Our first full day we met our rental boat captain by the Riva (waterfront) and climbed aboard a toy-sized boat to see the islands. It went fast and we were well windblown by the time we reached Milna, then Hvar Town and finally an overpriced but delicious lunch on Palmizana island in a little cove we nearly had to ourselves.
We returned to the mainland by 4:30 and walked through the enchanting Diocletian's Palace, a Roman palace built in 300 AD for Emperor Diocletian. Instead of just another Roman ruin, this was different because it was a living city within the ramparts.
We stayed in a communist-style cement apartment building which worried us at first but then we realized the apartment itself was quite nice, large and cozy for our two nights and breakfasts and dinners.
We left Split Thursday morning and drove on the nearly-empty coastal road south, stopping in Brela at Punta Rata Beach and Greda where we saw only construction workers preparing for the tourist season which is supposed to begin mid-May.
We then realized Dubrovnik is a land and sea-locked city surrounded by Bosnia & Herzegovinia and Montenegro as we crossed out of Croatia, into BiH, out of BiH and back into Croatia in very out-dated, critical customs procedures. We have lots of new stamps in our passports and I am now very grateful for the Schengen Agreement!
Dubrovnik really is something different. As you drive in along the Old City walls you see the red roofs and the blue sea with the green islands just beyond. We were lucky to stay at the beautifully situated Hotel Excelsior for three nights with views of the Old City from the balconies.
Our first evening after we checked in we headed straight for the cable car to the top of Mont Srd for a bird's eye view of the city. It was really an amazing sight and the most perfect weather day.
Early Friday morning we climbed the Old City walls and circumvented the city. It was windy and the clouds moved in a bit but still an amazing experience. The kids kept up with a few piggyback rides and spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the indoor pool complex at the hotel.
Saturday morning we decided to drive south to the Bay of Kotor in neighboring Montenegro. Our destination was the Our Lady of the Rocks Church near Perast. Legend says the church was built on an island formed by sailors dropping individual rocks as they past by the spot in a prayer for safety. There were men by the small harbor running small ferry boats to the island and clearly we were the last to hear about this beautiful sight. Afterwards we had a simple and very inexpensive lunch by the waterfront before returning through the customs maze to Dubrovnik.
Sunday we left Dubrovnik and took the inland highway north towards to Zadar, stopping at Krka National Park to see the waterfalls. We took a ferry from Skradin to the park entrance and luckily the big falls were close to the entrance and easy to see.
We made it to Zadar by early evening and were welcomed by the owner's Croatia mother with bright red hair and a toast of beer and orange juice. We had time to walk around the Roman Forum ruins just outside our apartment and the kids rode some rides at the small kids' carnival by the sea. We heard the sea organ and then tucked into a quaint little restaurant for dinner by the apartment.
We left early Monday morning and although we got to the airport two hours early, people checked in until about thirty minutes before take-off and the Enterprise agent was greatly inconvenienced by having to check the car and close my rental contract. He wished me a nice life! Aah, Croatia!
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