But, yes, the water is drinkable.
Monday, May 16, 2016
The Istrian Peninsula - Day 6
The Istrian Peninsula - Day 6
We started the day in the mist. The bus climbed put the mountain behind us in Opatija and then through a 3 1/2 mile tunnel. On the other side, the weather had changed, and it was much brighter. Not sunny (yet) but looking up.
We made our way to the bottom of the Istrian peninsula which separates the Kvarner Bay from the Adriatic. This town, Pula, was an old town, but was at its height in Roman times. There is a fairly well preserved amphitheater with essentially the entire outer wall still intact. We walked in and there was some ceremony for a international youth soccer tournament. Noisy, but we could mostly hear our guide, Sondra, with our portable earpieces. Underneath, there was an exhibit of olive pressing and old amphora, which was interesting. There was a reproduction of an old roman map of the area, showing the distances not in miles or kilometers, but in days of travel. Interesting that Venice was not on the map, but it wasn't founded until about 400AD.
Then up the western coast to Rovinj, a pretty old fishing town with windy small streets leading to the church at the top of the hill. Think Montmartre, but smaller. Multiple little art shops and restaurants.
Most of the afternoon was spent wandering Ravinj, then back to Opatija for a nice dinner at a local restaurant. Ann had grilled "fish of the day", I had roast lamb. Somewhat more importantly, they gave us some wonderful olive oil to go with the salad and bread.
Ann's Notes
Travel for me is a lesson in geography and this trip is no exception. I actually had no idea how close Trieste and Venice are to the coast of Croatia and the Istrian Peninsula. Opatija, which is on east coast of the peninsula is 2 1/2 hours from Trieste and 5 hours from Venice. I did some quick research last night to see if we could escape for a day or so to either, but alas it would not work out. But the rest of our trip traveling down the coast of Croatia and finishing up in Dubrovnik should be great. And the weather may even cooperate a bit more.
Delicious lunch of pizza and salad in one of the cafe's in Rovinj. Being so close to Italy really does mean delicious pizza and gelato everywhere. And then a good dinner in a restaurant in Opatija of fried calamari and a local white fish, with delicious garlic spinach and roasted potatoes. The pastries, chocolate mousse cakes and chocolate is also quite good here.
We started the day in the mist. The bus climbed put the mountain behind us in Opatija and then through a 3 1/2 mile tunnel. On the other side, the weather had changed, and it was much brighter. Not sunny (yet) but looking up.
We made our way to the bottom of the Istrian peninsula which separates the Kvarner Bay from the Adriatic. This town, Pula, was an old town, but was at its height in Roman times. There is a fairly well preserved amphitheater with essentially the entire outer wall still intact. We walked in and there was some ceremony for a international youth soccer tournament. Noisy, but we could mostly hear our guide, Sondra, with our portable earpieces. Underneath, there was an exhibit of olive pressing and old amphora, which was interesting. There was a reproduction of an old roman map of the area, showing the distances not in miles or kilometers, but in days of travel. Interesting that Venice was not on the map, but it wasn't founded until about 400AD.
Then up the western coast to Rovinj, a pretty old fishing town with windy small streets leading to the church at the top of the hill. Think Montmartre, but smaller. Multiple little art shops and restaurants.
Most of the afternoon was spent wandering Ravinj, then back to Opatija for a nice dinner at a local restaurant. Ann had grilled "fish of the day", I had roast lamb. Somewhat more importantly, they gave us some wonderful olive oil to go with the salad and bread.
Ann's Notes
Travel for me is a lesson in geography and this trip is no exception. I actually had no idea how close Trieste and Venice are to the coast of Croatia and the Istrian Peninsula. Opatija, which is on east coast of the peninsula is 2 1/2 hours from Trieste and 5 hours from Venice. I did some quick research last night to see if we could escape for a day or so to either, but alas it would not work out. But the rest of our trip traveling down the coast of Croatia and finishing up in Dubrovnik should be great. And the weather may even cooperate a bit more.
Delicious lunch of pizza and salad in one of the cafe's in Rovinj. Being so close to Italy really does mean delicious pizza and gelato everywhere. And then a good dinner in a restaurant in Opatija of fried calamari and a local white fish, with delicious garlic spinach and roasted potatoes. The pastries, chocolate mousse cakes and chocolate is also quite good here.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Back to Croatia - Opatija - Day 5
Back to Croatia - Opatija - Day 5
Up and out in the morning and drove about an hour to the Postojna cave. This is a cool cave where the remnants of the Ljubljana river dives into the rock to cut a channel. We took a little tram about a mile in, and began to walk. Never having been to Luray, this was quite impressive to me. The caverns were huge and the thousands of stalactites and stalagmites were very cool. The lights inside were strategically placed to highlight them well. We walked for about an hour. I took a bunch of pictures that I hope will come out, since I was pushing the ISO and speed to the limits of my camera. No tripods or flash allowed.
