I lost my hat!

We arrived in Dubrovnik in the dark after an incredible ride down the beautiful Dalmatian Coast.  The scenery changed from fertile farm lands, endless sea, quaint villages and views of the shoreline down steep rocky cliffs and was heart stopping at times.  A great experience all in all.  

Views from the bus

There’s always a rush to disembark, whether plane, boat or bus so, we we quickly grabbed our backpacks, the bag we had our lunch and spare jackets in, and our suitcases before walking the short distance to our little apartment.  It had been a long day so we settled in and crashed early.  In the morning I realized that my precious Tilley hat had not got off the bus with us.  I can only think that it fell out of the bag under my seat and I didn’t check carefully before the mad dash off the bus.  My hat was really showing it’s age, it had in fact been replaced by Tilley in Calgary because of wear around the brim.  I left my replacement hat in Canada because I knew it would take a beating on  this trip so do I have one to go home to.  It sounds like no great loss except that hat  was the one I wore on the Camino so it has great sentimental value.  Part of me hopes that some kind soul will find it, see my name and address inside and send it to me.  

A quick testament about Tilley - their guarantee is excellent. Before we left on this trip I just walked into a travel store in Calgary that sells Tilley products, they took one look at my hat and told me to choose a new one!  There was a $5.00 handling fee but they let me keep my old one. 

Last photo of me and my hat

Enough about my hat.  I donned my black Woolrich sunhat and off we went to explore the amazing old city of Dubrovnik.  We chose our apartment because it was conveniently located to the bus station and as it turned out it was also right across the street from the port.  When we stepped outside in the morning there was a huge cruise ship right in front of us!  There were two more along the way and one anchored out in the bay.  This made for a massive crush of people in the old city!  As we dodged groups following flags, umbrellas and paddles with number on them we managed to find some quiet side streets to bide our time in until the crowds headed back to their ships.  On one of the side streets we came across a shop making jewellery using Adriatic coral.  We may have been given a con job, but the man in the shop seemed very knowledgable and took time to explain how the coral is harvested under very strict regulations by a small number of divers and how they process it to make their very unique jewellery designs.  I bought his line and a bracelet with small irregular pieces of corral and a grey pearl, which he said was appropriate because Dubrovnik is called the “pearl of the Adriatic”.  Sometimes you just have to be a tourist.  

Robert near the coral shop.

Taken above the heads of the throngs!

A section of the wall from below.

One of the many interesting little corners on a side street.

After a seafood lunch and more walking in the back streets - mostly residential, we made our way to the entrance of the ancient wall that surrounds the old city.  With it being a bit later in the afternoon the crowds were mostly gone and it wasn’t quite as hot.  The people we met were all staying in Dubrovnik for a few days so there was no great rush and we all seemed to be really enjoying the views from the top!  We walked the full perimeter of the wall - after climbing 90+ steep stairs!  I’m glad that we had walked in the city first because we recognized the places we had been, getting a different view from above.  Each way we looked the views were spectacular.  At times we were looking down steep cliffs to people diving off the rocky shore into the azure water, other views were into the bay with many boats coming and going, but the most dramatic view was when we reached our start point just as the sun was setting.   We had been told that we could not be on the wall past 6:00 pm but we gathered with a group of other photographers and stayed until almost 7:00 and the sunset had used up all its pinks, purples and oranges.  For me the best part was when the sky and sea blended into dark wine colour.  Stunning!  

Robert, on top of a very tall tower - zoomed in.

The light starting to change.

Amazing colours!

The sea and sky becoming one!

Our one and only day in the old city was well spent so the next morning we didn’t feel the urge to go back so we spent the morning walking around the residential area we were staying in just taking pictures of the little streets and courtyards and their assorted cats.  As we were leaving for Rhodes in the afternoon we didn’t venture too far. 

Our apartment entrance.

Some one's back garden.

This cat and her kittens tried to mug Robert.

I must say a good thing about our wonderful landlady.  She welcomed us with open arms, had the makings for coffee, juice in the fridge and insisted on doing our laundry.  There was no problem with us leaving our bags past the checkout time and she even tried to give us a universal adapter for all our chargers.  We force paid her for the adapter and accepted her farewell hugs.

We bid farewell to the beautiful city of Dubrovnik with mixed emotions, mostly excitement about going to Greece!  

Hvar!

Hvar has been described as the most romantic island in Croatia and a favourite for the rich and famous.  The town of Hvar is certainly visited by the wealthy, obvious by the many huge luxury yachts in the harbour!  The town itself is really beautiful with the main square opening to the sea on one side and an old church at the other end.  The water front is lined with fancy restaurants all claiming to have the best seafood in town.  Narrow streets leading down to the water front are a maze of little hotels, tiny restaurants and homes with trailing bougainvillea and laundry lines. It is all very picturesque and maybe even a bit romantic.   We enjoyed walking along the seafront and people watching and we did try a little restaurant on one of the back streets, it was okay.  But we really loved being in the small villages on the island.  

