Home safe & sound and amazed at how wonderful it is to sleep in your own bed! I was greeted exuberantly by one of my cats while the other gave me the cold shoulder for that first night back...but crawled up on my suitcase so I couldn't leave again.
The exploration of Diocletian's Palace was like the rest of Croatia, amazing. We read somewhere that the pair of black sphinxes were from 12,000 years ago...that Diocletian took them from Egypt. Not sure if that's true but there you go. It's beyond belief as an American to be inside a structure built 1700 years ago.
The drive back down the Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik was bittersweet. The views are impossible to comprehend without seeing them. The white rock mountains, green skinny pine trees (among other trees) and the white stone beaches. Not sand, stone. Leading into water that is in some areas blue and others green, and so clear you can see rocks 20 feet down. I've never seen such clear water.
I have to find an American distributor for some of the Croatian wines. Can't carry them on and don't trust packing them in checked luggage. None of the stores could ship back to America either. So hopefully some smart American distributor is all over the wine of Vis...or I think Patti & I may start our own distribution company!
The last night in Dubrovnik we finished the 3-13 tournament, Ralph won overall, surpassing Patti's lead with the 25th game. We also decided to come up with headlines for each place based on interactions or our own silliness. I don't have the time to reorganize the blog just now under the headlines...but sharing anyway (I need to get back to grant writing and editing of the various projects).
Dubrovnik:
-"No Worry Lady" said by our driver Milly to Patti after a few questions about how we connect with the lady who owns the house we're staying at.
-And "why" the comment made by Dan our waiter at Sesame to Ralph many many times...when he didn't want to order fish, when he didn't want any alcohol, when he didn't want desert.
Mljet:
-"Why didn't you call?" said by Ivan to Patti after we got lost trusting a locals directions instead of calling Ivan as instructed.
-And "Ahhh crazy Americans" said by Anka our host while Patti played charades to explain our fear of the giant moth occupation of our rooms. She went on to tell us she grew up on the island and isn't afraid of birds and butterflies like us silly city Americans.
Trogir:
-"When I see Americans...I...how you say...HAPPY." Said by a young woman to Patti while I blogged on the rainy day. She may be the only one in Trogir! She wants to come study in America but it's really hard to get Visa's to come in now. Hopefully she makes it.
-Another quote from Trogir is Ralph to Patti as he crowned her 3:13 queen of the day "heavy is the head that wears the basket".
Vis:
-At Pol Moru, a lovely restaurant in the middle of the island in a home that's been in the family for 500 years...sung a few times with immense feeling by Janosh and Vida (and everyone) "oopy doopy dee...oopy doopy dah".
-At Komiza, "I know what cheese is" said by a young waitress to us after we asked for a small cheese pizza and she gave us a look of confusion. Patti asked me how to say cheese in Croatian...I shrugged my shoulders & she replied "I know what cheese is...but we only have one size pizza".
-At Vis Town, "really dreamy" said by our impromptu tour guide Nikola many many times as he walked us around the town and pointed out all the sites and gushed about living on the island.
-one other comment on Vis...Princess Caroline loved the place (or loves it) and everyone seems to have clippings from her visit there, and they love to share.
Split-when we asked if a place was open for breakfast (very few places are in Croatia) we were told "no...only drinks." Several folks sat at a bar...it was 8am.
Patti took a ton of gorgeous photos...I shot video while in Croatia...so I'll try to reorganize with photos and maybe a special highlight reel from our visit posted as well.
Thanks for playing along folks. Back to work now!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
from Split part two
After a very rainy day in Trogir/Split where we had a nice meal (at Nostromus, a multi layered restaurant, we ate on level 3) and the movie in a theater built during the silent era, 1908. It's within the walls of Diocletian's Palace. We took an early ferry from Split to Vis where Sanje and Vlado met us. Sanje is an Austrian diplomat (Croatian diplomat to Austria) and they greeted us with champaigne! The house is gorgeous. Only 3 years old and built exactly as Sanje wanted. The old dark oak wood is from 150 year old house. It's absolutely spectacular!!! They had to bring all the materials over by ferry from Split. After they finished they found out Croatia is allowing no further building on the coast of Vis, so I'm sure it's quite an investment on their part, property will undoubtedly skyrocket!!!! Only 150 euro a night to borrow their summer home. It's definately a highlight (the highlight) of the trip.
