The Sea Cloud has been sailing overnight from Albania to Croatia, in thick, humid air. We woke up to the massively fortified city of Dubrovnik in front of us. Built by the Venetians to control the Adriatic Sea, the beauty of Dubrovnik earned it a spot as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Massively damaged during the Yugoslav wars, it was largely restored by the end of the 1990s. After experiencing the surprising sites of relatively unknown Albania, it was time to go explore “The Pearl of Adriatic,” as Dubrovnik is called. We can barely wait and we’re already on line to tender ashore.
9/23/2024
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Sea Cloud
Hvar, Croatia
On the last day of our voyage, we spent the morning on the lovely island of Hvar, known for its fragrant fields of lavender and rosemary. Our walking tour started with the Franciscan monastery, featuring a centuries-old cypress tree and a 17th-century painting of the Last Supper attributed to Matteo Ponzoni. We continued on to tour one of the oldest community theaters in Europe (dating to 1612), the Hvar Arsenal (instrumental in building and repairing Venetian ships), and the town’s stone buildings which often feature the winged lion of St. Mark. This afternoon, after a lunch featuring the famous Sea Cloud pasta wheel, we enjoyed a lecture by cultural specialist Zrinka Šapro on the history of Croatia, focusing on the 20th century. Hearing about the rule of Josip Broz Tito and the wars of the 1990s from someone with personal experience was a particularly fitting conclusion to our tour of this region so rich in history. Our final evening aboard included a cocktail hour and the guest slide show on the lido deck, followed by the captain’s farewell dinner in Sea Cloud’s elegant dining room, after which we bid our travel companions and newfound friends a fond farewell.
