The Dalmatian Coast
June 4, 2011:
For my first kayak trip in a while, I tried something completely
different. I gathered my paddles and flew to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
To make a long story short, it was a very good choice. I'd go again! With
hundreds of miles of coastline, I've only just begun :).
Please Enjoy A Few Pictures of the Adriatic Coast of Croatia
Inside the Old City of Dubrovnik
Leaving Zaton, First Impressions
Marko, the Master Of Ceremonies and the Man to Follow
Hardship camping among the olives and figs, Trsteno
The Trsteno campsite also had a little view ---
The shoreline is quite interesting, limestone karst formations
Lots of caves of all sizes
This cave has an opening inside to the sky
You can paddle into some caves if you duck
Some were quite tall
My fellow travellers: Marko, 6 members of a Finnish kayaking club, and a British
couple paddling a 'divorce boat'
It seemed every hole in the wall was interesting in some way
We snorkeled in a cove of an abandoned fishing post on Olipa
Sea Urchins and anemones were everywhere
We paddled as far north as Ston and the longest defense wall in Europe
Ston has a salt works that has operated since the 15th century
Also at this point we lost the tents in favor of guest houses
Around every corner...
Leaving Ston, we headed out to the islands for the return
One of the islands we visited was Lopud
Here, we enjoyed a lovely sunset at the restaurant
Cats (not to mention olive presses) are everywhere!
Of course, every village and island has a church or chapel
And a bell tower. The bells are rung beginning at 6:00 AM
On Lopud, I visited the chapel of St. Gerome (patron saint of hermits)
Marko said I was the first to paddle Dalmatia with a Greenland-style paddle (stick), so he must be the second!
One day we got to dive into a deep, brilliant blue lagoon
Here is the dive from underwater!
Finally, we had to head back to the take out (the ferry wouldn't give us a lift)
A final treat - the view from the guesthouse in Dubrovnik
And a view from the "Street" outside the Adriatic Kayak Tours office
No matter where you look, Croatia is full of old-world charm
