After a picturesque drive through Korčula and Pelješac, we turned into the village and port of Ston before leaving for the mainland. Its name derives from the Latin name Stagnum, which denotes swampy land suitable for salt extraction. For four thousand years, salt has been extracted here in the same way, only with the help of the sun, sea, and wind.
Until the beginning of the 19th century, the ‘City of Salt‘ was the economic, military, political, religious, commercial, and cultural center of the western part of the Republic of Dubrovnik. It was so important that from Small Ston to Big Ston, in the 14th and 15th centuries, a fortification system (the ‘European or Little Wall of China’) with fortresses, towers, and defensive walls was built. Originally it was more than seven kilometers long and between five and ten meters high. It is the longest system of military fortifications in Europe and the second (after the Great Wall of China) in the world.
I had enough of climbing up the hills, so I skipped the walk along the walls, Tara and I walked only along a lonely path along the canal and then through the narrow streets below the hill. While resting and drinking coffee in one of the many (open) cafes, we just watched the impressive background of the town …
Then we drove on. In Ploče, the entrance to the highway was closed, so first we drove again on the Adriatic highway and then turned onto a long, winding road full of serpentines, deep/high into the Biokovo Mountains. Driving on the highway through the mountains also turned out to be a unique experience …
Why we actually spent the next night on the way to the Krka Waterfalls in Vodice, I can’t explain exactly. I’ve always chosen the most affordable options (room or apartment) with welcome pets, a balcony, a parking lot, and a view of the sea, and this time the universe sent us here.
Maybe because this tourist center is surrounded by beautiful pine forests and very rich with water springs? Or because the Turks were unable to conquer it despite repeated attacks? Well, most importantly for me, Tara was really welcome here, instead of me paying extra for the dog, she was only petted and photographed.
On the evening walk, we encountered a complete tourist dead, with otherwise beautiful, but dog-forbidden beaches (I didn’t look where they would be allowed), a huge hotel in the center, and a sea of closed coastal facilities. The next morning, we walked in the other direction, because I had already been here years ago and I knew that there was a different image of the town, which was mentioned as early as 1402.
I also remembered a photo with an impressive storm coming in the background from the vacation I took when I finished my first novel (Train for Heaven on Earth), stopped teaching at school, and set off on my own journey. In Pirovac in those days (September 2013) also a photo was taken for the cover of the novel …
This time there was no storm, just a calm beautiful morning in a part of the village that, in addition to being touristy, apparently managed to keep its originality and life outside the tourist season. I only hope that the ‘stormy period’ that followed the previous visit to this place has passed …
