Croatia BY LAND AND SEA June 11-26, 2022 Hosted by Ken Bratt The lands around the Adriatic Sea are spectacular! From their ancient cities, beautiful islands, and rugged coastlines to magnificent works of art and architecture, these are sun- drenched regions with fascinating histories and cultures. Traveling on land and sea from Venice to Dubrovnik, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the sights, the tastes of local cuisine, and the variety of people you’ll meet in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. Join Ken Bratt in exploring one of Europe’s hottest tourist destinations! Hosted by Ken Bratt Ken Bratt is a retired professor of Classics at Calvin University and a specialist in Greek and Roman archaeology. Over the past 30 years, he has led 24 trips of student and adult groups to Greece, Turkey, and Italy. Ken Bratt | 616-648-6407 | [email protected] Tour Cost: $5,749 per person, lower deck | $5,999 per person, main deck All prices per person, double occupancy, flights from Chicago with roundtrip bus transfers from Grand Rapids. A limited number of staterooms are available per deck. Single Supplement $2,500 per person Register online at bookings.wittetravel.com use booking code 061122BRAT or complete and return the printed registration form. *See Terms and Conditions for more details. June 2022 13, Monday 14, Tuesday 15, Wednesday 11, Saturday Venice, Mestre Aquileia, Trieste, Ljubljana Depart Now that we’ve had a good night’s Ljubljana We’ll start the day with a Our departure day is here! We’ll sleep, we’re ready to explore Our destination today is the walking tour of Slovenia’s take a bus from Grand Rapids to the famous city of Venice with country of Slovenia. On the capital. Highlights include the Chicago where we check in for our our local guide, beginning with way, we’ll stop at two of Italy’s Dragon Bridge, the Triple Bridge, international flights. a boat tour through the Grand easternmost cities: Aquileia and numerous historic squares, and Canal and waterways among the Trieste. In Aquileia, we’ll see the the colorful market. We’ll also visit 12, Sunday many islands in the lagoon. After early Christian mosaics in the the Castle high above the town Venice, Mestre an overview of the city, we’ll visit Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. and the Baroque Cathedral of St. St. Mark’s Basilica (consecrated Nicholas. The rest of the day is Welcome to Italy! After going Vastly different than the opulent in 1117), a beautiful example of unscheduled to allow for personal through customs and passport mosaics we saw yesterday, the Italian Byzantine architecture that exploration and rest. After an control, we’ll meet our tour polychromatic mosaics here features walls and domes covered independent dinner in your choice manager and head to our hotel. showcase the simple iconography with 86,000 square feet of golden of restaurants, we’ll end the day There will be time to rest and relax of the 4th century. We’ll also mosaics! The afternoon is free for back at the hotel with a short talk before our welcome dinner. Ken visit the other ruins of Aquileia, independent roaming, shopping, about “The Roman Empire.” (B) will end the day with a short talk which was once a wealthy city or relaxing. You may want to visit about “The Venetian Empire,” in the Roman Empire. Then we’ll the famous Rialto Bridge, take a which extended to coastal Croatia travel to Trieste, another city gondola ride, or explore the canals and far into the Mediterranean with a multifaceted history. It was by vaporetto (boat-bus). After an Sea. (D) transferred from Austrian to Italian independent dinner in your choice control in 1918, after World War of restaurants, we’ll meet at a set I. We’ll stop to see the port, old Tour Pace time and place to return to our town, and Roman theater. Then hotel. (B) we’ll cross into Slovenia, driving with the Julian Alps to our north until we reach the capital city, Ljubljana. After hotel check-in, we’ll enjoy a group dinner. (B, D) MODERATE – Activity levels vary from day to day. Sightseeing is Venice, Italy often a brisk walk over distances Ljubljana, Slovenia of several miles on cobblestone streets and uneven ground. Cover: Split, Croatia 16, Thursday 17 , Friday Kumrovec, Zagreb Rijeka, Pula, Opatija After breakfast we’ll start our We’ll head back to the Adriatic journey to Croatia. Stopping in coast today, into the heart-shaped Kumrovec, a village on the border Istrian peninsula. Our first stop of Slovenia and Croatia, we’ll is in the town of Rijeka, Croatia’s visit the Ethnological Museum