After lunch at the cafeteria, we went back across the border to Croatia. We got to the little town of Opatija which is not exactly a resort, but more of a spa town. The Austrians would come here for the air and the exercise of walking. We are doing a bunch of that. Luckily, the rain has mostly stopped, and we have even seen bits of sunlight! There were Benedictine monks here in the 14th century who set up an abbey. The word "abbey" comes from the name Opatija, which in Croation, means "abbey". The word in Italian is "abezzia". You can see how the etymology works. (Thank you, Bart).
A famous son of Opatija is Leo Sternbach, who invented benzodiazepines, which gave us Librium, Valium, klonopin, and Dalmane. (Look up "Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Chemicals That Changed History") We are having problems now with the misuse of "benzos", but it was really an important discovery. Also, a famous surgeon, Theodor Billroth, spent time here and died here. My surgical buddies will certainly know that name.
We spent the afternoon walking around the town and through the large Angiolina Park in the center. Lots of different plants and trees, including Sequoias. Down by the water is a statue of the "Maiden with Seagull". This was a replacement for a Madonna that was torn down by the Communists in the 50s. They are trying to promote this like the Little Mermaid of Copenhagen. The problem is you can't get quite so close, and the girl faces the sea rather than the shore where you can see her better. Nice try.
Dinner at the hotel and another walk by the water, and I'm pooped.
Ann's additions:
Even though I visited Lurray caverns years ago on a school field trip with Harry, I was equally impressed with the Postojna caves. But I was also impressed today with some of the recent history we learned about Slovenia and Croatia. Slovenia became a member of the EU in 2004, but thanks to Slovenia's efforts to block Croatia's entry into the EU, Croatia did not become a member until 2013. Although the Slovenian and Croatian people generally like each other, as we learned from our tour leader today and vacation in each other's countries, they are not always in sync politically. The major reason Slovenia blocked Croatia's EU entry is that Slovenia needs access through Croatia to make full use of its coast. It took years for the two countries to reach agreement on this issue and when they finally did, Croatia modified its opposition to Slovenia's EU entry. Not surprisingly, Slovenia, as a long time EU member uses the Euro. Croatia is not yet on the Euro and still uses the kuna.
Although our tour leader told us that the immigrant crisis was not really affecting Croatia because the immigrants weren't coming to this country, recent news reports tell a different story. In February 2016, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia all announced that they would each restrict the number of immigrants entering their countries to 580 a day. Their announcement followed Austria's clampdown on immigration.
Up and out in the morning and drove about an hour to the Postojna cave. This is a cool cave where the remnants of the Ljubljana river dives into the rock to cut a channel. We took a little tram about a mile in, and began to walk. Never having been to Luray, this was quite impressive to me. The caverns were huge and the thousands of stalactites and stalagmites were very cool. The lights inside were strategically placed to highlight them well. We walked for about an hour. I took a bunch of pictures that I hope will come out, since I was pushing the ISO and speed to the limits of my camera. No tripods or flash allowed.
After lunch at the cafeteria, we went back across the border to Croatia. We got to the little town of Opatija which is not exactly a resort, but more of a spa town. The Austrians would come here for the air and the exercise of walking. We are doing a bunch of that. Luckily, the rain has mostly stopped, and we have even seen bits of sunlight! There were Benedictine monks here in the 14th century who set up an abbey. The word "abbey" comes from the name Opatija, which in Croation, means "abbey". The word in Italian is "abezzia". You can see how the etymology works. (Thank you, Bart).
A famous son of Opatija is Leo Sternbach, who invented benzodiazepines, which gave us Librium, Valium, klonopin, and Dalmane. (Look up "Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Chemicals That Changed History") We are having problems now with the misuse of "benzos", but it was really an important discovery. Also, a famous surgeon, Theodor Billroth, spent time here and died here. My surgical buddies will certainly know that name.
We spent the afternoon walking around the town and through the large Angiolina Park in the center. Lots of different plants and trees, including Sequoias. Down by the water is a statue of the "Maiden with Seagull". This was a replacement for a Madonna that was torn down by the Communists in the 50s. They are trying to promote this like the Little Mermaid of Copenhagen. The problem is you can't get quite so close, and the girl faces the sea rather than the shore where you can see her better. Nice try.
