Croatia Sailing and Cycling

After the crossing with the boat, with the bike still the area around Korčula departed. look down to Korčula The city Korčula is situated on a small peninsula on the island of the same name and is one of the best preserved medieval cities in the whole Mediterranean area. The city was shaped by Greeks, Romans, Illyrians, Croats and Venetians. In the city is supposed to visit the birthplace of Marco Polo

small evening walk through the alleys of the old town

small evening walk through the alleys of the old town

House of Marco Polo In the heart of the old town of Korčula, there is a house owned by the Polo family. It is believed that Marco Polo was born there. small evening walk through the alleys of the old town

Tower Gate Korcula Veliki Revelin, from the 13th century, also called "Tower of the Southern Land Gate", small evening walk through the alleys of the old town and after a last nightcap we get on the boat for the night's rest

early in the morning you are woken up when the captain starts the engines, so you experience the sunrises each day PiP: a little paradise in front of Korčula

Žuljana a place on the south side of the Croatian peninsula Pelješac Originally the village consisted of three parts. All three settlements were founded at the end of the 18th century. a tourist office, a post office, two catholic churches, three restaurants, two discotheques, a grocery store characterize the village. From here our bike tour starts today. PiP:look back to the starting point, as you can see at the road guide, some meters of altitude were to be climbed

on the heights of the island it went quite comfortably to Ston Ston is a small town with about 2500 inhabitants on the peninsula Pelješac , the fortifications around the town controlled the access to Pelješac. The Stagnum settlement was built by the Romans on the narrow isthmus connecting Pelješac to the mainland. The remains of a Roman fort can still be seen on Starigrad hill near Ston. In the Middle Ages Pelješac came to the Dubrovnik Republic in 1333. During this time the present town was founded and fortified. In the 14th century the construction of the walls began. More than 40 towers were part of the approximately 5 km long wall, of which parts still stand today. This made access to the Pelješac peninsula completely controllable. It was completed in 1506 and is considered to be the longest fortress wall in Europe. In 1996 an earthquake caused severe damage.

along the palm alley, up the mountain again

the view compensates for the ascent!! Prapratno is a small bay, It faces south and has a sandy beach that is considered one of the most beautiful in the Adriatic. The water is warm and crystal clear, the bay is surrounded by olive and pine trees. Here in the bay our ship is waiting to take us back on board.

on the way from Prapranto to Šipanska Luka on the island Otok Šipan

The first mention of Šipans under this name dates back to 1371. Šipanska Luka houses summer residences of famous families from the 15th century. Above Šipanska Luka there is the parish church of St. Stephen from the 15th century.

View over the harbour and its entrance from Šipanska Luka

over this plateau we are on our way from Šipanska Luka to Sudurad

Sipan is the largest of the Elaphitic Islands, it lies 17 km northwest of Dubrovnik, beautiful scenery, shady olive groves and occasionally a small hamlet. Most of the island is covered by the Sipan field, which consists of vineyards, fig trees and olive groves. on the roof of the church fort near sudurad

after an airy descent we reach Sudurad The former summer residence of Vice Stjepović-Skočibuha is located in Suđurađ in the east of the island. In the heyday of the Republic of Dubrovnik, over 40 summer residences were built on the island of Sipan in the 15th and 16th centuries. During the summer months the social and cultural life was transferred from Dubrovnik to Sipan. Most of the mansions are now ruins. Only the summer residence of Vice Stjepović-Skočibuha, a shipbuilder, merchant and benefactor, has retained its original shape to this day. The distinctive fortified towers were not added until 1577, when work on the complex was completed. The villa consists of the main house, a chapel, another cottage, the towers and the massive walls that surround the property.

Intermediate stop on the way to Dubrovnik, short bike tour Lopud an island that belongs to the Elaphites. The islands of the Elaphites are called Daksa, Koločep, Sv Andrija, Lopud, Ruda, Šipan, Jakljan, Tajan and Olipa. Most of them are very small and uninhabited. Koločep, Lopud and Šipan are the only inhabited islands, The island has more than 2584 hours of sunshine a year and has its own freshwater wells, so it is covered with greenery, trees, shrubs, plants and many palm trees. Various Greek, Roman and Old Slavic buildings and ruins indicate that the island has been inhabited for a long time. Lopud has been a well-known seaside resort for a century. With the exception of some bicycles, scooters and electric buggies there is no traffic on the island.

we approach Dubrovnik, and leave the quiet surroundings of these small island worlds. in the background a cruise liner is already anchoring, flooding the small town with thousands of people!