On beer and Makarska...

 

Makarska, Croatia

Refreshed, we took to the helter-skelter switch-back for the following few hours, until the terrain eased and we started coming on to the port towns that Croatia is famous for. We had climbed quite considerably and as we topped the hill, Split was spread out before us as a huge industrial sprawl. The thought of negotiating all that urban traffic was not appealing and since we had no specific destination, we elected to by-pass it and push on. The rugged barren rocky coast-line north of Split gave way to an easier wider road that swung around sheltered harboured villages hanging from the hillsides, mostly only supporting the odd small fishing boat. Late in the afternoon, Jacky picked out Makarska as a likely place to spend the night. A delightful thriving harbour opened up, with a developed waterfront boasting bars and cafes. Still no hotels, Jacky contacted an apartment holder who agreed to take us for one night, but was an hour and a half away in Split having returned their son to university. With great reluctance we found a bar and a beer to while away the wait. The beer proved very appetising and we indulged in another. We were in a much better mood, by the time the owner rang us to say he was back at the house. The apartment was in one of the restored harbour front buildings. On the 3rd floor we had a superb view of a pristine harbour with rows of small craft moored in front of us. Our hosts were very gregarious and keen to get our story and help us find a restaurant for an evening meal. We passed the restaurant , not realising it was open and walked most of the town without finding another. The port was thriving during the day, but almost totally closed in the evening. A very out of season atmosphere. We found the restaurant on our way back and had a pleasant meal. Our conclusion was we should make more effort in our research and resolved to have leave early and have lunch in Dubrovnic and spend the night in Kotor, both picturesque harbour towns.

Chris

I'm not usually a beer drinker, but it was good to relax with a local brew when we'd arrived at our destination. We'd stop in the day for coffee somewhere, and sometimes a snack, but didn't usually bother with much as we didn't want to feel sleepy when there was more driving ahead.

There were some memorable locations. Just outside Patras port, when we thought we were early for the ferry to Venice, we found a studenty place. It was a bit noisy but had a good atmosphere. This town is the home of the Mamos brew. In Syros, we only get bottles or cans, not the draft version, so a couple of jars, went down very well. It was the first evening of our fifty day trip and we had no idea that later that night we would be shivering in a dreadful storm, exposed to the elements, waiting for our very delayed ferry to arrive. After a five hour wait, we were sorry we hadn't tanked up on more of the brew...

This photo is in a super friendly bar on the waterfront in Makarska, Croatia. Lucky our hosts were delayed, or we wouldn't have found it. And we were thirsty!

 Jacky