Almanac Travel (and Footy Tips): Sal’s Travel Diary 2024 – Pompeii to the Dalmatian Coast and Round 20 Tips

Greetings All,

Greetings Caecilius!

After the train and plane we arrived in Naples – an incredibly busy airport and we needed to get to the railway station to pick up our rental car.  The whole place is busy but eventually we negotiated ourselves around the station and found our way to the car – taking off with some trepidation towards Pompeii – the streets were hectic, drivers insane and pedestrians with a death wish.  Eventually it all worked and we were quickly onto the Autostrada arriving in Pompeii about 30 minutes later.  We had booked into the Hotel Forum, right across the road from the Archeological Park and very comfortable, with a beautiful lemon garden to enjoy a beverage or meal in.

But we had a car and the Amalfi Coast beckoned, so after Susannah had a vino, and I a water (did not want any alcohol before driving again) we took off towards Sorrento.  After driving through a couple of very long tunnels the coast exposed itself.  What a sight!  Lorne markets itself as where the mountains meet the sea, they are gentle hills compared this.  The drive around the road not dissimilar to the Great Ocean Road except that the drivers are nuts and the motorcyclists downright lunatics!  Even when the roads did have a line to seperate each way, it made little difference.  They all drive aggressively and with a enormous amount of trust in the other drivers and somehow it all works, despite all the craziness we did not see one accident here in Italy, apart from the van that simply backed into a parked motorbike and just drove away after extricating himself from a car park.

We took the turn down to Sorrento, once we got into the town it was not as busy as we expected but finding a car park was a science in itself so we headed off towards Positano.  More great scenery as approached.  With cars parked well before we reached the town.  We slid off the main road onto the laneway leading into town and found a park a little further on and trekked down to the beach.  What a scene, absolutely packed with tourists and Italian was a second language as Americans and Australians had virtually colonised the place.  With that the prices were more than we had seen also, but it was time for a drink on the Positano Promenade –  Susannah with the dry, white wine and I relented with a local Amalfi beer, figuring alcohol would better prepare me for the drive back!  We finished up with the obligatory bit of shopping and even a bit of bartering which was fun.  Then back up the hill to the car and the drive back.

Dinner was at Hotel Sole where we were attended to by Salvatore.  Our view of the wine list was disrupted by another senior waiter who recommended a reserve wine from the slopes of Vesuvius.  It was a great recommendation and complimented our respective Pizza and Gnocchi choices.  An early night beckoned with our tour of the Scavi (ruins) the next day.

Our early morning walk was to scout out our meeting point for later covered the 1300m in a pleasant 23 degrees, by the time we returned to meet our guide it was into the thirties.  We headed of with our guide Bruno into the ruins, absolutely fascinating as he took us through the forum, temples, baths, houses, markets and more,  Pointing out the road system, including stepping stones across the roads for pedestrians, a predecessor to the zebra crossings we use today.

The details exposed of some of the frescos on the walls was exquisite.  Ultimately though this was the site of tragedy and there was no greater symbol of that than the plaster mouldings of bodies recreated from the spaces in which they were found during the excavations.  On view was how they had surrendered to the outcome and in one case a person sitting covering their face to protect themselves from the toxic fumes.

 The inhabitants had no idea of the danger Vesuvius presented the last time it blew its stack was 1000 years earlier but he did give out a warning 17 years earlier with a big earthquake in 62AD.  The town reduced from 20,000 to only 5,000 after that with those remaining left to rebuild.  The rebuild is indicated wherever you can see brickworks as the Roman had developed a great technique.  Alas in 79AD he delivered destroying Pompeii along with a number of town in the area and pushing the shoreline 2km from the town.

Our time with Bruno finished but we had more to see.  We were both students of Latin at school and the Cambridge University Press text books are still in use today.  I guess there has been little update to Latin for a while!   We had to find the home of Caecilius, Google Maps came in handy and we were able to locate the house before we found our way out of the complex including going past the amphitheatre which is now used for concerts with one set for the evening.  Despite the oppressive heat we were so glad to explore more on our own, even though we were a couple of ancient ruins ourselves once completed.

