The Sunsets On Our Time in Croatia...

Hvar Island, Croatia

September 29, 2007
N43°09.936
E016°26.542

The brilliant sun shined on the island of Hvar all day today, not a cloud in the sky, at least, not until the evening hours when a small blanket of cotton provided the perfect amount of cover for a radiant sunset. As the sun slowly dropped to the horizon, the clouds gradually changed colors from flaxen, to orange, and then to a crimson. The bright indigo waters that surround the island during the day magically turned salmon in color as the sun disappeared. The shadows of fishing boats glided across the glass like water, the fisherman’s silhouette in the back of the boat maneuvering towards the next hot fishing spot.

The stunning, dreamlike sunset our final night on Hvar Island capped off a very relaxing stay in the middle of the Adriatic Sea. We absolutely loved our accommodations on the island, especially our little balcony overlooking the harbor. Our five days flew by with very little excitement. We read like Hemingway, tried to write, drank wine like Hemingway (well, not quite), discussed the tragic events unfolding in Burma (Myanmar), took several long walks, and did our best cooking on a two burner stove. It would be easy to spend a relaxing week here at the end of September, another year, when we need a break from our jobs.

Tomorrow we leave the beautiful island for the mainland where plan on catching an overnight bus to the small Italian town of Trieste. We have one night before we meet Dad and Pat in Venice, we might as well see the town of Trieste which is the namesake for our favorite café in San Francisco.

We Are Where We Are...

Hvar Island, Croatia

September 27, 2007
N43°09.936
E016°26.542

It’s very easy to relax, sit on the balcony and enjoy the views of the water. The weather has been a little overcast, but the warm winds still allow us to enjoy our meals and drinks on the balcony overlooking the Adriatic Sea and Hvar Town. For a little exercise, we walk into town, grab more provisions (bread, cheese, wine, beer, ham, etc.), wander through streets of the charming town and then make our way back to our apartment.

Before arriving on Hvar Island we heard it’s known for its party atmosphere; however, since we’re staying a good kilometer outside of town we haven’t had to deal with the drunken backpacker, and loud music, party scene—exactly how we like it. Instead the serene setting makes it very difficult for us to do anything except for stare out at the crystal blue water, and watch the sailboats and occasional ferry slide in and out of the harbor.

Today we decided to climb up to the castle, towering 100 meters above town, since it has being capturing our eye every night since we’ve arrived. Construction of the castle started in the 13^th century, and was mostly under Venetian rule. In the mid 1500’s the Turks rolled into Hvar looking to murder everyone in their path and burned the village to the ground. Luckily, the vast majority of the inhabitants found safety and refuge within the great walls of the castle.

As we stood within the castle walls looking down upon the red rooftops of Hvar, the cool wind from the Adriatic whistled across our faces. Gazing upon the sea we had to remind ourselves where we were. It’s strange, we’ve been traveling for so long now, it seems like we’re floating from location to location. We aren’t necessarily cognizant of our exact location in the world, but more aware of our surroundings and the environment around us.

We are where we are and it’s good…

Oh, What a View...

Hvar Island, Croatia

September 25, 2007
N43°09.936
E016°26.542

The hour and a half ferry ride from Split to Hvar Island was as picturesque as one could imagine. All of the tiny islands and white tipped sailboats scattered across the bright blue waters of the Adriatic Sea held our attention for the entire crossing.

There were dozens of sailboats coasting across the water on the remarkably sunny day. As we passed, I could see the sun-burnt smiles of those on board and thought to myself how much fun it would be to just sail the waters of the Adriatic, Aegean and Mediterranean with no particular destination. A group of us could sip wine, drink cold beer, eat fresh seafood, and soak-up the sun, only occasionally stopping at a secluded beach on a tiny island… not a care in the world. Marc contradicted my dream by telling me I wouldn’t last six hours cooped up on a sailboat in the open waters, no showers, no internet and no fancy kitchen. He said I would go crazy and he’d be fishing me out of the sea after I jumped overboard.

When the ferry reached Hvar Town there was a bit of chaos on the pier with all of the locals trying to rent out their rooms for the night. We already booked a place to stay and quickly pushed our way through the throng, acting like we knew where we were going, even though we didn’t have a clue. We found the first tourist office to help us with directions.

Susan and Paul, an Australian couple we met in Cesky Krumlov, recommended Bicanic Apartments to us based on their daughter’s visit to Croatia. We looked it up on the internet, liked what we saw and locked ourselves in a few weeks back. It’s a good thing since they’re packed. Apparently we missed Susan and Paul by a few days; they recently left Hvar Island and headed back to Australia.

When Miro, our host at Bicanic Apartments, showed us our unit we walked straight to the balcony to check out the views. The balcony has incredible panoramic views of Hvar Town, the harbor and, most importantly, the crystal blue waters surrounding the popular tourist island. We were already smitten with our little apartment, outfitted with a small kitchen, perfect for our next five nights in one location.

In fact, after a quick trip to the local market, we just sat on the balcony for the rest of the afternoon reading, admiring the views and breathing the air. And, in case we got tired of sitting on the balcony, we could take a break, lie down on the bed, and admire the magnificent view from a soft pillow. This is by far the best view we’ve had on our trip so far. I think it even edges out the sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge from our stay at Angela’s place—tough, I know.

Tomorrow we’ll venture out a little more to explore the island and what it has to offer. One thing we know for sure—there is a lot of fresh seafood.

Gotta Split...

Split, Croatia

September 24, 2007
N43°30.500
E016°27.210

We officially shed our long sleeved shirts and long pants in exchange for shorts and t-shirts again. The warm weather along the Adriatic coastline was brilliant and definitely a welcoming change.

