Mljet part III - Heaven on earth

Another day, another adventure. Finally, the Dalmatian island decided to show its most charming side, and what a lovely side it is! A paradise of nothing but green pine trees and blue skies, and the smell of pine resin that is lingering all over the place due to the warm sunshine that finally made it through.

Of course, a "free day" can be spent at the hotel beach, but having completely different plans, I decided to take off right after breakfast. 

Surrounded by blue and green, I first walken by the shores of the Small and Great Lake, only to turn away from the lakes in the settlement of Pristanište. 

Not that I wasn't in the mood for simply splashing in the water, but I had set my eyes on something else I wanted to achieve before laziness could take over. Namely, when I was doing my research about Mljet prior to my arrival, I came across fantastic landscape photos that show a green fairytale spiked with the wonderful blue of the lakes as well as the open sea in the background. The pictured perspective made me assume that the motifs must have been taken somewhere above the lakes. Upon researching some more, I figured out that the shots were taken from atop of Montokuc hill, and when I realized said elevation wouldn't be *that* far away from Pomena, I thought I might as well pay it a visit. 
And where exactly is it? Considering the fact it has a small hut built on the plateau, it must be the peak in the background with that tiny little something on its top.

Soon after the road junction in Pristanište, one leaves the small village behind to head towards its health center. Just before the parking lot, another side road leads away from civilization, and a little later, a well-marked path will point into the direction of Veliki Gradac. 

Remembering that a path connects the hilltops of Veliki Gradac and Montokuc, I thought I'd just follow the way to the top of Veliki Gradac and switch to the one that goes to Montokuc at some point. Before this would be the case, however, I'd have some hiking to do. 

Walking through high grass, I thought I'd be lost at moments before I realized that the path is probably not used much. 

As grass gave way to rocks, the trail ahead became much more clear to me - and so did the views. However, I'd soon realize that as I left the shady trees behind, I'd suddenly be exposed to increasingly hot sunshine. 

Variations of the Great Lake - from it's first glimpse through the greenery, to the island of St. Mary, to the great bridge that marks the border towards the open sea.

Being a person from the Alps, the presence of sun-heated rocks triggers a "Beware of snakes" warning in my mind, and to ease my fear - apart from watching my steps carefully - I kept telling myself that there are probably no snakes on the island due to the fact that a number of mongoose has been brought to the island in the beginning of the 20th century to solve Mljet's problem with snakes. 

With this comforting fact on my mind, I put my snake-thoughts aside to enjoy the surrounding nature instead. Another version of the Great Lake...

... a view towards the Pelješac peninsula...

... a sneak-peek of the top of Veliki Gradac (157 m) which turned out to be a pile of rocks...

... and the village of Goveđari, the only settlement in the National park that is not located by the water (as well as the only one I haven't visited during my stay).

After a short break, I took off again to explore my goal of the day. 

Having successfully managed Veliki Gradac, I could now focus on the hill I had in mind in the first place. And just as I assumed, a marking soon led me from Veliki Gradac to the trail that would take me atop Monotokuc hill.

Perfectly for a hot end-summer day, a big part of the path runs underneath pine trees and other vegetation, making the hike comfortable even in the middle of the day.

On the downside, one would only get to see something once the trees would disappear right underneath the hilltop.

And as if the views from the almost-there point weren't enough...

... it was as if I've reached heven once I was on top. Due to excellent visibility, one could easily see as far as Lastovo (left), Korčula (right) and beyond.

And at 253 m above sea level, it was time for a well-deserved break under the sole olive tree in sight.

What's the thing with the hut on top, you wonder? Thanks to its outstanding location it is used as a forest fire observation point and I truly do believe that the guy sitting here overlooking a landscape like this must have the most beautiful job in the world. (Didn't manage to find an address that would take applications though)

More views of paradise...

... before I finally decided to start my descend, knowing I had quite a bit of walking still ahead of me. In an attempt to come home before it would get dark, I thought I wouldn't follow the sign that said "Soline". 

Rather than that, I turned into the other direction, on a gravel road that would lead me directly towards the road that goes all the way around the Great Lake.

And as the lakes slowly began to disappear behind the greenery...

... they came shining through the branches again once I've reached the coastal road.

There, again, like everywhere in the National park, everything was labeled and clear. 

View towards the great bridge, a goal I haven't achieved yet...

... as well as up towards the tiny workplace of the forest fire observer.

St. Mary's islet on the other side of the Great Lake. 

Enough for the day? Since the day wasn't quite over and I thought I'd give myself a little treat, I decided to return to the Small Lake, find mself a lonely little bay and try to at least soak my feet into water. Turns out it was warm enough to casually walk straight into it and take a swim - says the wimp who'd usually squeak while dipping into the warmest pool of the aquapark in a centimeter-by-centimeter manner.

Once the sun disappeared behind Mljet's green hills, it was time to chase it down again in Pomena where it was just about to cover the little harbour into a shimmering golden veil. And slowly but surely I realized that I've found heaven on earth...

~ to be continued ~