Mario and Milda were kind enough to give us a preview of their tour last year, the night before we left Split and moved to Madrid. They intended to start the tours last summer after Mario attended tourism school to become an officially certified Croatian guide, but bureaucratic rules got in the way. Luckily they decided to wait and do it by the books because a jealous competitor has put the inspectors on them already and has also gone around town stealing their fliers. Not cool.

Last June we got the first unofficial tour. We met at the metal Split city model on the Riva and proceeded throughout Diocletian’s Palace on what is now Split’s Free City Tour. Mario and Milda took us through the history of Split from Diocletian’s time in the 3rd century until today.

It was fun seeing them in professional tour guide mode. I learned so much. I guess it was expected since they did a lot of studying, but I was surprised and impressed by just how knowledgeable they were, knowing dates, noble families, architectural styles, and numerous fun anecdotes.

We learned how Diocletian had the floor of the Peristil where his worshipers stood lowered so he would appear taller and more astute. This made me laugh because this philosophy has endured thousands of years. Leaders like French president Sarkozy wear thick soled shoes and hire only short body guards so they appear taller.

Many of the columns throughout the palace were brought from Egypt and originally there were 12 Egyptian sphinxes. Only two still exist today. One of the most dramatic differences between the Roman ruins in Split and in Italy is that the ruins in Split are living ruins; people still have their homes and work inside the ruins. And it isn’t even surprising to see a kid climbing on one of the original Sphinxes.

In the Pjaca (main plaza), we stopped at a statue of a saint that I had probably walked passed a hundred times and paid no attention to it. And I had definitely never noticed the mischievous looking little man peeking out from behind the saint’s robes. It was the nobleman who commissioned the building of the statue.

This was a wonderful way to spend our last night in Split. All through the palace Mario and Milda pointed out things I had never noticed. It gave me even more of an appreciation for Split. Mario has lived his entire life in Split (actually he grew up in Stobrec, a suburb of Split) and even he said his tourism classes showed him new things he had never seen and historical facts he had never known. It definitely motivated me to learn more about the history of my hometown, Cincinnati. It’s so easy to miss intriguing things right at our doorstep.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Split, here is what you need to know:
Monday through Saturday at 13:00 and 18:00
Meeting Place: Riva (Promenade) next to Split city metal model
For more information, visit the web site or write to info@dalmatia-events.com

I’d pick Croatia because it really was a magical place to Jay and I. Split had a charming old town made up mostly of a giant old Roman Palace dating from 305 A.D. The buildings were all made of ancient stone with orange clay roofs. The streets were small and winding and seemed to offer endless new discoveries. We could walk to groceries, shopping, restaurants, parks, the sea, work – almost anything we needed.

Just a 10 minute walk from the center was a large park that offered beautiful views over the old town and the sea. It was full of jogging paths and rocky beaches. I’d run on the paths overlooking the sea a few days a week.

Split has just 220,000 people, but it is the largest Croatian port city, making it easy to get to the islands. There were three island we could get to in less than an hour on a ferry (and the ferry was just a 15 minute walk from our house). It was common to hear, “Oh, we just decided to pop on over to the island of Brac for the afternoon.” I’ll likely never be able to say that again in my life. And the islands were fabulous. They were mostly under-developed. There was pristine nature and crystal clear turquoise water.

For being a fairly small country, Croatia offered an amazing amount of beautiful places to visit. My favorite was the island of Vis because it was the least developed and offered such a variety of beautiful coves and diverse beaches. My second favorite was tie between the two national parks with waterfalls: Plitvice and Krka. Plitvice was a bit more impressive and much more expansive, but Krka was less crowded and we got to swim beneath the falls.

We met wonderful people in Split and not just acquaintances that we will lose track of now that we’re gone. Some are close friends that we’ve already seen since leaving Split. We visited Milda and Mario in Lithuania. And Paula and I vacationed together in Prague. We are looking forward to them visiting us here in the United States.

Sometimes when I think about it, Croatia seems like a little paradise, but then I remember that that it wasn’t. No place is perfect. And as much as I love Croatia, its not the place I would pick to live forever because the business culture and bureaucracy drove me crazy. Magical islands and sparkling turquoise seas can only sustain me for so long.

I get a lot of fulfillment in life from being a designer and helping businesses grow using design, but too much time in Croatia was dedicated to trying to overcome silly Croatian bureaucratic and cultural business obstacles. And this had absolutely nothing to do with internal workings of my company, Elevator. Croatia overall does a poor job at encouraging business growth and entrepreneurial success. The nonsensical constant changing laws and nepotism were never ending. I have seen some of the most intelligent people I know (local Croatians and expats) trying to make a career for themselves only to be spun in circles and spit back out by the bureaucracy. I am confident though that some of these people will succeed. I admire their perseverance.