largest port, which is famous of the Old Village. This museum for many examples of Austro- houses the birthplace of Marshal Hungarian architecture. Then Josip Broz Tito, once President of we’ll continue to the port of Pula. Yugoslavia. This open-air museum This city features many reminders will give everyone a sense of of its Roman past, including well regional life at the turn of the preserved walls, a theater, the 19th to 20th century. Then we’ll Gate of Hercules, a Temple of continue to Zagreb, the capital of Augustus, a triumphal arch, and Croatia. A local guide will lead us a massive amphitheater dating to through the upper town to see the the 1st century. We’ll end the day Parliament and Viceroy’s Palace, in the seaside town of Opatija, along with St. Mark’s and St. where we’ll check into our hotel Mary’s Cathedrals. Dinner will be and have dinner. After dinner Ken at the hotel this evening. (B, D) will offer a short “Introduction to Balkan History.” (B, D) 18, Saturday Opatija, Embark, Rab Our morning starts with a tour of the Habsburg-era villas. Opatija, part of the Croatian Riviera, was a seaside destination for the wealthy during the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the 19th century. The city is filled with beautiful villas and a 7.5-mile coastal promenade. After the tour, we’ll embark on the MV Avangard, our home for the next seven nights. Early in the afternoon we’ll enjoy lunch as we set sail for the “island of love,” Rab. Upon our arrival in the town with the same name, we’ll take a guided walking tour of the old town, exploring its medieval walls, the famous four bell towers, palaces, churches, and squares. Legend has it that in 1177, the local nuns created a special Rab cake for visiting Pope Alexander III. The recipe remains a secret, but we’ll get a chance to taste this special cake. The rest of the day is free, and dinner is independent tonight. You may return to the ship whenever you wish. (B, L) 19, Sunday Rab, Zadar After breakfast we’ll sail to Zadar, back on the mainland. At some point Ken will talk about “Early Christianity in the Balkans,” and we’ll have time for informal worship (optional). Lunch will be on board before our guided walking tour of Zadar. Here, centuries of history are built upon each other: you’ll see how 1st -3rd century Roman ruins sit next to a circular 9th century basilica. This church of St. Donatus was built on the pavement of the Roman forum and still preserves two intact Roman columns. It survived a 13th century Mongol attack. Nearby we’ll see a modern sea organ that celebrates the coastal waters. The remainder of the day is at leisure and dinner is independent tonight. (B, L) Opatija waterfront Rab Zadar 20, Monday 21, Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23, Thursday Zadar, Skradin, Krka Šibenik, Split Split, Hvar Hvar, Korčula Waterfalls National We’ll spend the morning sailing Our destination today is the island During breakfast we’ll depart for Park, Šibenik southeast along the coast to Split, of Hvar. We’ll enjoy a morning the island and town of Korčula, the Today we get to marvel at another the capital of the Dalmatian region of cruising, a swim stop near the birthplace of Marco Polo (1254- natural spectacle. We’ll cruise to and second largest city in Croatia. Paklinski islands, and lunch on 1324). Surrounded by medieval Skradin, board a coach, and head Its most famous monument is the the ship. In the town of Hvar we’ll walls, Korčula is a town full of to the famous Bibich winery for Palace of Diocletian, who ruled have a guided walking tour of its legends. Today, it is the only place wine tasting and a light tapas the Roman Empire from 284-305 many cultural and historical sites: a in the world where the Spanish lunch. Then we’ll drive to Krka and built this palace in the form of Renaissance cathedral, the oldest medieval knight’s game, Moreška, Waterfalls National Park to visit a military camp as his retirement communal theater in Europe is still performed. Upon arrival, “Skradinski Buk,” where the river home and mausoleum. Its Golden (founded in 1612), a Franciscan we’ll enjoy a guided walking tour Krka rushes over 17 waterfalls. Gate and walls are well preserved, monastery, the Benedictine through the streets of the old After our visit, we’ll continue to and its Temple of Jupiter was Convent famous for Croatian lace town, which is built in the shape Šibenik, having free time to enjoy transformed into a Christian (on the UNESCO World Heritage of a fish bone. At some point Ken the glorious old town. Of notable church in the 6th century.