It
seems like a long time since I travelled, well it’s been eleven months so I
guess in my life that is a long time. Unlike most trips this one has nothing to
do with bridge just some me time in Croatia, Venice/Verona/Como, Loire Valley,
Biarritz and then an unplanned week.
Get
to the airport very early, only to find that my flight is delayed by round two
hours this normally wouldn’t be a problem but with the plan being
SYDNEY/Bangkok/Dubai/Zagreb/Dubrovnik and the total layover times in Bangkok
and Dubai being around three hours I foreshadowed problems. Call me
Nostradamus.
Flight
all good and feeling the offer to buy an upgrade from economy to business two
days before the flight was well worthwhile. Smooth into Bangkok where they have
reduced the stopover to one hour and I see a glimpse of hope - that is until
the one hour casually becomes two hours - no hope now.
I
check my email to find that they have booked me a six hour wait in Dubai to
Frankfurt and then getting to Zagreb at 22:10 just seven hours after I was due
to land in Dubrovnik. I go to the emirates website and do an online chat, mid
flight, to be told "and yes all the flights to Dubrovnik the next day are
full". My question was ‘so what are you going to do about it"?
Guess
what, after fifteen minutes they came up with a truly novel idea. Instead of
spending 15 hours in airports and on planes with no end plan, they would give
me a hotel room overnight and fly me at 10:00 direct from Dubai to Dubrovnik on
FlyDubai which I am guessing is Emirates budget airline. Perfect, but begs the
question why I wasn’t booked this way originally. Oh well I decided I wouldn’t stress out about
it but given the choice with a day in Dubai (41 degrees) or a day flitting
around the place the answer is easy. Change of accommodation and booked tours
and everything should be OK.
Arrived
in Dubai at the same time as the Zagreb flight was leaving which was especially
disappointing as the supposed revised one hour stop in Bangkok turned into two
hours. Anyway I fight with the other 150 people affected by the late arrival. I
get a run around like we can’t find your new booking, you go here for the luggage
but no it’s not here......yada yada yada. A car to the hotel and of course no
luggage for a few hours.
Anyway
a taxi into the Dubai Mall, the 125th floor of the Burj Khalifa - while on that
note the cost of this attraction was $A50 unless one wanted to go to the 160th
floor then it was $A150 - boy is this place expensive.
Well
it’s Ramadan right now so a lot of food outlets are closed. However in the mall
the food court is open to non-Muslim’s and children. Of course no food was to
be taken out and eating on the streets or in public is forbidden. There were
office type dividers blocking the view and it felt kind of dirty (guessing like
a brothel although I wouldn’t know) walking in and out.
So
the lowdown on foreign workers. I spoke to two taxi drivers, both Pakistanis
who had signed 2 and 3 year contracts and handed over their passports which
neither seemed too concerned about. They receive 30% to 35% of the cab fares
and average about $A730 a month. The minimum fine is $A180 and he averages one a
month of those. Interestingly one driver
had an accident with an Emirati who was in the wrong but in these parts if you
are an Emirati you are ALWAYS right. Anyway he is down to $A550 salary from
which he pays $A110 for rent to live in a 13 bed dormitory where the beds are
three bunks high, sharing 1 or 2 bathrooms and a kitchen where, whoever had a
day off would cook for everybody. They manage to send a small amount home each
month but lead a subsistence life. Like America with the Mexicans I wonder how
they would survive here if the foreign workers all left. Oh and did I say that
they have to renew their visas every two years at a cost of.....$A1800.
Not
really enjoying this too much having been here before. I make a stop at the
historic gold suq and the spice suq and head back to the hotel. A few hour
relaxing and a dinner compliments of Emirates Airlines, a massive and excellent
end of Ramadan day buffet dinner.
Good
nights sleep quick breakfast and off to the airport. Lounge for a while and
board the flight in what was Dubai’s original airport. After a fast 5:20 flight
my holiday back on track albeit with 24 hours in Dubrovnik lost.
