A Final Morning in Croatia

I've had an amazing trip and had the chance to meet some amazing people, eat some fantastic food and see some spectacular sights. I was sad that it was over but also grateful to have a final morning in Zagreb where it all started. I had really loved this city the first time. I wasn't meeting the woman from the room until noon to give back the key, so I had tons of time. I woke up early and got all my stuff packed up. I showered, no small feat in the tiny bathroom built in the eaves!

Once I was all ready I went down to the street to find some breakfast. I should have known better. While Croatians love their coffee and cafes, they don't seem to eat any food. Everywhere I went only served lunch and dinner or drinks. I was finally recommended a place just off the main square. I'm not a huge breakfast person and nothing really appealed to me so I ordered the cheese, ham and toast. What they meant was a toasty. 

It was good enough, and I had a delicious tea! 

I explored the city again, went into the cathedral which I hadn't done before and walked through the market. I bought some small items and an ornament for my Cristmas tree. Did you know they grow lavender here? I did not. A lot of the market shops actually sold natural products and it was very enticing to buy some, though I wasn't sure how I'd get it through customs. 

The city is preparing for Easter and I have a feeling many things will be closed and people will be gone in the next week. The market had many Easter items as well. 

FREE STUFF! Haha...I couldn't even get close because of the swarm of people. 

I returned to the room to pick up my bag and had a lovely chat with the woman. I didn't get her name! :( I walked around for a bit, stopped and had a drink at a cafe and finally went to have lunch. I decided to go back to a place I had already been as I knew the food was really good and I wanted to have one last Croatian meal. It didn't disappoint. I also enjoyed another radler, I'm loving that they have them here! I figured it was going to be a long afternoon! 

I arrived at the airport with a few hours to spare, better than rushing though! The new airport is stunning! I love the outside design, but the inside it pretty cool too! When I arrived in Croatia a few weeks ago I actually flew into the old airport. The new one opened the next day!

I exchanged the last of my kunas to euros, thinking I'd use them in Amsterdam for sure. I then spent the last of my coins. You don't get many euros out of kunas! With 14 kunas, I could only buy €1.25! So a small bag of candy! I bought a drink too, using my euros and then settled in at the gate. Before long we were boarding. 

I was lucky enough to sit beside another interesting person! His name was Harris but pronounced with an "ar" instead of "ay-r". He was born in Bosnia and his family fled to Sweden during the war. He had some really interesting insight into the wars and he gave me some information about what happened. His grandfather still lives in Bosnia, in an abandoned town, with few people. We chatted the whole way to Amsterdam. Another really amazing conversation. 

I had booked a room at a hotel near the airport because the city was all booked or the rooms were, on average, $500. I didn't realize it but the hotel was right inside the terminal. It was  meant for short stays, a minimum of 3 hours. It was designed to look like a room in a train.

Very cool. I had really hoped to go into Amsterdam for a few hours, but with my flight being delayed, finding the hotel and checking in, it was nearly 9. I decided I wouldn't have enough time and I'd be going just to turn back. I sort of regret not going though. I had a pretty decent sleep as the bed was quite comfy. Checkout was at 9am and I stayed until then. Once I left, I grabbed a croissant, the hotel gave me a free tea, and I sat waiting for my parents flight to arrive, less than an hour! Small world when your layover overlaps your parents!!!

I'm on the flight home now, looking forward to a night in my own bed, though not excited at all about work tomorrow! It's been a really wonderful experience and I hope you have enjoyed coming along with me! Until next time!

A travel day, by any other name, is still a travel day...

I had seen everything I really wanted to see in Dubrovnik already, and so I took my time in the morning. I showered and packed all my stuff. And then went out to get out money to last me the next few days. It was sort of hard to figure out, but I estimated. I picked up some truffle oil for a friend and grabbed a croissant. Back in my room, I sat and enjoyed the sounds of people outside, the church bells ringing the hour and the sun shining through the windows. I worked some more on the blog, which is a lot of work by the way so I hope you're enjoying it! The night before I had done a bunch and I left the Blogger app for too long and all my new information wasn't saved, heartbreaking. After eating my breakfast of yogurt and a croissant, and my morning tea, I decided to go out and see a museum I had read about on Trip Advisor. I also rechecked the airport bus times, and decided to take the earlier one. I'd have longer to wait but at least I'd be at the airport on time. I was able to leave my bag in the room, which was great, so I headed off to the Gornji Ugao Tower. I had been warned that it was hidden inside a basketball court, so I climbed the stairs....all the stairs, and found the "playground".

