Trail | Krauss-ing The World

Edge of the EU

Posted on February 6 by krauss-ingtheworld

At first light, after stocking up on pastries for the day, I begin hiking along the coast. The beaches are sandy, the water looks beautiful, and palm trees line the path. Just a bit further along the coastline becomes rocky like a lunar desert, the sun gets hot and my shoes get torn up by the sharp rocks. I persevere through to see the unique rock formations, caves and natural bridges along the coast. I finally make it to a row of sea caves. I climb down inside one, but I don’t risk the rough waters (besides, the sea is too cold for me). I do wade a bit in a rocky lagoon; the water is crystal clear without the brown sandy beaches underneath.

I follow a path through the rocky landscape to the start of a nature trail along the side of a large cliff. It is spectacular for birding, and I see a giant lizard on a rock too. I don’t get too close to the water here, but I can see caverns and canyons from a distance. I go up to the viewpoint for a look at Cape Greco, the easternmost point of the EU, and a great view back from where I hiked. It is tricky to get back down, and I’m tempted to keep circling around the cliff-face with the trail offering fantastic views and a sea breeze. But I continue on towards Cape Greco.

I cross Cape Greco to a particularly blue lagoon, which is only so blue because it is so rocky!

There is a cave just a bit further up the coast and a small church where I rehydrate and even get an oreo ice cream. Hiking along the protected forest trail, looking out over the rocky coastline to see a beautiful beach bay—all while licking an ice cream—has to be my favorite way to hike.

I continue down to the beach and back up along the trail over some more turquoise bays until I reach the “cyclops cave”. This cool cave has nothing to do with The Odyssey, but it’s cool how it connects through the cliff and comes out the other side. At this point, I turn around and take the bus back, watching the sun set over the sea behind the clouds.

In the morning I hike the opposite direction to the beautiful Nissi beach. It rains on and off, and I have to pass through a sandy gulf to continue the path, but it is beautiful when I arrive. The sandy beach and water, even when overcast, still glows turquoise. The little island off the coast is nice too. I find the sand is warmest at the place where the water hits the shore. I dip my feet in the water—and to my surprise the water is warmer than the outside temperature. I warm my feet a little before I walk back under the cover of clouds. Ironically, the sun comes out right as I return only to sit and wait an hour for the bus to my final destination in Cyprus.

Hvar island

Posted on December 21 by krauss-ingtheworld

Wavering over whether or not to bother with all of the rain, I take advantage of the partly sunny forecast to visit one of Croatia’s thousands of islands. The most popular, Hvar is so crowded in summer, but now should provide just enough tourism that infrastructure remains open.

I take the plunge, hop on the ferry in the rain for an obscured view of the islands in the mist. I realize I am at the wrong port, but I take advantage of the pause in the rain to walk along the pier suitcase in hand.

I take the roundabout bus to my destination in the pouring rain and arrive at my site. I think I’m meant to sleep on the couch until I remember “first floor” really is European for “2nd floor” and take the keys upstairs. A beeping sound is driving me crazy, but it’s a broken fire detector. The cleaning lady comes to fix it, I think that’s all, and I go to sleep.

I wake up early for the bus back to Hvar town, but I am surprised to find the door is locked. The cleaning lady must have locked me in; I try messaging the host to send for her, but realizing that isn’t working, I shout for help on the street. The two people who walk by ignore me. Desperate, I calculate the window to be too high to climb down from. I go into another room and see the balcony goes onto the stairs bellow. Slippery from the rain, I plan for my hands to slide down the banister, lowering myself onto the stairs below. I bump my arm, but thanks to parkour training in Reunion, I escape relatively unscathed.

I still miss the bus, but this gives me the chance to explore Stari Grad (Old town). The harbor view of the island hills is nice and the city has some Venetian artifacts. I enjoy wandering around the town and seeing all the construction works restoring the old Venetian colony. There is even an archeological site with Greek and medieval ruins.

I finally catch the bus over to Hvar and what a view! The route along the coast and over the hills is spectacular, passing dried up lavender fields and mysterious stone walls cutting through the shrubby landscape. I later discover the stone walls date back to Greek times and are used for agriculture. Crossing over the mountains I arrive in town. My first step is to go up the steps! Towards the fortress I go one alley at a time, slowly making my way through the gates of the old Venetian city. Some are lined with plants and flowers; others have hanging vines strewn across. Most shops are closed, yet a barbershop plays club music.

I go up to the fortress by a winding path and a meowing cat. The fortress is closed but there is a nice view of the islands off the coast of Hvar. On the way down, I stop by an old church and go off down a little hiking trail, but I bump into the stone walls and can go no further. It kinda disturbs the landscape, so I return back down.

After sightseeing in the port town, I continue along the coast on the same path from the day before until I reach cliffs. A beautiful blue bay lays at the end of the trail, and I have a nice snack before continuing back the other way. I wrap around each inlet until I find a nature trail cutting across the coast with shrubby forest. White rocks jut out below the path, and I really enjoy this part. After a couple kilometers I reach a pebbled beach with a small patch of sand I walk through. I am finally happy to be here with the blue water, beaming intensely under the newly appeared sunlight.

