You can quote me on this:
Croatia is everything I wish Italy was. But better.
It is very quiet. Very few tourists.
There are ships docked along the waterfront, and the harbor rules state no loud music or parties.
And it is enforced.
So it is very quiet and peaceful.
An easy place, everything is relaxed and slow; English is spoken most places, and Italian helps. "Dobra dan" still works, as does “hvala."
It feels like vacation has started. The weeks in Eastern Europe were interesting, but we were always busy looking and exploring and learning and thinking. History and museums and architecture, the Romans, the Communists, the Serbs and Muslims…
But here.
Here we are taking a vacation from our vacation.
Here we can see the entire town in five minutes. Oh sure there is some history to be had. But really, all there is to do is sit. Sit and watch, sit and listen. Relax and absorb. Pay attention to the small details.
No planning, or touring, or deciding which sight to see or what metro to take.
The very difficult decisions to make today: Sit or lay on the beach? Swim or float? Sun or shade? Nap or read? White or red wine? (White pairs best with breakfast.)
Breakfast: every day for breakfast we have to decide which harbor-front table to sit at.
We have a menu of items to choose from, but I get the smoked ham with three eggs, sunny side up, and orange juice, every morning.
Simple.
We are four floors up, room 6, with a stone patio looking out over the harbor and Viška Luka - Vis Bay. It is eight flights of stairs that zig-zag back and forth. But it is worth it.
Sunrises are best from here, but the sitting at night is spectacular.
The room is nice, good sized, and the best set up of any room so far. They lent us beach towels, we have a refrigerator, cork screw and wine glasses, and great WiFi, and they did our laundry free (hung up out on the wires off the patio for the village to admire).
So life is good great.
They even supply upgraded “scratch” and plenty of it. (White with little green swirly designs, but same “scratchy” texture. Good for smoothing off the rough spots…)
You should trust me: if you stay here request room 6. We checked out the others, and this is the best.
We are enjoying dinners at Nona Darinka, just up the alley from us. The first night Gail had salad, and I had a green pasta with Adriatic shrimp. A liter of the local white Vugava house wine and we were set. The shrimp pasta was amazing, shrimp so fresh they were practically swimming in the sauce. A nice bonus was mineral water with unlimited ice!
The second night she had cucumbers and the home made bread (which was fantastic - see the photo) while I had the shrimp gnocchi, which was different from, but every bit as good as the pasta. I had a half liter of the local red Plavic wine, Gail had the white, and at the end they comped us two local drinks, probably because we are now “regulars." Mine was strong, Gail's was sweet.
The third night, more of the same...
But, while we are relaxed we didn't want to get into too much of a rut. So we changed things up on the food front.
Still,
I am eating simpler and better. Delicious simple foods done really well, so I eat slower, eat less, but am really satisfied. Even the house wine is simple yet elegant.
The island many vineyards.
We were thinking of renting a scooter and going to the wineries in the center of the island. Instead, we became friends with the local wine merchant. He has wine from the entire island, and after the first day he delighted in opening bottles for us to try. With each purchase we walked away with little extra gifts: the box of cookies we love, or little candied orange peel strips.
One time he even told us, “You can get this from the lady over there for 20 Kuna less…” but we bought from him, and he gave us the loyalty discount anyway. So we tasted our way around the island, staying right here in Vis.
The wines are all roughly in the same price range.
The Vugava grapes used to make white wine, are thought to have been bought to the island by the Greeks. My understanding from the wine store owner is that this is the only place in the world the Vugava grape is grown. It might be related to the French grape, Viognier.
We bought two bottles. One was easy drinking and very light, and Gail really loved it. The second was from the best producer, and was the most expensive bottle, costing about $4 more than the other bottle. It had more "taste" and was more balanced, and we liked it better with snacks.
The red wine grape, Plavac Mali, is a Croatian favorite. It is related to Zinfandel.
I bought one bottle that was really excellent, a well balanced red, light in color but intense in flavor, with a nice nose of oak and herbs (flowery). A second bottle was from a producer who bottled ony 800 bottles, so it is more "boutique." Both bottles are from top notch producers here on Vis, and both were priced the same. Again, they cost about $4 more than the most inexpensive bottle of red.
So those are the two wines grown here and served in restaurants. Even the house wines are really great.
You can pay extra for a favorite year or vineyard, but why?
FYI: There are also a lot of olive groves, and so olive oil from here is a big deal, and is excellent.
