L'Austral Cruise Photos

From: L'Austral cruise review

Day 7: Rab, Croatia (4)

From the lower level of Kaldanac (Rab's old town), we exited into the main square. Here, just beyond a small number of market stalls, a stairway led uphill to the street of Gornja Ulica.

What could be more appealing (or more alliterative) than a dog in a doorway?

The streets in the upper section of town seemed empty until another dog (this one accompanied by a human) came along.

Just after our second canine encounter, we passed Rab's Summer Cinema.

The upper town's main attraction, the Church and Monastery of St. John the Evangelist, was only a few meters beyond the cinema.

Rab's tourist office states that "The Church of St. John the Evangelist is the only medieval sacral stucture of the Proto-Romanesque style with deambulatory (passage around the altar) in the sanctuary on our territory."

If you prefer a simpler description, we'll tell you that the monastery is mostly ruined, the church bell tower is intact, and there are great views from the site (which is high on a cliff overlooking the sea). Admission is free, so visiting the grounds is a no-brainer once you've climbed the steps from Rab's main square.

In this photo, Cheryl is admiring the ruins of the ancient basilica (and enjoying a moment of shade on a hot, sunny day in July).

Several visitors posed for snapshots while we were admiring the restored bell tower. 

Just beyond the ruins, an apartment-dweller was drying laundry on a roof terrace overlooking the grounds. 

A visitor from L'Austral stood on a wall next to the belfry and took pictures of the ship with his iPad.

Below, at the foot of the cliffs, families were swimming and diving in the warm, clear waters of the bay.