After a healthy kefir breakfast, we climbed onto a ferry to Vela Luka, an island quite a distance off the coast of Split. We used the ferry as our own island tour because instead of taking a trip around all the islands, we went to the furthest and got to see all the others on the way. The small towns on the island all look very similar. Red roofed buildings on a cliff near the water. All of these islands are quite mountainous, which made for beautiful views while on the ferry. I must say, I quite enjoyed my ride in the sun and breeze with the nice views.
When we arrived, we parked and climbed up to the top of the hill. When we got there, we found a cave that dates back to 7000 BC!!! I must say, they had a very pretty view back then. Jokes aside, the island was not actually an island back then and was connected by land. It only look 30-40 years for it to become an island! We found the cave really unique to see, stepping back into history. After enjoying the view, we climbed down the mountain and found a cafe on the water. We ordered a jumbo frutti de mare pizza... and it was jumbo! It was also very tasty. The pizza had lots of seafood on it.
Quite full, we start to drive across the island. The scenery was amazing. As we drove across the cliffs we alternated which side of the island that we could see the water from. We stopped a few times to admire the views, because it was so incredible. We reached the other side and went right for the water. Swimming in the water was literally incredible. The water was so clear and blue that you could see your feet and the bottom. I was truly blown away. We swam to a sandy beach, which are hard to come by in these areas. The swim was refreshing, a nice exercise and absolutely beautiful.
The day finished by going to a wine tasting, as this town is known for their wine production. They have two special local wine types, grk and posip. At the first winery, we tried a rose and the grk and I must say, the grk was very tasty. The winery also looked very nice and I really liked the environment. It felt like a rustic wine cellar. We went to a second winery and enjoyed the wonderful weather on a patio. They gave us four wines to try, two red and two white and I greatly enjoyed it all. The flavor of one of the reds was incredibly complex. We ate an octopus salad with the wine and it was delicious! I've really enjoyed the fresh food here. We truly felt like we were on vacation, it was so enjoyable. This ended one of the most amazing days on the entire trip. Between the hiking, the swimming, the views and the wine, I couldn't have asked for a better day. We got onto a ferry and started the long drive to Montenegro. |
Much later, I was driving and we took our final ferry across the bay of Kotor. To get to our hostel, I had to drive on this very thin and windy road that was right on the edge of the water! It was incredibly dark, people were walking on it and cars sometimes also came from the other direction. It was pretty and terrifying!! We made it alright, but it was an experience.