Inside the Dragon's Cave, near Murnica, island of Brač, Croatia
You got any ‘boog’ spray? The British tourist enquired. I had warned him and his partner of a large amount of spider web that had spread across the path that I had passed on my way up the hill. They were on their way down. They had let me know that in fact there were more spiders up ahead. I realised that in fact, of all the things I brought in my suitcase, insect repellent was not one of them. Not worried at all, as Australians are used to spiders and snakes, I thanked them for their concern and continued onwards and upwards towards Vidova Gora, on the island of Brač and spanning the townships of Bol, where I stayed and Murvica a half hour’s walk westwards.
The quieter side of Bol, looking towards the Dominican Monastery
I had arrived in Bol two days earlier, and upon arrival made conversation with another couple, this time the first Australians I had met in my two and a half months of travelling. I had pricked my ears at the unmistakable accent as I walked along the marina, having just arrived off the ferry. In the past, I would ignore or even cringe at the sound of an Australian accent, but this time I was curious. The couple asked me why I chose Bol to stay at of all the places in Croatia; at this I got worried. Were they going to let me down that there was nothing to do and that I’d be bored? In fact, they explained that it was their favourite place in Croatia, they had visited many times and were thinking of buying property here. This reassurance was welcome as in fact, I knew little about Bol, the main town of the island of Brač, Croatia and had chosen it as I had been successful in securing an attractive apartment for four days through homeexchange.com. ‘You must be into beaches’ they said after I told them of all the countries and locations I had already visited. In fact, I am perhaps not as into beaches as others and love cities and hiking in mountains as much as, or even more than beaches. I’m not into sunbaking and I’ll only swim if the water is clean and not icy. And while they were waxing lyrical about the famous Zlatni Rat beach, I was being distracted by a massive group of rocky mountains behind the village and knew that I would need to find out if hiking it was possible. So, after a day in Bol, I set out for Vidova Gora, the highest peak on the island of Brač, Croatia. At 778 meters, it is also the highest peak on all Adriatic islands. It dominated the skyline above the village of Bol where I stayed and I could peer out at it from my fourth floor balcony.
Along the cliff face of Vidova Gora
Unlike the Greek hikes I did in which I was provided with an app which kept you on track, this one was pretty easy without too many possibilities, no app required. There were even brown tourist signs on the road leading to Vidora Gora. The week was forecast to be hot, so I left early in the morning before the temperature hit 30. After about an hour and a half of hiking upwards, a flat area teases you that you are at the top and there are the usual gorgeous views of the city and sea available, especially, what is known as the main tourist attraction, Zlatni Rat, the main beach that is in an unusual triangular shape. But there is more! Then you hit the carpark; yes, you can drive the back way up to Vidova Gora or even cycle, but for me, the hike is more fun! In the next area there is a telecommunications tower and a large monumental cross made of Brač stone and an interesting abandoned Chapel.
Vineyards and olive groves grow widely around Vidova Gora
Looking down at Zlatni Rat, the triangular strip of beach, from Vidova Gora. The haze was a fire on the mountain.
Another view from the top of Vidova Gora
Old and new: telegraph tower and plaque with quote by Vladimir Nazor; the local cafe is also named after this man.
Two days later I discovered that there was even more to discover around half an hour beyond Vidora Gova in the way of a ‘Dragon Cave’ or ‘Dragon Hole’, a twenty-minute walk up a steep hill from the tiny town of Murvica, a one hour walk from Bol. Only as I was leaving, did I do more research and discover that the cave is only open with a tour and that you need to give 24 hours’ notice. I took the plunge however and decided to walk all the way anyway, risking that I may see nothing and have walked up a steep hill ‘for nothing’. Fortunately for me, walking is not just about the final destination (which is just as well as much of my travel is spent walking). I recall a strip to a volcano in El Salvador earlier this year when the only other person on the trip, a young woman had said that she wouldn’t have enjoyed the walk unless there was a reward (e.g. a view to see) at the end. For me, views are good, but I enjoy the little things you see along the way. I had awoken early as the neighbour in the next apartment had left the air-conditioned on all night and the loud vibrations were keeping me awake. I turned this into a positive by starting the hike before it got hot and, as the route featured roads, before there was too much traffic to compete with. As I headed off, I found myself walking at the same pace as a local man; I was impressed that he was such as fast walker for his age, said hello as I eventually overtook him, he replied in Croatian (I presume) and we kept walking, almost together for most of the one hour walk. Eventually he disappeared and I was left wondering where he went and how this, perhaps once a day brisk walk might keep this older man fit and healthy, rather than driving as many of us do. As well as gorgeous sea views, I took in near vertical vineyards, a series of colourfully painted bee boxes and of course the ubiquitous olive tree plantations along the main route to Murvica.
Colourful bee boxes between Bol and Murvica on the main road.
Once I had arrived in the tiny town of Murvica I was faced with the challenge of actually finding the Dragon Cave as there was no signage. Google Maps provided the vague dotted line, so I headed up what looked like a track and found some interesting old buildings that looked like those in some of the blogs I had researched. Some of the tracks were extremely steep so I had to make decisions about which ones to climb and which ones to avoid. Eventually, feeling beaten, I saw another track which looked much easier and seemed to be taking me down the hill; I thought, at least I can continue on a better track rather than sliding down a near vertical one. Then, I saw it: it was the Dragon Cave! As expected, there was a gate locking it from entry, but I could still see most of it from outside. The carvings do indeed appear to represent dragons, which, according to research represent the Apocalypse, the fight between good and evil, with evil being reflected in the multi headed dragon. The cave itself was built in the 16th century by Glagolictic monks who wished to be inaccessible to the Ottoman Turks. In fact the town of Murvica is built up the hill from the sea to be inaccessible to pirates too. The caves were well suited to the ascetic lifestyles of the monastery as it was conducive to solitary prayer. Scientists have also suggested that the carvings may have pagan significance.
