We woke up late, not sure how late and left to make arrangements for renting the car again for another day. Our shit car had served us well thus far and we wished to use it for another road trip. Despite our misgivings about having to use a car when we wanted a scooter, we decided that the car we had would be necessary for another day. Some means of mobility was necessary on Brac and if a scooter wasn’t going to be our mode of transport, car it would have to be then. This time we had Milna (a small fishing village) and the historical town of Skrip in our sights. After breakfast from the same local bakery along the Supetar harbor that we had sampled yesterday morning, we got in the car and drove to Skrip.
All roads, not just the ones to Bol, were narrow and hard to navigate. We were confronted with more hair-pin turns and roads not really wide enough for two-way traffic. A steep climb onto the top of a smaller mountain in the middle of the island led us to Skrip. A small town with only a few hundr
ed inhabitants we came across one of them the minute we got out of the car. An older woman welcomed us into her home with a wave of the hand and a warm smile but not a word of English. We saw that she was living in the remains of the Citadel fortress that we had come to see. She showed us an old Illyrian wall from when they occupied and settled these lands and then took us to her warehouse/production space where she made Grappa, Olive Oil and wine. A sales pitch! None was really necessary and we bought a large bottle of homemade olive oil for the equivalent of $10. This was the local color our trip had been missing! We thanked out tour guide/sales person and found an old cemetery still being used by local inhabitants that was over looking the surrounding mountains and farms. This and the church on the same land led us to the Archaeological Museum in the town.
The Skrip museum was modern in its presentation and featured a dynamic tour guide who was a fountain of knowledge. She told us all about the local history, the history of the fort itself and of all of the artifacts found in the town. She also explained the history of the island and answered questions having to do with Brac not just Skrip. We left with a deeper knowledge of the island and of its people. The Romans had made wine and olive oil in the town and a wine press was on the museum’s premises. The tourguide showed us how the Romans might have utilized such a contraption and also provided us with a full explanation of the rock piles we had seen from Supetar to all points on the island. Used to trap moisture around Olive trees or simply gathered in piles to create a tract of arable land these rock piles served a purpose on more than one level. Additionally, some huts in the fields of Brac were made with these stones, mostly for shepherds and their flock to shield from rains.
Our drive to Milna took us to the eastern edge of the island and through many picturesque towns including some built right onto the face of the mountains. We stopped at various points of interest along the way to Milna and snapped photos. Milna itself was a quiet but largely rebuilding town on the western edge of Brac. Short on pedestrian activity but heavy on fishing boats, this little town was very pleasant and dominated by the Illyrian Resort Hotel just on the outskirts of Milna. We walked through town and found a small rocky beach on the shores near the Illyrian Resort Hotel. The water was cold but the views of the only working marina on Brac were beautiful. We laid on the rocks and watched the yachts and sailboats come in. We laid out on these rocks for several hours lounging and relaxing enjoying the bright sun shimmering in the water as the boats sa
iled past. The walk back to the car found us tempted by the cafes along the Milna marina and we stopped at one for a drink. The drive back was uneventful unlike the drive to Skrip when we ran into a seagull trying to feed off of a snake on the road. The damn thing wouldn’t move and when we swerved to avoid it, it flew directly into our path and collided with the roof of our car. Luckily there was no damage to either party. It dropped the snake.
After changing and freshening up in our room we tried to find dinner in Supetar. The options were somewhat limited. One of the restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet was fish but we didn’t really fancy fish. Another we had already sampled. We tried a third and it was a bit lackluster. Perhaps pasta was not the thing to get. We finished up and headed back to the room. Another big travel day awaited us on the morrow.
Both Skrip and Milna were charming little towns in their own way and we found them both endearing. Milna is a little fishing village not unlike Menemsha on the Vineyard. Skrip is a tiny little mountain town that surprised us with its well-organized museum and enthusiastic, bright tour guide. Perhaps its not as out of the way as we thought since we saw a tour bus pass us as we were leaving heading directly for the Archaeological Museum we had just left. Overall this was more of a relaxing day than we had experienced thus far and enjoyed a minimum amount of physical activity as we soaked up the history and culture of Skrip and Milna.
All roads, not just the ones to Bol, were narrow and hard to navigate. We were confronted with more hair-pin turns and roads not really wide enough for two-way traffic. A steep climb onto the top of a smaller mountain in the middle of the island led us to Skrip. A small town with only a few hundr
ed inhabitants we came across one of them the minute we got out of the car. An older woman welcomed us into her home with a wave of the hand and a warm smile but not a word of English. We saw that she was living in the remains of the Citadel fortress that we had come to see. She showed us an old Illyrian wall from when they occupied and settled these lands and then took us to her warehouse/production space where she made Grappa, Olive Oil and wine. A sales pitch! None was really necessary and we bought a large bottle of homemade olive oil for the equivalent of $10. This was the local color our trip had been missing! We thanked out tour guide/sales person and found an old cemetery still being used by local inhabitants that was over looking the surrounding mountains and farms. This and the church on the same land led us to the Archaeological Museum in the town.The Skrip museum was modern in its presentation and featured a dynamic tour guide who was a fountain of knowledge. She told us all about the local history, the history of the fort itself and of all of the artifacts found in the town. She also explained the history of the island and answered questions having to do with Brac not just Skrip. We left with a deeper knowledge of the island and of its people. The Romans had made wine and olive oil in the town and a wine press was on the museum’s premises. The tourguide showed us how the Romans might have utilized such a contraption and also provided us with a full explanation of the rock piles we had seen from Supetar to all points on the island. Used to trap moisture around Olive trees or simply gathered in piles to create a tract of arable land these rock piles served a purpose on more than one level. Additionally, some huts in the fields of Brac were made with these stones, mostly for shepherds and their flock to shield from rains.
Our drive to Milna took us to the eastern edge of the island and through many picturesque towns including some built right onto the face of the mountains. We stopped at various points of interest along the way to Milna and snapped photos. Milna itself was a quiet but largely rebuilding town on the western edge of Brac. Short on pedestrian activity but heavy on fishing boats, this little town was very pleasant and dominated by the Illyrian Resort Hotel just on the outskirts of Milna. We walked through town and found a small rocky beach on the shores near the Illyrian Resort Hotel. The water was cold but the views of the only working marina on Brac were beautiful. We laid on the rocks and watched the yachts and sailboats come in. We laid out on these rocks for several hours lounging and relaxing enjoying the bright sun shimmering in the water as the boats sa
iled past. The walk back to the car found us tempted by the cafes along the Milna marina and we stopped at one for a drink. The drive back was uneventful unlike the drive to Skrip when we ran into a seagull trying to feed off of a snake on the road. The damn thing wouldn’t move and when we swerved to avoid it, it flew directly into our path and collided with the roof of our car. Luckily there was no damage to either party. It dropped the snake.After changing and freshening up in our room we tried to find dinner in Supetar. The options were somewhat limited. One of the restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet was fish but we didn’t really fancy fish. Another we had already sampled. We tried a third and it was a bit lackluster. Perhaps pasta was not the thing to get. We finished up and headed back to the room. Another big travel day awaited us on the morrow.
Both Skrip and Milna were charming little towns in their own way and we found them both endearing. Milna is a little fishing village not unlike Menemsha on the Vineyard. Skrip is a tiny little mountain town that surprised us with its well-organized museum and enthusiastic, bright tour guide. Perhaps its not as out of the way as we thought since we saw a tour bus pass us as we were leaving heading directly for the Archaeological Museum we had just left. Overall this was more of a relaxing day than we had experienced thus far and enjoyed a minimum amount of physical activity as we soaked up the history and culture of Skrip and Milna.
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