Day 8 - Cruise to Solta. Cycle from Rogec to Maslinica and back. Cruise to Split.

Bike Route - Rogac to Maslinica                                              

Length: 12 miles

Total ascent: 1476 ft

Highest point: 442 ft

Surface: 100% paved road

Difficulty level: 3/5

My final day in Croatia began with a 4 hour morning cruise from Makarska to the island of Šolta. After breakfast, the boat docked, unloaded us and our bikes, and we began our final  bike ride from Rogac, a lively port town. Throughout history Rogac was a place of fishermen and sailors and has been inhabited since Roman times. Because of the risk of pirate attacks, Rogac never had a large number of residents.


From here, we had a long, steep winding climb out of town, and one of the 5 hybrid bikers turned around. The Spandex crowd whizzed past me, but I stuck it out and was rewarded with wonderful views and a slightly easier ride from the top. We passed through quaint, old remote villages, and as always a church was never far.



2 miles of this climb...ugh!🤮

From here, we cycled on to Maslinica on the west part of the island. The settlement developed around the castle built by the noble family Marchi in 1708. Due to frequent pirate attacks, the Marchi brothers requested from the Venetian governor approval to build a castle with a tower to defend the village. The family populated their estate with farm workers from Zagora and Herzegovina, who were also engaged in fishing and seafaring. They also commissioned the building of the church of St. Nicholas, located on the highest hill south of the bay. Once the castle was restored and a marina built, the once small fishermens village gradually grew into a tourist destination. 

Group shot from on top of a hill... I'm on the right, a few people in.


    Amazing views all day!

Wildflowers cover the hills here
Taken during our beach pit stop...
The town of Maslinica...

After a short break on a pretty,  rocky beach, we cycled back to Rogec, boarded the boat and had our final lunch on board... bean soup, salad, rosemary chicken and vegetables and a delicious strudel!!

We had a leisurely cruise back to Split and a free afternoon for sightseeing.The yachts were 6 deep in the busy port, a big change from the calm a week earlier. The season has begun!
When boats/yachts tie up side to side, we have to hop from one to the next to get back on to our boat! A little treacherous, and I'm not looking forward to getting my luggage across them in the morning.
I had a little more time in Splot today than on the day I arrived a week ago, and somehow still had energy, so I decided to make the climb up to Marjan Park. It is a green forest oasis west of Split's old town, used now for hiking, biking, swimming, and rock climbing. 
 
 I climbed higher and higher... in my standard footwear, flip flops ;)
The serene walk up to Telegrin peak included 314 steps, rewarding me with stunning panoramic views of the busting city and the Adriatic Sea below. Stops along the way included an old Jewish cemetery, quaint St Jerome church, cave dwellings, a more. The round trip 5 mile hike took about 2.5 hours... beautiful views!



Near the summit, a beautiful stone cross


 I opted for the packed gravel walkway for parts of the return trip..

Once I got closer to town as I headed down, it was hopping, and the promenade was packed! I grabbed a slice of pizza, sat on a waterfront bench and people watched before heading back to the boat.



As I passed this restaurant, a waiter had a large iced tray full of fresh, whole fish and was describing each one to the diners. I hovered nearby with my camera, but he got away too fast. Lol

It was our last night onboard after an incredible week cruising and cycling through Croatia... during the week, I took these pics of the Croatian crew and cruise guests... from Germany, France, Slovenia, US, Holland and Austria!

    Our cycling guide, Natasha:
Captain Marino





      Sailor/ deck hand Toni 🔥
        Chef Goran

        Server Toni

I guess that's a wrap on Croatia. I'm exhausted! Tomorrow evening... Italy!! ;)

Comments

  1. TracyMay 19, 2023 at 1:02 PM

    Awesome trip and photos. Thanks !

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaggieMay 20, 2023 at 9:42 AM

    Thanks for sharing! Beautiful pictures. So glad your weather has improved! Looking forward to Italy!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 13 - (Wednesday)Milan sights and flight home

Image
This morning, I had some time before my flight, so I walked about 3 miles to see the major sights of Milan. The Duomo of course, and surrounding buildings... very crowded but spectacular. Da Vinci's Last Supper painting is also located in a different church in Milan, but I didn't have time to see it. Adjacent to the Duomo plaza is Italy’s oldest shopping centre, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It's fabulous... open air! I passed a lot of beautiful historic buildings, old city walls, a colonnade and a nice public garden... Note the street car lines overhead And of course the famous opera theater, La Scala.. And various historic statues and buildings... Palazzo del Senato Natural History Museum below.. An apartment building with greenery filled balconies... Then it was back to catch yet another train (1 hour) to Malpensa Airport... I lucked out and had a nice (free) seat in Premium Select on my flight to JFK, courtesy of my sister's Delta pass! Well, here ends my 2 wee...
Read more

Day 12 - (Tuesday)Cinque Terre and an afternoon train to Milan

Image
This morning, I had planned to hike north along the Ligurian coastline to the villages of Vernazza and Monterosso. After last night ' s long arduous hike, I decided to just walk about 30 minutes north, take some pics and catch an earlier train to Milan. I'll need 3-5 days to "do" Cinque Terre properly and enjoy the towns at leisure . Why rush? And every muscle in my body hurt from 2.5 hours of steps🤣 Here are the remaining town descriptions and a few internet images , just as an FYI.. Monterosso is the largest town with the most amenities and is relatively flat. V er nazza is probably the most picturesque and most visited of the 5 towns, with a lovely seaside piazza. Below are MY photos from this morning's walk.. I didn't purchase a $20 day pass to hike the northern towns so this checkpoint is where I turned around. Even walls are pretty in Italy! Concrete repair...from a bucket! Poppies are everywhere! The long winding staircase up to Corniglia....at th...
Read more

Day 6- Cruise from StariGrad to Korcula, 20 mile bike ride

Image
We've spent the last 2 nights docked in Stari Grad. Last night after dinner I finally had a chance to stroll the town. Lovely! Today's post/pics are at the end...keep scrolling! A brief history... i n 384 BC, Greeks settled Stari Grad, which makes the town 2,406 years old! The Stari Grad Bay provided natural protection, while the flat interior was ideal for cultivating crops. Land was divided and sectioned, and the historic agricultural grid of the Stari Grad Plain is still visible today, where vineyards, olive trees and lavender grow. The land was then claimed by the Romans, followed by the Slavs. In the 13th century, it was ruled by the Venetian Republic, but was destroyed by the Turks and then rebuilt. In the 1800s, Hvar Island, including the town of StariGrad , fell under the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the 1900s, when the island became part of Yugoslavia and finally the Republic of Croatia in 1991. The town was quiet during my walk, with the usual.. quiet alle...
Read more