Back street in Hvar

Did a mention that there's a castle?  These are the walls.

We stayed in a lovely modernized ancient home in the village of Vrbanj for one week.  I was a bit concerned when we arrived and had to walk up a rather steep hill from the car park to the house, then steep stairs up to the house entrance and many stairs on the inside as well.  I am pleased to report that my knee held up really well, as did I! 

Street to our house.

Our house in Vrbanj

Our favourite thing to do in the village was to just stroll around taking pictures and meeting the villagers.  One afternoon we came across a family working outside on their little farm.  The mother was tending her abundant garden while the dad and grown son were busy mucking out the goat barn.  We greeted each other and since the son spoke English we stayed and talked for a while.  He was a bit of a gossip and told us all about the people from other parts of Europe who have bought homes there and only come for a short time each year.  He said that there in no industry on Hvar, just the sunshine that brings tourists.  He and his father make their own olive oil and wine so we purchased some of each - both delicious!  I asked if I could buy some lettuce from his Mom and was proudly presented with two beautiful bunches as well as some tomatoes and flat leaf parsley.  She refused money but I was able to force a little bit on the son “for water”.  I was so happy to receive the fresh veg because the little local market only ever had nasty looking wilted lettuce.  I suppose people who live there have gardens and grow their own so the stuff in the stores is for tourists.  

Wine vat

Our wine being decanted

A lady hand feeding her goats

Dates drying

Another time we were out walking we saw a man up a rather precariously placed ladder in a very large tree.  We stopped to investigate because he was hitting the branches with a stick and large brown pods were crashing to the ground.  He came down the ladder and explained to us that the pods were carob and the tree was the largest on the island.  His father came over and chatted about how healthily the pods are to eat and that Christopher Columbus carried them on his ship as food for the sailors.  We munched on the pods, they are chocolaty but also very fibrous, we didn’t finish ours.  I did pick a couple of fresh figs from his trees though and we gobbled those down!  

Carob harvest.

We drove the island’s narrow little roads past olive groves, vineyards, trees laden with ripening oranges and pomegranates and visited a number of villages on the island. It is so nice to visit these places after the tourist season is over and peace and quiet is the order of the day.  To walk along the waterfronts, pick the odd ripe fig, sit and watch the day to day happenings and meet the people is our kind of holiday.   The village of Zavala is on the other side of the island that has some secluded beaches, to get there one must drive through a 1.4 km single lane tunnel that is roughly dug through a mountain.  During the summer there are traffic lights at either end to control entry, thankfully they were still in operation when we were there.   As you exit the tunnel the view over the sea and down to the the village is breathtaking!  The narrow road with steep sharp turns down to the village is heart stopping.  Thankfully there was very little traffic!  From the village we walked about 3km to a little polished pebble beach and had a refreshing swim.  

The tunnel

Inside the tunnel

Lovely secluded beach.

Much of the information we had about the special places to visit came from a couple who were taking care of the property when we arrived.  They are originally from Scotland so of course we immediately had lots to talk about.  After we settled in they came over for drinks and invited us over to their place another night.  Their kindness was much appreciated and the info they shared was invaluable.  We’ll keep in touch!

In our village there is a little restaurant with an outdoor courtyard under large spreading trees and a wood fire oven that makes the best pizzas we have ever eaten.  We also tried their steak and lasagna, both really good but it’s the pizzas I still crave!  

The pizza restaurant at night

and at daytime.

Best pizza ever!

Our final night on Hvar found us in a tiny rural village at a family run restaurant.  A man at the car rental place recommended it - he said that everything they serve they either grow or make themselves.  His company holds staff dinners there, so it sounded like a place to try.  We stopped by on Sunday afternoon to check that they were still open and we could make a reservation for Monday night.  We spoke to the mother who said her son, the chef, was in Split at a football game but assured us they would be open the next day.  We ordered Lamb Peka and said that we’d be back at 6:00 the next day.   At the appointed time we parked in the village and walked up the narrow lane to the farm.  As we entered the little courtyard under a grape arbour we were greeted by the chef.  He told us that they were in fact closed for the season, but “No problem”, he had cooked a meal for us.  He sat us at a table and brought out dried

home grown figs and a bottle of rakia - it’s like Grappa but they had tiny fresh dates and a sprig of basil flowers in the bottle. Lamb Peka is chunks of meat cooked in a round pan with potatoes, onion, egg plant, peppers and tomato with olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh herbs.  The pan is covered by a dome, placed in a wood fire oven, covered with hot ash and cooked slowly to tender perfection - delicious!  We made a valiant effort to get through it all but just couldn’t come close to finishing.  Of course the meal wasn’t over at that point, next we were served cake, some cookies and candied almonds.  With stomachs bulging we bade farewell to these wonderful people and left with very little money out of our wallet.  

Wood fire oven with our dinner cooking inside.

