A sailing holiday had become an annual trip that I looked forward to each summer. I had already sailed Croatia once before, in 2013, and had also sailed Greece as well in 2014.

Therefore in the summer of 2016 I agreed to a girl’s holiday to sail in Croatia. My friend Elizabeth and I came up with this plan and each found another woman to come along with us for the trip. We researched our options for the trip and found a new company to travel with who had an Over 30s week that we joined. They also confirmed that they would provide sailing lessons, if desired, as part of the trip and I know this spoke to Elizabeth but also interested me.

I had been sailing in Croatia once before, but on a junker and not a sail boat, and was excited to see some of the islands again. It was a really spectacular opportunity and I was thrilled to have a group of women to travel with and experience the sailing experience with.

Day 1: Dubrovnik to Sudurad

We woke up at ridiculous o’clock (also known as 3am) to start the lengthy and arduous trek to London Gatwick. This involved catching a bus to Victoria Station. After some struggle with the ticket for the Gatwick Express we finally boarded the train and took it direct to Gatwick Airport. Since we’d already checked-in we breezed through Security, grabbed a quick breakfast, and then boarded the direct flight to Dubrovnik. Though we were delayed 15 minutes we had nearly an hour to wait for the second flight to arrive, where I discovered the most amazing drink – Schweppes Tangerine. 

All of us were there but our pre-booked Taxi was nowhere to be found. After wasting 1 hour and 15 minutes waiting for them, and £5 in phone charges calling for updates, we finally cancelled the trip and booked with a standard meter driven taxi. The cost was minimally more. However the driver was a lunatic who whipped around the tiny mountainous roads with no regard for life or limb. We made it to the Marina, shockingly whole, and checked-in with our Tour Leader. After learning all about the plans for the trip (and that we would depart around 5pm, rather than the 2pm check-in we were advised of) we ordered pizza, swatted away dozens of wasps, and enjoyed a very late lunch.

Once the group was fully assembled and debriefed we collected money for a food kitty on board the boat After a hectic shopping trip at the local market we finally had everything ready and could board the boat. 

Soon after we were setting sail towards the sea! We stopped for a short swim break just after passing through the Franjo Tuđman Bridge, with the gorgeous bridge as our backdrop. The first dip into the Adriatic Sea was amazing, and needless-to-say but I was the first off the boat.

After a few hours of sailing, and enjoying the sun while reading my book and drying off from the swim, we eventually reached the charming village of Sudurad on the island of Sipan. By the end of the trip I was acknowledging that Sudurad was my favorite stop, and for great reasons. The village was particularly small and very picturesque. After dinner there was local folk music and dancing that we got to watch and enjoy thoroughly. Dinner itself was a four course welcome meal – I had the meat platter that introduced me to Croatian prosciutto amongst other delicacies. 

Then we followed the sounds of music and found the local folk musicians playing with an illuminated backdrop of a local building but a perfectly modern sound system. The locals were all singing along to each and every song, and several were dancing about with delight as the musicians played on.

Tired from the 3am wake up I went to bed a little after 10:30, with the sounds of the folk music lilting across the bay towards our boat.

Day 2: Sudurad to Pomena

Due to the early night on Day 1 I woke up relatively early on Day 2 and was excited to explore the village of Sudurad. There was a closed castle that I skirted the walls of for glimpse of the main tower from varying angles. The pedestrian streets were narrow and surrounded by charming stone walls. The local were all smiles in the morning and kind in greeting. Many were out walking their dogs or enjoying a coffee at one of the two cafes that were open. After my explorations I was quick to join them for a coffee, and enjoyed it with a view of the bay and a book to read. 

After the coffee I headed back to the boat but met the other coffee enthusiast in the group so we headed back to the cafe I had tried (and loved) to enjoy yet another coffee. We picked up our Skipper along the way and all shared in a morning coffee. I had my second Latte, but unlike in the UK or US it was a fairly strong drink rather than being mostly frothy milk.

After our coffees I joined up with a few girls from the boat to walk around towards the beach for a little walk and additional wander. Along the way we found others eating breakfast, and finally returned to the boat where several were working to pull together breakfast for the boat out of the food we bought from the kitty fund.

