Croatia: Part 7 - Day 6: Sumartin island (again), Observatorium

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 6

6/8 Day 6: 9.30am ferry to Sumartin island. 4.30pm ferry back to Makarska. Visited the Observatorium at night.

Cost
(1) Ferry ticket to and fro Sumartin island - EUR6,40 per way = EUR12,80

(2) Observatorium ticket EUR8

Food
(1) Breakfast at Restaurant Maka EUR11,70 - Egg benedict EUR10, coffee latte EUR1,70

(2) Chocolate pastry from bakery on Sumartin EUR2,20

(3) Radler 500ml on Beach Bar, Sumartin EUR4

(4) Lunch at Bernardo, Sumartin EUR25 - Grilled swordfish EUR21, radler 500ml EUR4

(5) Ice-cream at Romana - 1 scoop EUR2,50

(6) Coffee at Kaffe Severin - cappucino EUR2,20

(7) Dinner at Papar Grill EUR18,90 - 5 meat fritters (with beef, cheese, smoked bacon) EUR15, Hidra orange 500ml EUR3,90

The Story

06082025: Today, we will go to Sumartin island again. When I planned the trip, I suggested a hike up a hill but it can be tricky to get that due to the narrow road and difficulty in finding parking. After our hike under the blazing heat on Mount Srd, we agreed that it would be better to spend our day in the waters. The day before, we tried to look for any boat tours to other islands. It was a quick research on the internet. The price is EUR50 and it includes lunch plus a drink. Unfortunately, no available spots. So, it is Sumartin island again. 

This time, our breakfast is at Restaurant Maka which is very near to where we stayed. Initially, it was a lovely morning but the heat became slightly too much for me and we changed tables in the restaurant. I did not want to have the hot sun on my exposed skin and it was only 08.30am! Coffee was affordable in this breakfast. 

Then, we made our way to the ferry. We took the 9.30am ferry, same as yesterday and arrived an hour later. This time, we turned right after the harbour. Yesterday, we turned left. On the right is the small town of Sumartin. First, we bought a pastry each from the bakery (which is opposite the harbour). 

The mission for today is to find some bathing spots. It was really tiring to walk under the scorching heat. We passed by some houses but I did not see anyone outside. Yes, that was very wise of them. We missed a turn and ended up walking quite a bit before deciding to turn back. We walked through some overgrown bushes towards the water and found the right way when we walked back, realising then that we missed the turn. 

The sign that we missed.

It was a short dip and we continued our way to find another bathing spot. 

The next spot is near Cave Lucica. There is an altar in the cave. There are many olive trees along the way. 

Second bathing spot. Here, I had my chocolate pastry before taking a dip in the waters. 

Third bathing spot has a small beach and it was crowded with many tourists under the shade and trees. 

.. and a mirror with a hashtag Sumartin for a selfie shot. 

We stopped at a beach bar to have cold drinks. I had my radler and my companions had beer. There is no toilet in the beach bar and the toilet is in the bushes.

There was limited food in the beach bar. We saw some guests who had nuggets and it does not look like that there was a proper kitchen to cook food.

An hour later, we were back in Sumartin town and chose a restaurant that has guests. The restaurant next to it was empty. Here, I had grilled swordfish. It was difficult to avoid the heat while having lunch despite we were indoors.

We took a last dip in a spot near the harbour. Then, we hurried to the ferry. Back in town, we stopped for coffee at a coffee shop opposite our apartment. Our apartment is in the background of the photo.

For dinner, we went back to the same restaurant that we were at yesterday. Meat fritters for me. Looks different than yesterday's meal of cevapcici but tastes similar. I read the ingredients and they are the same - beef, cheese and bacon. Haha! That explains why they taste similar... 

After dinner, we walked to the Observatorium. It is a building on top of a small hill. The Observatorium opens from Tuesdays to Thursdays at 9.30 - 11pm. There were some tourists in the area before us. We waited in line to be part of the first group. The man who gave us the tour manages the place. It is his hobby and he enjoyed doing this.

We walked up a flight of stairs into a small room to see a large telescope in the middle of the room. Our guide entered 'moon' into a controller and the telescope aligned itself towards the moon. Each person had their turn to look through the telescope to see the moon with its crater.

Then, the guide adjusted the telescope to show a nearer image of the crater. I did not see the difference. The guide calls it the million dollar view. 

I did not think it was worth paying EUR8 for this activity. It is clearer to see from a television. We were inside for half an hour. Then, we headed back to our apartment to call it a night. The streets were filled with people despite it being 10pm. There is definitely night life here with the cool summer nights.