Ston croatia oysters. Oyster festival in mali ston village, croatia
The oyster capital of Europe, salt marshes that have been operating since the Middle Ages and a wall that climbs high into the mountains for many kilometers - all this is about the small town of Ston, located on the Pelješac peninsula in Croatia.
Our reports are written by Tanya, and I only supplement the text with inserts that are highlighted in green italics.
Moan
From the western part of Croatia, the city of Ston can be reached in two ways - by a regular road through Bosnia and Herzegovina or by ferry. In order to diversify the trip and not put two extra stamps in our passports, we chose the second way.
Ferries run between the cities of Ploče and Trpanj only a few times a day. It seemed too late for us to depart at 10:15, and therefore we decided to come to the ferry, which departed at 7:30. Since we still had to get to Ploce, we had to get up at five o'clock in the morning, and at that time we already felt the sun was frying: it was 24 degrees outside, despite the early hour.
Ferry tickets can be bought online, or right at the pier at the box office. We chose the last option. It should be clarified that the ticket is given alone, and it is valid for any Ploče-Trpanj ferry on that day, that is, the ticket is not tied to a specific time. That is why we left so early in order to have time to queue for the ferry departing at 7:30. We do not know if the timetable changes from year to year, therefore, before traveling, we recommend that you check it on the website of the Jadrolinija ferry company website.
The cash desk is located in the house across the road from the pier, approximately opposite the middle of the storage area. Finding the cashier is easy: this is the only place to which there will be a queue of several people.
Another argument in favor of buying tickets on the spot was doubts about whether Serezha needed a separate ticket as a driver. For example, on ferries we paid only for the car and passengers, but not for the driver, because it is believed that the car cannot travel without a driver. It turned out that in Croatia the driver still needs a separate ticket - it costs about 4.5 euros. A car ticket will cost 20 euros. And at the checkout we were told that the ferry takes an hour and a half, and not one, as it was written on the Internet. But in fact it turned out that the Internet was right, and we were already on the shore at 8:25.
After loading, there was space left on the ship for another 10-15 cars. Here they are not placed as tightly as on large ferries that cross, for example, the Baltic Sea. After parking their cars, the people came out on deck, all but the truck drivers, who stayed to sleep next to their cargo.
On the other side, a grape boom awaited us: every now and then we drove past vineyards, wineries and wine shops. We never stopped for a tasting, but we constantly wondered - I wonder if the wine here is as sour and dry as it is sold in Croatian stores?
In general, the landscapes that accompany our path reminded us very much of Italy, as it is shown in films like “Under the Tuscan Sun”. And everywhere we came across warning signs “wild boars” with the corresponding picture. I have never seen such a thing.
By half past nine we got to Ston and faced the fact that in all parking lots the same problem: parking meters only accept coins and nothing else! What century are we living in? - we thought and went to the nearest shops with a request to exchange our banknotes for coins. Apparently, we were not the first, because everyone refused us. Luckily for us, there was a bank across the road where, in addition to the exchange, we withdrew another 1,100 kunas (about 150 euros) in cash, since when planning the trip we assumed that in Croatia we would be able to pay by card more often.
But the strangeness of paying for parking did not end there. It turned out that you need to pay in advance for the entire stay of the car. How can you arrive in an unfamiliar city and, even having prepared, determine in advance exactly how many hours you will spend here? Thankfully, parking is cheap. As a result, we decided to pay for 4 hours and paid only 3 euros for it. Surprisingly, in all other respects Stone accepts cards everywhere. Even in a public restroom! And only parking meters remained from the 20th century.
First of all, we went to see the town hall. To be honest, we did not find any information about it, although the building is quite nice. In the same place, on the main square of the city, there is a Roman fountain, which was absolutely dry. Oddly enough, we can’t tell anything about him either - it’s not clear whether he really is of Roman times or is it just called that.
