t want it to stop.
A
long time of this brought us passed the islands of Brac and Solta and far in
the distance I could see the city of Split.
The skipper then asked me if I wanted to steer again and I was like hell yeah.
I grabbed the wheel and he was giving me pointers about riding the waves and so
I took on his advice and rode the waves. It made the journey a lot smoother but
still had the thrill factor of jumping a few waves keeping on track. I could
get used to this I thought as I felt like a child on Christmas morning. A long
time had passed riding the waves until we were approaching Split. By this point the sun was in
preparations to set. I handed the wheel back to the skipper as he moored up and
dropped off the majority of the passengers leaving me and a couple behind me
for Trogir.
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| Sunset to Trogir |
A
short time passed and we were underway once more. The water was a hell of a lot
calmer at this point so I sat on the rubber hull at the starboard side as we
sped off heading west. Right in front of us the sun was setting slowly behind
the hill again which gave off the golden glow. No words could describe the
feeling I experienced watching the sun going down racing along with the wind in
my face as the water was calm. It was at this moment I felt truly free and
enjoying life so I savoured the moment as we were closing in on Trogir thinking
of how much fun I had today. Behind us was the purple sky with a full moon
rising out of the horizon too as we slowed down approaching Trogir. It felt
like a lifetime ago since we left Trogir in the morning as we passed under the
southern bridge.
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| Old Large Vessels |
I
was shocked when I clapped my eyes on the harbour to see large vessels
alongside each other taking up pretty much the whole harbour. We slowly made
our way back to the fortress and I grabbed my things and shook hands with both
the skipper and first mate giving them both a tip thanking them for the
adventure and letting me steer the boat. We parted ways and I headed straight
for the restaurants again as I was really hungry. I ended up back at La Dolce
Vita again where the woman recognised me and sat me down talking about my
adventure. She had to rush off though to do her job or the fact I was probably
boring her. The waiter arrived and I ordered octopus again and tuna steak.
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| Old Large Vessels |
As
I waited I was looking on at the dozens of vessels at the harbour and I liked
the ones with the old masts and rope ladders. Before I knew it my food arrived
as I pretty much wolfed both plates down. I left with my belly full and began
to do the typical gift buying. So I looked at each stall in Trogir and shops
purchasing things along the way until I had the majority of what I wanted. I
continued looking around when I bumped into the skipper. We shook hands and
asked if I wanted to go for a beer. I said I would but I was still looking
around for gifts. We parted ways with me still looking at shops. I started
running out of options for gifts so I finally took my keys out my bag and
headed for my room. By this time I was really tired so unfortunately I couldn’t
go for that drink.
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| Croatia Selfie |
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