Plane
drives thirty minutes early, a new experience, and we wait a few minutes for
the prearranged taxi which takes us to the AirBNB, a nice one bedroom apartment
overlooking the Old City. When I booked this apartment it said how close it was
to the old city, but what it didn’t say that it was very close horizontally but
not vertically - 199 steps. Anyway a freshen up and down to the old city where
I wandered around the streets getting my bearings. Being around 15:30 of course
I was hungry so after by passing a number of pizza/Italian/ordinary
restaurants, I found a restaurant which offered Bosnian food which was very tasty
and good.
Just
two hundred metres I found the Dubrovnik synagogue and Jewish museum. The
museum comprised two rooms with some interesting Ari facts including two Torah
scrolls and ark curtains etc.. the synagogue was lovely without being beautiful
and I am told that it is still in use on High Holidays - by tourists more than
locals I expect.
I
check out the restaurant which I had booked for the evening and the menu looked
great. More wandering around and a check on my walking and Wall Walk tomorrow before
a lovely seaside coffee and then heading up the mountainside in the cable car.
The view is so beautiful seeing the old city and seaside together.back down to
the base and a walk to the apartment managing to avoid the 200 steps as the
cable car was a gentle uphill walk as was the apartment from there.
Down
the 200 steps (and the 27 from the apartment to the street) and to a lovely
rooftop dinner at the Dubrovnik Restaurant and a lovely open air rooftop fine
dining experience. I won’t describe the meal other than to say lovely menu of
beautifully prepared food including ceviche, pate, beef tartare, scampi and
fish. The cuisines certainly move seamlessly between meat and seafood.
Back
up to the apartment via the stairs which I didn’t handle that well but maybe it
worked off some of the kilojoules in compensation.
One
thing that has struck me so far is my contempt for a show I regard as one of
the best ever made - Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik has, partly as a result of its
association with that franchise, (think GOT tours, merchandise - everywhere)
probably become the most expensive tourist cities that I have ever visited.
Synagogue entry $A15, cablecar $30 and meals in moderate restaurants run around
$40. Anyway is what it is and the beauty of this place trumps all else.
Monday
morning down 200 steps (see more later) and off to the goodish cafe for a
hearty breakfast and the meet for the old city tour. 1.5 hours with a half
Croat half English tour guide who was very knowledgeable. No entry to the
various landmarks but a great overview of the city after which I did some
exploration including a small secluded beach, visit to the Franciscan monastery
which housed the oldest fully operating pharmacy in the world - interesting.
Head
up to what I thought was the Ethnographic Museum to find it was the museum of
modern art and closed. Feeling. Touch tired and not wanting to battle the
stairway to heaven I opt for some quiet time in the lobby bar of the Hilton
Hotel which was very cool (physically and as a space) and coffee at Sydney
prices was a bonus. A quick bite of fast food lunch (borek) and am ready for my
15:30 city wall tour. While assembling at the base we are told that the entire
wall comprises 800 steps but today we will only have to do.....700. Big
f&*^ing deal. Anyway the tour was amazingly interesting. The tour leader
was in the Croatian army during the siege of Dubrovnik and told a number of
fascinating stories, especially one where there was a fort in the hill with 32
soldiers in it and the agreement was that if the fort was breached the
Croatians were to mortar bomb it to effectively be a suicide for the Croats but
also to kill the maximum number of Serb-Montenegrins. Being a useless army they
overshot the fort and shells landed amongst the thronging enemy beyond the fort
who, together with those invading fort fled for their lives never to be seen
again. Apparently Dubrovnik never erects monuments to ANY city heroes and that
heroism is to be shared by all.
Another
interesting story that he recounted was the incorporation of the Jewish
community in Dubrovnik. The Pope would only allow it to happen if the Jews were
locked into a ghetto at night. So gates were erected at night and when the
papal envoys were shown the street it appeared to be locked at both ends.
Apparently locking people up was not the way of the Dubrovnik’s, they created a
exit passageway half way along the street which allowed the Jews to freely come
and go.