That was the main reason that I would pick Madrid over Croatia as my preferred place to live forever. Madrid wasn’t quite as enchanting as Croatia, but it was still pretty spectacular. The city offered a never ending stream of exciting things to do, travel was cheap and easy, I loved my job and I got the opportunity to drastically improve my Spanish.

We lived in the center of the city so we could walk to most places and Madrid has one of the largest metro systems in the world so it was easy to get anywhere. Madrid doesn’t have the obvious tourist attractions like some large European cities, but it is a great place to live or visit. It has a very rich culture. There were wonderful museums, lots of parks, and always great events.

Retiro Park is my favorite city park I’ve ever been to because the gardens are beautiful, there are great walking/running paths, the beautiful main pond is fun for row boats, and there are plenty of grassy spots to find your own private corner for a picnic.

Jay and I appreciated the plethora of events that can only happen in a big city, like the free Linkin Park / Katy Perry concert. And being in Madrid for a victorious World Cup was something we’ll never forget.

Madrid also boasted an amazing amount of discount airline routes. We visited the island of Mallorca for less than $25 round trip each and made it to Marrakesh for less than $50 round trip each. Plus there were numerous great day trips we took by train. We were completely spoiled by the amount of wonderful places we got to visit. We wished we were able to snag such great travel deals here in Cincinnati (but we did learn we need to explore our own region more because it has a lot to offer).

I wish I had had more time in Madrid, especially for improving my Spanish and because work was fun too, but I know I should just be thankful for the eight months I had. Jay and I both feel amazingly blessed for the experiences we had the last two years. It surpassed all expectations. But no matter how marvelous Croatia and Madrid were, they were both missing what was most important to us: our families. We also feel pretty blessed to be back in Cincinnati spending time with those we love most.

I accidentally (and stupidly) packed my beloved Cutco scissors in my carry-on and thus lost them to the bag screener in Split. I told him they were wonderful and would give him a lifetime of great use. I was sad to see them go, but if the rest of our luggage makes it to Madrid without any hiccups, I will feel very blessed.

Our last few days in Split have been bitter sweet. We’ve grown to love so much about the city, but we are excited for our new adventure. Its easy to know what we will miss most: the people we’ve met. We’ve had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world with fascinating perspectives. I’ve learned a lot and made some wonderful friendships. We had a going away soiree a few nights before we left and were joined by friends from eleven different countries. It amazes me we all got along so well with such different backgrounds.

Besides the fun people we’ve met and great conversations we’ve had, there is a lot more we will miss too:

The Adriatic Sea
I can’t really explain why, but like many people, I feel drawn to the water. Especially in Croatia, the sea feels so peaceful and relaxing to me. I’ll miss its beautiful colors and amazing clarity. I’ll miss being able to take walks along its coast, sitting and listening to its small waves hit the rocks and tumble them together, and taking a swim in its refreshing turquoise water.

The islands
Croatia is one of the best places in the world for island lovers, boasting over 1200 islands (60 are inhabited). There were four larger islands near Split that we could easily get to in less than an hour and a half: Šolta, Brac, Hvar, and Vis. I’m going to miss being able to say, “Oh, we’re just going to an island this weekend,” like it was no big deal (because it wasn’t a big deal when we lived in Split). Šolta and Brac were great for day trips: just a 15 minute walk to the ferry and a quick 50 minute ferry ride. The islands boast the clearest, most beautiful sea water I’ve ever seen.

Marjan Hill Park and my beautiful running path
I never really enjoyed running, and I still don’t consider myself a runner, but thanks to Split’s beautiful running paths and lack of women’s recreational sports, I am running more now than ever. Marjan Hill is a large pine-forested park on a hill overlooking Split. I’d often run around the base of the park on a path above the sea. I’ll miss always having such a beautiful view while I run: the ragged coast line, the sea, the islands, the children swimming, and the slanted trees whipped by the wind rounding the edge of Split’s peninsula.

Long Spring and Autumn seasons
Spring and Autumn are my favorite seasons and they lasted so long in Split. I’ll miss the perfect mid-70°s F and sunny weather that lasted for months. It was perfect for running and hiking and picnics at the beach.

Narrow alleys and Roman ruins
Split’s old town and old neighboring suburbs were always fun to walk in. I’ll miss all of the narrow little streets and old worn stone buildings. I’ll miss the random little altars and patches of purple flowers seen in the sides of the stone walls in our neighborhood, Varoš. I’ll miss walking through ancient Roman ruins full of modern day life. The street were always romantic at night and lively during the day.

Small town feel
Even though Split is Croatia’s second largest city, it had a small town feel to me, and there was a lot I will miss about that. I’ll miss being able to walk almost everywhere so easily. My work, friends’ homes, groceries, restaurants, and recreation were just minutes away. I’ll miss randomly running into someone I knew on almost every outing into town. It was easy to see friends and make plans on a moment’s notice.

