|
  | |  |
Hello from Croatia
Entry 14 of 17 | show all | print this entry |
June 24th, 2008
Split, Croatia
After I left Zagreb, I went to Plitvice Lakes National Park. It's about an hour and a half bus ride between Zagreb and Zadar. Unfortunately, I could only get accommodation for one night, so I took the earliest bus and got there around 10:30 am and went hiking for about four hours, then about three hours the next morning before I had to check out. The bus dropped me off at the entrance to the park, and when I went to ask information where my hotel was, the guy was a little angry that the bus hadn't dropped me off closer to the hotel. It meant that I had to walk about 20 minutes with my backpack up a gravel trail to take a bus that would taker me closer to my hotel, but which still included another 5 to 10 minute walk after that. That was one of my first experiences with the 'customer service' I received in Croatia. I didn't really mind doing the walk, it gave me an opportunity for some exercise, and as I was walking along the trail, I got my first glimpse of one of the beautiful blue turquoise lakes. It was also when I first started clicking pictures, and couldn't seem to stop after that. Once I got checked in to my hotel, I went back and started wandering around the many trails and boardwalks that connected the lakes and waterfalls. Between the turquoise lakes, the many waterfalls, big and small, the blue sky and the brilliant green trees, it was hard to not keep stopping and taking pictures. It would have been nice to stay one more night, but I think I covered a lot of ground in 24 hours.
The next day I continued to Zadar, about an hour and a half from Plitvice Lakes. When I arrived at the bus station, I had my first experience with accommodation being offered as soon as I arrived, but I had already booked a couple of nights in a pension, so I declined. When I walked in to the pension with all my gear, an older gentleman sitting at a table in the lobby told me that I 'looked very heavy'. I certainly hope that he meant that my bag was very heavy; because I was already feeling self-conscious about the weight I gained when I did my Trans Sib tour.
The place I was staying was about a twenty-minute walk out of town, but once I got settled, I walked in to town to have a look around. I knew I was finally on the coast when I spotted a seagull! I walked across the footbridge and headed for the old town of Zadar, which was surrounded by the Adriatic Sea.
When I found out that the place I was staying was full for the next two nights, I went to a travel agency to find private accommodation. This was going to be my first experience staying in private accommodation, and I figured that if it worked out, I wouldn't bother with booking any more accommodation; I would just get private accommodation once I reached my destination. I ended up staying with Olga who had an apartment at the end of the Old Town that had a panoramic view of the Adriatic. Right across the street from her third floor balcony, was a huge Jadrolinija car ferry. Jadrolinija is the company that services the coast of Croatia, and was a name that for me would be associated with Croatia. It was great to sit out on the balcony in the morning drinking my coffee and taking in the sights and sounds of the coast. Olga couldn't speak much English, but every time I would come back at the end of the day, she would say 'good day?' and I would tell her that I had a great day! That was it; I decided I definitely was going to go for private accommodation for the remainder of my time in Croatia.
I went on a boat excursion to Kornati Island one day where I met Rob, an older gentleman from Australia, Kay, also from Australia who has lots of family in Croatia, and Cynthia who is from NZ but is living in the UK. We made our first stop on one of the Kornati Islands where we had about 1.5 hours to swim, hike, whatever. We hiked to the other side of the island, and all went in the water. It was pretty cold at first, but I got used to it after a while. We boarded the boat at 1:30 where they served us a lunch of fish, grilled meat, salad and lots of wine! Just as we finished lunch, we pulled in to another island called Sali, where we had an hour to explore. Walked around for a bit, then had my first of many sladoleds (ice cream). Boarded the boat again, and made the direct trip back to Zadar. All in all, a wonderful day, however, Rob seemed to be getting just a little too friendly for my liking. He was a fair bit older than me, and was wearing a wedding ring. When he talked about traveling, he kept saying 'we' but I'm not sure who the other person was. Oh well, at least it was interesting talking to him about his travels. During the boat cruise, Kay and I discovered that we were staying in the same building, but in different apartment suites. We walked back together, and then met up an hour later after having a shower. We walked to the end of the street where there was a big glass area with lots of lights that changed colour. Reminded me of my disco days. We wandered around Old Town for a couple of hours, and then I went back to Olga's apartment. Kay and I made plans to meet up the next day after she gave me lots of valuable info on Split and Dubrovnik.
