Today we disembarked from the yacht and got a coach through Croatia to the capital Zagreb. Here our tour split – some to get flights to their further travels and others to the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb. Mum and I were in the latter group as our flight wasn’t until the next day. Travelling to Zagreb The Esplanade Hotel was built in 1925 to provide accommodation for passengers of the famous Orient Express between Paris and Istanbul. It isn’t half posh! The entry foyer is all ma

We left Mali Lošinj early this morning, but not as early as we had left Zadar. We were en-route to Pula over some rough seas. Not as rough as two days ago but the waves were crashing over the portholes in our cabin (we are on the lowest deck). I gave up on having a shower as the door kept wanting to open and was hitting me – I had a bruise to prove it! Once we finished crossing open water and were in the lee of a couple of islands things got a bit calmer and we managed to set

We stayed at Mali Lošinj today. Apparently one of our neighbours had sailed from Pula during the storm and the waves had been up over the decks – I’m glad we hadn’t been out in that. As we were going to be stuck here all day our tour director had arranged for us to visit the local museum dedicated to the Croatian Apoxyomenos. This is a bronze statue from the 1 st or 2 nd century BC which depicts a Grecian athlete scraping sweat and dust from his body with the small curved i

We left Zadar very early this morning – there was a strong storm moving in and the Captain wanted to try to get to Pula ahead of the storm. The sea was very bouncy – it didn’t really agree with me. As I was feeling overheated, although my skin felt cool, I laid down on the bench seating at the back of the yacht and dozed. After a while I was feeling better but when I went inside I found that all the chairs had been knocked akimbo by the bouncy conditions. The Captain decided

Moored at Šibenik We overnighted in Šibenik and this morning travelled to Krka National Park. This park runs along the 73 km Krka River from the mountains of the Croatian interior to the Adriatic Sea near Šibenik. The park includes the canyons, travertine barriers, lakes and 17 waterfalls of the Krka River. The coach arrived at the Krka National Park and had to check that it was allowed to proceed to our destination. This is because the road down is only wide enough for one

We left Split this morning and headed further North along the coast to Šibenik. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatian self-governing cities and, unlike the Greek-founded Dubrovnik and Split, was founded by Croats. In the 11 th and 12 th centuries Šibenik changed hands frequently between Venice, Byzantium and Hungary. This culminated in a three-year war where Venice reigned supreme and ruled here until the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797 which brought Šibenik under th

It was wet this morning. We had breakfast whilst watching the rain hammer down before we congregated in the restaurant/indoor lounge to wait for the coach to arrive. When the coach arrived it was a hurried scurry over to it – just like being back in Vietnam! The coach took us up the coast road to Omiš. Omis is a town at the mouth of the river Cetina, dating as far back as 2,000 years. A big part of Omis’s history involves pirates! Argh!! In the 12 th and 13 th centuries, t

I had a lie in this morning – until 7am! Then headed up for breakfast as we waved farewell to Ploce’s unloaders ☹. Views when Sailing We travelled this morning to the island of Brač, the largest island in Central Dalmatia. This island is known for its lovely stone beaches and is covered with forests of cypress trees. Brač was first populated by the Croatian people in the 7 th century, with the island becoming part of the Croatian Kingdom of King Tomislav in the 10 th centur

Leaving Korčula I’m feeling better today but still not 100%. We couldn’t go to Opuzen as, due to the rain yesterday morning, the boat can’t fit under a bridge! What a difference to the European Gems cruise where we couldn’t get the boat from Amsterdam due to low water levels! However all was not lost, we went to Polce instead. As we approached Polce what did I see but the lovely view of unloaders, conveyors and stackers! And they were working! The ones at Port Talbot have sto

We left Sipan this morning. There had been a storm last night with sheet lightening. Neither Mum nor I had seen or heard a thing! However, all the seating on the lounge deck had been blown to one side and a plant pot had fallen over, going by the wee pile of stones and soil on the deck. We left Sipan and travelled to a small bay on a peninsula of the mainland for a swim. I noticed last night that I had caught the sun on my back and today had a headache – probably from overdoi

Today was the day when we finally sailed from Dubrovnik! However, before we continued on our journey North we had a treat - sailing South to view the old town from the sea. A great photo opportunity whilst enjoying champagne and chocolates. Dubrovnik Old Town From Sea Then we sailed North along the coast to the Elaphiti Islands. It was a very relaxing journey, Mum and I spent most of the day on the lounge deck enjoying the view and either reading or writing our holiday diarie

Today we had to wake up early for breakfast (again) as the coach to Kotor was leaving at 8:00am. It’s a long journey – 3hrs there and 3hrs back. Mum is grumbling about big bully ships – I’d better keep an eye on her when we get to Kotor! View over Dubrovnik Old Town The coach trip to Kotor was long, but we had Ivana with us to keep us entertained! On the way we took the coastal road which had some lovely views, and some not-so-lovely drops on the sea side! We passed Cavtat wi