He
described how the city of Dubrovnik established ‘national health’ in the 15th
century placing two doctors on salary and making all visits free. They
established an interesting retirement plan for the prostitutes as follows. When
the women had reached their (sorry) use by date, three bachelors past the normal
age of marriage would be parade to the woman who could choose her spouse. If
the man refused he would be stripped of his. At some point in the Middle Ages
Dubrovnik had the highest GDP in the world based on its position as a trading
and manufacturing hub. And so many stories like this - maybe true maybe not, it
didn’t really matter.
A
senior citizen’s time dinner (I am 64 now so appropriate I guess) which
included fish brodetto which was fish cooked in a tomato sauce which, although
not particularly appetising at first sight was VERY tasty indeed. Home via the
upward road rather than the steps and with 14.5 kms Opa is well and truly
stuffed. Bed at 20:00 asleep at 20:02.
Tuesday
and the early night bit my on the bum when I woke up at 05:30 but that’s a good
time to write bogs, tend to emails and such. Around 08:00 I head down (200
steps) for a beachside breakfast and relax before the return journey for a
shower and pack up my belongings. Due to check out at 11:00 but kindly allowed
to leave my packed bags there till 14:00.
Back
down to try again for the Ethnographic Museum only to find out that what I
thought was the Ethnographic Museum was in fact the museum of modern art (ok
but nothing special) and the Ethnographic Museum was in fact closed on Tuesday.
So a wander around town and I stumble on a good lunch of mussels and squid ink
risotto and am well sated. Back to the apartment to collect the luggage, Uber
to the ferry port about two hours early for my ferry to Hvar, so I settle into
a cafe to write my blog and other bits and pieces.
A
very smooth catamaran ride for the 130kms from Dubrovnik to Hvar which looks to
be an amazing place as we pull into the port where no cars are allowed.
Pleasantly, the hotel has a car to collect your luggage ONLY allowing you a
lovely 15 minute walk around the waterfront to the pool level of the Amfora
hotel. I must say it is one of the weirdest designed hotels I have ever come
across. The only access to the hotel at this level is around 35 steps to a lift
which takes you to the lobby. Then down 8-10 steps to walk along a long
corridor past rooms to a tiny lift To go down four floors and two steps to the
corridor to the room. Who the F designs hotels with steps everywhere possible.
The room is very comfortable but I swear there is not enough floor space to put
down and open a suitcase. Maybe it is the mega king size bed that is the
problem. Seriously I should go into hotel design.
Anyway,
dinner of mussels and salad on the balcony watching a lovely sunset. Around
21:00 a stroll back into town to discover that this is a beautiful party town.
Food, nightlife, live music everywhere, all encased within the beauty of a
typical but perhaps more beautiful ‘old town’. I settle in for a drink and some
live music for an hour before heading back for the night.
Next
morning, a good breakfast at the hotel and off for the day excursion I booked
the night before -Mehta did we ever do before the Internet? It’s about a 30
minute Walk along the waterfront to the meeting point where 12 of us pile into
a good sized rubber boat. Fortunately I managed to grab an undercover seat -
fortunately because those who sat outside will tomorrow be rueing that choice.
First stop the green cave which is a cave in which everything seems green,
especially the crystal clear water. I took a dip and braved the claimed
waterproof features of my iPhone to grab a picture of me swimming lest nobody
believes it. The water was just the right temperature and it was very
refreshing. Of course we had to pay the
$A11 fee to the National Parks for the visit.
We
were due to pull into a lovely secluded beach but the weather looked ominous so
we went for the 40 or so minutes to the blue cave. We were not allowed to swim
here but paid the $14 fee so 12 of us could board their motorised dinghies and
see one very amazing sight - the blue cave. There was this magnificent bough
light that filled the cave - it is the result of the sunlight hitting the sand
on the ocean floor and refracting that light up into the cave. This was a tourism
highlight for me.