Not far from them is the Church of St. Vlas. It was closed, but through the glass doors you can see its interior. The construction of this church began in 1342 and lasted three years. Ston became the episcopal center and the church became a cathedral church. There were a lot of parishioners, so in 1392 the church was expanded. The earthquake of 1667 destroyed the building, although in general Ston did not suffer very much, and immediately after the earthquake it was decided to restore the cathedral. Another earthquake in 1843 destroyed this temple. The current church of St. Vlas was built in pseudo-Byzantine style in 1875, not far from where the previous churches stood. However, she was also unlucky - the 1996 earthquake destroyed the church again. It was restored only in 2017, so we saw a completely, completely new building.
The next attraction for us was the fort. It turned out to be partially under reconstruction, but you can still go into it. The ticket costs 6.5 euros, but it also applies to the wall - the most interesting building in the city, which I will talk about later. At first, by the way, when the fortress had just begun to be reconstructed, cheaper tickets were promised. I don’t know if the restoration has ended and if the ticket has risen in price yet.
The fort was built, tentatively, in the XIV-XV century and performed not only defensive functions, but was also the headquarters, arsenal and grain storage. Like 700 years ago, the fortress is surrounded by a moat. However, for a long time there was no water here - the moat was filled only in May 2017, so here we came to the “fresh” one.
From the walls of the fort there is a wonderful view of the local salt marshes, where we went right after the building of the fortress. We did not go inside for a tour, but just looked at them through the fence. And, to be honest, they did not see that at least someone was inside, except for employees. The Ston salt mines are the oldest and largest mines in the Mediterranean that have survived to this day. Salt production began in antiquity. And today's appearance of salt marshes is quite consistent with what it was during the Dubrovnik Republic. The production itself has not changed for the past two hundred years, and the workers guarantee that they are producing salt. highest quality. The only thing that was modified in 1925 was the transportation. Here they laid railway, along which the locomotive transported wagons of salt from pools to warehouses.
But production continued to depend on the number of sunny days - the sun is very important for the crystallization process. If the year is rainy, then salt cannot be collected. And so, the average productivity is 1500 tons per year. The largest "harvest" was collected in 1611. Then more than 6,000 tons of salt were mined here. By the way, we bought a little as a souvenir - 500 grams for 1.5 euros - and took it with us to Moscow. It does not taste bitter and does not contain additives against sticking - it is always loose even without it. But, nevertheless, one should not expect any completely unusual properties from this salt.
After a little rest in a cafe and having eaten ice cream, we went to see two more churches. The first of them - Saint Liberan of the 17th century - was under reconstruction and nothing could be seen. In addition, it seems that the reconstruction is proceeding at a leisurely pace or has been completely suspended.
Another - the Church of St. Nicholas - on the contrary, was preserved very well, but, unfortunately, was closed. The church of St. Nicholas and the Franciscan monastery of the same name were built in the second half of the 14th century in the Gothic style, but the bell tower was erected already in the 15th century, and it is made in the Renaissance style. The monastery, as well as the church of St. Vlas, suffered many times from earthquakes.
And finally, after getting to know the city, we went to its walls. As I already wrote, salt has been mined in Ston for four thousand years. Previously, salt was worth its weight in gold, and therefore this place has been the cause of wars among many powers for several millennia. When Ston and its salt plantations came under the control of the Republic of Dubrovnik, the construction of defensive walls began here to protect the pools from the Venetians and Turks.
The total length of the walls was 5.5 kilometers. The walls had 40 towers and 7 fortifications. The defenders of the city hid in them, bravely defending it, which finally made it possible to stop the "salt wars". Due to its natural wealth, Ston for a long time, until the arrival of Napoleon in 1808, was the second most important city after Dubrovnik. But then the salt began to depreciate, and interest in the city began to wane.
Now the Ston wall is used only for tourism purposes. There are three routes - a short one, which will take 20-30 minutes and lead from one entrance to another, a long one, which allows you to reach the neighboring town of Maly Ston in an hour, which I will talk about in more detail later, and a route that at the time of our visit is still was under renovation. It will allow you to climb to the top of the hill.