I walk back in the golden hour glow to the town center, watching the sun dip behind the islands. I expect I won’t make the ferry back to the mainland, but the bus takes a different route along the coast, where I continue watching the sunset and see all the secret beaches of the island hidden in the inlets. It drops me off right in town center, giving me just enough time to pack my stuff. Though I barely miss the bus to the ferry, I run with my luggage and arrive just before departure as the cars load. With a storm coming in the morning, with the risk of becoming stranded for the weekend in unpleasant accommodations, I take it as a sign to leave.

My heart races the rest of the night, never truly recovering from the sprint to the ferry. The late night pizza I have is as good as any you’d get in NYC, with a crisp crust and nice cheese. I enjoy walking around Split town one last time at night, appreciating the late Roman details and grateful to be back on the mainland.

Amalfi Coast

Posted on January 31, 2022 by krauss-ingtheworld

The views climbing up Sorrento are spectacular, with Vesuvius, Capri, and several small islands visible along the feet of the cliffs.

I enjoy the scenic road all the way past Positano to Amalfi. This charming town by the sea has a spectacular church and public fountain. Walking through the corridors and stairwells reminds me of Cinque terre.

I take the bus up to Ravello for the amazing view of the mountains and the valley. I enjoy walking around the Moorish ruins of this town, which seems built in and around them.

I walk down hundreds of stairs back to Amalfi, taking in the view and passing several caves along the valleys. There are underground tunnels connecting back to Amalfi so pedestrians don’t have to walk too long on the winding roads with traffic.

I stop for a delicious buffala sandwich, with the best sun dried tomatoes, and explore the town a bit more before hiking. I shelter from the rain in front of the church while eating my sandwich and someone offers me food, which I quickly refuse and try to explain I don’t need it, but he takes off. I guess 2 1/2 weeks without shaving makes me look homeless.

The bus up to the trailhead in Bromino passes a nice valley, and the sun begins to shine on the turquoise waters. I start the Sentiero degli dei (Path of the Gods) past the main square under the large karst cliffs. The views, once I get to them, are backlit by the sun, but it’s still nice. It’s a beautiful trail, and mostly downhill, but it’s not worthy of the name, “Path of the Gods,” I think. I don’t want to say I’m disappointed because it is beautiful, but I think I was expecting too much. While there are many interesting formations, the mountain view from Ravello seems more dynamic, and there are probably nice trails around there as well as Sorrento.

I pass some goats feeding, lots of climbers, and some caves. I approach more lookouts as the sun goes down, and I race down the stairs to make it to Positano for the sunset along the beach. The clouds make for a reddish glow that illuminates the town and surrounding cliffs. Possibly the most picturesque, Positano is quite small and consists mostly of sprawling homes, hotels, and restaurants along the hillside. It’s hard to have a main center when the town is vertical, but there is a charming Main Street down to the beach, decorated by Christmas lights. They even have lights decorating the mountain!

I thoroughly enjoy my hike through the beautiful landscape and brief visits to the charming towns of the Amalfi coast. The culmination of my trip to the region, the Amalfi coast leaves something to be desired, and I hope to return to this area some day in warmer weather to best enjoy the hikes in other scenic parts of the coastline.

Capri

Posted on January 28, 2022 by krauss-ingtheworld

The clouds swirl around above my head, rising up the stark limestone cliffs. I look out over the blue Mediterranean towards the Amafli coast with small islands along its coastline . Mount Vesuvius is visible beyond the haze in the background, as is Naples and the surrounding islands.

What is this beautiful island, with its sharp peaks and steep cliffs dropping into the blue Mediterranean water? I am on Capri, legendary since Roman times for its mystique. The clouds definitely add to the atmosphere, but I am lucky to have a respite in the sun while I am at the top of the island. I arrive here by a chairlift, like a ski lift, but I just jump off. It is equipped with a very loose safety bar that doesn’t feel secure at all. I hold onto my belongings and try not to let anything drop below as I cautiously document the exhilarating ride.

A Civil War general from New Orleans fled to Capri and built this bizarre house

The streets of Capri are narrow and twist tightly along the cliffs. The buses are small accordingly, and many motorized carts are used to ferry items around town instead of cars. There are so many cute ones, like futuristic versions of mules.

Culinarily speaking, I am disappointed by the Caprese sandwich I try in its homeland. I have some caprese ravioli that is far too hard. I almost break my teeth on some Caprese tarallini, ordinarily my favorite snacks. Maybe I just tried the wrong places, but I enjoy these variations much more elsewhere. It is also way too overpriced.

Leaving the town of Capri, I hike down along the coast past the rock stacks. I am blown away by their unique shape and arches.

Not-so-natural arches and caves lay further along the path. These paleolithic structures were carved by indigenous groups pre-Greek colonization. The cave in particular feels like a special place, while the arch pales in comparison to those on Malta. Nevertheless, the hike here is one of the most beautiful, and it is mostly on pavement too.

Heading back to the town center, the historic greek and roman streets give way to churches and monasteries. Some nice gardens light up as the sun goes down. I scamper back down to the sea stacks to take in the last of the light before returning to the harbor.

This island, full of famous artists that have come here over the centuries, manages to deliver beyond the glitz and glamor with its natural beauty. It is a wonderful start to my trip along the Amalfi coast.