Our Trip to Croatia Part 1: Two if by Sea

It was about this time last year when I was searching and searching for our next adventure. I went through magazines, blog posts, social media, and books. Nothing was inspiring me enough to take the plunge and plan a trip.

Price was certainly a factor, and knowing where to look for travel deals is imperative! Travelzoo.com has been one of my go-to websites for our trips, and within a week, I found two different vacation deals to Croatia.

Knowing that Barry is part Croatian, this destination piqued my interest. The fact that I found two amazing deals to Croatia in one week, well, it seemed like fate! As quickly as I could blink, I secured both travel deals. Off we were to Croatia!

To say that Croatia is a lovely country is quite the understatement. The views of both land and sea are exquisite.

The sea is more beautiful than the best I’ve seen in the Caribbean. The bright turquoise water softly fades into a vibrant cobalt blue, with not a trace of seaweed. The water is clear and calm, and feels incredibly safe. You can see directly below you just about everywhere you swim.

The cities are impeccably clean and inviting, and boast beautiful history and architecture. Croatians are the most friendly people that we’ve encountered in any European country! And Croatian food and wine ranks up there with the best.

Today’s blog post focuses on our time during our 36-person cruise to seaside Croatian towns. Tomorrow’s blog post will focus on the fabulous “land” adventures that we experienced on the days leading up to and also after our cruise.

Our Croatian Cruise

This cruise holds such a special place in our hearts, and although every part of the vacation was phenomenal, the cruise was the highlight of our trip! Not only did we get to see the dynamic landscape and culture of this country, but we also had one-of-a-kind excursions, and also the privilege of swimming in the nooks and crannies of hidden coves along the turquoise sea!

Aside from absolutely loving our cruise experiences, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much we adored our cruise friends There were about 36 of us total; Barry and I were the only Americans. The majority of our cruise friends were from Australia, but there were others from Scotland and New Zealand, to name a few (shout out to all of our cruise friends if you are reading this! <3) In one week, we created many friendships from these folks, ones that we hope to have forever.

As an added bonus, during the cruise I learned a thing or two about Australian speak; they love to shorten their words, and also have some pretty funny (to me) phraseology:
Brekkie= Breakfast
Chippies= French fries
Baz= Barry
Hundreds and thousands= Rainbow sprinkles
Keen as mustard= Smitten
When I fall off the perch= When I keel over
Shove it up your clacker= (You can guess that one)

Lastly, the crew of our ship were absolutely fantastic! They were attentive, kind, and personable. I will post their pictures below. They went above and beyond to ensure that our experience was top-notch. If you want to take an amazing cruise around Croatia, book Zantium Travel. Our boat was named Suzana, and it was luxurious, clean and impeccable!

To begin with, here are a few images of our cruise ship, Suzana.

Cruise Day 1: Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is known as “The Pearl of the Adriatic.” The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage protected sight. Many scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed in this city.

Look how clean and shiny the Old Town of Dubrovnik is!

Specific scenes where GOT was filmed in Dubrovnik…

The bars lining the steps of “The Walk of Shame” playfully named some of their drinks as such.

Cruise Day 2: Slano

Slano is a charming coastal town in the Dubrovnik Riviera.

Fun times with our new cruise friends on the way to an oyster farm.

A glimpse of a day in the life at an oyster farm in Slano, specifically in the town of Ston. Oyster farming has been a tradition here for over two thousand years! We had our fill of oysters and wine after being given a demonstration.

Cruise Day 3: Mljet

Mljet is an island that is densely forested and thick with flora and fauna and well known for its two lakes.

A Benedictine Monastery on the Isle of St. Mary in Mljet.

Two cell phone snaps! Biking around Mljet with two of our cruise friends after visiting the monastery.

Cruise Day 4: Korc֡ula

The island of Korc֡ula is the birthplace of Marco Polo. It lies just off of the Dalmatian coast and produces the delightful white wine, Grk, which is not exported due to limited production.

We had a delightful tour around the city, learning about the stories and legends of Marco Polo. This was one of his “mistresses” whom which we responded to with “Yes, Mistress!”

Barry and I walking via the tour through Korc֡ula. Cell snap from my cruise friend, Lisa (thanks, Lisa!)

Korc֡ula was part of the Venetian empire from 1420 until just before 1800. Above are Venetian symbols which can be found all over the Old Town. These are called the Lions of St. Mark.

The entryway to St. Mark’s Cathedral is framed by statues of Adam and Eve, and also lions. If you look closely at Adam and Eve on either side of the archway…well… they were sculpted purposefully to make it look as if they are peeing!

A main street in Korc֡ula , with eateries and sweeping views of the sea. So, of course, we had to enjoy some of the local wine.

The views as we drank wine by the sea in Korc֡ula…

Cruise Day 5: Vis

Vis is the furthest Croatian inhabited island from the coast. It was formerly a naval military base, which cut off tourism from the 1950s until 1989. This helped to preserve the authentic architecture of the town.

The island’s port lines one of the main streets of the town in Vis. But, it didn’t seem overly crowded despite the fact that a few much larger cruise lines were there at the same time as us.

We scooted up the mountain and then back down the mountain towards Vidović Winery. It was a quaint and lovely winery, and we also met the owners! They made some traditional bites for us to eat, too! See below!

The lovely owners of Vidović Winery How cute are they?!

Viska pogaca, a traditional Croatian appetizer consisting of dough that is like focaccia, filled with anchovies, onions and olive oil.

Homemade lavender shortbread cookies and the best fresh figs that I will ever eat in my life!

Goodbye, Vidović Winery! We had a lovely afternoon visiting!

A view on the way back from the winery, scooting down the mountain and back towards our cruise ship.

Here is the before and after of our dinner that evening, a scorpionfish. As you may have guessed, fresh fish is an abundant food in Croatia. When we asked for the chef’s recommendation of the daily catch, multiple times we were told to order the scorpionfish. So, we listened to the recommendations. After reading more about the scorpionfish, we learned that it is a deadly fish due to the venom in their spine. Fortunately, it was prepared perfectly, and we survived!

Cruise Day 6: The Blue Cave then onward to Stari Grad, on Hvar Island

Bright and early on Day 6, we departed our ship by a small boat to see the Blue Cave. Here is our cruise crew watching us leave.

The Blue Cave is a remarkable cave near Vis, and it is only accessible by boat via a tiny opening on one side of the cave. The bright blue color is in result of sunlight hitting the white sandy bottom of the cave and creating a vibrant, iridescent blue effect.

Stari Grad on Hvar Island

Stari Grad is one of the oldest towns in Europe. It has a bustling harbor, with many shops and restaurants. The agricultural landscape of the Stari Grad Plain was developed in the 4th Century BC by Greek inhabitants, with old stone walls still lining this plain. It is a UNESCO World Heritage protected site.