The birds are chirping happily, the waves lap the rocky cost below us and the rain seems to be lettin up. The island was used by the Yugoslav army until 1989, so no foreigners were allowed, now it's a paradise. Lots of vineyards on the interior and 2 little towns on either side Vis town and Komiza (under Hum mountain, and Tito's caves). The island holds about 4,000 people. November 1st is all saints day so everything is closed. TV at the house has channels for every country of the world (1500 channels) but only 4 in English...all UK type news. Lots of Arab porn channels funny enough (not that our hosts subscribed to them...but just noticed as we scrolled through). Bruce Springsteen's "57 channels and nothing on" takes on a whole new meaning!
November 2nd, gorgeous sunrise and Vis is going to treat us very well indeed! A praying mantis joins us on the deck, intrigued by us crazy Americans. He changes colors as he crosses the deck avoiding the birds. He wiggles before he walks...odd. And he moves his head around to watch us when we move.
Tonight we dined at a place Sanje recommended & called ahead for us. A 500 year old home where they've decided to make a small restaurant. We met our Milna Bay neighbors. Janosh (sp?) and his wife Vida. They (along with our hosts Demir and Gordana Svilicic and their daughter Katarina) sing and played traditional Croatian, Serbian, Russian, Hungarian (Janosh is Hungarian) and Gypsy music. It's impossible to capture this...Patti took pictures, I wish I'd had my camera!!!!
Day 3 Vis: An absolutely stunning day. Not a cloud in the sky and mid 60's again. A Rigotta is sailing ships thru. We stopped in Vis town to ask where the Greek cemetery is and end up with guided afternoon tour of Vis town by a man named Nikola. He's sailed around the world and speaks English, Italian, German and of course Croatian. He introduced us to 3 lovely Croatians who sang a song to us of the history of Vis (an 83 year old man and a man & woman in thir 70's I think). I did get that on tape! We found out from Nikola that the Torcida 1950 graffiti we saw all over Split is in relation to what fans of a soccor team call themselves (no politics, sports!). We run into Janosh & Vida on our way home after stopping for a huge flock of sheep and donkeys in the road. Some of the strangest sounding "baa's" though. Can't wait to share that video with friends. :)
We did find out this is the worst winter in years. 10 degrees below normal. But on Vis it's sunny and in the 60's. Can't ask for more! There's an ancient Greek port of Issa (Vis town) and we visited the BC Greek Cemetery and ruins of the walls. Mostly destroyed by tennis courts. Argh. But they've preserved the markers/headstones at the archeological museum. An archeologist who was catalogueing things let us hold a piece of pork spine...dated to BC. The museum also has a bronze head of Artemis (or Aphrodite) very well preserved.
I'm currently sharing the deck with an adventurous little bird singing his heart out to me. Vis has been the absolute highlight of the trip. Again I sit here listening to the sea lapping off the rocky shore like a lullaby, literally caught sunrise on tape this morning. The sea is so soothing. The sunlight now dancing on the water, sparkling like diamonds and the birds that pop up on the deck to check you out for invading their paradise seem to have no fear. Also the scent of lavendar from the island comes with the breeze.
What day is today? I'm losing track, Nov 4th...Split. We arrive on the Ferry to give he keys back to Sanje and Vlado, we closed up their house for them and they greet us with wine and take us to our sobe (rooms) within Diocletian's Palace. I look out my window at a sphinx the Roman Emperor brought from Eqypt. We share a wall I think with what used to be the temple of Jupitor. Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (243-312) Diocletian. The name of an ordinary Greek soldier Diocles was renamed into Latin. He was born in the surrounding area of the main city of the roman province Dalmatia (Salona). He was proclaimed an Emperor on the 20th of November 284. In 303 he forbids confessions of Christians and demolishes churches, confisgating Christian property and begins executing them. He abdicates on the 1st of May 305 and retires into his Palace where he dies on the 3rd of December 312. And now a city bustles around the ruins (some very well preserved). We'll explore more tomorrow. I won't be able to blog again until I'm back in my own bed (Wednesday).
