Croatia (Trogir to Venice) | View a sample itinerary for this location

As you take your first steps along The Riva, your senses are assaulted. The sunlight reflecting off the white marble slabs you are walking on almost blinds you. The city sounds of cars honking, people talking, music playing seem strange to you after having been at sea for several days. The absolute heavenly smell of lavender floats around you, caressing you with each step you take. Welcome to Split.

The first part of this two part series on cruising Croatia, from Dubrovnik up to Venice, left us in Trogir. Trogir is just outside Split, so we will begin this installment in Split before continuing up the coast and on over to Italy. Sea Dream, the yacht I was cruising on, anchored off the village of Trogir. There is a marina there, as well as in Split, should you and your captain decide that a dock would better suit you. Either way, time in Split will be well spent before you explore the greens islands that await.

The Riva has another name: Obala hrvatsog nrodnog preporoda. That is the official name. Now you understand why people simply call it The Riva! The Riva is the promenade that runs between the beautiful blue of the Adriatic and the front of the Palace of Diocletian. It is lined with outdoor cafes that beckon you to linger and enjoy the perfumed air and people-watch. Don't stop too long though, or you won't have time to enjoy the Palace. Wandering aimlessly around the palace is an essential experience of Split. There is no ticket office, you just walk in. Souvenir and craft stalls line what used to be the Central Hall. After you make your way through it, you will come into the main section of the palace, which are open streets with stores, restaurants, shrines and homes. Yes, people still live here. Don't expect a palace like Versailles, that is not what this is, rather it is a large square with multiple streets and buildings.

The Palace of Diocletian was built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian at the end of the third century A.D. Today it still stands as the anchor for the city of Split which grew up around the palace.

Diocles was an Illyrian born to former slaves. He joined the army and quickly rose through the ranks. The troops elected him Emperor on Nov. 20th, 284. He spent the next fourteen years repelling invasions and defeating his political foes. His position secure, Diocletian instituted a series of reforms, including splitting the Empire in two, creating a new system of Imperial succession and economic revisions aimed at the problem of hyperinflation. For all the good he did, he is most remembered for his absolute persecution of Christians. In 303, he ordered what was to be the last and worst persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. During the next ten years, 3,000 – 3,500 Christians were killed, with countless others subjected to torture and imprisonment.

Diocletian retired in 305, the first Roman Emperor to voluntarily remove himself from office. He died in 316 and was buried in the small octagonal mausoleum located within the palace walls. His body was removed in the 7th century when the building was (ironically) converted into a church. His remains were replaced with a shrine to St. Duje, a bishop who was martyred under his reign. There is no record of who took Diocletian's body or where his remains are today. His greatest memorial is the Palace which still stands and pulses with activity.

Other attractions near the Palace include an active green market to the east of the Palace walls and an equally busy fish market to the west side of the Palace. A short taxi ride will bring you to Ivan Mestrovic's Gallery. Visitors from Chicago will recognize his work, as The Bowman and The Spearman statues that adorn Grant Park were created by Mestrovic. You can do all this, or just linger over another cup of coffee on the Riva!

Now it is time to leave Split and begin our exploration of the beautiful islands and villages of Croatia. I joined Sea Dream in Dubrovnik for this fabulous voyage, and we have journeyed north up the coast to Split. The second part of the holiday ends in Venice, but we have a lot to see and do in between! Just North of Split lies the city of Sibenik. On the way there, a quick stop at the island of Krapanj is warranted. Krapanj has the lowest altitude of any inhabited island in the entire Adriatic, and besides this fascinating statistic, has also been the center of sponge cultivation for centuries.

The Franciscan monastery houses a small museum detailing the history of sponging in the area. Definitely worth a quick visitlol, then on to Sibenik. A hillside maze of cobblestone alleyways topped by the Venetian Saint Anne's Fortress, Sibenik is often overlooked as a destination. Interesting as the village is, the real reason to go there is the Krka National Park. Reachable by bus or boat (tender-sized, not yacht-sized), the park features seven waterfalls, lakes, rapids, water mills and a couple of ancient monasteries dating back to 1402. Your captain can arrange your trip, as you will surely want to have a guide to help you make the most of your time.

Not to be outdone by such a beautiful wilderness park, the National Park of Kornati waits for you when you tire of Krka. The Kornati archipelago is made up of 140 islands and islets, but the entire area is only 22 miles long and 8.5 miles wide. Lying to the northwest of Sibenik, it is a nice place to visit on the way to Zabar. Since the long, thin island of Kornat lies parallel to the coast of Croatia, the stretch of water in between is quite protected with multiple deep bays and inlets in which to anchor. Calling the landscape "minimalist" is probably an understatement. Barren might be more to the point.

