Day 8 - Vis military tour and Stari Grad The morning is cloudy and it rains - a welcome relief from the heat we've seen so far. Today we take a 'military tour', making a full circle of the island in vintage Land Rovers and learning about the military history here. Due to the islands strategic location, it has been a valuable military asset to whoever could control it for over 25 centuries. Most recent wartime activity here was only 30 years ago. And a very real, devastating war that is taking place right now is only a 2-hour flight away. Less than 5 minutes for a hypersonic missile. As we enjoy what we have it is a valuable thing to keep in mind, and a reminder of human nature. All could be gone in an instant. Also explains why there are so many fortifications. Grateful to have these moments. Onward then.
First stop is the tunnel. Turns out it didn't house submarines, but two 150' missile attack boats. The boats worked in pairs and were parked in this 'garage' to conceal and protect them. A modern version of the boats is still in use by the Croatian navy - we see one on patrol later - but they are no longer based here.
Next is a artillery installation - a series of tunnels and bunkers serving a couple cannon positions.
The cannons are no longer there and the bunkers are abandoned - they can be toured as part of a guided tour, or explored on your own.
Across the island is another town where we briefly stop before continuing on.
It is not very clear to see, but in the picture below is a greass airfield that was used as a last-resort landing spot for Allied bombers operating from Italy in WWII. Damaged aircraft that couldn't make it back to Italy would try to land here. From the guide's description, it was a chaotic environment with damaged airplanes low on fuel cicrling for their turn to land. Some ended up ditching at sea and boats were on standby to try and rescue the crews. Aircraft beyond repair were salvaged for parts which were used to patch up the ones in better shape so they could make it back to Italy for proper repairs. Pieces of scrapped aircraft were repurposed by the locals for sheds, buildings and farm tools and can still be seen today.
Back in the harbor to see the ferry arrive. It's a cool ecosystem, fun to see all the moving parts.
Next destination - Stari Grad, a small fishing village. We were originally supposed to go to another island but there were issues with moorage so we ended up here. It's all good.
There is a cool house dating back to the 1,500's that belonged to a poet. I didn't look up all the details but enjoyed experiencing it.
There is a pond inside, complete with fish (I presume saltwater but didn't check). It is the coolest house pool I've seen, ever. If I end up owning a house again, this might be food for thought.
The rest of the village is small but scenic.
At night there is Captain's Dinner and a party that goes on well past midnight, complete with dancing and a disco ball. But I'm not a party guy so I finish the dinner, load up on wine, and retreat to my cabin to get whatever work I can get done, done. I manage some.
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