It’s Beach Time

This is by far the happiest we’ve been. Arriving in Rovinj and knowing we were just a short walk from the beach was very exciting. In retrospect, if we were to go through Europe again it would be along the coast. We are just water people.

We had been warned that the beaches in Croatia are not usually sandy. They are pebble or rock. On our first walk around the old town we saw tons of people taking advantage of any accessible bit of rock by the water to soak up some rays and have a swim. It’s fantastic and reminded me a lot of Gordan’s Bay in Sydney, Australia.

We had also read that we should invest in water shoes because of the rocky nature of the beaches and the sea urchins. Now this got my attention. Rocks I can handle, but if anyone is going to step on a sea urchin it’s gonna be me. This is why I got my rabies vaccines before leaving on our adventure. If anyone is going to be licked/scratched/bit but some rabid monkey or other feral animal it will be me. I have accepted this. I don’t consider myself accident prone or unlucky but since Andre and I have started traveling together something has happened to me every bloody time.

When I traveled through Australia, New Zealand and Thailand on my own I had no problems. Andre has no idea what it’s like to travel with the “problem free me”. Actually no, there was one trip we took to Panama where nothing took me down. Mostly it’s just a savage case of vomiting and diarrhea that lasts around 12-24 painful hours. The most exciting incident was in the Philippines when I woke up in the night to pee and discovered my eye was three times the size it should have been and I couldn’t see out of it because it was covered in a thick layer of clear looking goo. Long story short we learned that the Philippines has a great health care system that is free for all who require it. And my eyes got a nickname. Andre now refers to them as Poop Catchers. I just love it.

So back to the sea urchins. After spending a few days at the beach I decided to hold off on the water shoes. While they would be nice for comfort and grip on the rocks and pebbles, the water is super clear and I haven’t yet seen any urchins… but this is only the first beach destination in Croatia so I’m sure I’ll eventually cave and pick some up. Also, it’s hard to look graceful or remotely cool when your walking on sharp little pebbles and slippery rock. Watching people navigate their way in and out of the water is really entertaining.

Helpful Hosts

Our little flat was cared for by the host’s grandparents. They were super sweet. Grandpa Darko was an absolute treasure of a man. He was so excited to greet us and tell us all about the place, including the hair dryer that was attached to the wall. I have never seen one like it. It looked like a built in vacuum. I don’t blow dry my hair because I’m lazy, but it got Andre’s head nod of approval.

One afternoon on our way home from the beach we saw Grandpa Darko up a block or so ahead of us, also heading home from the water. He was wearing beige swimming trunks, tied very securely, way up past his bellybutton under his chest. He had the tan of a man who had spent his entire life in the sun. Andre was certain that he must have epic tan lines. Over the past few years Andre has been slowly attempting to maximize the surface ratio of his tan. It started with simply rolling up the legs of his swimmers while tanning. Then one day he came across a black pair of fitted brief style swim shorts that were scandalously short in his eyes. He began testing them out on a trip to Zipolite, Mexico. He felt okay about giving them a run here as we were staying in an area where nude sun bathing was common. Not to mention nude lounging and eating at the restaurant attached to our accommodation, but that’s another story. He is now somewhat comfortably able to wear them. Strictly on holidays of course. His George Hamilton tan is now spreading to his creamy thighs. Is it only a matter of time before he gets into a budgy smuggler? They are everywhere in Europe, but I feel he’s gone as far as he’s going to go in his quest for tanned legs.

Our place was tiny but had all the necessities. They had a garden in the back and one morning Darko had picked a ton of little tomatoes to give to us. They also had a car port that was covered with kiwi vines. Magic.

Old Town

Old town is quaint with it’s narrow cobblestone roads and walkways and tiny shops and restaurants that seem to appear out of nowhere. You’ll be walking down a tight lane way between buildings and all of a sudden it will open up to a courtyard and restaurant. You never know what you’re going to find around the corner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, maybe you do a bit. There are a lot of shops that sell tourist type tchotchkes and plenty of little clothing shops that sell the same dresses and shirts. My favorite by far was one of Albert Einstein. For some reason though they only sell them in what looks like an extra large men’s size.

Old town also has some steep paths through it and the stones are insanely slippery. At one point I was almost inching down a path for fear I’d break a hip. Most of the walkways are not that steep but you still need to be mindful of your footing. It made me think about how precarious it would be for the elderly or those with mobility issues. I recently read an article about traveling for those who are in wheelchairs. Being that I have worked with children with unique needs for many years I do often think about accessibility when I’m at home in Canada, but I hadn’t thought about it a lot in terms of travel. There was nothing overly surprising in the article, however I was surprised at how I had never given it much thought. As I read I was overwhelmed by the amount of time and thought it takes to plan a holiday for someone who is dependent on their chair. It is amazing how much you take for granted even when you think you are grateful for what you have.

Uber… But No Drivers

When we arrived in Rovinj we got an Uber to our place. The driver had come from Pula to drop some people off (about a 30 minute drive). When it came time to leave though the Uber app showed that there were no drivers. We had not anticipated this. So what we thought would be a very short ride with plenty of time to spare turned into a real good paced walk in the 34 degree weather to make it on time. Sadly as we were leaving Grandpa Darko and Grandma Daniella were in the main hall and we had no time to have a chat or say goodbye properly. Our packs were on and we were ready to hoof it, so it was a super quick goodbye.

Pula

Pula was just a quick one day stop. We stayed in a really jacked up place right by the ferries so that we would have an easy start to an early morning departure. We did a small tour around town and grabbed a bite. The Pula Arena Amfiteatar was impressive and Andre said it’s the best thing he’s seen yet… as far as “old shit” goes.

54 days in…

Zadar is next on the radar.