Day 4- cruise Milna to Starigrad.. cycle Jelsa and back

This morning, the boat left Milna at 7am. Due to ongoing wind and rough seas, the "published itinerary" has been scrapped. Boat Captains chat in the evening and work with the bike guides to arrange the cycling route for the next day. We had breakfast along the way with a new local specialty included, burik. Shown below, its a flaky pastry filled with a fluffy cheese...delicious! Then we docked in StariGrad.

Today's cycling route to Jelsa and back, about 20 miles round trip and somewhat flat. I'm sticking with my hybrid bike. I can do this!

Group photo as we took off..I'm 3rd from left ;) As we neared Jelsa, there was an optional detour with a climb which I and the 4 others on hybrid bikes declined. On to Jelsa, which dates to the 1300s and was named for the alder trees, a type of birch!

We passed lots of vineyards, mountains, olive trees and stone walls along our route.

Every harbor has little fishing boats.

In every town where we have stopped, they have built in grills along the waterfront for people to use... very cool!
I wandered off the main square and followed signs to the Old Town where I discovered this 15th century square and tiny St John's church (1600s)
Back in the center of town, there was a Croatian wine shop and as always, beautiful "mounds" of fruit embellished gelato!



I never tire of the old stone houses with wooden shutters.

Some Jelsa history... in the 14th century Jelsa served as a port for the nearby village of Pitve around which are several sources of fresh water bordered by poplar trees. A parish church was built, the Church of Sts Fabian and Sebastian, whose most notable feature is its 17th-century Baroque altar. In 1535 the townspeople erected a fort as protection against the Turkish attacks of 1571. Refugees from the mainland, fleeing the Turks, came to Jelsa and brought with them a wooden statue of the Madonna which now adorns the main altar. In the 16th century a square formed around the church although most of the buildings you see around the square now date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Rather than wait for the group, I opted to find my own way back to StariGrad. The route began with a wide, 3 mile stone path around the coastline along rocky beaches, then turned inland and passed by farm land.



I really enjoyed finding my own way, going at my own pace and being able to stop and take photos without holding up the group. I got back to the boat before anyone and after riding in rain in 60 degrees all morning, I welcomed a hot shower!

Lunch on board was at 1:30 once the whole group returned. It was delicious with a refreshing cabbage salad, hot broccoli soup and chicken "quattro formaggi" with gnocchi. As always there was fresh baked bread and a nice parfait for dessert!

Tonight, there is a Captain's Croatian barbecue dinner on board. Despite the bike rides, I'm usually still full from breakfast when our 3 course lunch rolls around at 1pm. Last night I just had a banana for dinner, but I'll make room. An amazing spread... not for vegetarians!🤣





 Even the bread was special!

Bad news for the rest of the week😩 Until tomorrow...



 

Comments

  1. Tracy RogersMay 15, 2023 at 12:24 PM

    That's a lot of meat. Any fish or seafood on board ever?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 16, 2023 at 2:14 PM

    Hope you use the electric bike on future rides

    ReplyDelete

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