A few centuries back the islands were reputedly covered with oaks, which is hard to believe when you gaze upon the nearly soil-less ground. Given National Park status in 1980, the natural environment, both above and below the sea, will hopefully recover from over-exploitation. The contrast between the calm waters of the inside and the open waters of the sea is extraordinary. The seaward side of the island of Mana is the most impressive in the chain. Because the water is so deep, boats can come right up to the towering cliffs (well over 300 feet high) that stretch for almost a mile. If the seas are calm, this is an excellent place for a swim and snorkel, as there is quite a lot of marine life along the rocky shoreline.

In Zadar, everything takes place in a crisscross of streets on a narrow (985 feet) tongue of land that is under 2,000 feet long, encircled by fortifications with scenic embankments below and the sea beyond. As in most ancient cities, cars are not allowed, simply because there is no room for them. Zadar's main claim to fame is the cherry liqueur Maraska. I decided that it was a headache in a bottle after the first sip, but since quite a few people drink it, it must be an acquired taste.

Sea Dream anchored outside Rab as we were finishing our breakfasts. I usually don't eat breakfast, or if I do, it is a hurried affair of coffee and cornflakes eaten over the kitchen sink. Yes, I do know it is the most important meal of the day, but it is also the easiest to skip! Not on Sea Dream. You don't want to hurry, much less skip breakfast. There is a full breakfast bar set up with fruits and yogurts and breads. There is also a menu to order from. Or, if you want something that isn't on the menu, just ask. The answer will most likely be "yes, no problem"!

Large, comfortable launches are used by Sea Dream to ferry people from the boat to the quay. After exploring, you simply return to the drop off point to be picked up and ferried back. And to make sure you are comfortable, Sea Dream always sets up a big beach umbrella, a table with basket of fruit, several chairs, a cooler of drinks…and an always-smiling attendant to make sure you are comfortable and happy.

Rab town is located on a small peninsula, bounded by city walls and distinguished by its four stately church spires. There is absolutely nothing about Rab that is not delightful. Few tourists pack the streets, the old village is small enough to walk around in a short time, the four churches which it is noted for are close together. One of my shipmates and I climbed to the top of St. Mary's bell tower. The view was awe-inspiring and well worth the clamber, even though we couldn't convince his wife to join us in our belfry. A word of warning: be careful, several of the rungs in the ladders are missing! One of the main highlights is the forest that lies adjacent to the village. Paved walkways crisscross it, offering an abundance of choices of travel. One path parallels the water below, with steps leading down to the sea in many places. Benches are scattered along the trails, and there are tables in several areas, inviting you to picnic in the cool shade. The constant sound of cicadas chirping offers background music as you wander the trails.

You feel the transition in Rab from the villages further south. Here, there are more artists selling paintings and artwork than shops selling t-shirts. On the other hand, there is an almost overwhelming number of kiosks offering cheap shell jewelry, and the continued presence of the ever-popular ice cream shops.

To the north of Rab, the Kvarner Gulf is a bay in the Northern part of Croatian Adriatic, located between the Istrian Peninsula and the Croatian mainland. The main portion of the Kvarner bay is that between the mainland, Cres and Krk. The bay is noted for its depth, which allows for the city of Rijeka at its northernmost point to have a sea port capable of handling large ships.

Experienced scuba divers will enjoy the Kvarner Gulf with its many and varied dive sites. Wooden sailing ships with a cargo of iron cannons from the Napoleonic wars, red gorgonians, grotto passages with corals in a vast array of colors, red starfish and cathedral like caves all await you. Virtually all of the islands of the Kvarner bay, including the islands of Rab, Pag and Losinj at the more southern end (often called Kvarneric…the little Kvarner) feature several fabulous dive opportunities. If you want to plan your trip around diving in Kvarner, you will want to discuss with your captain what kind of diving most interests you so he can make arrangements for rendezvous diving with a local dive company to get you to the best dive sites available. And while you are diving, your non-diving pals can enjoy the islands!

The two largest islands in Kvarner bay are Cres and Krk. Yes, it does look like I forgot some of their letters, but honestly, they really are spelled that way. In fact, Krk is a Scrabble players dream come true, don't you think? Eleven points, no vowels! Short name aside, Krk is actually the largest of Croatia's islands. Attached to the mainland by a bridge built in 1981, Krk also has the distinction of having an airport. Foodies and wine buffs on board? Great! Have your captain head for Vrbnik. While the scuba divers explore the Vrbnik Cave (about 300 feet from the entry to the Vrbnik moorage), the rest of the crowd can go ashore and wander the narrow streets of this medieval village filled with little restaurants whose wine cellars are stocked with bottles of Vrbnicka, the locally produced white wine.

