One of the many Croatian Islands worth exploring.
Cres (pronounced [t͡srɛ̂ːs]; Latin: Crepsa) is an Adriatic island in Croatia.
"There is no stress on Cres"
"There is no stress on Cres"
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Sunset June 4, 2015
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A History lesson from wikipedia: *Cres has been inhabited since the Paleolithic time period and was later ruled by the Greeks, then since the 1st century B.C., the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire for centuries, the island was taken over by the Byzantine Empire. In the 7th century the Slavs invaded Cres and the islands around it. Then, around 866 the inhabitants saw the first conflicts with the Republic of Venice. The Venetians eventually took control of Cres and the neighboring islands in the 10th and 11th centuries.
The Croats regained the islands and the islands went through a change of rulers for centuries, being ruled by Croats, Hungarians, and for 400 years the Venetians. After Napoleon's victory over the Venetians, the island went under Austrian rule. After the defeat of Austria by Napoleon in 1809 the islands became part of the French Empire. After the fall of Napoleon, Austria once again took control of the island for 100 years. During this time the economy developed with olive trees, sage, and other plants becoming key to the success of the island. At the end of World War I, with the Treaty of Rapallo signed in 1920, the island was once again handed over to Italy. This lasted until 1947 when the Islands, along with Istrian Peninsula, were assigned to Yugoslavia."
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| our attempt at capturing the sunset ... |
While my sister, Maureen was here, one of our adventures was an over night trip via a bus from Zagreb to Cres, [very doable and easy]!
Of course to get to an island there has to be some sort of boat... our bus took the ferry from Valbiska on Krk, to Merga on the east coast of Cres. Back on the bus we traveled to the west coast, getting off in the town of Cres. We then walked to our hotel, changed into our bathing suits, walked a few steps to the beach and jumped in the Adriatic - very cold water in June - but oh so beautiful!
We also rented bikes, saw a few sites, ate great food, then spent the next day on the pirate ship Korsaro...
Blue grotto - a hidden cave with a large blue lagoon inside.
Lunch included...(about 75 ppl. on our trip, but the ship can hold more:)
As we sailed along, the captain shared some of the local history and landmarks .... thousands of years of dry stone walls, of course olive trees, and a very cool island with a lighthouse, which we were told involved 1000's of chicken eggs to build! We could also see the 4000 year old village of Lubenice, which sits on a cliff (383 meters above sea level). And just under that we passed one of the most famous Croatian beaches - Sveti Ivan (St. John).
Once we docked about 20 of us swam out to Plava Grota aka - Blue Grotto; which can only be reached by sea, (that is by jumping off your boat, as our captain did, or swimming from shore, as those of us brave or determined enough to do it, did.'There is a narrow entrance at a depth of 3 m and a tunnel that runs into the cave above sea-level. The cave is about 20 m long',
an awesome site and worth the freezing water and short swim.
(no pictures bc no water proof camera:(
Yes, an awesome relaxing day at the beach!!
Interesting fact **Sailboat Korsaro was made in Holland in the 1930's as a yacht of the The Dutch queen. During the 80 year history it changed owners and purpose. On it stayed many celebrities, among others, and Josip Broz Tito.
Then in 2011 the boat was restored and adapted to the needs of modern travelers, taking on the appearance of a pirate ship. korsaro.com
I shall write and post more pictures of our adventures soon,
Happy summer to you all...
Happy summer to you all...
That looks like so much fun! Thanks for posting these beautiful photos, it makes me want to come and visit more than ever. One of these days.....
ReplyDeletelove ya,
Kerri