Now I know you’ve slept since my last blog ……but do you remember ? I ended it with- this photo ( or similar) …. but gave you no more information!
Well………YES you’ve got it ! I am on the top photo because we actually spent a week on that yacht…..and yes, I know what you’re thinking ….you? On a yacht like that ? That’s Russian Oligarch material ! Well so be it – but yes, the DB ( and for our new followers, the Dearly Beloved, my other half, Nick!!!) and I were spending a week on this beautiful ship cruising the Croatian Coast from Dubrovnik to Venice
A word to any burglars reading this – too late , we’re home ……and anyway we have the added protection ….
My nose has just stared to elongate ……I wonder why…😜😜😜
So let’s get back to what I need to tell you – though by now you’ve realised I do go “off piste” more often than not !!!! The trip started uneventfully. After I can’t remember how many years now, we know not to take liquids over 100 ml on board a plane, and all our electronic equipment must be visible in a tray….well, it would seem that the majority of the general population missed that memo…still! No, don’t bother to ask me because I don’t know the answer ….anyway back to us ( she who knows the rules, had packed everything to ensure all liquids and electrical equipment could be easily seen) A breeze (or so I thought 🙈) until Mr Very Serious Security Officer ( who’s sense of humour if he ever had one had suddenly dispersed ) watching intently over any forbidden items said to me “ Bag too big”……so the few items in my oversized Tesco ( supermarket chain in the UK, other supermarkets are available) zip freezer bag were moved ( easily) into one of the airport security regulation bags. Again, don’t ask me why , rules and regulations I’m guessing 🙄🙄🙄….
Anyway, we get through relatively unscathed ….our flight to Brussels is delayed…and delayed again …with an onward flight to Dubrovnik to catch you can imagine the tension rising! Eventually however, we finally get on the plane , only to discover we are seated a few seats away from an Everton and Belgium football player ……..he was a delightful young man and more than happy to chat to my neighbour ( clearly a massive football fan) for the entirety of the flight.
So we arrive at Brussels Airport Terminal 1 – but we have to go to Terminal 2 to pass through passport control( as we are entering the Schengen Zone ) before returning to Terminal 1 again to catch our onward flight …..running all the way. Fortunately, our next flight was delayed by 15 minutes so we didn’t miss it!
We eventually arrived at our home for the next week……the luxury yacht! We were to travel north along the coast of Croatia finally arriving in Venice after one week. Whilst the yacht looks pretty big, it was able to enter all but two ports. At these ports we anchored just outside, and a “ tender boat” would take passengers to and from the ship.
In order to give you an idea of our trip , as I’ve done previously, I’m going to do it in photos …..so here we go…..this blog will cover our journey from Korcula to Split……
You may wonder how I know this – well the Romans were very clever. They built Korcula’s street like a fish skeleton- with one central street and streets coming off either side to the east and west. The troublesome winds on Korcula come from the west, so those streets were built in a higgledy piggledy fashion to act as a defence against the winds. The side streets to the east go straight to the sea as you can see in each photo.
We left Korcula on Sunday evening ….the ship was in good hands…
The bridge was open to visitors most of the time, and it was fascinating to see how the Captain and his team manoeuvred the ship in and out of ports.
And so Day 1 of our trip ended and we set sail for Split , where we were due to arrive a 0800 on Monday morning. I was up and ready to watch us sail into port – there were several small boats around and one very large monstrosity which looked from a distance like an oil rig . Before I realised what it was , I heard from a tannoy “ Unidentified vessel approaching, unidentified vessel approaching….this is the US Navy…..stay clear……” Little did I realise at the time this was the USA’s largest nuclear powered aircraft carrier ,the USS Gerald R Ford! Clearly no one had told the officer in charge about us ( they demand a 500 metre exclusion zone) – anyway no shots were fired you’ll be pleased to hear!
Split is the second largest city of Croatia, but the largest city of the Croatian Coast. The Palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian ( visible to the left of the red roofed building at the front of the picture) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – so we went to visit it!
When the Romans were in residence, this room was next to their dining room. We saw part of the dining table in one of the museums …..a very strange affair …it resembled a marble bird bath but built for a bird the size of a giant ostrich. This is because the Romans laid down on their sides to eat, so the table needed a lip around the edge to catch anything they spilt ….really! They also had 20 courses at a meal ….unmanageable of course , so the room next to the dining served as a vomitarium ….and no I am not joking 🥴🥴disgusting. Moving swiftly on….
So back to the ship for an afternoon of relaxation…….
We left Split that evening to sail further up the coast to the island of Hvar where we anchored off shore for the day……but you’ll have to wait to hear about our adventures there until next time …..I’ll leave you with the following as it is relevant to our next day!
Camino Romero 