Initially, we had grandiose plans, according to which we were going to take a long route to Maly Ston to eat oysters there. But the walk had to be abandoned: in the sun the temperature reached 40 degrees, and we had to climb up the stairs with little or no possibility of being in the shade. In general, the heat passes through our report as a red line. Therefore, you must understand that if you do not tolerate high temperatures, then in mid-July there is nothing to do in Croatia. I love the heat, but even for me it was too much and sometimes I just wanted one thing - to find myself in a place with air conditioning.
Even at the entrance to Ston, the wall looks like a grandiose structure, and right next to it, you especially well understand how much effort was invested to preserve the independence of the city. The entrance to the wall is located behind the church of St. Nicholas. There is also a toilet and a little shade of trees for moral preparation for the ascent :)
After walking around Ston, we went to see the Church of Our Lady of Luzhin. When we arrived, we found that the church was surrounded by a fence, and the gate was closed. We had already managed to get upset when a man drove up, apparently an employee of some neighboring enterprise, and allowed us to walk around the territory.
The church itself is very well preserved. In the days of the Republic of Dubrovnik, when sea water entered the pools, a procession from the Church of St. Vlach went to the salt marshes, where the blessing of the whole complex was given, a mass was held in the Church of Our Lady of Luzhin. The prince, the workers of the salt marshes and the inhabitants of Ston took part in the mass and in the procession.
In the same place, not far from the church of St. Vlach, we were going to see the church of St. Michael of the 9th century. We wandered along the surrounding dirt roads, walked deep into the thickets of bushes, but never found her. Maybe we had the wrong point in the navigator, or maybe we never noticed the church behind the trees. You can read more about this church.
By the way, everywhere in Ston we came across signs “Napoleonic Way”, but we didn’t know what it was about. Later we found out that it was a road built by the French army with the participation of local residents. The fact is that before the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the French were considered one of the strongest maritime powers, but then they lost this superiority and started building land roads. The Adriatic region was strategically important, so they tried to build the road here as soon as possible.
We returned to the car and went to Maly Ston - the very one where we first wanted to walk along the wall. Small Ston is called small because the whole town consists of 10-15 houses, half of which are occupied by restaurants and hotels. But the most interesting thing here is the oyster farm. It would be great to get on a tour, but we knew in advance that it only takes an hour and costs 100 euros. Therefore, we decided to taste local oysters in a restaurant, for which we ordered a plate with Frutas del mar and ate it with great pleasure. When paying the bill, we noticed that they included a certain Couvert (10 kuna x 2, that is, about 3 euros). We asked to explain what it was, because we had never encountered this, although we had been to European restaurants more than once. The waiter said that this is a business restaurant and we pay for the table that we occupy (despite the fact that the restaurant was practically empty). This caused us some surprise, but later on the forums we read that this is a payment for what in normal places is called a compliment. And indeed, at the very beginning they brought us bread with tuna pate, which we did not order. But it was served in such a way that there was no doubt that it was really a compliment from the cook and brought free of charge. In general, the impression of seafood remained somewhat blurred because of this insignificant, but still not entirely pleasant episode.
Maly Ston, despite its size, is the oyster capital of Europe. The city supplies its oysters not only to countries that do not have access to the sea: even France, famous for its seafood, imports shellfish from here. If you are not embarrassed by the high cost of an excursion to an oyster farm, you can pre-arrange a visit by e-mail [email protected]. The price of the tour includes a boat trip around the farm, a bottle of wine, and oyster tasting. More information can be found at http://www.malistonoysters.com but is not always available.
After walking a bit around the city, we drove back. It should be noted that parking in Maly Ston is also paid and also costs 0.75 euros / hour. We decided not to pay and put under the glass the same piece of paper that the parking meter in Veliky Ston gave us, despite the fact that its validity had already expired. There were no consequences from this small offense.
We decided to go back through Bosnia and Herzegovina. We were lucky, and there was no queue at the border at all, but on the opposite road it stretched for kilometers. The landscapes in Bosnia are also quite picturesque. The road runs along the sea, but there is no open area here, because directly opposite is a large island. In general, Bosnia has a very, very small coastal area, only some 10 kilometers, and we drove it in about twenty minutes.
