Traveling on an Empty Stomachs

Embrace the detours.  – Author unknown

VIS, CROATIA

July 24 – 27, 2012

DAY THREE

Before settling in our room on our second night, we decided to book a private boat to the island of Bisevo where we could explore the famous blue cave.  By morning our trip was cancelled.  It was a beautiful day but the winds prevented any excursions leaving Vis from happening.  Unarmed with back up plans, we decided to rent another scooter and see the rest of the island.  On our way out, we asked our concierge how to go about visiting some of the vineyards on the island.  Within minutes we had a private tour set up for the evening.

The Detour

The previous day of getting lost, then back on our path and finding a few unexpected great places led us to ditch our map and just hop on the scooter.  We headed off with hopes of finding another beach to soak up some sun and make our way around the whole island before heading back.

We set out for the main road and was about 10 minutes into our drive before we stopped for a short detour.  What would make us stop abruptly and pull over.  Old man, bottles of wine and a tarp at the edge of a vineyard.  It’s like stopping at a fruit stand on the side of the highway but way better!!!

Wine detour…

We got out and greeted this man with such enthusiasm that we must have startled him.  Within seconds we realized we had no way of communicating.  We knew about three words in Croatian and he knew nothing in English.  So, point and mime it was all we could do.  From our understanding, he was the farmer and was selling wine from his vineyard along with some unknown fruit, capers, and what we thought for a long time was possibly very sweet and thick balsamic vinegar or a liquor…  We decided to purchase a bottle of red wine and the ‘vinegar/liquor’.  It seemed very special and had a tag attached with the description of the contents – which, of course, we could not read.  Jonathan pulls out a few bills and lets the man dig through for his share – I mean how else do we know how much we owe?!  Turns out our two bottles equated to less than five dollars.  SCORE!

Man selling wine and other goods from his land

Jonathan debating on what to buy

Back to the ‘vinegar/liquor’…  Curiosity got to us a few days later so we took a picture of the label and had someone translate it for us.  We were for sure we had something unusual and special – turns out we did.  We bought medicine.  Yep, good for your heart, good for indigestion, good for high cholesterol, and well, anything really kind of medicine.  According to the label, it’s recommended for good health to take a shot a day.  Ha, joke was on us…or maybe not.  It’s quite delicious and even though it contains no alcohol we will enjoy it and the story behind it for years to come.  And hey, our translator said it is something that you would not be able to buy elsewhere – so cheers to us for finding something truly one of a kind!

Rukavac

Back to the scooter and off to find a beach.  About 20 minutes later we found ourselves in a small fishing town, Rukavac.  We noticed several beaches all within a short distance from each other. We parked the scooter and headed out on foot to find a place to chill our for a few hours.

Not thrilled about the rocks but loving the crystal clear water and the perfect weather

Where Mountains Meet the Sea

A picture is worth a thousand words right?!  I know it is annoying to Jonathan to whip out the camera during our rides so that I can catch a snapshot of the landscape but I just can’t help myself.  Luckily, he’s a skilled scooter man and can take me moving all about on the back…here’s what we find as we head around the island and back to our hotel.

Photographing the view of the sea while on the back of the scooter

A Private Tour and Wine Tasting

After another day of cruising around on our scooter, we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower.  We were excited for our private tour but weren’t expecting too much.  Touring an island by car doesn’t seem that appealing but we had nothing else to do and were hoping to see some parts of the island that we may have missed on our scooter journey.

We got ready and headed out to meet Mr. Ivan Pecarevic – the owner of a local vineyard, a taxi company and more.  We arrive and learn that instead of Ivan we meet up with his son, Josko Pecarevic.  Lucky for us, Josko was closer to our age and spoke perfect English.  He was young, extremely knowledgeable and fun.  We set out by car to see some of the lesser visited areas of Vis.

As we headed up through the mountains we learned more about the culture and history of Vis.  We saw old churches, abandoned schools, an olive oil mill where the oil is pressed, and breathtaking views of the island all while learning about the daily life of Croatians on the island.  We talk non-stop about the adventures we’ve had so far and question our guide about everything we were hard-pressed to know…much of this was about the vast amount of vineyards.  The question of wine brought up the fact that the Pecarevic family are winemakers.  Our faces lit up!  We had no idea that our tour would be ending at the family cellar where we would be tasting (and buying) lots of wine.  What luck!  I think I did a little dance in the back seat and from this point I couldn’t wait to get there…but not too fast.  We had one more place to see.  Tito’s Cave.  Unimpressive but a beautiful hike up the mountain.  Thanks to my excitement of wine, I was lost on the history part of Tito’s Cave.  Lost as in, not so interested rather than a lack of understanding.  But if you know me, I tend to lose focus once my mind is set of food or wine.