Once everyone was gathered we set forth for Ulysses Cave; a unique cave structure on a neighboring island, In order to access the cave you have to jump off the boat and swim through a low opening in the rock formation. It’s back-lit in such a way that the water seems to glow blue as you swim through it. Unfortunately the photos of this cave didn’t come out strongly because of the dark light and the quality of the camera. Once through the low opening the cave opens up to a rocky beach and shore with an open roof, and access from above for the adventurous to climb through and down the hilly and rocky terrain.  This was a spectacular place to visit and there’s an opportunity to cliff jump just outside the cave for the truly brave (none on our ships dared).

A few of us made it back to Mia, our boat, and began to prepare lunch and enjoy the peace and quiet. It seemed for a time that our companions would not rejoin us as the rum was freely flowing the other boat in our flotilla, at least until we told them that lunch was ready – then they couldn’t return fast enough. Lunch each day was a variety of salad, fresh bread from the islands, and a selection of meats. 

After lunch we carried onward until we reached the island of Mljet, However before we reached our destination, the town of Pomena, we found a charming cove and dropped anchor for a time. There was a nearby sandy beach that most of us swam across to. Eventually a large float was  brought out and we had a few beers tossed out into the sea for us to consume; the float conveniently doubled as a beer holder as well. We spent a few hours swimming, diving, and floating in that cove while enjoying drinks and each others’ company.

Finally we arrived at the port of Pomena. This is one of our two stops that I had visited previously, and it was as lively as I remembered. As we arrived quite late in the day we only had a little time to explore Pomena before we were scheduled for dinner. After showering and dressing we all explored as a group, looking for a place for a cocktail before dinner.

We found this charming little bar, attached to the main hotel, with a great view of the setting sun. 

Dinner was scheduled at Konoba NIne, the Konoba we were moored in front of. The owner of the Konoba catches the fish fresh by spear fishing  daily and we would be eating off of that menu. On a television screen in the main dining area there was a looping video (playlists really) of him catching a variety of fish for the restaurant; which proved to be mesmerizing. Our appetizer was spaghetti and mussels, which were beautiful. Dinner was the freshly caught fish, which were humongous and split between several people, with sides of chips/fries and grilled vegetables. 

Day 3: Pomena to Korčula

Mljet is home to a famous National Park that features two sea fed lakes, and an old monastery on an island in the larger of the lakes. While I waited for the rest of the boat to wake up after their late night dancing and drinking, I wandered across the port to find coffee; only to be met with great disappointment after being served a poor latte and then being ripped off 10 Kuna (on top of my 15 Kuna bill) by a waitress playing dumb. This was certainly a more touristy destination than Sudurad the previous day, which had a far more welcoming and lovely environment.

Eventually the boat awoke and we all bought tickets to enter the park. In order to reach the lake it was a good 20 minute hike through a beautiful forest featuring a variety of pine trees, and a beautiful Adriatic blue lake.We walked up and down various hills and eventually were rewarded with a view of the bridge that crossed the connecting canal between the two lakes. The canal itself was special because if you entered on the small lake, and floated on your back, the current of the canal would move you to the large lake. 

Needless to say, this is something I did with great enjoyment. As you start it’s a very slow current that began to pick up significant speed by the time you reached the bridge, and ended with enough power to push me 10-15 feet past the end of the canal. I didn’t stop until I could put my feet down on the sandy bottom.

While the others took off to view the monastery I dried off in the sun at the canal and made friends with others trying their luck on riding the currents. Eventually I met up again with some from the group and we returned to Pomena to enjoy a treat breakfast and coffee. The wasps were particularly vicious that morning so we escaped inside the hotel to sit on their cushioned chairs, and I broke my mother’s #1 rule about wearing a wet bathing suit in doors and on furniture. I couldn’t help but feel guilty the entire time I was drinking my coffee.

Eventually all the wanderers returned to the boat and we had our daily debrief with the guide before heading off towards Korčula. Everyone took turns driving the boat along the way and laying in the sun on the top deck to enjoy the breeze and beautiful weather. Our swim break was taken in front of a beautifully charming building as our backdrop on a tiny island. 

That afternoon we opted not to have lunch on board the boat and would instead seek it upon arriving on Korčula. Half an hour later we’d gotten underway and finally had moored at the Old Port in Korčula. The group of us from Mia took off for a wander outside of the old town walls for a “cheap and cheerful” lunch. We stumbled upon a darling pizzeria on the opposite side of the peninsula facing the bay. 

After lunch we returned to the boats and were able to take showers at the port’s facilities, a rare treat for all of us who had been showering on the boat or off the back of the boat after a swim.

