Travels with Craig and Jeri: Croatia Day 4

Day 4- Gruda, Cavtat, and start of our charter

We packed up this morning and Mario loaded up the Sprinter for a morning tour of the area south of Dubrovnik followed by drop-off at the marina for our week long cruise. As we drove down the coastal road, we were able to stop at a beautiful overlook where we could see Lokrum Island (which we circumnavigated in kayaks on our first day

and the old town of Dubrovnik.

Our first stop was the town of Gruda, just south of the airport, to visit the Đivanović Mills. This is a restored complex of 500 year old mills, one flour mill and one fulling mill (for creating woolen cloth from knitted wool).

Were greeted by two women in local dress, with a sampling of local liqueurs and sweets. (Alcohol at 10 am was a real treat).

Our guide had a very strange Croatian accent. She was actually Australian of Croatian descent who married a Croatian and splits her time between the two continents.

Flour Mill

The River Ljuta

Fulling Mill

Peka- Steel Pots for Cooking

Smiling Mario

Back into the Sprinter for a short drive up to an old fort overlooking the area. Molly enjoyed the graveyard at the top.

Our last stop was the resort town of Cavtat. As (very) old water polo players, Dave (S) and I were thrilled to see a couple of kids throwing the ball around at the local outdoor water polo arena. Water polo is actually the most popular sport in Croatia.

Cavtat is a beautiful seaside resort with small hotels and restaurants lining the waterfront.

We also took a walk up to the highest point to the Racic Mausoleum built in 1922 by Ivan Mestrovic

and then back down through the residential area where we stopped to use the bathroom and peek in at the house of Vlaho Bukovac, one of Croatia's most famous painters.