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US$1 equals 6.6 kuna I've just returned from my third trip to Croatia, and I'm writing to explain my enthusiasm for this country and the opportunities it offers is now even greater. Last year, I traveled to its northern islands of Krk and Cres, where rocky villages surrounded by walled-in vineyards teeter on the edge of windblown cliffs. A few months ago, I visited its lush southern islands, with traveled north of Dubrovnik to the Pe1jesac Peninsula, a stretch of land almost covered by vineyards. Our first stop was Mali Ston, a speck of a town where we breakfasted on the best oysters I've ever tasted (for 5.50 kuna each), fresh from the oyster beds in front of the restaurant. Local families own the only two restaurants in town (which are also side by side), and they are fierce competitors. They have the same menu-if you order oysters, you can't go wrong. We ate at Family Kralj's restaurant; the family also owns the brand-new, elegant little Hotel Ostrea a few steps away. Napa Valley East A few miles down the road is Ston. A walled city, its main section crawls up the hill that overlooks the town and ends at a tiny church. While Mali Ston shows no evidence of Croatia's recent war, Ston still does, and residents are hard at work restoring it to its former beauty. Its oysters are said be the best in Croatia. From here, the vineyards run across the peninsula. A few miles beyond, we noticed a sign among the vines: domace vino, or homemade wine. We decided to investigate. A narrow dirt road led to an ivy-covered house, home to the Pekic family. They turned out to be the only local vintners who sell wine to passersby. To do so, vinters must register in the capital and pay a substantial yearly tax. Most locals aren't interested in paying the tax, as the wine they produce rarely makes it off the Peninsula. Mr. Pekic didn't speak English, but his daughter explained that she and her parents produce the red Lavac and white Rukatac wines, as well as walnut and herb brandies, from their 3,000 vines. They offer two types of reds and two types of whites, one of better quality than the other. (The vines on the hill produce the better-quality grapes, she explained.) The family serves and the wines ferment in the cool, dark basement of their home. You can buy the wine for 12 kuna, or about $2, per liter if you carry it in one of the plastic jugs they have on hand. (The price is higher with a bottle-but the wine lasts longer.) The best time to visit is in the spring or summer. They harvest the vintage in September and October; it takes a month to pick the vines and another month to bottle the wine. At the end of the peninsula lies the village of Orebic, where you can also taste a local wine; look for another domace vino sign on the road along the water. From here, a 30minute ferry will take you to the lovely little island of Korcula, the birthplace of Marco Polo. Korcula comes alive Korcula dates to the stone age and was home to a Greek colony in the fourth century. Winter months are quiet in the stone 16th-century village, and life was just beginning to stir in early May when we arrived. The first tourists arrive late in May; restaurants and pubs open only during summer months are the main sources of livelihood. (During the winter, many restaurants and hotels are closed.) Most tourists come for the July festival, during which islanders perform the traditional island knight dance. Two parties of warriors, one wearing red, the other black, sing and dance as they fight for the cere-monial bride. by Siri Use Doub Contacts ? Hotel Ostrea, Mali Ston, 20230 Ston; tel. (385-20) 754555, fax -575; rooms are 396 kuna a night ? D&D Rent-A-Car, Frana Supila; tel. (385-20)411053 or -611; a rental car costs 390 kuna for 24 hours ? Hotel Argentina, F. Supila 4, 20000 Dubrovnik; tel. (385-20)440555, fax 432524 ? Atlas Travel; tel. (385-20)442222, fax 411100 The best of the walled city The seventh-century walled city of Dubrovnik, at the foot of the Srd range and dangling on the Adriatic, is the premier tourist attraction of Croatia. It's not large boasting only about 5,000 residents-and most of the town lives within its almost 2,000-meter walls. We stayed with Anka Berac, a Croatian whose house, located up winding stone stairs and past walled gardens and stone houses, overlooks the city. Her neighbor is an American investment banker who splits his time between San Francisco and Dubrovnik. Tourism is the main source of revenue for residents. You'll have no trouble finding good restaurants here (all of which have pretty much the same menus, but try the "little fried fish" at least once). Prices in the smaller square around the corner from the Cathedral of Our Lady in Luza Square and the Staircase-beside-Jesuits are lower than those on ulica Ivan Skarica and the main drag Placa. (Bufet Kamenice was our favorite.) Have a drink at the bar outside the walls overlooking the sea. (Entrance to the walls is 10 kuna. A walk along the walls around the city is a must for your visit.) You can see the bar from the top of the wall, but it takes some sleuthing to find its door from inside the city. It's owned by Baldo, a Croatian-American who returned to Dubrovnik with hopes of becoming a war hero during its troubles. When the war ended and the tourist industry had not yet recovered, many entrepreneurs-Baldo included-found it easy to obtain a license to open a bar or restaurant. Today, it's unlikely another bar will open in such a prime location. You can take a ferry from Dubrovnik harbor to neighboring fishing towns. For 20 kuna, a boat will take you to Cavtat, a small village just south of Dubrovnik that is home to the Zannini family house. As Robert Fordi told you in the March issue of IL, it is for sale for $68,000, Or take bus # 1 or 8 to Dubrovnik's new harbor on the other side of town, to sail to some of the outer islands. The Jadrolinija ferry; tel. (385-20)418000, fax -418111, will take you to most during the summer months; ferry trips are less frequent during the winter. We took a day-trip to Lopud (round trip: 10.80 kuna), a lovely little island of 260 people and no cars. Have lunch at the Taverna there and try the Dalmatia smoked ham (40 kuna), a specialty. The squid is the best deal, (For some reason, this is the only dish that includes two side dishes-the price is 40 kuna.) Visit the monastery and the cobblestone village and then hike over to the other side of the island to see the stone church and Sunj Beach. Run a hotel in Dubrovnik While in Dubrovnik, we looked in the famous Argentina Hotel, one of the most popular in the city. Adjoining it is the Villa Sheharazad, which the Hotel Argentina has recently put up for sale, When the Serbs attacked Dubrovnik, they bombed the Argentina, and the Villa went into ruin. So far no one has restored it, and the gardens and village have a Miss Havisham air about them. It is lovely, with a pool and statues in a garden overlooking the Adriatic; before the war, it attracted a jet-set crowd. It has 30 rooms and is for sale for a nondisclosed price. For details, contact Hotel Argentina, F. Supila 4, 20000 Dubrovnik; tel. (385-20)440555, -26525, fax -432524; a room at the regular hotel costs from 339 to 700 kuna a night. |