What we didn't like was the Cyrillic alphabet smeared everywhere, including on road signs. It would be better to replace them completely than to leave them in this form. Still, "to fight" with any alphabet, just like with any language, is an ignoble thing.
By the way, it was on this road that we met tents with a lot of very sweet home-made fruit liqueurs. We were given a taste of them from the fridge and they tasted amazing! We took pear and tangerine, however, when we arrived in Moscow, it turned out that they were not so tasty at home. It's been a year now and we still have them. Not because their taste has gone bad or the wrong bottles have been slipped to us: there are simply drinks that are good to drink only in the country where they are made, and Croatian fruit liqueurs definitely belong to them.
In general, we were very pleased with the trip to Ston. When we were preparing for the trip, in all the reports we met the opinion that there was nothing special to do there, because much was destroyed by the earthquake. So, the Croats are actively restoring the city, and when we went, much had already been restored. Well, look at the "Chinese" wall in Europe - isn't it interesting?
A map of the sights of Ston and the surrounding area can be viewed at the link. We remind you that we did not find the church of St. Michael - it is very likely that its location is indicated inaccurately.
It is generally accepted that the most delicious oysters are served in Normandy. But it turns out that not only this country can please gourmets with fresh shellfish. The famous food of millionaires is also successfully grown in Croatia, where there are several oyster farms. The quality of local shellfish is in no way inferior to Normandy and goes well with amazing Croatian wines.
Exclusive Croatian delicacy
Mali Ston is a small village on the Peljesac peninsula in southern Croatia. Despite its small area, the town has managed to gain fame as the most famous gastronomic place in the country. And all thanks to fresh clams. It is here that one of the largest farms in Croatia for breeding oysters and mussels is located. Many tourists come to Mali Ston to enjoy the taste of fresh, freshly caught clams from the sea, complementing an exquisite meal with quality wine. This Croatian village is the only place in the world where small round oysters are grown. For the sake of breeding such mollusks in this area, they even banned construction, leaving the territory exclusively for the safe life of marine life.
If you are interested in seeing the process of growing shellfish, take a tour of the oyster farm. You will definitely not be bored, because you will not only be told about what happens with shellfish before serving, but will also be offered to taste oysters with different sauces and a glass of white wine. The Peljeszac peninsula, among other things, is also one of the well-known areas with extensive vineyards. Plavac Mali, the most popular grape variety, produces excellent wines: red wine Dingač and white wine Postup.
What restaurants serve such a gastronomic exclusive? There are many similar establishments in Mali Ston, but the most popular is Kapitan's Heap. Kapetanova Kuca.Here you can safely order any seafood - three steps from the water, everything is so fresh that any choice you make will bring you a lot of pleasure.
Oyster Festival in Dubrovnik
You can also try fresh oysters in the famous tourist center of Croatia - Dubrovnik. In late March-early April, the gastronomic festival "Festa od kamenica" is held here, dedicated to these mouth-watering mollusks. The time of the celebration is due to the fact that during this period the oysters are the most mature and, of course, the most delicious. Therefore, visiting Dubrovnik in spring is worth not only for the sake of beautiful nature and fresh air, but also for the sake of delicious sea delicacies. After all, what could be better than a meal of fresh oysters sprinkled with lemon juice? Every foodie's dream! 
However, spring – not the only time to taste delicious oysters. There is a misconception that shellfish are not suitable for consumption in summer. But it is during this period in Croatia that the weather is fine, a riot of colors and a fresh sea breeze create the perfect atmosphere for relaxation. Is it really not possible to treat yourself to a delicacy during your vacation? The fact is that the appearance of such a delusion is associated with certain long-standing rules. Previously, in order to preserve the population of oysters, mollusks were not allowed to be caught during their breeding season (just from May to August). Now this ban has been lifted, and the rule has become a myth that should not be taken seriously. Therefore, you can safely pamper yourself with this sea delicacy all year round.
Paradise for seafood lovers
One of the many picturesque places in Croatia and part-time oyster farm is the Lim Canal. A unique bay in appearance strongly reminiscent of the Norwegian fjord. You can get there by water, having made a short cruise, or by car, admiring the picturesque coast of the Adriatic along the way. Lima Bay is an ideal habitat for mollusks, because sea water mixes with dust here, and sunlight penetrates well.