Quarter-loafs of fresh bread
I’ll miss that in Split I could buy a quarter-loaf of the most wonderfully fresh bread for just 35¢. We’d buy fresh bread almost everyday for lunch sandwiches. A quarter loaf was just enough for two sandwiches, so there were never leftovers and it was perfectly fresh and so tasty every meal.

Smooth sweet ice cream
Split had the best ice cream I’ve ever had. It was so creamy and smooth. I loved that I could get half and half: two flavors in one scoop, and that it cost less than a dollar. My favorite ice cream shop was called Hajduk (named after the local soccer team). I’d always get half vanilla and half strawberry or half chocolate chip and half white chocolate. And they’d dip it in chocolate for free. Delicious.

Croatia will always have a special place in our hearts. We’ll sing its praises to everyone we know to head there for a vacation. And we’ll cheer for them loudly in all sporting events (after the USA, of course.) We’ll still be talking about our Croatian adventures when we’re old and gray.

The excursion had its very Croatian characteristics: we didn’t have to sign any forms signing our lives away like we would’ve had to in the United States, we accompanied our guide and driver to pick up and prepare the raft in its storage garage (which was great because we got to drive through fun little Croatian villages), and no one tried to sell us extra souvenirs like t-shirts or photos. Jay joked that signing your life away in the United States means you are about to have a lot of fun, which I agree is usually the case.

We confronted just a few treacherous rapids on the Cetina River, but they were the best part. After looking at my photos, my Dad commented that it looked like we didn’t encounter any rapids at all — we did, but I just couldn’t take photos of them because there was water flying everywhere and I was trying not to fall out. On the best rapids our guide yelled, “Bomba!” which meant we had to quickly plop in the bottom of the raft so we didn’t fall out or hit our head on tall rocks. Jay and Mario bombad perfectly together — a dramatic bounce up and a plop down all in unison, and we all slid around the floor of the boat as we made our way down the rapids.

We had to get out and walk for about ten minutes of the excursion. We weren’t permitted to experience the most perilous rapids. That was a bit disappointing, but our guide assured us it was for our own safety and we saw two other guides face those rapids solo too. Our guide just ignored Jay when he tried to convince him to let us come along.

The extra little unexpected parts of the expedition are what made it memorable to me. Our guide gave us time to get out and swim. The water was cool and refreshing and remarkably clear compared to rivers I am accustomed to seeing. There were several small waterfalls that fed into the river. Our guide led us under the frigid waterfall and into its interior so we could see the back side of the waterfall. Mario held onto the rock wall so we didn’t slide back under the water as our guide took a photo of us.

We also had the opportunity to jump off a humble cliff (about 20 or 25 feet tall) into the river, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. I remember being fearful the few seconds before I jumped, but it was completely exhilarating. I thought the mid-air photo of me was hilarious when I zoomed in; I looked completely petrified.

The trip was over before we knew it; it was hard to believe a few hours had passed. We exited the river at the Radmanove Mlinice Restaurant. We stayed for a relaxing dinner in the shade of the forest. The warm bread baked under coals in their large stone ovens was delicious and it was a nice way to end the day. It’s sad for me to think that this was our last fun Croatian adventure before we move to Madrid, but it was definitely a good one to top off 15 months of amazing memories.

Click here to view more photos from our Cetina River whitewater rafting trip.

We had arrived on the island of Vis after dark late the night before. We rented a room in the little town of Komiža from the tourist agency, Alturnatura. The room was small, basic and old fashioned, but clean. And the bathroom was in the hallway – all on par for the just $37 per night we paid. We couldn’t see the view in the darkness when we arrived, so waking up to such an astonishing site was pretty special, and made us feel like we could not have found a better deal. Plus our room was practically on top of the sea, so the sound of the waves was superb for rocking me right to sleep.

Vis is Croatia’s most remote island (24 miles away from the mainland). From 1944 – 1989 it was a military island and off-limits to most visitors. Tito commanded the Yugoslav army from the island during WWII and the island stationed Yugoslav, British and American troops. Now the island is home to a small military base and just 3,000 residents. Many Croatian islands have begun to swell with tourists in the last few years, but Vis hasn’t become overrun yet. There are just four hotels on the island (as well as vacation apartment accommodations). It has maintained its feel of a sleepy island paradise.

We had heard great things about all of the unique bays on the island, so we rented a car for the day to check out a few. We rented the car from Darlić & Darlić, another tourist agency in town. The owner’s mother was working that day and she was super sweet. She talked about all of her favorite places to visit, marked spots on our map, and checked us over to make sure we had proper shoes for hiking down to Stiniva Bay. She gave us her blessing and we were off to our first stop: Hum, the highest peak on the island. It gave us a perfect view of Komiža and to Split looking the other way. Supposedly you can see Italy from this point too; we weren’t sure if we were seeing Italy or just a hazy horizon.