We left a little late, much to my dismay, for cocktails at Massimo Bar – which sits on top of one of the city walls turrets. Due to the beautiful view and unique setup of this bar it’s always packed around sunset and for safety reason they close it off if it becomes too full. We were the first of our boats to arrive but feared that the rest might not make it in once they closed off the bar; luckily a group left just before the rest of our boats arrived. The bar is unusual in that there is waist high stone walls that you can sit on, but be careful because if you get too close to the edge it’s a sheer drop to the rocky shoreline below. To enter the turret you have to climb up a steep ladder (and girls in dresses have to ensure it’s their friends behind them). But for the experience and view it cannot be beat. 

The boats split into several groups as we went looking for dinner and I ended up finding another bar with a killer view along with a large group from our boat. Later in the evening they were keen to rejoin our boat and go dancing, but not feeling up for that I split and returned to our boat around midnight and a full night’s sleep.

Day 4: Korčula to Lumbarda

It was another early morning and I headed away from the boat towards Old Town in Korčula so that I could explore the winding and tiny streets before much of the town or port could awaken. Of course, there was also the daily hunt for coffee to consider as well.

I entered the Old Town via the main staircase and enjoyed an opportunity to photograph this site without a million tourists crowding the photo – a true benefit of being an early riser on holiday. The streets were nearly empty and I had a field day snapping photos and window shopping before the store fronts opened. As I stepped into the main square the bells of the church began to chime. I wandered around the streets, and eventually completed a full loop on the outside of the peninsula, ending at the canons pointing to sea. I recalled having seen a cafe just at the base of the main stairs into Old Town and stopped for a coffee, and began a conversation with an American couple from Washington D.C. who visited Croatia annually in the summer, renting a home on Korčula for a month. 

I was joined by others from the boat and after finishing the coffee we left to explore more as the shops began to open in Old Town. That’s where I purchased beautiful Moreska inspired earrings for my mother, a Christmas gift. I also acquired several postcards, to write and send back to the special people in my life. I eventually stumbled upon an utterly charming shop. It was owned by an older gentleman who did the craftwork himself and when a ring wasn’t quite the right size he would resize it on the spot, then and there. I found two rings and earrings for myself, another set of smaller Moreska inspired ones.

I returned to the boat by the designated time and we had the daily debrief with our guide. We would be heading for Lumbarda that evening, on the other side of the island, and had a great day of events planned.

After leaving Korčula  we headed into the Korčula straight, where the wind would be strong enough that we could raise the sails and receive our first lesson in sailing. Already on the trip we had learned about various useful knots on board a boat. Skipper called to “batten down the hatches” and we tucked all our belongings away into cabinets, cupboards, and locked all the windows on the boat. Then the lesson really began – we learned about tacking (releasing and winching) and took turns trying our hands at it, and then later took turns in driving. 

At the end of the straight we dropped anchor and enjoyed a lovely swim break. Once the swim break sadly came to an end we were heading back down the straight towards Korčula and again seized the opportunity to sail the boat. This time it was a little harrowing as we were competing for space on the water with kite surfers who seemed to have no concern for life or limb as they skirted our wake or passed directly in front of us more times than was comfortable.  

After the sails were closed and we were passed the Town of Korčula and sailed southwards towards the small town of Lumbarda. Time was limited as we moored and had only forty odd minutes to be ready before we were picked up by boat to head across to the mainland. The speedboat took all of us across to Orebic, on the mainland, where we disembarked and headed for the Korta Katarina Winery. A Wine tasting at this charming Croatian vineyard had been arranged and we were tasting their White, Rose and Red wines. The Winery had been established by a family from Minnesota who had fallen in love with the Croatian varieties of wine.

Next we boarded a mini bus to take us up into the mountains for a traditional dinner of Peka. Peka is a style of Croatian roast where the meat, vegetables and potatoes are piled into a great iron pot, covered with a dome, and then the entire thing covered with hot coals and ash to cook in a large stone oven for several hours. I chose to have the Octopus Peka, and when the Octopus is cooked in such a manner it takes on the consistency of chicken and loses the chewy nature so often associated with it. The atmosphere for the restaurant, attached to a family house, was incredible and we have a few straight down the mountain to the sea. This was easily one of the best meals we had the entire trip and the Octopus was simply incredible.

