Though we were lucky to have gorgeous weather for the majority of our trip to Dubrovnik, we did experience one rainy, dreary day. It just so happened this was the day we had booked a custom tour to Ston (about an hour north of the Old City) and the Elaphiti Islands, based on a Dubrovnik itinerary my friend SJ posted on her Croatia travel blog, Chasing the Donkey. We intended to spend the day partly in the car and partly on a boat, but the bad weather created choppy, unfavorable conditions at sea. Fortunately, our wonderful driver and skipper with Tureta Travel were able to split our full-day trip into two half days, with our boat tour to Lopud and Koločep islands pushed to the next morning when the weather would be much nicer.
Our driver picked us up at our hotel and drove us to his favorite oyster farm across the bay from Mali Ston (“Little Ston”). Upon our arrival, one of the workers pulled a net full of oysters out of the water, shucked a few, and handed them to us with a squeeze of lemon. They were extremely fresh and incredibly delicious — truly the best oysters I have ever had. The gray skies and cooler temperature created a moody atmosphere that fit right in with the quiet bayside dock and diligent farmers tending to their mussel and oyster harvest.
Next it was on to Ston, which boasts a great wall that snakes up and around the adjacent mountain to Mali Ston. The town is known for its saltworks, and salt has been a major part of Ston’s economy since the Middle Ages. Despite the rain we made the climb up the stone steps of the wall, motivated by the promise of breathtaking views of Ston and the saltworks. We were not disappointed.
Our last stop was one of my favorites, a winery called Vinarija Miloš. We were introduced to the owner, who explained how his wines are produced from terraced vineyards on the Pelješac peninsula and gave us a glimpse of the Slavonian oak barrels in the wine cellar. Then it was time for a tasting, a lovely sampling of dry and sweet reds. We took home a bottle of the Stagnum Dry 2003, which was cellared for 10 years before going on sale to the public — and which the owner told us can age for a few more years before being opened. We plan to enjoy it on our second wedding anniversary.
