Out and About Near the Campsite

The campsite is in the middle of a large bay with Dubrovnik just beyond one end and the small resort of Cavtat at the other. Cavtat is the oldest settlement on this part of the coast having been settled by the Greeks in the 3^rd century BC. There are no Greek remains as the town was ransacked a millennium later. It was a resort catering exclusively for the wealthy until tourism got going in the 1980s and still retains a classy feel as well as being highly photogenic. So, for the moment, it’s avoided a further ransacking by lager louts.

On the way back from Cavtat we stopped for a walk. The path wound down from the pull-off to the sea, passing small trees and scrub offering shelter to all sorts of creatures.

It’s difficult to spot birds flitting through this sort of dense undergrowth never mind identifying them, but this hoopoe obligingly sat on the path for us. Hoopoes are crested birds that, when in flight, look like giant butterflies.

Arriving at the end of the path at the seashore, we noticed a kind of shed housing these two enormous wine barrels. This area is an important wine producer and these barrels were evidently for bulk storage of wine. Although not containing any wine, the barrels were in good repair and seemed to have been in recent use.  However, there were no vineyards or wine presses anywhere around, or even any houses, so why the barrels were located here at the end of a dead-end road is a mystery.

Another nice view to finish with, over the scrub towards the offshore islands. Most of these islands have some dwellings and are serviced by car ferry from Dubrovnik harbour where we originally docked. The larger islands farther up the coast have substantial populations and a thriving tourist trade. Croatia has more than 1,000 islands, so there’s plenty of choice!