Once recuperated we enjoyed a drink in the lemon garden before embarking on our final culinary journey in Italy. We found Stuzzico by Lucius down the street were we received personal service from the chef who turned out to be Luigi.  We went with his recommendation of ravioli filled wth Monkfish and a dry ricotta, followed by linguini in a tomato sauce served with spada (swordfish).  Great food, wine and service but it was time to shutdown with an early morning departure to Croatia.

To reach our boat in Split we had to drive to Naples, catch a train to Rome and then fly to Split.  The railway stations at Naples and Rome are incredible moving so many around the country and across borders.  Our train was a Freciarossa service from Naples the second fastest service in Italy but faster than any of our services.  After this it is no brainer that we should invest in this type of rail for Australia especially up and down the Eastern Seaboard.  Then from Rome a direct train service to the airport – say no more.  Our Air Croatia flight to Split was delayed as we took the bus across the tarmac to the Dash 8, some trepidation about the propeller jet, but it was a smooth flight and we said arrivaderci Italia and hello to Croatia.

A couple of notes on Italy.  We had a minor incident outside the Vatican but apart from that we felt safe and secure, we were quite vigilant throughout.  We were expecting prices to be over the top, apart from a bit of Pompeii and Positano we found most of the food and beverages cheaper than what we would pay at home.  The weather was definitely hot but did not stop us from doing activities, but we certainly learnt about the value of siesta!  Can’t wait to get back there.

Across the Adriatic!

Our arrival into Split, Croatia was delayed but were eventually delivered to the MS Prestige which was to be our home for the next 3 days as we sailed to Dubrovnik, Croatia.  We checked onto the boat and split as soon as we could to take in a little of the city.  This is a party town with many boats anchored and people from around the world exploring and getting ready to make the most of the Split evening.  We were on limited time as we had to return to the boat for the cruise briefing and Captain’s dinner.

Ivana our cruise manager told us of the various rules and regulations that were there to be broken, apart from one.  Be back on the boat by 5:00am or you might miss departure, even if you did Ivana had ways and means to get you back anyway.  Just might be at a cost.  For most of the year Ivana is a teacher, this is her summer job.  It is mandatory in Croatia for children to learn two foreign languages, her English is good though very economic with words. While the dinner might not have been the best food on the trip, we did get to meet the other 38 guests aboard and crew.  Including Stipe (sti-pay) a young man with the key task of running the bar and Ivan who was the boat’s Giligan.  A couple of those guests would become out best friends over the next three days and we expect it won’t end there.

The first were Jennie and Karen travelling together from Boise (boy-see), Idaho and Mike and Julie from Scottsdale, Arizona – originally Chicago.  With thanks to the four them we are now up to date with the world of Pickle Ball.

Our first stop would be at Bol, Brac, Croatia.  Nearby is Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn) a famous beach that changes its shape and location with the wind.  Our transport was a road train for 4 Euros, given the impression any other means would be too expensive.  We were told this was a sand beach, well it was provided you can call 5-10mm pebbles grains of sand!  They were small and smooth so getting to the water was not an issue.  Once in it was fantastic, about 24 degrees and you were neck deep after wading in about 5m.  Any further though and you understood the changing nature of the beach as the bottom would shift away with the current.  A great spot a quick swim and get back to the boat, a bit easier and quicker to return with the water taxi at the same price as the train!

It was off to the next stop Jelsa, Croatia on the island Hvar.  A delightful small town with all the usual bars, restaurants and shops to cater for the visitors from the boats, the holiday apartments and campground nearby.  Incredibly our first stop was a wine bar Prošperin Jelsa, in arranging a table for the two of us the waiter’s opening comment was “how do you like this spot?”  Croatian’s are so proud of their country and what they have.  They are also very proud of their wine, not that easy to find foreign wines but we are not looking for them.  Our intention has been to experience the local drops and they should be justifiably proud,  I am particularly impressed by the white and Susannah the Rose

A couple from the boat who were on an anniversary cruise, advised us of a nice restaurant around the point.  We duly made bookings at Mina Beach Bar & Restaurant with four of our now closest friends.  We all enjoyed a superb dinner and local wines.  I chose the Seafood Risotto, Susannah the Grilled Calamari with Vegetables and shared a Watermelon, Pine nut and Goat cheese salad.  The white wine we shared was from a vineyard 200m up the hill.