The bus returned us to the port where we were meant to be picked up by the boat again, but we heard that the driver had just left to fetch a pancake (dessert). After waiting for a good ten minutes he returned and brought us back to Lumbarda, where the Beach Bar was playing nostalgic music that lured us in for a few cocktails and some sing along; but the boats headed to bed early that night to recover from the previous evening of dancing and drinking.

Day 5: Lumbarda to Polače

There was a late start scheduled for the morning to grant everyone the opportunity to indulge in a little bit of water sports if so desired; the options included jet skies. I thought for certain that I would enjoy a little outing on a jet ski in the Adriatic Sea, until I saw the prices. The extremely high prices made up my mind for me with minimal debate. 

I had my morning coffee at the beach bar we visited the night before and discovered the free WiFi. It was the first time I’d been online for a few days so I caught up on emails and sharing some photos from the trip to Instagram and Facebook. It wasn’t long before various members of the boat joined me to enjoy a coffee, Wifi and a gentle beach breeze that kept us comfortable at the beach bar. We briefly toyed with the idea of going to the small water park in the swimming area (inflatable slide and trampoline) but thought better of it when we noticed it was thoroughly infested with children.

Instead we ordered yet another coffee and enjoyed the quiet time off of the boat and without a rush to be anywhere else.

After the coffee the group opted to go on a short exploration combined with our grocery shopping. We had a wander around Lumbarda’s harbor on our way to the local shop. While it possessed some charm it couldn’t compare to the locations we had stayed at on Sipan and even Mljet. It was neither small nor large and there wasn’t much to see. We walked around the harbor to see a statue before heading to the grocery store. The most exciting site we saw that morning was a man raking the beach. I was impressed to see the care they took in maintaining the tiny swimming beach on that side of the harbor.

We set sail towards Mljet, again, and the town of Polače. This time we would be staying on the opposite side of the National Park.

Along the way we stopped for our daily swim break in a truly charming cove with a small sandy beach shaded by pine trees. The Skipper of the other boat led us on a trek to a small cove and cave. The cave was really small and charming but a great find.

Afterwards we continued onward to Polače for the night. As we pulled into the harbor there we noticed the ruins of the 5th century Roman Palace (for which Polače was given it’s name) as we sailed into the harbor.

Dinner that evening was at a nearby restaurant with a balcony overlooking the harbor. We watched as the sunset and ordered our meals and drinks. I ordered the Seafood Risotto, which I would regret later. Afterward we tried to find a place to dance as a group but ended up at another restaurant for drinking. It appeared that nowhere in the town had any dancing and they all closed very early in the evenings around 10pm.

As the boats were well stocked with alcohol we returned to them for a nightcap. While the boats kicked off the party I went for a wander down to visit the old Roman Ruins with my camera. I sat up a little later with the group when I got back but wasn’t feel great so went to bed on the early side of the evening. Apparently the rest followed within an hour though.

Around 3am I was awoken by horrific pain and I left the cabin to sit on deck. I spent the remainder of the night either leaning over the back of the boat, downstairs in the tiny bathroom, or attempting to sleep on deck. I had gotten food poisoning from the Seafood Risotto earlier in the evening and paid the price for the majority of the night. During a few of those drowsy moments I got to see a beautiful sunrise and listen to the sounds of the bakery starting their morning’s baking. While I would have normally been charmed by these sights and sounds I was in too poor of a state to truly appreciate them that evening.

 

Day 6: Polače to Sipanska Luka

The morning in Polače was particularly rough due to the lack of sleep and the tender stomach. I spent the better portion of the morning drinking water before working up enough energy to get dressed and visit the bakery to buy a small roll. It was the same bakery that I had heard starting their work very early that morning while I was suffering the ill effects of food poisoning.

I sat on deck and read while eating my way slowly through the delightfully fresh roll and a full bottle of water. It was the first morning on the trip that I had not set off for a morning exploration ahead of my boat mates or for coffee. The quiet time on deck was much needed and after consuming about half the roll, at a very slow pace, I thought I was up for a short wander to the Ruins to see them in the light of day.

It was odd to see cars driving through the center of the Ruins where a road had been carved through them. Or to see the clothes line that had been hung between walls of the ruin and clothes pins on the line showing it had recently be used. Or the cars parked on the inside of the Ruins (which made for a challenge when trying to photograph them). 