Rakia and dried figs.

Lamb Peka!

Cookies and candied almonds 

This cake was from a recent family wedding - I guess it's some sort of fertility thing.

Entrance to the restaurant

The next morning we boarded a ferry to Split and then a bus to Dubrovnik. 

Salzburg, Austria and Zagreb, Croatia

These cities were just supposed to be stop-overs for us but they held some delightful surprises.  We checked into our little hotel in Salzburg and asked the rather large man at reception for a dinner recommendation.  We always try to ask locals for good places to eat with the proviso - not where tourist eat, where they eat.  He suggested a restaurant just a couple of blocks from the hotel that he raved about, but when he gave us a card with the hotel’s name on to give to the restaurant we became a bit wary.  Then he asked us if we liked beer!  Hello!  He told us about a monastery across the river where the monks make beer said we must try it before we go to the restaurant.  

So we followed his directions, along a beautiful river walk, across a bridge and up to the monastery.  We entered this quiet old building with high beamed ceilings, wooden floors and wondered if we were in the right place.  At the end of a long echoey hallway we saw a sign that said “Bier’ and pointed downstairs. As we descended a couple of flights the sound of a room full of people came up to meet us.  At the bottom of the stairway there was a very busy noisy place with many food kiosks offering everything from sausage, to pork knuckles, chicken, schnitzel, ribs, fish, sauerkraut, potatoes in many incarnations and of course beautiful baked goods!   We quickly gave up on the idea of going to the recommended restaurant and settled in for a real Austrian eating experience.  While I shopped the food stalls Robert went in search of beer.  He found huge shelves of crockery 1/2 litre and 1 litre beer steins that you choose from and line up to have them filled!  There were 3 huge rooms and a beer garden outside filled people from all ages.  It was a great experience, we left full and happy.  

Beer Hall?

Not what we expected.

Food!

Beer Hall!

Steins

Some music in the beer garden.

The next morning we had a few hours before catching our train so we walked down the river path one more time to the stunning old town and explored the many little squares each one prettier than the last.  There is a huge old castle up a hill overlooking the old town that can be reached by a vernacular - that will have to wait for our next visit.

Salzach River

Fountain in one of the many squares

Mozart in Mozart Square

The Castle - next time!

On board the train for Zagreb and were wowed by the Austrian countryside - so beautiful!  We must go back and spend some real time there.   Our compartment mates were a delightful German lady on her way to Slovenia  to visit her sister and a young Croatian man who lives in Munich and was going to Zagreb to visit his Dad.  This bright fellow spoke excellent English and works in IT so he and Robert had an animated conversation that lasted the entire 6 hour trip.  Robert asked him about the best way to stay connected to the internet in Croatia and he showed us a portable WIFI router that you just need to purchase a SIM card for.  Robert asked where we could buy one and he said Amazon - but he generously sold us his brand new unit and said he would just order another one for himself when he got home.  It has proved to be the perfect solution.  When we got to Zagreb he showed us how to get to our hotel and we parted friends.  

Once more we spent the next morning exploring an old city before catching the train.  We found Zagreb to be very pretty, we walked through lovely city parks with statues and fountains to the city centre.  There is a stairway up to the old town and at the top of the stairs there was a huge outdoor market with beautiful fresh fruit, vegetables, olive oil, crafts and flowers.  It is so hard for me to see this abundance and not buy, but alas I had no place to cook for a couple of days and a long way to travel to my next kitchen!  We had time for a quick visit to the cathedral that is undergoing some restoration work.  There are examples of the old worn carved adornments along side the new ones that will be used to replace them.  It was very interesting to see that.  Inside the cathedral I lit a candle for my sister and had a quiet moment with her in my heart.  

Park in Zagreb

Stairs to the old town

Outdoor market

Zagreb Cathedral

Restoration Work and an old clock.

New Gargoyles 

We left Zagreb on the fastest train in Croatia.  All I can say is, if that’s the fast one I never want to take the slow one!  After 6 long hours on this slow, swaying train I was so ready to arrive in Split.  The countryside through central Croatia is not all that different from where we live in the BC interior so beautiful, just not as unique as some of our trips.  There were many places  along the way that looked like they had been damaged in the war and wondered if in fact that was correct.  We travelled first class so we had the entire compartment to ourselves which was great because we could move around to see out which ever window showed the most interesting scenery.  

We arrived in Split just as the sun was setting so had some nice vistas as the train descended from the hills to the seaside.  The train station, ferry terminal and bus station are all in the same area so with our train and ferry just having arrived it was a bit chaotic as we tried to determine where to find our hotel.  As we dragged out suitcases through the mobs and passed the loud seaside party bars we decided that perhaps Split was not our kind of town.  We found our hotel, which was far from the madding crowd, and found a little place to have a bite to eat and fell into bed!  The next morning we caught the 8:30 ferry to the island of Hvar so Split will remain unexplored.

More to come......