Early in September I went with a group of friends for a week aboard Marella’s cruise ship Explorer 2. We are all members of Inner Wheel which is more or less the ladies equivalent of The Rotary Club. They are a very lively bunch and now how to enjoy life without getting drunk every night!
We set off in the early hours for East Midlands Airport travelling together in a minibus which was a good start. Once aboard the plane we shared a bottle of prosecco to go along with our breakfast! On arrival at DubrovnIK Airport we were met by a team from Marella and ferried to the ship by coach. En route we had a great view of the iconic harbour – the one seen on all the posters. Getting through customs and onto the ship was straight forward and we were able to sit down to a buffet lunch before going to our cabins. The Market Place, which is self service, has a huge choice of food along with free wine and beer.
Our cabins were ready by 2pm so we were able to settle in, unpack and check out what was what. My room mate and I were slightly alarmed to see a double bed but that was quickly rectified by our helpful cabin steward. Our cabin had a fixed window and no balcony but was perfectly adequate with plenty of storage space and a powerful shower.
Some of my friends were frequent cruisers with Marella and knew quite a few crew members so they pulled a few strings to get us the Captain’s Table for dinner in the sit down restaurant Latitude. The cruise was all-inclusive although it was possible to pay a supplement for something extra special. I never saw the need as the menu was extensive and mostly delicious! On the first night we attracted some attention by all dressing up in matching T shirts and trousers but on subsequent nights we dressed to impress!
Because of the weather the usual Sailaway party could not be held on deck but I enjoyed watching lightning flash over the mountains, illuminating the Franco Tudman Bridge.
Our first day was spent at sea and unfortunately the weather was still poor so we gathered together to chat and to eat! A wonderful afternoon tea is served at 3 pm so we couldn’t miss that! I went to a talk about forthcoming trips ashore and gained some useful information which led to me cancelling one prebooked tour involving 200 steep steps with no hand rails.
Our first prebooked trip ashore was to The Postjana Cave and Predjama Castle in Slovenia. We docked at Trieste and a Slovenian guide talked very knowledgeably about her country, its history and current status as well as detailed information about both the castle and the caves. The castle has been perched in the middle of a 123 metre high cliff for more than 800 years. Behind the largest cave castle in the world is a network of secret tunnels. I found it fascinating . A few miles away are the Postjana Caves and they were incredible with magnificent formations and diverse fauna . The caves were first opened up in 1819 and by 1872 a railway was installed to enable access. The railway has been improved and extended and now there are 12 trains running on a circular line.
After a 15 minute train journey through vast caverns the tour continues on often steep paths led by a specialist guide. We saw the magnificent 5 metre tall bright white stalagmite called Brilliant. We also learned about a creature called an Olm which, according to legend is a baby dragon and can live without food for up to 10 years.
Back on the ship we prepared ourselves for the special Dress To Impress night and most of our group wire flapper dresses. I thought we all looked very fetching and we certainly did attract attention that night!
The following day we docked at Ancona and 4 of us took a trip to Assisi where we visited The Basilica of Saint Francis and queued to see his tomb. The town is full of historic buildings and we walked up a quite steep hill as far as the town square. The tour guide was not very good, his English was poor and he rushed the coachload of passengers into the town and left us to it!
My last prebooked trip was to Zadar and Nin and the turned out to be worth every penny! Our guide was a young man who was born and bred in Zadar and he was absolutely passionate about his home city and the tiny city of Nin.
We first visited Nin which is a small island and is the oldest royal city in Croatia and the birthplace of the Croatian state. It has fewer than 1000 inhabitants. We saw the Roman Temple. Roman ruins and went inside the smallest cathedral in the world. It was beautiful, tranquil and an oasis of peace.
We then had a tour round Zadar which is a lovely historic city. Zadar is noted for its beautiful sunsets although alas, the weather wasn’t favourable when I was there. It has an amazing installation called Greeting To The Sun which is a 22 metre diameter circle representing the sun, with 300 multi layered glass plates with photovoltaic solar modules underneath. Lighting elements installed in the circle turn on at night and produce a light show. Another astonishing feature is the sea organ which is an architectural sound art project – an experimental musical instrument which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps. Ante, the guide showed us all the main highlights of the city and even showed us the Roman well in his own back courtyard.
I had no more prebooked trips but enjoyed exploring Split which has a very busy market and some great historical buildings.
Our last day was spent in Montenegro. I got up at 6 am hoping to see the sunrise as we cruised into Kotor but again, the weather didn’t play ball! However it is still very beautiful with twinkling lights on both sides of the bay. We had to use the tenders to get to the dock as there were 4 more cruise ships there . This was quite an enjoyable ride. My cabin mate and I wanted to walk the walls but as they are 4 km long we only managed a short walk. The city is full of narrow streets with lots of interesting shops, restaurants and bars as well as historical buildings.
Back on board we prepared for our last dinner in Latitude where we said a fond farewell to the waiters and bar staff who had been so attentive throughout the week.
I was almost happy to go home as a week of over eating and drinking more than I normally would was beginning to tale its toll!
