This is a map of Ston to the North and Mali Stone to the South, with ‘x’ marking where we are staying. You can spot the Bota Sare Restaurant where we were last night (barely a two minute walk from the apartment) and see that the main round goes around the Tower to Ston. Both restaurants, the Bota Sare and Kapetanova, are gourmet and on our doorstep, and that’s why we chose the location of the apartment.

Woke up this morning with the promise of hot weather today, possibly getting up to 23° with an even hotter day tomorrow and potentially up to 29° on Saturday; quite a dramatic contrast to yesterday’s cold and rain. So far, this is our second night’s sleep away, our third day on holiday, change of temperature and choice of weather appropriate clothes.

In the caravan we have unlimited water for showers, but there’s a sense when camping of a duty of conservation so I don’t linger using up more hot water than I need. That theory went out of the window this morning as the shower here is strong and forceful and a proven limitless supply of hot water. I turned the shower full on and stood there as if I were under a heated waterfall. I did that yesterday and will do the same every morning here. When we packed for our few days, it was very easy. Life in a caravan is not a fashion show. Let me sum it up. To Steve each Friday is ‘clean t shirt day’. It’s an event if the t shirt doesn’t have stains by Saturday, when it’s then worn as a badge of honour with its decoration of menus and his handyman status until the following Friday. Anyway, having a reduced wardrobe meant that our choice of clothes to take away was very easy.

So far I’m very pleased to report that we’ve not had any sightings of Glavors (lizzard like snakes) or Golden Jackal Wild Dogs, but we’re looking forward to seeing the Geckos. The only scary thing today is my hair au natural as it was a wash and went day.

I’ve had comments that these posts seem to be full of Steve eating and drinking, so I’m going to try to be in front of the camera today. We’ll see. We’re getting used to our celebrity status of being rare British Tourists and people we meet delighted to chat to us about their county. Yesterday it was the excited attendant at the Salt Plains about the history and processes and the knowledgeable woman at the Winery who was delighted to tell us all about how their wine came to be produced.

Leaving the apartment this morning for the Walls

On our way I saw a sign: “Mali Ston Bay is a special marine nature reserve, founded in accord with the Nature Protection Act of the Republic of Croatia, due to the importance of the bay’s eco-system for cultivation of bivalves – European flat oyster and Mediterranean mussel. Mali Ston Bay is one of the last locations in Europe with a stable population and reproductive cycle of European flat oyster.  Mali Ston Bay has been declared the area of Natura 2000 ecological network, considered to be an outstanding importance for entire Europe as the area of preservation of two types of habitat – large shallow coves and bays and reefs.”

We followed the signs to access to the Wall from our side to the ticket office.

When we got to the ticket office we were told the first ascend was in three stages. We looked at each other, exasperated as we were already exhausted just getting that far. We were also told the route we were going to take would be approximately 45 minutes. We set off. We agreed there was no rush as Steve has a fear of heights and I have dodgy knees. Each step was deep enough for Steve’s size 12, but not so deep that I had to take two steps on each one. It was amazing how many times we had to stop to sit on the steps just to admire the views! That’s our excuse and we’re sticking to it.

We were happy to be the only ones en route and that we didn’t have to negotiate passing anyone on the way up. On the way down, almost at the bottom, we came across an American couple and had a quick chat and exchange of holiday experiences in Croatia. The way down seemed to be steeper and narrower so we descended as slowly as we could landing both feet on a step before negotiating the next step. I would say our attitude was to take our time and and tread carefully rather than gingerly. I would also say we did a lot of steps, in fact, probably more than a lot of steps. In fact, we did loads and managed to take pics of some of the views, the first couple of Mali Ston where we are staying, then salt plains.

Two thirds down, an attendant who wanted to scan our tickets, asked us if we wanted to continue around the whole Wall and we both replied, without any hesitation whatsoever, that we’d had enough. Our aim at that point was just to get to the bottom in one piece as we were happy with what we had covered. Our route took an hour and a half and whilst we were pleased with our achievement I don’t think we’ll be doing it again.

Our tickets included a tour of the castle which was a bit of a disappointment as there is nothing there but the walls, no indoor areas, no furniture, no relics. Telling our legs they could do it, we walked to the top to walk around taking more photos.

Having stopped for a snack we walked back to Mali Ston to be greeted by Stella who had missed us. We repacked our bags ready for the 45 minute boat trip tour of the bay, talk and tastings on oysters and mussels.

We’d met Daniel our skipper the night before, through the restaurant. The package was 45 minutes to include boat tour of the bay, 3 oysters each, glass of wine each, talk, back to Mali Ston.

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Let’s face it, there is not much happening so when we walked towards the boat Daniel was ready to great us on board. Usually he can take up to 50 passengers in the good times, but today he just had two very special VIP Brits who were appreciative customers.

Time to get yourself a glass of wine, a large one, because we are about to share some of what we learnt about Oysters and Muscles from Ston.

Having completed the tour of the bay we left the boat for one of two empty pontoons for our tasting and talk.

It takes two and a half to three years for an Oyster to mature to full size for gastronomic purposes. The ‘R’ in the month comes from Oysters are better in cold water and in the Winter months than Summer. Conversely, mussels are better in the summer, than the Winter. If you try a mussel in the Winter it could be huge with no taste, or in the Summer very small full of taste. Now here is something we didn’t know. Mussels produce their beards naturally and they are better with the beard. With the beards they last a little longer in the fridge as without the beards they die and lose some of their taste. The way to eat them is to hold on to the beard with your fingers and suck the meaty mussel off. Apparently once you pull the beard away the mussel dies, which is why they are served with the beard complete in Croatia. Croatian flat oysters and mussels are the best because the Croatian water is without pollution; there are no cities, no manufacturing plants and no waste disposed directly into the sea. Best quality water produces the best oysters and mussels.

The Ston oysters are so fresh there is no need for Tabasco sauce or any other condiment. They are full of flavour, just a touch of lemon and good to go. As for the mussels we watched Daniel cook them. No added water, no onions, nothing, just the mussels in a casserole pot. We watched them steam in their own water, then Daniel added some white wine and continued to steam them for a few more minutes before taking them off the hob and adding more olive oil than you thought was the correct measure.

We weren’t the run of the mill group of 30 – 50 punters, just the two of us. We weren’t in a rush but willing to enjoy the tour, the talk and enjoy eating oysters and mussels pulled fresh out of the sea, fresher and tastier than we have ever had before.

Our 45 minute package for two lasted almost two hours, we had unlimited oysters, unlimited mussels and unlimited white wine. It was a gastronomic romantic dinner experience for two on a floating island.

The oysters were served on an interesting platter. There is a new road being built which had some mature olive trees in the way, surplus to requirements. Daniel cut out some olive tree route material, approx 200 to 300 years old and sculpted the wooden dishes himself. The one he showed us today had its rings similar to oyster shape.

Oh, and by the way, the owners of the restaurant do not have five children, they have six, and to help with the family business the owner is one of 10 siblings, one of whom has a speed boat for big game fishing which helps provide the tuna.