Back
to the secluded beach where the weather had cleared up. It was an interesting
setup where our boat pulls up about 50 metres from the shore where a rope is
stretched between two high cliffs. You get out of the boat and into a little
rubber dinghy and pull yourself along a rope till you get to shore. The boats
are provided by the bar owner, surprise surprise, and the back comprises smooth
white.....stones the size of golfballs. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my hiking
boots and the soles of my now bare feet did not enjoy the experience. Anyway a
nice relax and then off to our final stop.
It’s
15:30 and I am seriously hungry. We pull up into a largish beach with a bar and
restaurant. We stop here for two hours so I take a seat at the Bachus
restaurant and have a light, including a lovely octopus salad, and very
enjoyable meal before heading back to Hvar.
Of
course I need a shower and to tidy up after the day and I head out for dinner
where I find Black Pepper a lovely restaurant half way up a long stairway -
imagine tables on each landing - but where I am seated in a lovely courtyard.
Excellent meal and luckily warned off the prawn soup by the neighbouring German
diners.
Back
to bed for a good but short night’s rest. Here I am at breakfast catching up on
my life admin and blog before a relaxing swim in the hotel pool, catamaran to
Split for the next two nights. Back to the room only to be annoyed by one phone
call and two knocks on the door despite having agreed a 13:00 checkout. Luggage
left with the concierge to be collected at the wharf and a walk into town for
lunch. Found the Fig Caffe which is owned by an Australian/Croat and a guy who
I found out was a US military
intelligence officer for 12 years, now operates the restaurant, plus two
others, for half the year and the rest of the time works as a chef on a yacht
owned by a mega wealth American who spends around 6 months of the year onboard.
Interestingly he thinks he has the dream life and loves what he does.
Smooth
one hour ferry to Split followed by a 700 metre walk to collect my Ford Focus
wagon hereby dubbed Miroslav. Probably could have rented the car two days later
as it sat parked outside the AirBNB for two days - easier with hindsight.
The
AirBNB was probably one of the best I have arranged. Was a beautiful two
bedroom apartment, totally oversized and amazingly well appointed. Clearly was
somebody’s home. Light unpacking and a walk down to the old city. Cathedral,
palace, crypt, baptistery all checked off the tour list and followed by a long
walk around the old town and markets. Decided enough restaurant food so a visit
to SPAR supermarket and homemade dinner of cevapcic, gnocchi, spinach and salad
and not too bad if I do say so. An early night for a good sleep but not after
deciding on a Segway tour the following morning which I booked online.
Up
and about after smoked salmon breakfast which I also bought at SPAR. Down for a
coffee where I saw something new, a guy putting a lot of ingredients on a
frozen slab, chopping it up and smoothing it out before rolling it into rolls
of delicious ice-cream. I think that would kill it in Sydney and the guy making
it certainly seemed open to a visit to Australia to help set it up. Oh well
another one for the idea bank. Went to check out the nearby Segway meeting
point and found that I was the only one on the tour and that we could leave then.
Most
of the tour centred around Marjan Park which sits on the water above the city,
with its beautiful views of the water and city. One interesting stopping point
was I the included drinks at a cafe owned by the Jewish burial society and at
the base of the 1573 Jewish Cemetery. Tried to get pictures of some of the
1700’s and 1800’s gravestones but they were so weather worn. Heading back we
went through the outskirts of the old city (Segway not allowed in) pointing out
the restaurants not well known to mainstream travellers. Segway is amazingly
easy but for some reason I found this one the easiest of the three Segway tours
I have done.
Talking
to the Boris, the guide, was interesting. He works 6-8 months a year, tourist
season, and for the other four months works in construction or whatever work he
can find. It seems that, in non-tourist season, everything totally closes down
and that work if plentiful during tourist season and little to nothing outside
that. He lives in an apartment outside of town - we would probably call it the
burbs. He rates the Russian and Indian tourists as the worst, closely followed
by the English. He says the Indians turn up in extended families and invariably
arrive 60-90 minutes late holding their obviously more important ice cream
purchases.
After
dropping the Segways back, went exploring the restaurant area for dinner that
night. I turned my nose up at Konoba Festivi when it said family tavern.
