Cruising the Adriatic
It was a perfect sail away. We were with an American tour company, on board a small, elegant French cruise ship and sailing slowly along the Grand Canal of Venice with the iconic buildings of St. Mark’s Square glowing in the sunset. We were about to enter the Adriatic Sea with visits to the Dalmatian Coasts of Croatia and Montenegro. Along with 215 fellow guests from the United States, Australia and Canada we were looking forward to a week filled with historic medieval communities, friendly people, stunning topography, thriving vineyards and ancient Roman landmarks.
New England based Tauck organizes land, river and ocean tours in more than 70 countries. Small Ship Cruising is one of its newest ventures. The company, started in 1925, is unique because virtually all extras are included and all tours are accompanied by a team of dedicated Directors who work closely with small groups of guests and find the best local guides.
Our ship, leased by Tauck, was Le Lyrial, the newest vessel in the growing French cruise line, Ponant. Built more like a luxury yacht than a traditional cruise ship, it features a stylish, modern interior with muted colour tones of cream, tan and grey.
The standard rooms are small but very comfortable with a sophisticated Tv/movie system, excellent bedside reading lights and high-end Hermes toiletries in the bathroom. Food, in the French style, was usually excellent and served in the main Deck 2 restaurant or by the pool on Deck 6. The fine complementary wines at lunch and dinner were of high quality.
We were intrigued by countries of Croatia and Montenegro, two of the seven nations that constituted the former republic of Yugoslavia. The region is a complicated crossroads between historically Christian and historically Islamic territories.
A major benefit of touring with Tauck is the wide range of tours available in each port – all complimentary. Our first stop was the ancient walled city of Korcula, Croatia, reputed to be the childhood home of Marco Polo. Guests could choose among a city walking tour, hiking on nearby mountain trails or kayaking in crystalline waters. With our interest in food and wine, we chose a visit to the 100 year old Bire family estate and winery. It was our first taste of Croatian wines and we were impressed. This wine tasting, and most of the others, was accompanied by traditional prosciutto, marinated sardines, fresh bread, olives and cheese.
Split (population, 175,000) is the second largest city in Croatia and has seen many regimes over its 1600 year history. Again, Tauck offered an array of intriguing excursions including biking, sea kayaking, a boat ride on a river between towering limestone cliffs, touring by bus or just joining a guided walk though the old city.
Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Its well-preserved stone wall, ramparts and cobbled streets were started in the 10th century and are key reasons why UNESCO has designated the whole city a World Heritage Site. Tauck offers several walking tours but also includes a cable car ride for a splendid overview, more kayaking, a visit to local villages and wineries plus the Maritime Museum. We were lucky enough to include a visit to the Karaman Winery, winner of several major international awards, especially for its Malvasia wine.
To reach the harbour city of Kotor in Montenegro (literally, Black Mountain), Le Lyrial sailed several kilometres up a picturesque fjord that could be mistaken for Scandinavia. The fortified town of 14,000 has kept its Middle Ages feel and is a delight to explore by foot. For our tour we chose the “Gastronomy Experience” where just eight of us visited a local home where the proprietor (a cookbook author) and her husband prepared a traditional local meal of prosciutto, cheese and sardines followed by potato gnocchi (she showed us how to make it) and tender beef. A soft meringue dessert with forest berries was followed by home made cherry brandy and grappa.
Before we left Montenegro, a troupe of Boka local folk dancers in elaborately embroidered costumes entertained us in the ship’s theatre. Another extra touch that makes Tauck so special.
Heading north again we stopped at the long, slim island of Hvar, Croatia, first established as a Greek Colony around 385BC. It remains a centre for lavender and several stands are set up to sell the fragrant product. The village of Stari Grad was full of interesting shops and roving entertainers (including one with an unusual goatskin bagpipe).
On our last day, we stopped at two communities on the northern Croatian peninsula of Istria. The huge, first century Roman amphitheatre in Pula was remarkable, a slightly smaller version of the Rome Coliseum. It is still used for concerts including past performances by Pavarotti and Leonard Cohen.
The peninsula is also a major source of olive oil so we visited the Chiavalon family farm, producer of some of the world’s best olive oil. We naturally had an extensive tasting of the fresh grassy and spicy oil. It was so good we couldn’t resist buying a bottle.
Our last stop was in the quaint town of Rovinj, a community with tangles of cobbled streets that felt very Italian. In fact, because of its close proximity to Venice (just across a narrow part of the Adriatic) the village has two official languages, Croatian and Italian.
Our tour included Croatia’s best known sparkling wine producer, Misal, with bubbly made the traditional French way from Malvasia and Pinot Noir grapes. We were amazed at the quality of its brut, sec and semi-sec varieties. Along with the other guests on this tour, it gave us a chance to make a final toast to Tauck and a remarkable Dalmatian Coast cruise.
“Our last stop was in the quaint town of Rovinj, a community with tangles of cobbled streets that felt very Italian. In fact, because of its close proximity to Venice (just across a narrow part of the Adriatic) the village has two official languages, Croatian and Italian.”