May 31, 2018
We walked laps on the track as the ship approached through the islands toward Dubrovnik. The ship will be docked for two days at the Port of Gruž near Dubrovnik, Croatia, our second port in Croatia. The ship docked after 10 a.m. It was only 242 nautical miles from Zadar. The temperature was about 24°C, lower humidity than yesterday, very little cloud, a little wind and not much of a thin inland haze. We only accumulated 3,155 steps which equals 2.35 km before our tour.
In port were the cruise ships: MSC Lirica; AidaBlu; Marella Celebration and the large yacht, CroisiMer Le Belle de l‘Adriatique. Our Dalmatian Coastline and Wine Tasting tour started at 10:30 a.m. leaving the port and traversing the 2010 Dr. Tudmama suspension bridge and going north over the river Ombla, which empties into the Adriatic Sea near where our ship is docked, and along the Dalmatian Coast. The ship is docked at the river’s mouth. Our guide was Ivana. She told us that today is a holiday – Corpus Christie Day. The majority of the city’s buildings are a cream colour with red tile roofs. The dominant building material is limestone. We learned that 60% of Dubrovnik was destroyed in an earthquake in the 1600s. There are 1,182 islands along the Dalmatian coast, but only 66 are inhabited. Most were created from earthquakes and lava. Dubrovnik was a rich area in the middle ages, due to its production of salt from a series of salt flats in and around the city. Today there are 70,000 people living in Dubrovnik, which is the fifth largest city in Croatia. Until 1358 Dubrovnik and the surrounding area was ruled by the Venetians, then became Republic of Dubrovnik and paid protection money to the Ottoman Sultan to not be attacked and continue its commercial activities with Europe and Asia. In the 17thcentury Dubrovnik suffered severe damage in an earthquake and was invaded by the French under Napoléon Bonaparte in 1808.
The first top was in the village of Orašac about 12 km from Dubrovnik. Here we were shown an old olive crusher and press that are still operational. The press and mill have been there for over 200 years. The olives are collected in coconut fiber bags. We were shown by the small horse, Bella, and her owner how the horse was harnessed to double stones that would crush the olives into a mash, which is then transferred a few meters to the olive press. The mashing process takes about 45 minutes. After three revolutions, Bella, was unharnessed and rewarded with Carob pods from visitors’ hands, before returning to her stall. The olive mash was then pressed by two men turn a post, with handles, and pushed the handles around the post, to push down the press to expel the oil. This is cold pressed and removes 70% of the oil from the olives creating virgin olive oil. It is removed from the collection pit and placed in stone or stainless steel containers. Then hot water is added to the mash and the process repeated. Then the collection pit has olive oil floating on the water. The olive oil is skimmed off and used to produce soap. In southern Croatia, 70% of the olives for the oil are black and 30% green, while in northern Croatia the olive oil is made from green olives. The olive oil is aged just 15 days before it can be used. Unlike wine, olive oil does not get better with age and should be used by one year. It takes eight to ten years from a seedling to an olive tree to produce usable olives. In October the olives are Green, they are red in November and turn black in December.
Next, we were ushered through the family vegetable garden with bushes of artichokes, tomatoes, with good sized green fruit showing, zucchini and a dozen other vegetables. Tables were set for the group where we were presented with a small lettuce salad sprinkled with olive oil and fresh bread. Each four person place setting was given a platter of thinly sliced prosciutto, zucchini slices, tomato wedges, two different types of cheese triangles on a bed of lettuce. There was water and red wine to drink.
The next stop was the town of Ston, a 40 minute drive away. The town was protected by an impressive wall but not all of it remains in place today. There is enough of it remaining to hold an annual marathon on the wall. We saw a few wind turbines on the low mountains. We drove along a pretty coastal road. When the Romans ruled the area, in the second to fourth centuries, they first developed the sea salt trade. Salt was as valuable as gold then and into the middle ages and Renaissance. We passed Salno, the port where the Republic of Dubrovnik traded their salt. The local merchants did not want traders to see the place where the salt was produced. There are salt flats is Ston, where salt production is done the ancient way, by flooding shallow limestone lined ponds with sea water and waiting for the water to evaporate. There were 53 ponds at full medieval production, but just eight ponds are used now. In the 13thcentury a stone wall around the town was started and complete in the 17thcentury. We peaked in to the small Catholic church of Blaise in the town. Then stopped for a Croatian beer and wine-Rukatac Pelješac Kuna. There was not enough time to download more than one day of emails. The grapes grown in Croatia are the Plavac Mali grapes, which are a cousin to the Zinfandel grape.