Today was dedicated to strolling along the coastline of Split, getting lost within the walls of the castle and hitting the market to find some local cheese and produce.

The beaches in Split aren’t the most glorious, at least the ones we saw. Instead, large concrete boardwalks wrap around the coastline with ladders stepping down to the actual water. There were people basking in the sun scattered along the coastline; however, it was obvious we were a little late to the party as several of the umbrellas and sun-chairs were put away for the winter. To us, the sparse numbers were perfect; allowing us to casually stroll along the promenade and not fight crowds.

The castle in Split was built in 305 AD and celebrated its 1700 year anniversary in 2005. The castle walls glowed in the early afternoon sun, unfortunately the graffiti that plagues many of Eastern European cities hasn’t missed Split, and distracted from the full beauty of the historical monument. We wandered through the labyrinth of back streets and alleyways, getting lost a few times within the castle walls, but after carefully retracing our steps we finally found our way.

Our exit from the maze led into a local market where fruit, vegetables, nuts and cheese were being sold. After sampling a few of the local cheeses we decided upon one to take to Hvar Island with us tomorrow. We also grabbed some almonds and dried fruit to make our own trail mix, a relatively healthy afternoon snack.

Before splitting from Split, we decided we should walk through the castle at night, especially since the moon is almost full tonight. We’ll enjoy the full moon out on Hvar Island where we will spend the next five nights.

Back to the Coast...

Split, Croatia

September 23, 2007
N43°30.500
E016°27.210

After spending the last month in land locked countries throughout Eastern Europe, we finally set our eyes on the coast line of the Adriatic Sea. Don’t get me wrong, our time in Tihany, on the shore of Lake Balaton, was comfortable and quaint, but we really missed the site of open water.

I actually started getting a little grumpy over the past week. I didn’t really think about it much until we boarded the train for Zagreb and made our way to the coast; I think both of us missed being near the water. This happened to us once before during our travels—in Argentina—when we were in Bariloche and El Bolson—we felt a little crazy until we got back to the coastline.

Then I started to wonder if the distance from the coastline was part of the high suicide rate in Hungary. Annually, there are 60.1 suicides per 100,000 people in Hungary, most by hanging, compared to 15 per 100,000 in the UK and 20 per 100,000 in America. There are very few smiles and as we walked the streets through the remote areas of Tihany, we tried forcing a few hellos, but people just sat and stared at us, disbelievingly.

Regardless, we’re happy to be back to the coast and to the second largest city in Croatia, Split. We immediately recalled a great dinner we had at Eric and Jim’s house after they returned from Croatia a few years ago, an incredible mix of grilled meat. After finding our accommodations we decided to re-live this dinner and headed out to eat.

At dinner we ordered the small mixed grilled-meat platter and the mixed grilled-fish platter, plus two salads. It was such a treat to have fresh, tasty tomatoes and lettuce after our time in Hungary where fresh vegetables are hard to come by. They actually deliver 25 KG bushels of potatoes to your doorstep—I don’t think we could consume a bushel in a year!

The mixed grill plate of sausage links, beef patties and pork chops definitely brought us back to our meal at Eric and Jim’s. We talked fondly and laughed about the big barbeque they had at their house and now completely understood the theme of the BBQ. As we sat at the large wooden tables in the small, intimate room of Fife Bufe, we heard a group of young ladies talking. We could tell they were of Indian descent, but their accents told us they were from the USA, most likely California.

A few minutes later one of the guys in the room asked them where they were from and they responded California. After a few minutes, I made eye contact with one of them, from across the room, and asked them where in California they were from. They were three cousins traveling together—two from San Diego, one from LA.

The group, Sonal, Palka and Devi, were traveling for two weeks throughout Crotia, so far, without incident. We moved over to their table and shared some of the wine bought for them by a few unwanted admirers. We talked about what we missed most from home (after our families), which is, of course, food, our time in India and other stories from our travels.

As usual, it was nice to talk to a few Americans and hear some stories from home.

Ahhh, It's Fall Again...

Siofok, Hungary

September 22, 2007
N46°54.485
E018°03.106

The Tihany hillside with its numerous trails was a perfect break from the fast paced life of the cities. The lush, green hillside with terraced houses, numerous vineyards ready for harvest, views of the famous Abbey Church and old men relaxing and fishing on the banks of village ponds, will be ingrained in our memories forever. The town closed down at around 7:00 PM each night, we were actually turned away for dinner at 7:30 PM, but we enjoyed the tranquil flow of things and appreciated our time in Tihany.

Our ferry cut a path across the calm lake towards Siofok with the sun shining brightly; a perfect fall day—the first day of fall to be exact. It was a glorious morning on Lake Balaton; our thermometers registered 80F, but with the wind chill off of the water a light sweater was still required. Several Hungarians were also enjoying the first day of fall on their sail boats; capturing one more day on the water before the weather turns frigid and the lake is surrounded with snow covered mountains. We simply soaked up the sun for the entire hour and a half and were thankful for having our second fall season of the year.

Siofok isn’t an exciting town this time of year; it’s really happening during summertime, but as kids go back to school the local vendors start closing down the shops near the lake for the winter. We’re only here to catch the single daily train that runs to Zagreb, Croatia. Unfortunately, the ferries don’t begin running across the lake early enough to catch the 10:00 AM train to Zagreb.

We’re making the best of our day in Siofok as we sit on the spacious patio connected to our unit, thumbing through our Lonely Planet “Italy” and reading a few chapters of our paperbacks. Tomorrow is going to be a long travel day with two back-to-back train rides hopefully ending in Split, Croatia.