Mills

Between Plat and Dubrovnik the small seaside village of Mlini was well worth the couple of visits we paid it. Known in the past for its water mills, the name Mlini means 'mills.

The mill streams which survive, are now populated by hundreds of fish and ducks and they still look rather attractive.

Nearby, there is the small church of St. Hillarus (sometimes St. Ilar) who supposedly defeated a dragon on the beach. There is also a smaller chapel close to the beach, dedicated to St. Rocco. The beach itself was quiet and had great views out towards Plat and absolutely no dragons...

The walk from Plat took us up and down some steep footpaths and lots more steps. Where these paths took us through some pine groves, the woodland floor was sprinkled with hundreds of Cyclamen flowers - a common native wild flower.

In the centre of the village there was a reminder of old mills which once dominated village life. This one was once powered by the waters of the river Zavrelje and was used for olive oil extraction.

Behind the old mill stones, stands an enormous Plane Tree (Platanus orientalis). It was planted in 1742 and now reaches to 100ft tall and has a trunk some 22ft around. Not surprising then that the 'Plane Tree of Mlini' has become a feature of the village. The little chapel of St, Rocco can also be seen behind the tree.

Soon, it was time to start our walk back to Plat and to tackle those steep paths again. This time it was uphill almost all the way!