After I returned we set sail for the island of Sipan once again. As we left the cove at Polače I opted to sit off the back of the boat and put my feet in the water. The coolness of the sea did wonders for settling my stomach (aided by the fresh roll certainly) and I began to feel much better. 

Though we raised the sails and did an initial tack the wind proved to be too weak to truly move very far or fast that morning; we were only averaging between 1-2 knots.

After a swim break we headed off for Spianska Luka, on Sipan. This time we would be on the opposite side of Sipan from Sudurad, where we stayed the first night. As we approached Sipanska Luka (translating to the Port of Sipan) we could see the charming town with a church tower in the distance. 

We dressed for our group dinner that night but had some time before we were scheduled to head out, so we walked along the harbor to view the gorgeous sunset.

Dinner could have been truly interesting as Goat Peka was on offer, but given the state of my stomach I had settled for a tasty Croatian style steak. Despite the steak being really nicely prepared and cooked perfectly I had severe food envy for the Goat Peka.

When we returned to the bar for more drinks I settled on tap water to avoid upsetting my stomach, but we sat out on swing chairs right next to the large ships in the harbor and enjoyed the view and company.

Day 7: Sipanska Luka to Dubrovnik

Sipanska Luka had been so charming at sunset and at night I was extremely keen to wake up early and have an exploration around the port. I managed to get up on the earlier side of the morning and enjoy a coffee in the sun facing the harbor at the bar we had gone to the night before. For the first time on the entire trip I found a cafe that served ice coffee, and I very much enjoyed the change of pace. 

Fueled by the coffee I decided to take a wander down the harbor and into the small town for an exploration. There was a really nice local jeweler with their shop and workroom combined and set in the side of an old building. The work wasn’t my style but one of my friends walked away with a set of really beautiful earrings.

After a pleasant morning in town we left early to set off towards Dubrovnik. This would be our last outing on the boat and I think all of us were a little disappointed and keen to catch the last of the sea spray and sun. Almost everyone spread out on the front of the boat for one final tan. 

And our final swim stop was in a cove that was dotted throughout by other ships of a similar mind set. Everyone was keen for a swim off the boat and it was directly in front of a private beach, complete with a string of protective buoys. This was a particularly long swim break which we thoroughly enjoyed. All 3 boats converged on a single spot within the cove and came together between the boats in the water. We brought along the float and dubbed it “Bar Mia” as it provided the perfect beer can holders. 

The Skippers gave us the sad news that we needed to return to our own boats to return to Dubrovnik. It was a slow swim back to Mia. Our final lunch was served and it was a true masterpiece as we did our best to empty the kitchen stores and devour the remaining food on board. 

It all ended too quickly as we saw the famous Bridge on the horizon. As it loomed closer a sense of melancholy seemed to settle over the boat. Some of us went downstairs to begin packing our bags as we were going to drop them off at the hotel that night (though we would be doing one more night on the boat itself). We passed beneath the bridge and headed towards the refueling station. Apparently we hadn’t even used an entire tank during our trip which was a revelation and something I hadn’t considered until that moment. 

The boat was moored with the others from Getaway Sailing group. There were several private charters, like our Australian friends, and even an over 50s group who seemed to be having a right beautiful time. 

We opted to extend our little slice of utopia from the boats by going for a swim in the marina’s fresh water pool. There was a massive difference between the salt water of the sea and the fresh water of the pool and it was truly astonishing to experience it so close together. It was no wonder I had trouble trying to swim deeply in the ocean but it was so easy on the pools, with the extra buoyancy added by the salt water.

After the swim we showered and prepared for a night out in Dubrovnik; and we finished packing our bags to drop off at the hotel that night.

Both boats made it to the bus stop together. We dropped off our bags at the restaurant that owned the hotel rooms we were staying in and opted to have dinner there as the view was spectacular. We had a direct view of the Keep and the outer walls of the old city. It was better than the views I’d had within the city walls given that you could actually gaze on the beauty from the exterior rather than the interior buildings and tight streets.

We walked into the main city after getting an ice cream outside of the walls. No one seemed interested in listening to my advice on the best place to get ice cream and opted instead for simply the closest stop. I suppose that’s one of the downsides of traveling with a group versus a smaller subsegment. We traversed the main promenade and then wandered into the back streets and up towards the walls. We visited the popular wall based bar, which sits on the outside of the city walls, and has a really unique vibe. Unfortunately (another issue of traveling with a group) we moved on before we could really enjoy more than a few photos. The wandering continued and we found a large set of stairs that was in a similar architectural styel as the Spanish Steps in Rome that I remembered fondly from that trip not long ago.