 

Across was a door so I entered it. I didn't know much about what I'd find inside but had read it was really interesting. I had also read that the man in charge of the foundry, gave tours. He was just starting one to a French family and said I could join in. A foundry is a place where metal is melted and turned into things, like canon balls, keys, horseshoes, rattles, or that's what they found. Nobody knew it existed as after an earthquake which damaged the old city, the foundry was used to dump the rubble. Piles and piles of "garbage" was put there and eventually, grass grew and it became an area for kids to play. At some point, for some reason, they dug up the playground and underneath found the ruins of the foundry. They found the moulds, casting sand, pools for water, drains, and the outlines of walls. After they decided to make it into a museum, they built the playground (basketball court) back on top of the museum. 

Right now, it's not a busy place because it's hard to find and quite unknown. However, they are building a door to the outside of the city walls so the guide was saying that it will be much busier. His job wasn't actually to be a guide but to sell tickets. He does the tours because he said otherwise nothing will make sense. This guy definitely doesn't make enough money. HIs obvious love for the history of Dubrovnik, the foundry and for meeting and guiding people is uplifting. It was a neat hidden gem.

Since I had decided to take the earlier bus, it was almost time to go. I picked up my backpack and headed up the many stairs to the cable car entrance. This is where the airport bus picked up. I hadn't had lunch so I went to the bakery but all they had were rolls or sweets so I got a sesame roll. As I was eating the bun, dry, I looked over and saw a fast food restaurant. Of course I'd see it second! I walked over and bought myself a Greek salad. It was tiny but so good! Fresh veggies and feta cheese, and tons of olives! I'm glad I had the roll though, just to add to the meal. As I was sitting waiting, a man beside me started chatting with me. He sounded French but it turns out he was Italian. His name was Phillipo and we had a really interesting discussion about the war in Croatia, as well as in Cambodia as he lived there just before the war began. His flight left shortly after mine and since we had arrived more than 2 hours before, we sat in the cafe and continued our talk. We spoke of our grandparents and their experiences during both World wars and he recommended I look up a girl named Sophia Scholl. Her and her brother distributed anti nazi flyers and such in Munich. They were arrested and beheaded; he said their story was fascinating. He spoke a bit about his father, who sounded fascinating. He was a scientist that specialized in growing rice (or something like that) and worked for the UN, so that's why they lived in Cambodia. About  6 months before the Khmer Rouge entered Cambodia, his father sent him and his mother back to Europe. His father ended up getting out the day before. He figures that one of the friends his father had who was higher up in the military, tipped him off. Because he worked for the UN he had, at his disposal, a convoy of vehicles. He filled them with as many people as he could, made fake marriage licenses for them and Thai women so they could get across the Thai border. I asked if his father had been recognized for what he had done and he said he had. It would be interesting to do some research and find out. He also spoke about how he had been so focused on his career that he had let everything else go. He said he had a brother who died when he was 20 and his parents are both dead, and now at 50, he is all alone. He said he had loved his life but it's important to have family. He talked about having lots of friends but I wonder if maybe he was referring to having a wife and kids. 

Enough time had passed that he could check in to his flight so we parted ways. What an interesting conversation, which only ever happens when you are traveling! I went to my own gate, and was grateful that I had gotten some food as there was absolutely nothing at all. The airport must be new as there was still tons of construction and stuff. But there wasn't a store or restaurant or anything. The only thing there was a vending machine with drinks. I wasted my time...blogging...and before I knew it it was time to board. Our flight was slightly delayed but finally we were on our way. 