Early June was still before high tourist season, so driving around the island we rarely passed another car and the bays were scattered with just a few other people. It made an ideal setting for a peaceful and romantic weekend.

The first beach we visited was the most stunning, most difficult to get to, and we spent the most time there. The entrance to the cove of Stiniva Bay from the sea is rather small through two towering cliff walls. Inside it opens up to a secluded little beach. The cove has been able to maintain its natural beauty because there is no road leading to it. Approaching the bay from above we had a half hour hike down a steep path. The views from above were the best and they constantly changed as we made our descent. Once at the beach we had a picnic lunch and waded in the cool crystal emerald water.

After a strenuous hike back up, we headed to the bays of Srebrna and Rukavac where we walked along large flat slat rocks the gradually sloped into the sea. The sea was blue and turquoise and the smooth rocks felt nice on my feet. It was such a contrast to the pebbly beach at Stiniva.

We stopped in Vis town for an ice cream and directions to Stoncica Bay. Driving around the island was fun as we were constantly winding our way around hillsides, through vineyards, and along cliffs overlooking the sea. Our time to return the rental car was quickly sneaking up on us, so we had a very short time to see Stoncica Bay and its sandy beach. It was hard to believe that these very diverse bays were all on the same small 55 square mile island.

The day had wiped us out, so we enjoyed a quiet evening dinner in Komiža and watched the excellent movie, The Blind Side, on our laptop before heading to sleep.

We were up early the next morning to join six other visitors with Alternatura for a visit to the Blue Cave (Modra špilja) on the nearby island of Biševo. Jay and I had been looking forward to Biševo’s Blue Cave since we missed out on seeing the Blue Grotto on the Italian island of Capri last summer due to high waves.

We entered the cave in a small boat, all ducking our heads down to fit through the low opening. The water inside of the Blue Cave glowed a stunning bright blue (just like the Blue Grotto). A natural phenomena occurs as sunbeams penetrated through the underwater opening in the cave, reflected from the white bottom floor, and brilliantly lit up the inside of the cave. It was beautiful. I only wished we had gone with a tour that gave us the time to swim inside. It just went by too quickly.

We spent the afternoon walking around Vis Town and along the sea out towards an old British cemetery and relaxing at another pretty pebbly beach. We headed home on the fast evening catamaran ferry – 1 hour 15 minutes and we were back in Split.

It’s hard to believe we have less than two weeks left in Croatia. Time has flown by as we try to pack a lot into our final few weeks here. Vis was the last place on our “must see” list for Croatia. We’re sure glad we made it there; it takes the spot of our favorite Croatian island and one of the prettiest places we’ve ever been.

Click here to view more of our photos from our trip to the island of Vis.

I was most surprised about how the country’s culture affects every aspect of business. Wooing clients is a long process with lots of coffee meetings. Jobs are often awarded based on who you know, political associations or a looong chain of who owes who a favor. Getting paid can be a prickly situation. Many communist attitudes are still prevalent. Government policies don’t promote entrepreneurship and it hurts smalls businesses. Running a business in Croatia is tough. I’m glad I got to learn the ropes of working in this crazy country without actually having my own business. I think and hope it will make me a more agile designer in the future.

I often get asked by family and friends what it is like to work here and what I am working on. A couple months ago I posted about similarities and differences at work, and I’ve been meaning to post some images from my favorite project at Elevator. There were quite a few projects I really enjoyed, but the redesign of Martinis Marchi was my favorite.

Martinis Marchi is an esteemed (i.e. very pricey) hotel located in an 18th century castle on the island of Šolta. Their old identity and all of their communications were inconsistent and confusing. At Elevator, we had the opportunity to give them a new look and strategy. Of course, they wanted their new identity to communicate the moon and the stars, contemporariness, heritage, exclusivity, and more. We took the dragon from the castle’s original coat of arms, redrew him, and gave Martinis Marchi an identity to match their prestige.

I had a lot of fun working on this project. The owners of the hotel were German, so all business was conducted in English, allowing me to be fully involved in everything. The only downside was that I didn’t get to stay overnight at the hotel.

This was just one of my favorite projects. Other favorites included the PPK redesign (meat producer), Dalmatia Music Festival collateral, and Split Summer Festival concepts (speculative work that was never produced, but fun to create). It was all a fun run.

I’d like to thank my boss, Tony Adamic, for wanting to bring an American to his studio and for giving me the opportunity to live in such a wonderful place.

Aunt Christina and Jean were here for just three days (following a pilgrimage in Italy), but every day they were here we got to see or do something new.

Touring the Substructure of the Diocletian Palace.