Eventually we came upon a bar, perhaps not the best choice but some people were tired of walking, and sat for a drink. Yet it was quite a quiet evening for the group of us and we started dropping like flies as groups headed back to the marina.

Day 8: Day Trip to Montenegro

It was our last day on holiday and we were going to go out in style.

The 6am wake-up call was painfully early for some of the girls on holiday but we managed it with only a few grumbles. We packed the remainder of the items we had left on the boat and left with our day bag and a small overnight bag each. This would later cause confusion with our tour company but it had made perfect sense to us, of course. I’m not sure that any of us were awake when we were picked up by a small van to be carried to a gas station in new Dubrovnik to be left with a minivan and an extremely young tour guide. As there was time to spare we tried to forage for breakfast from the gas station store.

We stuffed our mouths with the lovely apricot or chocolate croissants and then got on the bus. We were the first to arrive and there were a few minutes where we were concerned that we might be the only ones on the tour, which allowed us to spread out across various seats on the bus. It was glorious until we were told the truth – that the tour was sold out and there would be no spare seats. The pickups did give us some interesting views of the city as we drove through.

After all the pickups were completed and we were uncomfortably squished on the small bus with a lot of people we headed out of town. A stop was made just as we left Dubrovnik that gave us a stunning view of the city from a distance.

The drive to the border of Croatia and Montenegro was very charming and we got a glimpse of average Croatian life along the way including such things as shopping centers. And we learned a bit about the country’s history – President Tito, Yugoslavia and the war for independance. 

The border itself involved a double crossing – first a review by the Croatian authorities to exit the country and then a review by the Montenegrin authorities to enter the country. Unfortunately there were no stamps acquired on this side of the crossing much to my dismay. 

After passing through border control we began a long loop around the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. The loop encompassed seriously beautiful views of the bay with it’s surrounding mountains. The entire scene appeared to be taken from a fairy tale with it’s quaint beauty. I had my phone’s camera against the window for much of this part of the trip because I was so enamored of the bay and everything we saw. It was one of the most photographic sights I had seen in some time.

We made a brief stop in the village of Perast to see Our Lady of the Rock, a monastery built in the middle of the bay and only accessible by boat. We took a speak boat across and had 15 minutes to explore the small island and church. Elizabeth and I were interested in entering the church so we took that route, and I was pleased to see the beautiful Orthodox interior. We were returned to Perast for a short exploration in the town and stopped in a few shops to see what was available. It was a quick return to the bus though as the timings were very tight and suddenly we were setting off for the next stop, the town of Kotor itself. 

We had a guided tour of Kotor through the winding pedestrian streets in the shadow of the mountain. The city walls climbed the mountain side and twisted and turned at odd angles to create a fully walled city with a large portion of the mountain side included. The streets were truly quaint and it was a lovely tour that we were given past beautiful buildings and into another Orthodox church.

Due to the heat we opted to find a place to stop and have a drink (or share a pizza for the other girls) in the shade. It was a much needed break and though I regretted not exploring the city more the time was limited, of course, and it wasn’t long before we were exiting the city via the Third Gate (having entered via the First Gate) to see another section of town on our way out.

The last stop for the day was the town of Budva and we were walked to a place where we could stop for lunch. I ordered an incredible pizza that I could barely finish and we sat next to the harbor with a view of a great large island that had been featured in the James Bond movie “Casino Royale”. 

After lunch we opted to wander the pedestrian streets of the old town and found it to be particularly quaint. I found Kotor to be more beautiful due to the more dramatic nature of the setting, but others claimed to prefer Budva. Either way we had visited several great towns on the day trip and I was quite pleased to explore the streets of old town in Budva before we headed back to Croatia. I was particularly charmed when we stumbled upon a wedding with a beautiful bride performing the meet and greet with her guests.

The bus made one final brief photo stop in front of a famous island before heading for a ferry crossing. The ferry would cut off our need to take the long winding route around the Bay of Kotor and was a short trip to cross back to the main road returning to Croatia. Though the journey on the road was short we discovered that there was a backup of traffic at the double border crossing.

Finally we were dropped off near out hotel and were able to check-in. While they wanted to offer us a free welcome drink we were too interested in reaching the rooms, refreshing and heading out for a small dinner. And we did just that.