On the way back to Dubrovnik we stopped at the small winery of Rozolin where they have 10 acres of vineyards. Olive oil is also made here. The wine that they produce is dry and strong from the minerals in the soil. The alcohol content is 13 to 14 %. As the group entered the cooler presentation room we were offered dried fig jelly in a tiny paper cup in preparation for the wine tasting. First we were offered a flavoured liqueur, 25% alcohol, made from the Plavac Mali grapes. The choices were walnut, lemon, orange and peach. Then we moved on to the wine cellars lined with oak barrels. The first wine was white. It was served with small pieces of delicious white bread. To start we sipped the wine and noted the flavor, then we ate some bread then sipped again and noticed the different taste from the same glass of wine.
Red wine glasses were then given to us with the younger of the red wines, served with cheese, followed by an older red wine. Then it was back outside to 27°C, sun, moderate wind and some humidity. Steps 6,146 or 4.57 km. The bus took us to a light seafood lunch at Vila Koruna in Maliston. The meal was served to the group in a partly enclosed patio, we were served a plate contained three shells. One contained spinach pasta and mussel pieces, another had fried rice with small mussel bits and the third was some lettuce with an olive oil dressing. This was served with very good house white wine. Dessert was Croatian cream cake. That was the end of the stops and the drive back to Dubrovnik was about an hour. Distance walked was 6.22 km or 8,355 steps.
In port, when we returned from the tour, were now the cruise ships: MSC Sinfonia, Marella Celebration and the yacht, CroisiMer Le belle de l‘Adriatique.
We freshened up and went to the Oceanview Café for a light dinner. We needed to be on the pier at 6:45 to cruise on a galleon replica ship from Port of Gruž to the walled Old Town of Dubrovnik. The bus drove the passengers about 500 meters to the galleon ship, Tirena’s berth. The Tirena pulled away from the dock a few minutes later and the crew brought a glass of Prosecco for the passengers. The journey took us along the jagged coastline for 45 minutes before turning into the bay and protected harbour of Dubrovnik’s Old Town port. After a quick orientation from the guide, we had two hours to wander through the lively streets of Old Town. It was still warm, you didn’t even need a sweater. When we entered the square, you could hear sound from the cathedral as the tower clock chimed eight. At the cathedral there was a full Corpus Christie Day mass being held and then a procession through the square to the church of St. Blaise. It was a long procession which included priests and the bishop walking under a canopy carried by four priests, nuns, children in communion finery, an adult choir in white blouses or shirts and white pants, boy and girl scouts and the congregation. We strolled up 53 stairs for a viewpoint of the water and the islands beyond, then found cobbled streets to explore. We saw the first cats of our cruise in Dubrovnik. They seem to be wild, the guide said that they like the fish. They all looked in good health and were well groomed. We saw Fort Lovrijenac, which was the Game of Thrones setting for King’s Landing in the second season. We could see the cable car climb the steep hill, Srđ mountain, above Dubrovnik. Up on Srđ mountain, at the cable car terminus, is the Imperial Fort, built on the site of the old church of St . Srđ, by the French in 1806-07.The entrance to climb up onto the old walk surrounding Dubrovnik were closed for the day, but we climbed up the stairs to the higher streets, about 69 steps, and got a view of the town below. We found the north gate and walked out of the walled town and looked around the main street, noting that there was a Hilton hotel not far away.
When we returned to the walled Old Town we found a gelato shop and ordered a gelato cone each. It was still a warm evening and there were lots of people still in the streets as the religious event finished about 9:30. We returned to the old port and people were taking photos of the galleon ship as our group gathered to return back to our own cruise ship.
The return galleon cruise from the Dubrovnik Old Town port to Port of Gruž was in the dark. The moon was rising just after 10 p.m. and was a dark red orange as the galleon turned north toward Port of Gruž. The galleon ship docked in front of Celebrity Constellation to allow the 35 passengers to get off. The only other ship docked was the yacht, CroisiMer Le belle de l‘Adriatique. We were too late for the only show of the evening at 10:15 featuring Jayne Curry.
Final daily steps 20,762 for 15.45 km
Comments
Post a Comment