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.

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.

Last Saturday Jay and I rented a car and drove north along Croatia’s coastal road, Route 8, to visit Šibenik and Zadar. The day-trip was a last minute Friday decision and I had no expectations for the day or the drive. Both Šibenik and Zadar were quintessentially quaint and cute. I particularly enjoyed Zadar, but the drive ended up being my favorite part of the day. The morning started out cloudy, and, at first, I was second guessing our decision for a road trip, but after about 30 minutes (and three signs warning us to watch out for wild pigs), the sun broke through and the rest of the day was perfect with just a few puffy clouds and lots of sunshine.

Before the new high-speed A-1 highway was completed in 2005, Route 8 was the main passage through Croatia. The new A-1 highway cut the driving time from Split to Zagreb in half, from about eight hours to four hours. The A-1 is convenient and necessary, but not pretty. Route 8 weaves all along Croatia’s coast offering great views of some of Croatia’s 1200 islands and its sparkling turquoise sea. We took our time, stopped for photos, and enjoyed the seascape. One of my favorite sights was the town of Primošten stacked high on a small peninsula in the sea.

Around noon we stopped in the town of Šibenik. We walked through its old tiny alleyway streets and visited the pretty cathedral. There was a beautiful ray of sunlight cast through one of the high windows giving the cathedral interior a beautiful glow. We bought sandwich fixings at the grocery store and ate a picnic lunch on a bench by the sea before heading on to Zadar.

We arrived in Zadar mid-afternoon. With our stops, the journey had taken about four and a half hours. We headed first to the Zadar’s Sea Organ. The Sea Organ is an architectural musical instrument. It plays music with sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps descending into the sea. (It looks kind of like a miniature Serpentine Wall for those of you reading in Cincinnati.) The waves create somewhat random but beautiful sounds. The sea was mostly calm that day so the sounds were slow and harmonic. A boat came by purposefully shooting its wake into the wall showing off the powerful sounds the experimental organ could make. We laid on the steps enjoying the music and fell asleep for a short half hour nap (somehow driving and doing nothing can really wear you out). When we awoke, we found we had started a trend and there were five other people napping too.

We spent the next hour walking around town, seeing old churches and a few old Roman ruins, and watching a lovely dark sunset. Supposedly Alfred Hitchcock visited Zadar and said it had the most beautiful sunsets in all the world (and there were sign all around town reminding us of this).

After dinner at a local trattoria, we visited Zadar’s other highlight attraction, the Greeting to the Sun (built by Nikola Bašic, the same architect as the Sea Organ). The Greeting to the Sun is an art installation consisting of 300 glass solar plates built into the sea walkway. The plates are in the shape of a circle, representing the sun, and measures 72 feet in diameter. They absorb solar energy from the day and turn it into a unique lighting spectacle at night. Jay and I walked over the installation and laughed as our faces and clothes would light up like the different color beneath us. It was a beautiful piece of art and I took so many photos that Jay abandoned me to get the car as I experimented with light and movement and my basic point-and-shoot camera.

The two hour drive home along the A-1 highway seemed quick after the slow drive up the coast. We broke the monotony by trying to teach me to drive a stick-shift in a large gas station parking lot on the side of the highway. It was my second attempt behind the wheel of a manual car (the first was New Years weekend on the way to Ljubljana). After stalling out a few times, I got the hang of it, but I am still not confident enough to want to drive out on the real road. I was just happy to get the car started. Maybe next time I’ll try for going in reverse and making it into third gear.

Click here to view more of our photos from our day trip to Šibenik and Zadar.

Click here for a YouTube video of Zadar’s Sea Organ.

Click here for a YouTube video of Zadar’s Greeting to the Sun.

We walked a couple minutes with the lady and her elderly father and arrived at her car. That should’ve been our first clue to walk away; clearly her place was further than a 5 minute walk if she was going to drive us. But she assured us that she just had the car because she had driven other guests down to the ferry with luggage earlier in the morning. Of course, our first instinct was right, and the place was really a 20 minute walk from town. And there wasn’t the fabulous view she promised, but it still ended up being a great find for the weekend. It was clean, contemporary, and cheap! And it led to us enjoying a fabulous beach the next day.