Therefore, local restaurants always serve exclusively fresh oysters from a local farm. The Viking establishment is the most popular in the Lim Fjord. The varied menu of the restaurant allows you not to be limited to shellfish alone, because the natural bay is rich in various types of fish and octopus, squid, mussels, scallops. If you want to try everything at once, we advise you to order the dish "ribna plata" - assorted grilled seafood. And do not forget to order the most popular wine of the Istrian peninsula Malvasia - (Malvasia) This light white wine with a characteristic floral aroma will perfectly help you enjoy the gifts of the generous Adriatic Sea. The best producer of this wine today is the trademark Kozlovich ( Kozlovic).
The Croatian town of Ston smells crazy of grass, wildflowers and the sea. There are vineyards to the horizon, poppies along the roads and a warm wind. Ducks swim in irrigation canals, periwinkles and bluebells bloom along the banks, the sun does not burn, but only warms pleasantly, bringing peace and bliss. The city of Ston has the best oysters and young wine in all of Croatia. It's summer in the city of Ston. 
Ston is located seventy kilometers from Dubrovnik on the isthmus that separates the mainland from the Peljesac peninsula. In general, under the common name Ston, it is customary to unite two towns: Small Ston and Big Ston. Small Ston looks at the Neretvan Canal, and Big Ston looks at the Ston Canal. There is a lot of greenery and few people. Ston is generally not well known. There are no expensive hotels, bubbling nightlife and flocks of tourists, but there is the Great Croatian Wall! 
The wall is amazing, its length and scale do not correspond at all in the consciousness accustomed to European compactness and purely utilitarian consciousness with the Balkan state. It was built in the 14th century, but is still the longest fortress wall in Europe. An almost six-kilometer-long unique fortification encircles both towns, climbing over the top of either a large hill or a small mountain. They say that the Ston wall is the second largest in the world after you know which one, this gives us the right to also call it the Great. 
The Great Croatian Wall was not built for the joy of tourists - its original purpose was to protect the Peljesac salt pans and a narrow passage to the peninsula from the mainland. Pools for the extraction of sea salt were built back in the days of the Roman Empire, then the sale of salt was a significant part of the budget of the Dubrovnik Republic. By the way, salt is still being produced in salt pans! 
The guide says that the total fortifications include 41 towers and two fortresses. It is easy to believe in this, since there is no way to find out the details exactly - the wall is too large. You can walk along it for more than one hour, but still not complete the inspection. It seems that the wall was specially created with the expectation that in the event of a siege, the inhabitants of Ston could not think about potential invaders and continue to calmly walk into the forest for mushrooms. 
The extreme point of the wall - the watchtower - has been preserved in Maly Ston. It is reflected in sea water among the colorful boats and yachts, there are beautiful stone houses nearby, and from the panoramic platform on the fortress wall a marvelous view of the city and surroundings opens up. Time stops, the summer sun goes down to the horizon, peace spreads in the air. 
Evening. The sun timidly touches the sea with the edge of the disk, painting the water and sky with orange strokes. The Great Croatian Wall plunges into darkness, and on the streets of Ston, restaurants come to life with multi-colored fireflies. Sociable waiters will definitely serve mussels, oysters and new wine. The reason for such a high popularity of local seafood is in the extraordinary ecology - there is not a single plant or factory on the entire coast, but vineyards are everywhere. It's getting dark. Cicadas sing their piercing song, their voices are sometimes drowned out by the cries of seagulls and the sound of the surf, this is the sound of the night. The smell of herbs and the sea intensifies, very warm and calm. It's summer in the city of Ston. Are you looking for peace and quiet happiness? It's here!
The next series of posts will be about our again short, three-day, but very eventful journey through the south of Croatia. I have been to Dubrovnik many times, because we drove past it and the first stop on our way was the city of Ston, located on the isthmus connecting the mainland with the elongated Peljesac peninsula. Actually, these are two separate towns of Veliki and Mali ston, located on opposite slopes of the same mountain, interconnected by two lines of medieval fortress walls. Today's post will be dedicated to the Big Moan, separate posts will be about the walk along the wall and the Small Moan.
