In the recent time it is more and more popular to travel around the world on different eco tours so those trips can woke up the ecological conscience with the various natural beauties amongst the people, so the ecologically acceptable form of tourism and sustainable development can be proceed. Little country from where I am coming is really full of such places. Eight national parks and eleven nature parks together with two strict nature reserves are located in country smaller than US state West Virginia. Yet still, part of the country where I live is completely different. View on one side goes to the refinery and thermal power plants on Urinj, on the other side view goes to the petro-chemistry and the sea is dominated by cargo ships and tankers which are waiting for their turn in Rijeka port. Somewhere between all those things there is one small, almost forgotten island called Sv. Marko (St. Marco). It is northernmost island on Kvarner bay, situated between island Krk and mainland, so it is used as a “pillar” for the Krk Bridge, what makes Sv. Marko one of the rare islands in the world connected with bridge to the mainland and remaining uninhabited. Name of the island has its roots in Venetian rule, while island held fortress made as a guard tower for monitoring the sailings in the channel that is separating island Krk and mainland, which was the border between Habsburg monarchy and Venetians, although in historical records this fortress is mentioned even in antique, when there was Almis fortress, from where according to legend Cesar was watching the battle between his and Pompeii ships at 49. A. D.
My friend from Poland and I decided to go on this little trip from various reasons. We were interested into some hidden beach and coast where is possible to find absolute peace and solitude, to be in the middle of the sea, rocks and nature, but on the place where we can also do some snorkelling and some hiking and trekking adventure, especially to the top of the island and to the remains of the old roman fortress from where is great view on the Kvarner bay and other islands around. So we prepared our sandwiches (actually she did it), all necessarily equipment for our activities and came inside my little boat.
Decision to go on this trip by rowing turned out to be a great decision. Not only we reduced pollution of the sea to zero and carrying out active living, we recognised the value of this decision straight away when we moved away from overcrowded beaches on the mainland. Sound of tiny waves which were rolling on the open sea and were breaking on the sides of the boat and sound of vessels digging the sea and making white foam. Flavour of the sea and display of the fishes jumping from time to time from the sea, because of being under attack by some predator fish or because of some other reason only known to them are just a bit of small details that all those people who we saw around driving their luxury and fast motor boats were passing around. Small details about which they are not even conscious that exist, but without which is impossible to recognise the complete picture of the beauty that nature can provide. Moment in which seagull passed upon us and made his characteristic sound while lowered down to the sea and landed on the surface, and then flew again just a seconds later with the fish in his beak extended our happiness. In today’s rapid pace of life people are focused only on most important things, while little things and details are completely neglected. But in those little things and details is the beauty. Especially the beauty of nature. So in this moment I proved again to myself that if you are observing the nature, small details are most important, so the eyes, ears, flair and touch have to be open wide, but most importantly, you must have your heart open wide, so you can feel and experience those little beautiful details. A that moment you will reach the state of mind where you can beat all stress, nervousness and anxiety, when your body will be filled up with positive energy to the maximum levels.
We settled up on the island into the small cove called Jakovinov porat (translated from local Croatian dialect, something like Jakob’s port). It is little cove only thirty meters long, with two beautiful pebble beaches surrounded by ten meters high cliffs which isolate this cove from rest of the island. Coastal Mediterranean vegetation dominated with small bushes and dry grass together with black oak and fig trees whose are flying from the top of the cliffs and around alongside with the tiny stone reefs that splits pebble beach’s made this hidden part of island even more beautiful. We put the anchor down, moved our accessories to the coast and went to snorkelling.
Underwater world is completely different dimension, amazing shapes and colours of the underwater seaweed, urchins and other underwater flora made perfect shelter for various big and small fishes, whose are coming to the shallowest water, thanks to the fact that there is no human presence. Shoal of sarpa salpas which are grazing the seaweed, Mullus surmuletus digging the seafloor with its white moustaches in search for the food while small two branded sea breams and the Mediterranean rainbow wrasses are swimming around trying to find something for them in the raised sand. There was also gilt-head sea bream swimming around trough the shallow water avoiding the labyrinth of underwater rocks, on which you can see if take a really careful look small red scorpion fishes hidden like chameleons while they are lurking on their potential preys pretending they are not existing while their shape and colour fits with the stones and many other fascinating scenes from the undersea world. Different shapes made by Mother Nature by accident under the water can be really stunning. Shell open on the sea bottom looking like the heart, a hole on the rock designed like the arch with the sea anemone in rainbow colours looking like some roman triumph arches with the invaluable treasuries behind. There is endless palettes of shapes and designs, colours and scenes in undersea world, especially in the very shallow water where is no human interference. Here you can really see how it looks like when nature is left in peace, without building some ports, public beaches and so on. For creating a miracle, nature needs only peace. Harmony came by itself.
