Monday, July 21, 2008

EXPLORING THE BAY OF KVARNER

I must admit! Although I was born in Rijeka, the main port and biggest town in the Bay of Kvarner, I’ve never properly explored the area. Well, it’s one of those paradoxes in life, and I thought it is time to change that.



The plan is to board the traditional Croatian vessel and go island hopping for few days around Kvarner, to experience it on the best way – from the sea. My journey starts and ends at Opatija , cruising around the Bay of Kvarner to explore the islands of Krk, Cres, Losinj, Rab, Pag.

The town of Opatija is the first resort on the Adriatic. Due to its mild climate it was a favourite all year destination for Austrian royalty in 19 century. The town is full of stunning villas build in that period by Austrians as their holiday mansions. Opatija has a persistent charm with its long promenade shaded by palm trees, exclusive restaurants, elegant villas and casinos. If you need to describe it in one word, that word would be- posh.

In the morning we board the boat and set sails for Krk, the first destination on our itinerary. The sea is calm and we sail smoothly and the best thing to do is to lie on the deck and just listen to the sea spray as the boat sails along. As we sail along the coast of the island Krk we can see small harbours filled with anchored sailboats, people jumping to the sea and enjoying the deserted harbour and beach – their own piece of paradise, I guess.

We arrived in Baska, a small Mediterranean town as any other. However this town is famous for 2 km long pebble beach, one of the most beautiful beaches of the Adriatic. As well as, Baska is the home of The Bascanska Ploca, an important, stone-carved monument of medieval Croatia. Baska is a very nice place, although a bit touristy, it is typical town for this part of the Mediterranean, with great gastronomic offer and lively night life and it is worthwhile to visit at least to enjoy the beach and see The Bascanska Ploca monument.


After night spent in Baska we sail away towards islands Rab and Pag. Rab, along with the Pag which is just south of it, forms the western coast of the Velebit channel – a strip of sea running along the foot of the mountain like a strait. Its waters are usually calm, because the islands serve as a natural breakwater. As we sail trough he channel we can’t see anything but rocks. There is no vegetation what so ever, not even Mediterranean shrubs which famously grow here despite the harsh conditions. The thing is that when building Venice, Venetians cut all the trees around this area leaving just soil, and the local strong wind called bura did the rest by blowing away the soil that has left, leaving nothing just bare rocks.

Pag and Rab are geographically close together however in every respect they are very different.

Rab was centre of culture and religion from medieval times with its mixed Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Rab Town (same name as the island itself) is a charming huddle of medieval stone buildings.

Rab is famous for nudism and if you fancy swimming, camping and spending time with your gear off, this is the place for you. Rab’s northern tip has some of the most beautiful sand beaches on the Adriatic. As I hear these are more than worthwhile to enjoy, with or without your swimsuits, whichever way you prefer.

On the other hand Pag is a very quiet place where life is slow, or at least was up to few years ago. It is most famous for Paski Sir, a cheese verity which can be bluntly described as local version of Parmesan. A very delicious parmesan though. However now days the island is popular destination for party goers. Clubs and bars on Zrce beach near Novalja are the only places in Croatia with 24 hour licence, so go figure.

We anchor in Novalja with a plan to hit the clubs on Zrce beach. The white pebble beach of Zrce boasts two clubs, and a beach bar, that play dance music non-stop. You right to think of Ibiza at this point, because this place is Croatian response to the famous Spanish party island. A lot of; loud music, drinks, young and young at heart people packed in at very beautiful beach having a good time.


Next day, after night of partying we set sails for Losinj. After about 4 hours of smooth sailing we anchor in Mali Losinj town, the main event centre on the Island. We disembark deciding to spend the afternoon exploring the town.

The sight on town is dominated by the local church’s bell tower, standing out from all other buildings in the town. It is a very romantic place with very long promenade covered by pine trees connecting Mali Losin and Veli Losinj, the two largest towns on the island. After afternoon spent walking the waterfront and exploring the town, we return to the boat for our last dinner on this cruise, a barbecued fresh fish with silverbeet and potato as a side dish – simple but delicious.

No our ultimate day on this cruise we set sails for Cres, our last destination in exploring the Bay of Kvarner. Long thought to be second biggest island on Adriatic but according to the latest surveys it is the same size as the biggest island on the Adriatic, Krk – 406m2.


We anchor in small and picturesque village of Valun and disembark. We were told that there are two beautiful pebble beaches near the village and that the harbour is full of small coves, all best to see by kayak. As we peddle along it’s easy to forget about time around here: crystal sea, blue sky, great scenery and Mediterranean scents – what else could you possibly want? A perfect day!

The same evening we board the boat to sail towards Opatija the where our journey ends. In all respects it’s been a perfect few days, filled with stories about: history, culture and intriguing trivia. As well as a lot of great food and unbelievable kindness of local people and boat’s crew. And most importantly, it’s been a lot of fun.