Everyone smokes here! We joke that even the pets seem to smoke. There's no real "no smoking" sections. Wow. Also lost of stray animals, more cats than dogs, but many of them as well. Yesterday a starving cat shared my lunch and today a starving Irish Setter. Breaks my heart. Wish I could take them all home.
Tonight I hear English voices on tv and have free internet (we're inside the palace after all) ha.
I'll see you all soon!
The birds are chirping happily, the waves lap the rocky cost below us and the rain seems to be lettin up. The island was used by the Yugoslav army until 1989, so no foreigners were allowed, now it's a paradise. Lots of vineyards on the interior and 2 little towns on either side Vis town and Komiza (under Hum mountain, and Tito's caves). The island holds about 4,000 people. November 1st is all saints day so everything is closed. TV at the house has channels for every country of the world (1500 channels) but only 4 in English...all UK type news. Lots of Arab porn channels funny enough (not that our hosts subscribed to them...but just noticed as we scrolled through). Bruce Springsteen's "57 channels and nothing on" takes on a whole new meaning!
November 2nd, gorgeous sunrise and Vis is going to treat us very well indeed! A praying mantis joins us on the deck, intrigued by us crazy Americans. He changes colors as he crosses the deck avoiding the birds. He wiggles before he walks...odd. And he moves his head around to watch us when we move.
Tonight we dined at a place Sanje recommended & called ahead for us. A 500 year old home where they've decided to make a small restaurant. We met our Milna Bay neighbors. Janosh (sp?) and his wife Vida. They (along with our hosts Demir and Gordana Svilicic and their daughter Katarina) sing and played traditional Croatian, Serbian, Russian, Hungarian (Janosh is Hungarian) and Gypsy music. It's impossible to capture this...Patti took pictures, I wish I'd had my camera!!!!
Day 3 Vis: An absolutely stunning day. Not a cloud in the sky and mid 60's again. A Rigotta is sailing ships thru. We stopped in Vis town to ask where the Greek cemetery is and end up with guided afternoon tour of Vis town by a man named Nikola. He's sailed around the world and speaks English, Italian, German and of course Croatian. He introduced us to 3 lovely Croatians who sang a song to us of the history of Vis (an 83 year old man and a man & woman in thir 70's I think). I did get that on tape! We found out from Nikola that the Torcida 1950 graffiti we saw all over Split is in relation to what fans of a soccor team call themselves (no politics, sports!). We run into Janosh & Vida on our way home after stopping for a huge flock of sheep and donkeys in the road. Some of the strangest sounding "baa's" though. Can't wait to share that video with friends. :)
We did find out this is the worst winter in years. 10 degrees below normal. But on Vis it's sunny and in the 60's. Can't ask for more! There's an ancient Greek port of Issa (Vis town) and we visited the BC Greek Cemetery and ruins of the walls. Mostly destroyed by tennis courts. Argh. But they've preserved the markers/headstones at the archeological museum. An archeologist who was catalogueing things let us hold a piece of pork spine...dated to BC. The museum also has a bronze head of Artemis (or Aphrodite) very well preserved.
I'm currently sharing the deck with an adventurous little bird singing his heart out to me. Vis has been the absolute highlight of the trip. Again I sit here listening to the sea lapping off the rocky shore like a lullaby, literally caught sunrise on tape this morning. The sea is so soothing. The sunlight now dancing on the water, sparkling like diamonds and the birds that pop up on the deck to check you out for invading their paradise seem to have no fear. Also the scent of lavendar from the island comes with the breeze.
What day is today? I'm losing track, Nov 4th...Split. We arrive on the Ferry to give he keys back to Sanje and Vlado, we closed up their house for them and they greet us with wine and take us to our sobe (rooms) within Diocletian's Palace. I look out my window at a sphinx the Roman Emperor brought from Eqypt. We share a wall I think with what used to be the temple of Jupitor. Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (243-312) Diocletian. The name of an ordinary Greek soldier Diocles was renamed into Latin. He was born in the surrounding area of the main city of the roman province Dalmatia (Salona). He was proclaimed an Emperor on the 20th of November 284. In 303 he forbids confessions of Christians and demolishes churches, confisgating Christian property and begins executing them. He abdicates on the 1st of May 305 and retires into his Palace where he dies on the 3rd of December 312. And now a city bustles around the ruins (some very well preserved). We'll explore more tomorrow. I won't be able to blog again until I'm back in my own bed (Wednesday).
