After over seven months on the road together, Gen and I decided we would split up for two weeks; this would be like our separate vacations from our regular vacation :o) Gen really wanted to visit Barcelona and the north of Spain while I really wanted to see Croatia. I was in Barcelona four years ago and I didn’t want to retrace my foot prints. I wanted to take advantage of being so close to Croatia to go check out its’ Adriatic Coast. I got some really good travel tips from a friend so I was really excited about going.
What can I say about Croatia? For starters, this country has a beautiful coast. It was somewhat similar to Greece with tons of islands to visit and taking the ferry was the most common mean of transportation. As it was the case in Greece the water here was crystal clear where pebble beaches outnumbered the sand beaches. In Croatia, it’s very funny and sometimes odd that the local consider a beach anywhere that you can go in and out of the water easily. This means swimming in the harbour among the anchored boats is normal, or sunbathing on the elevated ledge by the street curb is also normal.
One thing that is very noticeable at the beach is that you will often see young kids or teenagers bringing a water polo ball to pass around in the sea water or practicing drills. No wonder why this country has produced some of the most talented water polo players in the world. It’s kind of the same thing when we see young Canadian kids picking up a game of street hockey or American kids playing pick-up basketball at some random park.
Water polo is their national sport and smoking comes in a close second. If you have no athletic skills in the water you can become a smoker. This is one sport that does not discriminate in gender, age or social status, everyone is treated the same when buying a pack of smoke. It’s amazing how everyone smokes here. I think I second hand smoked about a pack a day while I was here.
The people here don’t have the biggest smile, they don’t smile very easily. The men are very proud, they get very upset when you turn them down for something: I offended a tailor because I made a face while I was deciding whether I’d be better off buying a new pair of shorts or have him repair mine (the cost was almost the same). He got so angry that he simply refused my business and said I was not worth his time. The women are so grumpy, especially at the supermarket! With that said, I also did meet a few very friendly people on my path. I spent my time talking with a guy during a three hour bus ride and it was very nice. He treated me to a beer once we arrived and his buddy helped me find my hostel and gave me a ride. The staff at the hostels in Dubrovnik and Zagreb is also friendly and helpful.
The food on the coast where I spent most of my time was very Italian influenced. It was good: octopus, calamari, pizzas, seafood, etc. Inland, I could notice a closer flavour to the Greek and Turkish cuisine: lots of kebabs (gyros for the Greek)!
One thing I never got used to is how they always round the total on a bill. It’s ok to pay 56 kunas (local currency) when you actually owe 56.87 for example. On the flip side, they will often round down the amount they owe you in change...
I had a wonderful time in Dubrovnik! This is was my first stop in Croatia and I loved it. The old town is a definite must-see. It has a huge massive fortress, the alleys are narrow and there are tons of shops and restaurants within the big walls of the maze. The towers and churches erect really high above, it’s simply very beautiful! I met some really fun football fans, and more importantly Spain fans. We watched the semi-final and celebrated together in the streets when Spain won.
My second stop was Korcula, a really small town on the coast. There isn’t much to do here once you’ve seen the old town. It’s so small here that people only stay for one night... but I loved it here. The temperature is a lot cooler at 26 and at 5pm every day, the wind picks up and everything cools off. I had a great room with a perfect view over the harbour. I rented a bike to go to Lumbarda where the concentration of tourist is to a minimum. Lumbarda is known for its beaches but mostly for its wine. The local specialty is the Grk wine, made of Grk grapes. You can only find Grk in Lumbarda. I did a few tastings and had my mind set on a bottle of white Grk. I bought a bottle to savour with my in-laws when we meet in Spain. I wish Gen was here, she would have loved this place.
Although I would have easily stayed in Korcula for a few more days, I had to go to the capital Zagreb. I needed to be there early because I intend to apply for a visa to visit Brazil. Normally this takes 3-5 days. But to my amazement, it took only 24 hours and I got my visa for Brazil. Lots of people don’t enjoy Zagreb and prefer to spend time on the coast. Me, I liked Zagreb. There is a good balance of a big city scene (population 777 000), historic sites and modern buildings and lifestyle. Anyone with an artistic mind would simply fall in love with this place. Zagreb has hundreds of art galleries and museums, that’s what it’s known for.
In Zagred, it didn’t take me very long before I associated myself with other Spain fans. I think I will most remember this city by Spain’s first win of the prestigious World Cup :o) I went to watch the final with my new Spanish brothers and sisters in the old town. But by the time we arrived, there were no more seats anywhere, so we shared a couple of tables in a pro-Netherlands bar where our red jerseys were simple little dots among a sea of orange shirts and the Dutch fans. But as the saying goes, it’s not about the quantity, it’s all in the quality. And Spain was all quality that night. I’m glad to say the red shirts became more present and made more noise than the mass of orange shirts towards the end of the game :o) Viva Espana, they are the World Cup Champions! I was so jealous of Gen who was somewhere in Spain watching the same game among thousands of Spaniards at the very same time.
My last Croatian stop was in Zadar. I went back to the coast to catch a flight to Italy then on to Malaga to be reunited with Gen. After spending so much time with Gen the previous seven months, I found out travelling alone sucks. In Zadar I had no interest for visiting, I forced myself to get out and see stuff but it was not as fun. I enjoyed not depending on someone else to make decisions but sharing ideas and visiting sites with someone is so much better. I missed my Gen. I was literally counting down the days to leave Zadar. This town has a nice little old town quarter but honestly, once you’ve seen the old town in Dubrovnik it is difficult to get excited about another one.
I would definitely want to come back to Croatia. It’s a nice country and the transport system is very organized. I hear Montenegro is also beautiful, I wouldn’t mind combining the two in a future trip.
