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CROATIA

Road Scholar

October 3 to 16, 2015

Saturday to Sunday, October 3 to 4

John Trusz drives us to the Newark airport for our 8:15 pm Lufthansa flight to Munich. We are traveling in premium economy where at a modest extra cost, passengers are provided with more legroom and priority boarding. It is worth the price difference. In Munich we have a four-hour layover before the hour and a half flight to Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Upon arrival in Croatia we are off by motor coach to Herceg Novi in Montenegro where we have good accommodations at the Hunguest Hotel Sun Resort. We meet with our fellow Road Scholars and Maja Polic, the group leader, provides us with things to do and things we should not do---be flexible. A welcome dinner follows and then a welcome shower and bed rest.

Monday, October 5

Montenegro is one of the several small countries carved out of the former Yugoslavia; more on this later. This country is slightly larger than Connecticut and has a population somewhat greater than 661,000. It is a young country having separated by a peaceful referendum from Serbia as recently as 2006. The official language is Montenegrin, however, 66% speak Serbian. As for religious preferences, 75% are Orthodox, while the remaining are Muslim, Catholic and other. Agriculture, industry and tourism are important components of the economy.

We drive along the peninsula through the old coastal towns surrounding the Bay of Kotor. The small town of Perast (population 349) with its Renaissance (14th to 17th century) and Baroque (17th to 18th century) palaces and buildings are exceedingly well preserved. Elegant villas attest to the wealth of the former Venetian and Russian aristocrats, who lived and vacationed in these palatial homes. The wealth of the port city of Perast was derived from shipping and trade.

Throughout the centuries several different empires battled for control of Perast and at various times Perast was an independent republic. In the 10th century, it was an autonomous city of the Byzantine Empire, and from 1186 to 1371 it was a free city of medieval Serbia. Between 1420 and 1797 the city was variously under control of either Venice or Hungary. Perast reached its peak during the 18th century, under the control of the Venetian Republic. Commerce and trade drove the economy. At one time there were four active shipyards. French occupation from 1807 to 1814 was followed by Austrian rule until 1918.

The old Mediterranean port city of Kotor became part of Yugoslavia after that country was created following World War I. Yugoslavia was an amalgamation of ethnic Serbs, Croats and Slovenes but this union did not last for 100 years. Many of the city's Baroque palaces were built in this period including its seventeen Catholic churches and two Orthodox churches.

A boat takes us to a small rocky island where the Lady of the Rocks Roman Catholic Church is located, which is a “must see” tourist destination. Local legend has it that in 1452 two brother sailors passed by a rock in the bay bearing an icon of the Madonna and Child. To honor their experience the brothers, with help from the community, began adding rocks and sank worn out boats loaded with rocks. Eventually a solid base was created and a church was erected. The present day church contains important Baroque period paintings and other religious works of art. The tradition of adding rocks to the islet continues to this day.

Upon returning to the mainland we are on our own for lunch and the remainder of the afternoon. We explore main thoroughfare and a few of the attractive narrow side streets. Carol and I lunch at an outdoor café. Maja, our tour director, joins us. She tells us that she and her significant other are rehabilitating a boat which they eventually plan to sail around the world.

Tuesday, October 6

Our morning walk provides us with the opportunity to explore Herceg Novi. The city was founded on the site of a former Roman fishing village and it has a turbulent history. Due to its strategic location, Romans, Turks, Austrians and Spaniards variously ruled Herceg Novi. The town was once fortified and protected by massive stonewalls that now lie in rubble, destroyed by earthquakes and wars.

On our way to the famous city of Dubrovnik, Croatia we enjoy lunch at a rural farm home of an extended family. Most of their food is home grown and fresh from the garden. A braying donkey lets everyone know that it wants attention.

As we arrive in Croatia, it is appropriate to include a few pertinent facts about this “new” country with its ancient history. Croatia became an autonomous nation with the break up of the former Yugoslavia. The capital is Zagreb and it has a parliamentary system of government. The population is nearly five million of which about 87 per cent are Roman Catholic. Tourism is a huge factor in the economy. Its magnificent architecture and its long indented coastline with the beautiful waters of the Adriatic make it an ideal destination.

Dubrovnik has been described by the poet Lord Byron (1788-1824) as “the Pearl of the Adriatic” and by George Bernard Shaw as “Paradise on Earth.” With its rich Renaissance and Baroque past, Dubrovnik has a lot going for it including a fascinating history. There is the 16th century Sponza Palace with its rich marble stone carvings executed in a mixture of Renaissance and Gothic styles.