Ancient abandoned buildings on the way to the Dragon Cave
Building relics near the Dragon Cave.
the Dragon Cave
Another view inside the cave, which was locked up outside.
steep steps up towards the almost hidden Dragon Cave
Two views of the near vertical vineyards seen on the way down from the hike to Murvica's Dragon Cave.
Taking the easier path back to Bol, I also took a different path to the main road and was rewarded with views of backyard vegetable gardens, vineyards a helipad with the sign ‘Herbieland’ which I wondered was a case of ‘lost in translation’, and a strange Stone Henge like attraction; camping is very popular in Bol and one of the campgrounds was set amongst a forest of olive trees, providing shade and ambience.
Helipad in Bol
Terraced walkway from the Dragon's Cave to the road to Bol
As Bol is in a fine beach location, in addition to the hikes and as the weather was hot, I finally explored the beaches. After hiking one morning I discovered a small nudist beach. I took no photos and with a quick glance noticed that the bathers tended to be older and very unselfconscious about body image. So that afternoon I returned, and, in my mind, chanting the mantra ‘the core of man’s spirit is new experiences’ I ventured into the world of nude bathing. It all made sense. There were no bathing costumes to cling to the body and make your body wet for the rest of the day, it felt better on the skin, and no seaweed or sand stuck to the body. In fact there really wasn’t much sand on the beach anyway as it is a pebble beach. There were less than ten of us of various ages just doing our thing without feeling like it was in anyway unconventional.
Turquoise water and near solitude. Around the corner is the nudist beach. The Dominican Monastery is in the distance.
As it is commonly used as the hero image for Bol, I thought I had better do the famous Zlatni Rat, the long, triangular strip of beach that tourism activity centres around. No nude sunbathing this time, in fact there were signs banning it. In place of a quiet corner was an open stretch of beach with all the trappings of hedonistic tourism: bars, throbbing dance music and bathers taking their cans of beer into the water with them, maybe just because they could. I found a relatively uncrowded space, put on the beach slippers (it’s all pebbles so hard on the feet) and in I went. After a while a band aid floated by along with something white, fluffy and non-organic. I knew which lifestyle I preferred.
Bol is not huge, so many of the town’s most interesting sites are clustered together. The monastery sits tall above the town, with the smaller beaches (including Paklina, the nudist beach) and an interesting array of abandoned late 20th century buildings flanking each side of it. Whilst walking towards what would become my favourite little beach, Paklina, I discovered the large building which, according to a faded sign, was once Hotel Bijela Kuća. It and a number of other similar buildings sit in prime position between the monastery, beaches and the centre with cafes and ferry port. Fortunately, the exteriors have been put to good use with mural art and a festival is actually run to encourage street art every July.
Hotel Bijela Kuća with murals
Although the building appears to be of the Communist era, it was actually built in 1936, and was used as a seminary and gymnasium for the Dominican monastery next door. During the Second World War, it became the property of the Municipality of Brač and was used to take care of the wounded, and then as a dormitory. In 1963, by an agreement between the Municipality of Brač and the Dominican Province, it became the property of the Municipality. In the 1980s pop concerts were performed there. Then in the 1990s during the Yugoslavia wars, the hotel was used to house refugees and then was abandoned. So now there is a dispute between the Dominican Monks and the local council as to who should take it over. There’s enough material to make a small mini series out of the building and the others surrounding it! The monastery is not open very often so I was unable to climb the belltower as I have been doing in most European towns. Once, whilst I was out in the middle of the water at the nudist beach, the bells in the Monastery belltower started chiming. The monastery is rarely open to the public but when it is, you are required to cover up (there’s a no bikini sign). But just around the corner it’s a different story.
Another decorated building alongside Hotel Bijela Kuća
Bijela Kuća means ‘White House’. However, most of the white is now covered with colourful paint. It is one of over 96 abandoned hotel structures in Croatia. Many hope that this, like many hotels can be revamped and recovered before it collapses completely.
The street art festival, Graffiti Na Gradele is held in the grounds of the hotel. For more about the festival, visit their Facebook page.
Whilst most of Bol’s art is out on the street in the way of public sculpture it does have a small gallery with a collection. The Gallery Branislav Deskovic uses a renaissance-baroque castle to house its collection and is known for Croatian modern art with more than 380 exhibits. the Gallery is named after Brac born Branislav Dešković, who created the very expressive bronze sculptures seen in the courtyards and interiors. When I attended, I showed my ICOM pass and at first the attendant admitted he knew nothing of it. When I explained further he agreed to the free entry and not only that, but gave me a full tour of the building and collection. Although all of the artists were unknown to me, the imagery of Bol, showing styles influenced by the European modern art canon were a great way to reflect on the landscape and architecture of this special part of Croatia.
Expressive painting at Gallery Branislav Dešković
Gallery Branislav Dešković Interior with views of Bol.
Courtyard with sculpture by Branislav Dešković.
Cemetery near the Dominican Monastery with sea views.
Cemetery next to Dominican Monastery, Bol.
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