Everyone smokes here! We joke that even the pets seem to smoke. There's no real "no smoking" sections. Wow. Also lost of stray animals, more cats than dogs, but many of them as well. Yesterday a starving cat shared my lunch and today a starving Irish Setter. Breaks my heart. Wish I could take them all home.
Tonight I hear English voices on tv and have free internet (we're inside the palace after all) ha.
I'll see you all soon!
Big catchup from Split-part one
Lotsa blogging to do tonight to catch up. So rambling commencing!
October 26th: Mljet-the ride on the Ferry had spectacular views of the rocky coastline of Croatia. White rocks and green trees. Mljet is an adventure. Beautiful and terryfying (if you have a heights issue). Spectacular views but vertigo inducing. Single land roads occasionally with huge serpentine curves and drop offs on one side & rock on the other. If you meet a car you back up to a place you can pull off & let them pass. We got lucky and mostly met people when we were at the pull offs. We're here off season so very few people are on the island (except the locals). The Island population is around 1200 (it's only 50 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide). Most of the shops are closed up for winter. But we found a nice restaurant (Antika) for dinner where the nice young woman spoke flawless English. We quickly learned that's not so true on most of the Island. I thought I'd learned enough to get by, but you never really do...not in a few weeks!!! The town was Palace (Pah-lahch-ay) because of a large palace in ruins just as you leave the village.
So it looks like a full moon and last night a big storm blew through the Island and took the power & water out from the place we're staying. So we roughed it mostly the first night. The place is inside the national park...an island within the island (2 lakes internal to the island). We ended up killing 7 giant moths within the first half hour...13 before we slept. The last one was taunting me, hiding in the light fixture & peaking out.
October 27th Day two Mljet: We explored after Ahnka (our host along with her husband Nikola and son Ivan who we only saw the first night because Ahnka was ill) laughed at us crazy city people afraid of a few birds & butterflies (imagine playing charades to explain a large moth infestation). We drove to the end of the island (takes about an hour) and took pictures on the beach, no swimming this time of year but my God I've never seen such clear water!!! We had lunch at a pizza place-Riva Pizzaria, lotsa pizza places here-the few of the shops still open, only saw one McDonald's , no such thing as diet coke, just coke zero...if you're lucky. But who needs coke when the wine is so good!!! We visited a cemetery and mostly just drove, admired the views and thankfully Ralph likes to drive as I think I'd have trouble on the one way mountain roads.
The house is gorgeous the view is gorgeous. It was only the first night we had the moth issue. We decided it would be a good setting for a mothman movie, perhaps starring Ivan (since we haven't seen him since our arrival). :) Ahnka made an absolutely amazing meal for us on the 2nd night. I think our best meal in Croatia. 2 bottles of wine (Patti & I shared). Ahnka is working on her English and has one of the best laughs. Such fantastatic characters. 3 cats, Babic (Babich) one and Babic two and Carot. We had trouble understanding what she was saying until she said "you know, vegetable....ca-rote". He begged for food rather aggressively. I hit him in the eye with a piece of bread (by accident) but he was climbing Patti's leg for a piece of her fish. We finished our wine playing cards (Ralph & Pattie taught me 3-13...I lost rather supremely!) and were happy we killed no giant moths the second night.
Patti Memories: Walking the beautiful property, the ruins of an old stone house, being stalked by a black cat we later learned was either Babic 1 or 2. Patti rounded a corner and saw Nikola peeing by the house but quickly turned back around. Ahnka's laugh at her describing the moths (hiding in her hoddie and flapping her fingers to explain). What a laugh!!!
October 28th: Day 3 Mljet/Day 1 Trogir: This morning on the drive to the Ferry we passed an older woman walking down a hill with a donkey (picture postcard of old world Croatia). We didn't photograph her though as we didn't want to be rude. There was a gorgeous low hanging fog over the higher hills. The air is very still. I can totally see the enchantment of this island from early days (Greek and Roman settlements). While waiting for the Ferry we learn that Croatia has changed their clocks back...so we have an hour to wait. Could have used the extra hour of sleep. We stop in Ston to eat and have a fabulous (and LONG) lunch at Strogir (I think) where Renalto was very kind to us, and flirtatious. We have photos, upon his insistence...and I got my second sort of proposal.
