Dubrovnik and Good bye Croatia

Dubrovnik and Good Bye Croatia

We headed to Dubrovnik on a boat with Paula and Ward. We only had two more nights with them, while we would be staying for two more. After the fact we should have listened to Paula and only stayed for two, three at the most. The best part was being there with Paula and Ward and having some last meals and walks together. The old town where we stayed is very crowded with thousands of people from cruise ships coming through every day on top of the people staying there and in the surrounding area. But lets focus on the good parts.

It is beautiful and thats why people are flocking there. Add in the Game of Thrones and Star Wars being filmed there and, bam, even more tourists. The town is in a compact area with steep steps going up to the neighborhoods, where we stayed, on one side. The other side has a few less steps, but not much. This is not a place for the mobility impaired or out of shape.

We had a great last night dinner with Paula and Ward at Bosnia restaurant. One of this best parts, which we went back and had again, was cold yogurt soup with mint and fresh amazing bread.

After they left, which was so sad for us because traveling with them is super fun, we went to a ocean side town, Cavtat, about 30 minutes away. It was one of our favorite things about Dubrovnik and where we would stay if we come back this way.

Our last day we did a bunch of touristy things. We walked the walls.

This below is a view form the walls of the Main Street

We visited museums and old palaces and we said good bye to Croatia.

The photo below is an sample of how Dave and I differ. His preparing to leave early the next morning vs mine. And he is the best travel partner ever! ( as you will see soon in Montenegro)

So we said good bye to Croatia and boarded the bus for Montenegro. Doesn’t that country name just sounds romantic and exotic? What do you know about Montenegro? I knew nothing but that was soon to change.

The Island of Hvar Croatia

Hvar Island Croatia

We took two ferries to get to Hvar. It is a very different island than Vis in that there has been tourism here for years. Lots of famous people come here or have houses here, think Boyence, Djokivic, etc. So it is a see and be seen kind of place, with lots of people trying to be noticed in their fashion statements. One of the first things we noticed were the huge, private, luxury yachts lined up at the dock side. This is a town for the Richie Riches as Dave said.

We went because Paula has several relatives on this island and it is where one of her grandmothers was born. We ate at her aunt and uncle’s restaurants, they own three, almost every night. They welcomed Dave and I like members of the family. And the food was excellent and we never paid.

The town is old and very picturesque almost elegant. There is a reason people come here. The Venetian influence is seen in the architecture as with most of Croatia. At night in particular it is romantic with both electric light and the moon reflecting in the water highlighting its beauty.

The above is the view from our room.

Most of our time we walked along the coast on a flat paved path in both directions from the harbor. I of course went to the outdoor market and made “friends” with several sellers. Markets are always a pleasure for me, but its hard not to buy too much.

One day we rented a car to see the rest of the island. We drove to the town where Paula’s grandmother was born and to several other towns where her relatives have family homes. 

We ended in Stari Grad the oldest town on the island, an old fishing community and port. We wished we stayed here because its a more humble town and also very picturesque, less rich people and more our speed. 

We discovered a hidden gem, a store with music inspired creations that 7 artists run together. This is one of the travel finds that is so fun and inspiring. Dave shared videos of some of his noise toy creations with the artist there and we brought a few things after trying out the instruments and admiring the art works.

The last night we had an amazing final dinner at Paula’s family’s restaurant. It was sad to say good bye to the relatives now that we are part of the family.

Above is the Croatian version of scampi which was amazing. Below is me with my new favorite drink Aperol Spritz. (Aperol, proseco and mineral water). 

After four nights sadly said good bye to Paula’s family and took the boat to Dubrovnik.

Plitvitza and Vis with Paula and Ward

Traveling with Paula and Ward Aug 30 - Sept 6

The reason for this trip and these locations has to do with our friends Paula and Ward, who we consider family and call Anika's god parents. They have been talking with us about doing a trip like this to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary for years.  Paula's family is from Croatia and she is very attached to this part of the world, having spent time here in her youth. She planned almost all of the Croatia part of this trip. We met them for a short time in Budapest before they boarded a Danube river cruise.

We met up with Paula and Ward again on August 29 in Split and headed to inland Croatia to a national park, Plitvitza Lakes. A long drive there through hills and rock out croppings, a dry but green landscape, crossing lakes or bays a few times. We arrive to a park famous here on the level of the Grand Canyon in the US and full to the gills with tourists. Waterfalls and pools in shades of blue that look unreal.

The place we stayed over night was really comfortable, the mountain setting quiet and the air fresh. We were happy to be out of cities and crowds. Being in green is so soothing.

