Everyone’s a Critic

To get to Bol we had to initially take a bus from Trogir to Split and then catch a ferry to the island of Brač. The bus had picked us up on route from Zadar so there were already quite a few people on board. I managed to find us two aisle seats across from each other and sat down next to an older gentleman. He started to chat with me right away and asked where we were going. I told him that we were heading to Bol, then Korčula and Dubrovnik. He snorted, shook his head, and then proceeded to yammer on about how shitty those places were. Ha! He said we should cancel our reservations and take the loss and check out his suggestions. He also mentioned something about catering to our interests and making gestures as to what we may be interested in doing, miming a drinking motion and a snorting motion…

While I normally very much welcome a local perspective this guy was a Debbie Downer… or Davie Downer, and possibly a drug dealer? I started thinking of how I could politely stop talking to him, or rather stop listening to him lecture me. Then an angel appeared.

A young girl in the seat behind Andre needed to purchase her ticket on the bus but had run out of Kuna. She asked if anyone had any local currency that she could buy with Euros. This was the perfect distraction! We had plenty of cash so we exchanged the money for her and then began to chat about her travels. I was able to completely pivot my body away from Grump-pa so I could face my rescuer. She was also Canadian and had been traveling solo. She was meant to meet a friend and they were going to do an island hopping boat trip together. Her friend had no showed, telling her at the last minute that she couldn’t get time off work. The three of us chatted for the half hour bus ride and I never glanced back at old crabby pants.

4F Fitness Continues

When we arrived in Bol we knew that it would be a bit of a walk to our accommodation. We had booked a place with a beautiful view, but it was a hike. Like Trogir it was pretty much all vertical after leaving the port, only this was further away. The walk was the hardest yet, but the place was beautiful. Even lugging our huge packs uphill we could easily be distracted by all the tiny charming entrances, nooks and crannies. As we pushed on we passed an older lady who smiled at me, an ear to ear grin, and said something in Croatian while flexing her muscles. I loved it here already, despite grumpy grandpa’s negative comments. As we got closer we noticed that Google Maps was a bit off  and there was no place where our destination was meant to be. We found ourselves wandering through a field and asking strangers for directions. Our host knew we were on our way and she eventually found us just down the road.

She told us that the area we were staying in was once all ranches and olive groves. The surrounding mountains reminded me of British Columbia. The view from our deck was outstanding and we got both hammocks set up. It was a perfect space for my new office.

 

 

Easy Eats

The first night we didn’t go down into the town. We were feeling lazy and had been in the sun quite a lot the day before. We settled on a restaurant down the street called Ranč (pronounced Ranch). It was a cool little spot that had really pretty outdoor seating areas. Each area housed only a few tables in the privacy of surrounding gardens. There were a lot of tables but the way it was set up you felt like you were almost alone. It was very peaceful.

We had heard so much about this one particular beach in Bol called Zlatni Rat. All the aerial photos online looked amazing and all of the blogs and websites had spoken highly of it so we decided to check it out the next day. It was about a half hour walk from us but there was a long promenade with big trees so it was pleasant. On our walk there we came across an inflatable water playground. They are everywhere in Croatia, but this was the largest one we had seen so far. We stopped so I could take a photo of it as well as a shot of the beach in the distance.

As we were standing there taking in the view Andre noticed a lady on the playground equipment attempting to get up onto the top level above the steps. It was only about waist height but she was soaking wet and clearly didn’t have the upper body strength to boost herself up. She kept launching herself at it and sliding off. Launching and sliding, launching and sliding. It was more than a little entertaining. Then her partner finally came to her rescue pushing her up by her rear end. It was a decent sized rear end so he had something to work with. The struggle was epic. After an enormous amount of effort he ended up getting her just far enough up that he could maneuver her legs and use them like wheelbarrow handles to slide her forward onto the base…

But then she started sliding to far to the edge and almost fell off so he began pulling her by the legs back toward him. I really can’t describe it well enough to convey the comic value of this situation. I wish I had it on video. I can actually very easily see Andre and I in that exact situation which is maybe why I found it extra funny (I’ll let you can decide who plays which role). Andre was near tears and there were three older Croatian ladies standing near us also in stitches. Finally both of them must have exhausted themselves and saw they were losing the battle because he let her go and she stopped fighting and plummeted off into the water.

Soon after the comedy show we arrived at Zlatni Rat. It was definitely a nice beach, but we didn’t really see what the buzz was about. It seemed overrated. It was quite busy and a lot of the beach was taken up with rental chairs. We have nothing against lounging in comfort (we are the same people who brought our own hammocks on holiday), but I refuse to pay to lay out at the beach. I think it’s ridiculous. Plus, more importantly, that’s money I can use for drinks!

The next day we decided to head in the opposite direction to explore. We eventually found ourselves in a quiet area. We passed only a few people walking along the path by the water. Then, around the bend there was a restaurant, and it was open. We had passed a handful along the way but they were all closed until dinner. As we walked into the place we saw that through the back there was a lovely outdoor seating area. What a score! This place was so beautiful and quiet, with a great view of the nearby monastery. So much better than the hyped up Zlatni Rat!

Unexpected Art

On the return home we came across some street art. It’s the first that I’ve seen in Croatia. I love Bol! Walking through this town there is so much natural beauty and architectural beauty. Stumbling across this art just added to the appeal of this place. What more could you want? Olive trees, pomegranate trees, car ports and terraces covered in vines of grapes and kiwis, crystal clear waters (still no urchins), mountains, goats (I saw some on a hill but didn’t have time to investigate), and art.

Is it just me or is this Croatian Jack Black?

More about Food

We have grown accustom to the supermarkets here and brands we like. We’ve also gotten good at the whole produce sticker scale thing and are usually able to get it right. Although our first shopping trip Andre had ticketed our onions as red cabbage. The lady at the till found this very amusing and went to fix it for us. The market also had the largest watermelons I’ve ever seen. I wanted to buy one but I wasn’t willing to carry it home.

Most nights we ventured into the town to eat at Pizzeria Topolino. This place was right on the water, the food was great, and we had a server we loved named Boris. Boris was 47 years old, he had fought in the war (on the Serbian side), he had a wife and 2 kids in Serbia, and worked seasonally in Bol for seven months of the year. He works every day for 7 months straight and then returns home to look after the kids while his wife tours with the symphony. We got to know Boris quite well over several meals and I was really sad to say goodbye to him.

But I am excited to get to Hvar because our friends from Canada are meeting us!

67 days in…

Onward to Hvar.