Dalmatian beauty

The jewel in Croatia's crown must be the Dalmatian coast and the day we drove this stretch of coastline was also E's 19th birthday. The drive along the coast is stunning. Spectacular and jaw-droppingly so.  The road hugs the coast and the constant view is of mountains plunging into the Adriatic - a cerulean sea dotted with islands. 

The route we took after the Vis ferry boat delivered us back to Split was south to Baska Voda then to Ploce. Another ferry boat took us from Ploce to Trpanj on the Peljesac peninsula.  From Trpanj we drove up the peninsula to our destination for one week, Dingac.  The small village of Dingac produces Croatia's finest wines, indeed the entire Peljesac peninsula is an area adorned with vineyards.

In Dingac we stayed a week with Ana, Ivo and their extended family.  Their villa is two large homes just meters from the sea. Behind their homes are their vines, almost as far as the eye can see up the hills!  Ana cooked for us the night we arrived which was a delightful celebration dinner in E's honor.  Fish caught that morning by her son Bozo and cooked on the outdoor grill, vegetables from her garden, and ccompanied by wines made from their own grapes.  Ana's delicious dessert, traditional creme cake, became the perfect birthday cake for us to serenade E with 'Sretan Rodendan'.

 E's 19th birthday was a day to remember.

Dalmatian Beauty
Sretan Rodendan, E x

As well as the coastline, Dalmatian sunsets are spectacular.  Every evening the sky was ablaze with colour as the sun melted into the watery horizon.

We passed the week swimming, reading and exploring the peninsula.  We took day trips - to the neighbouring island of Korcula, and another to beautiful Dubrovnik. It was hot when we arrived at Dingac and over the week it got hotter - a number of days reached over 40 degrees.  No matter, the sea was only steps away and even during day trips a swim in the harbour or off the rocks was cool and refreshing.  Most nights a sea breeze would cool us down, though there were some nights when the breeze seemed hotter than the day and it felt like someone had left the heater on in summer!  One night on the terrace, Ivo and Ana invited some of their musician friends over and they entertained us with their beautiful voices singing Klapa - traditional Croatian a capalla - songs.

This is typical scenery on the Peljesac peninsula. Vines
and vineyards everywhere.  We stayed in Dingac which is on the coast,
and to get there it is necessary to get to the other side of  those hills.
In the 1950s the 400m single lane Tunel Dingac was cut right through the hills.

One lane, 400m through the mountain.  At the end you
must immediately turn left or right...

....for straight ahead is a precipitous drop into the Adriatic!
Spectacular.

This is Ana and Ivo's place

....these are their grapes and the winding, single lane road back
up to Tunel Dingac.

All around their villa are shady, vine-covered
terraces and verandas.

Dalmatian coast from the Franciscan Samostan (monastery)
of Our Lady, built on a cliff overlooking the town of Orebic.

Dubrovnik harbour, the city walls and St John's Fortress.

We stopped for lunch in a shady spot - Konoba Amoret -
between the steps of Dubrovnik Cathedral and the city gate.

It was very hot in Dubrovnik, and so we abandoned our
sight seeing and instead spent the afternoon swimming
in the harbour in the shadow of the ancient city walls.

It was a perfect way to spend the hot afternoon, and a
highlight of our visit to this magnificent city.

As the sun went down we walked the city walls, which entirely
circle the city.   Glorious views over Dubrovnik's red roofs.  From
high on the walls it is easy to see how much of the city was destroyed in
the early 1990s during the Croatian War of Independence
as the bright red roofs are the new ones.

Stradun, Dubrovnik's main street.
The grand, ancient stone pavement is worn so
smooth that it shines

Onofrio's fountain - built in the 1400s as part of the city's water supply.
Today you can wash your hands or splash your face
or drink from the lovely cool water running from
its water jets.

Another day we visited the island of Korcula.  This is the
 Korcula town wall - mini-Dubrovnik in many ways, and
claimed to be the birthplace of Marco Polo.

The top of the town walls are lined with lovely, shady
cafes and restaurants

Korcula street

A refreshing swim under the Korcula walls. The
Peljesac peninsula is in the background

This is the swimming spot at Ana and Ivo's villa.
Every day their dog Sokol would swim in the sea with us.

Trpanj, where we would sit beside the harbour
in an outdoor cafe with wifi 

Every day Bozo would 'go to the sea' to fish.
This is Ana showing us what she calls "number one fish"!