During all of the commotion at the dock, I had heard someone shouting my name. I ignored it at first figuring that no one here could possibly know me, but then I saw Vesna. Vesna was one of my and Jay’s first “friends” in Split. (When we first got here we dubbed anyone who was friendly and would talk to us as our friend.) She was the real estate agent that helped us find our apartment. She went to college in the United States playing volleyball for the University of Central Florida. Earlier this summer, she gave us tickets to a Croatia national volleyball team match when they were in Split. She spent the summer working in Hvar for a tourist agency, and it was a pleasant surprise to see her. She knew we couldn’t talk amidst the swarm of accommodation offers, but told us to give her a call and we could catch up over drinks later.

We spent the afternoon walking around and exploring Hvar Town. It is like many of the other primordial towns in Croatia: stone houses with terra-cotta roof tiles, endless narrow alleyways, laundry hanging on lines from the windows, and cats bathing in the warm sun. There is a lovely monastery right on the water’s edge and an ancient fort overlooking the town. We climbed a few hundred steps and wound our way up a path to the fort. It offered great views of the town and of the Pakleni islands, a small chain of twenty islets off the coast of Hvar.

As we entered the fort’s prison, we heard an American voice behind us ask if we were from Cincinnati; a Denver couple noticed Jay’s Cincinnati recreation sports t-shirt. The wife grew up in Cincinnati in Mt. Washington. Her husband played football at the University of Cincinnati in the early 1960s and was a graduate assistant coach when Greg Cook was UC’s quarterback. (Jay told me Cook was famous, though I had never heard of him.) They had been bicycling through Italy and Croatia for the last two weeks and were happy to receive UC football updates from Jay. Experiences like this always make the world seems so small.

We got lost trying to find our way back to our apartment from the fort, but eventually found our way and enjoyed an hour of reading on the terrace as the sun started to set. Jay found a turtle in a large bin on the terrace and let it stretch its legs before returning it to its home. Jay said a turtle would make a good pet because he thinks they are fun to play with and easy to take care of. I think they are a bit boring, but they are cute.

We had a nice dinner on the Riva (waterfront promenade) and then met Vesna for drinks. It was good catching up with her and seeing Hvar come to life at night. Hvar was mostly quiet during the day because it is the tail end of tourist season, so I was surprised by the hustle and bustle of the night. A good number of small gulet cruise ships had pulled in to dock for the evening, and the bars were full of revelers.

Hvar is Croatia’s most popular island because of its great sunny weather, crystal clear waters, and world class (i.e. expensive) accommodations, and it is always crowded during the summer. In the past few years it has become a popular destination among celebrities such as Beyonce, Jay Z, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bill Gates, Kevin Spacey, Steven Spielberg, Andre Agassi, Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery. On a typical July or August day the population of 3,000 swells to over 30,000 visitors, which is the precise reason we waited until the last weekend in September to visit. The weather was still perfect for a swim and we didn’t have to fight any crowds.

The next morning we headed to a beach the apartment owner directed us towards. It was a beautiful beach nestled in a small valley of rocky hills. It was a quarter mile hike down the hill to the pebbly beach. Overall I prefer soft sandy beaches, but pebbly beaches also have their advantages: you don’t get dirty with sticky sand and the water stays much clearer. We rented two beach chairs (which I, of course, bargained for) and spent the next few hours soaking up the sun and reading our books.

We went for a swim in our sexy goggles. (Yes, we looked ridiculous.) We bought the goggles in the middle of the summer, and they made swimming much more enjoyable since we could open our eyes underwater. We swam out about 100 yards to the buoys and could see all the way to the sea floor the entire way. There were hundreds of little fish below us. They aren’t as pretty as the colorful fish in the Caribbean, but they are still a lot of fun to watch. The water was nice and refreshing; it was much better than I expected for the end of September. I hope we have one more beach weekend left this season, but if not, this was sure a perfect way to end the summer and our Hvar weekend.

Click here to view more photos from our weekend trip to Hvar Town.

This time, we rented a car in Supetar so that we could drive around the island. I had volunteered that morning to be the driver for the day, since Kelly’s dad drove to and from Krka and Plitvice Lakes the two days before. I was looking forward to it, because I knew it would be a manual transmission and I usually enjoy driving a stick shift. We hadn’t made reservations in advance, so we ended up with a rather interesting car to drive around – a very small, white, two-door 1990 Peugeot convertible that had around 200,000 kilometers logged on it and a passenger seatbelt that was not functional (much to Kelly’s dismay – I guess she didn’t trust my driving skills!!).