As always, a little history at the beginning. This area was inhabited in the era of the Illyrians and Romans. Activity begins to manifest itself in the early Middle Ages, when various Slavic proto-states - zhups - fought for the peninsula, owned it for some time in Initially, the city, we will call it Stary Ston, was a little away from today, on the slopes of the Goritsa hill. The church and the remains of old buildings have survived to this day. (Unfortunately, on that trip, this place fell out of my sight, as well as something else, but I will definitely make up for it in the future). At the beginning of the 14th century, the Dubrovniks took possession of the city. It was then that the construction of two separate cities began, connected by walls and protected fortresses. This place was very important for Dubrovnik both strategically and economically. The Ston fortification system protected the peninsula from the land, and most importantly, it defended the solana, a salt mining site that still functions today. In those days, when there were no refrigerators, salt was a strategic product compared to today's oil, and the possession of such a serious source of income was simply vital for the Dubrovnik Republic, which, in order to maintain de facto independence, had to constantly pay tribute to its formidable neighbors - at first Byzantium, then the Serbs and Bosnians, and then the Turks. This continued until the beginning of the 19th century, the time of the end of the Dubrovnik Republic. After the Napoleonic wars, these lands were ceded to the Austrians, who dismantled part of the walls, which had lost their military significance.
During our stay in Ston, the autumn Balkan weather was constantly changing from gently sunny to menacingly cloudy and back again. But it didn't come to rain. Therefore, do not be surprised at the completely different sky in the photographs. They were all made almost at the same time.
2. The first thing a traveler who arrives in Veliki Ston (or more often just Ston) sees is this picture. The city, the fortress wall above it and two walls encircling the mountain and leading to the Small Ston. The row of houses that you see on the left was also covered with a wall in the past, the Austrians dismantled it as unnecessary in the 19th century.
3. City blocks are correctly drawn rectangles, we went for a walk among the old buildings of Ston, to explore the city, and at the same time to drink coffee somewhere.
5. A very interesting house, preserved gothic elements - windows. And it is curious - for two windows there are three separate widely spaced upper eyelets for Venetian shutters. There are four lower consoles, they are located as usual - along the edges of the windows.
6. In my opinion, a great place to have breakfast.
7. While waiting for breakfast, you can take a short run with a camera in the area in order to take some "atmospheric" (I do not fully understand the meaning of this word, no one can explain it to me, but they often use it in comments regarding my photos) pictures.
8. Wonderful portal, and pulls to find out what's behind it.
10. Near it is a city fountain. Previously, there were no water pipes, and when it appeared, again, not everyone had it.
11. Near the town hall fort Veliki Kashteo. The name is not original, "big castle", as you understand, means. On repair. Renovate it in full. And here's what immediately catches your eye. The inner part is an old medieval one, before the era of firearms, built by the people of Dubrovnik when they received Ston, i.e. at the beginning of the 14th century. And here is the outer frame, obviously later, XV-XVI centuries, Venetian in style. Remember the fortress walls of Kotor or Old Bar. Meanwhile, I could not find any information either about the time of the rebuilding of the fort, or about the fact that Ston was owned by Venice at that time of transition. Firearms appeared, and all the old fortresses had to be rebuilt in connection with this revolutionary change in the fighting. Mystery. Either Dubrovnik built according to Venetian technologies, or Venetian masters were ordered.
12. Let's go around on the other side. A typical Venetian bastion adjoins the old (now new, remodeled) wall.
13. It's a pity you can't go inside because of the reconstruction. But there is also a quadcopter. Yes, that's how it is. The old fort, framed by walls and low turrets, is a bastion of the era of the first artillery.
14. Well, since we have taken off, it makes sense to immediately show from the air everything else that is interesting. Here it is in its entirety Big Ston. Before us are the ruins of the church of St. Vlach, about it a little later. Away to the left is the monastery of St. Nikola, I will show it in a separate post. But behind the monastery, the western section of the wall is similar to the fort from the previous photos, high medieval walls, framed by low ones, from the era of the appearance of firearms. From here they are practically invisible, I really regret that I did not go to that part of the walls. Another reason to revisit Ston.
