4F Fitness Continues
With the exception of the first few stops Croatia has been a great opportunity to get fit. Or in our case just not gain an extra 20 pounds on our strict cheese, bread, and alcohol diet. Most places we have visited have been mountainous and the towns provide lots of steep streets to hike through. Dubrovnik was no exception, and the F4 fitness program (Forced Fitness For Fatties) was in full effect. Our Uber driver dropped us off at the bottom of a large set of stairs (around 300) and were very happy that our place was only about halfway up. There are many places that just can’t be accessed by car because the homes are built so tightly on the hillsides.
Along with the upside of the forced fitness, there were amazing views. Our place had an unreal view of Old Town, especially from the rooftop where our host’s family has been planning to add another level. Marco’s aunt and uncle lived in the attached unit beside us and his parents lived on the upper floor. His Aunt Marianna invited us to go up to their rooftop to watch the sun set and it was way better than any view from the wall, for which they were asking $40.00 per person to walk along.
We were treated to a fireworks display the first night we arrived and try as I might I could not find out what they were for. The show brought everyone out onto their balconies from all the surrounding homes and by the oohs and aahs we heard next door, after each and every explosion, the neighbors were very impressed.
Hot Water
So one thing that we’ve noticed throughout Croatia is that the hot water tank in the bathroom is often controlled on the light switch panel outside the bathroom door. It just looks like two or three light switches. We are now accustom to this but Joeleen and Morgan are new and the showers in Hvar and Korčula were not like this. Unfortunately for Joeleen she was the first to have a shower. The boys were out and I was doing some writing. I heard her call out from the bathroom that it wasn’t very warm but I didn’t think anything of it. After she got out she looked uncomfortably cold and said that there was no way four of us could shower and have any warm water. It was barely warm enough for her to handle. At this point I realized what the problem likely was. There was no way with the size of the tank that the water would not be warm. It should be hot. Sure enough the switch wasn’t on. She is clearly a much hardier person than I am because there is no way I would have lasted 30 seconds in that shower, let alone washed my hair. It would have been a bird bath in the sink and greasy hair. If you know me you know that I hate the cold more than almost anything which is why Australia was a perfect place for me. Although in the winter there I still brought a hot water bottle to bed and usually wore full pajamas and socks… and maybe a toque on occasion (they don’t believe in heating and winters are cold).
Hummingbirds?
Our patio area was lovely and there was a decent sized garden. As the sun was setting the first evening we sat outside and noticed that there appeared to be hummingbirds in the garden. I thought it was odd because of the time of day and although they had a similar body shape they were nowhere near as pretty. My grandma used to have feeders for them on her farm in B.C and these didn’t look right. But it was also hard to tell because they were much tinier and moved so quickly. Perhaps they were the unattractive cousin of the hummingbird?
The next day I looked into it and found out that they are actually moths. They are called Hummingbird King Moths. I tried to take a video of them but like I said they are very fast so it’s not the best. You can take a look at them on my YouTube page or likely find a much better video on the internet.
The patio was also home to a very sweet cat named Sheila. She was an old rescue kitty. She was really sweet, and loved attention but was amusingly polite about it. Although she would meow a bit from outside the low open window of the kitchen, she never once attempted to jump up and come in. If we arrived home and she was on the patio furniture she would jump off and go to her cushion around the corner. We even left the door open but she would just stand out on the step looking in as if to say she needed to be properly invited.
Charcuterie, Spritzers, Figs, and Wine
The patio was also a great place to continue our tradition of lunch time charcuterie and Aperol Spritzers (which we now have the boys drinking too). This time we kicked it up a notch with some smoked salmon and I made some guacamole and a caprese type salad with balsamic glaze. That afternoon as we were eating Marianna came home with a basket of figs she had picked from a friend’s tree, so we got to enjoy these as well. Croatia has been super hit or miss in terms of food. Some restaurants have been outstanding while others have been awful. It’s always nice to be able to make your own food when on the road and even better to share it with friends. We invited Marianna but she had already eaten. We were able to spend some time chatting with her and her husband the following day and they even gave us a bottle of homemade wine before they left on their trip to Split. It was the best bottle we’ve had yet!
One restaurant that was a definite hit was a place just down the steps from us called Horizont. I had a quinoa and grilled veggie salad. I am really missing the huge variety of fresh vegetables we have back home. Here it is mostly zucchini, peppers, and eggplant. I haven’t seen a piece of broccoli in months. I miss broccoli.
Old Town Adventures
The day we ventured into Old Town it had been grey and rainy. It had finally let up and we decided to go for it. Despite the poor weather Old Town was still packed. It was shoulder season, so I’d hate to see what it is like in peak season when they have had to put a cap on the number of people allowed to enter the city gates. If there are more than 8000 visitors inside then people will be turned away. With the filming of Game of Thrones there have been more tourists flocking here. They have also had challenges in recent years with the number of cruise ships coming in. After traveling around Europe for the past few months I have come to the conclusion that cruise ships ruin a place. The locals hate it because people from the ships are not really spending any money. They get off for the day and maybe buy a meal and a souvenir but really don’t do much at all for local businesses. Tourists staying in the area hate it because of the sheer influx of people which ruin all sightseeing and leisure activities.
The gigantic ships belch massive amounts of pollution and contribute little to the regional trade or hospitality industries. Their passengers are only in the city for a few hours, they spend their nights on board and often eat food they bring with them when they go on land. They leave behind little money, but lots of garbage. “Cruise ship tourism is good,” Giuntarelli says with a resigned smile, “for the cruise ship operators.”
In Dubrovnik, Croatia, cruise ship passengers only spend an average of €24 a day compared to an average of €160 a day spent by other visitors. The city is suffering more than most from the onslaught of the tourists. Since its picturesque Old Town became the backdrop for the fantasy saga Game of Thrones, the number of visitors has risen dramatically. Each year, 800,000 people arrive on cruise ships.
Dubrovnik has 42,000 inhabitants – and most of them prefer to stay home when the cruise ships arrive. But because not only the residents, but also the medieval city structures themselves, are suffering, the number of visitors is to be reduced to 8000 people a day. Otherwise, UNESCO has threatened to strip the city of its status as a World Heritage site.
– from the Australian Financial Review
Despite the crowds I ventured out one more time on my own on a much sunnier day. I like to take my time to get the photos I want and that requires patience. There were still way too many people there for my liking but being on my own meant I wasn’t feeling rushed.
On my way out I saw three stunningly beautiful black women walk through the gates wearing pale pink satin dresses. I assumed they must have been part of a wedding party and wondered how on earth they planned to get photos without a million tourists in them. There was a very fancy black car following behind them, but no bride in site. I only saw a very handsome gentleman in the back seat who looked like a Nigerian prince. Perhaps he’s the one who has been sending me all those emails. If so, I’m glad to see he was able to get his money out of his country without my help.
79 days in…
We are leaving Croatia and going to Montenegro.