Croatia

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Samabor

Our last day in Croatia, and guess how we spent it? We drove around the back roads west of Samobor trying to get lost. This is beautiful Alpine country with twisting, up and down roads, more one lane than two. Actually, we did have a destination, named Rude, which is pronounced Rudy in Serbo-Croation. We wanted to hike like Germans. There are a lot of Germans in these Alpine parts, and boy do they like to hike. Yesterday,on our way to Samobor, we took a detour off highway A1 and its 140 kilometer per hour Grand Prix raceway. We went to Plitvicka Lakes Park. As we drove through gate 1 I could tell we were in trouble. No place to park and tour busses everywhere. In popularity, this park is like Yosemite or Yellowstone in the US. As we hiked, actually hiked is too energetic, as we shuffled in single and double file over wooden bridges and trails, we saw beautiful waterfalls, rushing streams of water, and aqua marine blue lakes. We felt like we were uninvited guests at a European Union conclave. Italians, Germans, French, Poles, Czechs, Slovenes, Dutch, even Finns. You must think we are incredible linguists. On the contrary we suck at deciphering languages. Shuffling along in our line to the next waterfall was pure babel to our ears. It's the license plates. Each EU country has the blue stars in a circle along with their abbreviation on their license. I is Italian, P is Polish, CZ is the Czech Republic, and D is German. On the trails the Germans were the groups (they're always in groups) passing everyone, with their hiking poles and lederhosen. Ok, that last one is over the top. So today, our last day in Croatia, I, rather than we, wanted to hike like a German. We got a map from the Samobor tourist agency, directions to Rude from a Croatian chap and headed out for a day of hiking not shuffling. In the the village of Rude we couldn't tell which trail to take from the local church to the botanical garden, which was our destination. Across the street from the church was a local villager and I asked him, Gde je (where is) garden? He didn't speak a lick of English, but by pointing at the map to where we wanted to go he pointed to the trail across the street. Thank goodness we have fingers and arms. So we hiked like Germans, with determination and resolve to a lovely garden on the side of a mountain. It is the first private herb garden created in Croatia to provide hundreds of varieties of herbs to pharmaceutical companies. After our hike we drove into wine growing country and got lost and found many times. I call it Crete Alpine driving. Downshifting, ducking oncoming cars, and dramatic views that take your breath away. We stopped at a church with an awesome view, walked through a cemetery, and let me tell you their cemetery's beat ours all to hell, and ate boiled eggs, a banana, and an orange for lunch. The moment was a perfect coda to our vacation. We drove back to Samobor and drank bielja kava and cake at an outdoor cafe. This town is famous for its cakes. That's why we came here, so we can have our cake and eat it too.

We'll be home soon.

Dave and Ann

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Just arrived in Split

We've arrived in Split, the famous home of the infamous Roman emperor Diocletian. Today was supposed to be the day when my driving and navigational skills were to be tested. Originally, when we flew into Zagreb I refused the GPS offered by Budget rentals. I have a map and a brain I thought, only direction challenged people, sorry Ann, need a GPS system. But leaving Dubrovnik this morning I questioned that smug decision. I knew I could get out of Dubrovnik, pass through the checkpoints in and out of Bosnia, drive through the verdant, fruit growing Neretva Delta, speed along A-1 highway at 140 kilometers per hour. My worry was navigating the highways, roads, and alleys of Split. Like Han Solo has his Chewbaca, I have Ann Odehnal. She also sounded a bit like Chewbaca trying to pronounce street names in Serbo-Coatian. We made it into Split without a hitch. What a team. The son of the owner of Villa Varos, where we are staying, is our personal valet. For 10 Euros a day he parks the car and brings it to us when we need it. I'm so grateful because where we are staying the streets are cobblestone alleys with cars double parked on both sides of the alley. I'm also ecstatic because we have the 3rd floor apartment, with a terrace. Let me explain my giddiness. In Zagreb we stayed in a very nice hotel room with adjoining bathroom. In Dubrovnik we stayed in a smaller room with an adjoining bathroom. In both places the king size bed, low to the ground European style, took up most of our living space. But here in Split it feels like we're staying in Diocletian's Palace! Obviously we have a bedroom and bathroom(with jacuzzi), but there's also a kitchen/sitting room, a dining room, and off the dining room a terrace overlooking the houses and alleyways of Split. My American need for open space is readily apparent. Bigger is better and all those other Manifest Destiny truisms that Americans crave. And, like a true Midwesterner, I need a car to get around. It's my security blanket. I don't need to wait for a train, or hail a taxi. Except when the streets narrow and are paved with cobblestones. Here are pictures of our apartment. Sorry about the Pulp-O-Mizer at the bottom.

Dave and Ann