The Croatian Island of Brač
After waiting for the high season to simmer, we finally got to stay on a Croatian island in the Adriatic! With two of our good friends from college visiting, we made it a point to explore and relax on Brač. Read about the highlights of our trip and what I still want to do next year!
The Ferry Ride from Split
In order to properly explore the island and easily get to Bol, where we were staying, we took our car to the island. A ferry rides from Split to Supetar a few times each day, so we took our car and enjoyed the hour-long ferry ride across.
This was my first time on a big ferry (some of you may remember my ride on a small Maryland one), and my gosh it was a gorgeous ride. The cost of the ferry for pedestrians is not terrible, and for $60 round-trip I thought the car ferry ticket was reasonable as well.
Driving on the Rocky Island
Dramamine was needed for the windy roads on the island, but the sights were worth the medication. From high points you can see the sea, you drive past cliffs and olive trees and grape vines pop all over along the drive.
On our second full day on Brač, we stopped at Wine Tasting Brac in the inland town of Nerežišća. It was about 30 minutes from Bol, and it was so worth it. For only 115 kuna (like $18), you get to try five homemade Rakiya liquors, four homemade wines, homemade olive oil and chicken pate.
Not only was the food and drink incredible, but the owners were a joy to be around. This business has been in the family for a few generations, and one of the sons waited on us. He was friendly, full of history and hilarious. I highly, highly recommend you make a reservation to visit this winery.
Bol
Many people would say the distinguishing characteristic of Bol, Croatia, is the nearby beach of Zlatni Rat (more on that soon). For me, though, Bol was defined by its city built with the white limestone of Brač. Buildings, streets and statues are made of this stone - in fact, white stones used in the US White House were sourced from this island! Imagine these white stones along the bright blue-green sea with boats sprinkled here and there. Strolling through Brač was fun because everything was so nice to look at.
As with most Balkan cities, finding a cafe was not too tough. We most enjoyed Caffe Bar Kala because the mascot was a French Bulldog AND they had a French Bulldog on-site! Our boys were in Zagreb, but I still had some puppy love. Speaking of dogs, on our last night in Bol a sad, smelly hound dog followed us to our apartment. Despite trying to walk him back home and shoo-ing him off, he literally curled up and slept on our doorstep. Thankfully, he went home the next day and we went on our way.
We tried a couple of restaurants for supper in Bol, but my favorite supper by far was the one we fixed ourselves on the Pec. A pec is a traditonal outdoor grill that many Croats use to grill and prepare large meals. The hubs and I have eaten meals from the pec many times, but finally we got to prepare one.
The three of them (the hubs plus our newly engaged friends) helped create the fire while I prepared the vegetables. The wood had to turn to coals before we could grill the cevapcici, chicken, sausage and veggies.
Zlatni Rat Beach
Perhaps one of the most famous beaches on the Adriatic, Zlatni Rat was a great way to spend our day. The hook shape is what you may recognize, but the beach looks much different once you are on it.
We sat on the East side of the beach, where the waves and wind were a bit harder. In the sunlight, though, we were thankful for both. We arrived around 10 am when the beach was virtually empty. The beach chairs we snagged were not free, but for $7.50 each it was worth having a front row seat.
One warning: be very, very careful of the sun. We spent about five hours on the beach, reapplying sunscreen 3-4 times each. And still, the men in our crew got beet red. I mean scorched by the sun purplish-red. They were in pain.
Things Yet to See
On this trip, we did not get to do everything we had hoped to do. Because of the bad weather and wind before we arrived, the boat tours to the blue and green caves were cancelled. I definitely want to try again next Spring.
When we returned to the ferry on Sunday, we planned to kill time by walking around the port city of Supetar. Lucky for us, we got there just in time to board the earlier ferry so we had zero time to explore. On my next trip to Brač, I want to see more of Supetar, the Stonemason School and the winery located in Bol.
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Love to all,
Morg
