Sun is shining in the sky,
Mr Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra
There ain’t a cloud in sight.
It’s stopped raining, everybody’s in the play
And don’t you know
It’s a beautiful new day, hey hey.
Woke up to another gloriously sunny morning, the sunshine glittering and bouncing on the small, rippling waves as we made our way up to breakfast, where all the ‘regulars’ from our table were already seated.
It was around 9.30am before we left Milna and Captain Ante had advised we should be arriving in Trogir around half three this afternoon, but in the meantime we would have a swim stop of about an hour on the way. π
Until then, we spent a fabulous couple of hours up on deck, just gliding along in the beautiful azure water, under a stunning blue sky, the gentle sea breeze ruffling our hair. In fact, it lulled me into a false sense of security as I suffered a patch of sunburn on my chest; a red triangle of skin created by the V of my t-shirt neckline. I would have to be careful!
Around half past eleven the Solaris slowed down as the captain navigated her into a small bay, and we heard the rattling of the chain as the anchor descended, securing our position. One of the crew swam the short distance to shore, pulling a rope with him which he tied to some unseen fastening.
According to my phone, the air temperature was about 23Β°C; pleasantly warm, but not hot. I wondered what the sea temperature would be. So far, our swimsuits and water shoes had never seen the light of day, but the thought of a swim was very tempting. I thought I’d wait to see what the others had to say first. π
We watched as some of the more intrepid souls went to the back of the boat where there was a little pontoon with a couple of ladders down into the sea. Looking at some of the grimacing faces as they lowered themselves into the water and hearing the gasps of “it’s freezing!” was enough to deter me from going in; in any case, I’d have to blow-dry my hair afterwards; it’s not the sort of style that can dry naturally.
Jerry gave me his phone and asked me to take some photos of him and Gaynor, just before he descended the ladder once more. I took several photos and a couple of short video clips, prudently staying in the shade.
Everyone was back on board in time for lunch at 12.30pm, and we all reconvened in the dining room once more, the realisation that this was our last meal together on board bringing a temporary lull to the lively conversation. We enjoyed freshly-made hot tomato soup followed by beef in a tasty sauce accompanied by a mixture of diced potatoes and cabbage; the latter had quite a lot of garlic in. It was followed by an ice cream, custard and fruit dessert and washed down with a glass of chilled wine.
When the meal was finished and the plates cleared away, we all swapped email addresses and I said I’d upload all my photos into Google Drive and give the others the link so they could download any that they wished. As we all got up from the table, Wolfgang turned and, in his halting English, said thank you to us for ‘allowing’ them to sit with us. It had been our absolute pleasure. π
Back in cabin 15, Trevor and I reluctantly made a start with our packing, chucking everything we wouldn’t need again tonight into one of the cases. We didn’t have to be off the yacht until 9.00am tomorrow so the rest could wait until then. Afterwards, we settled down for an afternoon power nap, enjoying the gentle motion of the Solaris as she sailed towards Trogir.
We watched the arrival of the yacht into port around half three, right back where we’d started from nearly a week ago. It was definitely too short a stay in the beautiful country that is Croatia. But we had a guided walking tour of the Old Town to look forward to later and plenty of free time before and afterwards; we’d been advised we had to meet our English-speaking guide, Sandra, in front of the Solaris at at six o’clock.
Meanwhile, we disembarked the yacht and set off along the sea front, walking along and looking at the other yachts as well as the distinctive red-roofed buildings and the wide streets fringed with palm trees. Trevor then set off in seach of an ATM; we’d need to settle our onboard bar bill tonight, as well as put some cash in an envelope to give to the crew as a tip. One thing we’d noticed about Croatia; cash machines are in abundance here; you can’t go more than a few yards before finding one.
We strolled along in the charming walled Old Town; I had my flip-flops on and the smooth stone flags underfoot were a little slippy; I’d have to be sure I wore my trainers for the walking tour later on. We found the ATM and withdrew several hundred euros – any we didn’t spend would be handy for our next visit to Europe in a few months’ time.
We soon came to an attractive little bar with high tables and stools outside; someone was drinking a deep orange ice-filled Aperol Spritz and I gave into the temptation; taking a stool outside, Trevor went in and ordered the drinks and as he sat and enjoyed his freezing cold beer and I slurped at my spritz, we waved at Jerry and Gaynor as they passed.
Around half five we returned to the Solaris and I changed into my UA trainers and attached my bumbag around my waist, ready for our tour at 6.00pm. Several people (some from other yachts) were milling around in front, waiting for either the German- or English-speaking guide. We soon spotted Sandra and made our way towards her, and our walking history lesson began. π
The history of Trogir starts with a Greek settlement in the 3rd century BC. Greeks from the island of Vis founded the settlement Tragurion, which comes from the Greek “tragos” (male goat) and “oros” (hill or mountain). Tragurion then went on to become part of the Roman Empire which was expanding through Dalmatia at that time.
Trogir came under Hungarian and Croatian rule over the next few centuries, including the rule of Croatian-Hungarian King Bela IV in 1242. In 1420, again as with much of Dalmatia, it became part of the Venetian Empire, until the Empireβs fall in 1797. Trogir then became part of the Austrian Empire (with brief French occupation in the early years of the 19th century).
After World War I, Trogir was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which became Yugoslavia), although it was occupied by Italy during World War II. In 1991, the town ended up as part of Croatia when it declared its independence.
One thing we really liked about the city was its compactness; you could see a lot of interesting things without covering a lot of ground. Our guide showed us Kamerlengo Fortress; you could hardly miss it as it dominates the town, and we’d seen it on our arrival into Trogir. In addition, there was the distinctive red steeple of the Cathedral of St Lawrence (Katedrala sv. Lovrijenac) on which building work started in 1213 on a site where a previous cathedral once stood; the main part of the cathedral was completed in 1250. We didn’t have time to go into the cathedral, but we still had until 2.00pm tomorrow so we had plenty of time to do it then.
The architecture, the narrow streets, the shuttered windows and the wide square with its clock tower; we loved it all. What a great (and underrated) old town Trogir was.
Our tour finished back at the Solaris at seven o’clock and now our time was our own. We decided to go and have another beer (!!) and maybe eat something if we spotted a menu that took our fancy. Before that though, we briefly went back on board the yacht to collect the bag of cat biscuits in case we came across any strays. π
We walked around for a while, and eventually ended up at the same bar/restaurant we’d been in when we first arrived here last Saturday. Then we just had a drink and a light meal; I had steak salad while Trevor just opted for some pizza bread.
Afterwards we just strolled around the town, watching as dusk and then night-time came down. The city looked absolutely stunning under the street lights and the dark blue sky, silhouetting the palm trees and church spire.
We were back on board the Solaris around 10.30pm, and we’d no sooner arrived at the saloon deck when the barman appeared with a beer and a white wine! We had to pay cash for them as we’d settled our bill ealier on. We enjoyed our drinks and talked over the day as well as the whole cruise in general. We were so pleased the weather had turned in our favour.
Back in cabin 15, we settled down for our last evening on board. We had to be packed up and out of our cabin at 9.00am tomorrow, where our luggage would be looked after until our taxi picked us up at the Kamerlengo Fortress at two o’clock to take us to Split airport.
But tomorrow was another day, and we slept very well. π