The palace served a variety of functions; including administrative offices, a warehouse, a bank, a mint and a school. Today, the Sponza Palace houses priceless historical archives. Our explorations of Dubrovnik include the impressive Franciscan Monastery and the Church of Saint Blaise. The original of this complex was built in the 13th century in the late Romanesque style. However, it was severely damaged by the massive earthquake of 1667. Subsequently, it has been rebuilt in different styles. Curiously, the church operates a pharmacy that dates to 1317 and is the world’s third oldest pharmacy.

For the next part of our journey, we will live aboard the yacht M Y Futura. The accommodations and the food are excellent. Only the 14 of us enrolled in the Road Scholar program are on board. We have the Futura to ourselves.

Wednesday, October 7

This morning we are free to explore and savor the fascinating city of Dubrovnik on our own. Carol and I and several Road Scholars choose to take the cable car to the top of Mount Srd. From the mountaintop we are treated to spectacular views of the old walled city surrounded by the beautiful blue waters of the Adriatic.

The weather is excellent and the sky is bright blue. It is a lovely day and the beauty of our surroundings is impressive.

Dubrovnik experienced much suffering from the great earthquake of 1667, the ravages of World War II, and the 1990’s war for Croatian independence. Many of its impressive Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque style buildings were severely damaged. Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is painstakingly being restored. The city reached its glory as a 13th century sea power based upon its maritime trade. However, it was always overshadowed by Venice.

A professor from the university gave an interesting lecture on the historic, economic and social relationships between Venice and Dubrovnik based upon his research of 13th and 14th century letters and official documents. Venice was the economic superior to Dubrovnik. The leaders of Dubrovnik referred to themselves as poor and needy compared to the great wealth and influence of Venice. The professor called these merchants and leaders of Dubrovnik “cry babies.”

M V Futura

Thursday, October 8

We sail off to Mljet Island and the National Park where we take a leisurely walk around a small lake. Following this we take a boat to visit the 12th century Benedictine monastery and the Church of Saint Mary. At the monastery we hear the story of the monks and visit the church.

A few of us take advantage of the opportunity to swim in the Adriatic before the Futura departs Dubrovnik. Carol and I join the the swimmers and we discover that the water is cold, but refreshing.

We lunch on board, and after a short sail we are in medieval Korcula. According to local legend, the Trojans founded this town and that it was the birthplace of the intrepid explorer Marco Polo (1254-1324). Note: Venice also claims to be the birthplace of Marco Polo. This issue is not settled.

Korcula is a fortified town locate5 on a point of land jutting out to the Adriatic Sea. It is a picturesque town of stone buildings with red tile roofs and narrow twisting walk ways.

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Most of the buildings date from the 15th, 16th, to the 17th centuries. The high points are the 15th century Gothic-Renaissance style Saint Mark’s Cathedral and the Town Museum with displays of artifacts and crafts pertaining to the history of Korcula.

Friday, October 9

In the a.m. we have class time with a lecture by our group leader about the history and culture of Croatia, her neighbors and the Adriatic. After lunch we visit the beautiful Croatian Island of Hvar.

Following the decline and fall of the Roman Empire (6th century A.D.), numerous Adriatic seaside ports became prosperous trading and cultural centers, as they sought protection from the Venetians. In Hvar there are ancient palaces, stonewalls, a large town square, the first theater in the western world open to all classes, Saint Stephen’s Cathedral and the Franciscan monastery completed in the 18th century testify to a rich cultural heritage.

Saturday, October 10

This morning we take a field trip to Stari Grad, a.k.a. “Old Town” located on the north side of Hvar Island. It is one of the oldest settlements in Europe having first been laid out by Greek colonists in the 6th century B.C. It was a superior location because of its proximity to the sea and fertile agricultural lands. Other ethnic groups such as Slavs and Croats arrived in the 6th and 7th centuries. We stroll through the city and visit the palace of nobleman poet Peter Hektorovic (1487-1572). We stop at the Dominican monastery (1482) to view its famous painting “The Mourning of Christ” attributed to the famous Venetian Renaissance painter Tintoretto (1519-1594).

In the afternoon we experience a rainstorm so Maja offers instruction in knot tying as busy work. Only a few of our fellow travelers are interested. It becomes apparent that I am better at this craft than she is and I take the lead. I dazzle the workshop with my famous masthead knot.

