Croatia 6

We took trips to Slano and Ston, both further up the coast, giving us terrific views of the strait between the mainland and the islands and seeing a rather basic salt pan system, the oldest in Europe apparently. The Dalmatian coast is very narrow in the southern area, being only a couple of kilometres wide at times, then it's over the mountain into either Bosnia or Montenegro. There is also a small break of only a few kilometres, towards Split that is Bosnian territory, although there appears to be no port or town there, inexplicably. We didn't go that far as we hadn't set up the car insurance to be able to do so.

The holiday was very relaxing overall, and Daisy can be seen in ultimate relaxation mode by the pool, which probably how we all felt at times!

The daytime temperate was in the low 30s every day, nights in the low 20s, although our last full day was the hottest, as was the evening/night that followed it was higher, disrupting sleep, the skies were clear. It was down to earth to arrive back at Gatwick into fog, heavy rain, spray on the motorway etc, but that's forgotten now that the photos have been looked at again!

Croatia 5 - Michael's birthday

To celebrate Michael's 32nd birthday on 28 July, we hired a boat to tour the islands and what a good plan it turned out to be. First, however, the villa owner, Marija, brought by a beautiful cake and a bottle of bubbly in the morning. The cake had clearly been finished off with fruit that morning, but had a cheese-cake-like base to it and was glorious!

Our boat was quite basic, but suited our needs. The 'skipper' was all of 15 years old, but had probably been out in boats since his early years. We found out that it was his 16th birthday then next day.

We went to 3 islands in all, including Kolocep and Lopud, and swimming was off the boat for two them, but two had jettys to permit going onshore. Lunch, and an appropriate celebratory drink was enjoyed in Kolocep.

Dan took over as skipper for much of the journey, acquiring new skills, did manage to take us into the Zaton bay to see the villa from the sea, and returned us to the inlet where we had started, all without mishap - well, nearly, it ran out of fuel just as he handed over on our arrival (we did have another jerrycan).

Croatia 4

Time at the villa was spent mostly around the pool or on the terrace eating, chatting and enjoying a tipple or three!

The sunsets were stunning, with a clear moon moving through the sky over the islands during the evening, and there was a clear sky with shooting stars.

A local white wine sold for £2/bottle, claimed to be 10.8% proof, but we seemed to be able to consume it by the tumbler with little to no effect (not just my opinion)!

Michael was head Chef for much of the time we ate in, and very he was too, coming up with creations from whatever we had in stock.

A mini-market was close by and restocking was relatively easy - thankfully the owners removed the bottles on a regular basis!

We enjoyed eating out in Zaton's Veliki and Mali, with a terrific view across the bay back to our villa on the other side.

Croatia 3

Cavtat is further down the Damlatian coast from Dubrovnik and close to the airport. It is a small peninsular with a harbour containing some big ticket yachts and motor-cruisers of the rich, but also has a most enjoyable pathway walk around it, with shelter from the trees and views all the way back to Dubrovnik. Good ice creams too!

It has a small old town and on a second visit, some ventured into the sea from the rocks, although it was not easy without shoes to protect your feet.

The expensive yachts and cruisers were pervasive around the coast and in various marinas as the rich and famous obviously make a lot of use of this beautiful coastline on the Adriatic.;

Croatia 2

We took two trips to Dubrovnik Old Town, almost totally restored after extensive shelling damage during the war only 15 years ago. No cars are allowed and it was especially busy when cruise ship hoards were on tour - cruise liners came and left every day and this became a look-out topic for us at the villa. Sometimes, one or two more would moor off the Old Town harbour area. We walked the town, admiring the stonework and tiled rooftops, although most of them have had to be recovered in a brighter red tile than the originals.

The buildings are fascinating and distinctive, with many alleyways in which you can find al fresco cafes and restaurants. Walking around the walls was quite demanding for Amie & Daisy (hot and lots of steps) but they got there and we enjoyed tremendous views of the rooftops and the sea, getting another perspective when we went out on a glass-bottomed boat. There was little to see downwards, but we had terrific views of the old walls and buildings from the sea.

Croatia 1

A much anticipated holiday with Cathryn & granddaughters Amie & Daisy, together with Michael & Dan proved to be much more than was expected and most enjoyable. Staying at a villa about 10km from Dubrovnik, we had a fabulous outlook over the inlet to Zaton and across to the islands of Kolacep and Lopud. The villa was on the face of a cliff, extending over several levels of villa and garden, down to a pool and then the sea. In all, 303 steps separated the road above and the sea below! Yours truly found the 90 odd up and down to the villa rather taxing - threequarter sized, they were too small to fit a full foot onto, and too big to take two at a time! But, the prize was the views. The villa was owned by a family and had survived Serbian occupation during the time of the Balkans conflicts, having to be refurbished extensively after being trashed by the Serbs. More recently it had hosted Lady Jane Fellowes (older sister of the late Princess Diana) and her husband, and two travel writers, accounts of both being proudly displayed in cuttings on a lounge wall. The owners came by every other day to water the award winning garden and their daughter-in-law also kept in touch. A very pleasant place with plenty of space to have days at home interspersed with days out, without feeling cramped. I only managed 3 books, but Cathryn managed 4! Relaxing or what - yep, for sure!