15. Let's raise our flying machine higher. Everything is in the palm of your hand - the fort (as I understand it, it used to be connected to the city wall into a single whole, the city, the walls going up the mountain, and even a piece of that very solana fell into the frame.
16. Here she is, solana. And the old building has been preserved. Look, its wall was reinforced with buttresses, apparently it had a tendency to fall.
17. Let's return to the ground and continue our walk. Church of St. Vlach, the patron saint of Dubrovnik. Also under renovation. History says that the first church was here in the XIV century. It was repeatedly destroyed, and suffered during the most destructive earthquake in these parts in 1667. In its current form, combining elements of Gothic and Byzantine style in masonry, it was built already at the end of the 19th century. Another earthquake in 1979 destroyed the church again. Restoration work is underway, again, you can’t get inside.
The next day we drove towards the island of Mljet, highly recommended by big fans of Croatia. On the way we stopped in Trsteno, where the largest and oldest plane tree (650 years old) in Europe grows. After making sure that it was nothing interesting, we tried to walk around the nearby Arboretum botanical garden, which is famous for its unique trees and plants. Entrance to the arboretum 40 kunas. But he didn’t work: some movie was being shot in the garden ... I don’t even know if we were upset: on the one hand, we wanted to check out the beauties of the local garden, on the other hand, the rain that had begun at night was drizzling and walking in the rain somehow didn't smile much.
Therefore, we drove further towards the town of Ston, hoping to catch the ferry to the island of Mljet at 10.15. To be more precise, the ferry itself departs from Prapratno, which is 3 km from Ston. We managed to catch the ferry, but driving along the main street of Ston, we decided to take a walk around the city. Fortunately, right on the central square there is a wonderful tourist office, in which we got maps of the city and its environs, and also found out where you can taste the local oyster delicacy. Although the consultation was very veiled: 4 restaurants in Ston itself and 2 restaurants in Maly Ston, and where you can taste them is up to you to decide. We noticed that not a single tourist office in Croatia (unlike, for example, the United States) recommended any particular restaurant to us: at best, we were told where the largest concentration of food was located, but nothing specific was called, diligently avoiding sharp corners in a conversation (fines for hidden marketing, are they afraid?).
The city of Ston (1333) is quite small: 580 inhabitants. It is located on a narrow isthmus connecting the peninsula with the mainland, and therefore was an important strategic point. To protect the local salt pans and summer residences of the nobility, a powerful defensive complex with long thick walls and mighty towers (14-16 centuries) was erected here. Unfortunately, due to frequent earthquakes, most of the architectural monuments have not been preserved.
The city of Ston is divided into 2 parts: there is simply the city of Ston (or Veli Ston), and there is a Small Ston (Mali Ston). Big Ston is famous for its vintage wines and the "Chinese" wall, the largest stone wall in Europe. Its length is already 5.5 km. Tourists, by the way, have the opportunity to walk along this wall. There is both a short route around the Big Ston, and a long one: the wall reaches right up to the Small Ston. Of course, we could not help but take the opportunity to climb this wonderful sight, and at the same time admire the views of the ancient town. A ticket for the wall costs 30 kunas.
From the height of one of the towers of the stone wall, wet squares are visible. We decided that this is the place where salt is mined. Salt works in Ston are the oldest plants in the world that are still in operation today. Moreover, today salt is mined using the same technologies as it was once in ancient times.
We decided to go along a long route, but after a while it turned out that the wall ended, and there was no further way ... It was lazy to go back up the hill :).
We walked around the city for a bit
and went to Maly Ston. This part of the city is famous for its oyster and shellfish farming. When you drive from the mainland to the Peljesac peninsula, on your right hand you can see plantations in the Maly Ston Bay, where oysters are grown. Really curious.
The town itself consists of two restaurants on the shore of the bay and five yards that are in disrepair.