Aunt Christina and Jean did not get to enjoy our typical beautiful Mediterranean weather. It was rainy and/or cloudy every day. The first day was the worst, so my friend, Paula, organized an indoor activity for us and a few other friends: a tour of the Diocletian Palace’s basement. This is something that almost every tour group does in Split, yet Jay, Paula and I hadn’t done it after being here for over a year.

Our tour guide shared the history of Split and the Palace as he showed us through the maze of rooms in the basement. There were lovely vaulted ceilings and incredibly thick walls. Excavations of the substructure began in the 19th century, but were mostly competed in the 1950s. The excavations taught archaeologists a lot about what life was like 1700 years ago in the Palace.

My favorite part was a room with a statue of Diocletian. If you stood exactly in the middle of the room and said, “hello,” (or anything else) there was a strong echo and vibration that only you could hear. Supposedly this was Diocletian replying back to you.

Climbing the Bell Tower of St. Duje’s Cathedral

Jay and I love climbing to the top of the cathedral in any town we visit to see great panoramic views of the surrounding area, so why we hadn’t done this in Split yet was beyond our understanding. We did it with Aunt Christina though. We climbed 200 steps to the top.

The steps seemed a bit unsafe; at large openings in the tower walls there were just two thin railings keeping us from tumbling to our deaths. We understood why there were signs posted at the bottom warning us to climb at our own risk. I guess they just don’t make attractions idiot proof here like they do in the United States. It was nice not to have mesh safety fencing obscuring my photos.

Hiking to the Hermitage of Blaca on the island of Brac

On the island of Brac at the head of a valley in the middle of nowhere there is the Hermitage of Blaca. The hermitage was founded in 1588 by monks fleeing from the Turks. The simple buildings of the hermitage hug the side of a ravine with a beautiful view out to sea.

When we got to the hermitage the inside was closed for renovation, but getting there was the experience. We followed a sign off the main road onto a rocky gravel path, which we drove along for about a half hour winding around hills, through the woods, and past a lot of sheep. It was an obstacle course of large bumps and large potholes filled with water. And we were never sure quite how deep they were.

We eventually made it to the beginning of our hike. There were two signs right next to each other; one said it was 2 kilometers to the hermitage and the other said it was 2.5 kilometers to the hermitage. We don’t know which was correct, but its irrelevant because either way, it wasn’t the easy hike we hoped for. The hike was rocky and uneven all the way there. And it was downhill, which meant it was uphill the entire way back. Jean was a trooper, but I think she might have been not so happy with us afterwards for the exhaustion we caused. At least the views were great and hopefully she was proud of herself for the effort. Aunt Christina is like my Dad, a little energizer bunny, so I think she could have done the hike twice.

Krka National Park, again

It was the second time I visited Krka National Park in just two weeks (this time with Aunt Christina and Paula), but it was a completely new experience. The park had gotten an unusual massive amount of rain in the last week, so the falls were completely gushing.

I had never seen anything like it. I hadn’t even seen photos of the waterfall looking so powerful. The waterfalls I had swam in last year looked like they would surely kill me if I tried again then. It was interesting to compare photos of this visit to prior visits.

From Krka, we headed to the airport. Aunt Christina’s visit flew by quickly. We were so happy she got to see some of the places we love, even if it was without the sunshine.

Click here to view more of our photos from Aunt Christina’s visit.

Here is a diary from their time here in Split with us:

Tuesday, May 4

Our arrival in Split from Berlin was uneventful until we left the airport to find that for some unexplainable reason the trusty airline bus was not running into town. The bus was there and a driver was there, but he was just telling people the next bus wouldn’t leave for three hours! Luckily we knew that one of Split’s local buses passed in front of the airport and would only cost $18 for the five of us, so we avoided the $60 cab ride. We arrived at the stop at the same time as the bus, and we didn’t have to wait at all.

As we walked from the bus terminal to our apartment, I think my dad tried to stop at every bakery we passed (and there seems to be one every 100 yards in Split). He loves his bakery goods and Split is the perfect town for that. My family sure fattened me up while they were here; Dad bought bakery goods every morning, Mom brought from home tons of delicious homemade cookies, and we ate out for dinner every night.

After showing off our apartment and eating our staple lunch of ham and salami sandwiches on fresh bread (plus lots of cookies), we headed off for a hike in Marjan Park. We got to show off our favorite panoramic view of Split. And we hiked through the woods to Bene Beach, the beach on the furthest edge of Split’s peninsula. I only got us lost in the woods once, but we quickly found our way again.

Tuesday’s dinner was at Konoba Marjan, our favorite local mom and pop restaurant. It has a dull atmosphere, but also the best food in town. The wife cooks and the husband serves. They don’t speak any English, but luckily we’ve been there enough with Croatian speakers that he understands me when I trip over my words trying to tell him something I want that isn’t on the menu – like yummy mashed potatoes.