My excitement for being the driver was diminished quite a bit in the first few minutes of our exploration. In order to see the first few sights – Kelly and I wanted to revisit a cemetery and show some sea views that we had found on our first Brac trip – we had to figure out how to get to the part of Supetar where we could park. To do this, we drove up a hill around the outside of the town, and then snaked our way back toward our destination. This was unnerving, because we were rarely sure of the correct way to head (a very common occurrence for us on our vacations and adventures) and many of the streets in the town were either up and down steep hills, cobble-stoned and/or dirty/rocky paths. My ability to drive a stick – which I haven’t done with any regularity in several years – was certainly put to a test right away! But, we ultimately successfully navigated our way, parked, saw our sights, and then continued on our way.

After leaving Supetar, we drove up to the highest point on the island, which had great views of the Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn) beach another Croatian island, Hvar. The drive up was only a little challenging, because we were on wider (and paved) roads. There was still a little nervousness in the car, because we weaved our way back and forth around the island’s mountainside to climb towards the top. Once we arrived, the view was spectacular. I’m not eloquent enough to describe it in words, but lucky for me we captured some photos that depict our view quite well. The Zlatni Rat beach is so famous because of its shape. It juts out into the sea so that when you are standing on the beach you have the sea on both sides of you and its shape continuously changes with the tides.

Once we had seen Zlatni Rat from afar, we wanted to experience it up close and personal. So, we piled back into our car, drove back down the opposite side of the island, and headed to Bol. Before heading to the beach, we stopped in Bol. Of course, before finding our way correctly, we drove down a very narrow and steep road only to have to turn around and retrace our route because we reached a dead end. But, we again made it safely. We had lunch in Bol, purchasing grilled sandwiches from a small shop and a big Coke and bottled water from a nearby supermarket.

Hunger and thirst quenched, we continued on to the beach! It was only a couple minutes’ drive from the center of Bol, which we managed to travel without event. We were definitely ready for the beach – it was a hot day and our convertible ride had left us in direct sunlight most of the time, so we all got a bit sunburned (only a little, though). The sea was still very cold, since it was only the end of May, so we didn’t spend too much time in the water. But it was nice to get in and cool off.

The Zlatni Rat beach is also renowned for wind-water sports. Since the beach sticks out into the sea, it is more exposed to the winds out in the water. It is the most popular spot in Croatia for wakeboarding and kiteboarding. We had fun watching the boarders ride the waves and perform stunts.

Before we knew it, it was time to leave the beach, drive for an hour back to Supetar and catch a return ferry back home. I’m happy to say that I didn’t wreck the car at all (I did stall it out once or twice, though)! But before catching our ferry, I treated myself to a Cappi orange juice sports drink (this is my Gatorade, I love it!) while Kelly and her parents had ice creams.

Once we arrived back in Split, we headed to our favorite restaurant – Jugo, at the ACY Marina – to have one final dinner with Kelly’s parents, before they headed back home after a very fun week-long visit (at least for Kelly and I – we hope they enjoyed it too)!

To get to the island, we took a Jadrolinija ferryboat to the town of Supetar. The ferry only takes 50 minutes to travel from Split to Supetar, and costs only 27 kune each way (around $5) for foot passengers – which of course we are, since we are still automobile-, bike- and scooter-less. The ride was fun – we sat on the top outside deck so that we could watch the ferry depart from Split and arrive in Supetar.

Supetar

Supetar is one of the two port towns where ferries arrive on Brac. The other is Bol, which lays claim to the most famous beach in Croatia – Zlatni Rat – but more about Bol later*. Supetar has many hotels, resorts and private accommodations for tourists, and Kelly had arranged for us to stay at a very nice hotel called Midea. It was no more than a ten minute walk from the port and only a three-minute walk to the sea.

*Kelly’s parents came to visit us last week, and we returned to Brac to see more of the island. During that trip, we rented a car and drove to Bol and went to the Zlatni Rat beach. Will tell all about this in a separate post.

When we arrived at Midea, we were met by the manager Milan, who provided us with complimentary glasses of wine and a wealth of information about the sights to see on Brac. The wine was homegrown on the island – Kelly had a nice slightly sweet glass, mine was a bit too strong. I commented that it tasted like Jack Daniels to me – that probably shows my lack of expertise with alcohol. There was an even stronger wine, but we didn’t try it – Milan told us that it is really too strong to drink, saying, “it is best for cleaning windows.” That statement actually enticed me, just to see for myself how bad it was, but I didn’t. Maybe next time!

