Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Peljesac Peninsula’ Category

It’s not enough to be the “pearl of the Adriatic”; Dubrovnik would also like to be part of Croatia. Politically, it’s part of the country but geographically, not so much. As part of the agreement settling the former war in Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Hercegovina was awarded an outlet to the sea at Neum, 160km to the north. That means that in order to go from Dubrovnik to the rest of Croatia along the coast, you have to pass through a border control. All well and good; the war is over; let bygones be bygones. It’s not as though Croatians or anyone else have a problem crossing the Neum checkpoint. But still, it’s disagreeable, which is why several years ago the government devised a plan to bypass the Bosnian border by building a bridge to the Peljesac Peninsula. The expensive plan proved controversial as some accused it of being a government boondoggle meant to line the pockets of politicians. So it was put on hold. Also put on hold was the planned extension of the Rijeka-Split motorway down to Dubrovnik.

Austerity is austerity but when transportation minister Zlatko Komadina announced that there was no money for the Peljesac Bridge or for extending the motorway while at the same time Rijeka was to get another highway, Dubrovnik citizens were dismayed. The dismay turned to fury when Ivan Dadić a supervisor with the Croatia Roads Authority commented that Dubrovnik really didn’t need the bridge or the highway because “in Dubrovnik nobody moved during the tourist season” anyway and as for the border: “In my opinion it is enough to have a ferry and to wait for ten years until Bosnia and Herzegovina enters the EU, then the problems with the border at Neum will disappear”. In the meantime, “Dubrovnik is well-connected by air”.

Nice. Let me assure you, Mr. Dadic, that  the visitors I’ve been writing for over the last 15 years want to visit Split, Dubrovnik and several islands in between. And they need to do it fast because they often have only a week or 10 days in Croatia. It isn’t just about Dubrovnik; it’s about tourism in the entire southeastern tip of Croatia. If your idea is to fly people into Dubrovnik and keep them imprisoned there, it hurts the whole region. Please remove foot from mouth and insert brain in head.

It’s been a long process but finally the magnificent Ston walls are fully renovated and open to the public. The walls of Ston, on the Peljesac peninsula, comprise the longest fortress system in Europe and second only to the Great Wall of China internationally. The walls stretch for 5km and include 40 towers and five fortresses.

Renovation actually began 50 years ago but intensified in 2003. Why so long? Authenticity, that’s why. Each new stone was hand-carved just as the originals were back in 1334 when construction began.

Not only is it hoped that these amazing new walls will bring in tourists, but they just might make in onto the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Ston Walls would be ninth on the list of Croatia’s World Heritage Sites.

Meanwhile, visit Ston and Mali Ston to see for yourself.

The vineyards of Peljesac peninsula produce some of the finest wine in Croatia. Dingac, Plavac Mali, Postup are renowned throughout Croatia and produced in the dry soil of the Peljesac peninsula.

Now this centuries-old winemaking region has attracted an unlikely new vintner: AIG’s new CEO, Robert Benmosche. Reuters has reported that Mr Benmosche, who had recently come under fire for a 12-bathroom villa in Dubrovnik, has spent millions bringing California vines to his vineyard in Viganj to produce the popular Zinfandel wine. Recent tests have placed the origin of Zinfandel grapes squarely in Croatia, so for this CEO it’s just a return to the source.

While steering AIG back to financial health with taxpayer funds, Benmosche also hopes to put Croatia’s wine industry on the map. Rather than a lot of unknown vintages with unpronounceable names, Croatian wines will eventually be dominated by the well-known Zinfandel. Mr. Benmosche is sure that Croatian Zinfandel is a very good investment. Perhaps better than AIG.

It was one of Croatia’s more grandiose infrastructure plans. The idea was to construct a bridge connecting the Peljesac peninsula with the mainland thereby eliminating the need to drive through Bosnian territory. What? Bosnian territory? Yes, the Dayton Peace Accords signed in 1995 provided that Bosnia-Hercegovina should have an outlet to the sea. Bosnian territory extends down to the port of Neum which means that you must pass through Bosnian territory if you drive the coastal road from Split to Dubrovnik.

Although it worked well, Croatia became uncomfortable with the arrangement and came up with the idea of bypassing Bosnian territory by building the aforesaid bridge. It was to be four lanes wide and the second longest bridge in Europe. The plan came under criticism almost immediately as an expensive boondoggle design to line the pockets of politically-connected contractors.

Now with the Croatian economy sagging, plans for the Biggest Bridge have been put on the back burner. The government has just announced that construction will be slowed and a new bridge is not likely before 2015.

So for now, get your passports out for when you pass the Bosnian checkpoint at Neum. See more about driving the Croatian coast.

There are those that swoon over pearls and those who say that an oyster’s slippery flesh is more perfect than a pearl. Less durable, yes, but unquestionably more flavorful.  Croatian devotees of oysters make  regular pilgrimages to Ston, on the Peljesac Peninsula where oysters are cultivated to perfection.

Ston is 45 minutes from Dubrovnik, but residents of the walled city only needed to head downstairs to the main square this week to indulge their oyster passion. Eight thousand oysters from Ston were trucked to Dubrovnik and opened in front of St Blaise church for a special Oyster Feast. Delighted locals were able to eat three oysters for only 12 kuna (€1.75). Where I come from, that counts as an unbelievable value.

Ston oysters are at their very best right now; another good reason to spend March and April in Croatia.

Read more about Ston.