It was about a 15 minute walk back to the boat so  a nightcap along the way was the plan as we walked back with Jennie and Karen.  Susannah and I were told to “watch our stuff” as the two girls dove into the silky, black water below.  We eventually made it to a bar where we left the girls advising a couple of young bucks from the boat on how to achieve their mission for the evening.

An early morning departure had everyone up and about as the engine kicks in and we search for our swim stop. We sail admiring the rocky coastline of the Croatian islands, words can’t describe the beauty of the place but hopefully the pictures help. To secure the boat we drop anchor while Giligan dives in with the end of rope and swims about 50m to tie us up to the rocky shore.  The water is clear, clean and a perfect temperature.  After about an hour we head in for lunch and set sail for our next stop Korcula on the island of the same name.  All the boats are tied together in the harbour over night, in Jelsa there would have been about five.  Korcula would have had at least a dozen.  There was a bit more of a program here.

We were shuffled off to a couple of buses and headed to the Vitis winery about 15 minutes away.  The views across the water were stunning with wines to match.  All the wines were made from grape varieties native to Croatia, the white was a Grk (yes Grk) I thought the pick of them.  The Rose (Susannah’s pick) and the red were made from Plavac Mali.  While they love their wines, the difficulty in growing and harvesting on the slopes keeps volumes at a level that cannot support exports.  Reckon they are just keeping it for themselves!

It was back on the bus for our tour of Korcula, the birthplace of Marco Polo.  Inside the wall we learnt about the Winds of Croatia and how it effects so much of life here, they all have a name Bur?, Jugo, Maestral and Levant just to name a few.  Jugo blows from the south-east off the Sahara and across the Mediterranean, bringing humidity, rain and thunderstorms.  Apparently it also brings a change in mood, fjaka (weakness) so it is recommended not to make decisions when Jugo is blowing.  www.sail-Croatia.com/resources/winds-in-croatia.  The layout of the city is like a fish skeleton with a Main Street and all the the laneways feeding of that.  On one side all the lanes are straight to allow the good wind straight in to the town to keep it cool, while on the other side they are curved to protect from Jugo.

We had been recommend a bar with a difference, Massimo Cocktail Bar, Old Town Kor?ula, in the turret of a watch tower looking over the water.  Our initial attempt to enter was blocked by a number of bookings from other boats docked in the city.  So we found a bar looking directly at it watching orders going down the pulleys on pegs while the drinks went up via the pulleys on trays.  Thought we would attack again after dinner so we found an excellent restaurant on the water’s edge, Aurora where we enjoyed Tuna Tartare, Oysters, Tuna with Polenta and home made pasta with shellfish.

Space had cleared out so up we went to Massimo, to find many of our other sailing compatriots already there and had a great time.  Valuable advice was provided that I should go up the ladder after Susannah!  We left the turret with the night still young, so negotiated with the crew to allow us a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy on the top deck before retiring for our last day of sailing.  We were leaving the cruise at half time with along with Jennie, Karen, Mike and Julie.  In the morning the boat would return with the rest of the gang back through different ports to Split.

We sailed through magnificent scenery before our final swim before docking in Dubrovnik for our Game of Thrones experience.  We had such a great time on the boat and the islands of Croatia are just stunning!

Selections

Plava, Macke, Lavoovi, Bombarderi, Divovi, Dokeri, Svrake, Labudovi, Jastrebovi

Ici Plavo, Idite Fratri

Cheers, Sal

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Comments

1. Peter_B says

   July 26, 2024 at 9:09 am

   Superb. Thanks Sal. The Avenging Eagle was born in Makarska an hour’s drive south of Split. Croatia is heaven on a stick as you observe. We had lunch on the waterfront in Jelsa on Hvar this time last year. Enjoy a pivo (beer) – the national drop Karlovac’ko has the slogan “big beer for a little country”. Much like it’s footballers and athletes. Croatia punches above it’s weight on all fronts.
2. Colin Ritchie says

   July 27, 2024 at 9:56 am

   Thanks once again Sal, you really are whetting my appetite! Loved my time in Sorrento, Positino, Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. Wonderful places.
3. Karen Bauer says

   July 28, 2024 at 11:47 pm

   This is so awesome, Sal! You are a gifted writer and I’m already swimming in great memories!!