Dalmatian Coast October 4, 2018

Up for breakfast at the usual 700-730 and around 8 we set off on our boat for the island Brac (pronounced Brach). Perfect morning …warm sun and a gentle breeze. After a couple of hours we dropped anchor on one side of the Golden Horn beach on the island Brac. This apparently is one of the best beaches in Croatia. Into our bathing suits and into the water. Just a tad colder than the last two stops but didn’t want to miss the chance of one last swim in the Adriatic Sea. We know the chances of us ever being back are slim. Time to change before lunch is served on board. I should mention the beach we could see from the boat, clothes were optional. (Read more abour Brac here)

Golden Horn beach where we swam from the yacht

We then sailed to Bol on Brac Island. We had about an hour to walk down the promenade and see the lovely beach from the other side of where we had stopped for our swim.

Just off Golden Horn Beach

We hop on a bus and start a tour of Pucisca Brac Island. Our first stop is on the highest peak of the island where we can get a beautiful view of the Golden Horn. Vidova Gora is also the highest point on all of the Croatian Adriatic islands. It is interesting that they put a large cross on this peak after the homeland war, even though the island wasn’t affected by the war. It was damaged quite badly during WWII – having been first occupied by Italy and then Germany. On a clear day one can get a glimpse of Italy from this peak. We certainly could see many of the islands we visited over the last few days (such as Hvar and Vis).

From the highest point. Golden Horn neat the bottom right. Town of Bol in the center.

The Cross at Vidova Gora

Back on the bus and we stop at olive oil museum and were shown the old equipment that was used to crush the olives and make the oil. Much was done using person power. I had no idea of the work and requirements that are necessary to make extra virgin olive oil. For example, one can only put so many Kg of olives in the bags that are carried to the presses, as the olives can be bruised and the oxidation process initiated. For the best quality you want the first cold press olive oil. I will have greater respect for the bottle of olive oil I buy. The family who run the museum treated us with a taste of olive oil which we soaked up with gorgeous hunks of wonderful bread. They also had made sort of a pate, one with green olives and one with black. As we have seen throughout Croatia, the buildings are made of stone that is everywhere.

Stone building with a stone roof.

The buildings in this area were very different in that the roofs are also made out from the same stone that is placed layer upon layer, similar to the technique used for thatched roofs, only in stone. The roof of the olive museum had recently been redone, however, the owner told us that it is becoming harder and harder to find the artisans who are skilled in this from of construction. He also noted that after a number of years, the wood structure that hold the massive weight of the stone roof will weaken and finally fail if not attended to. This explained the large number of buildings which looked solid except for the lack of a roof which had long since caved in.

The roof wooden support structure

From there we went to visit a local soap making place… Made, you guessed it, with 95% olive oil. They added various things such as thyme, sage, lavender, tangerine, St John’s wart, basil etc. to the soap, making it useful for different things. They actually sell some of their soap to Saskatoon. We wondered if it was to the spa and casino operation that is there.

Olive oil making tools.

Then off to a restaurant where we had a wonderful fish dinner…anchovies, octopus, shrimp, mussels. Poor Greg had to settle for meat, which he thinks was something between lamb and mutton. Back on the bus to Pucisca, where we find our boat and settle in for the night.

The night view out of our portal.