Cres also offers an opportunity for a two-for-one. The tiny town of Beli is located on the east side of the island, almost at its northern most point. Underwater, close to the Beli mooring field, lies the Grotto of Ziva Cove. This rocky reef submerges steeply to form a plateau at about 60 feet. Just shy of the plateau is a fabulous cavern with a wide opening at the top. The people who would rather walk than swim will find a well marked hiking trails leading through and the woods and abandoned villages.

Istria is the small, triangular peninsula that makes up Croatia's most westerly region. The Romans created Pula, located on the very southern tip of Istria, as the capital of Istaria in 177 BC. Home to the sixth largest Roman amphitheater in the world, Pula also contains a well-preserved arch, floor mosaic and Forum of the same era. What is perhaps Croatia's most interesting national park, the Brijuni Islands, lie just off Pula. Twelve of the fourteen islands of the Brijuni archipelago are off limits, but the two that are open to the public are so laden with things to do, you will need at least a full day here, if not several. The oldest remains of human habitation date from 3,000 B.C., but are still fairly "young" in comparison to the 150 million years of prehistory when dinosaurs wandered the islands…you can still follow their petrified footsteps and pretend you are in Jurassic Park! There are also museums, a large zoo, golf and diving to name a few more diversions for you.

Rovinj is a picturesque village north of Pula, on the western side of Istria. Sea Dream anchored just off the end of the village and as we went ashore on the tender, the houses of the old town appeared to be hanging on to each other for dear life as they stood on tiptoe on the rocks to avoid toppling into the sea. The pastel structures, topped with barrel tiles in various hues, look like a bright, multi-tiered cake, topped with the inevitable cathedral.

The city marina hosts fishing boats and yachts, with larger yachts tying up at the commercial dock on the other side of the old town. Between the two marinas lie souvenir shops and outdoor cafes that vie for your attention. The large fresh market with its brightly colored fruits and vegetables, the extraordinary smells of the produce, the sounds of the venders as they call attention to their produce is one of the most vibrant places in any village, and the market in Rovinj is no different. Perhaps because of the Italian influence, it seemed even more surrealistic than the smaller markets of previous towns.

Past the fresh market is the main square: Trg marsala Tita. Yes, I agree, far simpler just to refer to it as "the main square"! Leading off the square, the cobbled, winding streets lead up into the old city. The main walkway and the side streets leading to the top of the village are lined with art shops. Artists exhibit everything from jewelry to ceramics to textile work to oil paintings and everything in between. With this wealth of articles to purchase, just be aware that transactions are cash; either Euro or runa. The artists do not pay tax on their sales if it is in cash. If they take credit cards, we were told they then pay a large tax. Not to worry, there are plenty of ATM machines at the foot of the old city should you run short.

Topping the city is the large Cathedral of St. Euphemia. Built in 1736, this baroque structure was created to house the remains of Euphemia, a virgin martyr who was fed to the lions by Emperor Diocletian (remember him from our discussion of Split?) around 304 A.D. Legend has it that her stone coffin disappeared from Constantinope and floated ashore in Rovinj, providing the village with a catch from heaven and a patron saint all at once. Whether or not you believe the legend, the view from the cathedral steps across the sea and the islands is spectacular. If you decide to turn around and go inside, the inside of the cathedral is magnificent also.

A word of warning about Ravinj: the streets are dangerous. The paths that ascend to the top of the old city and the side streets are paved with cobblestones – which have been worn by countless feet to a polished slickness. The pavement is also very uneven and extremely steep. Taken as a whole, it is a perfect situation for a disastrous tumble if you are not careful. Good, "grippy" shoes should be worn. Shop, then take a seat in one of the cafes and watch the tourists who weren't as clever as you, slip and slide as they try to walk up and down the streets. Very entertaining!

Rovinj and its surrounding islands are perfect for charter yachts. The Rovinj archipelago consists of 22 islands, of which St. Andrew and St. Catherine are the largest. All offer quiet anchorages and splendid swimming in the incredible blue waters of the Adriatic Sea. There are many beaches in the area, but if you are expecting broad reaches of white sand like the ones of Miami Beach, you will be disappointed as they are rocky, to say the least. The upside of no sand is that the water is infinitely clearer. So grab your mask and snorkel and enjoy yourself.

The beautiful clear blue waters and warm sunshine of Rovinj proved to be the perfect combination for trying out the many water toys of Sea Dream. Now, there is a very sensible rule on Sea Dream: motorized toys get a turn, then swimmers get a turn. While the jet skiers are out tooling around, and the banana people are being pulled behind one of the tenders and the water skiers played, the swimming group hung out in the pool or Jacuzzi on the aft deck.