Hang out.
Imagine. The perfect temperature.
It is warm, warm as yesterday, as last night. Not a sweaty hot, but a gentle warmth that wraps you comfortably. Naked, I don't even sleep under a sheet, let alone a blanket which is not provided anyway.
We have the windows open, the door too, letting the breezes wash through.
It is 75 now. It will be 75 tomorrow about this same time.
High about 78 every day. Low about 73 every night. 63% humidity, warm enough to swim but not too sweaty. No mosquitoes.
The first morning I found five am coffee at the bakery. I get it direct from the baker. The waiters arrive at six. Shot of espresso, milk on the side. That way I can buy two espressos and custom make them.
By six the town is starting to wake up, backpackers dropping in and trash being emptied, the tables set up.
By 6:30 the music is on, and the first girl dressed nice with high heels clicks in.
The early morning ferry out is starting to load up.
Scooter rental guy sets up and rides off, well dressed girl heads to the ferry, and the town is emptying of backpackers (literally, I think I see two roller suitcases, now three, but about 199 backpackers).
An old lady slowly shuffles by. You can tell she lives here, probably her whole life, and she stares in wonder at all the changes as she pauses and moves on.
And every day it is the same people at the same time.
A scraggly black and white cat stalks two big crows, but the one crow outflanked the cat and suddenly the cat doesn't know which way to look. The crows laugh and flap off.
The seagulls get hurt and mock each other: Ow ow ow ooowwww! Ha ha ha ha
This is the kind of town, on the kind of island, where everybody leaves their bike out unlocked in the alley and nobody bothers it. Where it is quiet at night, too far out from the mainland for the parties to bother. Where you go to sleep with the patio door wide open to let in the breeze and sounds and view. There is little graffiti, no trash, and there is a guy who is paid to go around straightening and neatening things up. A place where you can go get a cup of espresso, then sit out front and just watch the sun rise, falling asleep in the chair if you wish.
It is comfortable and slow.
Hard to get motivated.
For instance:
It is a struggle to get up from breakfast, to move away from the beach, to stop sitting after dinner and move on.
Let alone bother to go see about getting a boat ride over to a very scenic beach on the south island, or perhaps think about renting a scooter to drive around. I mean why? We have good beaches right here, and everything we really want is easily accessible.
We have big plans (in theory) to go see the Blue Cave, swim at the very picturesque Stiniva Beach so we can say we did it and have the photos to prove it.
But right now?
I can barely get motivated to finish typing this senten
We have a choice of the nice white pebble beach, or the flat rocks under the pines.
We choose loungers under the pines, and drift in and out of the sun, sleeping and reading. The beach is mostly empty, it is not like we have to look for a space. The loungers cost 40 Kuna each, the guy came around after about an hour.
The water is warm, cooler if you float out a ways. The color is imported from the South Pacific or Caribbean travel poster industry. It is clear, so clear you can see the bottom, over ten feet deep I am guessing. No scuzz, no trash.
The air temperature is perfect, and about the time you start to feel hot, a cool breeze washes over you.
Gail reads and naps, I listen to PodCasts and nap.
This American Life, Wait Wait, and the new seven part series, S-Town.
Our biggest decision right now is when to flip over.
There is a constant chirp - hum - rattle of the locusts. Or grasshoppers. In the trees, unseen but loud and continuous in the heat of the day. The music of the islands. Brings back memories...
Later that day, I watched as the local fishing boats offloaded the catch. It looks like sardines. They are packed into crates, still flopping. One guy adds a scoop of water, one guy adds a scoop of ice, they push it up and the truck guy stacks it in. Repeat, repeat, repeat. They will be on restaurant tables throughout Croatia tonight.
We are heading to one of the “best beaches on Vis.” It is called Granvalac Beach, and it is pretty nice, but small. Like a lot of Croatian beaches, it is pebbly, with flat rocks on each side. When we arrive it is almost empty, and it stays that way all afternoon.
Like I said, very few tourists here.
It is a funny mix: topless women next to families with kids next to people in the all-together (nude). Nobody cares.
Nakedticity is no big deal here. They say this is where the naturist movement started, back in the day. Something about a king from England, so taken by the beaches he frolicked naked in the surf. If it was good enough for the king, then so be it for everyone else.
And the next thing you know, swimming naked was a thing.
Anyway, we find a spot and lay about for the better part of the afternoon, naked or not you will never know. Let’s just say we have really nice tans.
