Mljet, back to Dubrovnik and then onto Jolly Ol England
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After leaving the port of Korcula we chugged off into the rising sun for Mjlet, a supposedly fabulous green haven mostly comprised of a protected National Park. We slipped passed the usual barren rocky islets, peninsulas and reefs sticking out of the Adriatic. Tricky navigation I would have thought, I am glad the weather was nigh on perfect for such excursions. The ancient Greeks were originally here and named the island Melite which is much the same name as today. Romans and Byzantines were followed by the Bendictine Monks who built a magnificent Monastery. Great.
We anchored offshore and clambered onto the Tender to go ashore. The French on board seem very dogged in their determination to be first off, however with us Kiwis usually bringing up the rear anyway it wasnt an issue.
Mjlet was indeed a forested island, we were greeted on the quay by a friendly 'greenie' who had taken the protection of the islands fauna and flora to heart. Good news there are no snakes here and the bad news is the reason why - someone had released Mongooses on the island which after knocking off all the snakes were now knocking off everything else they could get their greedy little paws on. Familiar story ?
Undaunted by all that our guide enthusiastically lead us on a merry chase through the sparsely wooded terrain to two secret lakes in the middle of the island, one of which contained the 1151 Monastery on its own islet. We were to have a boat trip across but the boat was delayed, it arrived in due course and we wandered around the island after checking out the old Monastery. Small but well preserved. It had been converted into a Hotel (shock horrer), but had recently returned to the Monastic Order who had kept a little income from having a restaurant and people to stay. Winners all round and we get to see a lovely little Monastery on its own islet in Mjlet. Most interesting thing was bumping into a bunch of Kiwis doing a cycling tour of Crotia. NZers are everywhere!
Back to the quay, reboarded and off to Dubrovnik. The staff all sang something cute in French as we arrived for the last meal. The ships company had planned a Gala Evening with a fabulous surprise at the end. Denise still not feeling 100% but we made the most of it.
Five courses with various wines, finished off with a flaming baked alaska being presented to the guests. We were suitably impressed and finished off a week of the best cordon bleu french cooking ever. Not exactly sure if thats the right word but it sounds good.
Early morning start for the airport; we had taken the kiwi style, sussed out the local bus and figured ou thow to get there. Only we hadnt figured on Croatian Customs when departing the port. The direct route out to the bus station (which I had walked thru 30 minutes before) was now VERBOTEN. We had to lug our packs (heavy - still containing Denises free Bourbon) all the way back past the boat (laughing at us Im sure) around to the main exit and back to the station, naturally missing our bus. Fortunately there was another to the airport arriving in plenty of time for the flight to Gatwick. The French arrived en masse a little later, threw out a cordon and secured half the cafe airport for Gaul. Bon voyage and good bye.
It was a direct 2.5 hour flight to London Gatwick except I wasnt feeling that good now so was glad to get on the ground. Excellent customs except we were in the 'Other Passport' queue, one officer, and truckloads of elderly,infirm and disabled types all scooted thru asap ahead of us, it took a while to get through. Anyway we struggled around the massive place with our packs etc finally finding the Hertz Rental car. What now - we were missing a vital number so couldnt confirm the car was prepaid. At least we were speaking in English, albeit to a non-English person. Half an hour got that one sorted then as I was unwell Denises driving was unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Roundabouts were true to name, several times around the same one on occasion.Denise said a few choice words though I suspect worse was said in cars and trucks adjacent to us. Although in her defence she hadnt driven a manual for a while, and stalling every now and then in a busy roundabout or intersection is to be expected. After she had had her fun she decided it was my turn.
So I had a crack at it, could drive Ok but not sure where to go. Eventually after much ado found a motorway going in the direction of Bryan and Juliets place in Devon and zoomed off at a great rate of knots to find somewhere to sleep along the way.
We anchored offshore and clambered onto the Tender to go ashore. The French on board seem very dogged in their determination to be first off, however with us Kiwis usually bringing up the rear anyway it wasnt an issue.
Mjlet was indeed a forested island, we were greeted on the quay by a friendly 'greenie' who had taken the protection of the islands fauna and flora to heart. Good news there are no snakes here and the bad news is the reason why - someone had released Mongooses on the island which after knocking off all the snakes were now knocking off everything else they could get their greedy little paws on. Familiar story ?
Undaunted by all that our guide enthusiastically lead us on a merry chase through the sparsely wooded terrain to two secret lakes in the middle of the island, one of which contained the 1151 Monastery on its own islet. We were to have a boat trip across but the boat was delayed, it arrived in due course and we wandered around the island after checking out the old Monastery. Small but well preserved. It had been converted into a Hotel (shock horrer), but had recently returned to the Monastic Order who had kept a little income from having a restaurant and people to stay. Winners all round and we get to see a lovely little Monastery on its own islet in Mjlet. Most interesting thing was bumping into a bunch of Kiwis doing a cycling tour of Crotia. NZers are everywhere!
Back to the quay, reboarded and off to Dubrovnik. The staff all sang something cute in French as we arrived for the last meal. The ships company had planned a Gala Evening with a fabulous surprise at the end. Denise still not feeling 100% but we made the most of it.
Five courses with various wines, finished off with a flaming baked alaska being presented to the guests. We were suitably impressed and finished off a week of the best cordon bleu french cooking ever. Not exactly sure if thats the right word but it sounds good.
Early morning start for the airport; we had taken the kiwi style, sussed out the local bus and figured ou thow to get there. Only we hadnt figured on Croatian Customs when departing the port. The direct route out to the bus station (which I had walked thru 30 minutes before) was now VERBOTEN. We had to lug our packs (heavy - still containing Denises free Bourbon) all the way back past the boat (laughing at us Im sure) around to the main exit and back to the station, naturally missing our bus. Fortunately there was another to the airport arriving in plenty of time for the flight to Gatwick. The French arrived en masse a little later, threw out a cordon and secured half the cafe airport for Gaul. Bon voyage and good bye.
It was a direct 2.5 hour flight to London Gatwick except I wasnt feeling that good now so was glad to get on the ground. Excellent customs except we were in the 'Other Passport' queue, one officer, and truckloads of elderly,infirm and disabled types all scooted thru asap ahead of us, it took a while to get through. Anyway we struggled around the massive place with our packs etc finally finding the Hertz Rental car. What now - we were missing a vital number so couldnt confirm the car was prepaid. At least we were speaking in English, albeit to a non-English person. Half an hour got that one sorted then as I was unwell Denises driving was unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Roundabouts were true to name, several times around the same one on occasion.Denise said a few choice words though I suspect worse was said in cars and trucks adjacent to us. Although in her defence she hadnt driven a manual for a while, and stalling every now and then in a busy roundabout or intersection is to be expected. After she had had her fun she decided it was my turn.
So I had a crack at it, could drive Ok but not sure where to go. Eventually after much ado found a motorway going in the direction of Bryan and Juliets place in Devon and zoomed off at a great rate of knots to find somewhere to sleep along the way.
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