Dinner at the hotel and another walk by the water, and I'm pooped.
Ann's additions:
Even though I visited Lurray caverns years ago on a school field trip with Harry, I was equally impressed with the Postojna caves. But I was also impressed today with some of the recent history we learned about Slovenia and Croatia. Slovenia became a member of the EU in 2004, but thanks to Slovenia's efforts to block Croatia's entry into the EU, Croatia did not become a member until 2013. Although the Slovenian and Croatian people generally like each other, as we learned from our tour leader today and vacation in each other's countries, they are not always in sync politically. The major reason Slovenia blocked Croatia's EU entry is that Slovenia needs access through Croatia to make full use of its coast. It took years for the two countries to reach agreement on this issue and when they finally did, Croatia modified its opposition to Slovenia's EU entry. Not surprisingly, Slovenia, as a long time EU member uses the Euro. Croatia is not yet on the Euro and still uses the kuna.
Although our tour leader told us that the immigrant crisis was not really affecting Croatia because the immigrants weren't coming to this country, recent news reports tell a different story. In February 2016, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia all announced that they would each restrict the number of immigrants entering their countries to 580 a day. Their announcement followed Austria's clampdown on immigration.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Eagle cam
I gotta say, even half way around the world, I am enthralled by the DC baby eagles.
WWW.DCEagleCam.org
A Day in Ljubljana - Day 4
A Day in Ljubljana - Day 4
A lazy morning with a late start at 9:30 for a walking tour of this cute little city. Of course, it is gray and threatening rain again.
The architecture here is relatively modern for Europe, as there was a large earthquake in 1895 which destroyed most of the town, and it was rebuilt in the early 20th century with an art nouveau theme. The name is thought to come from early Slovene "to love" as it is a lovely town. They are proud that Slovenia has "love" in it. There is a high mountain in the center with a castle dating to early Roman times. There have been many conquerors, from the Romans to the Huns to the Magyars to the Venetians to the Hapsburgs. This is on a trade route between Europe and Asia so everyone came through here.
There is a river running through the center of the old town with multiple bridges. The whole center is for pedestrians which is nice. There is the famous Triple Bridge which was originally a car bridge with two pedestrian bridges on either side(now all pedestrian), The Dragon Bridge, and others. The dragon is the symbol of the town, and there are dragons everywhere. The old Jewish quarter is still there, but most of the Jews were expelled in the 1500s. Our guide reported that the Jews had been invited to the city from Trieste in Northern Italy because the town was expanding rapidly and needed money lenders. She went on to say that they charged too much interest and so they did not remain welcome here for very long. Nevertheless, there is still a street called Zidovska Steza which translates as "Jew Street".
In the market square, along with the fresh fruits and vegetables, there was a "milkomat" machine which would dispense fresh milk into your bottle. There was also a cheese machine. Coming to a mall near you???
We took the funicular to the top to explore the castle. They have some excavations which were interesting. The rain stopped us from roaming too much. The view from the top was nice.
We walked down a steep and narrow and wet path (when we could have taken the funicular) back into the town. We found a restaurant just as the skies opened up again. I had John Dory fish, which I later found out was St. Peter's fish. Very nice. Ann had a salad with all kinds of grilled shellfish which was delicious.
Did a little shopping and rested at the hotel.
We met the group at 5 for a boat ride along the river, and to see the bridges. Of course, it rained, but the boat was <mostly> covered...
Dinner at a little restaurant we found along the river, with Vicki and Erika, cousins on our trip. Ann's seafood barley risotto was very good; my grilled tuna salad was only fair.
We walked around a bit now that the skies had dried up for a while, and saw that the castle was lit in green. Ljubljana has been designated a "green" city for its efficient use of energy, so there is lots that is green. To be sure, the city flag is green and white, so I am not sure that was completely the reason.
In a side square was a huge crane with a hanging restaurant. For €89, you could have dinner 300 feet in the air. You have to be strapped in, and you a hanging there with nothing under you. I'm not sure I would want to try.
Tomorrow to the caves, and back to Croatia.
Ann's additions:
I must admit that before arriving in Slovenia, I knew very little about this country other than it had been part of the former Yugoslavia. So, here are some interesting tidbits I have picked up.