When the other kids came back to the boat, the swimmers took over the water behind Sea Dream. There is something about having water toys to play on that makes kids of all of us. When the "all clear" was given and it was safe for us to leap off the swim platform, in we went!Sea Dream carries lots of noodles, those wonderful floaty toys which, when used correctly, can also be used as water cannons. Seems some of my new friends had never been "shot" at by someone armed with a noodle but it didn't take long for them to get the hang of the game and streams of water were soon shooting everywhere. The water trampoline was also a big hit. Even with all the whooping and laughing going on, the crew was ever vigilant of our safety, including always having a crew member in a tender ready to pluck you from the water if you got into trouble. Did I mention that the use of all the water toys is included in the price? Charter yachts do this, cruise lines don't.

The next morning, we all woke up early and stood on the front deck to get our first glimpses of Venice as we slowly approached and entered the Grand Canal. This was our final port on Sea Dream, where we would spend the day, have our last dinner on board and depart the following morning. The easiest way to get around Venice is on a vaporetti, the local water bus. They are not only much cheaper than a water taxi, you can purchase tickets for varying time lengths and are quite fun. There was a vaporetti stop close to where Sea Dream docked, and most of us jumped on, headed for the San Marco district of Venice to spend our day in Venice. One item on the "must do" list is a visit to San Marco Square. There is music on San Marco Square, played by musicians in front of cafes crowded with tables and chairs. If you sit to enjoy the music, you will be expected to buy a beverage, and the drinks are eye-wateringly expensive. In August, San Marco Square is crowded. Filled with tourists dragging luggage, snapping pictures, tour guides herding groups of tourists and, of course, the pigeons. Though it seemed to me there were masses of pigeons, I was told there are actually less now than before. You are only allowed to feed them the pigeon food that is for sale by the vendors. Supposedly there is some kind of pigeon birth control substance in it, which limits their numbers. Interesting concept, not sure if it is true.

Another item on the "must do" list is a gondola ride. Or not. The water in the side canals is pretty green and, for lack of a better word, fragrant. Though I chose not to go, I spent quite a bit of time on various bridges, watching the antics. Hearing the statistics that there are a limited number of licenses, and that an apprenticeship of many years is mandatory, one would think it would be difficult to find a gondola to ride in. Not so. In fact, the gondoliers along the Grand Canal seemed positively lonely. But then again, I would think that being on the Grand Canal in a gondola would be like riding a skateboard on a 12 lane interstate highway.

The Grand Canal is crowded with vaporetti, water taxis, cruise liners being towed into port, yachts and innumerable small private motorized crafts zipping back and forth. All of this aqua confusion results in very choppy waters which would be more than daunting for a gondola ride. The gondoliers plying the smaller canals also seemed challenged. It seemed that for every gondola giving passengers a ride, there were two waiting at the gondola stand. Watching the gondoliers arriving at a stand with guests aboard was always entertaining, as there always appeared to be a gondola traffic jam in progress. Adding into the mix is the shouting of the gondoliers at and with each other. It would seem their normal tone of voice was LOUD. The shouting, the jostling, and the look of sheer terror on the faces on the passengers all made for cheap recreation. The gondolas themselves appear to be a bit tippy and until people would settle themselves into the seats there were often small shrieks of fear adding to the general confusion. You can find yourself standing on the bridge by the main gondola stand a couple of blocks off San Marco square for long periods of time, enjoying the entertainment. I was almost surprised no one has thought to sell tickets to this attraction!

While in Venice, you will want to walk over the Rialta Bridge and have your picture taken there. There are shops on thebridge and on all streets leading to the bridge. In fact, if you think that shopping is a sport, then Venice could easily qualify for Olympic status. West of San Marco Square is the Zada S. Moise, lined with every designer-name shop know to womankind. Don’t forget your credit card. Beautiful Murano glass is sold everywhere. If you have time, stay an extra day and go directly to Murano for even more variety.

We straggled back to Sea Dream for one final cocktail hour, one last dinner with our friends. The time was just too short. One of the couples on the boat simply transferred over to the other Sea Dream the next day for another week of luxury following a different itinerary. I think they were the smartest of us all! Our last dinner was magnificent as course after course emerged from the galley, each better and more imaginative than the one before. The next morning, it was difficult to say good-bye to my new friends. I didn't want to go. Which is the best way to finish a charter…wishing for a few more days. Croatia, Venice, Sea Dream, new friends: it was a magnificent holiday and I am ready to go again!