Wednesday, May 5

The weather didn’t cooperate with us today. It rained on and off as we drove south along Croatia’s coastal highway to Makarska and Biokovo National Park. These places were both new to me and I wished Jay was with us, but he was back at home working. Hopefully we will get to see them again sometime when the weather is better.

Regardless of the weather, the drive was still beautiful and luckily the rain stopped long enough for us to enjoy the little old coastal town of Makarska. We walked along its waterfront promenade and through a seaside park adjacent to town before heading to the botanical garden of Biokovo National Park.

The botanical garden was located high in the hills above Makarska and the drive there was full of crazy hairpin turns on a single lane road on the side of a cliff. It was scary. Dad’s driving was excellent, but Mom and I still closed our eyes and held our breath many times as we neared the edge of the cliff.

As we hiked through the botanical garden with our picnic lunch in tow the rain began to fall heavily. We found shelter in the ruined walls of a 17th century castle and enjoyed our lunch there. The rain was relentless so we gave up on our hike, ran back to the car through the rain and headed back north towards Split.

We made a small detour to drive through the town of Omiš and along the Cetina River. Next we decided to head to Klis Fortress, which is in Mosor Mountains overlooking Split. This began our second harrowing driving experience of the day. The GPS was set to avoid highways so that we would stay on the coastal road, but this was disastrous while trying to find Klis. We drove on narrow streets through neighborhoods on the hillsides and up and down steep hills. There were so many little streets, and the GPS kept saying things like, “Turn left, then sharp left and left.” It sent us into multiple driveways and dead end gravel pits. We were just happy we made it out of the maze and eventually to Klis. By the time we made it there, the fort was closed, but the beautiful view and suddenly sunny weather made it worth the effort.

We capped off the evening watching Jay and Kevin play soccer with Jay’s group of international guys. Kevin even scored his team’s first and last (the game winner) goals.

Thursday, May 6

The sun shined on Split and made for a beautiful view as we left on the two-hour ferry ride for the island of Hvar. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the 20-minute bus ride from the ferry into Hvar town, as it gave us a good look at more of the island. (It was my first time on the bus — last year Jay and I took the summer catamaran ferry directly to Hvar town.)

Once we arrived in Hvar town (and went to a bakery with delicious cherry danishes first), we climbed up to the 16th century Venetian fortress. I’m sure the fortress has all sorts of great history, but I was just interested in the hike and the views over the town of Hvar and the Pakleni Islands.

In the afternoon we walked around town and took a long walk along the coast to the pretty little coved beach that Jay and I had enjoyed last summer.

We arrived back in Split to savor a traditional Croatian Peka dinner with our friend, Paula. A Peka is a meat (veal and chicken) and potatoes dish baked in an iron pot under coals in a fireplace for a couple hours. In many houses here in Dalmatia, especially on the country side, you have a special place in the barn or at the ground floor of the house for preparing the Peka. The slow cooking makes the meat and potatoes so soft and delicious.

Friday, May 7

May 7, Sveti Duje Day, celebrates the patron saint of Split. Last year I really enjoyed this holiday, so I was very happy my family would get to experience it this year. It was a fun atmosphere with what seemed like everyone in Split out on the Riva together.

In the morning we watched the religious procession and the beginning of the large Mass held on the Riva. The religious procession was like a Catholic parade showcasing bishops and priests, children dressed in traditional Dalmatian dress, and men in traditional military garb.

Afterwards Dad, Kevin and I went for a run in my favorite park along the sea, and then the family had Cevapcicis for lunch (everyone except me). Cevapcici is a mildly spicy sausage sandwich and the most popular Croatian fast food.

We spent the afternoon walking around Split and checking out the market and all of the shopping stalls that lined the Riva for the festival. We watched the kids running around with their balloons and pushing wooden ducks with clapping wings. Kevin bought his girlfriend, Kyleen, earrings and a cool chunky wooden bracelet. There was so much fun jewelry I would’ve loved to buy, but living in Croatia has successfully curtailed my consumerism knowing that I’ll have to ship home everything one day.

After watching the start of Tombula, the Croatian version of Bingo, we had dinner at Jugo, which is a restaurant at the ACI Marina overlooking Split. The good food and great view made it my parents’ favorite restaurant during their visit last year. Mother’s Day and Kevin’s birthday is Sunday (when they will be traveling) so we deemed it their celebration night.

Saturday, May 8

We had big plans for the day, but woke up at 7:00 am to torrential thunderstorms, so we postponed our departure until 10:00 am. We rented a car to drive north along the coast to visit Krka National Park and the coastal town of Primošten. At 10:00am the rain was still down pouring, but we headed off anyways. We decided to take the fast highway to Krka and hope for better weather for the coastal drive in the afternoon.