Slovenia is a country of approx 2 million people, 280,000 of which live in Ljubljana. The country is bordered by Italy to the north west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the east and Croatia to the south, with the longest border. Slovenia was the first republic to declare its independence from Yugoslavia followed by Croatia. And compared to what happened in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, Slovenia and Croatia had a relatively easy path to independence.
Like Croatia, higher education in Slovenia is free, with 55,000 students attending the university of Ljubljana. Medical care is also provided to all residents. Taxes to support the universal health care and education are high with income taxes beginning at 35% and reaching as high as 50%.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
A lazy morning with a late start at 9:30 for a walking tour of this cute little city. Of course, it is gray and threatening rain again.
The architecture here is relatively modern for Europe, as there was a large earthquake in 1895 which destroyed most of the town, and it was rebuilt in the early 20th century with an art nouveau theme. The name is thought to come from early Slovene "to love" as it is a lovely town. They are proud that Slovenia has "love" in it. There is a high mountain in the center with a castle dating to early Roman times. There have been many conquerors, from the Romans to the Huns to the Magyars to the Venetians to the Hapsburgs. This is on a trade route between Europe and Asia so everyone came through here.
There is a river running through the center of the old town with multiple bridges. The whole center is for pedestrians which is nice. There is the famous Triple Bridge which was originally a car bridge with two pedestrian bridges on either side(now all pedestrian), The Dragon Bridge, and others. The dragon is the symbol of the town, and there are dragons everywhere. The old Jewish quarter is still there, but most of the Jews were expelled in the 1500s. Our guide reported that the Jews had been invited to the city from Trieste in Northern Italy because the town was expanding rapidly and needed money lenders. She went on to say that they charged too much interest and so they did not remain welcome here for very long. Nevertheless, there is still a street called Zidovska Steza which translates as "Jew Street".
In the market square, along with the fresh fruits and vegetables, there was a "milkomat" machine which would dispense fresh milk into your bottle. There was also a cheese machine. Coming to a mall near you???
We took the funicular to the top to explore the castle. They have some excavations which were interesting. The rain stopped us from roaming too much. The view from the top was nice.
We walked down a steep and narrow and wet path (when we could have taken the funicular) back into the town. We found a restaurant just as the skies opened up again. I had John Dory fish, which I later found out was St. Peter's fish. Very nice. Ann had a salad with all kinds of grilled shellfish which was delicious.
Did a little shopping and rested at the hotel.
We met the group at 5 for a boat ride along the river, and to see the bridges. Of course, it rained, but the boat was <mostly> covered...
Dinner at a little restaurant we found along the river, with Vicki and Erika, cousins on our trip. Ann's seafood barley risotto was very good; my grilled tuna salad was only fair.
We walked around a bit now that the skies had dried up for a while, and saw that the castle was lit in green. Ljubljana has been designated a "green" city for its efficient use of energy, so there is lots that is green. To be sure, the city flag is green and white, so I am not sure that was completely the reason.
In a side square was a huge crane with a hanging restaurant. For €89, you could have dinner 300 feet in the air. You have to be strapped in, and you a hanging there with nothing under you. I'm not sure I would want to try.
Tomorrow to the caves, and back to Croatia.
Ann's additions:
I must admit that before arriving in Slovenia, I knew very little about this country other than it had been part of the former Yugoslavia. So, here are some interesting tidbits I have picked up.
Slovenia is a country of approx 2 million people, 280,000 of which live in Ljubljana. The country is bordered by Italy to the north west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the east and Croatia to the south, with the longest border. Slovenia was the first republic to declare its independence from Yugoslavia followed by Croatia. And compared to what happened in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, Slovenia and Croatia had a relatively easy path to independence.
Like Croatia, higher education in Slovenia is free, with 55,000 students attending the university of Ljubljana. Medical care is also provided to all residents. Taxes to support the universal health care and education are high with income taxes beginning at 35% and reaching as high as 50%.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Zagreb to Ljubljana -Day 3
Zagreb to Ljubljana -Day 3
On the bus slight late as we misplaced Ann's camera. It had been left under the chair I was sitting in in the lobby of the hotel, but I wasn't aware it was there. Luckily, no harm done.
