At 6:35, the ships engines roared to life and so did I. The sea was a little choppy, enough to make me a little green, but nothing I couldn’t handle. After our briefing and breakfast, we made port on the island of Vis. Today’s loop would be 20 miles and go around the entire island. Today we would once again waste no time in getting to the hills and boy was it a workout. More 10-11% grade on the way up, but the way I felt, and the view at the top were not only empowering, but a great reward as well. (:  With the clouds unleashing lightening and booming with thunder ahead, we headed for the city of Komiža. Nestled in a small bay, and one of the oldest and most famous fishing villages in all of Croatia, we were in for a treat! We headed down a serpentine highway and past the Church of St. Nicholas (whom was saved by fisherman off the coast of the island in 1100), and into town.   We had quite a while to explore the city an I’m sure glad we did! We walked through the tight alleyways;  close together because of the harsh weather this side of the island gets. Along the way we looked at many local wares; deciding on some handmade and hand painted magnets.

It was then back to climbing! It wasn’t 10% grades by a long shot but my legs sure felt tired! The 7km climb had surreal views of the ocean storm just passing us, and gave me some new perspective on what an ocean storm can be.  We then passed through two small wine villages on the way to the town of Plisko Polje: Podhumlje & Podšpilje. They were quaint wine growing villages with goats and the sounds of people working.

Once we arrived in Plisko Polje we ate lunch at a local restaurant called Vinetero Rokis. They make their own wine out of their own home grown grapes. I had a glass of their white and it was really good! Not to bitter and not to dry; it was a great inbetween for me who likes sweet wines. We then got a fabulous meat and cheese platter complete with capers, black and green olives, a variety of cheeses and cured meats. It was very very good, and a traditional Croatian meal.

From lunch, it was a short uphill jaunt to Vis. Along the way we passed many vineyards and old homes. Very scenic and yet eye opening to see to the real people of Croatia instead of the “tourist Croatia.” 

On the way back into the city of Vis, we had a beautiful serpentine ride along a backroad. The views over the city were breathtaking.
      It was back to the boat for some well deserved free time. We decided to head to the beach, even though it felt a little chilly out. I’m very glad we did because the water was SO refreshing! Even got to snorkel around and see a variety of sea fish and get immersed in the beauty of the sapphire blue water of the Adriatic.  Afterwards it was a lesson in Croatian with our guide Antonio and a superb dinner filled with great conversations and many laughs.