Hello ladies and gents this is the viking telling you that today we are talking about a beautiful little country of
First, you must get yourself to the Croatian island of Vis, by ferry from the city of Split. Once there, travel by bus or motorbike to the other side of the island, to the tiny fishing town of Komiza. There, hire a boat or tour to take you to the island of Bisevo, about an hour boat ride from Komiza. Then you will approach the cave via a small rubber raft, which is just small enough to enter the tiny cave entrance.
The Blue Cave (Modra špilja) is located at the Balun Cove on the eastern side of the island. Though Croatian fisherman have known of the blue cave since ancient times, it wasn’t until 1884 that a (relatively) easy entrance was blasted out with dynamite. Before this small hole in the side of the rock was opened, the only entrance into the cave was to dive underneath the rock wall in just the right spot.
The cave is at its most beautiful between 11 am and 12 pm on a sunny day. The bright blue glowing effect is created when the sun’s rays enter through the water and reflect off the limestone floor of the cave. The bright sun lights up the water, and the glowing ocean illuminates the cave walls a brilliant blue, creating an ethereal glowing blue grotto.
Though not an easy trek, it is a rewarding one – the blue cave is a truly enchanting natural wonder.
CROATIA
Blue Cave of Bisevo
An ethereal glowing blue ocean cave in Croatia.
First, you must get yourself to the Croatian island of Vis, by ferry from the city of Split. Once there, travel by bus or motorbike to the other side of the island, to the tiny fishing town of Komiza. There, hire a boat or tour to take you to the island of Bisevo, about an hour boat ride from Komiza. Then you will approach the cave via a small rubber raft, which is just small enough to enter the tiny cave entrance.
The Blue Cave (Modra špilja) is located at the Balun Cove on the eastern side of the island. Though Croatian fisherman have known of the blue cave since ancient times, it wasn’t until 1884 that a (relatively) easy entrance was blasted out with dynamite. Before this small hole in the side of the rock was opened, the only entrance into the cave was to dive underneath the rock wall in just the right spot.
The cave is at its most beautiful between 11 am and 12 pm on a sunny day. The bright blue glowing effect is created when the sun’s rays enter through the water and reflect off the limestone floor of the cave. The bright sun lights up the water, and the glowing ocean illuminates the cave walls a brilliant blue, creating an ethereal glowing blue grotto.
Though not an easy trek, it is a rewarding one – the blue cave is a truly enchanting natural wonder.
Plitvice Lakes
A chain of 16 wondrous lakes formed as a result of the gradual dissolution of soluble layers of bedrock.
Karst is not a particular kind of rock, but rather the landscape that results from the combination of certain types of rock, often limestone or dolomite, and water. The important element is that these types of rock are all soluable in water.
Put this type of rock in combination with water and over the years the water works its way through the rock and leads to all sorts of natural wonders. This type of geographical landscape is known as “karst topography” and is the basis of some of the most visually amazing geographical locations in the world.
Most of stone foundation of the Balkan peninsula is made of thick deposit of limestone accumulated over eons. Together with the areas abundance of springs, rivers and lush vegetation it has created some spectacular and Eden-like environments.
Plitvice lakes in Croatia is a series of 16 mountain lakes formed thanks to one such phenomenon. Travertine is a special kind of limestone which accumulates from calcium carbonate rich surface waters on the surface of living moss, forming growing barriers, and creating a chain of lakes and waterfalls. In an epic race, on a timescale of many thousands of years, the water wears away at the underlying limestone at the same time as the travertine barriers grow at pace of up to 1cm per year, creating an ever morphing, growing, reducing landscape.
St. Nicholas Fortress
Large, airy hallways hide within an impenetrable fortress that beckons urban explorers.
One of the best-preserved fortresses along the Croatian coast is a treat for urban explorers. Connected to land by only a narrow walkway that just barely rises above the water, its arrow-like shape suggests that this fortress was not one to be messed with. The structure’s seemingly impenetrable exterior hides large, looming brick hallways that beg to be explored.
The Venetians built St. Nicholas Fortress in the 16th century to block maritime Turkish attacks and keep any invaders from coming ashore. Constructed from a sturdy blend of brick and stone, its triangular shape and 32 resident cannons made it a truly formidable form of defense.
In fact, it looked so foreboding and impenetrable that no one even tried to test it. Its appearance and reputation alone were enough to deter any would-be attackers from tempting their fate. Yet despite its lack of action, the military continued to maintain the fortress for centuries until they eventually abandoned it in 1979.
Now, only urban explorers infiltrate the stalwart structure. Most make their way inside via the land, though those with access to a boat can try their hand at squeezing in through the sea-facing entrance. The fortress’s surprisingly airy interior is remarkably well-preserved, making it easy to imagine you, too, are a member of one of the various armies that occupied its walls during its many centuries of use.
I hope you liked this post and as always have a chilled day from the Viking.
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