We drive the gorgeous coast. The entire country is enchanting. The fog on the mountains/cliffs, white stone with the white houses & orange tile roofs. Like driving in a painting!
Sunset is spectacular! The water is calm, the mount covered in fog, the low hanging clouds part just enough to spread an orange glow over the still Adriatic.
Stipe and Mara (Patti's friend Zoran's parents, our hosts for the next 4 nights) are wonderful as well. They lived in America for 30 years but have returned home.
October 29th Day 2 Trogir: We took a drive up the coast highway to Krka National Park and stopped first to eat (another accidental long lunch) at Skradin then walked the path by Skradinski Buk waterfalls. The walk way was lined with people selling alcohol and cuts. Lots of vendors and only a few tourists, despite the gorgeous weather. After visiting such beauty we happened thru a small town that had one end of it bombed out and grafitti filled. Memorials beside the road, I think it was Dubrovice but I'm not sure. Patti checked with Zoran and he said that was about as far as the fighting came to the coast. Hard to comprehend that so close to beauty was such despair. We learned the park was quite damaged as well. But many new buildings are going up and life seems to be getting back to normal. It is disturbing to see a few nazi swastica's grafiti'd. I suppose that happens. We also need to look up Heroj Ante Gotovina, it looks like a general from the pictures. Grafiti has Ante everywhere too. Though it does seem to be a very common name.
We passed through Sibenik (Shee-bah-neek) which unlike many coastal towns was settled by Croat tribes not Illyrians or Romans.
We walked into the walled city of Trogir for dinner at a Pizzaria Stipe recommended (Merker?), I had a fantastic Rozotto with peas & ham, baked. MMMMM. Patti shared her olives (fresh here, lots of olive trees everywhere). Trogir (formerly Trau) and Trogurian in Roman times) was an Illyrian settlement the Croats took over in the 7th century. A large fortress built inthe 15th century used to connect to the walls. The old gazibo is now graffiti covered was built by Frenchman Marshal Marmont during the Napoleonic occupation. Nearby Makarsak was populated by Slavs in the 7th century and they set up a booming piracy business to disrupt Ventian shipping. Venetian warships were trounced there in 887 and hd to pay thereafter for the right to sail past the settlement. Under the Turks it became an important port for the salt trade from Bosnia and Hercegovina.
Mara greeted us 3 mornings with Polencinkas (poo-lahn-cheen-kaas) which are a kind of crepe or pancake with syrup or jam inside. Yummy (I'm writing a lot about food here aren't I?). Mara was also kind enough to do a couple loads of laundry for us...odd to walk home from dinner and see your jeans drying from a deck in Croatia!
One complaint about our accomodations...very close to a rooster who didn't just crow at dawn...but often...I swear he was hoarse he crowed so much! We plotted chicken dinners every morning. Ha.
We walked around day three at Salona (Solin), ruins from the 2nd century BC and thru to Diocletian's time and on to the middle ages. The ruins are amazing. The first Christian martyred by Diocletian is burried there (he persecuted the most of all Roman Emperors, according to a brochure). We visited an amphitheater where 18,000 would cheer on the torture of Christians. Nearby is the cemetery where they buried the martyrs. 119 BC Solin was mentioned as the center of the Illyrian tribe. The Romans seized the site in 78 BC. Under Augustus it became the administrative headquarters of the Roman Dalmatian province. The Slavs and the Avars levelled Solin in 614 and it was left to decay. The amphitheater was destroyed in the 17th centuryby the Venetians to prevent its use as a refuge by Turkish raiders. Diocletian was born in the area and began a 10 year construction in 295 to retire there. After his death the palace was used by other Roman rulers. When Salona was abandoned in the 7th century many of the romanized inhabitants fled to Split and barricaded themselves behind the high palace walls where their descendents live on to today.
Then yummy home made pasta at Kristian's at Trogir. A good local wine from Vis I think. The lunch was rucno izrudena tjestenina...if you were wondering.
October 31st our first and only total rain out day. We went into Split by the harbour and Diocletian's Palace and saw "Rendition". A bit disturbing to hear people cheer when a man says something like "beat your wife every morning, if you don't know why you do it, she does." Kind of odd to be surrounded by people who probably have a much different perspective of American politics, war and torture, and see this film. The travel books tell you the people don't want to talk about the war/troubles (12-15 years ago) so we can't exactly strike up a conversation casually about their thoughts. We are stopped by a man outside the theater who hears our American accents, and asks us for a job. Wish we could.
