Day Excursion from Dubrovnik to Island of Mljet, Croatia

Took catamaran ferry for 2-hour trip out to lovely, breathtaking Mljet. 12th century Benedictine monastery in their national park required another little ferry boat out to it. Jay, Emily and I rented bicycles with 2 new friends met along the way - Lance (chemical engineer from southern CA) and girlfriend Sami (Yale English major working for Adobe Acrobat in San Francisco). Both Sami and Lance were excellent bicycle riders, so saw a bit more of the park than we did. On way back on ferry to Dubrovnik, met Doug (Doctor of Osteopath - resident in Anesthesiology) and girlfriend Kaitlin (recovery step-down RN) who were from Philly area. After arriving back to Dubrovnik, we all went over to the Setaliste Kralja Zvonimira pedestrian lane where bars have hammocks and swinging chairs and had a wonderful dinner. GREAT DAY.

The Island of Mljet has no airport. Transportation to the island is provided by Jadrolinija ferry service. 90 minutes to Dubrovnik. Mljet has been regarded as the "Melita" on which Saint Paul was shipwrecked, this view being first expounded in the 10th century, by Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. As in Malta, which also claims to be the site of Paul's shipwreck, a harbour named after the Saint still exists.

The Benedictines from Pulsano in Apulia became the feudal lords of the island in 1151, having come from Monte Gargano in Italy. They came ashore in the Sutmiholjska cove and Serbian Prince Desa of the House of Vojislavljević built and donated to them the Church and Monastery of Saint Mary on the islet in the Big Lake (1187-1198). Pope Innocent III issued a document consecrating the church in 1198.

The island was a part of the unified Serbian Lands under Stefan Nemanja in 1166-1168. In 1222, the Serb King Stefan II the First-crowned of Nemanja gifted his lands and monasteries and church on Krkar to the Benedictine Order of Mljet. After serving as the last Serbian maritime bastion, Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V gifted the island to Balša I in 1357. The Benedictines renounced their rule over the island in 1345, keeping only a third of the land. The island got a statute and a municipality in Babino Polje. It was formally annexed by the Dubrovnik Republic in 1410. According to the Contract with the Benedictines, the municipality had to pay 300 perpers each year. In the 16th century, the monastery was the center of the Mljet Congregation (Congregatio Melitensem or Melitanam), gathering all the monasteries of Benedictine monks in the area of the Republic of Dubrovnik. The first president of the Congregation was Mavro Vetranović, the abbot of the Mljet monastery and the famous poet. Another great poet was abbot there - Ignjat Đurđević in the 18th century. As time went by, the Benedictine monastery on Mljet lost its importance, while the seat of the Mljet Congregation moved to Sveti Jakov near Dubrovnik.
In 1809, during the rule of Napoleon, the Mljet monastery was disbanded. When Austria took over the island, it placed the forestry office in the building. Between the world wars, the building was owned by the Dubrovnik Bishopric. In 1960 it became a hotel, and in 1998 it was returned to the bishopric.

Port of Dubrovnik

Doug, Kaitlin, sami, Emily, Jay

Out for dinner after long day and good seafood.


Emily reading her Anderson Cooper book on the "lido" Deck. Sami was classmates with Anderson Cooper at Yale, and says he was very quiet.

Sami, Lance, Wendy, Jay
Port at Mljet

Boating on way to monastery, going by mansion owned by cousin of our little boat and where Mljet will host president of Slovenia soon this summer.

Little wood-fired stove/cafe stop along our bicycle route. (Sorry - we haven't found the way to right up the photos on Serbian computers yet!)


Boat that reminded Wendy of family painting her brother John has.

The water was absolutely crystal clear. No trash anywhere.


Croatian flag - - very prominently displayed everywhere, especially since Croatia beat Germany a few nights ago in soccer.

Mljet "june Bug" in everyone's hair, but harmless. (Tell Emily that!)

Emily reading about monstery chapel to us in German. No English brochures around.


I got to ride out in the open on the boat, no sweat, no regulations, no worries, no lawsuits, no marine boating OSHA standards. Great!!

Bike rental for the day $6. Scenery, wind in your hair, and newly found friends - - priceless.