Our basic itinerary:
We began in Munich and spent our time in a little village a hour away where the conference was held. No one in their right mind would begin a trip to Croatia in Munich, so ignore that part. We also ended our trip in Dublin. Why, you might ask? Because we needed a place to fly back to the states from on Delta, I found a cheap Air Lingus flight to Dublin, and we had never been to Dublin. Loved Dublin. Again, normal folks would not likely take that path! So, on to Croatia. A few notes: Cash is the order of the day. Lots of places on the islands especially did not take credit cards. Even shops and restaurants. Most places will take the local currency or Euros. It was hot, even in June. We made sure all of the places we stayed had air conditioning, even the apartments described below.
Split- One day. Lovely city, stayed in a basic hotel that was recommended in Rick Steve's book. Villa Varos. Simple and well located near the Diocletian's Palace. Interesting city with a great outdoor market. Good jumping off place to go to the islands.
Vis- Two days. Took ferry to Vis, the furthest of the islands. I liked this place best. Quiet and unspoiled. When we got off the ferry, went to Navigator Tourist agency. They booked us into a great little apartment in Kut, the old city. Our place had a big lemon tree in front, a lovely terrace and a garden filled with lavender. All for about $65.00. Clean, modern and basic. Had a small kitchen we didn't use. If you want to book ahead of time, they can be reached at indo@apartmani-navigator.com . On our second day, we walked back to their office and booked little convertible to tour the island. They only had stick shift. Luckily, it all came back to Scott quickly because the island is really hilly with hairpin turns and very few guardrails. We went to a little fishing village on the other side of the island. Also, lot of vineyards and areas with olive trees. Stopped at a little vineyard and bought a bottle of white wine. Had some great meals- One at Villa Kaliopa, located in a 16th century garden, Konoba Dalminica- On the beach outside of Vis town, and a great place in town that had wood fired pizzas- Nona something. Dinner every night is really fresh grilled fish- lots of fish we haven't seen before inlcuidng a very ugly scorpion fish and vegetables. Also good Italian food.
Korcula- Two days. From Vis, in order to get to Korcula, we had to take a ferry back to Split, which was a bit of a pain. We were able to take a high speed this time. The ferry schedule is less than ideal, but may be better in July and August during the major tourist season. From Spit we went to Korcula, which, along with Verona and a few other places, boasts of being Marco Polo's birthplace. We were again fortunate to find a great apartment using tourist office. This one was attached to a home, a little above the city. Owner picked us up. Name is Mirislav Milosovich. Modern, clean, etc. Private bath, as did the one on Vis. Great Old City. Interesting places. Jewelry stores specialize in filigree which they say is made on the island. On our second day, we took a boat to the island of Mljet, with is a National Park. Made the arrangemetns through a tourist office. Any of the tourist offices will do this. Took too long to get there, but once we were there, was fun. bicycled, looked at ruins, and swam in an inland salt water lake. Nice lunch on the harbor and back at the end of the day. Best dinner on Korcula was at Adio Mare. Terrace upstairs.
Dubrovnik- Two days- Scott booked ahead of time. Great apartment on Zudioska Street. http://www.apartmentspavisa.com/ or davorka.pavisa@au.t-com.hr . Owner was nice and very accommodating. Zudioska means Jewish and the apartment was up the stairs from the synagogue. Other than the synagogue, not much Jewish life left in Dubrovnik. The city was really impacted by the war in the 90's and was under siege from 1991-1995. Had a great time walking the walls and the old city. Lots of cruise ships dock and very crowded during the day. At night, everyone walks on the main street. We went to a small concert in a candlelight church near the entrance tot he walls. Went to Buza bar to have a drink. My favorite jewelry store for interesting beaded jewelry was also called Buza. Ate great meals a bit away from the tourist frenzy. Our favorite restaurant was Konoba Kamenice. Liked it so much, went twice. Great value, huge amount of mussels. Great salad. Right on the market square.
And then... on to Dublin.