However while having a nearby coffee I read rave reviews about the restaurant
to decided to give it a go. On the way back I go to the ‘Sinagoga’ only to find
it all locked up. It was 15:00 Friday afternoon so maybe an early closing day.
Back
to apartment where I slept from 18:00 to 21:00 after which my mealtime body
clock told me time to get up. Back to Festivi for a seafood meal including
whole BBQ whole fish which was excellent. The weather had been ominous all
afternoon and the whole time during dinner there were lightning strikes and the
rumble of thunder. I sat down for about 10 minutes watching a lightning strike
show which was amazing and then the heavens opened up. Now those exact same ten
minutes could have been used to make it back to the apartment but now it was
also back to the apartment albeit somewhat wet.
Saturday
morning packed up, loaded the car and headed towards Trogir (pronounced
Tro-jeer), a recommended visit. The Segway guide gave us clear instructions to
park before the bridge otherwise we would add an hour to our journey - his
advice was spot on! Again another beautiful old town with a church with
tourists everywhere. A visit to the church with its lovely entrance door
carvings - I swear the Croatian treasury has had a windfall with my visit as
everything costs to enter and I mean everything. Adjacent to the old town is a
LARGE fruit and produce market where I bought some amazing apricots and
nectarines to see me through the day (partially).
Off
to the Krka National Park which was highly recommended by a friend and he
wasn’t wrong. I parked Miroslav at the top as recommended by the Split guide,
got a bus down the hill after paying the mandatory fee, then I walked 2kms down
through the lush green trees, rapid running streams, mini waterfalls after
which I finally reached a picnic area adjacent to a lovely wide series of
waterfalls. I had planned to swim, seriously, was wearing my bathers - but the
fact that the swimming area was roped off from the waterfalls and the water was
quite cool put me off the idea. Had
lunch in this tranquil but heavily touristed setting before a shorter walk up
to the bus which takes me to the top.
Off
to nearby Zadar which is the oldest continually inhabited Croatian city. It
traces its early life back to the Stone Age. One thing I have learned on this
trip is what a mighty financial and maritime power Venice must have been during
the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and I do mean a major power. In fact Venice
burnt Zadar to the ground in 1202, but it has been under Venetian, Turkish,
French and Austria-Hungarian rule at various points.
Parked
Miroslav and found the AirBNB to find it was up three flights of stairs - 69 to
be accurate - note to self make enquiries in the future about this aspect of
the property. It was basically a bedroom of an apartment beautifully done up as
a hotel room, an amazing transformation to a comfortable space.
A
walk around the city visiting the church, five wells and the park finishing up
by the waterfront and the amazing sea organ. This is a series of steps attached
to organ pipes and as the waves hit the steps the pipes emit musical notes -
very interesting. Alfred Hitchcock described Zadar’s sunset as the best in the
world. While I didn’t stay for the final sunset, the vista of the sun setting
on the horizon was lovely.
Off
to dinner at 4Kantuna where I had carpaccio (unfortunately still slightly
frozen), beef pasta with truffles and mussels (again). All in all a great meal.
The waitress was fantastic, such a happy disposition always smiling and earned
a goodish tip as a result. As I move up the Dalmatian Coast towards Istria it
is clear that truffles are freely available and well on the chef’s radar.
Walking has so far averaged 12kms a day and apart from the multitudinous number
of steps has been relatively painless in every sense of the word.
Interesting
arrangement I’ve never seen before. The AirBNB has an arrangement with a nearby
cafe that you take a voucher to them and get a full breakfast. This allows them
to sell the accommodation with breakfast included which is a strong selling
point to tourists and provides the cafe with a fixed income element - clever.
As I sit here having breakfast it occurs to me that I should probably only have
allowed one night in Zadar but anyway... in that regard I cancelled one night
in Opatija realising I have spent two weeks there and that I will be there
again next year to play bridge - and added one night in Pula which I am told is
lovely.
So
I was thinking that two days in Zadar was overkill/ sure a lovely old town, but
I kinda felt I’d seen it all. A last minute decision and I head off to Plitvice
Lake which everybody raves about and it didn’t take long till I understood why.