October 26th: Mljet-the ride on the Ferry had spectacular views of the rocky coastline of Croatia. White rocks and green trees. Mljet is an adventure. Beautiful and terryfying (if you have a heights issue). Spectacular views but vertigo inducing. Single land roads occasionally with huge serpentine curves and drop offs on one side & rock on the other. If you meet a car you back up to a place you can pull off & let them pass. We got lucky and mostly met people when we were at the pull offs. We're here off season so very few people are on the island (except the locals). The Island population is around 1200 (it's only 50 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide). Most of the shops are closed up for winter. But we found a nice restaurant (Antika) for dinner where the nice young woman spoke flawless English. We quickly learned that's not so true on most of the Island. I thought I'd learned enough to get by, but you never really do...not in a few weeks!!! The town was Palace (Pah-lahch-ay) because of a large palace in ruins just as you leave the village.
So it looks like a full moon and last night a big storm blew through the Island and took the power & water out from the place we're staying. So we roughed it mostly the first night. The place is inside the national park...an island within the island (2 lakes internal to the island). We ended up killing 7 giant moths within the first half hour...13 before we slept. The last one was taunting me, hiding in the light fixture & peaking out.
October 27th Day two Mljet: We explored after Ahnka (our host along with her husband Nikola and son Ivan who we only saw the first night because Ahnka was ill) laughed at us crazy city people afraid of a few birds & butterflies (imagine playing charades to explain a large moth infestation). We drove to the end of the island (takes about an hour) and took pictures on the beach, no swimming this time of year but my God I've never seen such clear water!!! We had lunch at a pizza place-Riva Pizzaria, lotsa pizza places here-the few of the shops still open, only saw one McDonald's , no such thing as diet coke, just coke zero...if you're lucky. But who needs coke when the wine is so good!!! We visited a cemetery and mostly just drove, admired the views and thankfully Ralph likes to drive as I think I'd have trouble on the one way mountain roads.
The house is gorgeous the view is gorgeous. It was only the first night we had the moth issue. We decided it would be a good setting for a mothman movie, perhaps starring Ivan (since we haven't seen him since our arrival). :) Ahnka made an absolutely amazing meal for us on the 2nd night. I think our best meal in Croatia. 2 bottles of wine (Patti & I shared). Ahnka is working on her English and has one of the best laughs. Such fantastatic characters. 3 cats, Babic (Babich) one and Babic two and Carot. We had trouble understanding what she was saying until she said "you know, vegetable....ca-rote". He begged for food rather aggressively. I hit him in the eye with a piece of bread (by accident) but he was climbing Patti's leg for a piece of her fish. We finished our wine playing cards (Ralph & Pattie taught me 3-13...I lost rather supremely!) and were happy we killed no giant moths the second night.
Patti Memories: Walking the beautiful property, the ruins of an old stone house, being stalked by a black cat we later learned was either Babic 1 or 2. Patti rounded a corner and saw Nikola peeing by the house but quickly turned back around. Ahnka's laugh at her describing the moths (hiding in her hoddie and flapping her fingers to explain). What a laugh!!!
October 28th: Day 3 Mljet/Day 1 Trogir: This morning on the drive to the Ferry we passed an older woman walking down a hill with a donkey (picture postcard of old world Croatia). We didn't photograph her though as we didn't want to be rude. There was a gorgeous low hanging fog over the higher hills. The air is very still. I can totally see the enchantment of this island from early days (Greek and Roman settlements). While waiting for the Ferry we learn that Croatia has changed their clocks back...so we have an hour to wait. Could have used the extra hour of sleep. We stop in Ston to eat and have a fabulous (and LONG) lunch at Strogir (I think) where Renalto was very kind to us, and flirtatious. We have photos, upon his insistence...and I got my second sort of proposal.
We drive the gorgeous coast. The entire country is enchanting. The fog on the mountains/cliffs, white stone with the white houses & orange tile roofs. Like driving in a painting!
