Dubrovnik Vignette

There are times when one feels privileged to have been born and bred Dubrovnik «folk». Although I have used this Americanism carefully and for the all right reasons. Back in the golden age of Dubrovnik Republic, during the renaissance boom of merchant navy prosperity, the town was ruled by influential families who for there part have been passing the echelons of power from generation to generation.
Their legacy is the opium for our eyes as such is the beauty of Dubrovnik Old Town. But their ability to preserve their hereditary status, by the odds of the nature, remained all but in the name. Yet, I bet there are very few who spot their summer residence palaces in the small villages of Cajkovici and Sustjepan, us forgetting that at the time and place, Dubrovnik Old Town was protected by city walls and wooden moats were guarding Pile and Ploce gates. Everything outside this domain was considered as countryside. I spotted two virtually abandoned summer palaces, one in the grave need of restoration and with the latest property and tourism boom I sincerely hope that some rich soul would recognize their historical significance and continue in the footsteps of the noble tradition.


www.dreampropertycroatia.com

Travel 74 - Dubrovnik - Croatia: Peljesac Region Wines:

Travel 74 - Dubrovnik - Croatia: Peljesac Region Wines:

Peljesac Region Wines:

I must confess I am not a wine buff, not even one in making but my last visit to Croatia's Peljesac peninsula has made a surprising impact on my well being. To begin with, I was taken back by the beauty of nature and I could not believe sights of thick pine woods we encountered by the road, nor could I stop admiring Ston, a hamlet with a European prototype of a Chinese wall. This historical monument was enacted to ward off the attempts of numerous Turkish invasions during 15th and 16th century to get hold of Ston's sea salt processing plant.
Wine growing was the only way out from poverty trap for Peljesac farmers because nothing more was profitable to cultivate apart from oysters and mussles in the Bay of Ston. Economic migration within peninsula was out question as each village was guarding its habitants for the sake of security and even preservation of its own identity.
Our visit to Matusko winery was a pleasant event. Decorated in local stone, it was giving a slightly modern ambience but on close inspection, dust gathered on bottles was for real.
I learnt that «plavac» - grape sort, was a «father» to Zinfandel and Grgic family, who emigrated to the US between the WW1 and WW2, introduced this sort to the Nappa Valley region.
As far as I could make it Postup, Posip and Dingac are all from the «plavac family».Their esquisity and richness in tannins is a result of the constant exposure to sun and the ground whose mixture is a balance of rich and poor soil.
Wine tour is an event worth visiting if for nothing but the landscape which has blessed the fishermen and made farmers work harder to achieve the richness of local wine.

Cruising...Everyone on board!

We, at Travel 74, have been thinking a great deal about cruiseliners visiting Dubrovnik en route to Greece, as part of the Eastern Mediterranean leg of their journey. We wondered why the vast majority of these people opt for a bus shore excursions which all have the same format; bused them in the Old Town, bused them out of it.
Take them en masse to a typical regional village and treat them to a performance of a local, traditional dance.
No objections whatsoever, but instead of curiosity, it looks to me sometimes, that individuality has killed the cat.
There is so much to encounter, both in terms of local culture and history, and doing it, at your own pace, must be a bonus.
However, we compared our own travel experiences abroad and came to the conclusion that element of unknown always prevailed when making a decision to take a local tour.
Here are some instructions to shore excursions that will leave a lasting impression.
When in Dubrovnik and wanting to explore local spots with a good panorama view, always insist on your driver's English fluency.
Private tours in the Port of Dubrovnik are value for money be it you pay EUROS 50 per hour and per car and yes, please pay attention to PER CAR bit. After all, you are in charge of your itinerary and your holiday.
In any case, enjoy the most beautiful town in the world and the old chestnut of a saying: There is only one Dubrovnik.

