Footsteps of Odysseus?

This morning the engines started rumbling around 6:45. It was early, but it was in line with us needing to wake up to get ready for our day.    

Breakfast was planned for 7:30-8:30. The ship was underway to the island of Mljet while we ate and, after, we got ready for the day. 

First mentioned in the 6th century BC, the island was originally named Melite (which means honey isle -and is still called that in modern times).  It was often confused with Malta regarding historic events because they both had a similar or same name in antiquity.  There are approximately just over 1,000 inhabitants and its main attraction is Mjet National Park, which covers about one third of the island.  Mljet has also laid claim to being the location of the mythical island of Ogygia -from the Odyssey.  Home of the sea nymph Calypso, Ogygia is where Odysseus was shipwrecked and subsequently held prisoner by Calypso for seven years. 

As we got closer to the harbor, I took a few pictures.

The crew had an easy time unloading the bikes since we were at the dock -not 5th or 6th boat out!

At our briefing we were told that we needed tickets to the National Park and that the ticket office was a short walk up the street.  Mike volunteered (with some pushing from me…ha ha) to go get the tickets.

While he was going, I made a trip out to put the batteries on our bikes and get set up to ride.  As I stepped off the gang plank, I noticed a black cat sitting patiently at the end acting as the official greeter of the day.  She (or he) sat there quite patiently for a while, not bothered by the traffic going back and forth onto the ship.

We ended up with the Princeza tied up next to us.  Mike took this picture on the way back from the ticket office.

This is a close up of the lake picture on the sign.  Our route today was more or less riding around the lake.

We got rolling and went a short distance up the road and entered the park.

We had to stop at a ranger station to show our tickets.  Mike was ready!

We rode a bit further and stopped again in a spot where Miranda and Lucija could give us more information about the day. The picture below is the monument to honor the man who was instrumental in getting this area designated as a national park.

While there this cat decided Mike was his/her best friend.  There are a lot of cats wandering these islands.

After this short talk, we were off down the park roads.  There are still some people living in the park borders.

Before long, we were on a path like this for most of the ride.

The only bad thing with this path is that both sides were overgrown and it was more like riding in a green tunnel than seeing views…but it was still pretty.

We rode about 6.5 miles until the trail ended -basically where the lake meets the sea.

We took a short walk on a path to see the sea.  Miranda was pointing something out when I got this action shot.

This cross is known as the Sailor’s Cross.

We turned around to retrace our route.  I was surprised to see this cute bridge come into view -it is not visible coming the other way.

This is one end of an island in the lake that has what’s left of a monastery on it.  The Benedictine monks arrived in 1151 and built a monastery here.  In the 1800s, Bonaparte abolished the Benedictines and so they were forced to leave.  The island is now treated as a cultural site.  There is a restaurant on the island.  Tour boats that ply the lake stop there.

However, Miranda and Lucija had a different plan for those who were interested.  The trail curves around the shore to a different vista of the island and at that point there is a small boat landing.  The people who run the restaurant will come pick up guests in a small boat when the flag (provided on shore) gets waved.  They only ask that you buy a coffee (or more) while on the island.

Several of the group wanted to go over.  I decided I would too in hopes of exploring a bit.  Mike decided to wait at the landing.

There were so many people (not just our group) waiting that it took about three trips before I even could get on the boat.

We were packed like sardines!

Our captain was a bit of a character.  He said his family ran the restaurant and he’d been doing this for 30 years.

On the island, it wasn’t clear which way to go to explore -or even if it was allowed.  So I went where I wanted to anyway.

I found some steps going up and at the top there was a church.

Looking back toward the door.

Nearby was this walkway toward the lake.  I believe that this was part of the original landing/dock for the monastery.

I walked a short way along the side of the church.

This insert in the wall is the back side of the church’s altar.

By then I was a bit nervous about getting back to the landing on time.  We did have a “curfew” for getting back to the ship.  So, I decided I’d better go wait by the place we’d landed until the captain came by.  I took a picture of Mike waiting.

He took a picture of me waiting!

It took about 5 minutes before some women from our group joined me because they were ready to leave too.  They managed to round up the man who’d transported us over and we were quickly on our way back.  The picture below is us arriving at the landing.

And then Mike and I were on our way back to the meeting point.

This looked like a private home -what a great place to live.

We had a short wait for the group at the same place where we’d had the park orientation.  Mike sat down while we were waiting and the same cat came and curled up next to him on the bench.

While waiting for me to come back from the monastery, Mike got an interesting picture of a plant.

It was so tiny that he took a picture of his foot to show where it was on the ground.

We needed to get back to the ship by a certain time because the captain had decided to move the ship today rather than tomorrow as planned.  A weather system they call “Bura” was predicted to move in.  A bura brings dry, cold, blustery winds and is unpredictable -especially for maritime activities. Our guides explained that Croatians see a benefit from a bura because they’re known for cleaning the air, removing haze, and bringing crystal-clear skies after one blows through.

However, the captain’s number one priority was everyone’s safety.  So because of the bura, the rest of our tour would be a bit improvised.

When we got back, it was almost time for lunch.  We had a bit of time on shore before we left, so Mike and I looked for a small grocery store -no luck.  But we stopped for a beverage on the way back to the ship.  Then back on board for lunch.

Looking back at our mooring as we left.

Getting close to our stop for the night.

We tied up with the Princeza (again) on the left side of this row of boats.  We were now on the Pelješac Peninsula.

The Pelješac peninsula is about 40 miles long.  On the maps it looks like one of the islands, but isn’t.  We were looking across the water at the island of Korcula from this stop.

Tonight was the Captain’s dinner. I thought they might be planning a bit of “fun” in some way or the other, but no… the Captain’s dinner was simply that the Captain ate dinner with our group.  He ended up sitting at our table and he is very nice, but quiet.  He seems younger than you’d expect for a ship like this, but so far I’ve felt that he and the crew know exactly what they’re doing.  

There wasn’t much there, but after dinner Mike and I took a short walk before settling down for the night.

Miles:  14.2     Accent/Decent:  712 feet      Average Speed:  8.7

Categories: Part 5: Mljet