I love swimming in the crystal blue water; so blue it looks fake.
There is a little beach bar, just a shack really, above the beach in the pines. They have cold Budweiser Beer, which in Europe is Budvar, from the Czech Republic. We have a cold one, then wander back into Kut.
Kut is small, and has a square with a few bars and restaurants, one of which is Pojoda. Some people think this is the best restaurant on the island. That is what I read. It is not dinner time, nor lunch time, so I figure we can wander in without a reservation.
Score.
So, sez I, prove to me you are the best. We guzzled a liter of sparkling mineral water while we ordered.
Well, Gail chooses a white fish, broiled.
A choice so excellent that my (mostly) vegetarian wife was pulling apart the head looking for extra scraps of flesh, sucking the little bits off the bones.
I ordered the "Shrimp my grandfathers way" on the cold appetizer menu. It was served hot, in local oil and garlic. Yum. Almost like the taste of scampi, but more subtle.
I also ordered a yellowtail (tuna) salad. Think about it… I am expecting maybe tuna chunks on lettuce with lemon. Maybe a tomato.
Nope.
It was simply tuna, in lemon oil with capers. So fresh it melts like butter in my mouth.
Dear god.
The local Vugava wine was so good and smooth with the food, especially the tuna.
Synchronicity.
I used the bread to sop up the rest of the oils.
Was it the best?
I don't know. It was damn good, and I have no complaints. I'd return. But then again I have been throwing money every night at Nona Darinka because their food is excellent as well.
And maybe that is the point, my first impression of Croatia years ago: we could not find bad food. It seems to range from excellent to OH MY GOD!
This was our most expensive meal in weeks, but worth it. All two hours of it.
Back to the room to shower, drink cold wine, read, nap, then head back for more shrimp pasta and bread at Nona’s.
Vis is the furthest island in the Adriatic from the Croatian coast.
Vis town has a few small squares, open to the harbor on one side, and a park full of palm trees. The town sits mostly along the harbor and is two or three blocks deep.
Vis is the oldest established town in Dalmatia, founded in 397 B.C.
The Latin name of the island is Issa.
It has been occupied by the Austrians and the Venetians, and a strong military history with the WW2 British military base here.
The Yugoslav army closed the island to the public for 30 years, until 1989. As a result Vis has many traditions that have strongly remained and has no signs of over-developed tourism. You can pay to go on a tour to see an old secret submarine tunnel in a cliff, tunnels used by the army, and so on.
The beautiful old stone buildings are made from stone from the nearby island of Brac.
There are Greek ruins right here at the edge of town, and remains of a Roman thermal bath.
Across the island is Komiza, a fishing village.
They say that “regular bus service runs from Vis to Komiza…” but the truth is the bus is scheduled with the ferry, so it is not what I thought it would be, an hourly service.
So far we have not been motivated to get up to catch the 5:25 or 7:00 bus, and by the time the 13:30 bus leaves we are on the beach… and don’t get me started on the return times.
The bus schedule is below, along with the ferry schedule, to help you plan.
So the way I look at it, I need to rent a scooter.
Which, as I said before, I am having trouble getting motivated enough to do.
I mean, we are here in our own nice stone village with another in walking distance. Why do I need to go across the island?
The big tourist attraction is the Blue Cave, over on Bisevo Island. You have to arrange to go there, via a tour or water taxi, unless you brought your own boat.
Vis has some of the best beaches in Croatia. The southern coast is dotted with beautiful bays and secluded coves, which you need a car, scooter or taxi boat to access. Most of the beaches are stone beaches but there are a few sand beaches on the island. Stiniva and Srebena are favorites, as is Granvalac.
Anywhere there is a rocky ledge along the shore, even at the base of buildings, it is a beach. A place to jump in the clear clear blue water and swim, then pull back out to dry in the sun. Clothed or not, it's all fair game here.
Somebody I know went swimming in the all-together, just down the alley from our room, at 5:00 before coffee. And let me tell you, the water was sooooo warm.
Not that I know… uh, I was told. Yea. I was told.
But oh was that sweet.
On Sunday the bells went crazy, several times before 10:00. Again after 17:00. I swear they must have mass like six times on Sunday. The bells went totally nuts again at 10:58 and then a line of people walked out of the cathedral, singing. They circled around the entire church, then filed back in. And the bells went on and on and on for five minutes. You must be here on a Sunday if you like the sound of the church bells.