Montenegro

Our trip to northern Montenegro was a true adventure for it was snowy at times and we were excited as we do not get snow in Dubrovnik. The scenery on the way to Niksic was breathtaking and one really ought to check it in person as any attempt to describe it words would be pointless. The town of Niksic was depressing and we were glad to have zoomed through it, continuing our journey to Ostrog monastery. The drive that led up to it was the most exciting and at times daunting but it was well worth it. This jewel of a monastery, chiselled in the rocks is a sight that makes you pause and think about human persistence to defend life as the monastery was the legacy of St Vasilije Ostroski, a monk who resisted Turkish rule some 600 years ago. His tomb is visited by many denominations, Christians and Muslims alike who search solace of a prayer for their beloved ones.
Leaving Ostrog we headed for Rijeka Crnojevica. The motorway route, if you can call it one, was ridden with tomb stone fashion reminders of people who died in car accidents. Driving in Montenegro is not for the light hearted, Montenegrins are reckless drivers.
Once we have found the country lane route towards Rijeka Crnojevica we were relieved. Meandering lane was leading us through rocky countryside accompanied by ravines. In one word, truly amazing. As for Skadar Lake and lake estuaries, any attempt to put it in words is futile.
As they say: Seeing is believing!


www.visit-montenegro.com

A pilgrimage to Medjugorje.

One of our friends told us that he spent a week end in Kravice. Apparently, a beauty spot not many people have heard of. Indeed, he was right as we were told about it by the word of the mouth. We wanted to go to Kravice just to see what it looked like in early spring and while we were heading in that direction we decided to visit Medjugorje. Our ride was a pleasant one, the roads were almost empty, I guess the people stayed in the town and it had something to do with the fact that it was Sunday, a rather holly day in Croatia. Those who planned to go in the countryside have done so on Friday and Saturday.

We visited Medjugorje first, and it was buzzing with people who have come from all over the world to pay homage to the Virgin Mary., as far as Brazil and Philippines. I have to say that all members of our team felt the spiritual harmony despite the fact that some of them are atheists.

We decided to have a picnic lunch, spreading our blankets on one Kravice's meadows. As always we were touched by unprecedented beauty of the place which has all resemblance of Plitvice park but on the smaller scale.

Happy and spiritually enlightened we were of our way to our beloved Dubrovnik.
Medjugorje and Kravice were indeed shore excursions to remember!

From Mostar with Love...

We set off on expedition read business trip to meet up with some of our partners.The whole journey happened to be more challenging that the conquest of Mont Everest. All in all it was well worthed. Our first stop was a village of Trsteno. Many have heard of his Arboretum and its status as a summer residence of counts which had been ruling Dubrovnik Republic in the golden age of renaissance. However, what really made an impression on us was the actual village pier and the whole descend to it. This is really a typical example of the fact that Croatia is the last quiet corner of the Mediterranean where local tradition together with beauty spots remain untarnished.

Inspired , and re-fuelled in spiritual sense we continued our journey towards Hutovo Blato, an oasis of nature, a home to various birds, to attend a meeting with the park's management. Little did we know that the route which we took was a rather adventurous, having realized in the middle of our drive that this is the longer way to our destination. Never mind, was our way of consoling ourselves. The more we drove, the more we realized that this would be a right little adventure for those who want to escape the urban jungle of New York and London., as the scenery of rocky hills was simply stunning.

Hutovo Blato rose to its expectation and proved to be a hidden paradise for nature and bird lovers. Our host Zeljka welcomed us in a true spirit of local hospitality. The tour we did was slightly short but captivating. We felt like Robinson Crusoes. Saying «good bye» to Zeljka but for a long, we continued in a direction of Pocitelj.

Every time I come to Pocitelj, I feel that excitement airing of the oriental which sets you back in the Turkish rule times and one ponders what was it like to live in that period.
We decided to continue in the direction of Mostar and to have a coffee and rahatluk in the old quarter .It would be crime to visit Mostar without paying homage to the Old Bridge. Despite the fact that it is new as it has been destroyed in the recent war, our lips automatically refer to it as the Old Bridge. A moment of sentiment and nostalgia I would suggest or else what?
The locals are in their element, sipping Turkish coffee and basking in the sun. As for us we were gathering our impressions through the lenses of our latest digital cameras and slightly tired on our way to Dubrovnik.

All in all, a rather good day!