Anyway, Milan was a great help to us providing us with routes, maps, names of good restaurants and other local information. We stopped in our hotel room just long enough to drop off our bags (just a bookbag each) and then headed off, using his recommendation to walk along the beach!

Saturday Hike

For our hike, we walked down to the beach in Supetar and headed away from town. Nearly all of the beaches in Croatia are rocky, not sandy, and these were no exceptions, so our hike was slow going. It was interesting, because the terrain kept changing – sometimes we’d be walking on a beach of smaller pebbles, but many times we were choosing our steps along bigger slabs of rock that composed the edge of the island. It was very interesting that as we followed the path of the beach, which jutted in and out into the sea, how much the temperature and wind would change as the land curved from one direction to another. We had a constant breeze, but sometimes the beach would be completely protected from the wind. We found one of these spots to each our packed lunch of sandwiches and a clementine!

We hiked away from town for about two hours or so, and then headed back. Probably our favorite part of the walk was that we probably walked for two hours without seeing anyone. It was very relaxing and peaceful!

On our way back, we stopped at a cemetery, which had a beautiful mausoleum and intriguing tombstones throughout. It was interesting that the cemetery had a prime location right on the sea and that many of the tombstones were covered with vases of fresh flowers.

Once we got back, we rested for a bit back in our hotel room, and then walked back near the port to find a restaurant to eat. The winds had really picked up by then, and we were treated to a fun show of watching the waves crash into the port, causing big splashes in the air. We ate dinner, sharing an omelet and a pizza – and then headed back home to crash for the night, because we were exhausted.

Sunday Hike

On Sunday, we headed back out for another hike. We headed off in the same direction as Saturday, but followed a walking path that was a little bit inland. We could still see the sea most of the time, but our route took us alongside main roads, in the woods and on a dirt road. This hike took us to two tiny towns – Mirca and Sutevan, which are five and seven kilometers (about three and five miles) from Supetar.

While walking along the trail – and Saturday along the beach, we saw piles of rocks everywhere. There were four-to-five foot rock walls along a good part of the beach on Saturday, and on Sunday, we saw rock walls used to create fences to separate property lines. And off the roads, in the wilderness, everywhere were giant piles of rocks. We were so confused. After getting back home, we did some research – the rockpiles have grown throughout the centuries as farmers cultivate the land. The land itself is very rocky, so they are always digging up rocks. Remind you of Cincinnati?

I was amused that our walking path took us by a few farms. At one point, we had a mule blocking our way. He was tied up, and looked friendly enough, so we slowly walked by him without event. We did get a few good photos of him, though! We also saw some sheep, as well as a bunch of chickens and goats!

Both Mirca and Sutevan were quintessential Dalmatian towns, with small quaint buildings and endless red roofs. We just walked through the main street of each town and enjoyed their views of the sea. We did eat dinner at a great restaurant in Mirca named Gumonca. It was situated right on the beach, and had outdoor seating on a vine-covered terrace. We ordered a spaghetti bolognese and “chicken”. One of the fun things about living here is ordering food at restaurants. Almost every restaurant we have been to has had a menu in multiple languages, including English, but it isn’t always the most descriptive. So, when I ordered chicken, I anticipated a breaded chicken breast, as we had eaten at a few other restaurants. But much to my delight, when our meals were served, I received a full rotisserie-style cooked chicken! It was excellent! And, after trying some of the spaghetti Bolognese, Kelly and I decided it tasted very similar to something from home — Skyline Chili (of course minus the cheddar cheese, which appears to be non-existent here in Croatia)!! So, our Sunday dinner was a great surprise.

As we were eating dinner, we realized that we were getting close to being late for our ferry back to Split. So, once we finished eating, and I walked up to the waiter to pay our check, we jogged most of the three kilometers back to Supetar. We didn’t think we were going to make it, but we did, with ten minutes to spare. (If we missed it, we would have just had to wait until 90 minutes for the next ferry). The ferry ride took us back to Split, and we walked home – another two kilometers!

By the time we made it back to our apartment, we were quite drained. But, we really enjoyed our time in Brac, and were looking forward to returning to explore more of the island.