I flew Coratia Air and they are obviously like any other discount airline. In order to get food or a drink you have to pay. But they mostly just have chips, chocolate, and booze. I had brought some nuts so had a few of those and before I knew it, we were landing. We landed at the new airport and because I only had carry on, I walked out and caught the bus to the bus station. Once at the bus station I got a tram to the main square Ban Josip Jelačić and followed the directions to my room. I climbed the stairs to the top floor (I think there were 5 stories) and met the woman who gave me the keys.

She was so warm and friendly and gave me some ideas for dinner. One of her suggestions was the restaurant right downstairs. Since it was after 7 and I had eaten at noon, I was starving. I sat outside, under an umbrella and ordered the pulled pork with fried potatoes. It was so amazing! 

I decided to wander around a bit before going back to the room. I just love the vibe in Zagreb! The exciting thing was that there was a market set up in the square! I love markets in Europe! It was similar to a Christmas market only not just for Christmas! Sadly they were closing up by the time I got there so I couldn't wait for the morning!

 I stopped by the grocery store and got myself a lemon Radler and my favourite Croatian desert which is a layer cake with pastry and vanilla cream. YUM! I took it back to the room to do my blog and also to relax. Even though travel days mean more sitting and waiting around than usual, I do find them exhausting. The room was very small but it had everything I needed. I had the tv on for noise and before I knew it I was drifting off. TIme for bed, my last sleep in Croatia!

Dubrovnik, by land and by sea

I had splurged on breakfast yesterday and since I'm not a huge breakfast person, I decided to just eat at "home". I picked up some yoghurt at the grocery story for the next two mornings, as well as milk so I could have a proper morning tea! I hadn't had that the entire trip and I missed it! I also decided I would just pick up a croissant when I was out and about. There weren't many choices of yoghurt at the grocery store, a strawberry with a hole in the lid, vanilla and lemon cake (sounds gross to me), and pistachio with almond (I had been eyeing this flavour the whole trip and finally decided to go for it, plus it was the least unappetizing of them all).

It was actually quite tasty! I ate as I got ready and organized myself for the day. I had a list of things I wanted to see but no real plans. I had a ticket to go to Fort Lovrijenac, which comes free when you do the city walls. I headed there first as I wasn't sure if I only had 24 hours or not. There were quite a few stairs to climb but the views of the old city were spectacular. I had gotten rather used to doing stairs the worst was how hot it made me...maybe I have some kind of issue with being able to breathe properly when I exercise? 

The "patio" on the left is where I had breakfast the day before!

That's Lokum on the right.

There wasn't much to the Fort besides the views so I was done fairly quickly. I had been advised to see Lokrum by several people. Lokrum is an island just off Dubrovnik's coast, and is only a 10 minute ferry ride away. I went to the docks and the first ferry of the day was loading up. The ride over was quick and provided some great views of the coast. 

I learned on my walking tour that this port has been built up. The waters now are quite shallow, but it used to be the main port where huge ships would dock. And those three arches were ship building and repairing areas, so imagine how much higher up the doc is now if that used to hold ships!

Peacocks everywhere!

The island has a pretty interesting history. For 800 years monks lived and worked the island, totally self sufficient, they were rich in wine and olives, and provided themselves everything they needed. Richard the Lionheart was shipwrecked on the island and because of the hospitality of the monks, invested 100 million galleons to build a church for them in Dubrovnik. Eventually the higher ups told the monks to evacuate the island. Legend says that on their last night there, the monks walked, single file around the island 3 times, each holding a lit candle, aimed at the ground so the wax dripped off and chanting. Apparently there is a curse on the island and the only way it will be over is when the last drop of wax is picked from the earth. Everyone who has owned the island since has had tragedy. Now the state/country owns it. It is a natural reserve and is beautiful. Although I was quite disappointed to see how many trees they were cutting down to build areas for tourists. Not a huge amount in the big scheme of things, and perhaps the trees were dead or something, but it seemed like they were commercializing the island. I spent several hours learning about the island in the visitor centre and exploring the area around the monastery.

Game of Thrones has filmed all over Croatia, there was a bit of an exhibit of it here.

 By this time it was lunch time and I was starving. I went to a small cafe near the pier and ordered a sandwich, olives and a cider. It hit the spot.

