Post 8: Island of Biševo and the Blue Grotto (modra špilja):

Biševo is located 5 nautical miles across the Adriatic Sea from Komiza and can be seen from just about anywhere in town. I can see it from my apartment window. It's claim to fame is the Blue Cave. I asked my landlord the best way to experience Biševo's blue cave as there are tour stands located all along the Riva hawking their "unique experience".

He recommended I take the regular 8am ferry, "Sv. Salvestar", over to the dock in Mezuporat, then I can hire a much smaller boat from there to enter the cave. He also suggested I hike up and over the mountain to Porat, where there is an actual sand beach to spend the day, catching the 5pm ferry back home. So, of course, this is exactly what I did.

All the white rock you see throughout the hills and on the beaches of Croatia is limestone rock, even the houses are built of limestone. The entire island of Biševo is all limestone which reflects the sun perfectly. There is an under water opening by this cave that allows the sun in and it reflects off the white limestone on the bottom of the ocean naturally creating shades of blue, turquoise, and silver reflections. It was discovered by a diver in the 1800's and in 1884 they built an artificial entrance for small boats. You literally have to duck your head below the side of the boat when entering the cave.

Getting there early in the morning helped avoid the mid day crowds where it can take as long as 4 hours for an available small boat. I waited 10 minutes. The blue cave experience is short and sweet, 15 minutes tops. Yet it's truly worth it to see, the colors are magical. My pictures are from my iPhone with no editing whatsoever...this is exactly how it looked. I was thrilled the pics really depicted the colors so well. After the cave, I hiked up and over the island, lunched at the little beach shack, and swam in the beautiful calm bay.

By 3pm I decided I would hike some more so was putting on my shoes when I struck up a conversation with Dado, who worked at the shack. He said he'd be happy to show me a trail that leads to the "most beautiful part of the island." An offer I couldn't refuse!

Turns out Dado is 1 of only 12 residents that lives on Biševo year round. As we hiked he shared the history of the 65 families and 600 inhabitants of the island prior to WW2 and the economic and political challenges that have resulted in the loss of population. He shared with me the legend of Queen Teuta, (***see her story below if interested) saying, "its just a local legend, he believes such a powerful woman would be more righteous and there would be no cause to push her lovers off the cliffs into the sea."

Arriving at one beautiful bay, he then led me on a very challenging swim around to another beautiful bay only accessible by sea. The swim back was a bit easier as we were going with the current. It's been a long while since I've put my swimming skills to the test...the good news is I am in descent condition and a strong swimmer. (Swim team competitions in high school). It was a magical day, getting to see parts of the island few know about. Thank you Dado!!

Home sweet home, in time for this view with dinner. I was hungry!! Vegetarian risotto at Jasmina right down the street from my apartment. Above the closest beach in town.

THE STORY OF QUEEN TEUTA:

Around 230 B. C. the Illyrian King Agron was waging war off the West coast of Illyria against the Greek and other communities along the Adriatic coast . The IIlyrian navy consisted of independent pirates who assisted the King, but put their own interests above the kingdom. The island of Issa was struggling to withstand the Illyrian assaults and requested the assistance of Rome to protect them. King Agron died in battle at this time and this left his number one wife, Queen Teuta, as the ruler of his kingdom. Queen Teuta had meetings with two visiting Roman senators, who took great insult in having to deal with a woman, concerning the Illyrians intent in the area.

There was an assassination of one of the two Roman senators who had traveled to parlay with the Queen, and the Roman Senate blamed her for his death. The assault on Issa, the insult, and assassination were reason enough for the Romans to declare war against Queen Teuta and the Illyrian nation. In 228 B.C. The Queen's trusted subordinate, Demetrius of Pharos (now Hvar), took up the sword to protect his home island, while the Romans sent 200 ships, 20,000 troops and 200 cavalry to Illyria to secure their own brand of peace.

When the Romans arrived, Demetrius surrendered to them immediately, and he became their trusted ally. The war ended very quickly and Queen Teuta withdrew to Kotor. The surrender terms were very strict and she was required to pay tribute to the Romans, and she was further restricted in all of her activities. She was banished to her main castle in Kotor Bay and allowed to travel to several of her other castles in the area. Demetrius went on to become famous as a Roman General, and later married King Agron's second wife, Triteuta. The island of Issa was made a "free state" by the Romans and its people were declared Roman citizens, with certain privileges and the ongoing protection of the Roman Empire.

Local legends claim that when Queen Teuta lost her throne, she was banished to the island, now known as Svetac, thirteen miles west of Komiza, and built her castle there. She supposedly cavorted with young men captives and pirate sea captains and when she tired of them, she would cast them into the sea from the tall cliffs of the island. The remnants of this castle and Illyrian inhabitation are still evident today on the island.