After diving, swimming and sunbathing on the warm summer Mediterranean sun, when summer heat lost a bit of its intense, we took our trekking boots and went to the middle, or better said to the top of the island. Most of the island is covered with sharp rocks and stones, shaped through the centuries by wind and sea salt. Few hundred years ago, whole island was covered with forest of black oak tree, but because of uncontrolled logging of Venetians, it become very soon almost an island with desert landscape, while the trees ended up as a foundations of the Venice buildings. Rain and wind wiped out the land, so only rocks and stones remained. However, slowly the vegetation is renewing, so there are again some small vegetation of bushes and dry Mediterranean grass, while older people says that today there is much more trees on the island as it was fifty years ago. It is great relief to see that despite the ecocide made by humans and despite its damage, nature still renew itself by the time, just it is pity that there will pass many generations until this job will be completely done.
As we more climbed on the island, the view was more and more good on the nearby island Krk, Kvarner bay and mountains of Gorski Kotar in the distance. Fishing boats were gathering on the open sea, followed by seagulls which made white rotating cloud around the boats, while they were attracted by the smell of the fishes. Two small islands that are standing between islands Krk and Sv. Marko stood steady as eternal guardians of the sea passage between the islands. Soon the sea become completely calm, indicating that the sunset is close, so we picked up one cliff that were going almost ninety degrees from the sea to the top side of the island and watched the sun going down behind the hills of U?ka mountain, located on the other side of the Kvarner bay, as it lighted up with its last rays whole bay converting white and grey cliffs and rocks to the beautiful golden landscape worthy for the greatest kings, while few small clouds that wandered on the horizon sun diffused whole palette of warm colours and shapes.
Before the night falls completely, we continued to walk and after few minutes we came on the top of the island, where are remains of the old roman fortress. To come on its walls and be on the place from where glorious Julius Cesar watched the battle is special feeling. Especially for me, who am student of history. My view went to the bridge, where were seen cars, trucks and buses passing by one after the other, shining with their lights and making circular line on the top of the bridge. When I looked down to the sea, there were two fishing boats passing each other. My thoughts went back to the fortress. It is standing there for more than two thousand years, it witnessed ancient and medieval naval battles, to the pirate attacks on the sea, witnessed to the lives of hundred generations of fishermen and sailors who were passing by and who spent their lives on those seas. This fortress was here when Venetians logged off almost all the woods from the island, when construction of the bridge started and when it was finished. It witnessed whole history, all rises and falls, and to whole transience of human life, deeds and transience of whole civilisations. Yet still, through all those years fortress was often visited by seagulls and other birds, sea was often becoming white in front of her from the flocks of fishes on the run from predators, grass were regularly becoming green in spring, got shrined during the summer and dark yellow during the autumn. Wind was often passing through its stones and rain was washing her walls. Fortress was witnessing that despite everything else, only forces of nature and nature itself is indestructible.
When we went back we found the whole herd of sheep, only inhabitants on the island while they were confusingly looking at us wondering what are we doing out there in that part of the day. They were passing on their own paths, the ones they made by themselves between the rough and sharp stones and rocks while they were passing around for decades. It is their island, where they can predict the weather and the storm, find the food and the water, and have total freedom.
It was complete dark already when I notice something is moving on the floor not far from my legs. My first thought was it is snake or a lizard, but when I turned on the flashlight and saw what it really is, I was really surprised. It was a frog, one of the last animals I would expect on this island, covered with rocks and stones, with very rare vegetation, island that looks like there is not a drop of water on it during those hot summer days. Still, somewhere in the middle of the island is little plash of water which never dry out, and where obviously frog found its home as well. Nature showed once again that her surprises and miracles can be even greater than our imagination.
When we came back to the cove from where we started our trek and where our stuff was waiting for us, we were already deep in the night. Our walk back was hard because of sharp stones and dark, but also because of various prickly bushes and small plants so we were quite happy that we came back without some serious problems. Near the cliff, above the cove, we lied down on the grass and in that moment we noticed that there is total silence, while our view went away to another side of the bay where the lights of city Rijeka were flashing like a Christmas tree, spread around the hills on which city and its suburbs is situated. We were lying and enjoying in the view, flavours of the Mediterranean coastal plants which were mixed with the flavour of the sea while there was complete silence around us. We didn’t need any words, every stone, every wave and every piece of grass were telling the thousand stories and left countless impressions. It was the most romantic moment of my life, in which I felt as the happiness is coming deep from my heart, and is spreading through every cell of my body. It was the moment in which there was no problem at all for us on the world, not a single bad toughs or worries. It was a moment from which we were not only friends any more…