Half an hour to the border to Slovenia and half an hour wait for border control. Since Croatia is not yet part of the EU, we had to go through the process to get new stamps in the passports. We drove past Ljubljana to get to Bled Castle and Lake. This is a very small country, maybe smaller than New Jersey or Maryland. The land changed to rolling hills and some mountains with valleys between. The weather is gray and intermittent rain, but the mist in the peaks was very pretty, as were the towns between. The lake is a remnant of the ice age from a receding glacier. There is huge outcrop overlooking the lake with a Castle dating to 1011. We drove as high as we could to the entrance, but still had a bunch of hill to climb. We went through the drawbridge gate and had more to climb. Inside, there was a wonderful view of the lake and a small island in it. The castle had a demonstration of printing (with a copy of the first Slovene printed book) and iron working and some old excavations of old jewelry and weapons.
Then to lunch on the shore of the lake. We stopped at a Slovenian restaurant. It was asparagus week and Ann had an asparagus frittata which was quite good. Yes, she even ate eggs!!! I ordered the kasha with mushrooms which was like a kasha rissota. and the waiter nodded approvingly, saying "Very Slovenian". It really was quite good.
After lunch we took a boat to the island to see the old church, dating to the 1600s. The boat was rowed by one of the ancient rowers; the profession passed down from father to son for generations. Think ugly gondolas. More pictures of the mountains and fog. At least it didn't rain while we were on the water or outside(it poured during lunch!).
Back to Ljubljana to check into our hotel. This is a small town, even for a capital. Walking tour tomorrow.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
President, MedChi 2016-2017
The Maryland State Medical Society
Sent from my iPad
On the bus slight late as we misplaced Ann's camera. It had been left under the chair I was sitting in in the lobby of the hotel, but I wasn't aware it was there. Luckily, no harm done.
Half an hour to the border to Slovenia and half an hour wait for border control. Since Croatia is not yet part of the EU, we had to go through the process to get new stamps in the passports. We drove past Ljubljana to get to Bled Castle and Lake. This is a very small country, maybe smaller than New Jersey or Maryland. The land changed to rolling hills and some mountains with valleys between. The weather is gray and intermittent rain, but the mist in the peaks was very pretty, as were the towns between. The lake is a remnant of the ice age from a receding glacier. There is huge outcrop overlooking the lake with a Castle dating to 1011. We drove as high as we could to the entrance, but still had a bunch of hill to climb. We went through the drawbridge gate and had more to climb. Inside, there was a wonderful view of the lake and a small island in it. The castle had a demonstration of printing (with a copy of the first Slovene printed book) and iron working and some old excavations of old jewelry and weapons.
Then to lunch on the shore of the lake. We stopped at a Slovenian restaurant. It was asparagus week and Ann had an asparagus frittata which was quite good. Yes, she even ate eggs!!! I ordered the kasha with mushrooms which was like a kasha rissota. and the waiter nodded approvingly, saying "Very Slovenian". It really was quite good.
After lunch we took a boat to the island to see the old church, dating to the 1600s. The boat was rowed by one of the ancient rowers; the profession passed down from father to son for generations. Think ugly gondolas. More pictures of the mountains and fog. At least it didn't rain while we were on the water or outside(it poured during lunch!).
Back to Ljubljana to check into our hotel. This is a small town, even for a capital. Walking tour tomorrow.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
President, MedChi 2016-2017
The Maryland State Medical Society
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Zagreb City Tour - Day 2
Nice breakfast in the hotel with lots of choices. They even had smoked salmon but, alas, no bagels.
We got into the bus to tour the city. As I previously said, the downtown is largely early 20th century middle European city, looking like a mini Prague, but not as pretty. The main square near our hotel has a statue of Tomislav, the first King of Croatia in 925. Over the next few centuries, they gradually became subjected to the Venetians, the Ottomans, The Ottomans, the Soviets, etc until they became a free country again in 1990.
We saw numerous government buildings, and wound up at a major cemetery, Mirogoj, designed by Hermann Bolle in1876. This was interesting in how the entrance gates and close in edifices were designed. Behind the main church was the tomb of Franco Tudman, the first president in the 90s after independence.
From there, we went back to downtown, to see the Church of Saint Mark with a very distinctive roof, and the Cathedral. We walked around a bit and came upon an apothecary store dating to the 13th century. It is thought that Dante's grandson was an original proprietor.
We broke for lunch and got something at one of the numerous street restaurants. After lunch we were on our own and went to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Very weird, chronicling people's views after breakups and other partings. Anyone can contribute an item with a story. Keys to an ex-lover's car, police reports of a rape, suicide notes, an ax used to break the furniture of a lover who moved out. I was glad I'm still with my first wife and didn't have anything to contribute.
