komiza
the harbourfront in komiza, the tiny fishing town on the other end of the island, is still a gathering spot for fisherman to gossip and smoke. this picturesque village with sloping red roofs, whitewashed walls, and wrought-iron balconies even makes hanging laundry look gorgeous.
we came to komiza twice, as it was the starting point for a couple of outings we took, see below. while a couple of our mornings were spent exploring caves and tunnels, our afternoons were enjoyed on the cute pebbly beach in town. it was another of kai's favourite, and mine too actually. i liked being in a village with a teeny bar on the beach providing spritz drinks :) and the lunches we ate were phenomenal... in particular i am talking about the fisherman's octopus stew i thoroughly enjoyed, so so good!
komiza is certainly a pretty place for a day out with its palm-fringed square, prominent 13th century monastery and old harbour.
we visited blue cave on the island of bisevo. the cave and the sea inside is lit by a silver-blue light. the rays of sun passing into the cave through a small crack in its ceiling are reflected in the sea, creating an incredible light effect.
the cave entrance is really small, so at a certain point we needed to crouch in the center of the boat while the skipper maneuvers it into the cave.
on the islet of ravnik, we found the green cave, created by waves breaking on the limestone rocks. it is known for the visible green beam of light that penetrates through the opening on its ceiling and refracts on the sea surface. we dove in and swam in the green coloured water... while navigating the huge boats that drove right into the cave (yikes!).
and then our guide took us to a quite cove for a swim; it was gorgeous and quiet. and just look at that water!
military tour
this one was for kai and stefan. i didn't intend on going along due to my slight claustrophobic tendencies but i was assured the tunnels weren't cramped and the temperature in the tunnels would be on the cool side... both of these things helped. it was a pretty cool experience.miliary tunnels were dug throughout the island after 1945 when the island was a major military base for yugoslav army. nearly 70km of tunnels, underground corridors and bunkers were bulilt on the island.
we visited the cannon and rocket base at cape stupisce, walked the labyrinth of underground tunnels, saw the remains of abandoned warehouses, and the command post at vela glava.
the highest point on the island is hum mountain, part of the interior made up of fertile fields which are used for grape vines, fruit and vegetable trees. the yogoslav liberation army led by tito made hum mountain their home. the cave within hum mountain was tito's home until the end of the war. although we opted not to visit the cave, we enjoyed the view of the surrounding arhipelago and the town of kokmiza
travelogue: vis, croatia (part 5)... a whole post devoted to the mala cove and taverna next!