Josko Pecarevic at the door to his family’s wine cellar

The grand finale of our private tour – the wine cellar!  Thank goodness we sent home our dirty clothes to make room for wine because Jonathan wanted to buy everything there was to offer.  We tried a white, red, a dessert wine, a liquor and olive oil all produced and bottled by the Pecarevic’s.  Jonathan was not holding back and tried several hefty pours from a bottle of white wine and the dessert wine.  The red was lacking in my opinion but Jonathan was excitement for his choices led us to walk out with several bottles in tow.  All in all, this was an unforgettable experience.  We learned so much and loved how easy and laid back the tour was.  Private tours can be quite affordable and the experience is always more personal than a group tour – for this reason, we will be taking advantage whenever the occasion arises.

The tasting begins…

The lushes

Happy as a clam…

The damage…Josko was kind enough to open anything that we were interested in so we could try it

Beautiful door to the cellar

Savoring the Moment

I find spontaneity and the ability to welcome a last-minute change of plans a must in a traveler.  Jonathan and I can adapt at a moments notice when plans don’t necessarily go our way.  We brush it off and move on and often find ourselves more content with the unexpected.  This day was one of those…we didn’t let our cancelled trip get in the way of enjoying our day.  It was our last evening on the island and we made the most of it.  From a detour on our way across the island, a lovely afternoon on the beach, a long and peaceful ride around the island to an amazing tour with a local winemaker – we had to stop and take it all in.  What a day so far!  We took some time to enjoy the lovely view and sunset on our patio, savoring the moment before heading out for dinner.

View from our patio

Enjoying the sun on my back

Dinner at Villa Kaliopa

Everyone we met in Vis who knew we were on our honeymoon recommended that we go to dinner at Villa Kaliopa before leaving the island.  From locals’ recommendations and online reviews, this restaurant was touted as one of the most romantic places to dine in the world.  To me that’s a bold statement that is hard to live up to.  This restaurant is first mentioned for the ambiance and then the food.  Not sure what to expect, we made reservations for a late night dinner.  A long busy day makes for a big appetite so as dinner approached we were ravenous and ready to try everything on the menu.

Villa Kaliopa (courtesy of Google Images)

Menu?  No menu here.  You get what is fresh, local and in season.  Those words had me wanting to jump out of my seat with glee!  To me, this means everything is made to order and must be damn good.  I was right.  The waiter ran off the options for the day and asked us to describe the type of wine we like.  She came back with a delicious bottle of white wine (from a vineyard we passed along our way exploring) and then a plate of cheese.  Heaven…no better way to start a meal.  We enjoyed a bowl of the soup of the day as well as two whole lobsters and ended with a local treat for dessert.  Delicious and worthy of the price (be careful what you order here – without a menu it is hard to remember what you are spending if you are on a budget).

Seafood bisque – creamy yet light and flavorful

Lobster, typical Croatian potatoes (boiled then drizzled with olive oil and herbs) and swiss chard – not pictured

Playing with my food. Don’t worry – I made sure no one was looking, never want my immaturity to be offensive

As for the ambiance…I don’t think this place is really one of the most romantic restaurants in the world but it is certainly romantic and a definite ‘eat here’ recommendation.  The restaurant was built in the 16th century as a summer-house.  Over centuries the garden expanded and was then walled.  In recent history, this summer-house was turned into a restaurant serving only local food grown on the island or caught by seasoned fisherman.  The garden is lined with palm trees and has various walkways that lead to tables.  The tables seem to be hidden throughout the garden and even though the space isn’t huge it is hard to see other tables while you are dining.  Really, if you couldn’t hear the faint echoes of laughter you would feel like you are the only guests there.  I decided to take a few pictures after dinner from where we were sitting but due to the lack of lighting and a basic point and shoot camera I was unable to capture the real beauty of Villa Kaliopa at night.

The garden at night

After dinner we headed back to our hotel, ready to relax and drift off to sleep in one of the best hotels we’ve ever stayed in…sweet dreams of the island, the food, and the people.

Verdict ~ Looking to book your honeymoon?  Go to Croatia, especially the island of Vis, it is the most romantic place we have ever traveled to.  Croatia is for lovers.  Period.  But Vis is for honeymooners.  Plan to take long walks, indulge in great food and wine and relax at some of the most beautiful, crystal clear beaches around.  There’s very little shopping in Vis which means that you can spend your time browsing boutiques that offer up goods by local artisans rather than international chain stores.  Food is all locally grown, most of which is organic.  The wines found on the island are made there.   Tourists mingle right in with the locals..leaving you  feeling like you belong – with everything so new and beautiful you will take none of it for granted.  Vis has much to offer but it’s best attributes are the leisurely pace of life and beautiful landscape…