I went to Krka National Park on my way to Split, and was quite disappointed, especially after seeing Plitvice Lakes. It was kind of like going to Knotts Berry Farm after having gone to Disneyland. It was beautiful, but as far as I'm concerned, nowhere near as beautiful as Plitvice. After Krka, I caught the bus to Split, but it was late getting in because there had been an accident heading in to Split. The weather was horrendous with thunder, lightening and torrential downpours. The streets were flooded in Trogir when we drove through. Kay and I had talked about meeting up in Split, but when I tried sending her an SMS as well as tried calling her, I had problems getting through. Unfortunately, we were unable to connect. I later found out that Kay had gone to the bus station to wait for me with an umbrella! She had met some locals who gave her a free room that had two beds and she said I could have stayed with her. Not only that, one of the guys owned a bar/restaurant, so he gave her free food and drinks!
When I arrived in Split, Deni, who had rooms that were located really close to the center of town, approached me at the bus station. Her English was great, and she was a really bubbly person, who showed me all the points of interest as we headed to her home.
I spent a very uneventful couple of days in Split before heading to the island of Korcula, Marco Polo's birthplace. When I was going to get my ticket for the boat to Korcula, I ran in to Deni. Apparently she was going to buy a boat ticket for woman who was also staying at her place. On our way out, she introduced me to Ruth, a 75-year-old Jewish woman from New York who owned a house in Korcula, and who had spent her summers there for the past four years.
My last day in Split, I went to Trogir for the day and ran in to Rob . . . . and his WIFE!!! It felt a little awkward for me, but he didn't' seem to mind. Trogir was beautiful. It had a seaside promenade and a marina with a fortress in the background. It was nice to just sit and have a coffee, and watch the world go by. When I went to catch the bus to go back to Split, I went to the bus station, where the bus had pulled in to on our way to Split a couple of nights before. As it turns out, I ended up getting on a local bus which took an hour longer and was more expensive! We stopped at every single stop between Trogir and Split and I was afraid that I was going to miss my boat to Korcula. I raced back to Deni's place just as Deni was getting ready to take Ruth down to the boat with all her luggage. Ruth and I ended up sitting together on the boat, and she told me stories about her very colourful life of when she was a singer in Vegas, and when she recorded an album in Germany. She also talked about the days of when she met Tito's wife, and partied with him and his girlfriend. We became instant friends and the ferry ride to Korcula flew by. As we got closer to Korcula, some of the locals started coming by to say hello to Ruth, as well an archaeologist from the US who owns two homes in Korcula. Ruth explained that she had a guest room in her home, but seeing as she was just getting there for the first time that summer, she didn't have the guest room ready, otherwise she would have offered me a place to stay. I didn't mind at all, and was very happy staying in the room that I did, on the water and right in the heart of Old Town. After I got settled, I went over to have a look at Ruth's house before exploring the town of Korcula.
Over the next few days, I got to see what life in Korcula was like, almost from a local's perspective. Ruth told me that they called her the mayor of Korcula, and she took me around and introduced me to all of her friends. She goes to the same restaurant every night at 8pm, and sits at the same table. Silvano, the owner, is very good to Ruth, and gives her a 50% discount. I joined her for dinner every night, and I also got to enjoy the 50% discount. If Ruth didn't like something about the restaurant, she would tell Silvano, and more times than not, things would change. If the staff didn't like the way something was being done, they would tell Ruth, and Ruth would casually pass the message on to Silvano. Ruth's health was not the greatest, and seeing as there is no hospital on the island, it is a concern for Ruth. However, there are many people who look after Ruth, one of them being the schoolteacher who lives across the alley from her. Every morning she will call out the window to Ruth asking her if she needs anything. She knows that if Ruth's blinds are not up by a certain time in the morning, then something is not right.
Although Korcula is not very big, it is a gorgeous little town. I had decided that I would spend four nights there, and it was good for me to just slow down and take it easy. I went to Ruth's for breakfast every morning, and she served me Starbucks coffee! One night when I was over at Ruth's' before we went for dinner, she played a tape for me of her Vegas days. It was a trip down memory lane for her, and I felt privileged that she invited me to share a glimpse of her past.
I left Korcula and headed to Dubrovnik, where I met up with Juanita who was on my Trans Sib tour. She had booked a hostel many months ago, so I stayed with her and shared the costs. The place we stayed was a family run hostel, and they went out of their way to make us feel at home. Milka was like a mother to all the guests, and she never seemed to stop going.
Our first day in Dubrovnik, we went to the Old City and walked around the wall that surrounds it. As we were standing in line waiting to pay, an older gentleman walked down the stairs we were waiting to go up saying 'they don't take US dollars'. I was so tempted to say 'You're not in the US, why would they accept US dollars?', but I was good, and bit my tongue. Good old cruise ship passengers! We also saw a couple a little bit later that wanted to buy some souvenirs and asked if they accepted US dollars. It reminded me of my cruise ship days when passengers wondered if they could use US stamps for posting mail from another country. Bless! Dubrovnik was beautiful, but it got very frustrating in the Old City when a cruise ship was in port, packed with cruise ship passengers.