Before dinner the musical group Faroski Kantaduri (Faros Cantors) perform a combination of traditional Dalmatian polyphonic song blended with Gregorian chants, or as they put it, “from heaven to the altar.” It is a bit strange to the western ear but enjoyable. This group has performed throughout Europe and the United States.

Sunday, October 11

Today, begins with an on board lecture by our group leader, followed by a field trip to ancient Trogir. Trogir, an ancient small island town, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its long history developed out of a 3rd century Greek settlement and the name comes from the Greek “tragos,” the island of goats.

As we walk along the picturesque waterfront to the South Town Gate we are stepping back in time more than 3,000 years. We are impressed by the different architectural styles from Romanesque, Renaissance to Baroque. We visit the Saint Lawrence Cathedral and Saint Mark Fort to view the defenses built by the Venetians. The erection of the present Romanesque style cathedral was begun in the 13th century but it was not completed until the 17th century.

Before dinner we hear an excellent lecture by a young professor from the University of Split. His lecture is about the economy and trade in ancient Dalmatia. He explores the inter-relationships between the large clay vessels used to transport and store olives and olive oil, and the ship building and stone masonry industries.

Monday, October 12

The agenda today features the exploration of the lively and historic town of Split. This rather odd name, Split, derives from the name of the brushy vegetation common to the area. Split was initially founded as a Greek colony about 2400 years ago. Split’s most prominent feature is the Diocletian Palace. This enormous imperial villa spans nearly 10 acres and it housed as many as 9,000 people. It was initially built as the retirement palace for the Roman emperor,

Diocletian (244 to 311 AD).

Examining Sculpture of the Diocletian Palace

Diocletian was born in Croatia of low status who rose to become a high-ranking military commander.

He was the Roman emperor from 284 to 305. We explore several of the significant sites within the palace

including the Golden Gate, the Temple of Jupiter and the Cathedral of Saint Duje (Domnius) that is reputed to be the oldest cathedral in the world. The Diocletian Palace is one of the world’s few cultural monuments where people still live.

Tonight is our last dinner aboard the Futura and we are delighted to be entertained by local musicians.

Tuesday, October 13

After breakfast we bid farewell to the M Y Futura, our comfortable shipboard home for the past week. We visit the ancient (almost every thing is ancient in Croatia) town of Sibenik, population 50,000, that is considered to be the oldest Slavic town on the Dalmatian Coast.

Sibenik is especially noted for the Cathedral of Saint James. Italian master builders constructed it from the years 1431 to 1536. Later construction of the cathedral was conducted under the direction of the preeminent Croatian sculptor Juraj Dalmatinac. The cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is considered by some authorities to be the most beautiful sacral building in Croatia.

Our day concludes at the Hotel President in Split.

Wednesday, October 14

The last day to explore Croatia begins with a visit to the Split Ethnographic Museum. The museum features a large variety of traditional Dalmatian regional ethnic clothing. There is delicate embroidery, lace work and fine knitting. Other handiwork includes woodcarving, metalworking, basketry and jewelry.

The Archaeological Museum is our final stop for the day. It is the repository for artifacts -- jewelry, coins and pottery -- mostly unearthed at Salona in the hills above Split. The collection includes many religious objects used by the people who fled to the palace from Salona during the Avar-Slav invasion in the 7th century. Also on display are large heavy stone objects such as sarcophagi.

The artifacts range in age from prehistoric times to the period of Greek and Roman colonization of the Adriatic and to the Christian era.

Tonight we have our farewell dinner and say our goodbyes to our fellow Road Scholar travelers and to our faithful guide, Maja Polic.

Thursday-Friday October 15-16

THUS THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS: What was supposed to be a short flight from Split to Munich Germany, and then a non-stop flight to JFK became something much more complicated. At JFK we had arranged to meet our driver for the trip home.

It did not work out that way. Stormy weather diverted us to Frankfort where we were unable to get a booking to JFK until the next day (Friday). We had to stay overnight in Germany, passing through immigration and customs. It was necessary to rebook our flight and stay at a motel somewhere out in the boonies. We had to go through the usual formalities and security to get back to our flight.

A major problem was notifying our driver of the change in days and time. We thought this had been worked out but the driver came for us a day early. Lyn and Randy could not arrange for a Lancaster limo service to pick us up. Finally, they made contact with a New York company that would drive us home. The only identifying feature about the car/driver was that it was an Avalon. Finally I found the Avalon with a non-English speaking driver who got us home.

Home at last and it never looked so good.

Fred & Carol

February, 2016

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