Went around the whole town. Tourists in pairs are looking for where to eat those same oysters. Looking at the huge, but empty halls of restaurants, you somehow do not dare to go in. As a result, they waved their hand, sat down at the smallest and most modest table in the far corner. After 10 minutes, it turned out that this was the most thieves table in the restaurant: at the okroshka, overlooking the sea. 20 minutes after we settled in, 3 tour buses arrived and the restaurant immediately filled with excited Chinese and Japanese tourists craving oysters. As if they have a shortage in Japan and China with their fish.
By the end of our lunch there were no empty seats in the restaurant. And when we paid, we were given a kilogram of local salt as a gift. And where are we with her? Overweight in luggage? But we were sorry to throw it away. Yes, and then it was very useful to us :).
If you are thinking about where it is better to go to eat the notorious mussels and oysters, then I still recommend Bolshoi Ston (where we dined already on our way back): it’s cheaper and somehow more comfortable. We liked the restaurant right next to the large parking lot opposite the tourist office. I'm sure you won't get lost.
The Jadrolina ferry (adult ticket 30 kunas, car ticket 140 kunas) took us to the town of Sobra on the island of Mljet. Travel time - 45 minutes. While we were waiting to be launched onto the ferry, we looked at the sea with a cloud sea urchins. Swimming without slippers is not safe there.
At first, we decided to visit the Salpunara beach, which is located on the eastern end of the island. The beach is sandy, the entry into the sea is excellent, it is pleasant to swim, there are no waves. The beach is actually wild, but there is a kiosk where you can get delicious coffee, and you can also rent a sunbed for 25 kunas. People, in general, are few. In general, I really liked it there. The only pity is that on this day we had a lot of interesting things, but there was not so much time. Next, we went to the side national park which is located in the west of the island.
Our hotel was right at the entrance to the park, in the town of Palach. We tried to check in so that we could leave our things and walk with a clear conscience, but it didn’t work out: at four o’clock in the afternoon there was no one in the hotel. We went to the park, logically assuming that in the evening we would have more chances. So it turned out, by the way, later. Plus, in apology, we were handed a huge plate full of grapes. Nice:)
Entrance to the park costs 90 kunas per person. You can enter the park by car, you do not need to pay for the car. At some point, the road in the park ends, in this place there is free parking, where you need to leave the car, and then you move around the park on foot. It's nice to walk in the park.
Doesn't it remind you of anything?
It's the same blue helicopter that the wizard is carrying five hundred popsicles on!
In the park and in the city you can rent a bike or a boat. If you come by boat from Dubrovnik, you can also rent a bike in the city itself. The cost is from 40 kunas per hour and up to 240 kunas per day, the choice of options is rich.
The price of the park ticket includes 2 shuttle rides from the park entrance in Polace to the lake, as well as a catamaran ride to the island of St. Mary.
In a good way, especially if you are by car, you can go to the park for free. Despite the rather large number of ticket offices for entering the park, no one checks tickets, everything is based solely on the consciousness of citizens. Perhaps the meaning of the ticket is to take a boat trip to the island of St. Mary, but in half an hour that the boat is on the pier, this island can be bypassed up and down three times.
However, many swim. Lake access is excellent. There is not much else to do on this island.
The fishes flying over the water were amused. Now one school, then another school of fish flies together over the water, creating the feeling of a white brilliant rainbow.
There are 2 lakes in the Mljet park: Big and Small. Most of the people bathe either on the island of St. Mary (which is located on the Big Lake), or on the Small Lake. Large and small lakes are connected by a small bridge. In fact, a small bridge is a channel between two lakes. It's funny to go into the sea on one side of the bridge and swim with the current to be on the other side of it.
The water turned out to be salty. Which is generally logical, since a large lake is also connected to the sea through the same strait, which is called a large bridge. We found out this moment by experience, when, on the advice of an aunt at the tourist office, we decided to go around both lakes along their perimeter. I had to return the same way.
In general, the impressions of visiting the park are positive. The island is suitable for those who want a secluded holiday, to be left to their own devices.
Photo for memory the next morning :)
Croatia, September 2013.