As you may or may not know, Euro 2008 soccer is on all over Europe right now. I have been lucky enough to be in Croatia when they have played three games. Boy, they sure love their soccer here! Everyone gets dressed up in the Croatian colours whenever there is a game - even kids! One night Juanita and I went out for dinner and caught the last few minutes of a game where Croatia won. We were surprised that it seemed so quiet, but as we headed towards the main street, it got louder and louder. Cars were honking their horns, people were singing (what I assumed to be) the team song, flares were being set off, and there was just a general sense of celebration. The cops were very serious, and did a good job at trying to keep everything under control, and every now and again, I saw them smile. I'm sure they were just as happy as everyone else that Croatia had won. I'm not a huge soccer fan, but it sure was fun to stand by and watch, and I was also glad that Croatia had won.
After four days in Dubrovnik, Juanita and I parted company, and I went back to Korcula. This time, Ruth had invited me to stay in her guest room. It was nice to see her again, and it was like going back to visit an old friend. She said she had made up a story to the locals that we had known each other for years; otherwise they might have been nervous about Ruth having a total stranger staying with her. I had wanted to leave on the Sunday, because it was a ferry that would go to Hvar, instead of the catamaran. However, Ruth asked me if I would stay one more night, and I said I would. The next day when we were going to get my catamaran ticket, I saw people wheeling their luggage towards the ferry, and was kind of wishing that I were taking the ferry. I had this idea when I got to Croatia that I would be taking one ferry after another, but so far, it hadn't worked out that way. It's very strange, but at the exact moment that I was thinking that, Ruth stopped, pulled me towards her, and gave me a big kiss on the cheek. I knew I had made the right decision in staying one more night.
This time while I was in Korcula, I received a message through Facebook, that Jon and Melissa, a couple from my Trans Sib tour, were headed to Korcula. I checked the date, and realized that they were probably already there. I left the internet café, and went in search of them. Korcula is very small, and it didn't take long for me to find them as they were just sitting down for lunch at a restaurant! We chatted for a few minutes, and then made plans to meet up later for a couple of beers.
Three nights in Korcula went very fast, and before I knew it, my bag was packed once again, and I was heading for the catamaran to take me to Hvar. I had an early morning start, and Ruth, bless her, had gotten up early to make me breakfast and to see me off. She was still in her pajamas, but walked me to the jetty to say goodbye. Hopefully we will meet again in New York when I'm making my way back home.
When I arrived in Hvar, Vlatka approached me for a room. She couldn't speak any English, but she showed me her rooms, and I decided to stay. When I first got settled and paid her, she gave me a big hug and kiss. She is quite tall, and when she hugged me, I would get lost in her arms! Later in the day I realized that she had undercharged me, so when I got back, I gave her the difference. She thanked me, then again, gave me a great big hug and kiss. She doesn't speak any English, except 'su-pair' (super). She would carry on a conversation with me in Croatian, and I would nod my head and say 'ok', (even though I didn't have a clue what she was saying). When I had finally decided that I was going to stay for an extra two nights, I went downstairs to give her the money. When we got everything all sorted out, guess what? She gave me a great big hug and a kiss, and kept saying 'su-pair, su-pair!'
Hvar was beautiful, and I ended up doing a couple of day trips from there - one to the Blue Grotto and the island of Vis, and another to Bol on Brac Island. I used to love walking along the jetty in Hvar looking at all the expensive boats, wondering what it would be like to be traveling on one of them.
As I sit here in my room, getting ready to catch my flight to Turkey, I can't say that I am going to miss Croatia. It is such a beautiful country, but there were so many times where I felt like I was being a pain in the ass just by being here! I found that the people who rented rooms were always so friendly, but other people I came in contact with in the service industry left a little to be desired. I have never felt so unwelcome.
However, there were many good things about Croatia. The natural beauty was amazing! The water was always so many different shades of blue, and always so clean. It was so refreshing going swimming on a sweltering hot day.
The Croatians love their sladoled, and unfortunately, so do I! I got in to the habit of having an ice cream every day, and there were some days where I even had two! There are just so many flavours, and not enough days to try all of them!
It's hard to believe that 29 days have already gone by, and to think that I was only going to spend two weeks here. I'm so glad I decided to give other countries a miss and spend more time in Croatia.
Until next time,
Gaye
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries from Croatia or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