Unfortunately we had only one night there. We drove back to Split and got the ferry to the island of Vis. Now the real relaxation started and I even took my Fitbit off! 

Vis is the kind of place we could stay for a nice long while. We took a bus across the island from the main town to the second biggest town, Komiza, where we stayed. There are next to no cars, just narrow winding streets and stairs of stone. Old shuttered houses of stones. It is a laid back town. A promenade along the sea, lined with boats for tourists and fishing on one side and restaurants, cafes and shops on the other. Everything feels old but there are some newer buildings.

We had a great Air BnB two minutes from a rocky beach (with a cafe) near the center of town. Views from our our place and then the beach and cafe:

We had aperol spritz every day, my new favorite drink. The water is crystal clear and perfect temperature. No rip tides or strong currents, grabber waves or undertow. My kind of beach.

We mostly went to the beach and did some serious lounging.

We went to a yoga class taught by a young local woman, went to the outdoor movie theater, a Croatian tradition, and saw Mama Mia 2 which I could have missed. But it was mostly shot on this island so people here are crazy about it. And we did recognize many of the locations. We took walks around the town and to the outskirts.

One day we took a tour around the island. The family run boat tour was really sweet and entertaining. From the perspective of the water we saw the amazing and beautiful geology of the island. The boat captain told us history, myth and family stories as did the local teacher on board (called "the professor"). The island of Vis has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, before Greek time and then by the Greeks, Romans, Venetians, the British fought against Napoleon  here and etc. In WW2 Tito used it as a head quarters for his partisans. It was a military outpost until 1989 and closed to tourists. It was where fish canning was invented and had a thriving fishing industry until WW1.

The captain and his wife played guitar and sang to us when we ate lunch which she had made on the boat and was excellent, served with family made wine in unlabeled bottles. We stopped twice to dive off the boat and swim. Once at an over crowded tourist trap spot and once at an almost deserted sandy beach. Most beaches on the island are rocky so this sandy beach was a special treat. At one point we pulled into a huge cement man made tunnel from WW2. It was used to hide submarines. The captain said the acoustics were great and got out and started playing the guitar and singing.

We had gelato and/or fresh made crepes from a street cart every night. We made friends with the crepe lady and where sad to leave her. I have renewed my love for Nutella after googling what palm oil they use and finding it sustainable.

Only two bummers; people smoking everywhere and ABBA songs from Mama Mia stuck in my head.

We were in Vis for 6 nights and could have stayed much longer. It was so relaxing. It is the first place on this trip I wold consider revisiting if in this part of the world again. Now we are on to our next island, Hvar where Paula has relatives.

Hungary to Croatia: Aug 27- Aug 30

Hungary to Croatia: Aug 27- Aug 30

We left Hungary almost a week go. Lingering memories of soaking in water, romantic and neo classical architecture, paprika and desserts to die for. The landscape we saw reminded us of the mid west US. It was hot and humid, we were happy for air conditioning. We learned about life in a country where many forces have come and gone yet the culture and language has endured.

Our last day we took the bus from Eger to Budapest. We spent the day in the national gallery which exceeded my expectations, which were low. There was a special exhibit on the Surrealist Movement and the 20th and 21st Century Hungarian art was really interesting. That evening we got on the night train to Split.

                                                       Hungarian Train Station

I have always wanted to take a train and have a sleeping car. It was not fancy but comfortable and clean. We had a little table that turned in to a sink. Dave slept great, I was too keyed up. Much of the night I felt a sort of glee thinking, “I’m on the night train from Budapest to Split, how romantic sounding is that!” Sometimes as the train surged along it felt like an amusement ride or maybe that convenance that took the visitors in Charlie and the Chocolate factory from one place to another. I loved it.

Our Compartment on the Night Train

In the morning we arrived in Split, stowed our bags and explored the old town. We spent a good deal of time in Diocletian’s palace cellars, not because the lady from Game of Thrones kept her dragons there, (which apparently she did), but because it was so much cooler than every where else. The landscape surrounding Split is mountainous and rocky, the Adriatic sea dazzlingly blue, the buildings, in the old town, layers of ruins, pieces from different eras of architecture built one on top of another. The palace is a maze of narrow walkways, old stone, easy to imagine history happening as you walk along. The empires and states of Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, Austria - Hungarian, and Yugoslavia all leave their mark.

In the mid afternoon we got our stuff and found the bus to our hostel about ten miles south on the coast. We were very happy to chill there and enjoy the easy access to the sea from their back patio. 

We relaxed deeply inspired by this:

So we rested until Paula and Ward arrived which will be in the next Blog episode.