Heavy rain fell the entire way to Krka and we worried our day would be ruined, but as we arrived at the park the rain slowed. Within half an hour the clouds broke up, the sun was shining, and you never would’ve know we had such horrible weather.

Krka National Park has beautiful powerful waterfalls. The waterfalls are formed as the Krka river fights its way through a long gorge and plunges over numerous steep drops. We came here last year during my parents’ visit and it is one of my favorite places I’ve been to in Croatia, so it was great to share it with Kevin. And we were lucky enough to have the park almost to ourselves since the morning rain kept many visitors away.

We drove back along the coast and stopped in Primošten, an ancient little town that was once located on a small islet but was connected to the mainland during the 16th century. There is a picturesque little church and cemetery overlooking the sea at the town’s highest point. I’m always fascinated that the cemeteries in Croatia have the most prime real estate.

We returned to Split just in time to make it to a Hajduk soccer game. Earlier in the week they had won a big tournament, the Croatian Cup, so even though they were playing a horrible team, the fans were out to show their appreciation. Torcida, the group of true die-hard fans, sang and chanted the entire game. I think the fans put on a more interesting show than the team (I know that is such a girl thing to say).

Sunday, May 9

Mom, Dad, and Kevin left early this morning on their flight to Stuttgart, Germany. They were lucky to make it out of Split because Iceland’s volcano was once again wreaking havoc on European travel. Both Split’s and Stuttgart’s airport closed in the afternoon. They are scheduled to leave Stuttgart in the morning.

Monday, May 10

Luckily Stuttgart’s airport opened back up again. Their intended 15-hour trip turned into 24 hours with delays and missed connections. It wasn’t a pleasant trip home, but it could have been a lot worse. I’m glad they made it home safely.

I miss them already.

Click here to view more of our photos from this week’s excursions.

We finally made the visit last Saturday and it was the perfect time of the year; we avoided the insane summer crowds and we still had great weather. The day started out with another great road trip. We were on the same coastal highway we took a few weeks ago, but this time we set off south and we were with our friends, Milda and Mario. The highway hugged the coast the entire four hour drive to Dubrovnik. We stopped twice: once for a photo opportunity and once for short snack break. The scenery made the time pass quickly and I snapped lots of
photos out the car window as we drove along.

Our snack break was actually in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a short strategic stretch of coast 16 miles long that divides Croatia. It felt odd having to go through passport control twice in 20 minutes. And I think the passport control agents found it odd to be handed one Croatian passport, one Lithuanian passport, and two American passports.

As we neared Dubrovnik, it started to rain and we worried our day might be a wash, but luckily it lasted just five minutes and the sun came right back out. The Old Town of Dubrovnik is crammed full of tiny houses, churches, schools, and winding alleyways. Walking through the town reminded me a lot of walking through Split’s Diocletian Palace. But there are two things that Dubrovnik has that separates it from other Croatian towns: It is surrounded by an ancient fortified wall that provides a picturesque walk and almost ALL of the roofs are orange tiles creating an idyllic view.

As we walked through town I noticed that our shoes and accessories dictated our continents and we perfectly fit the stereotypes. Milda carried an over-sized red purse and wore cute ballet flats. Mario carried a fanny pack and wore brown walking shoes. (Fanny packs are very popular among Croatian men, which used to make Jay and I chuckle, but the novelty has since worn off .) Jay and I shared a backpack and wore gym shoes – so American. Classic.

The mile and a quarter walk along Dubrovnik’s town walls is one of its main attractions since it provides sweeping views of both the town and sea. The walls were built during the 15th century and around the perimeter there are several substantial forts. The first time the walls were actually used in defense against an attack was very recently during the war in 1991 and 1992. Citizens huddled in the forts as Serbs surrounded and bombed the city. The Serbs thought Dubrovnik would be an easy win, a big hit on Croatia’s moral, and a good place to push north to Split. But Dubrovnik’s residents resisted the siege better than anyone expected and after eight months of bombing, the Croatian army was able to liberate Dubrovnik. In the end, more than two-thirds of Dubrovnik’s buildings had been damaged. Luckily the city decided to rebuild with the same materials and methods that it was originally built. The largest evidence of war that remains is that so many of the roofs look new and brightly colored.

Milda and Mario had walked the walls during earlier visits so they went for a coffee while we continued to the walls. Last year there was a $10 admission fee to the walls and this year they jacked up the prices to $14 per person. Luckily they accepted our student IDs (which are now 9 years old and barely look like us) and we paid just $6 each. Walking along the walls lived up to our expectations. We were happy that it was off-season and late in the afternoon, so we had most of the walk to ourselves. I snapped some photos and tried to figure out from which spot my family had taken their photos years earlier. We saw a guy fishing in solitude among tall rocks at the base of the walls and thought of Jay’s dad. We wished he was here to enjoy the good fishing and pretty scenery.