Sunset is spectacular! The water is calm, the mount covered in fog, the low hanging clouds part just enough to spread an orange glow over the still Adriatic.
Stipe and Mara (Patti's friend Zoran's parents, our hosts for the next 4 nights) are wonderful as well. They lived in America for 30 years but have returned home.
October 29th Day 2 Trogir: We took a drive up the coast highway to Krka National Park and stopped first to eat (another accidental long lunch) at Skradin then walked the path by Skradinski Buk waterfalls. The walk way was lined with people selling alcohol and cuts. Lots of vendors and only a few tourists, despite the gorgeous weather. After visiting such beauty we happened thru a small town that had one end of it bombed out and grafitti filled. Memorials beside the road, I think it was Dubrovice but I'm not sure. Patti checked with Zoran and he said that was about as far as the fighting came to the coast. Hard to comprehend that so close to beauty was such despair. We learned the park was quite damaged as well. But many new buildings are going up and life seems to be getting back to normal. It is disturbing to see a few nazi swastica's grafiti'd. I suppose that happens. We also need to look up Heroj Ante Gotovina, it looks like a general from the pictures. Grafiti has Ante everywhere too. Though it does seem to be a very common name.
We passed through Sibenik (Shee-bah-neek) which unlike many coastal towns was settled by Croat tribes not Illyrians or Romans.
We walked into the walled city of Trogir for dinner at a Pizzaria Stipe recommended (Merker?), I had a fantastic Rozotto with peas & ham, baked. MMMMM. Patti shared her olives (fresh here, lots of olive trees everywhere). Trogir (formerly Trau) and Trogurian in Roman times) was an Illyrian settlement the Croats took over in the 7th century. A large fortress built inthe 15th century used to connect to the walls. The old gazibo is now graffiti covered was built by Frenchman Marshal Marmont during the Napoleonic occupation. Nearby Makarsak was populated by Slavs in the 7th century and they set up a booming piracy business to disrupt Ventian shipping. Venetian warships were trounced there in 887 and hd to pay thereafter for the right to sail past the settlement. Under the Turks it became an important port for the salt trade from Bosnia and Hercegovina.
Mara greeted us 3 mornings with Polencinkas (poo-lahn-cheen-kaas) which are a kind of crepe or pancake with syrup or jam inside. Yummy (I'm writing a lot about food here aren't I?). Mara was also kind enough to do a couple loads of laundry for us...odd to walk home from dinner and see your jeans drying from a deck in Croatia!
One complaint about our accomodations...very close to a rooster who didn't just crow at dawn...but often...I swear he was hoarse he crowed so much! We plotted chicken dinners every morning. Ha.
We walked around day three at Salona (Solin), ruins from the 2nd century BC and thru to Diocletian's time and on to the middle ages. The ruins are amazing. The first Christian martyred by Diocletian is burried there (he persecuted the most of all Roman Emperors, according to a brochure). We visited an amphitheater where 18,000 would cheer on the torture of Christians. Nearby is the cemetery where they buried the martyrs. 119 BC Solin was mentioned as the center of the Illyrian tribe. The Romans seized the site in 78 BC. Under Augustus it became the administrative headquarters of the Roman Dalmatian province. The Slavs and the Avars levelled Solin in 614 and it was left to decay. The amphitheater was destroyed in the 17th centuryby the Venetians to prevent its use as a refuge by Turkish raiders. Diocletian was born in the area and began a 10 year construction in 295 to retire there. After his death the palace was used by other Roman rulers. When Salona was abandoned in the 7th century many of the romanized inhabitants fled to Split and barricaded themselves behind the high palace walls where their descendents live on to today.
Then yummy home made pasta at Kristian's at Trogir. A good local wine from Vis I think. The lunch was rucno izrudena tjestenina...if you were wondering.
October 31st our first and only total rain out day. We went into Split by the harbour and Diocletian's Palace and saw "Rendition". A bit disturbing to hear people cheer when a man says something like "beat your wife every morning, if you don't know why you do it, she does." Kind of odd to be surrounded by people who probably have a much different perspective of American politics, war and torture, and see this film. The travel books tell you the people don't want to talk about the war/troubles (12-15 years ago) so we can't exactly strike up a conversation casually about their thoughts. We are stopped by a man outside the theater who hears our American accents, and asks us for a job. Wish we could.
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