Len, Sara, Ed and Irene left London together on a Ryan Air flight to Zadar. We landed, proceeded through customs, then rented a car. Since Len has a EU drivers license that prohibits him from driving a standard transmission automobile, Ed had to rent it in his name. Apparently, they are not so fussy about foreigners driving standards.
We drove about 1.5 hours to Novalja, on the island of Pag. The thing that struck us the most about the country side was the stone fences. They were as common as wire fences in Canada – used as property lines and field dividers. It was plain to see that they had been there for many many years. There were blackberry bushes growing over and through many of them.
We drove straight to Anna's house, Michaela's Mom. Len had not seen his wife and son for a month, so there was a very joyous reunion. Little Julian was beside himself with excitement. Since Irene had been to London only 3 month prior, he was very excited to see Grandma also. Auntie Sara and Grandpa Ed were almost too much for him to take in.
Anna had a meal ready for us, while we settled into our rooms upstairs. The house was built with the intention of renting the upper floor to summer vacationers. We each had our own large bedroom, a shared bathroom and small dining area complete with refrigerator. There was also an outdoor shower on the back patio. It was a 3 walled affair, with a curtained door and solar heated water. It came in very handy when we returned from the beach and all wanted to shower at once. They have a small garden with tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.
After dinner and some visiting,Vali wanted to take us out for ice cream. It was raining very hard and although it would have been easier to simply slip off to our bedrooms, Sara and Irene decided to take Vali up on his offer. Vali, Anna, Sara and Irene donned umbrellas and headed off. We walked about 5 minutes toward the beaches when we spotted an ice cream shop. However, Vali headed us into the bar across the street for a beer. He had the waitress explain that after the beer, we would go for ice cream. (Neither Vali nor Anna speak English - the odd word and LOTS of sign language.) The bar was outdoors and there was a bird's nest on the wall directly above Irene's chair. I had to move so as not to be pooped on by the semi-adult birds.
When the beer was finished, we thought we were going across the street for ice cream. No. That ice cream is not good, apparently. So we walked further along, passing about 3 more ice cream shops, until we reached the square. Only to find the ice cream shop they were after was closed. So we walked back to a different shop, where Vali ordered huge bowls of ice cream for each of us . I have never before seen had Red Bull ice cream – too much of a sugar / caffeine rush for me to try. For himself, he ordered a beer. A note about buying beer in the shop: it comes in 2 litre bottles. There is also lemon flavored beer that has a cooler-like taste, but not as sweet.
We were soaked, despite the umbrellas, by the time we got back to the house. We had a really good time and were thankful that the weather is warm, despite the rain.
The next day was cloudy but warm. Len, Michaela, Julian, Ed, Irene and Vali went for a walk into town. It was basically the same route we had taken the night before, without the stops for beer and ice cream. Vali wanted to order some fresh fish to throw on the large outdoor barbecue for that night's dinner.
We stopped for a coffee and Vali bought some grapes for us to munch on from a street vendor. There are some Roman aqueducts near the square. We wandered over to have a look at these ancient ruins protected under glass.
We then went to a fruit and vegetable market that looked so tantalizing it was hard not to buy a little bit of everything.
The thing that we noticed the most in Novalja is the houses. They were mostly 2 story with lovely balconies. Flowers and grapes grew off trellises and verandas. Anna's back fence was covered in passion fruit, just waiting to be picked and eaten It was invitingly beautiful and easy to understand how this little town attracts so many summer tourists.
We drove out to Zrce Beach one day. It is more of a party beach with bars and discos on large wharfs. There was even a place to go bungee jumping, which Sara did there. We did not stay long as huge black clouds started to quickly roll in. Everyone seemed to be running for their cars all at the same time, so we followed suit. We barely got to the car when the wind started to assault us and the rain beat heavily.
We set off for Caska Beach the next day. This is a quieter, more family oriented beach. It is just a short walk over a hill and through some forest to Zrce Beach. We lazed about enjoying the sun and water and having fun with little Julian. The cicadas were chirping so loud it sounded like a symphony.
On the fourth day we packed up and headed to Ivan's house, Michaela's dad, in Vir, on the island of Vir, 4 ½ hours away. It would actually be a very short boat ride, but that is not an option due to the unpredictability of the water. Therefore, it is a long drive along the coast, over a few bridges and onto the other island. The landscape offered more trees and greenery than the previous island. We spent the night at Ivan's in order to get Julian settled with Oma and Opa before we headed off to Krka Park and Dubrovnik
Early the next morning (1 August) Len, Michaela, Sara, Irene and Ed headed off to Krka National Park. This beautiful park is renown for its flora and waterfalls. We walked about 2 km, along winding boardwalks and dirt trails, taking in the abundance of small waterfalls, flowers, fish, water snakes, and colorful insects.
One of the most attractive parts of the park is a massive clear pool with high waterfalls at one end that cascades down, teasing the bathers below. This waterfall is part of a series of 17 that is a total of 400 meters in length and 100 meters in width. The total difference in height between the first and the last falls is 47.7 meters. Incredibly beautiful. Thank you, Sara, for insisting that we visit this place.
There is archaeological evidence of Roman ruins, as well as a Franciscan monastery dating back to the 15th century. Moving ahead in time are the remains of a waterwheel, and more recently, the Hydro power plant. There are ethno presentations showing how to mill wheat, weave bags and smith horseshoes with gift shops nearby.
The remaining 3 hours to Dubrovnik was uneventful, except for the interesting road signs. One depicting that tractors are allowed on the bridge and another saying to beware of wild pigs crossing.
There were also about15-20 tunnels we drove through and lots of bridges to cross over valleys and bodies of water. We had to pass through Bosnia to get to Dubrovnik. I am not sure why. It was very bizarre. The guy in the booth took our passports, counted them, counted us in the car and waved us through. No stamp, no have a nice day, nothing.