After we met up with Milda and Mario again we headed to a cafe that clung to the outside of the walls and sat atop rocks that dove straight down into the sea. We enjoyed the day’s last bit of warm sunshine as it was coming to an end. Before beginning back to Split, we drove to a panoramic view point that overlooked the Old Town. Croatia’s new A-1 highway has not yet been completed down to Dubrovnik so we journeyed back the way we came.

We appreciated having time to get to know Milda and Mario a bit more. Mario grew up in Stobrec, one of Split’s suburbs, and Milda grew up in Lithuania (former Soviet Union). They both joke about being Communist children and are nice enough to put up with our naive questions about the war and the fall of Communism. I think it helps that they were both too young to understand the devastation of the war at the time. Most of their memories are from those transition years from Communism to Capitalism.

I found it interesting that Mario had similar memories of the war as my co-worker, Maja. He was only eight years old when it began and his parents sheltered him from much of what was going on (which is pretty easy to do when there was no Internet, the media was state-controlled, and Split saw very little action during the war). He remembers the windows being covered so no light would escape and people driving without their headlights, but recalls the air raids almost as ‘play time’. During raids he got to stay home from school, eat candy and play in the basement with his friends. That’s a good life for an eight-year-old.

The Soviet Union suffered more than Yugoslavia during communism (much of the world supported Yugoslavia because they were anti-Soviet Union) so it seems that Lithuanian had a bigger transition from Communism to Capitalism than Croatia did. Though Lithuania didn’t have to brave a war to see it happen. Milda remembers Lithuania being a bit in Anarchy. No one knew what to do or how to successfully govern after Communism fell. Gangs ruled territories and did as they pleased. Her father had a restaurant, but closed it because gangs would come, eat what they wanted, and leave without paying; it wasn’t safe. It’s hard to believe how quickly things have changed; Lithuania is already part of the European Union – and Croatia still is not, but may join in 2011 or 2012.

People’s lives changed so drastically. In communist times, the government would assign new university graduates for work in the most-needed locations – people would not get to choose which city or town to live and work. But now, people could suddenly study what they wanted and work where they wanted. Like most grandma’s, Milda’s grandma is forgetful and would always ask Milda during university if she had received her “placement” yet. Milda would repeatedly have to remind her that things just weren’t like that anymore.

Choices became abundant. People could pick from 10 different cars instead of just 3. Produce showed up in stores that people had never seen. Milda remembers being six years old and seeing a banana for the first time — what a great memory.

My favorite memory Milda shared was that she and her family were part of the Baltic Way (or Baltic Chain) in 1989. The Baltic Way was when two million people joined hands to form a human chain over 370 miles long. The chain spread across the Soviet Union’s three Baltic states: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. It was a peaceful protest to draw global attention to the popular desire for the independence of each state from the Soviet Union. Milda was only three years old when she attended the demonstration, so she isn’t really sure if she remembers it herself or she’s just been told stories so many times that they have become her memories. Either way, I think it was a pretty amazing piece of history, and a good story that made the ride home fly by.

Click here to view more of our photos from our day trip to Dubrovnik.

We parked in a small gravel lot next to one other vehicle with Estonian license plates. We followed a path a quarter mile to a small stone hut marked as the ticket booth. There was a tv blaring inside, but no sign of anyone around, so we headed to the cave entrance. As we began our climb down the few hundred steps the temperature dropped quickly and we could see our breath in the air. As we entered the main cavern the sunlight disappeared completely, the temperature rose slightly, and we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful stalagmite formations highlighted by dim spotlights.

Vranjaca Cave’s main cavern was discovered in 1903 by the current owner’s grandpa. It was opened for tourists in 1929. The total length is 1200 feet and the temperature inside is 60°F year-round. When we entered we heard one other group in the distance that left a few minutes later. The owner of the cave had been showing them around. He found us after a short game of Marco Polo; we were both calling out “hallo” trying to find each other in the maze of the cave. He greeted Mario and Milda with a wave of his flashlight and told them a few stories about the cave in Croatian, such as information about the growth of the stalagmites and their different classifications. They relayed the information to Jay and I in English, but it was quickly forgotten as I was lost in the intricate details of the walls.

This was my first visit to any cave and I felt like a shy inquisitive child. I moved slowly and steadily as my eyes darted quickly all around. Every inch of the cave was new and exciting. Caves are so fascinating to me because they are like nothing you see above ground. I couldn’t decide if the stalagmites were gross or beautiful.

The owner left us with his flashlight and permission to take as many photos as we like. We retraced our steps through the cave again snapping photos and pointing out interesting formations before making the tall climb out. I only wish the cave had been bigger, with more caverns. I was ready to see more.

Click here to view more of our photos from Vranjaca Cave.