We began in Munich and spent our time in a little village a hour away where the conference was held. No one in their right mind would begin a trip to Croatia in Munich, so ignore that part. We also ended our trip in Dublin. Why, you might ask? Because we needed a place to fly back to the states from on Delta, I found a cheap Air Lingus flight to Dublin, and we had never been to Dublin. Loved Dublin. Again, normal folks would not likely take that path! So, on to Croatia. A few notes: Cash is the order of the day. Lots of places on the islands especially did not take credit cards. Even shops and restaurants. Most places will take the local currency or Euros. It was hot, even in June. We made sure all of the places we stayed had air conditioning, even the apartments described below.
Split- One day. Lovely city, stayed in a basic hotel that was recommended in Rick Steve's book. Villa Varos. Simple and well located near the Diocletian's Palace. Interesting city with a great outdoor market. Good jumping off place to go to the islands.
Vis- Two days. Took ferry to Vis, the furthest of the islands. I liked this place best. Quiet and unspoiled. When we got off the ferry, went to Navigator Tourist agency. They booked us into a great little apartment in Kut, the old city. Our place had a big lemon tree in front, a lovely terrace and a garden filled with lavender. All for about $65.00. Clean, modern and basic. Had a small kitchen we didn't use. If you want to book ahead of time, they can be reached at indo@apartmani-navigator.com . On our second day, we walked back to their office and booked little convertible to tour the island. They only had stick shift. Luckily, it all came back to Scott quickly because the island is really hilly with hairpin turns and very few guardrails. We went to a little fishing village on the other side of the island. Also, lot of vineyards and areas with olive trees. Stopped at a little vineyard and bought a bottle of white wine. Had some great meals- One at Villa Kaliopa, located in a 16th century garden, Konoba Dalminica- On the beach outside of Vis town, and a great place in town that had wood fired pizzas- Nona something. Dinner every night is really fresh grilled fish- lots of fish we haven't seen before inlcuidng a very ugly scorpion fish and vegetables. Also good Italian food.
Korcula- Two days. From Vis, in order to get to Korcula, we had to take a ferry back to Split, which was a bit of a pain. We were able to take a high speed this time. The ferry schedule is less than ideal, but may be better in July and August during the major tourist season. From Spit we went to Korcula, which, along with Verona and a few other places, boasts of being Marco Polo's birthplace. We were again fortunate to find a great apartment using tourist office. This one was attached to a home, a little above the city. Owner picked us up. Name is Mirislav Milosovich. Modern, clean, etc. Private bath, as did the one on Vis. Great Old City. Interesting places. Jewelry stores specialize in filigree which they say is made on the island. On our second day, we took a boat to the island of Mljet, with is a National Park. Made the arrangemetns through a tourist office. Any of the tourist offices will do this. Took too long to get there, but once we were there, was fun. bicycled, looked at ruins, and swam in an inland salt water lake. Nice lunch on the harbor and back at the end of the day. Best dinner on Korcula was at Adio Mare. Terrace upstairs.
Dubrovnik- Two days- Scott booked ahead of time. Great apartment on Zudioska Street. http://www.apartmentspavisa.com/ or davorka.pavisa@au.t-com.hr . Owner was nice and very accommodating. Zudioska means Jewish and the apartment was up the stairs from the synagogue. Other than the synagogue, not much Jewish life left in Dubrovnik. The city was really impacted by the war in the 90's and was under siege from 1991-1995. Had a great time walking the walls and the old city. Lots of cruise ships dock and very crowded during the day. At night, everyone walks on the main street. We went to a small concert in a candlelight church near the entrance tot he walls. Went to Buza bar to have a drink. My favorite jewelry store for interesting beaded jewelry was also called Buza. Ate great meals a bit away from the tourist frenzy. Our favorite restaurant was Konoba Kamenice. Liked it so much, went twice. Great value, huge amount of mussels. Great salad. Right on the market square.
And then... on to Dublin.
