AS THE English depend on the weather for their small talk, and the Inuit have
been mythologised as possessing innumerable words for snow, so Croatians
occupying the Adriatic coast speak a language blustery with wind. The bura,
maestral, jugo and levant are the stuff of everyday conversation, with the
burin, grbin, lebic, and tramontana not far behind, to say nothing of the
profusion of local and regional monikers.
To occupy one of the 50 lighthouses along this craggy coastline is to find
yourself at the centre of an actual and linguistic storm. Additional
resources must also be marshalled to describe the distant sound of thunder
on an otherwise glorious morning, the percussive pelt of rain against pane,
and that particular quality of light that precedes the mother of all Mother
Nature meltdowns.
Veli Rat, my lighthouse, lies on the western promontory of Dalmatia's Dugi
Otok (“Long Island”). The island's population is said to be 1,800. I make it
20 max, including the lighthouse-keeper Zvonimir Skvorcevic, whom I had
wanted to be a gnarled, salty old sea dog in the manner of Captain Cat in
Under Milk Wood. In fact, at 44 Skvorcevic is the spitting image of Andrew
Ridgeley of Wham! complete with hot pants. It's a look that works for him,
since he is as fit as a flea in the wake of six years bounding up Veli Rat's
183-step spiral staircase at 10pm and 3pm.
Veli Rat is the highest and most beautiful of 11, largely 19th-century,
lighthouses scattered along the coast that have been playing host to
tourists since 2000. They range in isolation from Sveti Petar, 20 minutes'
stroll from the tourist haunt of Makarska, to Struga, which requires a
4hr45min ferry journey, or Susac and Palagruza on the open sea.
All come equipped with local legend. The oldest, Savudrija, is reputed to have
been built by Count Metternich for a beguiling noblewoman who perished the
very day it was completed. Elsewhere, toothless fishermen's wives are
magically re-equipped with gnashers, offspring are spawned in rowboats, and
giant lobster abound.
Veli Rat occupies a middle ground regarding remoteness. The lighthouse is
reached via a three-times-a-day, 75-minute ferry ride from Zadar. Dugi Otok
enjoys a fleeting high season in August, but otherwise the occupants of each
ferry appear to vanish into the landscape. Food is best bought in Zadar,
being neither easy nor cheap to get hold of, although there is a grocery
shop in the port of Bozava, and the odd restaurant catering to nautical
trade - chiefly the Oleandar.
Elsewhere, the “Long Island Cocktail Bar” turned out to be an abandoned shack,
while Sali, the island's largest village, was so inhospitable of a Sunday
lunchtime that we would happily have consumed the horse in this one-horse
town. Youths mooched listlessly on scooters, adults lobbed berries at each
other by way of entertainment, while a handful of expiring tourists cast
ravenous eyes upon their offspring. We were saved by the hearty Restaurant
Roko up the road.
The post of keeper at Veli Rat is hotly coveted, as are its lodgings, with
guests unperturbed by prohibitions against torch signals, open blinds by
night, the combing of hair on rocks, etc. Visitors can climb the 40m (131ft)
tower with permission of the keeper. The view is hypnotic. Back on terra
firma, the lighthouse's two guest flats are spotless, if spartan. On the
upside, it is the one location I have stayed in that lacked a Gideon Bible.
The Skvorcevics are friendly without being overfriendly, and such is the sense
of isolation that it is a jolt to see the occasional tourist. Too many
destinations are sold on the false promise of relaxation, but this is the
real McCoy, with a calming effect superior to any spa. Within hours, my
accomplice and I were speaking in hushed tones, or pottering in
companionable silence against the crash of breakers.
Nearby Zadar may be Croatia's fifth-largest city, but it presents little to
undermine this sense of repose. The 3,000-year-old “Golden City” is regarded
as one of Croatia's most underrated destinations - perfect for a lazy
weekend or to top and tail a lighthouse excursion.
The city's somewhat perilous marble streets are ideal for amblers, eager to
take in its Roman Forum and abundance of Romanesque churches. The famous
gold and silver of Zadar is housed in the Benedictine nunnery of St Mary,
hidden from Nazi invaders by stalwart nuns. As elsewhere, the Italian
influence is marked at the Arsenal, an arts/crafts/deli/bar, and the nearby
Restaurant Kornat. Croatians can still smoke in restaurants and do with
gusto.
Zadar is near several national parks and is also one of the sunniest spots in
the Mediterranean, the lack of rainfall a source of local pride. Naturally,
an exception was made for our visit. We took refuge in Niko, a four-star
family-run affair. It is rightfully famed as having one of the finest
restaurants in the region. We swooned our way through a seafood feast of
lobster accompanied by the choicest pasta, white fish, southern Dalmatian
olive oil, wind-dried ham, salty pag cheese, posip wines, and maraschino
liqueur. At this positively Mr Creosotean moment, the proprietor decided we
hadn't had quite enough and raced off on his boat to bag still more.
Between an establishment of this calibre and another of such earthy, unearthly
beauty, the lure to return is strong. Like Arnie in The Terminator, I'll be
back.
Need to know
Hannah Betts travelled with the Croatian National Tourist Office (020-8563
7979, www.croatia.hr).
Getting there Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com)
flies from Stansted to Zadar from £20 return. National Car Rental (0870 400
4533, www.nationalcar.co.uk) from
£172 for seven days. Car ferry (00 385 51 666 111, www.jadrolinija.
hr) from Zadar to Brbinj, Dugi Otok, from £28.20 return.
Staying Veli Rat Lighthouse (00 385 21 390609, www.lighthouses-croatia.com)
from £480 a week for a two-to-three person apartment. Niko, Zadar (00
385 23 337 880, www.hotel-niko.hr), B&B
doubles from £75.
Eating Oleandar (00 385 23 377 703) Bozava; Roko (00 385 23 377 182, www.pansion-roko.hr)
Zaglav 28, Sali; Arsenal, Trg Tri Bunara 1, Zadar (00 385 23 253 833, www.arsenalzadar.com);
Kornat, Liburnska Obala 6, Zadar (00 385 23 254 501).
Hannah Betts must have gone to Dugi Otok outside the peak summer period of the last two weeks of July and the end of August; we have a house on the island (one of the only (I think) British families to own one and last Summer we spent an idyllic 3 weeks drinking great cocktails for £2 a go at the beach shack, eatig at great fish restuarants, relaxing at the great hotel bar in Bozzava and watching the yachts come into dock.
The island is quiet - no Brits but lots of Italian, germans and a few Amerciacns. the locals are very hospitable.
I agree with Hanna's comments about Hotel Nikko - a very unassumiong hotel with great rooms and a wonderful restuarant and if you fancy pizza, Restuarant Sime (hlaf a mile up the road) does a wonderful pizza.
Julie Herriott, Milton Keynes, England