All day the bells.
Sunday night we had a huge lightning and thunder storm. We should have known. At dinner, the waiter just could not keep the candles lit, inside the little vases.
It was about midnight, and the first flash of lightning woke us up. The thunder made the room shake. Very intense, lightning hitting all around, thunder cracking instantly overhead, wind howling and forcing the rain in through the open windows. Then just like that it was over. The only sign of it on Monday morning were the puddles of water everywhere.
Sunday is obviously the day of excitement around here.
Every night we have cookies and wine, well after sunset, looking out at the lights shimmer off the bay. The breeze kicks up a little, but it is warm. We are wrapped in warmth, and it is hard to move.
It is "Yacht Week” here, and the harbor filled with sailboats for an afternoon and night. Every berth is taken, plus those over behind the church and those in Kut. The leftovers are anchored out in the bay. They are almost all chartered sailboats, flying all sorts of flags and banners, all about the same size (big). There is a huge, four story high “I am a very rich important guy” boat docked at the end taking up three spaces and towering over everyone, and a small island hopping “cruise” sailing boat taking up the other end.
That night the village is busier than we have seen it so far. Next morning they all cleared out, on to another island, and we are back to our quietude.
Here is what I think: you have to decide ahead of time if you are coming to Vis to tour and see the sights, or are you coming to go beach? Either is a great option but I do not think they go together.
I myself am a highly motivated person, but after the first beach day I just can't get into spending the travel time and money to go see an empty submarine tunnel or a sea cave reflecting blue, when I could instead just walk ten or thirty minutes and swim in the blue-green water for free.
So for me, trying to do both things isn't really working.
On the way back from another lazy day at Granvalac Beach, we stopped at Restauran Val where they make local foods (and then some) out of fresh organic ingredients. The prices were moderate, the owner lovely and the view beyond compare. All the essentials for a potentially great meal.
I ordered a liter of the White House wine, knowing what it would be.
Gail ordered a baby artichoke with broad beans. This is the first artichoke she has seen on any menu. It turns out it is like a stew, and she loves it. One of her best meals so far.
I ordered two local specialties.
The first is Viško Pogaca, like a tart with anchovies, tomato and onion and ...? Really tasty and with the local Vugava wine, superb.
Next up: fish bean and pasta casserole Alla Luce (from the bay). Sure enough beans and pasta, a hunk of fish, some mussels, shrimps, two prawns and the broth. It was ok. Not bad but not great. Just OK. I wouldn't get it again. Just saying.
This meal. Sitting and watching the boats arrive and tie up. Dreaming of sailing. The beach. The warm breezes ("I might need a sweater," says Gail while I luxuriate in the 80 degree warmth.) with the sun filtering in and out of the trees.
Gail sleeps in while someone else goes for an early morning dip in the bay, then for a walk, finally ending up at coffee.
The morning nip of white wine to fortify my constitution.
Late breakfast.
Back to Prirovo Beach for an afternoon of reading and napping under the pines.
Some swimming. Some beer.
Shower in the room, dry off in the sun on the patio, sipping wine (I finished the last of my good pistachios from Sarajevo. ), watching the harbor.
There was a huge man at the beach today. When he got in the Adriatic the water all got out.
Later, to dinner, downstairs at Dionis. I started with smoked swordfish and marinated anchovies. The swordfish was great.
My dinner was grilled scampi, which were tasty but 1. I had to peel them and B. I was expecting them to be the jumbo size, so in the end they were satisfactory.
We are both feeling the salt deprivation (in Europe, as a general rule, you do not salt your food, and it is usually not even provided as an option. Being an American, I am addicted to sixty times the normal world salt intake. On almost every trip I get a real craving for french fries. It is the salt speaking.) so we got an order of french fries.
Gail got chicken shishkebob with vegetables. We got a liter of wine, half/half red - white.
All in all a decent but not excellent meal.
I enjoyed watching table in front of us. Five women just chattering away non-stop while the two men sat drinking wine, with a glazed look on their faces. This afternoon I finished my fifth book, M Train by Patti Smith.
Yes, that Patti Smith.
A bizarre book even for me, and I am pretty bizarre and eclectic myself. Occasional flashes of brilliance though.
Tomorrow we leave.
Ahhhh.
Vis.
Yup.
Croatia is everything you wish Italy would be. But better.
You should plan to come here.