I still wanted to see a few things on the other side of the island, the ferry was just picking up and so I knew I had an hour. I didn't want to spend too much longer there so I hustled. The walk was a gradual uphill, though I met some tourists who said it was very steep with lots of stairs. I wouldn't expect anything else in Croatia. It started to spit a little, and I considered going back, but it seemed to stop. At one point, as I was at the bottom of a steep hill where the Fort was located, it started to rain. I stood under some trees for a little bit (don't worry, there were lots of trees for lightning to strike besides mine). It wasn't stopping or coming down that badly so I just continued.

 The Fort was pretty cool, but all around it were the cut down trees and piles of rubble. I'm not sure what was happening but it definitely took away from the ancient feel of the place. I headed back a different way, and I understood why the people I had met along the way said it was really steep. The way I had gone up was much more gradual, but on the other side, it was straight up and down.

I saw some more beautiful old buildings, tons of peacocks and some bunnies. Birds and bunnies, my favourites! You might as well just add frogs! 

I made it to the pier with 10 minutes. I had to go to the bathroom but the one nearby was under construction. I didn't want to risk missing the ferry so I held it until I got back.

On the ferry I met a lovely British couple who started to chat with me. I've been getting a lot of people asking me a if I was American, what is that about? Anyways, they were quite funny because when I told them I was Canadian, they right away commented about Trump. They said an American on a tour they had done claimed to have voted for trump and told them he's amazing and just misunderstood. Whatever floats your boat! We continued to chat until the ferry docked and then to the main square where we parted ways. I was really close to my room so I ran up to use the bathroom and put on some layers, it was quite chilli in the rain. 

It was close to 2:30 and I wanted to go up the cable car. I went first to the tourist information to ask about airport buses as I had had no luck at all with Google. There was a ton of information but none of it led anywhere. They had times posted and recommended I take the 2:35 bus for my 4:20 flight. The trip to the airport would only take 30 minutes. That would give me tons of time to explore the next day. I walked up a steep set of stairs to the gate in the North walls and bought myself a ticket for the cable car. I then had to climb a staircase, a steep hill and then I was at the entrance to the cable cars! Phew! The ride was smooth and the view was breathtaking. 

Once at the top, I went and saw the Museum of Croatian War of Independence. It is in an old Fort which was crucial during the war as it overlooks all of old Dubrovnik.

From there, the opposition would be able to easily attack the old city, which they did. I know only bits and pieces of the war in Croatia. And it wasn't a very long war, only a few months. Or that's what I got from the museum. It's sad to see that in this day and age, countries still need to fight to be independent. It was a somber experience. It was storming outside so when I left to go back to the cable car, I decided to stop and have a hot tea to chase away the chill.

 The view in the restaurant was of old Dubrovnik. But sadly, the tables were all reserved right by the window. I returned via cable car and went back to my room for some rest before dinner. 

For dinner, I decided to try a restaurant that was recommended several times. It's called Taj Mahal and is traditional Bosnian cuisine, in Croatia. When I arrived, it was much too chilly to sit outside, so I asked to sit inside. The tables were reserved so he offered for me to sit upstairs, but warned that I'd be sitting alone. HAHA he wasn't kidding. He was kind enough to turn on some music and he offered the wifi password. But, before my food had arrived there were people already sitting with me. I ordered the half and half plate.

It was half Cevapi (yum) and then a shish kebab (which may have been veal) with meat and veggies. There was also a wedge of something that may have been couscous or polenta, a small salad and a baked potato with some sort of cheese. It was so delicious. He also recommended I get some bread to go with my Cevapi, which I did. I decided to order a radler to go with my amazing meal. It really hit the spot since it was real food that wasn't pizza or pasta! Just as I was finishing, the Irish couple next to me began talking to me. They were lovely. I had already paid but ended up sitting there for about 20 minutes chatting with them. They had ordered this smorgasbord of food. It was massive! I wish I could have gotten a picture! 

On the walk back to my room, I enjoyed the sights and sounds of Dubrovnik. I've loved my time in Croatia. Such an incredible trip!