Once I would have discovered everything in te vicinity of Pomena, it would be time for *real* holidays: lying at the beach and enjoying the sun. I still had a couple of things to see, though.
First, I thought I'd go towards the western end of the island from where one could allegendly see the island of Lastovo.
Turns out quite a few boats decide to stay outside the little port of Pomena, probably to save on marina fees. Soon after passing the almost empty parking lot, I'd find myself alone on a gravel road towards what looked like the end of civilisation. I didn't even know what to expect, but for the moment I decided to just keep walking. And it even turned out I wasn't that alone at al - a whole army of black ants would form a beautifully organized line that carried supplies into various holes in the ground.
Looking closer, they'd display a great example of teamwork and dedication.
I've walked a big part of the road already, but once I reached former JLA barracks by the roadside, I thought I better turn around before I'd get myself in trouble. Instead, I decided to spend the day by the crystal clear water at the sea shore...
... and again, with a small hike to the Small Lake.
Next day, I thought I might as well change the procedure: first a quick morning hike around the Small Lake...
(including the view of a rather strong current flowing from the Small Lake into the Great Lake at Mali most)
... followed by a wonderful game of sunshine and shadow all along the coastline...
... and views of crystal clear turquoise mixed with greenery from the shore.
Hi there!
Treasures by the beach. Of course, it is forbidden to take anything from the National park, let alone pluck plants or collect seashells, but I do wonder whether the broken specimens of Pinna nobilis shells come ashore all by themselves. As for the blushing sponge creature, I keep my fingers crossed that it wasn't found by anyone else...
After the lake walk, I turned towards the west shore of Mljet again. Hearing the viewpoint towards Lastovo would be perfectly accessible to the public, I decided to give the mysterious JLA road another try, only to discover the former barracks now serve as an occasional tourist rental or some other kind of a half-abandoned form of housing.
Along the way, a section of wonderfully layered cliffs lines the coastline, however, as the final crossroad had no indication marks, my excursion got a little detour. As no major view/landmark opened up, I got myself a little time for a) questioning about whether I was on the right track, and b) lamentating about how it could be that, after spending almost a week in the middle of nowhere, going every lonely road I could find, I still hadn't spotted the island's mascot animal - the mongoose. Needless to say, knowing that a couple of folks had seen them didn't make me feel anything better, until...
... on a perfectly lonely trail in the middle of nowhere, a little mongoose family casually crossed my way. How cute is that?
All of the sudden, all my bad temper was gone, and I could focus on my way again. As I continued on said path, however, something didn't look quite right.
I should have probably reached the viewpoint by now, and even though I did find some abandoned military ruins by the roadside, given that said point allegedly features an old JLA cannon, I couldn't have possibly missed it.
Logical conclusion: I must have lost myself in the wild, and so I decided it would be best if I just turned around and go back. (Turns out that instead of going straight at the point where the gravel road divided into smaller paths, I took the the path that was leading uphill towards the left and would, had I followed it a little longer, end at Mljet's westernmost point Goli Rat.)
After returning to the starting point, I took the straight path that would in fact lead me past roadside bunkers to what looked like an abandoned garage with a corridor/tunnel next to it. Scaredy cat me now freaked out completely. On the one hand, I expected some junkies to come for me any moment, and on the other hand the sole thought of exploring some more of the abandoned stuff made me uncomfortable. Because, obviously, all the walls and floors must be half rotten by now, and if I stumble over something or break into the ground, nobody will ever find me again... Oh well... I guess I'll never qualify for a "Lost places" photographer. (Turns out the strange tunnel was the way to go after all, and if I had dared only a couple of steps, the Lastovo viewpoint would have greeted me, JLA cannon included.)
Never mind, I preferred to have the open sea right by my sind while walking back towards Pomena, soaking up more of Mljet's natural beauty.
And it would certainly look even better if it wasn't for all kinds of trash lying on the roadside. From industrial garbage, numerous batteries and your usual sports supplies...
... to things that might actually get picked up some day...
... and things that look like they'll be lying by the roadside for quite some time.
As much as I absolutely love the island paradise, I was surprised to see so much trash in the middle of a National park. Does anyone overlook its roads and roadsides? Would it hurt anyone if the park authorities would trace down and punish those who think they can do whatever they want, leaving their garbage literally everywhere?
It certainly left a bad impression on me and I'd really love to see an improvement next time I visit. Wait, what, did she say "next time"? Well, by now I've fallen so much in love with the Dalmatian gem that I could easily imagine discovering a German side within me that would make me spend each summer holidays in the same place for a period of at least 30 years.
And as my Mljet getaway was slowly coming to an end, I thought I'd for once use the cute little electrical train that is driving along the coastline of the GreatLake on a daily basis. One ride from Mali most to the end of the village of Soline...
... combined with a short walk down to the magnificent rocks, where the wind from the open sea is smashing the waves ashore in a wonderful melody.
Then, in an attempt to catch the sunset at the beach, a quick sprint from Small Lake to Pomena...
... and in a fantastic twist of colours, the sky would go from grey to gold...
~ to be continued ~
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