A two hour drive, park the car, a quick cheese strudel (meh) and after paying
the usual exorbitant fee I walk the one kilometre downhill to a small boat
which takes a across a very narrow point of the lake. There are waterfalls
everywhere and the lake morphs from green to blue and all shades in between. An
easyish five kilometre walk around the base of the waterfalls where one can
grasp the unspoiled beauty and serenity of the lake, notwithstanding the throng
of tourists everywhere. An easy ‘hike’ up to the bus stop, twenty minute wait
and ride back to the car park. Unfortunately when I got there I opted for a
late lunch - in easy words, inedible and serves me right.
Two
hour drive back to Zadar where washed clothes and showered before a hopefully
better meal. Tried the 2 Ribarara (two fisherman and not related to the same
restaurant name in Split). Octopus salad, truffle shrimp pasta and fish main
(monkfish wrapped in pancetta) - pretty darn good and the cheapest meal in
Croatia so far.
Went
to a bar to have a drink and met a young Australian guy who ended up being a
reality check for me. Comes from Windsor, second generation Maltese and
travelling in Europe to end up studies in Amsterdam for town planning to count
towards his honours degree. First time out of Australia, doing the most
disjointed trip I’ve ever heard of, nothing planned, everything ad hoc, no
tours or anything contemplated - kinda weird. His aspiration to live in the
city or eastern suburbs and get out of the Windsor/Richmond life. I don’t think
I’ve met anybody as unworldly as this guy. Certainly clever but stuck in a
simple life. Then to add Jerry Springer-esque to the story let me refer to his
parents as M1 and F1 who had a couple who were good family friends who I will
call M2 and F2 (m and f referring to male and female). Ok so F1 starts a secret
relationship with F2. M1 finds out and in retribution starts sleeping with M2.
At this time however M1 is in a long term relationship with F2. Anyway.
Back
to the hotel and s-l-e-e-p. Obviously
needed as I woke up at 08:40, breakfast, pack up the car and off to Opatija. I
kind of feel that I had burned a night in Zadar so I looked for something to do
to redeem the situation. I had an idea to visit a winery and have a meal there
- yeah I know I don’t drink but this turned out to be a great idea. I tracked
down Dvorac Belaj, about thirty minutes past Opatija which was my stop for the
night. A longish almost four hour drive and I arrive a vineyard which
surrounded what was a castle built in 1063 and rebuilt in the 1600’s - not
imposing beautiful but certainly beautiful. Arrived at the restaurant and was
served by a very charming waiter who had only been there for one week but
certainly knew his stuff. No menu but we can make you a cheese and meat plate
with mozzarella (yes please) a small truffle pasta dish (yes definitely) and a
small piece of deer steak (meh ok) - all local fare and produce. It was all
amazingly tasty well prepared with a few variations I asked for - all this for
an unknown price - never done that before in my life - but it turned out to be
an amazingly cheap $A40 including a complimentary dessert wine. What a great
find. I ended up chatting with a young man who was the son of the owner (sounds
like it’s been in the family for many generations) who said they had an amazing
year in 2009 but the last two years have seen the sun way too intense and
burning the grapes. They intend to pick earlier and not remove the leaves
overhanging the grapes to see what happens.
One
weird thing I noticed so far in Croatia is that a LOT of signs are multilingual
but never ever including French - weird.
I
arrive back in Opatija, back because I stayed here for two weeks when the world
youth championships were held here a few years ago, and I fell in love with the
place. It used to be the summer playground of the Australian-Hungarian nobility
in the early 1900’s and has the most awesomely calming feel about it I had a
coffee and walk around and am sitting in the waterside restaurant of the hotel
I am staying at and it’s so soothing to relax without any outside noises and
interruptions. So lovely, and the good news is I will be back here to play
bridge in the 2019 Open European Championships next June - partner and team all
arranged - so looking forward to that.
Well that's all for now. Hope Sydney weather isn't too depressing. I'll post some pics when I start sorting them out in the next few days
XD