Dinner down the street at a tourist/tour bus restaurant. Very mediocre. Salad with a slab of beef over it(?). Turkey, ham and cheese fried in a thick batter. Nondescript cake for desert. The best part was when we ordered decaf coffee afterwards and had repeated to us "coffee without coffee"!!!
Tomorrow we go to Slovenia and wind up in Ljubljana.
Thoughts on Zagreb: a nice enough city but when the cemetery is the high point of the tour, one has to wonder.
Ann's thoughts on our day in Zagreb
The local guide on our morning tour was very good, his command of English impressive. He had studied at the Zagreb University which, as he explained, was very affordable. A year of tuition, room and board costs about what a meal plan costs at a US college or university -about $1200 a year!
I guess Steve didn't think much of the gyro he had for lunch but the pizza and caprice salad I shared with the two tour members we ate with was delicious. I do agree, though, that dinner was pretty lame.
One thing that really put our day in Zagreb in perspective for me was the conversation we had at breakfast with a couple from Australia who had begun their Croatia trip in Dubrovnik and were ending it in Zagreb, the opposite of what we are doing. They explained that Slovenia and the Dalmation Coast we will be traveling too is absolutely breathtaking and a whole lot more interesting than Zagreb. On to those sites from here!
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Zagreb Arrival - Day 1
Welcome to Croatia
We had relatively uneventful flights from DC to Frankfurt and then on to Zagreb. Our only hiccup was going to the gate printed on out boarding passes, which was not the actual gate. When we were the only ones at gate 54, we realized something was wrong, and checked the boards to realize it had been moved to gate 47. Short walk.
After a short flight from Frankfurt to Zagreb, we were met by Sandra, our local guide, who put us on the bus to our hotel.
The hotel, the Esplanade, is very old world. Very pretty with wooden hallways and marble floors and crystal chandeliers.
We napped for an hour or so and took a walk into the central part of the city. First we needed to hit a bancomat (otherwise known as an ATM). We walked to a few parks and found a little international fair hosted by some 9 year olds. We bought some Tapas for a little lunch snack and wandered back to the hotel. We had a beer with some of our fellow travelers and then our opening meeting to introduce each other. Most everybody is a seasoned traveler, so this should be a good efficient trip. The weather so far has not been cooperative, as it has been cloudy and in the 50's and threatening rain.
Dinner was at the restaurant of the hotel, "Zinfandel's", started with a Strukli. You put in the accent over the s as I can't. This was made with dough and cottage cheese, but tasted almost like a type of Mac and cheese. Not bad, however. Ann had the Salmon which she reported as excellent. I ordered a pork chop with mashed potatoes and a mushroom gravy. The potatoes were good. Desert was panna cotta with a coffee essence. That kind of coffee flavor is not my favorite, but it looked nice.
We closed the restaurant talking to our table mates. Very interesting people from a variety of backgrounds.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
President, MedChi 2016-2017
The Maryland State Medical Society
Sent from my iPad
We had relatively uneventful flights from DC to Frankfurt and then on to Zagreb. Our only hiccup was going to the gate printed on out boarding passes, which was not the actual gate. When we were the only ones at gate 54, we realized something was wrong, and checked the boards to realize it had been moved to gate 47. Short walk.
After a short flight from Frankfurt to Zagreb, we were met by Sandra, our local guide, who put us on the bus to our hotel.
The hotel, the Esplanade, is very old world. Very pretty with wooden hallways and marble floors and crystal chandeliers.
We napped for an hour or so and took a walk into the central part of the city. First we needed to hit a bancomat (otherwise known as an ATM). We walked to a few parks and found a little international fair hosted by some 9 year olds. We bought some Tapas for a little lunch snack and wandered back to the hotel. We had a beer with some of our fellow travelers and then our opening meeting to introduce each other. Most everybody is a seasoned traveler, so this should be a good efficient trip. The weather so far has not been cooperative, as it has been cloudy and in the 50's and threatening rain.
Dinner was at the restaurant of the hotel, "Zinfandel's", started with a Strukli. You put in the accent over the s as I can't. This was made with dough and cottage cheese, but tasted almost like a type of Mac and cheese. Not bad, however. Ann had the Salmon which she reported as excellent. I ordered a pork chop with mashed potatoes and a mushroom gravy. The potatoes were good. Desert was panna cotta with a coffee essence. That kind of coffee flavor is not my favorite, but it looked nice.
We closed the restaurant talking to our table mates. Very interesting people from a variety of backgrounds.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
President, MedChi 2016-2017
The Maryland State Medical Society
Sent from my iPad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)